Hello, all! Elizabeth here bringing you my first ever FanFiction! It's Harry Potter, of course, and it will be focusing on my OC's relationship with the Boy Who Lived himself. Their romance will develop rather slowly (No shagging until 6th year at the soonest!), so if you're looking for love at first sight then you may want to move along! Oh, and I plan to have some graphic sexual scenes (eventually, but it'll be a while), so if those offend you then you should also skedaddle... or you could stay and enjoy yourself in the realm of my dirty mind!

Anywho, "DISCLAIMER: I don't own any characters, settings, or situations from the original Harry Potter series by JK Rowling, but I do own my OC so hands off!"

Please, please, please, enjoy and let me know what you think because feedback means the world to me!

-Elizabeth

PS: I'm not entirely sure how often I'll be updating this, and I won't make any promises, but I'll TRY to post at least one chapter a week. Don't get your hopes up, I've been known to procrastinate in the past. Who knows, though, maybe if you leave me enough reviews...

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A Good Heart and Grace

Chapter 1 - Draco is a Git and Grace is Nearly Headless

It was lunchtime at Hogwarts, and although the Great Hall promised to be just as loud and rambunctious as she was sure it always had been and always will be, fourth year Hufflepuff Grace Lavery made her way in the opposite direction towards the lake. Much like most other days since she'd given up on eating with her housemates about halfway through her first year, she stumbled her way upstream against the river of hungry students- not unlike a salmon, she'd noted several times in the past- until she was finally out of the building.

She drank the fresh air into her lungs as hungrily as she was sure many students were inhaling their lunch just then and strode towards her favorite tree just twenty meters or so from the lake's edge. With a gusty sigh that spoke of yet another thoroughly disappointing morning, she slid her back down the trunk of the tree until her rear end was firmly on the ground and pulled out her Transfiguration textbook. Soon, her nose was buried in the pages so firmly that she hardly registered the presence of her visitor until it had scrambled its way into her thick, dark blonde hair and began scratching at her scalp.

Rather than screeching and batting at her head as she was certain many of the other girls- and boys, come to think of it- in her year would do, she let out a quiet laugh and set her book aside. "Alright then, you silly thing. Alright. Come down here if you'd like to be pet, there's no need to be bossy!" Almost before she'd finished speaking, the small creature had scurried down from its perch and settled into the waiting hands resting on her lap. She was quite relieved to see it was a squirrel and not a moke like it had been the week before; the magical shrinking lizard had been rather tricky to explain after it sneaked its way into her robes at the end of lunchtime and popped back to its usual size atop her head in the middle of potions.

Smiling gently down at the chittering creature cradled in her hands, she cooed, "Well, aren't you an adorable little beast? My, how fluffy your tail is looking today!" And although the squirrel quite obviously couldn't understand a word she was saying, it seemed pleased with her compliments. When it wriggled happily in response, she shifted it over into one hand and used the other to tickle its little belly, giggling loudly when its chattering grew in pitch.

"Befriending squirrels, eh? I always knew you were a bit of a nut."

Grace jumped so violently at the sound of the new voice that she nearly threw the little creature straight up in the air. Catching herself just in time, she instead clutched its small body protectively to her chest. Looking up at the trio of Slytherins towering over her- how she missed them approaching is anyone's guess- she felt a cold chill of dread rush down her spine. "Can I help you, Draco?" Her voice was calm and collected; the result of four years of practice dealing with the very same bullies. If she bored them enough, they'd leave her alone.

Draco Malfoy's pinched lips twisted into a cruel sneer. "Why the bloody hell would I want any help from you, muggle freak?" Grace didn't so much as flinch, even when the large, unattractive students flanking Draco on either side let out a barrage of obnoxious guffaws at her nickname. Obviously frustrated by her lack of response, he scowled but made no move to go away.

She sighed inaudibly, wishing he'd just leave her be. "I'm sorry," she said carefully. "Would you like to sit here? I can move."

Draco's grey eyes narrowed. "On the ground? You are a nut if you think I'd sit in the dirt like you."

Once again, she tried not to outwardly respond, but her fingers unconsciously began stroking the soft fur of creature in her hands, seeking the comfort it could give. Draco soon noticed, his lip quirked into a lazy smirk, and before she had the chance to defend against him, he'd swooped down and wrestled the squeaking animal from her grasp. She was unable to prevent a strangled cry from escaping her throat and she leapt to her feet, grasping at his robes and jumping to try and snatch the squirrel back from his raised fist.

He laughed, more than a bit delighted with himself for finally making her react to his harassment. Shaking the squirrel like a prize above his head, he held it just beyond her reach. Grace, who knew the poor thing must be terrified in the rough grip of such a brute, felt herself begin to panic. "Please, Draco!" she cried, more emotion in her voice than she'd allowed him or any of her other tormentors hear for a long time. "Please! Let it go! You're hurting it!" Her gaze darted wildly across the grounds, wishing desperately to find a professor or even Filch to come to the rescue.

