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“Saint Potter, the Mudbloods friend. He’s another one with no proper wizard feeling, or he wouldn’t go around with that jumped-up Granger Mudblood. And people think he’s Slytherin’s heir!”

Harry Potter and Ron Weasley sat silently as the loud rantings of one Dancia Malfoy filled the air. Currently, the two boys were cleverly disguised as the girl’s usual henchmen, Gregory Goyle and Vincent Crabbe respectively, thanks to the flawless Polyjuice Potion their incredibly smart friend, Hermione Granger, had made. The boys were currently interrogating the ‘Blonde Bitch’ (as Hermione was so fond of calling her) to see if the girl knew anything about the Chamber of Secrets or who the Heir of Slytherin might be. Their leading theory was that Dancia herself was behind all these attacks, because Harry, Ron, and Hermione were all twelve years old, and as such, they still firmly believed that if something bad happened in the school it had to be because of their school rival and could not possibly be anyone else. They were fully prepared to be shocked when they learned the depths of depravity Dancia had sunk to in order to pull off her heinous crimes. However, what they were about to learn would shock them in ways they were decidedly not prepared for. 

“For Merlin’s sake, Dancia! Shut up about Potter already! We get it, you have a crush, nobody cares!”

All three turned to see Daphne Greengrass lounging on a couch by the fireplace. She had a look of utter exasperation on her face and she rolled her eyes as she turned a page in the book she was reading. Harry and Ron exchanged stunned looks before the sound of a teakettle boiling over caught their attention. They turned to look at Dancia and discovered that she was the cause of said teakettle noise. Her face was also completely red- redder than Ron’s hair even. Her eyes were wide and panicked, her jaw hung open in disbelief, and she looked more flustered than the two boys had ever seen her. 

“A-a-a c-c-cr- a crush?!” Dancia stuttered, clasping her hands against her suddenly rapidly beating heart, voice several octaves higher than usual. “D-d-don’t b-b-be ridiculous, Daphne. I d-d-don’t have a crush on s-s-stupid Harry Potter!”

“Mhm,” Daphne replied, sounding entirely unconvinced. “And I’m sure your stuttering and blushing is purely due to the craziness of the idea, right?” she asked dully, as if she’d heard that excuse a thousand times already.

“E-e-exactly!” Dancia said, sounding very relieved. She wasn’t very relieved for long though. 

“Rubbish,” Daphne countered, turning another page. “Dancia, the only one who believes that is you. You turn into a tomato every time someone mentions Potter’s name, let alone when you see him in the halls. The only way you’re even able to talk to Potter at all is by being a complete bitch to him and his friends, which really isn’t scoring you any points by the way,” Daphne commented idly.

“Wh-wh-why would I care about s-s-scoring any points with h-h-him?” Dancia cried, turning her head to the side and huffing her cheek out. She crossed her arms over her chest.

“Maybe because you keep writing ‘Mrs. Dancia Potter’ in your diary?” Daphne replied, arching an eyebrow.

“YOU READ MY DIARY?!” Dancia shrieked, jumping off the chair she was on and stomping over to Daphne.

“Notice how you didn’t deny doing it,” Daphne pointed out, turning another page, unbothered by her roommate’s fury.

A sound like an egg sizzling over a fire emanated from Dancia’s throat as she stared at her roommate in stunned disbelief. “I-I mean, o-o-obviously it’s not t-t-true! It’s n-n-not like I dream about m-m-marrying him or anything. N-not P-Potter! I d-d-don’t want to d-d-date him at all! I a-a-absolutely d-d-don’t spend any time at all th-th-thinking about his beautiful green eyes!” Dancia denied hotly.

“I didn’t say anything about his eyes, Dancia.”

“Ahhhhh!! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!” Dancia cried. She started trying to smother her roommate with a pillow, absolutely mortified. 

Eyes gleaming with mischief, Daphne wriggled out of the pillow. “Face it, Dancia. You’re head over heels for him. The reason you go after Granger so much isn’t because of her blood status, it’s because you’re jealous that she gets to spend so much time with your crush,” Daphne teased, ducking as Dancia chucked the pillow at her head.

“Why you!” Dancia snarled. She launched herself at her roommate and started wrestling with her, trying to physically shut the girl up so she’d stop spouting these obviously fake and untrue things about her feelings for Harry Potter. Or rather, her lack thereof. Because she didn’t have a crush on him. Not Potter. Nope! Not him! Definitely not! She’d never once stared dreamily at him in class, getting lost in his eyes; nor had she ever imagined the two of them getting married before, her dressed in a beautiful white dress and him in tight, form-fitting robes that showed off his muscular body; she most certainly was not mean to him just because she didn’t know how to talk to him normally and defaulted to cruelty just to have something to say. None of that had ever happened before. Not even once. That would be utterly ridiculous. Honest.

Harry and Ron stared at the two brawling girls on the couch by the fireplace in shock. They couldn’t believe what they had just heard. Slowly, they turned to look at each other before their eyes widened. 

“You look like you again!” they both exclaimed. Glancing at the two girls who blessedly hadn’t noticed either of them, they turned around and sprinted out of the Slytherin common room, the screams of Dancia’s fervent denials echoing in their ears. Neither boy spoke until they were a good deal away from the Slytherin common room. Their feet started absently walking towards Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom as they processed what they had just heard.

“So…uhh…Harry…sounds like Dancia, uhh-”

“Ron?”

“Yeah, Harry?”

“We are going to head back to Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom now. We’re going to tell Hermione that Malfoy is not the Heir of Slytherin and that we learned nothing else. Got it?”

“...I got it, Harry.”

“Good.”

“I’m quite surprised the Mudbloods haven’t all packed their bags already. Bet you five galleons the next one dies. Pity it wasn’t Granger.” Dancia’s voice was deliberately loud and haughty, aimed directly at Harry and Ron in Potions class a few days after Hermione had been petrified. 

Ron stood up sharply just as the bell rang. “Blonde bitch is at it again. Starting to think we misheard over Christmas,” Ron muttered darkly under his breath as they started packing up their things.

“Just ignore her,” Harry muttered back, putting a calming hand on Ron’s shoulder.

“Mate, that’s all you’ve been doing lately. Ignoring her left, right, and center. She made a crack about your Mum the other day and you just let it be. What’s going on with you?” Ron asked him, worried about his friend.

“Just ignore her,” Harry repeated instead of trying to explain the maelstrom going on in his head. 

“Hey, Potter! Didn’t you hear me?” Dancia asked smugly as she walked closer to him. “I said it’s a pity your Mudblood friend won’t be the next to bite it!” 

Harry ignored her, continuing to keep a hand on Ron’s shoulder to stop him from doing anything. He kept walking, going further along the corridor. 

“Don’t ignore me, Potter! I said-” Dancia trailed off as Harry gave her a look of such intense disgust and loathing, it completely stopped her cold. She flinched, then tried to rally. “Don’t you look at me like that, Potter! Hey, I’m talking to you! Don’t you walk away from me! Who do you think I am? Come back here! Hey, I mean it, I-”

“You disgust me,” Harry said coldly, lip curling, looking at her like she was a splatter of bird poop he found on his car that morning.

Dancia flinched again, feeling cold and worried. That wasn’t Potter’s usual response. In fact, he hadn’t been responding like usual ever since Christmas, and she had no idea why. Usually, he would just yell back or try to curse her or something. That’s how this was supposed to go. But he wasn’t doing that this time. Instead, he was looking at her like she was less than worthless, like her very existence offended him. It was a look she’d never seen on his face before, and never wanted to see ever again. Dancia just couldn’t get the way his eyes had looked at her out of her head, and she tugged her robes over her body self-consciously. She felt a hollow, empty feeling in her chest, and couldn’t figure out why. After all, it’s not like she liked him or anything. Why should she care what he thought of her? Why was that look affecting her so much? 

With one last glance at Harry’s retreating back, Dancia turned around and started making her way to her next class, unable to shake the feeling that she’d just messed up big time. She was going to have to do some major rethinking over the holidays. Maybe her Mum could help her sort things out.

“Potter! Potter!” 

Harry turned at the sound of Dancia Malfoy’s calls from across the room. 

“Potter, is it true you fainted from the dementors? Like, actually fainted?” she asked.

“Ignore her, Harry,” Hermione told him, turning her friend back around.

“So it’s true then. Are you okay?”

That question was incongruous enough that Harry turned back around again. Ron and Hermione both joined him in turning too. 

“What do you care, Malfoy?” Ron asked, spitting her name out like it was a curse.

Dancia glanced at the redhead, then turned back to look at Harry, an unidentifiable emotion shining in her eyes. “Are you okay?” she repeated, biting her lip.

“I’m fine, now piss off,” Harry told her, going back to ignoring her. He pretended not to hear Dancia’s sigh of relief, and Ron and Hermione both pretended not to notice the way Dancia’s shoulders sagged as if an invisible weight had fallen off them at Harry’s answer. “Blonde bitch,” Harry muttered, buttering his toast with quite a bit more force than was strictly necessary.

“AHHHHHH!” Dancia cried, as the hippogryph slashed her arm, causing it to bleed profusely. 

“Buckbeak! Easy boy, easy! She’s not worth it, trust me,” Harry said soothingly, putting a hand up and interposing himself between Dancia and the beast she’d unintentionally offended.

Seeing a human he liked standing in front of the rude one gave Buckbeak just enough pause that Hagrid was able to get there and diffuse the situation properly. He threw a dead ferret into the enclosure and the Hippogryph chased after it. He locked the paddock. “Right then, that needs the Hospital Wing,” Hagrid said, taking a look at Dancia’s arm and noticing the blatant shock on the girl’s face. “I’m the Professor, I’ll take ye,” he said gently, picking her up. Hagrid didn’t much like this girl, but he was a Professor now and he wasn’t going to play favorites in his class, especially when someone was hurt. “Class dismissed!”

Dancia stared in open-mouthed shock, but nobody seemed to notice that her gaze was resting entirely on Harry. “H-he saved me. Wh-why did he save me? He hates me,” she whispered, feeling very confused. Despite his rather blunt nature, Hagrid knew this wasn’t a question directed at him. As such, he left the girl to her own thoughts and focused on taking her to the Hospital Wing. Also, while he wasn’t going to play favorites in class, outside of class was a whole ‘nother story. He still didn’t quite like this girl. He wasn’t going to spell it out for her.

“Daddy, seriously, I’m fine!” an exasperated Dancia told her father, waving her bandaged arm around pointedly. “Madam Pomfrey is a very skilled healer. My arm was mended mere minutes after Professor Hagrid carried me here.”

“And what was that bloody oaf doing handling my daughter in such a way!” Lucius Malfoy protested indignantly. 

“Daddy, he was just taking me to the Hospital Wing.”

