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It was a warm summer day. You and some other Gryffindors were sitting down by the lake, studying. The sun was burning down on you and you had found refuge under a tree near the shore. Only the light breeze that blew across the lake made the heat bearable. You looked up from the book you were reading and squinted into the bright sun. The light got reflected in the lake in front of you, making the water sparkling in all the different colours. When you would have finished studying, you would dip your feet into the water and after this, you would go back to the castle where the house-elves would have prepared some cold lemonade for you.
You sighted comfortably. Life was definitely more than just acceptable like this.
But the comfortable feeling didn’t last long. Suddenly a dark shadow stepped in front of the warm light, shining from above. When you looked up, you sighted again, this time not out of comfort but in annoyance.
“Ladies.”, the boy in front of you said with a chumming-up smile and winked at you.
You shared a harried look with your friends.
“McLaggen.”, Hermione said coldly, her gaze fixed on the book in front of her.
McLaggen threw her a, what he thought was charming, smile.
“Well, listen, Granger,”, he stated, ignoring the others of you. “Next week we can go to Hogsmeade again. You and I can go to the Three Broomstick and drink some Butterbeer and then, well, let´s see where it takes us.”
“No.”, Hermione simply said without even bothering to look up at the boy.
“Well, I´m sure you can cancel your plans for the day for me.”, he said, winking at her.
“No.”, Hermione said again.
“Or we could meet up some other time.”
The boy seemed to be unbothered by the rejection.
Hermione sighed, closed her book and looked up to the large boy.
“I´m sorry, but I´m not interested in meeting you. Not in Hogsmeade and nowhere else.”, she told him directly.
At this point, it might be important to mention, that this wasn’t McLaggen's first try to get with Hermione. Also, he had quite a reputation among the girls in Hogwarts that wasn’t exactly good. Whenever he showed up, most girls tried to get away as quickly as possible. He was brave and ambitious for sure, but he was also arrogant and aggressive, especially towards girls. And he proved it once more this time because while he could have just walked away, he tried to convince Hermione to give in.
“C´mon Granger. You don’t know what you’re missing. Don’t be so uptight.”
You glanced at Hermione, who was taking a deep breath, trying to stay calm.
“Well, I am uptight, I guess. And now I would like to continue studying if you don’t mind.”
“Oh, but I do. It´s really unpolite to turn such an offer down, you know that?”, McLaggen said and stepped even closer.
Now, you had heard enough.
“Don’t you listen McLaggen? She said no. Just leave her alone!”, you snapped.
“Why do you interfere (Y/l/n/)? I don’t remember talking to you.”
“And I don’t remember us asking you to come here.”, you responded.
McLaggen´s face went red as he mumbled something unintelligible stuff under his breath and turned around. Hermione´s gaze shot up again as she looked at him with narrowed eyes.
“What was that?”, she asked.
Her voice was dangerously calm, but McLaggen didn’t seem to notice, because he turned to her again and smiled at her as he said: “I said you´re a slut. And your friend”, he nodded in your direction, “is one, too.”
Hermione and you jumped up, grabbing your wands, but McLaggen just laughed as he walked away.
Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil, who had until now sat there, just watching the events, got up as well, pulling Hermione and you back, so you wouldn’t hex him right now and right there.
“He´s not worth it.”, Parvati tried to calm you down. “He just wants to provoke you.”
“Exactly.”, her best friend agreed with her. “Just imagine his gloating if you would get detention because of him. And besides,”, she added, when she dragged you down to the ground again and sighted. “Boys will always be boys, I guess.
The next few weeks, Hermione and you spent studying for the upcoming N.E.W.T. exams. Hermione had nearly double the classes you had, but still, she somehow managed to keep up with the subject matters, while you felt like your head was going to explode.
But Ron and Harry only got it worse. Because they had to invest any minute of their free time not only into learning for the exams but also into training for Quidditch. Not only was Harry the captain of the Gryffindor team this year, but Ron also became the keeper once again. It was truly a miracle that he managed to do so because even though he was a good player, his nerves definitely weren’t made for this. You had already experienced it in your last year. Even though in the end he hadn’t been that bad at all, this year it seemed to start all over again.
