Translator's Note: Hi there! I'm happy to share with you guys one of the most amazing and thought-provoking HPDM fanfiction I have ever read in French. It was written by Myschka in 2005 (see the favorite stories list on my profile page) and generated over 3700 reviews. I'm thrilled that the author agreed to let me translate it to English though it is quite an old story and she doesn't write fics anymore. I hope you'll have a good time!

This is a very long story - 70 chapters! - Thanks to Halloween265 for her help!

[And exits the translator…]


This a response to Zoomalfoy's prompt, which goes as follows:

Rating: M

Pairing: HPDM

Genre: AU, Romance

Plot: 17-year-old high-school student Draco Malfoy falls under the spell of his new Literature teacher, Harry Potter, aged 24. He will have to deal with his father's fierce disagreement, his love choice's strong morals and the latter's ex-boyfriend, who is determined to get him back.

NO MAGIC. THE STORY MUST TAKE PLACE IN THE MUGGLE WORLD.

No constraints except they have to end up together and Draco has to be utterly despicable to Harry at the beginning of the year.

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Disclaimer: My name is not JKR (who created these wonderful characters), nor Zoomalfoy (who came up with the prompt). However, the story and the writing are mine (and it may not be the best of it!).

Warning: This is slash, I repeat, slash! If gay-themed stories disgust or shock you, you shouldn't be here, and I won't mind your absence at all—quite the opposite. There. Now that we are among civilized people, I still want to remind you that M rating implies shocking scenes, physical violence or sex, and occasionally crude language as well; although this particular chapter is rated K, the following chapters might get a bit saucier. You know where you are at.

Author's note: I really liked that prompt and thought it would be fun to write it in diary form. I like to try and put myself in Draco's position, and the diary concept is a change from usual POVs. I don't really know yet how this story is going to turn out, but I think it will be a little more serious than "My best enemy." And it keeps me busy, keeps my mind away from the illness. In any case, I hope you'll enjoy it!

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Dear Diary (Chronicles of a Final Year)

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Draco Malfoy's Diaries, September 1st, 1996:

3pm:

I am on the train to Hogwarts for what I hope will be my last year in this fantastically boring boarding school. As usual, Father didn't come to the station with me, and Mother insisted on coming. I wonder if she will ever understand that I am not her little boy any more—the little boy I was so long ago I can't even remember anymore. Pansy and Blaise made fun of me again. I hate her mother-hen side—so annoying! She's embarrassed me in front of my friends again.

Three more hours before we get there. I still can't figure out why my Father even chose this place; there are so many excellent public schools in London, why send me in the middle of Scotland? I'm getting more and more convinced that he hates seeing me. All he cares about is his business anyway, and I'm only worth anything to him as long as I take over the company when he decides. I wish I could make my own choices for once. Father knows bloody well I want to study chemistry and perfumery after high school, more than anything; but he doesn't seem to give a hoot.

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"Draco?"

The young man looked up and let out an irritated sigh.

"What now, Pansy? Can't you see I'm busy?"

The brunette's bony cheeks instantly turned pink.

"Sorry," she stuttered. "I just wanted to ask you if you would mind pairing up with me in biology."

"We'll see. Just leave me alone, now."

Draco returned to his large, green leather notebook, the first page of which was already scribbled over. He sighed again. This year was going to be just as boring as the previous ones.

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Draco Malfoy's Diary, September 1st, 1996:

10pm:

As I expected, I'm Head Boy this year. I didn't want to, but no one gave me the choice. At least I won't have to share a room with my classmates. Mother will be thrilled about it. As for Father, I suppose he will just say it's the least I could do. This commoner, Hermione Granger, is a Prefect too, and three other students as well whose names I don't remember. This girl is so irritating. Father demanded that I get better grades than her this year, but this pest has always beat me to it. I am only better than her at physics and chemistry, and at sports of course.

I wonder if she'll be taking the same electives as me this year. I would hate to see her in my Literature or Italian classes. But as far as I know she chose Latin and French, so unless she got a special dispensation—which wouldn't be surprising at all, actually. Oh well, I'll see for myself next week when classes start.

I wish I could have stayed in Stonehenge one more week. Why did Father want me to leave ahead of schedule? He's been getting more and more withdrawn lately; I don't think he even talks to Mother about his business anymore.

This room isn't so bad, actually. I have a nice view of the park—luckily I didn't end up with a view on the sports fields. It's relatively spacious and well furnished, and I have a private bathroom. I wonder if Father paid for that. I will probably never know, though I doubt Dumbledore is the kind of person who would accept a bribe. The crazy old man may be the only person I know who can never be bribed with money.

So, I suppose I should go to bed. Tomorrow I will have to start choosing which clubs I want to join. I will probably join the music club, the chess club, and I assume I will have to join the soccer team, like every year. Although I'd rather join the swimming team. I hope Father won't object.

Draco carefully put away his diary and his expensive fountain pen in the drawer of his night stand. He hesitated briefly before picking up the novel he had started to read over the summer, wanting to read just a couple pages. It was only once he had finished it, at about one in the morning, that he finally turned off the light.

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Draco Malfoy's diary, September 2, 1996:

2pm:

I woke up too late today, but I don't really want to get back to the Hogwarts schedule just yet. I've decided I would join the swimming team. What helped me make up my mind was that this stupid Ronald Weasley, Granger's boyfriend, was chosen as the reserve keeper in the soccer team. I already have to bear with him in class, I refuse to do sports with him on top of that.