“Ridiculous! Like that oaf could ever do anything properly. The half-breed was obviously attempting to touch you inappropriately. I shall see him properly punished for his pervertions! Were I still a member of the board, I would have him fired posthaste! As things stand, I shall have to settle for dealing with things in another manner. Hmm…I know! The fool is quite fond of those creatures of his, isn’t he? Hmph! I shall send a letter to Walden Macnair forthwith and begin the process of getting the ministry to execute the wretched thing. You, my daughter, shall keep your arm in that sling until I say otherwise so that I may use your injury as proof that the beast must be put down. Do you understand?”

“But Daddy, I-”

“Do you understand?”

Dancia sighed and lowered her head. “Yes, Father,” she answered demurely.

“Good! I shall depart immediately!” Lucius flung his robes behind him dramatically and left without even wishing his daughter well.

Dancia sighed again, feeling rather awful about the whole situation. She knew her father was going to pull every string he could to try and get his perceived revenge. For once, she wanted no part in this, but she knew she’d be forced to play a role in it regardless. She huddled her knees to her chest, and wrapped her arms around herself, feeling quite miserable. “Harry’s gonna hate me even more,” she said sadly, poking forlornly at her hospital sheets. 

Little did she know, Harry was standing just several feet away, shrouded in his invisibility cloak, having heard every single word that was just spoken by both Malfoys.

“Just heard back from Daddy. He had to go to that hearing to tell them about my arm…about how I couldn’t use it for months…I suppose we’ll learn of that hippogryph’s fate soon enough,” Dancia told her bodyguards, Crabbe and Goyle, just outside of the Shrieking Shack. Her voice seemed sad though, as if she wasn’t very happy with the outcome. Then she noticed Ron and Hermione standing on the other side of the clearing. “What are you doing here, Weasley? Granger?” Dancia asked, crossing her arms. 

“It’s a free country, Malfoy. We can go wherever we want,” Ron answered her venomously.

Dancia raised an eyebrow then looked at the house behind her. She looked back at Crabbe and Goyle and sighed. “Suppose you’d love to live here, wouldn’t you, Weasley? Dreaming about having your own bedroom? I heard your family all sleep in one room- is that true?” she taunted. Despite her words, her voice sounded tired and uninterested, like her heart wasn’t really in it.

From inside his invisibility cloak, Harry grabbed the back of Ron’s robes to stop him from lunging towards Malfoy. “Leave her to me,” he hissed in his friend’s ear. He crept around the three Slytherins and picked up a large handful of mud.

Ron’s face shifted from furious to a vicious grin so quickly that Dancia took a step back instinctively, inexplicably struck with the feeling that something was very wrong. “No, it’s not quite my style,” Ron told her. “Personally, I think you’d get much more use out of the shack, Malfoy. It gives you a great hideaway you can run off to with Harry. You know, if he ever gives you the time of day, that is.”

The silence in that clearing was deafening, but the consequences were no less profound. Malfoy’s face immediately turned a bright, vibrant red and she started stuttering so hard it would be almost cute if it wasn’t Malfoy doing it. “Wh-wh-what the h-h-hell are you t-t-talking about?” she screeched. “M-m-me? And P-P-Potter? D-d-don’t be ridiculous!” She crossed her arms and turned away with a huff before idly playing with her hair as she imagined the exact scenario Ron had just described despite trying to think of literally anything except that. “Wh-wh-why would I ever! I mean, m-m-me and h-h-him? Wh-wh-why would you even s-suggest that? A-absolutely r-ridiculous!” Dancia stammered, ignoring the way her heart started beating a mile a minute.

“What the bloody hell is happening?” Hermione deadpanned.

“Dancia has a crush on Harry,” Ron explained in a sotto voce that everyone heard.

“I-I-I do not!” Dancia screamed, stomping her foot in denial. “Th-th-that’s ridiculous! I d-d-don’t have a crush on P-P-Potter!” She was staring resolutely at the floor, her face now a shade of red so deep, it made Ron’s hair jealous.

Before Hermione could process that, a ball of mud went hurtling through the air and collided directly with the back of Vincent Crabbe’s head. A second later, another ball of mud collided with the back of Goyle’s. Several more balls of mud collided with the two boys in highly unfortunate places. 

“Shrieking Shack is quite haunted, isn’t it?” Ron mused idly, grinning as he watched the Slytherins’ confusion. And their pain.

A ball of mud collided with Dancia’s face, and the girl let out an indignant shriek as she brushed the mud off her face. When another one completely ruined her hair, she nearly started crying. Crabbe and Goyle started blindly groping around the area, trying to find whoever was throwing mud. They each took another ball to the balls for their troubles. Goyle got lucky though and fumbled a little too close to where Harry was currently positioned. Harry tried to trip the boy, and succeeded, but the boy’s feet hooked onto his Invisibility Cloak and pulled it off just a smidge, revealing his face.

Dancia cleared her eyes of the mud just in time to see Harry’s face floating in midair. “H-H-Harry?” she blurted in shock, not realizing she’d just used his first name. Her mind suddenly connected the dots that he must have been the one to throw mud at them. Which meant that he was the one who threw mud at her face and ruined her hair. Without consent from her mind, her eyes started to water. She turned and fled down the hall, her shoulders lurching as she tried to hold back tears. Crabbe and Goyle stupidly chased after her, neither boy having noticed anything. 

“Uh-oh, I better head back, guys. I’m not supposed to be here. I need to be in the castle before Dancia tells Snape,” Harry said worriedly. “Also Ron, we will be having words later,” he added, glaring at his best friend, before booking it back to Honeydukes as fast as he could.

Much to Harry’s surprise however, there was nobody searching for him when he got back to the tower. He saw Dancia’s name on the Marauder’s Map in her dorm room, so he knew she beat him back to the castle. But Severus Snape’s dot was still in his quarters, and no teachers were wandering the halls looking for him. 

“Did she not report me?” Harry asked in confused disbelief, unaware that Dancia had not only kept his presence a secret, but was currently sitting on the shower floor, crying her eyes out, feeling extremely confused, extremely downtrodden, and blaming puberty for everything.

“So…Dancia Malfoy has a crush on you, Harry?”

“So it would seem, Hermione.”

“And you and Ron have known this for how long exactly?”

“Since me and Harry infiltrated the Slytherin dorms last year to see if she was the Heir of Slytherin.”

“And you didn’t tell me because…”

“Because it’s bloody awkward and I’d prefer to pretend it isn’t real, thank you very much.”

“Oh, but it’s real, Harry. It’s very real. This will be so much fun! The blonde bitch is about to get a taste of her own medicine!”

“...I mean, I’m certainly no fan of hers either, but doesn’t that seem kind of mean, Hermione?”

“It’s Dancia Malfoy.”

“...good point, well made.”

“I don’t suppose you’d be willing to flirt with her a little, Harry? Just to mess with her even more?”

“Hermione, I’d rather gargle shards of glass.”

“...fair enough.”

“What are you doing here, Malfoy? Come to gloat?” Hermione asked venomously, glaring at the blonde.

Dancia flinched and rubbed her arm awkwardly. “N-no, I-”

“Hasn’t your family done enough?” Ron added, glowering. He stood next to Hermione and crossed his arms.

“That’s not why I’m here!” Dancia’s panicked voice cut through the air, and her frantic arm waving caused the three Gryffindors to pause for a moment. 

“Then why are you here?” Harry asked her, standing next to his friends and curling his lip in his best Snape impression.

“Oh, why did you three have to be here? That makes this so much harder!” Dancia whined, looking up at the sky as if for strength. “I don’t suppose you three could just leave for a moment so I can talk to Professor Hagrid alone?” she practically begged.

“No. You either say what you want to say in front of your star-crossed lover or you say nothing at all,” Hermione told her.

Immediately, Dancia’s entire face erupted in a nuclear-sized blush. “My what?!” she shrieked, covering her face as if she could physically protect herself from those words. “Wh-wh-why would you even? W-w-we’re not…d-d-don’t even like…a-a-absolutely r-r-ridiculous!” 

“Get on with it, Malfoy,” Ron interrupted her, face still looking like it was carved from stone even as the girl’s composure fled into nonexistence. 

Still muttering under her breath about idiots being completely brain dead, Dancia did her best to ignore the three Gryffindors and turned to Hagrid, who was standing off to the side, a blank expression on his face. “Professor Hagrid, I-I wanted to apologize,” Dancia told him, sounding like it cost her something very important just to utter those few words. “I don’t- Buckbeak doesn’t deserve this. I’ve been trying to tell Daddy all year that I was barely hurt, but he just won’t listen to me. He doesn’t deserve this, and neither do you. I’m sorry,” she told him, furiously rubbing her eyes, determined not to cry in front of her three observers. “Anyways, that’s all I wanted to say,” she added quietly.

“Thank you, Miss Malfoy,” Hagrid said neutrally. Dancia met his gaze then nodded sadly and started walking away.

“What the bloody hell was that? Did the Blonde Bitch, Dancia Malfoy, just…apologize?” Ron asked incredulously once the blonde was out of earshot.

“Aye, Ron. Tha’ she did,” Hagrid confirmed.

“Is the sky falling?” Hermione wondered, looking up into the sunny morning weather with nary a cloud in sight.

“Is it true? Are the rumors true? Did you save him? Is he free?” Dancia asked Harry hopefully, on one of the rare occasions he wasn’t with his friends. As her usual bodyguards were conspicuously absent, Harry considered it an even playing field. 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. I was only allegedly involved with Black last night, and according to our dear Minister, I was Confounded,” Harry said cagily.

Dancia made a frustrated, impatient noise and stomped her foot. “No, not Black! I meant Buckbeak! Did you really help him escape? He wasn’t killed?”

“Wait, Buckbeak? The hippogryph? Why do you care?” Harry asked her.

Dancia frowned and pointed a finger at him. “I’ll have you know that I happen to love animals. There’s a reason I took Care of Magical Creatures, you know. Daddy has these Abraxan that are ever so beautiful! He uses them for business trips, carrying potions ingredients that are too delicate to portkey to their destinations. I visited the ranch many times when I was a young girl and got to play with them and they’re simply gorgeous. I’ve loved magical creatures ever since,” Dancia explained. “And like I said to Professor Hagrid, I didn’t want Buckbeak to be killed. I tried to argue with Daddy all year, but he just wouldn’t listen!” she said, throwing her hands in the air in frustration.

“But…you kept your arm in a sling for months,” Harry pointed out, looking at her suspiciously.

“Daddy told me I had to,” Dancia said sadly, her shoulders slumping. 

“Why didn’t you just say no?” Harry asked.

“What do you mean?” Dancia replied. She tilted her head to the side in confusion, as if she genuinely couldn’t even conceive of the concept of disobeying her father.

