It was a long few weeks. Draco had slipped the note into her hand from her bag, hoping that the other parts of the Golden Trio were able to find it. They did, that was for sure.
When the youngest Weasley went missing down into the chamber, Lockhart was sent down into it, and Potter and Weasley followed. The chamber was in the second floor girl's bathroom that whole time. Myrtle's bathroom. How anyone missed it was all a mystery. Potter, Weasley, and Lockhart - who was indeed a fake - left the chamber with the girl and without Lockhart's memories. He had tried to Oblivite Weasley with his wand, and, for once, the broken wand saved him.
The basilisk in the chamber was killed and the four of them escaped mostly unscathed.
Today was the day that the Mandrake Restorative Draught was being administered to all the Petrified victims. Hermione was going to be back, and Draco was going to tell her how he felt.
Later.
First, a feast to celebrate the ending of the term, and the restoring of peace to the school. THe Slytherins didn't seem to like this outcome, and were therefore not celebrating, but Draco was on the inside. Mya came running in with a big smile halfway through the feast, along with the other unpetrified victims. Draco could barely contain the smile that wanted to escape his face.
Sir Nicolas, the Gryffindor ghost, was greeted back happily by most. Creevey got that picture he wanted with Potter, finally. Hagrid had been summoned back from Azkaban, and everyone started cheering. Draco had to drag Crabbe back to his sitting position yet again when he got caught in the moment.
As a school treat, the exams had been cancelled. It was quite detrimental to their education, especially the OWL students, but who was Draco to judge?
He couldn't wait until later that night when he could talk to Hermione.
.
It was hours later, nearly after curfew, when Hermione ran into the RoR. She launched herself into Draco's arms, and he unconsciously kissed her temple. It was a natural response by now. They stood there, rocking back and forth, hugging the life out of the other, for a long time. Draco inhaled the scent of her lemon shampoo and pulled away.
"Mya."
"Dray."
"Merlin, I missed you. Do you have any idea how hard it was to not see you every day. Well, not see you in a state that you were in. I visited you every day."
"I know. I heard."
Draco paused. "You heard? How?"
"Well, it was only when you were around, but I felt every time you kissed my temple, and heard nearly every word you said. And Dray?"
"Yeah Mya?"
"I really, really like you too." Draco stood there, mouth hanging open, and then hugged her again. They leaned their heads back, looking at each other, and then, almost trancelike, leaned forward again until their lips touched.
It was perfect. Everything was perfect. He had his Mya, she had her Dray. They were each other's, and they were the only people who could know that.
Draco pulled his head away from hers and she buried her face in his shoulder. He rubbed her back, it just felt right.
"Mya."
"Yeah?" she said, pulling herself out of his arms. "What is it?"
"Will you be my girlfriend?"
She giggled. "Of course, Dray. Give me one reason why not." Draco looked at his girlfriend, his girlfriend, and shook his head. They sat down on their individual armchairs, and Draco remembered the meeting in the Hospital Wing he had with the Weasley twins a few weeks ago.
"Um, Mya, the Weasley twins know I'm close friends with you. They have this weird map, shows where everyone is at any given time. They saw I visited you every night and came to see why."
Mya nodded. "They told me. They also told me to tell you that, and I quote, 'if you ever hurt our little sister, we will find you and tear you to pieces.'"
Draco's eyes widened at the thought of what they would do. "I would never hurt you. I wasn't going to before, and I definitely won't now. I like myself in one piece, thank you very much."
"Oh Dray."
They didn't want to practice any magic that night, agreeing that catching up with each other was more important. "What's this I hear about a Malfoy elf attacking Harry, though Dray?"
"Dobby? I, uh, I told him to keep Potter safe, perhaps get him home. I know this school is his home, but he shouldn't have been here this year. Dobby took it a little too far."
Mya looked at him in disbelief. "A little."
"Ok, maybe quite a bit. But I didn't tell him how to do it, just to do it."
Mya moved into his armchair, turning it into a loveseat, and the two of them cuddled for a long time, Draco carding his hands through her beautiful, bushy, hair, talking about things late into the night.
.
The Gryffindors won the house cup again, no surprise there, and the end of the year came entirely too fast. Draco secured a compartment on the train just for him and Mya, and they shared their last few hours together happily. She left about halfway through the ride, knowing Potter and Weasley - no, Harry and Ron - were going to be wondering where she was. She finally got him to call certain people by their given names when the two of them were alone.
As soon as she left, Fred and George slid into the compartment. They sat across from Draco, and he was quite intimidated by the looks on their faces until they smiled. Not that he would ever admit it.
"So, we heard you got a girlfriend-"
"-and we wanted to congratulate you in person-"
"-but also wanted to let you know-"
"-that if you ever hurt her-"
"-there will be a whole new world of painful pranks in the market for you."
Draco's head was still reeling a few minutes after they left, why did they have to be so unpredictable?
This summer, hopefully, was going to be better.
.
Mya,
I miss you so much. There is so much I wish to tell you, but these could be intercepted by my father at any time. But Merlin, I wish I could see you. Your beautiful face makes me smile every time I think of it, and I often think of it in times that I should not smile.
