Chapter Text
Chapter 1
This plan is a load of rubbish.
Harry was supposed to be sound asleep in his bed, but no, of course not. Obviously, the amazing Harry Potter can’t possibly get a good night’s rest. He’s just too amazing to not ignore his natural bodily functions.
Ronald Weasley jumped onto Harry’s bed so hard he nearly flew into the ceiling.
-Harry! Harry, get up! You’ve forgotten our plan, haven’t you?!
-GAHH! Ron, get off your suffocating me!
-No! Not until you promise you’re coming with us tonight.
-Alright, fine! Just please get your fat arse off of me! Blimey, Ron, you’ve been eating far too much treacle.
Ron gave him a nasty look and threw Harry some clothing.
Yesterday, Ron thought up a plan to spy on Draco. Lately, the yellow-haired snake had been acting even more strangely than usual.
Even though Harry always seemed to Ron and Hermione as if he agreed with the numerous suggestions on how to spy on, seriously maim, or completely destroy Draco Malfoy, that wasn’t the whole truth.
They were day one rivals. Ever since that first day in Diagon Alley in Madam Malkin's, they had played the role of complete opposites. But now in their sixth year at Hogwarts, it wasn’t just that.
Aside from the assumed daily threat and insults in the hallway, Harry was somewhat obsessed with Malfoy.
The fellow was a very odd character if you just spent some time studying him. His mannerisms, his way of wording things, the small upward pull on his lips whenever he was around Harry. Harry seemed to notice it all. Why not study your rival to better understand him?
After entering sixth year, Harry noticed that Malfoy appeared to be a lot more paranoid than before. Instead of the confident little nose-biter who insulted anyone within his vicinity, he became jittery and was always looking over his shoulder as if someone was watching him.
Harry didn’t want Malfoy dead. Not by the hands of his friends. Not by anyone. He wanted to watch him some more. To try to figure out why he was suddenly scared all the time. But spying on the bastard? Harry wasn’t opposed to that in the slightest.
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Once he shook himself awake and got dressed, Harry headed down to the common room to meet Ron and Hermione.
-Finally, mate. We were worried you had fallen back asleep.
-Come on, Harry, we’ve seriously got to get going. Any longer and Filch’ll scalp us in the dark forest.
With those encouraging words from Hermione, the three slid under Harry’s invisibility cloak and swept through the common room entrance.
The plan -after being thoroughly revised by Hermione- went something like this: first, use the Marauders' Map to make sure Malfoy was in the common room, then use the map to find any out of bed Slytherins and follow them back into their common under the cloak. Then, all that was left to do was go through Malfoy’s belongings.
Simple enough, Harry figured.
Harry couldn't wait to finally have a sliver of a crack at trying to understand Malfoy’s sudden change in demeanor. He’d had many hypotheses, but each was as unbelievable as the next. After what felt like hours trying to dissect Malfoy’s demeanor, Harry could only come up with one viable answer: Malfoy was dating a girl.
But not just any girl. That wouldn’t explain why he was always acting like a little kid scared of getting caught stealing cookies. It must be a girl from a different house. And with how paranoid Malfoy was acting, it must be a Gryffindor.
When the idea first came to Harry, he’d thought it absurd. How could Malfoy, the pure-blood, complete Slytherin of a git, fall in love with a Gryffindor? But the more he reflected on the idea, he realized it wasn’t at all absurd. In fact, it was quite similar to his situation regarding Malfoy.
Harry Potter, the boy who lived, was obsessing over Draco Malfoy, son of some of Voldemort's proudest followers. It didn’t make sense whatsoever, but it was happening. Harry was supposed to want Malfoy dead. But he didn’t. So he guessed anything was possible at this point.
-Harry, look! Zabini is coming back! He’s right around the corner!
Sure enough, five seconds later, one inconspicuous Blaise Zabini appeared in front of the door to the common room.
Ron and Hermione didn’t bother listening to the password, as it was regularly changed, but Harry caught it and added it to his memory just in case.
Being every-so-careful as to not tripover eachother’s feet, they slowly followed Zabini into the Slytherin common room.
The only other time Harry had been here was in his second year. He and Ron had disguised themselves as Malfoy’s two goons, Crabbe and Goyle, with a little help from polyjuice potion brewed by Hermione.
Harry really hadn’t taken in the view last time, as he found out. The place was huge, with walls made of stone to match the cold, rich, and heavy aesthetic the Slytherin house upheld. And green, lots and lots of dark green serpents and ribbons engulfed the space. The lights were dim and yellow-toned, giving off an almost -who would have thought for the Slytherin common room- welcoming vibe.