Harry swallowed, getting a bad feeling about this line of questioning. The Dursley flashbacks were strong here. He decided to pivot instead. “Why should I tell you? How do I even know you’re telling me the truth? You’ve been atrocious to me and my friends as long as I’ve known you. For all I know, you could just be trying to get me to admit to something illegal and get me thrown in Azkaban or something.”

“I wouldn’t do that!” Dancia immediately protested. Harry gave her a very unimpressed look. “I wouldn’t!” she insisted.

“Goodbye, Malfoy,” Harry said, turning around.

Dancia’s eyes widened in panic. “Wait, Harry! Please!” she begged, grabbing the sleeve of his robes. “Please, just tell me if Buckbeak’s alive. That’s all I ask. Please.”

Harry turned around and saw the girl’s expression. The way she was biting her lip, the way her eyes were shining with unshed tears, the way she looked at him not like he was her enemy but as someone important to her. Cautiously, he nodded his head. Dancia let out a huge sigh of relief and placed her hand over her heart. 

“Thank you,” Dancia told him gratefully. She smiled at him then started to walk away, and the next sentence out of Harry’s mouth escaped before his brain could tell him it was a bad idea.

“I’m not going out with you just because you’re apparently an animal lover.”

Dancia froze, foot halfway in the air. She turned around slowly, and her face could’ve easily been mistaken for a tomato. “Wh-wh-what?! I d-d-didn’t even ask! I m-m-mean, wh-wh-why would I even w-w-want to go out with you anyways? It’s not like I like you or anything! I-i-idiot!” she cried, holding her burning cheeks. She looked into his eyes, then her blush somehow got even worse, and she sprinted away as fast as she could.

Harry’s mouth decided to engage without permission from his brain again. “I like this version of you, Dancia! You’re cute when you have a heart!”

Dancia stumbled and had to catch herself on the wall to prevent herself from falling. She stopped, then sank to the floor, balancing on her feet, and Harry watched as she buried her face in her hands. Dancia turned around with the most innocent, overwhelmed expression he had ever seen on another human’s face before. Her eyes were blown out incredibly wide, her lower lip was trembling in clear embarrassment, and her face was a shade of red that probably hadn’t existed until just this moment. She let out an adorably high-pitched squeak. “C-c-cute?!” she echoed, voice higher than the Astronomy Tower. She was unable to meet his eyes so she turned back around and buried her face in her hands again. She got to her feet and immediately started sprinting away again, heart beating like a drum in her chest.

Harry watched her leave his line of sight as she ducked behind a corner. He was quiet for a few moments before he muttered to himself. “Potter, what the bloody hell are you doing?”

The Quidditch World Cup was fine. The Quidditch World Cup was great. 

What was not so great was a bunch of masked idiots showing up after the match torturing muggles and scaring the public away from the campsite. Harry swore as he almost tripped over a root, trying to locate Ron and Hermione in the dark. Several loud bangs echoed in the distance, and Harry looked behind him before sprinting away. He raced through the bushes, ducked an errant branch, then swerved around a tree, only to run directly into someone, bowling them over, and landing directly on top of them.

“Ow! Well, that could've gone better. Are you okay?” Harry asked, rubbing his head in pain.

“P-P-Potter, wh-wh-what are you d-d-doing?” came a familiar sounding stutter.

Harry looked down and saw the person he had knocked down had been Dancia Malfoy. The girl was currently staring at him with immense embarrassment as he was practically lying on top of her, pinning her to the ground. One of Harry’s hands was pressed against the hard dirt next to her face, which had gone an impressive shade of fuschia. “Wait, Malfoy? What are you doing here?” he asked.

“D-D-Daddy told me to r-r-run just before the m-m-masked men came,” Dancia explained.

“Huh,” Harry replied. He stared at her for a bit and Dancia felt her heart start vibrating in her chest it was beating so fast. Harry’s face was right in front of hers and it was causing her stomach to start doing flip-flops.

“G-g-get off of me,” Dancia protested weakly, turning her face to the side. It didn't sound like she actually wanted him to though. “H-H-Harry…”

A rustling noise came from the bushes before Ron and Hermione burst through the foliage. Ron cupped his hands and called out to him. “Harry, where are- oh, there you are. Wait…why are you lying on top of Malfoy?”

Dancia’s blush grew even worse and her stammering became completely unintelligible. Harry stood up and brushed himself off then offered Dancia a hand to help her up. Acting on autopilot, Dancia took his hand, then squeaked when Harry pulled her up with enough force to swing her into his arms. “Careful now,” he said casually, as if that hadn't been intentional.

“Abdbdjsiajnwndnc,” was Dancia’s intelligent reply as she suddenly found herself going from being pinned to the ground to being held in his arms with her head pressed against his firm chest. The shift was giving her mental whiplash. Dancia's hands curled against his shirt subconsciously, feeling safe and protected, until higher brain functions reasserted themselves and she sprung back as if burned. She stared at Harry and trembled for a bit, trying to formulate words and failing miserably, before letting out a sound like a dying whale, turning around, and sprinting away from him through the forest at mach speed.

“Harry…what the hell was that?” Ron asked him flatly. 

Harry stared at Dancia’s back as she fled in terror, a mischievous grin on his face. He looked down at his hand and flexed his palm. “For all that she's a massive blonde bitch, she's incredibly fun to fluster. Did you see her face? That was adorable. Merlin, I just wanna tease her more,” Harry said, eyes glinting with savage glee.

Hermione walked up to him, eyes hollow, a blank expression on her face. She poked him in the shoulder and when Harry turned around to look at her she slapped him in the face as hard as she could. Immediately, the glint in Harry's eyes disappeared. “Are you back to normal yet or are you still talking crazy?” she asked tonelessly.

“No, no, I think I'm good. Thanks,” Harry told her, taking a deep breath and rubbing his abused cheek.

“Good, because if I ever hear you call that Blonde Bitch ‘adorable’ again, I’m taking you to St. Mungo’s for Spell Damage.”

“...copy that.”

The Golden Trio were making their way down the train, looking for an empty compartment as they boarded the Hogwarts Express. Dancia Malfoy happened to open her compartment door just as the three of them passed by. She took one look at Harry, blinked, then her face flooded with color. She squeaked then slammed the door shut with tremendous force for such a tiny girl. 

“What? Is Potter outside or something?” the trio heard a muffled voice ask from inside the compartment.

“Daphneeeeeeee! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!” Dancia screeched.

“He totally is, isn’t he? What, did you get a face full of his abs or something?” 

Dancia let out a sound of pure, unadulterated rage, mixed with a healthy dose of pure mortification. The sound of two fourth year Slytherin girls fighting reverberated outside the compartment door very soon after.

“Well that happened,” Harry commented idly, blinking at the door. Deciding to mess with the girl even more, Harry opened the compartment door since Dancia had conveniently forgotten to lock it behind her. He smiled at Dancia as the two girls temporarily halted their catfight to stare at the compartment door. “Good to see you too, Dancia,” he told her, a smug smirk tugging at the end of his lips. He closed the door as the sound of Dancia whimpering pitifully echoed in his ears. He started whistling to himself as he continued down the hallway, looking for an empty compartment, feeling pretty damn pleased with himself.

“Do I need to hit you again, Harry?” Hermione asked dully, holding up an open palm.

“You can’t tell me that wasn’t entertaining. Especially after everything she’s put us through,” Harry countered.

Hermione’s lips twitched. She lowered her hand.

“OH NO YOU DON’T, LASSIE!” 

Swiveling his neck away from the curse that had missed him by inches and embedded itself into the marble pillar instead, Harry turned around just in time to watch as Dancia Malfoy was transfigured into a ferret by their new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.

“Did she get you?” Professor Moody growled at Harry, eyes not leaving the ferret.

“No, missed,” Harry replied.

“But Sir, Crabbe was the one who fired that spell, not Dancia! She didn’t-”

“I know what I saw, Miss Greengrass! Or are you going to doubt this eye of mine, eh? I know your Uncle did, and he certainly paid the price for it, now didn’t he?” Moody asked her fiercely. Daphne flushed, embarrassed by the reminder of her Death Eater uncle in Azkaban, and fell quiet. “Leave it!” Moody barked.

“Leave what?” Harry asked, looking confused. 

“Not you, him,” Moody replied, pointing his gnarled walking stick at Crabbe behind him who’d been reaching for Dancia the ferret. He started hobbling over to the ferret, who squeaked and tried to run away. 

“I don’t think so!” Moody roared, brandishing his wand. He tagged her with a spell and started levitating her into the air. “I don’t like people who attack when their opponent’s back is turned! Stinking! Cowardly! Scummy thing to do!” Professor Moody growled as he started bouncing her up and down on the hard cobblestone. “Never! Do! That! Again!” he said, speaking each word as she hit the floor and bounced back up.

“Professor Moody!” said a shocked voice.

“Hello, Professor McGonagall,” Moody said calmly, still bouncing Dancia the ferret.

“What- what are you doing?” 

“Teaching.”

“Teach- Moody, is that a student?”

“Yep.”

“No!” McGonagall waved her wand and Dancia reverted back into human form at the apex of the levitation, then crashed into the ground with a painful thud. “Moody, we never use Transfiguration as a punishment! Surely Professor Dumbledore told you that?” McGonagall protested weakly.

“Might’ve mentioned it,” Moody commented, idly scratching his chin. “But I thought a good sharp shock would-”

“We give detentions, Moody! Or speak to the offender’s Head of House!”

“I’ll do that, then,” Moody said, glaring at Malfoy.

The girl in question was lying on the floor, her elbow bent at an awkward angle. Her face was pained and hurt, feeling completely humiliated. Especially since she hadn’t even done anything to deserve it. She cradled her injured arm and her shoulders heaved. Fat, salty tears started flowing down her face. She met Harry’s eyes briefly then scrambled to her feet and fled the courtyard, the sound of students laughing at her echoing in her ears. Her only saving grace was that Harry hadn’t been one of the ones laughing, but that was pretty cold comfort at this point. Daphne took one last look at Professor Moody then bit her lip worriedly and took off after her friend. 

The professors walked away, Moody shuffling off to find Snape and McGonagall presumably off to raid her secret stash of brandy. The rest of the assembled students dispersed, laughing about the Amazing Bouncing Ferret™. Harry was not one of them. 

“Was it really Malfoy who tried to curse me?” Harry asked his friends quietly.

“No, it was Crabbe,” Hermione replied hesitantly, as if she didn’t want to admit the truth.

“Huh, well that makes this significantly less funny then,” Ron said, stopping his laughter and scratching his head in confusion.

Harry frowned and stared off in the direction Dancia had fled to. “You two head to History without me. I'll catch up with you later,” he told them before walking in the direction of the Hospital Wing.

