I had wanted to invite Draco Malfoy to my birthday party. He wasn’t who I thought he was. It became apparent during his entire trial that he had changed.
He testified that he had renounced his blood purity beliefs before 6th year started, he only followed Voldemort for the sake of his mother, and that he’d saved me at Malfoy Manor because he didn’t want me to lose. I’d been incredibly wrong about who he was. He was funny, charismatic, and, potentially, also into men.
The only thing I was unsure about was his friend Theodore Nott. They were extremely close, and constantly found a way to have physical contact with each other. It was suspicious.
Nott was nice enough, but I’d heard horrendous things about his wife. She was confrontational, selfish, vain, bigoted, and spoiled. George and Luna tried to argue with me that she wasn’t her reputation, but I trusted Gin and Hermione’s judgment more.
I knew Draco wouldn’t have attended my party without her and Nott coming, but I didn’t want Katarina to ruin anything. After a lot of back and forth after the trio left the Hogs Head, we agreed to have two parties. It would be one with people that liked Katarina, along with Hermione, Ron, and Ginny, and one larger party.
I approached Luna and asked if she could send Katarina a letter I’d written, inviting them all to a party on the 26th.
“Harry, why are you having two parties?” Luna asked innocently. I blushed slightly.
“Well… I wanted to invite Malfoy to my party, but… I don’t know much about Katarina, so… Hermione thinks it’s best to have two parties,” I admitted. Luna looked offended for some reason.
“You’re throwing two parties, because you don’t want Katarina at the one on your birthday?” She airily asked.
“Umm… well, it’s more complicated than that.. it’s-” I started. Luna huffed. I didn’t understand what I’d done wrong, Luna never really got upset.
“I’m sure she’ll be in attendance, Harry,” she told me, smiling, “However, I have to insist you invite Fleur and George as well. Katarina deserves to be comfortable if you intend on doing something so cruel.”
“Cruel?” I asked.
“Will this party be at the Burrow?” She asked abruptly.
“Well… yes, there’s not really anywhere else to have it,” I swallowed. Luna was cross. She never was cross.
“Then yes, it’s cruel,” she sighed, “I have to go. I need to prepare for this party, and I owe my sister some snaggleroot and some new shoes. Goodbye, Harry.”
“Oh,” I didn’t understand what she meant. She didn’t have a sister, and I was fairly certain snaggleroot wasn’t real.
“Goodbye, then, I’ll see you on Sunday,” she told me, and rushed out of the pub. It was bizarre.
I approached George next. He was teasing Ron about something.
“She said they were talking about books,” Ron argued, “I trust her!”
“George,” I interrupted, “Can I talk to you for a moment?”
“Sure,” he grinned, “He’s very appealing Ron, I’d try harder if I were you.”
Ron rolled his eyes and went back to his drink. George walked to a less busy portion of the pub with me.
“I’m having a smaller birthday party on Sunday, and I’m inviting Malfoy and Nott. Will you come?” I asked casually. He glared at me.
“Malfoy, Nott, and Katarina?” He asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Well, yeah, if she’ll come,” I shrugged. He scoffed.
“And why are you having two parties, Harry? Has Gin been running her mouth again?” He asked angrily.
“What do you mean?” I asked. He rolled his jaw and took a deep breath.
“Listen to me, Harry. I’ll go to your stupid party on Sunday, but not the other one. Hermione and Ginny don’t know shit about Katarina, and you’d do well to remember that,” he spat at me, “I’m going home. Congratu- fucking -lations on passing basic training.”
He shoved my shoulder as he walked past me and left in a huff. I didn’t understand George and Luna’s reactions. Draco said plenty of nice things about Katarina Clairbeau, but Hermione and Ginny were adamant that she was horrible. I trusted my gut, and knew it was too late to cancel the other party anyway.
***
The next morning, I wrote to Bill and Fleur. I told them that we’d have two parties, and asked them to come to the one on Sunday in addition to the one on my birthday. They asked why I was having two parties and I was honest about wanting Nott and Malfoy to attend, but not wanting any scenes at the one on my birthday. I was very careful to avoid mentioning Katarina Clairbeau. Bill sent me a very confusing response.
——
Harry,
Fleur and I will happily come to your get together on Sunday, but unfortunately, we won’t stay the whole time. Fleur is adamant that we don’t bring a present, and not attend the party on your birthday. She also insists that I inform you that Katarina Clairbeau is the most selfless, kind, compassionate, and clever person she’s ever met.
I haven’t met Katarina Clairbeau myself, but seeing as she was meant to be in my wedding, and is one of Fleurs dearest friends, I’m inclined to believe Fleur. I’ve only ever heard less than flattering things about her from Ginny, and Fred was especially fond of her. I’d urge you to reconsider who you believe when it comes to Clairbeau.
See you Sunday,
Bill
——
I didn’t understand why everyone was so insistent on defending her. I made up my mind to figure everything I could about her that day and decide for myself what she was like. I hadn’t expected her to be so controversial.
I knew she had mercilessly cast a cruciatus on several first years and left the Great Hall completely unaffected, I knew she’d avoid all of Ginny’s questions about Luna, and refused to fight in the war. I knew she had bigoted pureblood beliefs… she didn’t seem like someone that should have been defended by the people that were defending her.
They were incredibly random. Fred, George, Luna, and Fleur had little to no connection to each other outside of a war and a wedding. I didn’t understand. I spent the entire week before my party looking into as much as I could about her.
What I had learned was that she virtually didn’t exist. Most of her records were in French, and mostly redacted. She had a mad father who vanished, an unreputable uncle who also had mysteriously vanished during the war, and a grandfather.
Her wedding records were also redacted. I wasn’t even sure when Nott and Clairbeau got married, just that they were married in an unplottable location in France. The head magistrate in France married them, and that was all of the information available.
She was an enigma.
I called in a favor to Mcgonnagall and found out she had marks as good as Hermiones, but was absent for the majority of her time at Hogwarts. That didn’t make sense, but it had happened.
I started looking into Nott instead. His post war interview was mostly redacted, except for his beliefs on purebloods and Voldemort's cause. Those alone were enough to get him deemed as a non-risk.
There were tons of files on his father, but his mother almost didn’t exist. I was perplexed, and couldn’t figure out how two people could exist so far outside of society. I also worried about Draco’s connection to them. The only connection they all seemed to have was being purebloods.
I certainly didn’t see how any of them became connected to the twins, Luna, or Fleur. It was a puzzle, and I was missing several pieces. I would figure her out.
