A/N: Since there has been some confusion about the time lines in the last chapter, let me clear that up for you: So, the part written in italics refers to the present and anything that's not in italics is like a flashback to the past. Or you could also view the italics as a flashforward to the future and anything in normal font as the present. However you like it. ;) So basically what's in italics happens after the stuff in normal font ;) Hope that clears up the confusion!

19 – Seriously Bored

DRACO

"– is activated by this incantation that I couldn't decipher. What do you think?"

Draco thought about raven locks that were tickling his skin, soft pink lips and sparkling green eyes full of affection that drove him absolutely mad.

"Do you think it might be related to the heart?" The voice asked further. He nodded absently, so she would stop talking and he could keep envisioning –

"How though? Is it the shape? Or the word?" The sound of someone clapping their hands once, abruptly burst his daydreams like a bubble. "I've got it! The word… It could be related to the incantation. You need a heart to bring something to life, right?" The voice exclaimed in a tone that was much too excited for his taste.

"What." He hissed in annoyance. He might have a soft spot for the blonde Ravenclaw but she was seriously getting on his nerves in that moment.

"I was just explaining to you what I found out about the golems," Luna said patiently. "It's really interesting but I couldn't decipher the incantation that activates them. But I think you really might be onto something with your idea." The girl smiled and pointed at the little heart that was scribbled all over the information she had collected about golems. He blinked, his gaze wandering from the heart to the quill in his hands. Had he drawn that?

She pulled the parchment over to herself, inspecting the words and the doodled heart thoughtfully.

"Do you have any other ideas?"

Draco shook his head. Why was she this bent on learning about that golem stuff anyway?

"I'm sure it'll all make sense in the end," she mumbled almost to herself. "Do you want me to get you a Reverse Fool Potion?" She added, suddenly focusing her attention on him.

"What?" He asked sceptically, not at all sure he wanted to know the answer.

"You're a bit unfocused," the girl replied kindly. "It helps regaining your ability to concentrate. Most commonly used by people whose mental abilities are limited due to the foolishness that comes along with lovesickness."

Draco gaped at her. He barely stopped himself from saying 'What?' a third time.

"It's fine," she replied, placing her hand on his arm. "I understand. And I'm not mad at you for not listening to what I told you earlier."

Shit. So, she had noticed that. Wait. She had insulted him just now. Why did he feel sorry?

"I'm neither foolish, nor am I lovesick," he grunted, pulling his arm away and crossing both of them in front of his chest.

"My mistake," she mumbled innocently, raising her eyebrow in a way that could only be described as mocking. "Did you get a chance to ask about the letter then?"

For a moment he didn't know what letter she was talking about. Then he remembered, sighing heavily. "I did."

"And? Did Haley know who sent it?"

Draco shrugged. He wasn't sure if it was the best idea to tell her. But then, the girl knew so much about him and Haley already, it didn't really matter much.

"Er… her godfather sent it," he whispered, feeling stupidly scared for a moment just because he was talking about the famous mass murderer. He had to remind himself that he wasn't actually a mass murderer. And that he wasn't going to come kill him just because he mentioned him in a conversation. But still. Old habits died hard.

"Her godfather?" Luna's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "He knows about you?"

He nodded. He wasn't entirely sure, she knew Haley's godfather was Sirius Black. If not, he wasn't going to be the one telling her.

"And obviously doesn't approve." Draco scoffed, fishing another letter out of his bag. This one was fresh from that morning.

The girl's eyes wandered across the slightly crumpled letter with a frown. "Another one? What did Haley say when you showed her?"

He sighed once more, remembering her more than slightly emotional reaction. "She wanted to write him. Tell him to stop." He watched her reading the words and smoothing out the sodding parchment that was now resting on the pages of the book she had been reading earlier. "Perhaps she forgot."

He reached over and closed the book, making her stop studying it so intensely.

"It doesn't matter." He offered, trying to convince himself as much as his friend.

