CHAPTER 4- Goodbye freedom

"When I get my hands on that girl." Thought Draco, flying down the corridor, the other students rushing to get out of his way. When he got to the Slytherin common rooms, he threw the door open, giving it a harsh slam behind him. The sound echoed throughout the dungeons. Pansy was sat alone pretending to read a book, unbeknownst to her the book was upside down.

Slowly, her eyes wandered up to him and gave him a little wave. "Draco darling, I was afraid that you'd never come back." She tried to keep her giggles at bay, but they quickly bubbled up when Draco's eyebrow twitched in annoyance.

Draco had been ranting to her, not shouting just talking extremely fast as if he were counting down the seconds. "Magically shackled Pansy! Do you know what that means? I'll have to spend every waking moment with Potter and it's all your fault." He blew off steam and soon flopped down onto an emerald armchair. "Draco…" He hated it when she dragged his name out like that, he cocked his head in her direction. Putting the book down, she leaned closer to him with a smirk.

"I'm sure you won't be missing your freedom for too long." Draco sighed asking, "and what do you mean by that?" Honestly, he wasn't keen on knowing the answer.

"You'll be distracted by Potters dreamy eyes." Pansy burst out laughing, the book slipping off the chair. The second it touched the floor, Draco stood up and swiftly exited the room with a scowl. Afraid that the answer would be true.

The sun hung low in the early hours of the evening. Colours of pink, violet and sapphire were painted across the sky as Draco headed towards the Black Lake. As always, Luna grinned up at him and spoke in her soothing breathy voice. "Hello Draco. Have you been in a fight?" The question was only full of curiosity, Draco thought carefully about his answer and sat next to the girl. He loosely crossed his legs and leaned back into the cool evening air.

"I suppose even you would hear about it." He grimaced, his relationship with Luna was very innocent. Pure in fact. This was the only person other than Cho and the late Cedric who didn't seem to care about his notoriety. Draco surmised that Luna wasn't too aware of things such as this as they seemed too trivial for her old soul.

A finger gently touched his face, as light as a feather, poking his cheek. "There's a cut at the bridge of your nose." She said in all seriousness. Draco cracked a smile, if she'd truly known some of the things he'd done, she wouldn't act like this. So carefree to him. So nice to him.

Only the low whistle of the wind could be heard as Luna patiently blinked at him, waiting for an explanation. He told her everything. Told her about the fight, what Dumbledore had cursed him with. It left his head hanging as the more he opened up, the more he realised this could have all been avoided if he'd listen to his mother. Truly, he didn't want to be like his father.

Laughter forced him to look up, he was about to ask her what was so funny when he caught a twitch of worry in her face. Soon, the laughter calmed into a sincere smile, infecting Draco's face as he mirrored it back at his friend. Smiles were contagious.

"Stop showing your Slytherin arrogance, show that Slytherin charm I always get to see." Words such as these felt years beyond him, he simply nodded his head. "Don't forget." Luna quickly added, they drew closer together. "You kissed Harry Potter." She whispered.

After only a moment, Draco's eyes had widened as much as his face had reddened. He jerked his head away from her. "You bloody did hear about it you little liar!" Draco turned away in embarrassment. But soon Draco changed his mind. He wouldn't be embarrassed, he'd be a Slytherin. Smirking he began, "he tastes like…"

Standing outside the hospital wing, Harry impatiently tapped his foot as he waited for Ron to be dismissed. As usual, Ron was clueless to what was going on. Only Hermione shoving Ron along to hurry him up gave him some form of comfort.

"Alright! Alright! I'm going!" Ron threw his head back, shrugging Hermione off him. "Didn't even get a second to rest, everyone kept asking me about the damn fight." The trio walk together and ended up leaving the castle to get some needed fresh air. The whole time Ron was barking in Harry's ear, complaining about Malfoy this and Malfoy that.

"I think you behaved very immaturely Ronald." Hermione criticised as the Black Lake came into view. "You haven't even told us how your sister is doing." Soon Ron stopped to squint, they all began to take notice of two figures in the distance.

The closer they got, the blonder the figures hair until It became a clear silvery colour. "One of them has to be Luna with the long hair." Hermione pointed out. The boys nodded in agreement. However, the mystery of the second figure was soon worked out. Ron was the first one to say it out loud. "It's bloody Malfoy!"