****
Every single person that wasn’t Hermione and Ron was early for the party. George and Ginny lived there, but Luna and Fleur arrived 15 minutes early. Fleur didn’t look at me, and hid in Bills old room. I tried to ask why, but all Bill said was that Fleur was only there to tell Katarina hello. They planned on leaving after they spoke to her.
I didn’t know whether to be concerned or offended. I simply knew that Bill and Fleur were avoiding me. Ginny told me she planned on being out of sight until she had to join the party, and Luna told me she would be spending most of her time with Katarina. It was jarring how cold she was being towards me.
George went to wait outside to greet them, stating they deserved a warm welcome. I was more excited to see Draco than anything else. He was abnormally close to Theodore Nott, though, who was uncommonly handsome and oozed sex appeal. I was fairly certain he and Malfoy were just friends, but I couldn’t be sure.
They arrived outside of the burrow exactly on time, and I was slightly entranced by Draco’s attire. I had half expected him to wear a suit, but instead, he showed up in a casual polo that was unfairly tight. He was extremely handsome.
I always had thought he was extremely attractive, but his personality was shit. Now, he had apparently grown into a decent person and I didn’t know what to do with myself. He looked like he was made of marble, and I couldn’t look at him too long. He had started getting irritated at George, but I wasn’t sure why. I couldn’t focus on it.
I saw them approach the front door and hid far enough away that they wouldn’t notice me. Fleur heard them come in and sprinted to hug Katarina. Draco noticed Bill and immediately blushed.
I narrowed my eyes and observed Draco during the interaction. He was struggling to keep his eyes off Bill and turned bright red when they shook hands. Draco had to have been interested in men.
Luna approached him and he blushed again. Was he interested in Luna? I didn’t see that happening, but I couldn’t be sure. I approached them and overheard Luna tell them, “I never got to thank you for the manor, you both are part of the reason I’m alive.”
That was suspicious. She never had told me how she ended up at the Manor.
“What did they do?” I asked. Nott dramatically flinched. I must have startled him.
Luna looked conflicted, before eventually telling me, “They delivered the honey to the honeybee that the hornet collected.”
That answer made no sense. I didn’t understand why she wouldn’t have told me. How had Draco helped her?
“Honeybee, it’s alright. You can tell him that part,” Katarina told her, propping her head on Luna’s shoulder casually. She looked sad for some reason.
“Oh! Alright then,” Luna smiled before casually answering, “Rina found out I was going to be kidnapped and ensured Draco and Theodore did it. They were very kind and gentle, and after they put me in my cell at the Manor, one of them dropped a tool that Rina made. It was what we used to cut your ropes before escaping.”
I didn’t understand what she was telling me. How would she have done all of that? It felt like a lot, but she had still let Luna be kidnapped.
“That really happened, Luna?” I questioned, in disbelief.
“Oh, yes. She’s quite ingenuitive and clever. She ensured all of her friends were as safe and taken care of as they could be under the circumstances,” she said wistfully.
“You flatter me Luna, the most I gave you was a rusty nail,” Katarina exhaled, blowing a lock of Luna’s hair out of her face. They were so used to each other. I didn’t think Luna had any friends before me. Luna hadn’t ever even mentioned Katarina to me before.
“My love, you created an indestructible rusty nail that could break anything and easily could cut through ropes, that wasn’t nothing,” Theodore casually added. She shrugged and started making fake mustaches on Luna’s face with her hair. Katarinas tool was what Luna used to cut Ron and I’s ropes?
That sounded incredibly risky. Why would Draco and Nott risk giving Luna a tool like that?
“And you two just… gave it to Luna? Why?” I asked.
“Because Kat asked us to,” Draco shrugged, smirking slightly. That was the most unbelievable part. That he did something, just because someone asked.
“Just like that?” I was stunned.
Draco and Nott both looked at me, confused, and nodded.
“I did ask very nicely,” Kat whispered. She rolled across Luna’s back to her other shoulder and rested her chin there. She looked incredibly nervous, I couldn’t imagine why.
“But you didn’t try to stop it?” I asked genuinely. She was playing with Luna’s earrings when she stopped and looked at me like I’d said something mad.
“Theo and Draco could have died if I did. Or worse, the assignment could have been given to someone who wouldn’t have been so kind about it,” she swallowed slowly, clearly emotional about the memory, “Instead, I told these two to be gentle and give her a message, so that she’d go willingly without a problem. I didn’t want to leave Luna with nothing, so I gave her something useful that could be hidden. It was the best I could do.”
Was it the best she could do? It felt awfully odd that she did so much for Luna’s sake, but so little to stop the kidnapping.
“You actually knew where Luna was the whole time?” I asked, trying to figure out what had happened. Clairbeau exhaled sadly.
“I did… but I couldn’t do anything and Malfoy Manor was so littered with wards and traps that any rescue attempts would have inevitably led to more people being captured. So… I kept my mouth shut,” she told me guiltily.
She felt bad that she didn’t tell anyone where Luna was. I didn’t blame her necessarily, it had to have been a complicated position. I didn’t know what to think.
She was right, had we known where Luna was we would have tried to rescue them. I wasn’t sure how that would have affected our efforts in the horcrux search, but Draco might not have been there when we saved them. The Dark Lord could have been there had we gone earlier. Had it not happened the way it did, I wouldn’t have likely become the master of the Elder wand.
It felt incredibly lucky that she hadn’t told anyone.
“I have to find Ginny,” I said hastily and sped walked away. She’d been wrong. Katarina wasn’t really being difficult, she was being strategic.
I ran into the kitchen.
“Did Clairbeau scare you away already?” She laughed, “I told you she’s dreadful! You won’t get any of your questions answered.”
“No, Gin, you’re wrong,” I told her, “She knew where Luna was the whole time but was protecting our efforts by not telling us. I don’t know how, but had she told you, I might not have been able to get the Elder wand to see me as it’s true master.”
“What? How would that work?” She asked skeptically. I explained it to her, and she immediately stormed away into the room they were in. She left angrily with Luna and Katarina.
I observed Nott and Draco sit on the couch. They were remarkably close to eachother, and their sides were touching. They had a comfort and tension between each other that I didn’t understand.
They looked very close to kissing, and I took that as confirmation that Draco was most likely into men. I walked over to him and asked if I could sit. He immediately tensed and looked nervous. Did he like me?
I decided I’d trust Malfoys opinion on Katarina and asked about her.