But then again, it wasn’t just a coincidence that Ron had made it. Because, while you had been surprised that Ron didn’t let Ginny score, not even once, his opponent did. And it was no other than McLaggen who flew, at the last attack on the goal, in the completely wrong direction, and with that, lost against Ron. You had already been suspicious when you had watched McLaggen making such a mistake, but when you saw Hermione next to you with a smug grin on her face, you were sure that it may not have been a mistake of McLaggen in the first place. And after the match, Hermione had admitted to you that this presumption had been absolutely right. Not that you would mind though.
Now, Ron was the keeper of the Gryffindor team, but as you looked at him when he walked into the Great Hall this morning, it seemed as if he wasn’t that glad about it anymore. From what you had heard, the last training had been absolutely terrible and now no one believed that Gryffindor stood a chance. The Slytherins hooted when Ron and Harry entered the Hall. Ron looked as if he wanted to run out again and never come back. And as he sat down, you were worried that he might faint. You really tried your best to support him, but nothing seemed to work. With every minute it only got worse.
“Didn’t think you would make it this year, Weaselbee.”, you heard a voice sneering behind you.
You closed your eyes and shook your head. The last thing Ron needed now was Draco Malfoy´s annoying comments.
“Wonder how you did this.”, Malfoy continued. “Are all of the Gryffindors that bad that you were the only one left? Or is it because of Potter? Because you are friends and he feels petty?”
“Unlike some, he earned his place in the team in a fair competition.”, Hermione snapped back.
“Oh yeah, really fair. His best friend is the captain and his little sister tried to score.”, Malfoy rolled his eyes.
You noticed that he didn’t wear the jersey of his team today. You were kind of glad about it because even though you hated this boy with every fibre of your body, you had to admit that he looked unfairly good in it.
“What about you Malfoy? Didn’t your Daddy buy enough brooms this year to buy you into the team or why aren’t you wearing your jersey yet?”, you teased.
You knew that his father was Malfoy´s weak spot. But today, he didn’t seem impressed.
“I´m injured.”, he said with a grave face. “But don’t worry darling, I could lend it to you for the game. I know how much you like it.”
He winked at you.
“I´d rather pitch myself from a stand.”, you mumbled but you could feel your face burning.
You´d be damned if Malfoy would ever find out that you actually liked his jersey more than you wanted to admit. Or more precisely, him in it.
“Wait, you won´t play?”, Harry asked with a surprised face.
Even Ron slightly lifted his head now, looking slightly more hopeful than before.
“I thought you were so intelligent Potter.”, Malfoy mocked. “You might even stand a chance today.” He paused and glanced at Ron. “Or you don’t.”
And with that, he turned around and left with a smug grin on his face and hummed “Weasley is our king”. Ron now seemed to be even more frustrated.
But you didn’t pay that much attention to it anymore. You watched the blond boy disappearing and couldn’t help but wonder what kind of injury might be so bad that Malfoy couldn’t play today. You knew how much he loved Quidditch and it must be really bad if he wouldn’t play. You swallowed down the lump of worry which had built up in your throat. Because even though you didn’t really like Malfoy, you also didn’t want him to be seriously hurt. But on the other hand, this was none of your business.
Lost in your thoughts, you only snapped back to reality again, when Hermione grabbed you by the wrist, obviously upset and pulled you away from Harry and Ron.
“Good luck.”, you managed to tell them before they were out of reach. Then you turned around to Hermione. “What in the name of Godric is wrong with you?”, you asked in confusion.
But Hermione just shook her head in resignation and sighted: “Boys.”
After the match, all the Gryffindors were in high spirits. Well, all Gryffindors but Hermione. Even after she had realized that Harry had never put the liquid luck into his drink, she was still mad at him. It only got worse when you had finally convinced her to go back to the common room. Because when the door swung open, the first thing you saw was Ron. Ron in a tight embrace with Lavender Brown. And before you could even realize what had happened, Hermione turned on her heels and ran in the other direction.
When you sat in an abandoned classroom with Hermione, who was quietly sobbing at your shoulder, you realized that it wasn’t about what had happened this morning or in the common room. The problem was way more complex. But for now, it was probably better to not pressure her and just give her the comfort she needed.
