Hopeful Bites
Draco was not prepared to endure the same disgrace. How could his father's pressure to comply with so-called pureblood etiquette be justified when he himself didn't behave that way?
The scene was chaotic, with cauldrons full of books flying and two adults bickering like children trying to punch each other. Draco sighed deeply. He had hoped that if he didn't draw attention and didn't act like his old self, his father wouldn't notice the Weasley family. That's why he had accepted the so-called peace offering and stayed away from the shop. But it didn't affect his father. They were still at each other's throats until the half-giant Hagrid separated them. Draco wished his father had never returned from Russia. Maybe the dear ghost Akaki would steal his coat too?
Draco rolled his eyes at the drama and entered the shop. A loud bell rang. He glanced at his father, who was brushing his hair, and the angry Arthur Weasley, who was being held back by Hagrid. His father, adjusting his hair and collar, stopped and looked at him. Draco raised his nose with a disgust very similar to his mother's.
"I thought you were going to buy me a gift, father," Draco said. Lucius paused for a few seconds.
"I didn't know you would come to Flourish and Blotts without me. My mother would be very upset if she heard you left me alone," Draco said with a smile he thought was sincere.
His father straightened up at the mention of his mother. Draco broke the clasp of his hands behind his back and looked at Harry and Ron. Harry looked confused, while Ron turned tomato red. Draco looked at the red-haired girl on the floor, picking up books. She looked smaller than he remembered.
"We wouldn't want to disappoint your mother, Draco. We should get away from these filthy blood traitors as soon as possible," Lucius said, curling his nose again and making eye contact with Mr. Weasley.
Then he made an exit very similar to Severus.
Draco made eye contact with the twins, who winked at him. Draco chuckled and helped Ginny with the books. As he was putting the books back into the cauldron, something caught his eye. It was an old black diary. It was old enough to be obvious that it wasn't sold in this shop. Draco slipped it under his black robes without the girl noticing. He stood up and handed over the cauldrons in his hand.
"Young Malfoy," Arthur Weasley said, cautiously sizing up Draco.
Draco bowed and gave a ballroom greeting. "Sir..." Draco paused. But he had to continue. He knew he had to continue.
"I'm very sorry for the inconvenience my father caused you. He must be having a bad day today," he said.
The surprised redheads looked at him. While Arthur told him it was nothing, Draco saw Mr. and Mrs. Granger. They looked shaken. Draco nodded to them too and tried to leave the shop.
Looking back, he said, "See you at Hogwarts, kids..." His eyes caught the boy who was watching him curiously.
"Harry..." He was more excited when he called the green-eyed boy.
By the time Draco realized this, he was outside the shop, blushing both from this and from his father's behavior, and rushing to the next shop. He didn't notice Harry sending dreamy waves behind him.
🪷
In the evening, Draco was sitting in his room with the snake his father had reluctantly bought him. The snake was curled up in his palm, asleep, with its pure white scales. Draco was examining the diary with his other hand. Now that his mother had started giving his father the silent treatment, he could leave the dinner table early. He had been looking at the diary since those early hours. He hadn't opened it, but something inside him was being drawn to it. It was cursed. Draco had understood it at first sight. Draco fearfully put his snake on the edge of the bed. As far away as possible, in case something happened and it got hurt. He opened the diary.
Tom Riddle. Dark Lord. Voldemort.
Draco suddenly realized what he was looking at. He threw the diary across the room. He was stuck to the spot, breathing deeply.
This was one of Voldemort's Horcruxes. Draco had listened to Bellatrix and his father arguing and boasting about this in the previous timeline. His father had even been under the Cruciatus curse for hours because the diary had failed.
Draco was trembling where he stood. He thanked himself for taking this diary from Ginny. The poor girl didn't need to be involved in these events. It was her first year. She should be socializing and having fun. Draco didn't know when he had declared himself a hero.
Draco couldn't sleep much that night and the following nights. He didn't want to bring this up to Regulus yet, so he didn't contact him.
The diary was emitting very toxic energy. Draco knew he shouldn't take it to Hogwarts, but he took it with him anyway. It seemed he would have to scream in the old geezer's ear this year, no matter how much he disliked him. He was already suffering for his past behavior towards the old man.
On the train to Hogwarts, no matter where he looked, he couldn't see his friends. Harry and Ron were nowhere to be seen. Draco sat in an empty compartment, pouting. After putting his belongings away, he took out his snake, who was starting to get restless on his wrist. The snake coiled around his hand and fell asleep.
"Doesn't it have melanin?"