In unison, they sped over as wind blew into their faces, almost like it were trying to push them back. Nothing could stop a determined Gryffindor. They saw Malfoy towering over Luna, appearing as though he were ready to attack. But Harry changed his mind, all with Malfoy's attractive smile, immediately winning him over.

Ron was having none of it. "Malfoy!" The temperature dropped as Malfoy took hold of Luna's hand, giving it a shake before tiredly peering up, the softness in his face disappearing. Regretfully, Harry wished he could have captured a picture of that moment.

"You'd assume after we're going to be stuck together, you'd want a bit of space." Malfoy said, his hands entering his pockets as he sneered over the interruption. "Can't get enough of me?" All Harry could do was stand there awkwardly. Confusion passed over Ron's face before dismissing it just as fast.

"What are you doing with Luna?" Ron asked, pointedly. Even the cool evening couldn't calm his anger.

No one answered. Silence lingered uncomfortably as Malfoy straightened his back. "Well, I should get going, Potter try not to follow me this time. Goodbye Luna." He spoke. Luna giggled to herself and the pair exchanged a small wave before Malfoy turned to walk away. "Goodbye Draco." She beamed. Once Malfoy was out of earshot she explained. "We're friends."

Thanks to a certain Slytherin girl with a mouth most would describe as bigger than her face, word that Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy were going to be magically shackled together had spread faster than wildfire. Later that evening, when both boys entered their respective common rooms, they were bombarded with everyone in their house forming a crowd, getting the latest gossip.

"The headmaster wouldn't do that."

"Is it true?"

"I heard about the fight!"

"So, it's real then?"

"You can't be serious, they're from different houses."

"Didn't you kiss him? That's so gross."

"You're going to be stuck with Harry Potter."

"You're going to be stuck with Draco Malfoy."

It was scary. The Gryffindor house had become a riot. People were chanting something demeaning about Slytherins, others were cheering that Harry had punched the snake straight in the face. Most however, upon hearing the news, had very strong views on the matter and scrambled to force an answer out of their appointed saviour.

After being trapped in a corner for too long, Harry's friend's stepped in. Ron stood in front of Harry, playing the distraction. He babbled on about bravery like he was giving a speech which seemed to work for a few seconds, holding the audience's attention. This was enough time for Hermione to grab his arm and drag him up to his shared bedroom. With a heavy hand, Hermione pushed him into the door before casually making her way to her own room.

He'd be sure to thank his friends in the morning.

Slytherin was different. Draco came back to a relatively quiet common room and slipped into bed peacefully. The only problem was, he couldn't stop his thoughts invading his sleep. Sleep was off the table yet again. He sat up quietly and tiptoed to the bathroom with his wand tucked into the back of his pocket, not bothering to cast LUMOS.

Finding a mirror, swept back curtains let the gaze of the moon in. The mirror showed his soft blue pyjamas hanging loose from his tall figure, making him reminisce to a younger time. In his first year at Hogwarts, he was an inch shorter than Potter. Now, he was a few inches taller. There was still time, but Draco felt like the years had flown by so quickly. Older eyes than they should be. Sleepless nights weren't doing him any favours in the beauty department. His pointed features looked as sharp as ever, accentuated by the weight under his eyes.

With an unforgiving grip, he held onto the sink thinking about where his apparent 'Slytherin charm' could be. There was nothing charming in his reflection. A deep sigh relaxed his shoulders, the thought of Potter kept him from sleeping once again. Traveling back to his bedroom, everyone around him radiated soundless peace. Emerald silk sheets invited him back to bed.

Maybe he'd sleep tonight.

Once everyone was asleep in the Gryffindor house, Harry dared to leave his bedroom and make his way to sit on the worn-out carpet by the fireplace. Unaware of the time, Harry sat there thinking. He knew by now every year had something dangerous instore for him. Now, the idea of dragging someone else into his mess, even if it was Malfoy, didn't calm his guilt. Already, he felt guilt for his friends. He always seemed to put them in harm's way even though he'd never intentionally dream of doing such a thing.

The only sound being the crackling of the fire, slowly growing brighter. At least it's someone who hates me, he thought to himself. At least he doesn't care. Then, something odd happened to the fire. It began to whisper to him.