“I can tell you certain things,” he anxiously shrugged. He wouldn’t look at me. I placed his hand gently on Draco’s arm and shifted Draco to face me. Draco blushed and I was fairly certain I made him nervous.
“Did she do anything else?” I asked gently.
He relaxed significantly. He and Nott shared a look and they both started crying from laughter. Nott put his hand high on Draco’s thigh as he laughed, and Draco didn’t flinch at all. Were they having an affair?
That seemed like a bit of a ridiculous feeling, until Draco sat up and Theodore rubbed his thigh lightly before pulling his hand away. It was subtle, but very intimate.
“Well, I’ll start by saying Happy Early Birthday, and to answer your question, yes. Kat absolutely did almost too many things. I just won’t talk about it,” Draco smiled.
“No one will,” I snarked. Draco uncrossed his arms and put a hand on my shoulder. He looked intensely into my eyes. His eyes were beautiful. They were cool and icy with a warmth under the surface I’d never noticed before. I didn’t want to look away.
“No one is going to tell you a thing about what she did during the war. That’s her business, and the most I can tell you are innocent stories like how she made me go bald in third year,” he smiled softly at me. He glanced briefly at my lips. Did he want to kiss me?
“She what?!” I gasped. Draco laughed and let go of my shoulder. I thought Hermione punching him was impressive. Katarina had managed to make him bald.
“I was insufferable and didn’t heed her warnings. She demanded I work to save the hippogryff, I didn’t, and as retribution she made all of my hair fall off,” Draco smiled. I was still surprised by how self aware he suddenly was. Theodore started laughing all over again.
“He was so scared,” Theo laughed, “She ambushed him and he almost wet himself.”
Wait, did she really only do that because of Buckbeak? No one cared about Buckbeak. That didn’t make sense.
“Shove it, Nott. I deserved it, but you being a witness was just cruel,” he sighed.
“She did that… because of Buckbeak?” I asked.
“Explicitly because of Buckbeak,” Draco smiled, almost proudly.
“She also actively hated you,” Nott added.
“Debatable,” Draco smirked. He seemed to be gloating. They had a weird dynamic.
“How did you meet her?” I asked.
“She was keeping Neville’s toad safe on the train and ambushed our compartment in first year,” Theodore smiled, “I saw her before, but I didn’t know her until then.”
“What? She had Neville’s toad?” I asked, shifting on the couch so I could face them both. That toad was that main reason I’d met Hermione at all. I was flabbergasted there was more than one instance of her indirectly affecting my life so immensely.
“She did, it was jarring. Young me thought she was a disgrace as a pureblood and utterly impossible,” Draco smiled. He was blushing again. I wondered why.
“I was just happy she wasn’t Draco. He whined a lot back then,” Theo nudged Draco. I couldn’t tell if it was flirtatious or friendly.
“I did,” he smirked softly. He started fidgeting with something in his left hand. I couldn’t see anything and was confused. His hands were rather large. They were calloused and muscular, likely from quidditch… I started thinking about his hands too much and looked away.
“I see my spot has been taken,” Kat laughed, “Guess I’ll just have to sit on the husband.”
She fell dramatically onto her husband and he wrapped his arms around her. Draco rolled his eyes briefly. I didn’t understand why he’d be annoyed. He lived with them.
“We were just talking about your excursions with toads,” Theodore smiled at her, kissing her cheek. Draco snarled slightly. He looked almost jealous, but I couldn’t tell who he’d have been jealous of.
“Oh! Yes, I found a poor toad hopping on the train in an endless cycle of being found and lost. I felt awful for it so I hid him in my robes and barged into a cabin with a very cute boy and a pointy prat. I was set on hiding Trevor until we were safely at the castle,” she giggled. Her face fell and she looked contemplative for some reason. Trevor was found in an empty boat that first year. I wondered what had happened.
“A poncy pointy prince who has more hair gel than the inventor of Sleekeazy’s Hair Potion himself, I believe is the correct term, love,” Theo grinned. Draco glared at Theo, snarling.
“Ah, right. I was very annoyed with Draco that day,” she grinned, “and nearly everyday every year at school until probably fourth year.”
Draco bit his lip and blushed. They weren’t together at any point were they? She had said that so casually.
“And you went to the Yule Ball with George that year?” I asked.
“Yes, he flung me around the dance floor like a rag doll and surprised me by setting an annoying Frenchman ablaze. It was a wonderful night,” she smirked, her smile fading slightly after she’d finished talking.
“How have we never met before?” I asked. She smiled at me like she’d been waiting for me to ask.
“We have,” she drawled, “when you and Weasley were polyjuiced as Crabbe and Goyle over Christmas Break in second year. You asked me where the common room was and I pointed out I was a Ravenclaw.”
I was tense. That felt very intentional. I vaguely remembered talking to a curly haired girl when we were looking for the common room, but how did she know it was us?
“I have an endless amount of questions,” I exhaled.
“I’ll just explain. Crabbe and Goyle met me in first year and Draco complained about me often enough they knew who I was. I knew you weren’t really them, then two days later Draco’s father got raided by the ministry because of new information about a secret room under the drawing room. A few days prior, I had a friend mysteriously collapse ,” she glared at Theodore, “and was visiting him in the hospital wing when Granger came in part-cat. I figured out the rest.”
She was clever. Draco inhaled sharply and glared at me murderously.
“You were behind that raid in second year?” He snapped at me. I thought he was going to scream at me. It wasn’t really my fault. I looked away and coughed, “Ron was.”
Draco rolled his jaw and glared at Clairbeau, “You menace, you knew all this time and never told me!”
He poked her in the side teasingly. She blushed slightly. I was confused. Theodore looked extremely aggravated. I couldn’t decide why.
“I was busy helping Fred and George bring Theo back to consciousness,” she giggled. Her face fell and she pushed Draco’s hand away, “In fact… Oi! George! I still want my cut from your fainting fancies!”
George popped his head from around the corner with a mischievous grin.
“You have no proof, and more than enough money, Clairbear! If anything I’ll give it to Nott for being dumb enough to test it!” George laughed, walking over to her. Her face fell slightly when he called her that nickname, but she shook quickly and grinned at him.
“More money than you at least,” She teased. I wondered how rich she was.
“Not all of us can casually hide Nifflers in bookshops and fund golden toilets in aquariums, Clairbair. One day I’m going to need a list of all of the poor charities you’ve overfunded just to get a random toothbrush in a display case with your name on it,” he smiled, poking her nose before sitting down in a chair across from us. She looked sad suddenly. I thought about what George had just said. Golden toilets? Toothbrushes? What were they talking about?