Around a big stone fireplace sat a few students in big, luxurious armchairs, probably trying to catch up before a big exam the next day.
So busy with the looks of the place, the trio didn’t notice Zabini heading straight for the dormitory, probably weary from high midnight travels.
Letting their eyes wander across the vast space, Ron was the first to see Malfoy sitting in a secluded corner near the dormitory staircases.
-Look! There’s the little ferret! I can believe him. Look how smug and pathetic he looks!
Sure enough, Ron was right. Malfoy was looking rather smug. Not just smug but also genuinely happy. Harry couldn’t remember a time he had ever seen Malfoy look quite like it. The deeper Harry looked, the more he could almost guess that Malfoy was, well, blushing?
Harry was at a loss for words. He didn’t actually believe that Malfoy was getting with a Gryffindor girl. His theories had mostly been of boredom and sleepless nights. But had he genuinely debunked the reason for Malfoy’s shift in attitude? He had to get a closer look.
Harry nudged his friends lightly to signify that they should walk towards him. When they didn’t seem to get the hint, he smacked them on the backs of their heads.
-Oi! Alright, alright, we’re going! Hold your horses, mate!
-Harry, I don’t know if it’s such a good idea to get much closer to him. Are you sure you won’t snap and break our cover?
Harry knew Hermione was just being cautious, but he couldn’t help but feel annoyed that she didn’t trust him to simply walk up to Malfoy.
-Yes, Hermione. I think I can so much as walk up to the sly git, alright?
She understood Harry’s tone and backed off at once.
The three began the journey together, being extra cautious not blow their cover in a very unwelcoming place for Gryffindors such as themselves.
They got within arm’s distance of Malfoy without causing a stir and decided that that was close enough. Harry peered at Draco’s desk. It was littered with loose parchment, very unlike the usual tidy Malfoy he knew. Malfoy was looking at one piece of parchment in particular. The sheet appeared to have been crumpled into a ball and then unfurled by Malfoy to read its contents.
Dear Draco,
I can’t believe we almost got caught last time! We'd better be much more careful in the future if we are to avoid anyone spotting us… This is crazy! Who would have thought that a Gryffindor and a Slytherin could get along so well? How about I sneak into the Slytherin dormitory on Friday night? Please, Draco, I’ve missed you so…
P.S - I won’t get caught, I know all the secret passageways. Don’t you worry!
Love,
G
Harry’s jaw went slack to the ground. Not only was Malfoy dating a Gryffindor, but she was in love with him. He could not believe it. If only the girl had signed her full name…
Harry looked over at Ron and Hermione to see if they had read the letter yet. For some completely unknown reason, Harry didn’t want them to read the letter. He liked knowing he was the only one who knew about this and about Malfoy. He finally found out Malfoy. He finally understood him. But, wait, no, he didn’t.
He still had no idea who G was. Maybe it was the first letter in the girl's name. Maybe it wasn’t that simple. Could it have been just the first letter of Malfoy’s nickname for her?
His thinking was cut short by Hermione whispering in his ear, “Look, he’s got a letter!”
Before he could properly think it through, he grabbed his friends by their shoulders and rushed them out of the common room. He couldn’t risk someone else knowing what he knew.
Running back to the Gryffindor common room, Harry’s mind was racing even faster than his legs. Who is G? Harry suddenly felt the overwhelming urge to figure out who she was. Why was she seeing Malfoy? What did she see in the gimpy and rude blonde? He almost felt jealous of the girl. It used to be him and Malfoy. The rivals of the school. But this, this random girl had gotten between them. She was causing Malfoy to forget to even throw the sidelong insult at Harry in the Hallway. The nasty glare at the back of his head. Anything that made Malfoy acknowledge Harry’s existence.
-Harry! What the bloody hell do you think you’re doing! Dragging us out of there before we even found anything!
-What has gotten into you, Harry!
He had to think of something quick, before his friends thought he was crazy.
-I’m sorry, guys, but it’s my scar! It was burning really badly.
His friends' faces turned ghostly pale immediately. Their angry grimaces turned into worried and scared faces.
-You don’t think it's him, do you?
Ron asked in a tiny voice.
-I don’t think so. I think it was like a sense this time. You know, to get out before something bad happens.
Ron and Hermione glanced at each other briefly, then their faces softened slightly. Harry’s face also softened, knowing that he had effectively thrown his friends off his scent.
They bid eachother good night and went up to their dormitories for a well-deserved rest after the night's festivities.
Harry fell asleep thinking of only one thing: who is G? It was decided. He would be paying Malfoy and G a surprise visit during their midnight rendezvous on Friday.