Harry rubbed his sleeves over his glasses, making sure his vision was crystal clear. "Harry…" Whispered the familiar voice, as a face grew from the fireplace. "Sirius?" He whispered back. Sirius' face broke into the flames sending ashes spitting out, startling Harry. The ashes floated down as Harry pushed himself closer to the fire grinning warmly. It was starting to get lonely, he needed someone to talk to.

"Harry, are you alright? I got the message." Sirius spoke through the fire. Message? Harry didn't say anything, only giving him a confused tilt of his head. "Your friend Hermione sent it to me. You got into a fight?"

Trying to hold back proved too hard in his tired state. Holding all his feelings in was too difficult, he desperately needed someone to talk to. "I'm going to be magically shackled to Draco Malfoy." He blurted out. All his god father did was chuckle. "But Sirius, we're enemies!" He said a little louder, trying to get across the gravity of the situation.

Sirius smiled lovingly at Harry, even from the flame he could make out the proudness in the wrinkles of his face. "Your father and I had a habit of getting into trouble. You've really followed in his footsteps and I couldn't be prouder." They spoke like father and son, feeling timeless. Harry often heard stories about his parents, what they were like when they were younger. He'd forgotten about his impending doom as he caught up with his god father, he only wished that they could spend more time together.

This was until the topic of tomorrow was brought up again. "Dumbledore wouldn't do that for no reason." And Harry agreed, though he didn't have a clue what the reason was. This wasn't his main problem. "I can't face Malfoy after what happened." Harry said sadly, pushing himself closer to the fireplace. Once he'd explained everything that had happened in the fight, apart from the kiss, Sirius hesitated. "Be brave like you always are Harry." And promptly left with a puff of ashes. Standing up, he glanced down at the now dull fireplace, the flames dying down and the embers growing cold.

Sometime had passed when he'd found himself in the bathroom, staring dead eyed into a draining sink. Water dripped back into the sink, he thought splashing some water in his face would calm him down. Nerves were starting to get to him. All he thought about was Draco Malfoy as he dragged his heels behind Ron on their way to breakfast. Time seemed to run from him.

Loud beating of his heart filled his ears as he stepped into the great hall, not paying attention to the sea of whispers that attempted to drown him. He sat next to Ron and tried to focus on the task of eating. Ron made light conversation with him, aiming to distract him but nothing could console Harry. They ate breakfast in silence until Ginny sat opposite the pair. She offered him a small nod as the two Weasley's began talking, leaving Harry to his thoughts.

Soon the missing member of the trio dropped a heavy book onto the table, making it groan underneath the weight. Hermione opened the book, blowing a layer of dust from one of the pages. "That thing looks about ready to fall apart." Ron coughed as dust was blown into his face.

Hermione brushed Ron off and turned to face Harry with a neutral face. "If you want to get away from Malfoy as soon as possible, you best learn how the spell actually works." She stated. Her finger travelled down the yellowing page as if she were downloading the information directly into her head. "It reads that the more the couple work out their problems the longer the invisible chain becomes until it eventually disappears. So, all you must do is talk. Easy enough right?" She explained as if they were completely clueless children.

Harry swallowed hard, his mind too focused on the word 'couple.' Anyone could see he was terrified. He'd have to talk things out with someone he spent a good part of his years at Hogwarts going against. "Easy? You do know this is Malfoy we're talking about." Ron scrunched up his face, disgusted by the mere mention of the enemy.

With a loud BANG, Hermione shut the book with a heavy hand and ripped it off the table, sliding it next to her bag. "You'd be surprised. I think he's at least trying to change." Hermione stopped, looking off into the distance.

"He apologised to me, don't you remember?"

A/N- This chapter is what gave inspiration to the summary. Hermione's wise words helping people out as always. I think that's just part of her character in general haha. The dynamic between Draco and Luna is something I find so special, in the future I can guaranty they will meet again but next time with Harry involved.

In my opinion I'm very neutral about Hermione and Ron's pairing, she doesn't really need anyone but I cant imagine anyone else Ron could be with. Ron's still cool though. Hope you guys enjoyed it! A hint for the next chapter (close your eyes if you don't want one) is that Draco really did apologise to Hermione.

I'll see you next week my loves :)