“Toothbrushes in a display case? Maybe 8?” she said seriously. I was remarkably lost.
“What’s happening?” I asked, very confused.
“Little Miss ‘I hate money’ over there donates an obscene amount of funding to charities and random shops just to see what they’ll let her get away with,” George laughed, “She’s a mad woman with unlimited wealth. You should hear how much her house elves make.”
That didn’t sound like something a vain, spoiled, heiress would do. I didn’t understand her, but I was fairly certain that wasn’t normal behavior for a wealthy person.
“Enough to live independently indefinitely if they ever quit, but the chateau is essentially theirs anyway,” she shrugged, smirking sadly.
“Clairbear, you pay them 15,000 galleons a year. Each. My shop would have been lucky to make that much in the first year,” he glared at her.
I was floored. I couldn’t do math quite as fast as I needed to, but that was an immense amount of money. More than Dobby made, certainly. He had made a single galleon a week. He’d asked for that amount, so I didn’t know how to process the information that she was paying hers so much. Hermione had grossly misjudged Calairbeau’s stance on house elf issues.
She snarkily smirked back at George.
“I’d offer you a job George, but Chérie has everything exactly to her tastes and Ange is far too particular about his garden… and we both know you can’t cook,” she teased him.
“I’m convinced even after all of that she still has more wealth than my family,” Draco laughed affectionately.
“I do, and I’m determined to spend nearly every knut,” she smirked. That definitely wasn’t normal wealthy heiress behavior. She was intent on spending her family’s wealth? I didn’t understand.
“Why?” I asked.
She tensed immediately and looked flustered. For some reason, she looked like she was going to cry.
“No reason, I’ll be right back,” she smiled tensely before running off Nott’s lap. No one else seemed concerned.
“She’ll be alright… She hates her family and finds generational wealth boring, so she’s determined to spend every sickle as soon as she can,” Theo smiled softly, he looked sad too. I decided to let it go.
“How odd,” I said softly. She’d said something else odd. She’d said that her chateau was essentially her elves. That was an odd sentiment, especially since they were elves.
“Draco,” I said, extremely deep in thought.
“Yes?” He said, turning to face me. He was very close to me, and I wondered if it was on purpose.
“What did she mean when she said her chateau was essentially her elves?” I asked. Draco took a deep breath and the atmosphere immediately changed. George was irritated for some reason, Theodore looked heartbroken, and Draco looked resigned. I wondered why one question would entirely change the entire atmosphere in the room.
“I don’t think any of us will answer that, Harry,” Theo frowned, “Katarina could answer if she wanted to, but I don’t think we should.”
I didn’t know how to respond to such an abrupt and somber statement. Katarina Clairbeau had lots of secrets apparently. I hated the silence and panicked.
“Oh, Draco, hold still. A bug just flew into your hair,” I said quietly. I reached into his exceptionally soft hair and pretended to pull out a bug. He was very invested in what I was doing, and blushed. Did he want to kiss me? He looked like he did.
I heard a small breath and saw that Clairbeau had come back.
“Draco, I want to be comfortable, so you’ve become a foot rest,” Katarina smirked, putting her feet on him. He looked immensely annoyed. Draco exhaled sharply, rolled his eyes, and glared at her. Did he like me? Had she ruined something for him?
“Fine, just today,” he frowned, still annoyed. They apparently weren’t close enough for that to happen often. He had Pansy playing with his hair on the train in sixth year, so he clearly liked physical touch. Maybe something about his mission made him not like it.
Gin came back into the room extremely frustrated, and Katarina looked almost nervous. Luna was watching Katarina intently, but I couldn’t understand why.
“I’m not moving Ginevra, I’m very comfortable. You can ask me your questions here. ⅔ of the people here know the answers anyway,” she sighed. Luna’s eyes widened and Gin got angrier.
“What does that mean?” Gin asked.
“It means Luna, George, Draco, and Theo, already know almost everything... Only you and Harry could possibly have questions relating to things I’ve done,” she pouted.
“Were you friends with Draco during 6th year?” I asked.
“She’s the reason I survived sixth year, so let’s leave it there,” Draco glared angrily. I nodded. They had been friends in sixth year then. I concluded he had to have been annoyed by her pulling his attention away from me. That was the only thing that made sense.
“I just don’t understand why you were so aggravating last year! I questioned you relentlessly and you didn’t explain a thing! I would have been nicer to you had you explained something ! But all you ever told me was that you couldn’t talk to me!” Ginny nearly shouted. I didn’t know Ginny had been rude to Clairbeau. I wasn’t surprised, but I wondered why she hadn’t told me.
Katarina glanced at George and rolled her eyes. She opened her mouth to say something to him, but he spoke first.
“ You did what? ” George shouted. Ginny flinched. Why was she in trouble?
“Ginevra Molly Weasley… Fred, myself, Lupin, and Fleur explicitly told you to leave her alone and that you wouldn’t get any answers from her. How ‘relentlessly’ did you question her?” George demanded.
I didn’t know she had been specifically asked not to question her. It sounded more like Ginny was in the wrong. Especially if Lupin had asked her to leave Clairbeau alone. I started to wonder why Gin expected any answers from Katarina at all.
“She almost died from Ginevra’s questioning,” Theo told him. George’s eyes widened. I was missing something. I heard Katarina groan and she rolled off of Nott.
“Theo, you really need to control your annoyance. I was fine . Come along George, I’ll fill you in on what happened. You only have to promise me you’ll stop being so annoyingly angry with your sister. She was doing the best she could and it was a very scary time,” Clairbeau pulled George out of his chair and held his hand as she walked to a different room.
What had Gin done to her? I loved how Ginny was always standing up for herself and her bat bogey hex, it surely couldn’t have been that horrible… she would have told me. I loved Ginny. She was fun.
“Ginny, I was quite alright at the manor. It was mostly quiet and I was well maintained. I preferred being freed, but as far as kidnappings go I’d imagine mine was one of the better ones,” Luna smiled airily.
“I just can’t understand why she’d let me be so foul to her!” Ginny exclaimed, about to cry.
“Because she respected what you were trying to do and wanted to let you have some sense of control,” Draco snarled. How rude had Gin been?
“But you really were foul. She would cry extensively everytime you two finished talking,” Theo glared at Ginny, “and she insisted that I do nothing to stop it, not that anything I could have done would have helped.”