You didn’t know how long you had been sitting there like this. Hermione´s sobs became quieter and quieter. Still, you didn’t say a word and just wrapped your arm around her shoulder, while she placed her head on yours.
That´s how Harry found you about an hour later. When the door opened, Hermione quickly tried to wipe away the stains of the tears, but Harry noticed.
“What´s wrong?”, he asked in a worried tone and stepped closer.
When Hermione´s eyes filled with tears again, Harry took your place by her side, pulling her in an embrace. When Hermione calmed down again, she looked at you with watery eyes.
“You can leave now if you want to (Y/n). Don´t want you to miss the party.”
You looked at her precariously.
“Are you sure about that? I don’t mind. I can stay if you want me to.”
But Hermione just gave you a shaky smile and shook her head.
“It´s alright. I´ll bring her back soon.”, Harry reassured you.
You gave them a small nod before you wanted to leave the room.
“(Y/n)?”, you hear Hermione´s voice and turned around once more.
“What is it?”
“Thank you.”
You gave your best friend a warm smile.
“Any time.”
On your way back to the common room, you cursed Ron for his behaviour. What in Godric´s name was wrong with that boy? And how could you help Hermione?
When you turned around a corner, you nearly bumped into two tall figures. When you saw the green robes, you frowned. Your timing was absolutely miserable.
You wanted to just pass them, but one of the boys grabbed you by the wrist and stopped you.
“Where do you think you´re going?”
You looked into their faces and recognized Crabbe and Goyle the henchmen of Malfoy. They were still wearing their jerseys, clearly upset about the devastating loss in the game a few hours ago.
“Don’t think that’s any of your business.”, you said and tried to free you, but the grip of the boy -Crabbe- only tightened, as he pulled you closer.
“Not very nice.”, his friend -Goyle- grunted
“Let me go.”
Your voice was calm, but you could feel the panic rising up in you as you saw the two boys grinning at each other. You looked around. But there was no one in sight. The corridor was still far away from the common room, but you had left the classroom with Hermione and Harry far behind you.
“Let go off me. Now!”, you tried again, but the boys only laughed.
“Why?”
“Don’t make such a fuss.”
Suddenly you felt a hand on your hip, pulling you even closer. You could feel Crabbe´s bad breath hitting your face. You tensed. It felt like you were going to throw up any second. But you didn’t.
Scream.
The thought came to your mind, but as soon as you opened your mouth, a big hand covered it, making it hard for you to breathe.
“Don’t even think about it.”, one of them hissed.
You felt that the situation became more and more dangerous for you. You had to get out of here now. Had to get those hands off you.
You heard a scream. The hand around your mouth loosened as you tasted the blood.
“That little bitch bit me.”, Goyle cursed.
The next moment you felt the flat palm of a hand hitting your face. You stumbled, the grip around your wrist prevented you from falling. There was a ringing in your ear. You felt dizzy.
Your body reacted without you even realizing it.
With your heel, you stepped on the foot of the boy in front of you, before ramming your knee somewhere into his centre. When you felt the grip around your wrist loosen, you broke loose from him. Crabbe was sunken down, while Goyle was still holding his bleeding hand.
And then you ran. You ran for your life, literally.
“Go, get her!”, you heard a voice behind you.
But even though you still felt dizzy, your survival instincts kicked in, making you run faster than the two sluggish boys behind you.
And somehow – you weren’t quite sure how yourself – you managed to reach the Fat Lady, gasped the password and stormed through the door.
The party was still in full swing. You staggered into the direction of your dorm, unnoticed by the others since Ginny was with Dean, Ron with Lavender and Harry and Hermione were still gone. When you reached the bathroom, you immediately stripped down and jumped under the shower, rubbing every inch of your body vigorously. It felt as if you were remote-controlled.
Only when you stepped out of the shower and looked into the mirror above the sink, did you slowly start to realize what had just happened. Now you also noticed the small scratch on your temple. A throbbing pain flashed through your head. The ringing in your ear was still louder than the noises of the party downstairs.
Slowly, you put on your pyjamas and crawled into your bed. You felt your heart and your head pounding in the same rhythm, way too fast. But the rest of your body felt numb. Everything felt numb. The only thing you could feel was a small spark of guilt grooming in you.