Draco jumped at the dreamy voice he heard. He thought the seats were empty, but there was a girl sitting opposite him. She was covering her face with a magazine she was holding upside down.
"Yes, they said it's an albino," Draco said, holding out his hand as if to show the snake to the girl.
The girl lowered the magazine she was holding between her wavy platinum blonde hair. While her eyes seemed lost in her dreams, she asked, "Does it have a name?"
Draco's heart skipped a beat when he realized who the girl was. Luna Lovegood.
In the dungeons of Malfoy Manor... With her distant gaze... With her dirty face and lovely, beautiful smile.
"Thank you, Draco..."
These words echoed in his brain as before.
"Doesn't it have a name?" He came to his senses with the girl's gentle voice.
He realized he had been staring at his snake for a long time. He shook his head. "I haven't chosen one yet."
The girl smiled slightly.
"What's your name?"
"Luna Lovegood."
"Draco Black-Malfoy."
Draco gently held out his hand. He didn't want to hurt the girl in any way.
After the girl pulled her hand away, she drifted off into the distance again.
"How's Apollo?"
Draco was surprised. He tilted his head to the side and crossed his arms in front of him. The snake started to slide from one hand to the other.
"What's Apollo?"
Luna also tilted her head to the side in the opposite direction.
"According to the Muggle books I read, the sun god, its scales shine like the sun in the light."
Draco didn't want to look too happy, but he was fluttering with happiness inside. He made eye contact with the girl and nodded. The girl also seemed very happy. They raised their tilted heads in harmony.
"Would you like to hold it?"
"Can I?"
"After all, you named it, it needs to meet you."
The girl held out her hand. Draco stroked Apollo and placed it in the girl's hand.
The snake opened its eyes, sized up Luna, then yawned and wrapped itself around her hand.
"It's happy to meet me."
Draco laughed playfully.
"We don't say no to a friend?"
"Friend?" The girl's eyes seemed to widen for the first time.
"You'll need a friend at Hogwarts. If anything happens to you, tell me right away. Apollo likes to leave a bite or two."
The girl smiled happily. She seemed like she wanted to get up and jump. She leaned forward and brushed her lips against Apollo's whitish scales.
"Thank you for not biting me, Apollo."
The snake let out a small hiss and fell asleep in her hand again. They both giggled.
The door opened quickly. Hermione Granger stood regally, with Longbottom behind her, shyly playing with his hands. The fact that Draco and his group didn't bully him had been better for the boy, but Draco was sure that a few Slytherins and Ravenclaws were still picking on him.
"Oh thank god you're here, Draco."
The girl sat down next to him quickly without asking.
"What's the problem, Hermione?"
"Those stupid Ron and Harry are nowhere to be found. I thought they might have gone with you."
Draco laughed mockingly. "Do you see me that low? I'm offended, frankly." He clutched his heart in a fake way and grimaced.
Hermione gave him a playful smile too. Draco noticed that Longbottom was still waiting at the door.
"What, do you need an invitation?"
"Don't be rude, Draco," Hermione scolded him. Longbottom sat down next to Luna, blushing.
Luna smiled at him and held out her hand. While Hermione gave Luna strange looks, she still introduced herself to the girl. The journey to Hogwarts seemed to pass more slowly. Draco began to read a Muggle book he had received from his uncle. When Hermione saw this, she screamed and, after asking a long question, began to read one of her own thick books. Luna was immersed in her upside-down magazine. Occasionally, she showed Longbottom something. Longbottom was petting the frog in his lap, which looked ready to jump away at any moment.
Draco was pleased to be returning to Hogwarts. A loud thumping sound reminded him that he needed to do something about the diary. He was already taking too many risks with innocent and lovely children like Luna around him.
The feast began. Draco made eye contact with Hermione from a distance. The girl looked very worried, and Harry and Ron were nowhere to be seen. After brushing Pansy's lengthening hair, Draco decided to go to sleep that evening.
He still couldn't see Harry and Ron. He took out the diary. He flipped through the pages. Strangely, it was completely empty. Draco went to the table. He grabbed a quill and decided to write something. But he stopped. What could he write?
This diary was no joke. A few drops of ink dripped from the tip of the quill. The diary immediately absorbed it. Draco looked in astonishment.
He wrote a small "hello" on it. The diary absorbed it.
Hello
Draco slammed the diary shut. This diary was going to be a new tool for his nightmares, it seemed. A lethargy fell over him. He didn't remember what happened after that, but when he woke up in the morning, he couldn't find the diary.