Unfortunately for her, and the small, sickeningly quiet animal being shaken about in Draco's grip, there was no one to be seen. Grace fumbled in her robes for her wand, whipping it out and pointing it at Draco's torso. He laughed- laughed- and gave her a condescending smirk. "What are you going to do with that?" he jeered. "Poke me with it?" He laughed cruelly, a sound echoed by his cruel-hearted backup duo.

Unsure what else to do and completely desperate to do something, she found herself stomping on his feet as hard as she possibly could. A yelp of pain and annoyance was wrenched from his lips and his grin slipped into an angry grimace. "What was that for?" His words came out as a dangerous hiss, but she couldn't bring herself to notice much beyond the fact that he was suddenly clenching his fist far too tightly around the limp squirrel in his grasp. Noticing her gaze, he sneered again. "Want it so bad, freak? Catch." With that, he threw the unfortunate creature past her head and it hit the tree with a disgusting thump.

Grace's heart felt frozen as she darted over to it, ignoring the horrible boys completely and not noticing when they left with a satisfied parting chuckle. "Oh, no," she whimpered, dropping to her knees beside the small twisted body she'd been coddling not even five minutes ago. "Oh, no please!" Her eyesight blurred with tears as she scooped it back into her hands and gently stroked its head. She watched it closely, carefully, hoping beyond hope that it wasn't… "Oh, please, please, please, don't be dead!" Several long moments of gentle stroking and whispered prayers passed before she let out the first body-shaking sob.

"I'm sorry," she whined through her tears. "I'm sorry, sweet thing. I'm so sorry."

Grace was unfortunately no stranger to death. Even more unfortunately, she was no stranger to causing death. Her own parents… She sobbed again, muttering apologies and clutching the body of the broken animal to her chest. What is wrong with me? she wondered mournfully. Poor thing, poor thing.

Suddenly, it moved. She yelped, startled because she'd been certain it was dead, and jerked it up to face level. There, staring straight back at her with wide, dark eyes, was a perfectly healthy- if a little squirmy- squirrel. She blinked. It blinked. Then she was hugging it again, even more hysterical with relief than she had been with grief.

It took the entire rest of lunch to calm herself down, but luckily Draco and his minions didn't reappear and no one else was around to see her in such a state. Eventually, with the help of some enthusiastic wriggling on the part of her small companion, she managed to clean herself up and relax. When the clock tolled time for her next class, she debated not showing up at all, but decided that becoming attached to a friendly squirrel would almost definitely not be a suitable excuse for her absence and said an emotional goodbye before walking off back towards the castle for Charms.

With all the excitement during lunch hour, Grace had forgotten to actually eat lunch. Such a happenstance might've been fine had she gone to breakfast that morning instead of rewriting her Defense Against the Dark Arts essay, but she hadn't. She was so hungry just a couple hours later that she'd actually contemplated tasting potion ingredients when Professor Snape turned his back for a moment, only to berate herself for how foolish she was being.

Suffice it to say, with the fiasco at lunch and her painfully empty stomach, she was in a rather unpleasant mood by the end of the day, and it didn't make thing any better when Professor Sprout stopped her just outside of the greenhouse before Grace's last lesson of the day to request that she stay after class for a brief meeting.

Somehow, she managed to smile and nod, though she was sure it was obvious that it wasn't genuine, and walked by into the brightly lit, aromatic arboretum. After an hour and a half of studying walking geraniums, Grace was only a painfully uncomfortable chat with her Head of House away from a delicious sandwich or four. She silently packed her things into her satchel and waited as her classmates filed out of the room, for once happy that she didn't have any friends to worry about her if she didn't arrive in the dining hall on time. Grace was never fond of making people worry, so it was almost a comfort to know that not one of her housemates- or anyone else, for that matter- would be waiting for her at the crowded tables.

After the room had emptied, Professor Sprout gestured for Grace to approach the head of the table, where she was bent over a particularly agile geranium attempting to trim its lower leaves. Forcing a pleasant smile and attempting, unsuccessfully and for the seventh time in an hour, to silence her grumbling stomach, Grace did as she was bade and waited again for the stout old woman to speak.

"Well, dear," she finally spoke, allowing the plant to flee her grip and adopting the same resigned, almost pitying, tone she'd reserved for Grace since her first year. "I'm sure you're fairly well aware of why I asked to speak with you?" She phrased it as a question, but Grace was certain she had no doubts as to the answer. "You're a very bright girl, Grace," she continued. "There really can't be any comparison as far as your essays and tests go, but…"

Releasing a long suffering sigh, Sprout leaned against the old wooden table and met Grace's eyes. Before she could open her mouth, Grace anxiously cut in, "I know, professor. I'm sorry. I'm trying, really!"

Her face reddening in obvious frustration, Sprout replied, "I realize that you're trying, child, but that simply isn't good enough! What good can all the things you've learned do for you if you can't actually perform magic?!"

Grace's shoulders slumped and her tense smile fell as she bit her lip rather harshly at her usually kind mentor's harsh words. "I can do some magic, professor…" she finally murmured.