And because of this little spark you had, when Hermione finally entered the dorm as well, your eyes closed and pretended to be asleep, while your hands clenched around the sheets.
When you opened your eyes the next morning, the ringing in your ear was gone but the pounding in your head was still there. It took you a few moments to realize what had happened yesterday. But as the images flashed through your mind, you buried your face in your pillow again, wanting nothing more than to fall into the sweet nothing of sleep again.
But Hermione had different plans, as she pulled away your blanket.
“(Y/n), c´mon. We´re gonna be late.”
You sat up and buried your face in your hands. Never in your entire life have you felt so miserable.
“Gonna grab a shower.”, you mumbled.
Hermione looked at you irritated.
“We don’t have time for this.”
You didn’t react.
“(Y/n)? (Y/n), are you alright?”
When you finally looked at her, she looked at you worried. When she saw your face, her eyes widened.
“Oh my god. (Y/n), what happened to you?”, she gasped as she saw the scratch on your temple.
You just shook your head, biting your lip, avoiding her gaze.
“(Y/n)?”, her voice was now really soft.
And when she slightly touched your shoulder, you finally broke down.
“You have to report this,” Hermione told you for the fifth time since you had found the words for what had happened to you the last evening.
But you just shook your head.
“What should I even tell them?”
“Please, just go to Professor McGonagall…”
“I don’t have any proof.”
“You are hurt. You could also go to Madame Pomfrey…”
“I don’t want them to think I´m weak.”
“(Y/n) please, just…”
“No, Hermione. No.” You shook your head. You knew this was wrong. You knew you needed to report this. But something hindered you. “C´mon, we´re going to be late. We already missed breakfast.”
But honestly, you weren’t even mad about it. The thought of getting into the Great Hall, all those people and them. No, you were glad to have some more time. Even if it was just until lunch. Because in none of your morning classes were Crabbe or Goyle. Luckily.
That was the only reason you somehow managed to survive the classes. Luckily, Hermione had those classes as well and she didn’t leave your side, blocking all the questions about why you seemed to be so absent-minded today, or what had happened to your face.
But then, sooner than you would have expected, it was lunchtime. Hermione offered to bring you some food to your dorm, but you denied it. You didn’t want to be weak. But as you walked towards the Great Hall, you could feel your heart starting to beat faster. Your hands became sweaty. It felt like millions of ants were crawling through your arms and legs and over the scalp of your head. Your vision became blurry. It felt like you might faint any moment. Maybe the punch on your head had been worse than you had thought? You shook your hands and scratched your head, trying to get rid of the strange feeling of numbness that threatened to take over your body. Hermione noticed your breath flattening and took your hand. You squeezed it thankfully.
“You don’t have to do this, you know that right?”, she whispered.
You just nodded, not trusting your voice anymore.
What would happen? Where would they sit? Who would be with them? Have they told anyone? Did everyone already know? Would they make fun of you? Would they get near you?
They had probably already told everyone. Bragged about what they had done to you. But you wouldn’t give them the satisfaction to see you weak.
That’s why you took a deep breath and entered the Great Hall.
Automatically your eyes wandered to the Slytherin table. But you spotted neither Crabbe nor Goyle there. In a panic, you looked around. Where were they? But they were nowhere in the room. Your eyes wandered back to the table of the Slytherins. You only spotted Malfoy sitting there with Zabini and Parkinson. No one else.
But as the three of them spotted you, they fell silent and stared at you.
You felt your cheeks heated. They knew. Of course, they knew. They had probably congratulated the boys for doing this to you.
But you couldn’t be more wrong.
Because little did you know that when Crabbe and Goyle came back to their common room the day before, they were all excited and all proud to tell the others, especially Malfoy, from whom they knew how much he hated you, how they had scared you. But when they had finished their report, looking full of expectation at the others, all they could see was disgust in their faces. Because no matter how deep the hostility between the Slytherins and Gryffindors was, something like that was just unacceptable.
Pansy Parkinson, who knew just as any other girl how frightening even small comments or touches could be, excused herself and went to her room, while she swore to herself to never be in a room alone with Crabbe and Goyle again.
