Two chapters in 24 hours! Don't say I'm not nice to you haha! I really wanted to crack on with Draco's chapter and show you guys what he had seen and felt within his test. Can you guess what forest he turned up in?

I just want to say again thank you so much for the amazing reviews. It makes my day reading them, especially when I had taken such a long time out from writing and I was beginning to doubt my skills as a writer. It is one of my passions and I am so glad you are all here on this journey with me! I am happy to say that things are definitely going to get interesting from here on out!

Much love xo

Chapter nine

Draco was walking alone through the corridors of the school, trying in vain to ignore the blatant looks he was receiving. He had just endured a gruelling hour with Weasley glaring at his very presence in the classroom, and to say he was on edge would have been an immense understatement.

Not that he could blame Weasley for reacting the way he did towards him, but he was growing tired of it already. He obviously wasn't stupid enough to hope that things would change overnight, but the stupid Weasel didn't even try to hide his hatred towards him. At least his sister was being polite towards him, and Draco found himself respecting the youngest Weasley for trying to put the past behind her.

Draco was pulled out of his inner turmoil with a heavy hand coming down on his shoulder. He instantly grabbed his wand, ready to hex whoever it was, when he instantly recognised Theo's eyes twinkling mischievously.

"For fuck sake, I about hexed your stupid arse, Nott!" Draco snapped as the boy next to him sniggered. "You shouldn't go sneaking up on people like that." He glared, as he put the wand back in his pocket.

He noticed Ginny and Harry were beside him, a hint of humour crinkling Harry's eyes as he smirked at Theo. Ginny simply rolled her eyes as Theo fell into step with Draco.

"I wasn't even being quiet about it!" Theo insisted when Draco continued to narrow his eyes. He was obviously more on edge than he had originally thought. He willed his heart rate to slow down as he realised no one was coming to hex him.

"Where is Hermione?" Harry asked, looking around Draco as if she were suddenly going to appear. Draco paused for a moment waiting on someone to answer him, when he realised stupidly that Harry was asking him.

Well fuck, hell really had frozen over.

"She was called at the start of class to go for her test." Draco answered, turning his head to meet Harry's eyes. He merely nodded, a look of worry flashing over his features before he forced a small grin on his face. Draco dropped his eyebrows together, watching as Harry badly tried to mask his concern. He stopped suddenly, forcing Theo to knock into his shoulder. Harry and Ginny halted looking at Draco with surprise.

"What is it?" Draco asked, staring expectantly at Harry. If Theo or Ginny were surprised that he had directed his question towards The Boy Wonder, they didn't show it.

"What are you talking about, Malfoy?"

"Why did you look concerned after I mentioned Granger?" He quipped, wondering why he even cared himself.

He wished he hadn't even answered the question now. Harry's eyebrows shot ridiculously far into his hairline it was almost comical. Ginny looked at him with a level of curiosity, and Theo covered his smirk with a very unsubtle cough. Draco didn't understand his sudden need to even ask the question in the first place. He shouldn't be concerned about the welfare of Hermione Granger.

But here he was, standing in the middle of the corridor, facing two Gryffindor's he had made life living hell for, demanding to know about another.

Draco had absolutely no idea what had come over him.

"I wasn't aware that I had looked concerned."

"Well, you did."

"I obviously didn't intend to."

"You clearly need to work on masking your facial expressions then, Potter."

"Why are you suddenly so concerned about Hermione's welfare?" Harry finally snapped, looking fed up of Draco integrating him. Ginny was watching Draco closely as he stuttered to come up with a response. Other than the overwhelming guilt and remorse about the night at the Manor with Granger, he had no reason to be asking such things.

"Great question, Potter." Draco finally mumbled running a hand over his face as he turned away from the two bewildered Gryffindor's. He picked up his pace as he walked away from them.

What the hell was wrong with him?

"Wait up!" Theo called, taking quicker steps to catch up with him. Draco sighed in frustration but slowed down anyway. His friend quietly walked beside him, but Draco could feel Theo's questions hanging heavily in the air.

And Draco didn't have the slightest clue as to how to even begin to answer them. He had no idea why he reacted the way he did.

"Where is Blaise?" Draco spoke quickly as to stop the questions he knew that he wouldn't be able to run away from forever.

"He got called out for his test also." Theo answered. Draco met his friends' eye with a raised eyebrow, and Theo smirked wickedly at him. "Do you want to make a wager? I bet ten galleons that this time next week, Zabini will be dreamily gazing at Lovegood while harping on about Crrumple-Horned Snoracks."

Draco snorted out a loud laugh.

…

The three Slytherin boys were tucked up into a small corner of the Gryffindor common room, playing a very competitive game of Exploding Snap, with Daphne slouched out over the closest loveseat, reading a book. The atmosphere in the common room had dispersed slightly. More Gryffindor students were coming out of their shells and making slow progress with the Slytherins. Draco had even noticed a few of them earlier playing a game of cards.

And so, the Snakes and Lions had begun to live in somewhat tense harmony.

Blaise hadn't said a word about the test. He changed the subject every time Theo had brought it up, and eventually he had given up trying to get information out of his stubborn friend. Draco had to admit that he was curious himself; he wanted to be slightly prepared when his name would be called, but he didn't want to force his friend.

Draco was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he didn't see Ginny and Harry approach until the redhead was almost right in his face.