“Harry, are you-”

“I'll see you later, guys.”

“I can’t believe the nerve of that man! Who does he think he is? You didn’t even cast the spell!”

Daphne’s indignant rant pierced the air of the Hospital Wing as she complained about Moody on her friend’s behalf. Dancia was sitting on the bed, knees bunched together, trying to make herself look very small, a thoroughly depressed expression on her face. Dancia sniffled, and wiped away at dried tear tracts on her cheeks with her good arm. The pain from her broken elbow was just a kindling compared to the bonfire inside her heart.

“Mhm,” Dancia said listlessly. She was grateful to her friend for being there for her, but she couldn't muster up the energy to match her anger. Dancia was so humiliated, her emotions had looped around to being numb in order to protect her mind from dealing with what had just happened before she was ready.

“Stay still, Miss Malfoy. This will only take a minute,” Madam Pomfrey said in a professional tone as she waved her wand over the girl’s broken elbow. “I'm sure it was a nasty fall, but fortunately, it was a clean break, which means I’ll be able to mend this in a heartbeat. However, this may sting a bit, I'm afraid.”

“Mhm,” Dancia repeated, eyes staring blankly out the window. She didn't even react as Madam Pomfrey cast her spell and the sensation of prickling needles creeped up her elbow as the bone set into place and knitted itself back together.

“There we are. Good as new, dear. Feel free to stay for a moment, if you'd like. If you ever need healing again, my door is always open,” Madam Pomfrey told her, giving her a smile before heading back into her office.

“How are you feeling, Dancia?” Daphne asked softly as she sat down on the edge of the girl’s cot.

“Mhm,” Dancia repeated again, wrapping both her arms around herself, trying to curl up even smaller. Daphne pulled her friend into a hug and started stroking the girl’s long, blonde hair soothingly.

A cough came from the door and both girls looked up to see Harry Potter standing there awkwardly. Dancia squeaked and buried her face behind her friend’s robes, cheeks burning scarlet.

“What do you want, Potter?” Daphne asked him warily, holding out her arm protectively in front of her friend.

“Just…wanted to check on her. That was a pretty nasty fall. You okay, Dancia?” Harry asked.

“She's fine, Potter. Now go away!” Daphne snapped at him.

Harry frowned. “Alright. But what Moody did was completely out of order. I know you weren't the one who tried to curse me, Dancia. It wasn't your fault. What Moody did was wrong and he shouldn't have done that to you. I'm sorry you got hurt,” Harry said before leaving the Hospital Wing.

There was quiet for a moment until Daphne realized her friend wasn't moving. Or breathing either, come to think of it. “Umm…Dancia?” she asked slowly, turning around.

The blonde's face was cherry-red, and her face was buried in her hands, eyes peeking out from behind her fingers. Dancia’s eyes were shining with hope though, and Daphne could feel her friend's heartbeat racing against her back. “He knew it wasn't me. He didn't think I did it. He said Moody was in the wrong,” Dancia said dreamily, a dopey smile spreading across her cheeks. “He said he was sorry that I got hurt. This is the best day ever!”

Daphne sighed fondly and stroked her friend’s hair. “You've got it so bad, girl.”

“Sh-sh-shut up, Daphne! N-n-no I don't!”

“De Nile’s not just a river in Egypt, sweetie.”

“Dancia, you’re setting the potatoes on fire,” Daphne warned her friend.

“Grrrr…”

“Easy, girl. The Veela’s just asking Potter for the Bouillabaisse. Nothing nefarious. She’s not trying to steal your man.”

“Grrrr…”

“Seriously, relax. Besides, I thought you don’t even like Potter? That’s what you always tell me, isn’t it? With that adorable blush on your face and your cute stuttering proclaiming your fervent denials. So why do you even care if he does end up dating some Veela girl?” 

“Grrrr…”

“Merlin, you’re such a pain sometimes, Dancia, I swear. And will you please stop setting the potatoes on fire? They’re quite good tonight and I want more of them.”

“Grrrr…”

“Oh look, she walked away. There, see? Nothing going on. You can quit glaring at her now.”

“Hssss…”

“Ahem!”

Harry Potter turned around in his seat from where he’d been mulishly poking at his eggs with his fork, resting his cheek on one hand listlessly. He saw Dancia Malfoy standing there, coughing into her fist. The girl’s cheeks were tinged pink and she continually looked at him for brief moments at a time before glancing away, unable to meet his gaze.

“What do you want, Malfoy?” Hermione asked her warily, narrowing her eyes.

“I j-just wanted to s-s-say,” Dancia started before coughing into her fist again. She forced herself to meet Harry’s eyes through sheer, stubborn force of will. “I just wanted to say that I believe you,” she said clearly, though her voice was several octaves higher than usual. “I don’t think you entered your name into the Goblet of Fire. That’s all.”

The two Gryffindors exchanged shocked looks, which Dancia missed entirely as she had looked away again, unable to continue meeting Harry’s gaze. She yelped though when she felt something squeeze her hand and looked down to see Harry’s hand holding hers, his face smiling at her warmly. “Thank you, Dancia,” he told her gratefully.

“N-n-no p-p-problem,” Dancia stammered back, her other hand coming up to cover her suddenly rapidly beating heart. She had absolutely noticed that he’d called her by her first name and it was doing unspeakable things to her insides. Harry continued to smile at her and started absently stroking the back of her hand with his thumb. Dancia went ramrod straight, her face turning a deeper scarlet than the color of Harry’s tie. She made a strangled choking sound in the back of her throat and her breathing slowed to practically nothing at all as her full attention was consumed by what his calloused fingers were doing with hers, making no attempt at all to pull her hand away from his grip.

From across the hall, Daphne Greengrass made eye contact with Hermione Granger and both girls rolled their eyes simultaneously.

“Could you be any more childish?” 

Harry stopped as he heard the incredulous voice of Dancia Malfoy coming from an abandoned classroom. That was a tone he hadn’t heard her use in ages. He crept closer, curious what was going on, and discovered her standing with a group of her year mates, hand on her hip and looking decidedly unimpressed as they stood around a circular table with several boxes stacked on top.

“Seriously, ‘Potter Stinks’? What are you, four?” she drawled, gesturing with her wand to the badges on the table, which Harry spied alternating between ‘Support Cedric Diggory: The REAL Hogwarts Champion!’ and ‘Potter Stinks’. 

Theodore Nott scowled at Dancia while Blaise Zabini squirmed in place, visibly uncomfortable. “And what would you have it say then, if you’re so clever, Malfoy?” Nott challenged her.

“Why in Merlin’s name would I tell you?” Dancia retorted, crossing her arms over her chest and looking at him like he was a piece of dirt on the floor. “I want no part in this. Harry didn’t even enter himself into the tournament.”

“Filthy blood-traitor!” Nott snarled at her, causing her to flinch minutely. “What, too busy being Potter’s whore now, are we? Disgusting! The name Malfoy used to mean something, but here you are, sullying the great name of your ancestors with this pathetic little crush of yours. You ought to be ashamed of yourself! Now piss off!”

Dancia’s face lit up like a Christmas tree and she started stuttering her denial. “I-I- h-how dare you! I-I do not have a c- a cru- a crush on H-H-Harry!” she shrieked indignantly.

“Give it a rest, Malfoy. We’ve all heard that nonsense before. Anyone with eyes can see how you feel. The only one who believes you don’t like him is you,” Nott said imperiously, sneering at her. “Now go away, you filthy blood-traitor! Just the sight of you sickens me.” Several of her year mates started to subtly move closer to her, wands in hand, and Dancia’s eyes widened as the situation caught up to her.

“No worries there, mate. I’m sure the feeling is mutual,” Harry chimed in as he made himself known to the group of Slytherins, wand held visibly by his side. “And she’s right, you know. Honestly, I’m more offended by the lack of effort than I am at the badge. I mean, really, ‘Potter Stinks’?” he questioned, raising an eyebrow. Everyone turned to look at him and all of the Slytherins tensed, with the sole exception of Dancia, who suddenly looked very relieved.

“Potter!” Nott hissed.

“Knot!” Harry hissed back, but in Parseltongue, causing the other Slytherins to flinch. “See? I can hiss too, except I’m better at it than you are. I’m better at most things than you are actually. Except when it comes to being an arsehole. You absolutely win the contest there, mate. Hands down, no question about it.” Dancia giggled at the unexpected snark then looked shocked at herself for doing so. Harry grinned at her and she shyly smiled back, suddenly entranced by his eyes, forgetting about where she was entirely.

“Just…get out of here, Potter. Nobody wants to be around a cheat,” Nott fired back weakly.

“Gladly, the stench of failure and cheap cologne is starting to get to me anyways,” Harry retorted. He turned to Dancia and offered her his hand. “You coming?” he asked with a kind smile.

“Yeah, okay,” Dancia said in a trance. Blushing horribly, she quietly took his hand and let him lead her away from her fellow Slytherins. The group of Slytherins let them go without a fuss, as for all their bluster, none of them were brave enough to face Harry Potter in an actual fight.

Nott was certainly stupid enough though.

“Furnunculus!” Nott cried, brandishing his wand at their retreating backs.

Dancia let out a pained cry as Nott’s spell hit her in the face, causing painful boils to erupt and start bursting, causing gooey pus to ooze down her cheeks and neck. Harry juked to the side, pointed his wand at Nott, and quickly cried, “Incarcerous!” Thick, heavy robes creeped up Nott’s body, immobilizing him. “Expelliarmus!” Harry roared, just for good measure, and Nott’s wand came sailing out of the sea of ropes and into his outstretched hand. He immediately turned to Dancia, who was trying to cover her face with her hands, whimpering in pain.

“No! Don’t look at me!” Dancia cried, panicked. She hiccuped as a fresh wave of pain crossed her face as another round of boils grey and burst.

“Come on, let’s get you to the Hospital Wing,” Harry said softly, helping her to her feet. She cried and buried her face in his robes, shoulders shaking. Harry glared at where Nott was still tied up and made an unmistakable gesture by pointing at the boy then slashing his wand across his neck. He led Dancia to the Hospital Wing, holding her as she cried into his robes. Handing her off to Madam Pomfrey proved surprisingly difficult, as the girl refused to leave the safety of his robes. Eventually, he managed though, and he turned around to give Dancia her privacy as Madam Pomfrey patched her up.

When Madam Pomfrey backed away a few minutes later, Dancia’s face was good as new, completely unblemished as if the curse had never happened. Dancia was very quiet though, clutching her sheets tightly, lost in thought.

“You okay?” Harry asked her cautiously. 

Dancia slowly shook her head, remaining mute. At Harry’s gentle prodding, the girl opened her mouth, closed it, then opened it again. “Thank you, Harry,” she said, so quietly it was nearly a whisper.