The Weasleys won that prize Galleon drawing at the Ministry. I am happy for them. Glad they got a bit of gold.
Also, did you hear about the escape that was a couple of days ago? Be careful, Mya. Be careful. He's a murderer, but he also is the first to ever escape Azkaban. Sirius Black is not to be joked about.
Hope you had a fun time in France. There are a few magical creatures there, and I hope you got a chance to see a few of them.
Also, that book for CoMC, what about it? I suppose you haven't been to Diagon Alley yet, but the book is practically alive. I wonder who the teacher is. Professor Ketteburn wouldn't assign something like that.
I hope to be able to take you on a couple of Hogsmeade dates, but we probably won't be able to do it. Unless you take Polyjuice or something. Although, I suppose you've had enough of that.
Merlin Mya. I can't wait 'til we can meet in the RoR.
Yours,
Dray
.
He had exchanged letters with Mya over the summer, and even gotten a gift for his birthday from her. Her birthday was in a couple more weeks, and the Hogwarts express was leaving tomorrow. He would be able to see his girlfriend tomorrow. It was practically all that was holding him together at this point.
He just wanted contact with her.
Sirius Black was a threat, mostly to Potter - er, Harry - but he was a dangerous criminal, killing over a dozen muggles and a wizard with one curse. Most likely a Bombaria. Does the most damage.
.
The next morning, Draco got on the train after getting a nice family send off, if only for show. His father had leaned over him and told him to behave, so that was that. Such a loving father, he had.
He went to torment Harry and see his Mya, but quickly backed off when he saw the Professor in the compartment with them. He didn't want detention before the term even started. That would be the opposite of behaving, like his father had told him to.
When the train started slowing, he was confused. He had been watching out the windows, and they were not even halfway yet. So what was going on?
The creatures that entered the train were ones that took Draco a moment to identify. To his credit, they were only seen by a few, though that seemed to have changed this year. Dementors.
He ran to a compartment in the dark and was glad that only Fred and George were in it. They would be able to come up with a suitable cover story for him. Although, it might just be the truth.
Once the foul creatures left, there were whispers that Potter had fainted. Draco, knowing an opportunity, took it and filed it for future use. He wished the play was over, he hoped it would be soon.
Hermione was able to slip away for a moment, saying she had to use the powder room, and meet Draco in an empty compartment. They had time for a quick hug and kiss, which was new and nice, and then she had to leave. At least he was able to see that she wasn't too shaken up by the dementors. The train stopped shortly after they had met up, and Draco geared himself up for the teasing and tormenting that he would have to be doing. It was all a part. That was becoming a mantra, wasn't it. It was, at this point, all that was holding him together, besides Mya.
"You fainted Potter? You really fainted?" He hated the tone of voice he was using. He really did. It was all a part. He elbowed Mya out of the way and blocked the steps. He looked over to her in disgust with apology in his eyes.
"Go away, Malfoy."
"Did you faint as well, Weasley? Just like your mother, once she got ahold of that gold this summer, I expect."
"Is there a problem, boys?" The new professor asked. Draco did a quick once over, assessing the new threat, and added a measure of sarcasm to his tone. "Oh, of course not, sir." It was all a part.
.
After Harry and Mya were dragged off by McGonagall, the sorting took place. Because they were dragged off by the teacher that did the sorting, Professor Flitwick did it instead.
He saw Mya and her friend walk in, and Dumbledore started talking soon after they were seated. "Welcome to another spectacular year at Hogwarts. To the new students, welcome, and to those of you who decided it was a good idea to come back, I heartily welcome you back as well." A chuckle met his word from most of the student body. "I have a few announcements to make before you all become stuffed with food."
He cleared his throat before continuing. "You should all be aware of the dementors the school is playing host to, they are here on Ministry of Magic business. They are stationed at every entrance to the grounds, and while they are with us, I must state clearly that no one is to leave grounds without permission. They will not be fooled by tricks and disguises - not even Invisibility Cloaks." Draco assumed that was directed to Potter. The Weasley twins had borrowed one from him, after all. "It is not in their nature to understand pleading and begging, so I therefore warn you to give them a reason to harm you. I look to our new Head Boy and Girl and our prefects, both new and old, to make sure no student runs into the dementors in an unfortunate manner." Everyone looked around uneasily, and the tension and fear was felt throughout the entire Hall.
"On a happier note, I am pleased to welcome our new teachers.
"First, Professor Lupin, who will be taking over the position of Defence against the Dark Arts." A kind bit of students applauded the new teacher, but it was obvious that people were getting tired of different teachers every year. It was a bit tiring.
"And for our other new appointment, I am sorry to inform you that our Care of Magical Creatures professor, Professor Kettleburn, has decided to retire in order to enjoy time with his remaining limbs. However, I am pleased to welcome Rubeus Hagrid, our Gamekeeper, to fill his place."
There was a collection of applause from the Gryffindor table. He did seem to favor them.
"I believe that is everything of importance. Let the feast begin!" With a great flourish of his arms, the feast appeared on the tables. Draco waited a polite bit of time for others to get their food before reaching for his own.