“Considering Kat was apparently a death eater's whore,” Draco added. That answered why Katarina didn’t answer anything Ginny asked her. Gin told me she questioned Clairbeau everyday until Luna was found. I didn’t blame Katarina for not telling Gin anything. I probably wouldn’t have told Gin anything if she approached it like that.
Ginny!” George shouted, marching back in the room. Ginny jumped, clearly overwhelmed, and used me as a human shield.
“What were you thinking! You could have killed her with that many spells!” George screamed at her. Spells? Had Ginny cast more than a bat bogey hex?
Katarina sprinted out and shoved a finger in George’s face.
“George Weasley, I clearly said I’d only tell you if you didn’t react angrily. I wasn’t showing that they were affecting me, she was scared for her friend, and angry that I wasn’t answering her questions! I was intentionally egging her on and the result was a plethora of hexes and spells. It only happened once and I ended up being fine,” she insisted. Ginny was shaking. What had she done? Hexes and spells?
Theo and Draco scoffed, clearly aggravated. Them and George had a silent conversation and George turned back to Clairbeau.
“Well, judging how those two are reacting to your description of events, I have a feeling that my anger is very well justified,” George argued. She angrily stomped.
“It’s not, because I wasn’t upset when it happened, and I’m not upset now. So drop it,” she firmly told him, “If I’m not angry, you shouldn’t be either.”
I didn’t know what to think, I needed to know more.
“My brilliant little sister hit a person, that she was clearly told to leave alone, with over 10 hexes and jinxes in rapid succession,” George told me, glaring at Gin. That was a bad idea.
“It was 30,” Theo corrected angrily. Katarina immediately hexed his foot. I was horrified. That was too many spells, I wasn’t sure how Katarina was even alive. Ginny knew some painful hexes.
“Theodore Nott, that information was not helpful and you shouldn’t be angry either. Now, if anyone doesn’t want to be brutally maimed they will drop the subject now!” Clairbeau said in a final tone. It felt like everyone took her very seriously, and there was an uncomfortable silence.
“Ginny, you didn’t need to do that, I was quite alright,” Luna said, pulling Gin in for a hug, “Let’s go outside for a moment and talk more.”
I was frozen, trying to wrap my head about what had just happened. Katarina didn’t need to defend Ginny, but she was. I didn’t understand why. It almost seemed like Clairbeau was trying to protect her?
Gin left with Luna, and as soon as they were out of sight, Katarina hexed George’s foot.
“What was that for?!” He asked incredulously.
“You made your sister cry at Harry’s birthday party. That was absolutely a terrible idea and someone needed to let you know,” she glared at him.
Before anyone could respond, Ron and Hermione arrived. I was horrified. Hermione was going to grossly misinterpret the scene that just happened.
“See Harry! This is why I said it would be a bad idea to invite Clairbeau! I knew she would ruin the party!” Hermione angrily told me. Katarina turned her head to face her, clearly hurt. I felt horrible for her.
“I ruined it?! Nothing has been ruined! You arrived not even 30 seconds ago and you somehow think it’s my fault that there’s this awkward tension?!” Katarina defended herself, already teary.
“It clearly is! You’ve said something to upset Ginny! Why else would George be so angry with you?!” Hermione retorted. I wondered if all of their fights went like that. Katarina hadn’t done anything wrong.
“Merlin, Granger! For someone so ridiculously clever, you’d think you’d ask a question first…” Katarina sniffed, she was going to cry. Hermione was making a scene.
“Hermione, I think you shou-” I started to say. Hermione didn’t hear me.
“I don’t need to ask questions when it comes to you ! You have given me more than enough proof over the years to show that you can’t seem to accept when you’re in the wrong,” Hermione stomped, “I’m sure whatever fight you picked with Ginny, you’re in the wrong about it.”
Katarina looked hurt and frustrated. Hermione had essentially admitted that she fully intended on Clairbeau causing a scene and ruining the party. I needed a drink.
“ George picked the fight with Ginny !” Clairbeau desperately screeched, “I was defending her!”
It felt like Katarina valued Hermione’s opinion for some reason. I wasn’t sure how to get them to stop yelling, but I had a feeling if Katarina was going to cause a scene, it would have been Hermione’s fault.
“Likely story,” Hermione glared before turning to George, “What happened?”
George rolled his eyes, exhausted.
“I tried to have an argument with Ginny and Katarina stepped in to defend Ginny for her actions,” George sighed. Hermione pursed her lips and glared.
“I’m sure Ginny could have defended herself,” Hermione argued. She was being stubborn.
“Ugh, yes she could have! She definitely could have, but in this very specific circumstance , ME defending her was a better option!” Katarina pleaded.
If you want me to come to anything again, you’ll stop her,” Draco whispered to me.
I didn’t want him to stop coming,
“Hermione, you should really sto-” I tried again. She ignored me entirely.
“How could that ever even be a possibility! You don’t even know her well enough to defend her successfully! I can’t imagine why you’d try,” Granger snarled. I could see Katarina begin to panic. She was overwhelmed. I felt terrible for her.
I didn’t know what else to try. I was frantic and shot a look at Ron. Ron looked incredibly annoyed. He rolled his eyes and asked, “Why are they here?”
I exhaled a breath of relief, he was playing along.
“Well, Draco and I are on good terms, and I like Theo. I didn’t know much about Katarina, so I though-,” I started firmly explaining. Hermione interrupted me.
“And see where inviting her has gotten you?! She’s starting fights already, made Ginny cry, and George angry! Really, you should listen to me mo-” Hermione argued.
“You aren’t listening, Granger! The only fight that’s happened here is the one you’ve picked with me ! George and I had a mild spat over a small incident last year, but other than that, you’ve been the only person to pick a fight!” Kat defended. She looked incredibly defeated. I felt awful for her. Theo stood up from the couch.
“Oh, how convenient! Every fight is always my fault isn’t it?” Hermione glowered. Hermione was being remarkably rude to her, and she had hardly done anything more than defend Gin.
“Bloody hell! That wasn’t what I was saying at all. Listen to mmm-” Katarina cried before Theo pulled her against him and covered her mouth with his hand.
“This fight wasn’t going to end well or resolve quickly,” Theo sighed, glancing at me,“Potter, would you like us to leave?”
Absolutely not. I wanted to see what I could do with Draco, and if I let them leave, then I’d probably never see him again.
“No! Things were fine, it’s just a misunderstanding,” I rushed out, “Really, Hermione, it was a small argument over something extremely valid. It was mostly resolved when you walked in.”