Even Blaise Zabini, who mostly just cared about himself, told them with a shrug of his shoulders that this had been anything but cool.
And Draco Malfoy? He had been sitting there in silence, listening to the two boys who he called his friends and suddenly felt an unknown feeling growing inside of him. And when Crabbe and Goyle told him that he would have probably had his fun too and that if it had been the three of them, they might could have taken it further, something inside of him snapped.
And for the first time in his life, Draco Malfoy saw red.
But you didn’t know any of these as you walked down the aisle and towards your friends. Only when you saw Ron sitting there with Lavender, you realized, why you had been even in that corridor yesterday. You looked at Hermione.
“So, where do you want to sit?”
Hermione looked just as precarious as you. But then you saw Harry and Parvati sitting a few meters away from Ron and Lavender. When they saw the two of you, Harry raised his hand as a sign to sit down with them. When you walked toward them you saw them whispering and giggling.
As soon as you sat down, Parvati opened the conversation.
“Have you heard the news?”, she giggled.
Hermione and you shook your head. Honestly, you weren’t even interested in it. Both of you had different things on your mind.
“Crabbe and Goyle, those creepy friends of Malfoy.”, she started. You tensed and shared an anxious look with Hermione. “They are in the hospital wing.”
You raised your eyebrows. You were pretty sure that this wasn’t because of you. But why then?
“What happened?”, Hermione asked as her eyes commuted between Parvati and you.
“Well, no one really knows. But Padma heard from a friend who knows Pansy Parkinson, that Pansy had told her that it is because of Malfoy.”
You raised your eyebrows even more.
“Malfoy?”
“Yeah, apparently they had a huge fight yesterday. Everyone says it was about the Quidditch match. But Pansy had told her friend that it was about something different.”
“And do you know what?” Your voice sounded hollow.
“She said it was about a girl.”, Parvati’s voice was now only a whisper. “I don’t know any details. But it looks like they have done something that made Malfoy furious. Heard they had to separate them. And now the two of them are in the hospital wing. And it doesn’t look like they would get out soon.” She giggled. “Who would have known that Malfoy could actually do something good in this world.”
You nodded absent-mindedly. Your gaze drifted off to the table of the Slytherins. The three people from your year were still watching you. As you caught their gaze, Zabini gave you a short nod, Parkinson twisted her face into some kind of smile and when you looked at Malfoy, he quickly looked away with reddened cheeks. This was enough of a confirmation for you. You gave them a small nod as well before you turned around to Hermione, who had followed your gaze, now looking utterly confused.
And in the next few days it wasn’t just Hermione who was pretty confused, but nearly the whole school. Crabbe and Goyle still hadn’t left the hospital wing. Draco tried his best to avoid you. But Pansy Parkinson and Blaise Zabini who had never been nice to you, or to anyone who wasn’t a Slytherin, suddenly handled you with kid gloves. Especially Pansy, who had asked you by now several times if you wanted to do homework together or eat together. She tried her best to be nice to you and sometimes even towards Hermione, even though she pulled a face any time Hermione showed up, eying her closely. But even though it felt really weird to hang out with Pansy, you somehow enjoyed her company even if it was just to distract yourself and give Hermione some free time since she had enough to deal with herself. Also, you hoped that someday Pansy might tell you what exactly had happened after the… incident. But you were too afraid to bring up the topic herself. And luckily you didn’t have to.
One day, some time had already passed since you started to hang out, Pansy brought it up herself, when she suddenly showed up, while you were in the library.
“I thought you wanted to do something with Draco today?”, you asked in confusion.
Pansy nodded.
“I wanted to, but he has to serve detention.”
You raised your eyebrows.
“Why?”
Pansy shifted uncomfortably in her chair.
“Because of the thing… you know… with Crabbe and Goyle…”
Your body unintentionally tensed as you heard those names. Some time had already passed and you hadn’t seen them since, but still, it was hard for you to think about them. But also, you were curious about what had happened after the boys had returned to their friends.
“Must have been really bad if he still has to serve detention.” You tried to make your voice sound incidental, but it was shaking.
Pansy giggled.