“You’re welcome. Don’t let that idiot get to you, Dancia. You’re worth twelve of him,” Harry told her, patting her on the arm.

“But I’m not though,” Dancia replied, grabbing her sheets so tightly now her knuckles turned white.

“Come again?”

“I’m not better than Nott, I never was. If anything, I’m worse. I am a terrible person,” Dancia said, shoulders shaking at the cost of her admission. 

“What? No, you’re not.”

“Yes I am!” Dancia cried. She looked up at Harry’s face, eyes starting to fill with tears again. “Why are you being so nice to me, Harry? Why would you help me? I don’t deserve it! I’ve been horrible to you for years! To you and your friends. I am an awful, awful person and I don’t deserve your kindness. I deserve Nott’s boils for how I treated you. How can you even stand to look at me?”

“Hey! Hey! It’s okay, you’re okay!” Harry said soothingly, putting his hands on her shoulders. “I agree, you were a bad person, but you’re not that girl anymore, are you?” he asked meaningfully.

“H-huh?”

“Do you know when the last time you said something mean or hurtful to me or my friends was?”

Dancia froze as she tried to remember. “Uhh…” She trailed off, unsure of the answer.

“End of December in third year,” Harry told her. “Remember the mud balls and my floating head by the Shrieking Shack?”

A shameful look appeared on Dancia’s face, and she looked down at her feet, saddened by the memory of how she acted then.

“Do you know when the time before that was? Second year,” Harry continued. “All of third year, you only said a single mean thing to us the whole year. And that was a single taunt to Ron that was, admittedly, rather nasty. But that’s all you said the whole year, and you haven’t said anything mean to us this year even once. Have you noticed that you haven’t called Hermione or any other Muggleborn the M-word in ages? You’ve changed, Dancia. I can see it clear as day. Why do you think Nott was calling you a blood-traitor just now? It’s because he knows you’ve changed as well as I do. Only, he’s an arsehole, and wants the old Dancia Malfoy back. Me though? I quite like this new version of her. She’s very cute,” Harry finished with a small smile, eyes sparkling with playful mischief.

Dancia’s face went from shame and self-loathing to beet-red in a split-second. “Wh-wh-what kinds of things are you s-s-saying?” Dancia protested, waving her arms in front of her. “C-c-cute? M-m-me? Wh-wh-why would you s-s-say something like that. Th-th-that’s not…I mean…Wh-wh-what does that have to do with…”

“Yeah, just like that!” Harry said cheerfully. “Merlin, you’re adorable when you blush and stutter like that, Dancia. It’s so cute. Honestly, whenever I see you do it, it just makes me want to tease you even more.”

A squeak like a cornered mouse escaped Dancia’s lips. “D-d-dummy! H-h-hearing that d-d-doesn’t make me happy or anything. It-it-it’s not like I l-l-like you or anything, i-i-idiot,” she stammered in a very clear lie.

“I’m sure,” Harry said patronizingly, patting her on the head.

Dancia’s eyes went wide, but she could not resist his hand rubbing her scalp anymore than she could quit breathing, and she melted under his touch. “D-d-dummy!” she muttered petulantly under her breath, heart hammering so loud she could hear her heartbeat in her ears. She looked up at Harry with a shy, desperately hopeful look on her face. “You really think I’ve changed?” she asked pleadingly.

“Absolutely,” Harry answered, with no hesitation. He continued to pat her head, and Dancia’s lower lip quivered as the feeling flooded her overwhelmed nervous system. “If it makes you feel any better, I forgive you for what you did in our first few years at Hogwarts,” he told her with a kind smile.

“Y-you what?”

“I forgive you.” 

The effect of those three simple words were absolutely devastating to Dancia’s heart. Her eyes immediately flooded with tears again, her shoulders heaving as she sobbed hysterically, her face buried in Harry’s shirt before the boy had time to blink. Harry held her and let her cry it out, as Dancia slowly started accepting the fact that Harry didn’t actually hate her and even thought she was a good person. His approval honestly meant more to her than her own father’s, though the implications of that went right over her head at the moment. Eventually, Dancia’s tears ran dry. She sniffled and rubbed her eyes with her sleeve, reluctantly pulling away. 

“Thank you,” Dancia said softly. She gave him a weak, watery smile, a vulnerable little thing that was full of gratitude. Her face was sweaty, she had snot and tears frozen to her face, and her damp hair clung to her skin in several frizzy patches. 

Harry thought it was the most adorable thing he had ever seen in his life. 

“You’re welcome,” Harry replied, managing to keep his voice steady. He coughed into his fist as Dancia beamed at him.

Neither heard Madam Pomfrey’s half-disgusted, half-exasperated voice muttering, “Teenagers” under her breath.

“Hey, Dancia.”

“Oh! Hello, Harry.”

Ron and Hermione exchanged looks at their best friend’s casual greeting of the Blonde Bitch. “Since when are you on a first name basis with her?” Hermione asked suspiciously, narrowing her eyes.

“We had an…understanding, you could say,” Harry told her, rubbing the back of his neck. Dancia blushed, remembering how she had broken down in the Hospital Wing and clung to Harry like a baby niffler. She started playing with her hair and avoided eye contact. “I helped her out with a bad situation- don’t even start, Hermione, you’re the one who calls it my ‘Saving People Thing’- and after that, we just kinda…I dunno, stopped hating each other?”

“I never hated you, Harry,” Dancia said quietly.

“Your track record would beg to differ,” Ron pointed out flatly.

Dancia winced. “I know, a-and I’m sorry about all that. And for everything I ever said to you two as well. Just…I’m sorry,” she said, rubbing her arm awkwardly. Ron and Hermione exchanged looks again, but said nothing. They both crossed their arms and gave Dancia an unimpressed look.

Harry put his hand on Dancia's head and ruffled her hair. “Come on, guys. Look at this face! See how sincere she is? How could you not forgive her when she’s just so cute!” Harry lobbied with a large grin on his face, shaking Dancia’s head lightly from side to side.

Dancia’s cheeks erupted in another nuclear-sized blush. “C-c-cute?” she squeaked. She made a half-hearted attempt to bat his hand away, but deliberately pressed his hand down more firmly on her head instead. “Wh-wh-what are you even saying? I-I-I am not cute!” she protested cutely. 

Grinning at Dancia in a way that made the girl’s insides do somersaults, Harry turned the girl’s head to face his friends. “See? Look at that face! How could you say no?” Harry teased her some more. He dropped the grin then looked at his friends with a more serious smile. “I’m telling you guys. Think about it. Dancia hasn’t done anything to us since second year except for that one time in third year, which she got pelted in the face with mud balls for. She’s serious. Go on, Dancia, tell them you’re serious,” Harry prompted her.

“I-I’m serious,” Dancia repeated obediently. Her brain was quite frankly melting under this much direct stimulation from the boy and she followed his prompting instinctively. “I-I’m sorry for being mean to you. I promise, I-I don’t want to be a bad person anymore,” she told them, looking up from under Harry’s touch with impossibly wide eyes and a very sincere look on her face, even through her burning cheeks.

Ron and Hermione exchanged looks again.

“Fine,” Ron conceded, only willing to agree because he’d never seen Harry act like this around a girl before.

“Provisionally. Assuming she proves she can behave herself,” Hermione added firmly, glaring at Dancia harshly. Dancia flinched, but met the girl’s gaze, her eyes trying to convey her sincerity. A small whimper escaped her lips when Harry started petting her head again and she closed her eyes, thoroughly overwhelmed.

“It’s pathetic, isn’t it?” came a girl’s voice from right behind them.

Ron and Hermione jumped and turned around to see Daphne Greengrass looking exasperatedly at Dancia. “I’ve been listening to her denials for years, and just look at her! Potter puts his hand on her head and she turns into a little blonde puddle. How she can possibly continue to deny her feelings for him is beyond me,” Daphne said, not bothering to keep her voice quiet.

“Daphneeeeeee!” Dancia protested, stomping her foot cutely, still not moving from under Harry’s touch. She glared at her friend, looking about as threatening as a baby kitten.

“What? It’s true. You’ve got a crush on Potter the size of Magical Britain, and it’s been infuriating watching you pretend otherwise!” Daphne shot back flippantly, rolling her eyes.

“I-I-I d-d-don’t have a c-c-crush on him!” Dancia insisted.

“Oh, I suppose I should stop then,” Harry said teasingly, removing his hand from her head.

“No, don’t!” Dancia blurted out in a panic, before immediately clamping her hands over her mouth. Harry grinned and resumed petting her head again, ignoring the adorable pout she gave him. “Y-y-you’re the worst!” she complained. “D-d-dummy! Wh-wh-why does everyone think I like you? Absolutely r-r-ridiculous!” she mumbled darkly under her breath. Even as she said this, she reached up to grab his hand with both of hers just to hold his hand in place.

“Merlin! You’re so heckin’ cute!” Harry teased her, causing her to dissolve into another round of stutters and denials.

Daphne sighed deeply, pinching the bridge of her nose. She shook her head in disbelief then smiled and extended her hand towards Hermione. “Daphne Greengrass,” she introduced herself. “Something tells me we’ll be seeing a lot more of each other in the future, especially if this birdbrain keeps denying reality.”

Hermione shook her hand warily, cautiously accepting the olive branch from the girl that had never actually done anything to her before, now that she thought about it. “Hermione Granger.”

“Charmed. And you are?”

“Ron Weasley.”

“Wonderful! And now that we’re all acquainted…” Daphne pulled out a massive leatherbound journal from inside her bag. She took out a self-inking quill then flipped the journal open to a blank page and smiled at them. “When do you think these two idiots will finally get together? Earliest guess is next Thursday from Ernie Macmillon in Hufflepuff. Latest is a decade after they graduate from Professor Sinistra.”

“I can’t watch! Oh dear Merlin, please let him be okay!”

Dancia burrowed into Daphne’s robes, unable to look as Harry attempted to outfly a dragon, and a nesting mother at that. 

“Come on, Dancia, don’t you want to support your wizard? Think of how sad poor Harry would be if he learned his favorite cheerleader wasn’t cheering him on or even watching at all?” Daphne teased her.

Indignation overpowering her fear, Dancia looked back up and opened her mouth to yell at her friend. The gasp of the crowd cut her off before she could though, and she immediately returned to fearfully watching Harry battle for his life. She bit her lip nervously and cupped her hands over her lips, a thoughtful expression on her face. “G-g-go Harry! Y-y-you can do it!” she loudly cheered before burying her face in her hands, horribly embarrassed, as everyone within earshot all turned to stare at her. 

“...Harry’s right, you are adorable.”

“Sh-sh-shut up, Daphne!”