“I don’t believe you,” Hermione huffed.
“How about Kat and I step out for a moment for some fresh air, and everyone gets caught up. Draco, you can join us if you’d like, but I think my wife needs some time to calm down,” Theo smiled politely, “We’ll come back in later.”
Katarina was crying slow tears, I felt horrible that she’d been yelled at, and Draco seemed somewhat heartbroken over the whole situation. I couldn’t figure out exactly.
“I think that’s a great idea,” I smiled, extremely relieved, “I’ll have George come and grab you once I’ve explained what’s happened.”
“So I have to stay, too?” George drawled. I didn’t understand why he’d want to leave.
“Yes, because I don’t believe for a second that she didn’t actually start this whole mess,” Hermione huffed. Katarina started fully crying, but Theo clearly had no intention of moving his hand.
“Wonderful, Draco, are you staying or leaving?” He asked directly. Draco stood up, off of the couch with a defeated smirk. He looked disappointed, I wondered if it had to do with me or her.
“I’ll wait outside with you,” he sighed, “She looks like she’s about to explode.”
“Delightful, come fetch us when this gets cleared up,” Theo politely told us, dragging Katarina to the back doors. She looked terrified as they headed to the backyard, almost paralyzed. I couldn’t understand why.
We all sat down, and took a minute to breathe. Hermione was visibly livid, and I knew I had to watch how I approached things.
“This is all just a misunderstanding. I’m fairly certain Gin was in the wrong, and Katarina was just defending her,” I swallowed, “They’ve been excellent guests.”
“Even Malfoy and that Nott guy?” Ron glared.
“They’ve been great,” I smirked, “and I think I might have a chance at becoming good friends with Malfoy.”
“Harry, I really don’t think they’re worth the effort,” Hermione huffed.
“Hermione. You yelled at her for no reason. You didn’t even ask any questions. Gin let her temper get the better of her and nearly killed one of my best friends. I had every right to get angry, and before you ask, Ginny told on herself,” George scoffed. Ginny and Luna walked in, and Draco came back not long after.
He looked at me.
“Sorry to interrupt,” he coughed awkwardly, turning to Luna, “Katarina is wondering if you’d be able to come talk to her?”
“Oh! Yes,” Luna rushed over to Draco, “She must be devastated. Don’t worry, I have everything we need.”
Luna sprinted out of the room. I wondered if it was Hermione that had made her devastated? I was missing something. Had she been at Fred’s funeral? He was buried out there. I’d have to ask. Draco nodded awkwardly at us and turned to leave.
“Why would she want to talk to Luna? ” Hermione asked.
“You really don’t know a thing about her,” George sighed, clearly exasperated.
“Then tell me, George, why would she want to talk to Luna?” Hermione snapped.
“Because their best friends,” Gin sniffed, “I’ve just finished talking to Luna and I guess she’s not upset at Clairbeau for not telling me where she was… she… actually preferred that she didn’t.”
“Right,” George scoffed, “Something else you need to understand Hermione, is Gin was explicitly told to leave Clairbeau alone and instead cast 30 hexes at her! In what world is that not Gins fault?”
Hermione blushed, but I knew she wouldn’t admit she was wrong.
“Well maybe Clairbeau should have been more cooperative,” Hermione huffed.
“I’d like to talk about why Harry’s trying so hard to be closer to Malfoy,” Ron chimed in.
“That’s not what the fight was about,” I shrugged, “Draco’s been really nice and friendly. The only reason there was a scene at all was because George didn’t know what Gin had done and Gin didn’t know what Katarina had done.”
“Katarina Clairbeau did too much,” Gin frowned, “I can tell you what I can, but you shouldn’t be mad Hermione. It was my fault, and Fred warned me excessively to leave her alone.”
We talked extensively about everything and decided Katarina was owed an apology. George was sent out to grab them, and Clairbeau looked almost numb when she came back and collapsed on a chair with Luna.
“Luna, did you trade shoes with Clairbeau?” Gin asked almost immediately. They had. Luna was wearing Katarinas jelly shoes, and Katarina was wearing a hand painted pair of sneakers. They were adorned with thestrals, chrysanthemums, lilies, lemons, and pomegranates. I had a feeling the pair did that trade often.
“Oh yes, we liked each other's shoes more so we switched,” Luna stated happily.
“Right…” I started awkwardly, “Well, everything’s been explained an-”
“Don’t worry about a thing, Potter. I don’t like apologies, and no one’s really done anything wrong. I will, however, apologize to Granger for losing my temper so quickly, and to Ginny for letting George slip past me before he was properly calm,” Katarina grinned desperately, “Now, it is your birthday party, Harry, and I have a gift for you.”
I didn’t understand why she was blaming herself for what had happened. She was the least in the wrong. I wished I knew her better. Something was off with her and had been off with her the entire party. She didn’t seem okay, and from what I’d heard and seen, I was surprised she still wanted to give me anything.
You do?” I asked, confused.
“Yes, and I think you’ll like it,” she grinned. She and Luna stood up off of the chair. Katarina reached into a pocket and pulled out a small box, which she enlarged. She looked incredibly anxious, yet determined. I wondered why she was so scared.
“I was good friends with Dobby at Hogwarts, and he always said wonderful things about you. I had some of my elf friends raid his quarters before it was cleared and I made you this,” she smiled shyly.
That would have been too perfect. I’d been struggling with everyone’s death since the war, but especially Dobby. He’d deserved to die the least. I was extremely skeptical of her present, and didn’t want to get my hopes up.
I opened the box and saw a blanket made of socks. I recognized every single one. All of them looked like ones I’d given Dobby. When I pulled it out of the box, it was completely covered in them. The only ones I didn’t recognize were some on the end. I didn’t mind…
His first sock was in a star in the middle. I wondered how she knew.
“What… how?” I choked, not able to get my whole question out.
“I’m friends with all of the elves at Hogwarts…” Katarina bashfully sniffed, “When I heard about Dobby, I knew they’d have to throw out everything in his living quarters. I asked them to bring me his most prized possessions and it was a plethora of well maintained socks. He had a special box full of ones specifically from you, and he’d shown me the one that set him free before… So, when you testified at Draco and Narcissa’s trial, I wanted to thank you. I made this for you out of all of the socks you gave him, and a few extra. His first sock is in the center there.”
I stood up and ran to hug her. She wasn’t used to hugs, I could tell. I wasn’t for a while either. I was wrong. I was entirely wrong about her. The person that Gin and Hermione described wasn’t her. She would have given me this without the party.