"Do you have room for two more players?" Ginny asked, her attention on the two stunned Slytherin boys. Even Daphne raised her eyes from the book she was engrossed in.

"Uh- yeah, sure we do- don't we, Blaise?" Theo stuttered out, turning his attention to the shocked Slytherin next to him. Blaise nodded his head mutely and moved over on the couch to allow Ginny to sit next to him. Theo looked almost rigid as Harry slumped down next to him.

"You might want to prepare yourself for how competitive she gets," Harry spoke to Theo, nodding his head in the direction of his girlfriend, who had taken it upon herself to shuffle the cards that had been sat on the table moments earlier. "I have been at the receiving end of a few hexes all because she lost a game."

Theo raised his eyebrow, either in surprise that Harry was being polite to him, or in nervousness, due to the red-haired witch glaring at them from the other side of the couch.

"Thank Merlin, I am on your team." Blaise breathed in relief, leaning back against the couch as the tension rolled off his shoulders. Theo groaned inwardly as Harry smirked.

"Ready then, boys?" Ginny quirked her eyebrow.

Draco leant back again on the chair, grinning slightly as he heard Theo curse under his breath. That boy was a bad loser, he hoped Ginny knew what she was getting herself into. He briefly saw Hermione walk over towards Daphne, looking around her as if someone may interrupt their conversation.

"Constellations?" Daphne asked, as Hermione nodded her head sharply. Draco's curiosity got the better of him, and he sat up a little straighter as to listen better to the conversation, before a pure white owl flew into the common room and landed on the arm of the couch. He blinked a few times before he noticed his name scrawled across the envelope.

Fuck.

…..

Ten minutes later, Draco was sat in front of McGonagall in Dumbledore's old office. He noticed it mostly looked the same, if not for more plants littered around the room. He tried to keep his racing thoughts under control, as he tapped his foot nervously on the floor.

"Mr Malfoy, it will be over in a few minutes. You need not worry." McGonagall spoke, her eyes boring into him as he ceased the tapping of his foot.

"I'm not worried." Draco breathed. He cursed himself inwardly for his voice failing him. Damn fucking right, he was worried. He was worried for the poor witch that was going to have to put with him for the rest of his life. He was worried about the witch that was supposed be in love with him, showing him nothing but pure hatred and disgust. He was worried about falling in-

"Mr Malfoy," McGonagall spoke up sharply. Draco gulped loudly before giving his full attention to the older witch in front of him. "If you were not worried, I would be more than slightly concerned right now. As I have told the students that have come in before you; this is not something that will be forced upon you. What you feel after this test will be real. They will be your own feelings, and your own actions."

Draco didn't trust himself to speak. He had grew up in a cold household, where love and affection were something that was not shown. He didn't know if he could even love himself. Draco found it almost impossible to imagine being so in love with someone, that all he would be able to think about was her. His inner ramblings were interrupted by a wizard beckoning him to follow.

Draco didn't glance back at the Headmistress as he followed the short wizard into a conjoining room. He motioned for Draco to sit on the seat in the centre of the room, and he did so absently, his mind a jumbled mess. He listened with a blank expression as the wizard explained the ins and outs of the spell, how it would work, when it may kick in and, reminding him, just as McGonagall had done, that all thoughts and feelings would be his own.

His own.

No thoughts or feelings had been his own since he was eleven years old, Draco thought bitterly.

The wizard was standing impatiently in front of Draco, tapping his wand against his hand, when he suddenly realised, he had asked him a question.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"I asked if you were ready, Mr Malfoy." The stocky wizard snapped, looking at Draco with a level of indifference.

Draco barely had time to nod before the man pointed his wand and muttered an incantation under his breath.

The force of the spell was nearly enough to knock him off the seat. He felt waves of warmth envelop him, and he tried helplessly to fight against it. He struggled to control his breathing as the warm feeling pumped through his veins, as if attacking his organs one by one. His fingers and toes began to tingle softly, and he closed his eyes against the sensation. The warm feeling finally settled in his stomach. He took another shaky breath before the sensation exploded inside him, and he felt the spell begin to overpower his senses. The smell of coconuts and ink clouded his smell; it was if someone had placed them right under his nose. He could smell them so strongly; he was sure that they had to be right in front of him.

He opened his eyes sharply, expecting to see a coconut right in front of his face, but instead he found himself in the most beautiful forest he had ever seen. He craned his neck as he took in the towering trees all around him, the bright green of the trees was swarming his senses once more. He had no idea where he was, and the thought should have panicked him, but the warm bubble of the spell caressing his core was enough to keep him calm. He noticed in the distance a small tent set up on a tiny little hill. The sound of a girl laughing carefree almost pulled the very breath out from beneath him. He willed his legs to move, and look for the mysterious girl, but it was as if he were rooted to the spot.

Her laugh tingled all the way down his body as he tried in vain to follow the sound. He noticed suddenly that the forest was snapping in and out of vision, and he could only watch from his spot as the echo of the girls' laughter moved further away from him. The forest had almost completely disappeared, the smell of coconuts and ink still hugging at his senses, and before he opened his eyes, he saw a flash of gold and red robes, as the person ran her hand down his arm.

When he opened his eyes to stare at the wizard standing over him, he could barely breathe.

His soulmate was without a doubt a Gryffindor.

Fuck.