“Hey, Dancia! Wait up!”

Dancia Malfoy turned to see Harry Potter waving at her from down the hallway just after another boring History of Magic lesson. 

“What is it, Harry?” Dancia asked him curiously, tilting her head to the side and looking at him with her wide, innocent eyes.

Harry finished jogging over to her and Dancia was struck, as she so often was these days, by just how much taller he was than her. Back in first year, she had several inches on the skinny little twig that Harry had been, but she’d barely even grown an inch in the several years since then, while Harry had shot up like a reed. Her eyes were eye level with his chest now, and Dancia found herself briefly wishing that Hogwarts robes were just a little bit tighter. Then she stopped, blushed slightly, and shook her head to stop fantasizing about Harry’s theoretical muscles. For now. She forced herself to look up and meet his gaze.

Harry grinned down at her. He went down to one knee and produced a rose out of thin air with a flick of his wand. He put his wand away then held out the rose to her. “As the cutest and most adorable girl in Hogwarts, would you, Dancia Malfoy, do me, Harry Potter, the honor of accompanying me to the Yule Ball?” he asked officiously.

The whole world froze for Dancia. The birds stopped chirping outside, the chatter of observing Hogwarts students faded to nothing, and her entire universe narrowed to just Harry Potter, his grinning face, and the rose in his hand. “Wh-what?” she squeaked, unable to believe her own ears.

“I said: As the cutest and most adorable girl in Hogwarts, would you, Dancia Malfoy, do me, Harry Potter, the honor of accompanying me to the Yule Ball?” Harry repeated, less pompously and more sincerely.

The second time around was when his words finally penetrated her conscious mind, and she immediately dissolved into an absolute mess of a girl. “C-c-cute? Me? Wait, y-y-you wanna g-g-go to the b-b-ball with me?” she stammered in wide-eyed disbelief.

“Of course! There's nobody I'd rather go with more!” Harry replied smoothly. 

That's when the blushing finally started. She lasted quite a bit longer than usual this time. Dancia's face exploded in a deep vermillion color, and her hands went up to hide her face, though her eyes kept peeking through the fully open holes in her fingers. She stuttered out several high-pitched and highly unintelligible sentences as her brain struggled to process the question. “Wh-why would I…c-c-completely absurd…you- you- you crazy…eyes are gorgeous…c-c-can’t believe you would ask me out!”

Harry smiled as Dancia had her freak out. He stood up and casually tucked the rose behind her ear, then cupped her face and forced her to make eye contact with him. “Will you go with me? Like I said, you're really cute, Dancia, and I really want to take you.”

Dancia made a sound like a boiling teakettle overheating. “F-f-fine! I'll go with you! B-b-but not because I l-l-like you or anything! D-dummy!”

Harry smiled at her and Dancia became completely lost in the sea of his emerald eyes, mouth agape as she stared unabashedly. Harry put a finger under her chin to gently close her lips. He tilted her face upwards then leaned in as if he was about to kiss her. “Thank you, Dancia. I look forward to our evening together,” he said confidently before turning around and walking away.

Dancia's knees gave out right after he left and she collapsed to the ground and stared at his retreating back, her heart weak and her composure in absolute tatters. 

“What just happened?” Dancia whimpered in shock.

“Harry just asked you to the ball,” Daphne answered cheerfully, having witnessed the whole thing.

“Am I dreaming?” 

“No, Dancia. No you are not. Seriously, how the hell are you still in denial about liking him?”

Dancia didn't answer. She was already mentally drafting a letter to her mother. After all, if she was going to the ball, she needed a dress. And it had to be perfect.

“Do you think he'll like it?”

“I thought you didn't like him. Why do you care?”

“I d-d-don’t. I just…d-d-don't want to look weird. Yeah, that's all!”

“Dancia, I guarantee you Harry won't be able to take his eyes off you the whole night. You are disgustingly cute right now. You look like a damn princess and I am incredibly jealous.”

“Really? Are you sure?” 

“For Merlin's sake, yes!”

Dancia bit her lip as she continued to stare at herself in the mirror critically, hunting for any flaw in her appearance, no matter how minor. She was wearing a floor-length blush-pink gown with a fitted, corset-inspired bodice, delicate vertical pleating, and an elegant off-the-shoulder neckline framed by layers of soft, ruffled tulle, that was low enough to show off her developing bust without being immodest. The dress cinched at her natural waistline before flowing into a voluminous ankle-length skirt composed of several tiers of gathered pink tulle, each edged with delicate ruffles, creating a dreamy, airy silhouette. Blush-pink strappy low-heeled sandals were barely peeking out from beneath her dress.

Her nails were painted a matching pink, and her face was covered in just the right amount of makeup. Soft pink eyeshadow made her large, doe eyes look even bigger than usual, there was a light coat of mascara lifting up her lashes, her cheeks were covered in a rosy blush, and her lips were colored a cute berry-pink. Delicate pearl drop earrings hung from her ears, a beaded pearl bracelet clung to her wrist, and a horrendously expensive, yet dainty looking, pearl necklace framed her collarbone. Lastly, her hair was done up in a half-up braided style, with a braid from each side meeting in the back, the rest of her hair cascading down her back in loose waves.

Daphne rolled her eyes. “For Melin’s sake, Dancia. Quit worrying.”

“But…but…I just want to make sure I look good for Ha- I mean, I want to make sure I don't look weird,” Dancia said, blushing prettily as she caught her slip up just in time.

“Ugh! I swear to Merlin, I’m gonna have white hair before we graduate if you keep this up. That's it! No more stalling! Let's go, Dancia. Harry's waiting for you.”

Oblivious to the soft smile that graced her lips at the mere mention of Harry's name, Dancia finally left her dorm room to go meet Harry for the Yule Ball, much to poor Daphne's continued exasperation. Dancia’s eyes lit up when she found him in the entrance room just outside the Great Hall.

“Harry!” she called, waving cheerfully, not noticing Daphne quietly slip away to go join the rest of the schools already waiting inside. Harry's eyes widened in complete disbelief when he saw her, and his mouth hung open for several noticeable seconds before he managed to wrench it shut with an audible click. His eyes darkened with a look that sent pleasant tingles down Dancia's spine.

“Dancia, you look…beautiful!” Harry breathed in wonder as his eyes roamed over her body greedily. “Like a fairytale princess brought to life!”

“Th-th-thank you,” Dancia stuttered, blushing prettily at the praise, but feeling quite smug. She felt a thrill of delight at getting Harry to react to her in such a way, but stood there awkwardly, unsure of what to do next.

Fortunately, Harry managed to snap out of his daze quickly, and he coughed into his fist. He smiled at her and offered her his arm. “My Lady,” he said smoothly.

Dancia’s ears pinked, but she looped her arm through his with a shy smile. Harry led her over to the other champions and introduced her as his date, which made Dancia realize she hadn't yet thought about the fact that this was going to be an actual date. Not wanting to embarrass Harry in front of the other champions, Dancia swallowed her panic and smiled at them instead, offering them a small curtsy before looping her arm back in Harry’s. She made eye contact with Hermione, who was there as Victor Krum’s date to the ball. The girl stared at her for a long moment before giving her a single nod of approval that made Dancia sigh in relief, putting a hand over her heart.

McGonagall arrived soon after and began introducing each of the champions and their dates, leading them into the Great Hall. Dancia hardly noticed the crowd staring at her in shock, seeing her on Harry’s arm, as her attention was entirely focused preparing her heart to dance with Harry. Despite her preparation though, Dancia still blushed when she felt Harry put a hand on her waist and take her dainty little hand in his. 

The music started and Dancia let the muscle memory of hundreds of childhood dancing and etiquette lessons take over. Harry was a far better dancer than she had expected, and he confidently led her around the ballroom, smiling at her, and looking into her eyes. Dancia felt her brain start melting again with how good it felt to have him hold her. The way Harry was looking at her was also creating butterflies in her stomach, and her shoulders relaxed as she completely lost herself staring into Harry's eyes.

Time seemed to blur, the moment trapped in a bubble that went on endlessly as Dancia danced the night away in Harry’s arms. Her eyes had softened, the worried little voice always nattering in the back of mind for once falling silent, being replaced with a satisfied, happy static. Dancia was completely unaware of the small, sweet, absolutely besotted smile she gave Harry all night long. He wasn't though. And neither was the rest of the castle.

Eventually, after who knows how long, Harry led her off the dance floor to the drink bar to get some punch. Dancia blinked, brain suddenly rebooting, returning from the blissful haze she'd been floating in while they danced.

“Here, you look like you could use a drink,” Harry told her, handing her a glass.

“Thank you, Harry,” Dancia said sweetly, taking it from him and drinking the whole thing, suddenly realizing she was very parched. She smiled at him and let out a happy sigh, utterly content. They talked for a little bit before Harry asked her if she'd like to dance some more and she eagerly agreed.

Dancia had no idea how long they danced for, but felt like the ball ended far too soon regardless. Harry escorted her back to the Slytherin common room like the perfect gentleman, and she leaned into his shoulder as they walked down the hall together, arm in arm. Reaching the entrance, Dancia turned and bit her lip, not wanting the night to end, but unsure of what else to say.

“Thank you for the wonderful evening, Harry. I had a marvelous time,” Dancia told him. 

Her heart skipped a beat when Harry smiled at her, brushed away a stray strand of hair that had escaped her braid, tucked it behind her ear, then cupped her face. “Me too. You're beautiful, Dancia. Thank you for letting me spend the evening with such an adorable little princess in my arms,” he told her charmingly. He bent forward and placed a soft kiss on her cheek. “Good night, Dancia,” he whispered to her.

Dancia whimpered softly, completely and hopelessly overwhelmed. “G-g-good night, H-H-Harry,” she stuttered back, completely unaware of the lovestruck look on her face. He smiled at her one more time then turned around and strutted down the hall. 

Dancia floated into the common room, completely oblivious to the world, replaying the kiss on her cheek over and over again in her mind, hand covering where Herry’s lips had been. One of the older Slytherin girls who'd had a rather nice night herself giggled at the look on Dancia's face. She waved her wand at the younger girl and small little hearts started popping into existence above Dancia's head. Not that Dancia noticed. 

Drifting up the stairs, Dancia entered the common room to see Daphne waiting for her. Her friend took one look at the fluttering hearts above Dancia's head and snorted. “Ball went well, I take it?” she asked mostly rhetorically. 

Dancia nodded and let out a dreamy sigh. “It was the best!” she whispered, hands clasped together, lost in her own little world.

“Dancia! Dancia!”

Dancia blinked as she was snapped back to reality at the sound of Daphne calling her name. “Yes?”