“Thank you,” I sniffed, “This is wonderful.”
“It’s nothing,” she sniffed quietly, “I meant to give it to you last week, but an emergency came up. I’m just grateful you have it now… You were his favorite person.”
She understood. She knew what he meant to me, and I had a feeling he meant the same to her. We hugged and quietly cried for a long moment until we pulled away.
George reeked of firewhisky, and had a drink when he put his arm around Katarina.
“Now you see what I mean. Clairbair is impossible to shop for, but always gives the most remarkable presents,” George laughed, kissing the top of her head.
She instantly froze and she looked like her heart broke. I wondered why what George had done hurt her so much.
“Weasley, watch yourself,” Theo warned. George smiled at him then pulled away.
“He’s right though,” Luna said quickly, “Would you like to do more presents now, Harry?”
Luna knew what was wrong. I could tell she was trying to pull attention away from Katarina.
“Right,” he sniffed, “I’d love to do presents, everyone’s already here.”
That sentence hurt her. I could tell. She knew that this wasn’t my real party. I felt like an asshole. Draco and Theodore didn’t get me a present. I didn’t mind, nor did I blame them. Someone had likely already told them about both parties.
Hermione got me socks andRon had gotten me a matching scarf. George gave me a basket of very expensive candies. I was fairly certain they would have killed me.
Luna had made me a necklace made out of pits. I didn’t understand, but I thanked her.
“Luna! Are those Dirigible Plum pits?” Katarina asked excitedly.
“Oh, yes, we had an excellent harvest this year,” Luna told her happily.
“Oh, Harry, that’s a delightful gift! The pit can help enhance one's awareness, you know,” Katarina smiled, “Even if you aren’t wearing it, having it in your pocket while you’re in the field will help you immensely.”
“You have to eat the plum, Clairbeau,” Hermione corrected.
“Typically, yes, but I know Lunabeam likely soaked them in several other herbs and ingredients, as well as added some additional enhancements. The pit is the seed that grows knowledge, so if you have enough of them, why wouldn’t it help?” Clairbeau said very matter of factly. I’d keep it in my pocket to see if it helped. Hermione wanted to say more, but Ron distracted her.
“Thank you, Luna. It’s wonderful,” I smiled. Gin ran and brought out the cake, and Ron brought out a bottle of wine. I wasn’t old enough to drink, but I was the chosen one. It was fine.
Katarina noticed that the cake wasn’t big enough to feed everyone, and immediately drank some wine. She had a small flask of something, and poured it in her glass. I wondered if she drank often.
Luna noticed and tensed, dragging Katarina to the kitchen.
“Please don’t let me go outside,” I heard Katarina sniff, “I don’t like the backyard. It makes me sad.”
She had been at Fred’s funeral. She was extremely close to George. She must have been close to Fred. I decided to try and wear Luna’s present. I was missing something, and the worst that necklace could do was nothing.
I felt different as soon as the necklace was on. I looked around the room and noticed Draco staring bored across from him. I followed his gaze, and saw that Nott was giving him a similar expression. They were having a silent conversation about how dull it was.
I wondered if the necklace would help me figure out if I had a chance with Draco. I loved Ginny. She was wonderful, and had encouraged me to explore my sexuality while we were on a break. I happened to be interested in exploring that with Draco.
I moved over to him and sat on the cushion next to him. I figured if he was uncomfortable, he wouldn’t hesitate to tell me. Instead, he blushed and glanced at my lips. That was a good sign.
“Katarina’s really nice, I’m sorry I doubted you,” I apologized.
“Katarina is an enigma, I don’t think most people think highly of her,” Draco shrugged, “Clairbeau’s are notoriously reclusive, and she fits the bill.”
I decided to move in closer, and he only blushed more. He glanced at my crotch as our knees touched. He had to have been interested.
“I’m still amazed she managed to make such an incredible gift. I recognized every sock on there save a handful on the ends. Is she always that thoughtful?” I asked.
Draco sat up and leaned towards me.
“She’s never given an unthoughtful gift in her life. Even her intentionally rude gifts are very thoughtful,” he smiled softly. Was he going to kiss me?
“What do you mean?” I asked, slightly flustered.
“In fourth year, she got me a plush white ferret for my birthday,” Draco beamed, “It’s probably my most prized possession.”
“Really?” Harry asked, confused, “I can’t imagine why.”
He blushed profusely at my question. I wasn’t sure if it was my interest in his gift, or if it was that he realized how close we were. He twisted more towards me, and I was fairly confident he was going to kiss me. He put his arm behind the couch and grazed my fingers with his hand.
“It was my first gag gift that wasn’t given to impress me. It was a bad joke, but it wasn’t a mean gift. It changed my perspective on what presents could be,” he smiled nervously. I glanced at Draco's lips briefly and our hands touched again. He wasn’t stopping me, maybe I just needed to make the first move.
I leaned in more, but before I could try, George interrupted.
“Mind if I squeeze in here?” George asked, annoyingly sitting himself between us. Draco looked extremely annoyed that we’d been interrupted. He had wanted to kiss me.
I sputtered a no and wasn’t sure what to do with myself.
“ So , Nott, I’ve been meaning to ask you something,” George smiled at Theo.
“Yes?” Theo sighed, clearly annoyed.
“How did Katarina propose to you?” George laughed.
“Easy,” Nott smiled, blushing slightly, “She found me, informed me we were getting married, and then swept me away to France with a tuxedo already in my size”
“She did that?” Harry asked, “Before the Battle at Hogwarts?”
“Day before actually. It didn’t take much convincing to abandon the war, and she gave me the opportunity. I would have married her whenever she asked, but it was an added bonus that it spared me from fighting,” Theo smiled, biting his lip. He was clearly in love with his wife.
However, that didn’t explain why he and Draco had such an abnormal tension between them. I couldn’t explain why, but it was as though they were stuck with each other, while simultaneously caring.
I wondered why he’d left Draco to fight in a war. That would have made more sense.
“Why didn’t Draco go too?” I asked.
“I had my parents to look out for. I had to be there for their sake, but she took care of me in her own way. I just won’t talk about it,” Draco warned.
I hadn’t asked about Katarina. Had she intentionally married Nott to get him away from the war? Why would Draco assume I was questioning whether or not Katarina had protected him somehow? Had she?
“Fair enough, I suppose…” I said slowly.
“You ask a lot of questions about her, Potter. Have you actually asked her any?” Theo asked, curious.