I joined the chess club, and I heard they were also giving introductory classes to Go. It could be interesting after all. I have, of course, returned to the music club—I am the only pianist they have.

This afternoon I am hoping to go and talk to Professor Snape. I want to ask him if he would agree to tutor me in chemistry; I don't think he will say no. He knows how much I want to pursue this subject after graduating, and after all, he would never say no to his best student. I think he likes me.

Oh shoot, here come those two morons, Crabbe and Goyle. I can't figure out why Father wants me to be friends with them so much.

6pm:

Snape has agreed to tutor me. I'm so happy! We will be meeting on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 5 to 7, and he said he would start to teach me some basics about perfumery. I didn't know he knew so much about plant biology, it will be very helpful. Blaise keeps laughing at me when I talk about perfumery, but he doesn't understand the beauty of what I consider as an art. He'll see, in a couple years, when he'll be wearing my latest fragrance.

The teachers haven't all arrived yet. I heard the Deputy Headmistress and the biology teacher say there would be a new Literature teacher for the Seniors. I hope it won't be some old academic like the one we had last year. I'm glad he retired. Besides, you know who should seriously think about retiring? Binns, the history teacher. I don't know why Dumbledore clings to him… For God's sake, he fell asleep last year while supervising a test! I know Father asked for his resignation at the board, but it seems that Dumbledore and McGonagall had rejected it.

9pm:

I went to the Music Room after dinner. I wanted to play a bit. It's a little silly, but I miss Stonehenge. I hope we will spend Christmas there this year. But I am guessing Father will want to stay in London to work and that Mother will want to spend the social season there. I already know how it will go: an impersonal Christmas Eve with a lot of people I either don't like or don't know, and on the 31, the New Year's ball at Lord Whatever's, which I will have to attend with Pansy. And in February, I guess we will be going to a super prestigious ski resort again, where Mother will cheerfully mix with the upper crust of Europe.

As for me, all I would like to do is spend nice and peaceful holidays in the countryside, going out for walks or riding alone, in peace. But Mother won't want to, and Father will think it's just a pretext to invite my friends over to party. Little does he know I don't give a shit about these "friends"! There's only Blaise, and Millicent, to a lesser extent, whom I really like. By the way, I wonder when Milli will be here; she wasn't on the train yesterday, and I haven't seen her today. I can't wait to see her, I missed her over the summer.

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Draco Malfoy's Diary, September 5, 1996:

8pm:

Milli just arrived. She is all tanned, it looks really pretty on her. She's grown again, she is almost as tall as me now, 5.9 feet or something. She seems to be having a complex about it, but I think she's gorgeous as she is, all the more so as she has lost quite some weight since last year. I am going to Hogsmeade later with her and Blaise, since it's Friday, we are allowed to go out. She'll tell us all about her holidays, I can't wait. Milli always has a lot to tell.

1:30am:

Oh my God. Shit, I don't even know how to put this!

We had a great night out. We may have drunk a little too much beer, but it was really nice, and we talked about what we did over the summer. I didn't have much to say, personally, but Blaise and Milli always have spicy stories to tell. But I did not see this one coming!

Ok, here it goes: Milli is a lesbian. She realized that over the summer and—scoop of the year—she even met a girl, and they dated. Her parents know nothing about it obviously, we are the first to know.

On the one hand, I feel honored, and touched, that she would come talk to us about it first. But at the same time, I don't know how to deal with the news. For some reason, I am not shocked, but still… it's kind of weird—I can't find a better word. I'm scared about how her parents might react. And what about the other students, if the news ever got out? What if someone heard about it and the word spread—what is she going to do in her dorms?

I don't know how I am going to deal with this; I don't think I will be able to talk to her as freely as I used to in public. But I don't want her to think I'm not ok with her being a homosexual! I don't know what to do.

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Draco Malfoy's Diary, September 7, 1996:

3:30pm:

I talked to Milli and told her how I felt about what she told us Friday night. She took it rather well, but I know somehow she feels hurt that I am so embarrassed. But she's not dumb; she knows full well she can have trouble with the other girls if people knew. It's a tricky situation, I hope she'll pull through. Blaise thinks the same.

Tomorrow is our first day of classes. I'd rather hang myself than go, but I know I can't just be careless about this year, because of the graduation exams. Nevertheless, I don't want to go back to work. Our schedules will be handed out tomorrow morning at breakfast. Father let me focus on the mandatory classes and the most useful electives. I guess it is because he doesn't want me to spread myself thin (still keeping his succession in mind), and I already feel like he won't be happy that I chose so many options. Oh what the hell, if he's not happy it's all the same, I will stick with my chemistry classes! Oh well, I should be glad he let me continue Literature.

I think I'll go for a swim.

10pm:

God, Pansy Parkinson is annoying. That girl is clingier than ivy! She just had to join the swim club. She's with the beginners, of course, and not on the swim team, but it still means I'll have to put up with her three more hours a week. I'm pretty sure it's just an excuse to be nearer to me.

I know Father would like the idea of a union between our two families, and that he is more or less counting on me to marry her later. But I can't help it, I don't like this girl. She's not pretty, she's not smart, and she isn't even nice to compensate for it. In fact, she takes more after bulldogs than human beings; at least she has the same intellectual level. Same mug and personality, too, by the way.

I think I'm going to stop gelling my hair back. It ruins them.

Shit, and now I'm talking like a girl.