The diary was gone. Draco turned his bed upside down, but couldn't find it anywhere.
"Aren't you coming to breakfast, mate?" Blaise had finished his skincare routine, it seemed. Draco continued to look around frantically.
"Blaise!"
The boy flinched. Draco breathed a sigh of relief.
"I'm coming." He went downstairs in defeat. In the Great Hall, there were two missing people at the Gryffindor table and an angry girl between them. Hermione came up to him as soon as she finished her meal. But she didn't sit at the table.
"Can you believe what they did?" The girl started complaining again. Draco sighed and picked up the jam sandwich Pansy had made for him. Hermione took him to his two missing friends who were now standing.
"I still can't believe you guys," she said.
"What, would you rather we got expelled?" Ron protested. Hermione decided to give Ron a special scolding this time.
"Draco..."
Draco examined the black-haired boy in front of him to see if he was injured. He raised both hands and placed them on his cheeks.
"You guys are really a pain. Are you not injured?" Harry, who wasn't ready for this show of affection, opened and closed his mouth like a fish. Draco raised his hand and stroked his messy, seemingly uncombed hair.
Harry turned bright red. "Ron just broke his wand," he said.
Draco laughed mockingly and clicked his tongue.
"I'm glad you're okay," he said.
"I'm glad to see you too," Harry said in a voice as if he had emigrated from here.
Draco smiled slyly and tugged at his hair. Then he decided to turn around and leave.
"See you in class," he said.
Hermione looked angry because she hadn't scolded them as much as she wanted.
"He didn't even check if I was okay," he heard Ron's protesting voice from a distance. He smiled again and went back to breakfast.
...........
The diary was gone. Draco was in deep trouble. But who could have taken it? He was on the verge of a panic attack.
He was really in deep trouble. He was really in deep trouble.
As Draco left the Great Hall, a thousand thoughts were running through his mind. The disappearance of the diary increased the possibility of the Chamber of Secrets being opened, and this deeply worried Draco. "Who could have taken it?" he muttered to himself. "And why?"
Although his first suspect was Ginny Weasley, he wasn't even sure if the girl had touched the diary. "Maybe I'm wrong," he thought. "Maybe someone else took it."
He searched all of Hogwarts, but to no avail. As he was walking down the corridor, he saw Luna. Luna was looking around with her usual dreamy expression. Draco went up to Luna and said, "Luna, I need to ask you something."
Luna turned to him and smiled. "Of course, Draco. What is it?"
"I've lost a diary," Draco explained. "Has anyone seen it?"
Luna thought for a moment. "A diary?" she asked. "I don't remember. But maybe the Nargles took it."
Draco was getting used to Luna's strange answers. "Nargles?" he asked.
"Yes," said Luna. "They're small, mischievous creatures. They like to take everything."
Draco didn't understand much from Luna's answer, but he thanked her anyway. "Thanks, Luna," he said.
"You're welcome, Draco," said Luna. "I hope you find your diary."
After leaving Luna, Draco decided to find Hermione. Maybe Hermione knew someone who had seen the diary. He found Hermione in the library. The girl was, as always, immersed in a thick book.
"Hermione," said Draco. "I need to ask you something."
Hermione looked up from her book and looked at Draco. "What is it, Draco?"
"I've lost a diary," Draco explained. "Has anyone seen it?"
Hermione frowned. "A diary? No, I haven't seen it. Why do you think it's gone?"
"I don't know," said Draco. "But it was a very important diary."
Hermione noticed that Draco was worried. "Don't worry, Draco," she said. "I'll help you find it."
Draco was grateful for Hermione's offer of help. "Thank you, Hermione," he said.
"You're welcome," said Hermione. "Friends help each other."
Draco smiled at Hermione's words. Maybe he could really make friends at Hogwarts.
That evening, Draco collapsed into the black leather armchair in the common room. His Transfiguration textbook lay open in his hands. His entire focus was on the green fire rising in the fireplace. As he watched the fire sway back and forth, he felt a sting on his leg. He looked down and saw sharp teeth biting him.
"Merlin! Salazar, what is this!" Draco quickly sat up and shook his leg. The black furry ball didn't let go.
"Get this creature away from me! Flea bag, rat, mucus!"
"You're so creative, Draco," Pansy giggled as she sat next to him.
"Parkinson, take your creature away!"
Pansy giggled and grabbed the black ball of fur. The monster relaxed as soon as it touched the girl's hand.