Daphne grinned mischievously. “Oh, nothing. Just thought you might want to know that class is over. I'm not sure if you heard the bell. After all, you've been staring dreamily at Harry this whole time.”

“Wh-wh-what? No, I haven't!” Dancia squeaked.

“Yes, you have!” someone from behind her piped up. Dancia swiveled around to see a beaming Gryffindor girl who giggled the second Dancia turned to look at her. “You weren't very subtle, honey. Everyone noticed. Except maybe Harry himself. Though it's possible he was just being nice to you and letting you have the free show,” she said with another giggle.

“I-I-I was not!” Dancia protested, slamming her hands on her desk.

“Sweetie, you looked like this the entire lesson.” The girl sat down at the desk next to her, then leaned forward, putting both hands on her cheeks. She let out an exaggerated dreamy sigh, put on a hopelessly besotted smile, and fluttered her eyelashes, staring off into nothing. She blinked, then her face went back to normal and she giggled again at Dancia’s horrified look. “That was you all class.”

Dancia turned to look at Daphne, and her friend nodded in confirmation. “I was staring at him like that the entire time?” Dancia whispered, horrified.

“Yup! And it was adorable! I never thought I'd see the day Dancia Malfoy was completely lovestruck, but girl, you have it bad. Like, really really bad,” the girl told her with a grin.

“N-n-no, I don't! I don't like him! I don't!” Dancia cried, her face the deep color of a ripe cherry.

The girl cocked her head to the side then looked at Daphne. “Is she always this stubborn?” she asked, jabbing her thumb at the blonde.

Daphne groaned and flopped onto the desk in front of her. “Every damn day!” she complained.

The girl clicked her tongue consolingly and patted Daphne on the back. “There there, it's okay. I'll help you make her so utterly self-conscious of him she won't be able to deny it any more.”

Daphne perked up eagerly. “Really?” she asked, eyes shining with hope.

The girl nodded. “Really,” she swore solemnly. 

“Finally!” Daphne cheered, throwing her hands in the air, ignoring the rapidly purpling expression spreading across Dancia's face. “What's your name?”

“Lavender Brown.”

“Heya, Harry!”

“Lavender.”

“You know Dancia Malfoy has a crush on you the size of the sun, right?”

“She's not exactly subtle about it.”

“True. Are you going to do anything about it though?”

“You mean ask her out? Haven't thought about it, to be honest.”

“Well, do you like her?”

“I guess so. What I really like though is teasing her. She’s adorable when she gets flustered and it's so much fun to watch. She's just so damn cute when she's embarrassed!”

“...the hell happened to the shy little wallflower from first year?”

“It's amazing how much your confidence will improve when someone has a crush on you the way Dancia has one on me.”

“...that's fair.”

“So…”

“Right! Well, would you date her?”

“Yeah, I think so, as long as I still got to tease her.”

“Brilliant! Also, wow Harry, didn't realize you were such a sadist.”

“A what?”

“...nevermind. Anyways, you know how despite how obvious her crush is, she refuses to admit it?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, I have a plan to get her to absolutely confess her feelings for you, and it involves you teasing her a lot. You interested?”

“Go on…”

“Good morning, Dancia! You're looking especially cute today. That braid and ribbon look really good on you.”

Dancia gaped at Harry Potter as the boy slid into the seat next to her at Potions and said that to her like it was the most casual thing in the world. She immediately blushed red hot and started waving her hands in front of her, panicking. “Wh-wh-what the heck are you saying s-s-so suddenly?!” she cried.

“What? All I said was you looked especially cute today,” Harry repeated nonchalantly. He met her eyes then took her long braid that was capped with a green ribbon at the end and lifted it with his fingers before letting it fall back down over her shoulder. “You should wear your hair like this more often,” he told her.

Her blush crept down to her neck and her stammering became unintelligible. “Hwaaaaah! D-d-dummy! Big dummy! D-d-don't just say things like that!” she protested half-heartedly.

Harry smirked and tilted her chin with his pointer finger. “Give me one good reason why I should,” he challenged her in a low, silky tone.

Dancia's brain visibly short-circuited and she stayed there, staring at him, unable to compute what was happening. 

“I'll give you a reason, Potter. Do not seduce my goddaughter in my classroom,” came the irritated voice of Professor Severus Snape, who whacked Harry in the back of the head with the boy’s latest essay.

“Ah, noted, Sir,” Harry told him, rubbing the place he'd been hit, seemingly unbothered. 

Snape sighed deeply. “I resigned myself to the fact that my goddaughter was in love with you years ago, boy, though I still don't understand what she could possibly see in a Potter. Nevertheless, do try and refrain from melting her mind in my classroom again. I may be resigned to it, but I have no desire to witness your teenage courtship rituals in person,” Snape said, sneering, sounding mildly disgusted.

“Understood, Sir. I'll seduce her everywhere else instead,” Harry promised.

“Thank you,” Snape said dryly.

Suddenly, her godfather's words registered in Dancia's brain. “SEVERUS!” she squeaked in horror, utterly mortified.

“That's ‘Professor’ while we're in Hogwarts, Miss Malfoy. And be grateful we are, young lady, else I'd be berating you for your terrible taste in men,” Snape drawled.

Dancia’s embarrassment grew so great she actually tried to hide underneath her cauldron.

“Good morning, Dancia. You’re looking adorable again, as always.”

“Good morning, Dancia. I love your necklace today, the sapphire makes your gorgeous eyes sparkle even more than usual.”

“Good morning, Dancia. Oh, be still, my heart! How can I resist that beautiful smile of yours?”

“Good morning, Dancia. Have I told you how cute you are recently?”

“Good morning, Dancia. Would you mind touching my arm for me? Wonderful! Now I can tell everyone I’ve been touched by an angel.”

“Good morning, Dancia. Oh, you’re wearing your hair in that braid again! I’m glad you listened to me. It really does make you look very beautiful.”

“Good morning, Dancia. Ah, what a wonderful day it is today! What makes it so good? Well, I got to see you of course.”

“Good morning, Dancia. You look- oh, she ran away! Do you think I’ve been teasing her too much? Yeah, I’ve probably been teasing her too much.”

“You're okay! You're okay! You're fine! I’ve got you!”

Dancia gasped and floundered as her head breached the surface of the Black Lake and the enchantment keeping her in suspended sleep was broken. Her arms flapped about uselessly as she tried to make sense of where she was until strong arms picked her up from her back and her knees. 

“You're okay, Dancia! You're safe now. I've got you.”

“H-Harry?” Dancia asked weakly, blinking rapidly as she adjusted to the light. 

“Yeah, it's me.”

“S-so cold.”

“That's cuz you've been stuck under the Black Lake for hours. I'll get you to Madam Pomfrey as soon as I can. She'll have you right as rain quickly, don't you worry.”

“Wh-why was I…”

“You were my hostage for the Second Task.”

As Dancia processed that, Harry pulled her out of the lake and started carrying her princess-style to the medical tent. She didn't notice how the whole school was staring at them, all she knew was that she was cold, so very very cold, but Harry had her, and to her subconscious mind, that meant she was safe. Head resting on his shoulder, she tried to keep her eyes open as he carried her to the tent. 

“Put her here, Mr. Potter, there we go! What a fool task this was. Diving into the Black Lake in the heart of February. And keeping hostages, no less!” Madam Pomfrey tutted as she waved her wand a few times over Dancia and murmured incantations under her breath. Dancia sighed as she felt warmth return to her limbs, and with it, strength. She opened her eyes, properly this time, and blinked. 

“Welcome back, Dancia, you with me this time?” Harry asked her, grinning. 

“Harry? What happened?” Dancia asked, confused. 

“You were my hostage in the Second Task,” Harry explained again calmly. “But that doesn't matter now. What matters is you're safe, alright?” Harry brushed some wet hair off her face and tucked it behind her ear. She shivered, which had nothing at all to do with the residual cold.

“You saved me,” Dancia said softly. 

“Of course I did. Can't let someone as cute as you bite it, now can I?” Harry said teasingly, patting her on the head. 

The usual heat flooded to Dancia's cheeks, but for once she didn't bother denying it. She was just so tired, and it really did feel nice. “Dummy,” she muttered instead, leaning into his touch. 

“Yeah, but I'm your dummy, right?” Harry said with a wink. 

Before Dancia could do more than goggle at him in shock, blush growing even worse, the tent flap opened again and Victor Krum walked in, one arm keeping a shivering Hermione on her feet. Dancia kept quiet as the rest of the champions and the hostages trickled through the medical tent in various stages of hypothermia. She tried not to draw attention to herself and simply allowed herself to enjoy the feeling of Harry's hand patting her head. Just this once. She still didn't like him or anything like that, absolutely not! It just…felt nice. And safe. And after waking up in a panic on that lake, she just wanted to be small for a while.

“Hey, Dancia! Will you finally admit you have a crush on Harry?”

Dancia spat out her pumpkin juice as Lavender Brown hollered at her from across the Great Hall.

“Wh-wh-what? D-d-don't be ridiculous! I d-d-don’t have a c-c-crush on him!” Dancia cried, wiping herself off with a napkin. From the seat next to her, Daphne rolled her eyes 

“Well, see if you can keep up that attitude after reading this!” Lavender said smugly, tossing a newspaper clipping onto the blonde's plate.

“Harry Potter’s…SECRET LOVER?” Dancia yelped as she read the article’s title. A new Rita Skeeter piece, of course. Her face flushed with color as she saw the picture. It was a snippet of Harry pulling her out of the lake. He looked very dashing in that photo, the wet bodysuit clinging to him in a way that was positively delicious. But one look at her own face in the paper killed any enjoyment she might've had. Picture-Dancia was being held princess-style and was leaning her head into picture-Harry's chest. When her eyes were closed, she looked like the poster child for contentment. She curled up against him, putting her hands on his chest (When did that happen? Why couldn't she remember that? That was so unfair!), and had a look of such trust and comfort on her face, one would think she was being held by a fireplace, not rescued from the bottom of a freezing lake in February.

When picture-Dancia had her eyes open though it was even worse. Her smile was absolutely besotted, her eyes wide and full of deep affection. Her hands were curled into fists that were bunching in his wetsuit (again, how dare she not be able to remember this!) and she looked at him like he had personally hung the moon and stars in the sky. 

“Th-th-that’s me?” Dancia whispered, horrified, brushing her fingers over the picture.

“Sure is!”

“B-b-but I look like I'm-I'm…like I'm in l-l-lo-”

“Like you're in love? Smitten? Hopelessly besotted. All of these are correct. That's what I've been trying to tell you for years now, Dancia!” Daphne told her.

“Did you even read the article yet?” Lavender asked cheerfully. 

“No…”

“Read it.”

