(y/n) - your name

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"Have you guys noticed (y/n)'s behaviour recently?" Hermione says as her, Harry and Ron walk down the hallways early in the morning to get to the Great Hall for breakfast. It had only been a few days of the term and the golden trio instantly picked up on the distant atmosphere from their friend. She was always a quiet sort but even this was strange to them.

"If you mean not talking at all or just disappearing for hours on end... then yes." Ron says.

"She looks... unhappy... worried... dead even. Did Malfoy do something to her?" Harry asks and Hermione shakes her head.

"No... it wasn't him. Apparently, the two got into a bad fight... They haven't been talking to each other since the first day of term."

"And you know this how?" the boys ask.

"It's obvious their lover's quarrel." The golden trio jump and turn around to see Luna walking behind them with a magazine in her hands. "It's romantic I think. Forbidden love. She would do anything for those she loves and he would do anything to be able to be with her and yet, they both know that they don't have that fairy tale happy ending."

"What is she on about?" Ron asks and his friends shrug in confusion.

"It's quite sad, heartbreaking. I hope there's pudding for breakfast." the strange girl walks away and the trio just silently follow after her, stopping short when they notice how distraught and cold their Slytherin enemy was towards his friends or anyone in general. More cold than usual. They stood at the entrance of the Great Hall, looking over at their friend who sat silently while looking down at her empty plate before she got up to walk away. An emotionless statue.

They saw Draco look up to watch (y/n) as she walked out of the hall, a deep frown on his face but he didn't move to run after her or consult her. She didn't even look his way either. "I'm going to go after her." Hermione says, leaving the boys to deal with Seamus who called after Harry. The Gryffindor runs after her friend, calling out her name and she hesitates when she notices the Hufflepuff's shoulders sag before she turned around to answer her.

"Hey Hermione..."

"Are you ok?" that was her first mistake. Hermione took a sudden step back when (y/n) sneered at her, suddenly feeling annoyed and angry at that question as her eyes flare up.

"Don't-"

"-did you break up with Draco?" the Gryffindor takes the risk, her friend fizzing down to a frown instead as her eyes go back to their normal doe eyes.

"I... I don't know...?"

"You had a fight, didn't you?" the girls move to an empty hallway, away from prying eyes or eavesdroppers.

"Yeah..."

"About what?" Hermione was only trying to help, to try and get to the bottom of why her friend was so miserable but her questions were annoying her.

"Look, I don't want to talk about this ok-"

"-ok I get it. But just tell me what happened."

(y/n) hesitated but nods, running her hands down her face. "We had a fight yeah... he walked out after. Didn't say anything... just got up and left without a word. We haven't talked since."

Yeah everyone noticed the awkward atmosphere between you two the past week or so...

"So no... I don't know if we broke up or not..."

"You have to try and talk to him-"

"I know! I know..." (y/n) moves to sit down on the ground and Hermione joins her, the girls leaning their backs against the wall as they sat together.

"You know you can always tell me... we're friends (y/n)... I want to help you..."

"I know Hermione..." the Hufflepuff leans her head against her friend's shoulder, raising her hands as red flames sparked from her fingertips. "I just wish it didn't have to be like this... I just want to be in love like a normal girl..."