"Do you like my new pet?" Pansy asked smugly, raising the furry rat to eye level. Draco narrowed his eyes angrily. He gently tapped the snake resting on his chest. The snake began to crawl onto his raised hand. Draco casually dropped his arm onto the armchair without being noticed.
"That thing should be banned from Hogwarts, it's dangerous." He sighed inwardly, probably thinking it was already banned.
"Draco- Ahh!" The girl let out an ugly scream and threw the snake off her neck. Draco caught poor Apollo at the last moment. He looked at the girl reproachfully.
"What's a snake doing here!?"
"Are you asking what a snake is doing in Slytherin?" Draco raised an eyebrow and laughed.
The next few hours they sat together by the fire. Draco had his head in Pansy's lap, and Apollo was asleep in his hair. Pansy stroked them both, occasionally pinching his cheek with her sharp nails. Although Draco was uncomfortable with Pansy's presence, he also felt safe with her. Still, his eyes occasionally wandered to the black monster curled up by the fire.
The next day, Draco continued his search. He finally went so far as to search his roommates' trunks, cursing himself for not thinking of it sooner.
While rummaging through Theodore's trunk full of books, he saw a worn-out diary. The diary.
Draco grabbed the diary and rushed out of the room. He thanked Merlin for finding it and ran to the headmaster's office. Who knew what would happen to Theo? Draco couldn't even be angry with him.
"No running in the corridors, young man!"
Draco froze as soon as he heard McGonagall's voice.
"I need to talk to the headmaster, Professor," Draco said quickly, barely looking at the woman. McGonagall stood there in distress.
"The headmaster is away for a few days."
Draco felt like the planet had fallen on him. After McGonagall's troubled scolding, he dragged his feet away. He let his feet take him.He found himself in the garden. He was near the lake, then his attention was drawn to the golden trio. They had spread a picnic cloth and were chatting on it. As soon as they saw him, they called out and waved. Draco continued to drag his feet and sat on the checkered cloth. He felt defeated. He didn't even realize what he was sitting on until Hermione angrily pulled her book out from under him.
"What's wrong, mate?" Ron asked, stuffing something into his mouth.
Draco sighed. He looked at the diary he was holding tightly in his hand. It was too dangerous to even carry it around. There had to be a curse on it that drew him to open the diary. A few brainless kids could easily surrender to this diary.
Ron raised an eyebrow and looked at his friends. Harry approached him and put his hand on his shoulder. With those worried green eyes on him, Draco's heart went into a strange state. Draco couldn't bring himself to be uncomfortable with it.
"Draco... Malfoy?"
A voice called from behind him. Draco sized him up a bit. Ash-colored wavy hair fell over his forehead. Honey-colored eyes looking at him through his hair were trembling with a mixture of worry and excitement. The boy began to fidget under his gaze. A Hufflepuff. Draco smiled at the boy. Despite all his exhaustion, the boy seemed relieved. He took a deep breath and spoke again.
"Can I talk to you?" Then he glanced at those sitting behind him. "Alone..."
Draco realized that Harry still hadn't let go of him with the tightening feeling on his shoulder.
"Sure, whatever," Draco said wearily. He didn't want to take a single step. Then he looked at the book with concern. He pulled the diary from his shoulder and handed it to Harry.
"If this thing gets lost, your head is mine," he threatened, hissing. Harry's eyes widened, then he held onto the diary tightly with a sense of duty. Draco felt relieved when he saw this. He allowed the sandy-haired boy to take him away.
Behind him, Ron rubbed Harry's back comfortingly. Draco didn't see Harry's sad glances from behind him again.
"What do you want?" Draco said. Even though he had softened a bit, he wasn't going to be cornered under a tree in his exhausted state. He crossed his arms and watched the sandy-haired boy with a straight face.
The boy began to stutter. He seemed to be losing his courage with Draco's stern movements. Then he held out the cloth he was holding. The cloth was yellow. Draco hadn't noticed it before, but he gently took what was offered. As Draco opened the cloth, the boy scratched his neck.
"I noticed you were very upset at breakfast and didn't eat anything, even though there were some of your favorite cookies," he said.
Draco looked at the boy's face in surprise. He was blushing bright red and his lower lip was trembling. The cookies in his hand were heart-shaped with apple jam in the middle. They were indeed Draco's favorite cookies that he enjoyed eating every week.
Draco first looked at the boy suspiciously, but then met innocent honey-colored eyes.
He ate one of the cookies under the boy's deep gaze. He barely restrained himself from humming with pleasure.
"These are really my favorites, even though they're not usually shaped like this."