“I think they are lucky to be alive. Draco really went mental when he heard that you were…” She stopped.
You forced yourself to smile. You had never told Pansy about what had happened but she knew from the others.
“I´m really sorry that this happened to you, you know that?”, she whispered.
This time a real smile showed up on your face as you nodded.
“I know.”
“And Draco is too.”, she continued, while she eyed you, searching for any signs of discomfort, but you nodded encouragingly. “He thinks it´s his fault.”
“Why´s that?”, you asked irritated.
“Well, they always talked about how much they hated all Gryffindors. How much they hated you.”
Somehow you felt your heart clenching at her words.
“But that doesn’t mean he actually did.”, she added quickly. “Honestly, I don’t think he ever did. Hate you, I mean. But now he thinks he encouraged them. And now he feels so horribly sorry he can´t even look you in the eyes.”
For the next few minutes, you sat there in silence. Many thoughts raced through your head until you finally made a decision.
“Pansy? Where does Draco serve detention?”
This was a bad idea. A really bad.
You hadn’t been on your own in this castle for some time. But you weren’t alone. It was early evening and there were students all around you. You were safe.
Finally, you reached your destination.
This was a really bad idea.
What would you even want to tell him? It´s not your fault? Thank you? You didn’t even know him that well. How could you even trust him?
Pansy had offered to accompany you, but you refused. You needed to do this on your own.
This was a very, very bad idea.
Just as you wanted to turn around again and leave, the door opened.
Draco´s eyes widened in surprise as he saw you standing in front of the classroom.
You smiled at him shyly.
“Hey.”
He cleared his throat.
“Hey.”
“Do you… Do you have a moment?”
He nodded.
You walked along the corridor in silence. Your heart pounded in your chest. Finally, you stopped and looked at him. Draco did the same.
“I know what you did.”
He nodded.
You took a deep breath.
“Thank you.”
He raised his eyebrows.
“For what?”
“Doing something. If it wasn’t for you, I would have to see them every day and I don’t know if I…” Your voice broke.
Draco took a step towards you, raising his hand as if he wanted to touch your face, but you automatically backed off.
“Sorry.”, he mumbled.
You shook your head.
“No, it´s just… it´s strange these days. I don’t know…”
He nodded.
“I better leave you alone, I guess. Or should I bring you back to your common room?”
But he did neither of these. Because on your way back to the common room, you started talking about more harmless things. And somehow, you ended up sitting on a sill and just talking. You felt the tension releasing with every second you spent with Draco. You didn’t know why, but you felt safer with that boy you barely knew than with most of the other people around.
You just kept talking until it was time for dinner.
But when you stood up, Draco hesitated. You looked at him with narrowed eyes, while he lowered his head, not daring to look at you.
“Draco? What is it?”, you asked.
“I could have done more.” It was just a whisper.
“What?”
“It´s all my fault. I should have known what they were up to, they were my friends. I… I should have protected you.” His voice sounded desperate.
And for the first time you talked about it, you didn’t feel the tension creeping up in your body. You just shook your head and stepped closer to him.
“You didn’t know.”
“I should have.”
“I don’t blame you.”
“I do.”
“Nothing happened.”
“Don’t you dare call this nothing!”
He finally lifted his head and looked into your eyes. He looks genuinely upset.
“Well, at least you made sure that they will never dare to do something like this ever again.”, you smiled at him.
He returned your smile shyly.
“And if they do, I swear to Salazar, I will end them. Anyone who gets near to you ever again.”
You could see in his eyes that he was completely honest.
“Well, I guess I´m safe from now on.”
“You should have always been.”
“I am now. I was so scared the last few weeks but now I feel like it will get better again. Because of you.”
Once again, Draco stepped closer, raising his arms as if he wanted to hug you. This time you didn’t shy away. But this time, he stopped.
“Is that alright for you?”, he asked in a worried tone.
You gave him a small nod.
“It is.”
Draco sighed in relief and pulled you in a tight embrace. And when you buried your face in the crook of his neck and listened to his steady heartbeat, you felt your body melting into his warmth and his touch.
He placed a kiss on a small scar on your temple and brought his lips closer to your ear.
“I will protect you (Y/n). Always.”