“Oh, no, not many. You think I should?” I asked. The way Ginny had talked about her, I had assumed she wouldn’t.
“Mate, if you keep asking other people about her, we’ll eventually get to a point where we can’t talk about anything ,” George smiled, “She’s dancing with Luna in the kitchen. She’d likely be more than happy to tell you what she’d be comfortable with you knowing.”
“Why’d you phrase it like that?” I questioned, wondering how drunk he actually was.
“Just go,” George laughed. I shrugged and went to the kitchen.
Katarina was in the kitchen with Luna, but they had stopped dancing.
“You can talk about him, Rina,” Luna told her softly, “I promise, I won’t tell a soul.”
“Talk about who?” I asked. Katarina looked conflicted before making a decision.
“About Fred. I don’t like talking about him,” she sniffed.
“Oh, you were likely close to him, weren’t you?” I asked. She smiled sadly and nodded.
“We were best friends, but we had a misunderstanding… I was going to find him and try to rekindle our friendship after the war but…” she froze and wiped away a tear. I walked over to her. We didn’t look at each other, choosing to face the wall in front of us. I took her hand, I knew what to say.
“I can understand that,” I smirked sadly, “You don’t have to talk about him if you don’t want to. I’ve lost enough people to know that talking about it is the worst part.”
“You’re telling me,” she laughed softly, “It’s always the people you think will never leave you that die.”
She understood.
“It really is,” I smirked sadly.
“And then you’re forced to go on, like their death wasn’t the big blow it was. You’re stuck living without them,” she frowned.
Luna looked amazed. Her eyes were extremely wide and I didn’t understand her surprise.
“That’s absolutely the worst part,” I sighed, “I was supposed to die during the war, but knew I needed to come back. It was daunting.”
“I’m impeccably lucky,” she exhaled smiling, “I should have died several times over, but the universe decided that I must go on. I’ve lost almost every person that’s loved me.”
“Me too,” I sniffed.
“It really makes you skeptical about letting people be close, doesn’t it?” She sighed.
I couldn’t believe she really understood what it was like.
“Yeah,” I sniffed, “It does.”
We sat in silence for a moment, before Ron walked in with even more alcohol. The peace we’d found was gone. She pulled away from me, wiping away her tears.
“Why don’t you two find somewhere to talk more?” Luna asked.
“It’s alright Lunabeam, I’m fine. I think I owe George a dance,” Katarina grinned, walking out of the room.
I followed her.
***
Katarina began dancing with George and I had a few drinks. I noticed Draco looking frustrated on the couch. The only thing I could think of that would make him frustrated was that our almost-kiss got interrupted. I decided to see if he was open to trying again.
“So, how’s France been?” I asked.
“It’s fine, I love it there, and Katarinas home is beautiful,” he told me, looking at Katarina intensely. I wondered if they were having an affair. That was a ridiculous thought, Draco clearly liked men. I quickly shook it away.
“I really like her,” I told him, “She’s very nice. Ginny’s even coming around, too. I guess she just has a bad reputation for some reason.”
“People don’t usually try to get to know her,” he told me, biting his lip at me, “She’s fun.”
I wondered if he had time alone at her home in France. Did he take dates over often? Would they have minded if he brought dates home.
“How’s staying at her home? Do her and Theodore bother you at all?” I wondered.
“What do you mean?” He asked. It would have been presumptuous to ask if he brought dates home. I scrambled for an answer.
“Well, I know what it’s like to be a third wheel. Ron and Hermione are hooking up, and sometimes it’s annoying how into each other they are. It makes me feel incredibly single sometimes,” I shrugged. He turned to face me, clearly surprised.
“I thought you were with Ginny?” He asked. I relaxed significantly. He’d thought I was seeing someone. That had to have been why he hadn’t really made any advances towards me. That was an easy thing to clear up.
“Oh…” I swallowed, “No, she wants us to take it slow. I care about her a lot, but she doesn’t want us to be official until she’s done with Hogwarts… I’m as single as you are.”
“Right…” he looked panicked. He looked around the room and I realized I didn’t know if he was single.
“Are you single? I just realized I didn’t ever-” I started.
“I’m so sorry, Harry. I’ll be right back. I need to find Katarina and George,” he told me abruptly. I got up and walked away. He likely needed to find Katarina. I wondered why he’d left in a panic.
I waited a few minutes and walked past Draco sitting on a porch with Katarina. They were a respectful distance apart and looked like they were talking about something. He was clearly friendly with her, but he didn’t seem interested. I wondered if they were close. He seemed to be intimately aware of Nott, but I couldn’t tell what she meant to him.
The night went on and eventually, Katarina ended up on Draco’s chest. He was friendly, and his hands didn’t wander. She was very comfortable with him, and told me they were best friends.
They went shopping together, and she was aware that Draco had a tension with Nott. I took her calling Draco and Theo ‘platonic boyfriends’ as confirmation of Dracos sexual proclivities.
Draco became progressively more intoxicated, and he’d started flirting with me more. It came to a head when he began to get more flirtatious with me. We’d talked about his shirt and how tight it was. I complimented the shirt and he responded, “Thanks darling, I have the muscles to fill it out. It only looks tight!”
He was interested, he had to be. I decided to try again, and be slightly more bold.
“Draco!” I said, putting my arm around him. He blushed and bit his lip. He liked me. “You looked incredibly handsome today,” I whispered in his ear, my lips barely grazing his skin. He whimpered under his breath. He had to have liked me.
“Any girls in your life Draco?” I asked loudly, gauging Notts reaction. He was tense, but not jealous. He was too interested in his wife to like Draco.
“I’d say so,” he mumbled, staring at his thumbs. He was blushing. I needed more information.
“Interesting, are you seeing her?” He asked.
“Well… yes, but it’s not serious enough to bring her anywhere yet” he answered unsurly. He seemed nervous. If he wasn’t really seeing her then kissing him would have been fine. He would have pushed me away already.
“Have you only ever been with women?” I asked casually.
“Why are you asking?” Draco blushed, glancing at my lips.
“Just curious,” I shrugged, hoping for more answers.
“Well, if I’m being honest I-” he was interrupted by Katarina pulling him off of the couch. She dragged him over by Theo and looked remarkably panicked.
They rushed out a goodbye, and I was stuck fantasizing about kissing Draco. When we parted ways, I prayed he didn’t notice my boner. They left, and Hermione considered inviting them to her actual party. I hoped she would.
I liked Katarina and desperately wanted to know more about her.