The boy seemed to blush even more at this. Draco couldn't help but chuckle.
"Thank you, uh..."
"Arthur, Arthur Herbert," the boy said with a very enthusiastic voice. Draco could almost see a tail wagging behind him.
"Thank you, Herbert."
"Please, just Arthur."
"Draco."
The boy seemed like he wanted to jump now. Draco grinned. After patting Arthur's shoulder a few times, he went back to his friends. He continued to eat a few of the cookies on the way.
"How did it go, Herbert?" The dark blue-haired girl put her arm over the sandy-haired boy.
The sandy-haired boy didn't answer. The girl turned to the tall, black-haired boy next to her.
"Luke, he's not answering."
"Leave him alone, just wait for him to say 'Draco talked to me, oh my god.'"
The blue-haired girl chuckled. The sandy-haired boy seemed to come to his senses again. He grinned broadly.
"Draco talked to me, oh my god! Did you see that, Irene?"
The blue-haired girl burst out laughing. "I saw that, Herbert, he seemed to like the cookie, but did you ask the real question?"
The sandy-haired boy was pouting now. "No, but I didn't mess it up, did I? I was going to ask, but when he smiled like that—"
"Nobody wants to hear about the blonde's smile, Arthur. I think the cookie was a good start." The black-haired boy pulled Arthur away as he walked inside.
"You're just saying that to make me happy."
"Yes and no. You'll have another chance. You don't want to scare him, do you?"
The sandy-haired boy nodded to his black-haired friend. He seemed a little comforted. The blue-haired girl laughed again.
"But Irene, you saw that, he touched my shoulder."
"Yes... Yes."
The children disappeared into the corridors of Hogwarts.
🪷
Draco sat back on the checkered cloth. He raised an eyebrow at his friends who were looking at him with question marks.
"What's that in your hand?" Hermione asked.
"Cookies."
"I can see that."
"Who was that?" The green-eyed boy interrupted. He went straight to the point.
"Did you know him?" Harry asked again before Draco could answer.
"No."
Harry raised an eyebrow in imitation of him.
"...But did he know me?"
Harry groaned and crossed his arms.
"Wow, did you say cookies?" Ron reached for his hand. Draco offered him some of his heart-shaped cookies. Ron happily put one in his mouth.
"Ronald!" Hermione looked at the redhead reproachfully.
"What?" Ron turned to her, not caring about the crumbs flying out of his mouth. Draco grimaced.
"Why are they heart-shaped?"
Draco raised his hand and blocked a few crumbs coming towards him. "I don't know, and close your mouth, you rude fellow."
Ron raised an eyebrow at him. "You're very defensive, suspicious."
"Ronald!" Hermione shouted again.
"You're the one who's suspicious." Draco barely stopped himself from saying his colorful insults.
He didn't stop Ron from reaching out again and taking another heart-shaped cookie. Ron grinned and showed one to Harry. Harry shook his head. Hermione hit Ron's arm, but the boy took another bite without caring.
"The heart-shaped cookies are great."
Taking this as a compliment to his own taste, Draco puffed out his chest. "I know, Arthur gave them to me. He knew they were my favorite."
"Arthur?" Hermione emphasized the first name.
"So you know him?" Harry looked angry. Draco looked at his anger strangely. What was wrong with this kid again? he thought.
"It looks like we have a new friend," Draco said stubbornly. He was watching Harry out of the corner of his eye.
"He's not our friend," the boy said, now swinging his crossed legs. Hermione put her hand on Harry's arm as if to comfort him.
"I don't know, mate, he brings cookies like this? Sounds okay to me."
Hermione frowned at Ron. "Really, Ron? You're not helping at all."
Draco ignored them as he remembered the diary. He opened his hand, still holding a cookie in the other.
Harry first looked at him blankly, then took out the diary from where he had hidden it behind his chip. Draco felt relieved when the diary was back in his hand. He stood up with a sincere smile. He put his empty hand on Harry's hair. Those bright green eyes were watching him from below. He patted his head a few times. "Good job," he said.
Harry was cheered by the approval. He was back to being a cute kid. When Ron didn't notice them, he stuck out his tongue and pretended to vomit. Hermione chuckled slightly.
Draco then forced himself to look away from those green eyes and left the garden.
Perhaps if Harry had become someone he could trust this much, he could tell him about the diary. The boy had already dealt with these things in the previous timeline. Draco was sure everyone knew those legendary stories.
He smiled back and waved at him. He was looking directly at Harry. The boy didn't wave back, but he didn't take his eyes off him either.