The Gryffindor didn't know what her friend meant but she stayed with her anyway, physically being there for her as red flames danced and fluttered before them both.

~~~~~~~~

The night was warm when Draco walked up the stairs to the astronomy tower, breathing in relief when he sees the person he was desperately trying to get the courage to talk to again. (y/n) sat on the floor with her back against the bench, simply watching the stars when he sat down next to her. He wasn't sure if he could be near her again, a distance between the two as he itched to hold her again but they needed to talk.

"Talk to me... please..." he whispers, afraid of being too loud almost as if he might scare her away. The Hufflepuff held her arms tightly, afraid to look at the boy that had her heart. "Then just listen to me... I may not know how you're feeling but I know I have some damn idea. To not step out of line, to do as you're told so you don't risk yourself. I just... I just want to help... because... I care..." the Slytherin gulps, growing hurt when his Puff doesn't talk to him. He knew she had trouble speaking her mind, he had the same problem so he took in deep breaths to calm himself down. "(y/n) please-"

"-I wish we could stay like this forever..." she whispers, taking the boy by surprise when she spoke. He leans over to see her holding the polaroid picture of the two of them at the picnic, wide happy smiles on both of their faces like there was nothing in the world that could stop them. "This smile on your face... this photograph... I just want you to be happy Draco..."

"What does that mean (y/n)?" he asks, his racing with worry. "Tell me what that means!"

"Whoever I am in this world, in this universe cares about you, cares about everyone in this story. I just want everyone to have a happy ending... except for me." Draco clenches his jaw, not wanting to hear this and he grabs (y/n) by her shoulders to have her look at him.

"Don't you dare say that-"

"-you know I'm not human Draco... I'm not from here. I was never born here, I don't belong. If... if I don't have that fairy tale ending, then I'll make sure everyone else gets one-"

"-I'm not your responsibility to fix (y/n)!" the Slytherin exclaims angrily, throwing his hands in the air. "I can decide that well enough for me and my fairy tale ending needs you! I need you!" his Puff looks at him with wide eyes, a sad smile on her face as she holds his cheeks lovingly and he understood that she knew something he didn't. "What aren't you telling me (y/n)?"

"...We're a losing game Draco... What if... what if we don't get to stay together in the end?" the boy falters, leaning up to wipe away the tears of his love who looked to be in so much pain.

"If... we don't get our happy ending... we'll make the most of it now. I never want this to end, not now, not ever. I care about you too much to let you go." Draco leans his forehead against (y/n)'s as he pulled her close to him, hugging her tightly to never let her go.

Even if they weren't endgame, even if their future was not set, he take every moment with her in the present and cherish them forever.

Loving her was not a losing game.

~~~~~~~~

"Make it a powerful memory, the happiest you can remember. Allow it to fill you up." Harry was teaching the class once more, still going on for months in secret. This time he was teaching them how to cast a Patronus, walking around and guiding them to focus on their happiest memory. Everyone was having fun with glee and excitement as wisps of white creatures pranced around their witches and wizards.

"Sorry, we're late!" (y/n) barged into the room, panting as she was running away from Filch and trying to get him lost with his crew.

"(y/n), what is he doing here?" Ron hisses, everyone turning to her to see Draco standing next to her as he held her hand tightly.

She looks up at her boyfriend and he nods. "He signed up for Dumbledor's Army. I've been teaching him after class." Harry frowned, not liking the fact this snake was here but he noticed how wary the couple looked when everyone else in the room glared at them.

"Maybe this was a bad idea..." Draco whispers and (y/n) frowns, looking at Harry with a pleading look.

"Please..." she steps in front of her boyfriend so he wouldn't get everyone's heated glares and Harry sighs.

"Fine. He can join us."

"But he's part of Umbitches Squad-"

"-he signed the paper right?" Harry cuts off Ron, asking (y/n) and she nods. "Malfoy is part of the army just like the rest of us. We're all here for a reason, to fight for what we believe, to protect the ones we love. We all are in this together no matter what we are, or who we are." Harry nods to (y/n) and she smiles in appreciation, taking Draco to Hermione who smiles at both of them.

"Nice of both of you to join us." the Gryffindor girl grins, Draco ignoring her and staring at his girlfriend.

"A full-bodied Patronus is the most difficult to produce... but shield forms can also be equally useful against a variety of opponents." The Slytherin looks around warily, feeling an itch crawl up his body. He hated how there were so many people in here, thinking that they were all staring at him but in fact, no one was looking his way.

"Hey, no one is staring." (y/n) holds Draco's face gently, pulling him to keep his eyes on her to ease his anxiety and he nods. He didn't like it but he listened to Potter on how to produce a Patronus, to think of the happiest moment he's ever been. His eyes followed his Puff wherever she moved, talking to her friends with that precious smile of hers. Everything she is, everything she does made his heart race. Her smile, her eyes, that cute scrunch of her nose, the way she moves her hands when she talks, her laughter and mischievousness.

It was her.

Draco slowly raised his arm, gripping his wand tight as he thought of (y/n). The first time he saw her, the first time they met, the first time she talked to him, their dates, their astronomy nights, their first kiss under the stars.

"Expecto Patronum..." he whispers, his eyes still set on her as white wisps of magic spill from his wand and surrounds him, watching in surprise as soft coos erupt from the white swan that formed. Just like his mothers. It stretched above his head and flew around him, burning brighter than any of the other creatures and bigger than any other. It croons and flies around his girlfriend as she gasps in surprise, nestling against her cheeks as she smiles happily at the Slytherin.

"You did it Draco!" he smiles at his Puff, smiling at his entire world.