Almost immediately, the expression on the older woman's pudgy face became hopeful. "Oh?" she asked, silently praying that the sweet, muggleborn girl sitting in front of her was telling the truth. She'd always cared for Grace, firmly believing that such a kind hearted witch deserved to be treated as well as she treated others, but it had grown difficult during the past four years to sympathize with her when it seemed as though she simply wasn't a witch at all. Pomona Sprout had never thought it possible in the past for Hogwarts to mistakenly accept a muggle into their ranks, but it had become very difficult to dispute in the case of young Grace Lavery.

Seeing the almost desperate optimism on her beloved professor's face made Grace even more nervous, and she hesitated before replying, "Yes, um, I've finally managed the lumos charm."

Professor Sprout tried to ignore the fact that the lumos charm was taught to first year students, opting instead to focus on the gleeful revelation that Grace was capable of something magical. "Really?" She cheered. "Oh, that's wonderful, Grace! Won't you show me?" With that, she pulled out her wand and murmured, "Luce obscuriore."

The lights dimmed to almost complete blackness, and Grace felt like a ball of lead was dropped in her stomach. "Um," she stuttered, "I mean, I've only ever done it successfully it on my own, and it's not very bright."

Sprout smiled encouragingly. "That's alright dear, but I'd really like to see it! Please, try?"

Swallowing against the lump in her throat, Grace nodded warily and pulled her wand from her robes. Staring intently at the tip of the wand in the darkness, she mumbled, "Lumos." To her pleasant surprise, a light did appear, and it was even brighter than it had been the last time she'd practiced. She grinned gleefully at Professor Sprout, who eagerly returned the expression and seemed about to applaud when a suddenly a quiet hissing came from Grace's wand. Perplexed, she brought the glowing tip closer to her face, narrowing her eyes and staring at it curiously.

Professor Sprout suddenly cried, "Expelliarmus!", forcing the wand from Grace's hand and across the room where it landed under a small wooden table where boxes of compost were stored. Almost immediately after landing, the wand exploded and sent wooden shards and numerous other things flying all over the place, covering both Grace in Professor Sprout from head to toe in what smelt like cow manure. Grace quickly buried her face in her hands, humiliated and more than a little terrified that if it weren't for Sprout's quick reflexes, she wouldn't have a face to bury anywhere.

"It's quite alright, dear," the professor assured her without any real conviction in her voice. "It, um, it happens to everyone now and then. We'll get you a new wand and it'll all be right as rain." she waved her wand in a circular motion over her head and said, "Scourgify!" The room was instantly clean again, and all that was left of the accident was a few scattered wand shards and Grace's wounded pride. "It's okay, really!" Sprout insisted, concerned by how close to tears the young girl seemed. "You've just done magic, don't you realize? Even if it was a bit… off."

Grace nodded absently, trying to reconcile what she'd just done and what she'd seen all of her classmates excelling at for years. "Anyways," Sprout continued, suddenly eager to end the meeting and let the poor child go. "You've made progress, and that's good!" She glanced down at her wrist, although she'd never worn a watch there, and forced her smile to widen. "Well, look at the time! That's all I had to talk to you about, dear. Off to dinner, then!" She stood and bustled over to an old cabinet, fiddling with the herb containers therein until she heard the door to the greenhouse open and close behind her. Abruptly, she recalled that there had indeed been one other thing she'd wanted to discuss with the young girl.

Scurrying out of the arboretum, she called after Grace's retreating form, "Hold on, dear! There was something I forgot!"

Wincing, as she'd hoped to finally escape the uncomfortable situation and get herself something to eat, Grace turned on her heel and walked back towards her Head of House. Raising her eyebrows in what she hoped was a pleasantly curious expression, she waited for Sprout to speak.

"I'm sure you've heard about the Triwizard Tournament, yes?" After a brief pause, Grace nodded. "Excellent! I'd like you to be there when the participant's names are selected." Without giving her student time to protest, Professor Sprout continued. "I've noticed you don't often eat in the dining hall, and I've also noticed that you tend to eat alone- by choice or otherwise, it doesn't matter much to me. I'm under the impression that the selection ceremony will be a pleasantly social event, and I'd like you to attend to see if you can't make a few more friends. Acquaintances at the least, if you don't mind." Grace resisted the urge to squirm under the gaze of the kind woman who had apparently noticed how unpopular she was. When she didn't respond for a long moment, Sprout demanded, "Am I understood, Miss Lavery?"

Hanging her head, Grace reluctantly replied, "Yes, professor."

Sprout nodded sternly and straightened her pale brown robes. "Good. I'll see you there, then. It's Thursday; don't forget!"

Grace winced again. Surely, by having said that, Professor Sprout was refusing Grace any opportunity to be absent. With that being said, Sprout walked back through the greenhouse door with a pleased smile on her face, leaving her student to continue her trek to the Great Hall for dinner.

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Next time we'll be meeting Hagrid, Albus, Harry, Cedric, and so much more!

Please remember to review! It'll help me to post faster, I promise!

-Elizabeth