Gulping heavily, Dancia opened the paper and began to read. She got about two lines in before her cheeks exploded with more heat than the sun, and she had to put the article down and bury her head in her hands, making a sound like a crippled rabbit. Daphne and Lavender exchanged victorious grins. 

“O-o-okay, s-s-so maybe I might l-l-like him. Just a little. A t-t-teeny bit,” Dancia finally admitted in a near whisper that the other two heard clear as day. 

“YES! FINALLY! I'VE BEEN WAITING ALMOST FOUR WHOLE YEARS FOR THIS! WOOHOO!” Daphne cheered, shouting for all the hall to hear.

“Hey, Dancia, Daphne, Lavender. What have you been waiting four years for?” asked the man in question as he walked over to them. Dancia’s face reached a whole new dimension of color while the other two grinned at each other viciously. 

“Oh, nothing much, Harry. Just Dancia finally admitting that she's hopelessly, completely, and irrefutably in love with you,” Daphne said casually.

Dancia sputtered in helpless outrage. “D-D-Daphne! I said might. H-how could you-”

“Girl, I have been waiting for this moment for nearly four years. I am done covering for your pretty blonde arse,” Daphne told her, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Wait, really? She only just admitted it now? But I've known that for years,” Harry said, scratching his head. 

Dancia felt something in her mind skid to a grinding halt. “Y-y-you…what?” she squeaked, sounding like a train leaving the station. 

“I've known you've been in love with me for years. You're not very subtle about it.”

“Wh-wh-what?! That's absolutely r-r-ridiculous! I'm not in l-l-l-l-love with you!” Dancia protested, eyes widening and arms waving in front of her in panic.

“Yes, you are,” Harry told her, highly amused. His grin grew wider.

“A-a-am not!”

“Then why are you stuttering?”

“B-b-because you're being r-r-ridiculous!”

“You liar. I know you love me.”

“N-n-no!”

“I'll prove it.”

“P-p-prove it? What do you mean pro-”

Dancia was cut off from her frantic denials as Harry confidently strode closer to her. She turned around in her seat and her eyes widened when he leaned over her with a smug smile on his face. The whole hall went silent as a grave as everyone turned to stare. Harry leaned in closer and rested a hand on the table for balance. He put a finger on Dancia's chin and tilted her head up to look up at him. 

“Admit you love me,” Harry told her. 

It took a second for the question to register with her because she'd gotten lost in his eyes. “N-no!”

Harry cupped her face and leaned in closer. He smirked then dipped forward as if he was going to kiss her. Dancia's heart started pounding in her chest and several gasps were heard throughout the Great Hall. Just when Harry's face was pressed right up against hers, he spoke again. 

“Admit you love me.”

“N-no.”

Harry leaned in even closer. He was so close now, she could see her own face reflected in his emerald orbs. Dancia's eyes closed instinctively, and her hands covered her heart as she puckered her lips. She waited…and nothing happened. Confused, she opened her eyes again to see Harry smirking at her confidently. He cupped her face and started rubbing his thumb against her cheek. She shivered.

“Admit you love me or I won't kiss you,” he whispered in her ear.

Dancia let out a sound like a mourning wolf. “Th-th-that's not fair! That’s cheating!” she protested weakly, reaching up to grab his robes and bunch it in her hands. 

Harry continued smiling at her, waiting. “All’s fair in love and war, Dancia.”

Dancia buried her face in his chest. “Dummy!” she berated him. “Idiot! Stupid! Arsehole! Uncultured potato! I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!”

“I know. And?”

Dancia whined, her lower lip trembling traitorously. “And I love you,” she admitted softly, unable to look him in the eye. 

Harry turned her chin again so he could enjoy the look on her face. “See? That wasn't so hard, now was it?” he asked teasingly.

Dancia pouted at him fiercely, huffing out her cheeks and glaring at him like an adorable little kitty. “Dummy! Dummy! Dummy!” she cried, punctuating each word with a hit of her fist on his chest.

“Yeah, but I told you at the task, didn't I? I'm your dummy,” Harry replied easily, unconcerned with her tiny fists raining down on him. He leaned in closer and kissed her on the lips.

All the fight left Dancia's body when Harry kissed her. Her body relaxed instantly, melting into a puddle, and her fists bunched into his robes as everything around her went white. She closed her eyes and puckered her lips as Harry kissed her properly. Nothing else registered for her in this moment other than his lips on hers and the lion roaring in her heart. When Harry pulled back, the faintest bit of saliva kept their lips connected for a brief moment before dissipating. Dancia stared up at him, mouth slightly agape, panting slightly.

“I love you too, by the way. Just so we're clear,” Harry said casually. 

Dancia whimpered, incredibly overwhelmed, then buried her face in his robes. “Dummy!” she told him, trying to hide how widely she was smiling.

“Hell yeah! I'm rich! Rich!” some random Slytherin sixth year girl called out, cheering wildly, completely interrupting the moment. 

Daphne pulled her journal out of her bag and skimmed through it. “Yup, Constance won the pot,” she confirmed.

Dancia yelped, as it suddenly occurred to her that they had an audience. She let out a gasping wheeze then buried herself in Harry's robes, trying to hide from the world. Harry started stroking her hair absentmindedly, grinning, feeling pretty damn pleased with life right now. 

“Is that seriously all it took? All this time, all I had to do was get you to snog her? If I'd known that, I would've set you two up years ago,” Daphne complained, putting away her journal.

“What can I say? You either got it or you don't,” Harry said smugly, pulling Dancia in tighter. He sat down next to her at the Slytherin table and the blonde immediately burrowed even deeper into his robes, as if he could shield her from reality.

Raucous cheers echoed from the entire Great Hall as everyone finished processing what had just happened and started congratulating the two of them.

“Good morning, girlfriend.”

“G-g-girlfriend?!” Dancia squeaked, turning to look up at Harry's grinning face in shock. 

“You admitted you love me yesterday, didn't you? That means you wanna date me, doesn't it?”

“Wh-wh-wha…d-dummy! D-d-don't put words in my mouth!”

“Aww, so you don't wanna?”

“W-w-well, I d-d-didn’t say that…”

Harry brushed a stand of hair away from Dancia's face and smiled at her. Dancia's face turned the color of the Hogwarts Express and she looked like steam would be coming out her top too. “What's the problem then?” Harry whispered into her ear, leaning closer. 

“D-d-dummy! Y-y-you didn't even ask me yet!” Dancia pouted, bunching her fists in his robes and turning her cheek. 

Harry chuckled in a way that made a fresh coat of color bloom across Dancia's face. “Oh, is that all? Well then, allow me to correct this most grievous oversight, My Dear Dancia.”

“Hwaaaah~”

Getting down on one knee, Harry took Dancia's hand and placed a gentle kiss on the backside of her knuckles. “Dancia Malfoy, would you be my girlfriend?” he asked, looking directly into her eyes. 

Dancia felt her soul leave her body. “Y-y-you idiot! Wh-wh-what are you saying s-s-so suddenly? I n-n-need time to pr-prepare my heart for this! D-d-dummy!”

Harry placed another kiss to her knuckles and rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb. “Do you want to be my girlfriend, Dancia?” he asked again. 

Dancia’s mouth hung open for a bit as she got entranced by his emerald eyes. She nodded her head so rapidly it nearly snapped off. “D-d-dummy!”

“That's not an answer, sweetheart.”

A sound of pure helpless overwhelm escaped Dancia's lips. “Y-y-yes,” she stuttered, mind dissolving into a pleasant static as she found herself unable to focus on anything except her new boyfriend. 

“No thanks, Hermione. I don't need syrup for my pancakes today. This is sweet enough,” Ron piped up, gesturing to his best friend and the lovestruck girl he was casually turning into a puddle of goo at the breakfast table. Hermione took back the bottle she was holding out to him and dumped its entire contents onto her own batch of fluffy pancakes.

“Hey, your dad's not gonna have a problem with us dating, is he?”

Dancia raised an eyebrow at her new boyfriend. “Would it be a problem if he did?” she asked. 

“Well, no, not really. I just don't wanna cause you any unnecessary problems at home,” Harry told her, rubbing the back of his neck. 

“Trust me, it won't be a problem.”

“What makes you say that?”

“‘Hi, Daddy! I've decided to start dating the boy who saved the entire wizarding world from You-Know-Who! Did you hear how he just won the internationally famous Tri-wizard Tournament despite being three years behind all his competitors?’”

“...damn, first time I'm happy to be the-boy-who-lived.”

“Mhm.”

“Hello, Dancia. You're looking extra huggable today!”

“Wh-wh-what are you saying out of n-n-nowhere, you big d-d-dummy!”

Harry swept Dancia up in a huge hug, literally sweeping her off her feet, and nuzzled against her cheek. The girl's face turned scarlet, and she stayed still for a moment, before she started nuzzling him back like a cat seeking affection. 

“Merlin, you two are so bloody sweet, it makes me want to throw up,” Daphne grumbled.

“Hey! Y-y-you spent all this time f-f-finally getting what you wanted. N-n-now you gotta live with it, Daphne!” Dancia told her, still in the air and nuzzling Harry’s cheek.

“Ugh, I know! But now that I finally don't have to worry about your hopeless blonde arse, I'm starting to get jealous. I seriously need a boyfriend too. Hey Harry, how do you get someone to fall for you?”

“If you figure it out, Daphne, I would love to know.”

Blushing, Dancia turned to her boyfriend with big pouty lips and watery eyes. “Are you going to put me down now?” she asked him, sounding very pitiful.

“Hmm…nope! If you want me to put you down, you have to pay the tax,” Harry told her teasingly.

“Wh-wh-what are you t-t-talking about?”

“You know what I mean. I told you the other day.”

Dancia sputtered, extremely embarrassed, indeed knowing what he was after. She tried to wiggle her way free, but Harry was just too strong. A secret part of her was thrilled by that fact, but she ignored that thought for now, not ready to dive into that rabbit hole quite yet. “F-f-fine!” she relented when she saw he wasn't going to put her down. Harry smiled at her expectantly. Cheeks burning like a forest fire, she planted a sweet little kiss on his cheek. “I l-l-love you, Harry,” she whispered, mortified, forcing herself to look him in the eyes.

“Good girl,” Harry teased. 

Dancia whimpered at those two words, feeling an incredible rush of pleasure and joy coursing through her veins. “Nope! I am not unpacking that anytime soon. Not giving him that extra ammo,” she whispered to herself, utterly horrified.

“What was that?”

“N-n-nothing!” Dancia looked away as Harry finally put her down, though she didn't step away from him and instead buried herself in his chest. “You dummy,” she mumbled into his robes.

“Merlin, you're so damn cute. I just want to tease you even more now.”

“...my boyfriend is bullying me.”

“That’s karma for you, Dancia.”

“...dummy. I hate you.”

“I love you too.”