"I'm sure if he got to know you, he would realize that you're like a thestral. You know, they are just misunderstood creatures that everyone avoids because they are blinded by prejudices and fear. But if they dared to take a closer look they might find themselves surprised in a positive way."

She smiled warmly at him, making him wonder if he even deserved her kindness. And why was someone as thoughtful and gentle as her even spending time with him when he was known for being mean to others?

There was a noise. Somebody was moving toward their corner. Quickly, he grabbed a random book from the shelf behind him, opened it and pretended to read intently.

Someone sat down in the chair next to him. "That one looks promising," said a very familiar voice to his left. He looked over in surprise where a cheerful smile greeted him.

"So, this is your secret hide-out?" His favourite Gryffindor asked. "It wasn't hard to find you."

The way Haley was smiling at him made Draco smile back reflexively and filled his insides with tingly rays of sunshine and an embarrassing bout of giddiness. But why was she here? It probably wasn't wise of her to seek him out like this… Anyone could find them.

"Can I borrow that?" She whispered, not looking away from him for even a second.

"Hm?" What did she want to borrow?

She bit her lips, eyes shining with amusement. "The book."

Draco frowned, gazing at said book. He closed the cover and read the title. The Secret Art of Potion Brewing. How to get from Troll to Outstanding. What did she want with that? Potter wasn't that bad at Potions. He knew from that time he helped her with her essay.

"I'm sure you don't–" He started to say but something cut him off. Haley had leaned over and dropped a kiss on his cheek. It had taken no more than a split-second. Draco stared at her, still in shock at her boldness. Anyone could see them in here!

"Thank you, Draco," she said quietly, beaming at him. Her face was an expression of giddiness and joy. His heart fluttered softly. Did she feel like that because of him? He cleared his throat.

"Why are you here? Anyone could find us." She had pointed that out herself.

The girl got up, reaching for the book on the table and sending him a cheeky grin. "Just looking for a book," she offered, before turning to the other girl sitting at the table. "Hi Luna. See you tonight." And with that she left the corner just as quickly as she had entered it. It was as if she hadn't even been here in the first place. Slowly, Draco's eyes wandered from the spot where his girlfriend – his girlfriend! – had vanished to the blonde, sitting opposite him with a lifted eyebrow. He cleared his throat once more.

"Well…" he offered, not knowing what to say. He felt terribly exposed. Was she going to mention the fact that Haley had been using his first name?

Luna grinned, silently watching him. Judging him?

He frowned. "What did she mean 'See you tonight'? Do you have another of your secret meetings?"

She nodded. "Sorry, I can't tell you more about it." She placed her pointer finger in front of her mouth and glanced at him apologetically. "Maybe, if you–" She stopped herself, her brows scrunching up slightly.

"What is it?" He asked, alarmed.

Luna gazed at the table in front of her. "She took the wrong one," she whispered.

It took him a moment to understand she was talking about the book. The Secret Art of Potion Brewing was still lying on the table, whereas the one Luna had been studying was gone. It was the one with her golem notes stuck inside it. Her golem notes and the new letter from Sirius Black. Well shit.

"Maybe we both need a Reverse Fool Potion," the girl commented. For once Draco wholeheartedly agreed with her.

…

HALEY

What a stupid idea. How could she have done something this reckless? Well, if she was honest, Haley hadn't dared to steal more than a few glances at the Slytherin during breakfast. And she had hated that she couldn't just go over and talk to him. Or touch him. No. She had to endure the torture of sitting on one side of the gigantic hall, while the boy who she couldn't stop thinking about was all the way on the other side. Completely out of reach. Which was why she had taken the first opportunity – she had been working on an essay with Hermione and Ron – and told her friends she needed to go look for more books. Of course, she had hoped to find something else in the back corner of the library as well. And she had. And now she was almost dancing back to her friends with a million-watt smile on her face.

"Wow, not even Hermione has ever looked this happy over a book," Ron commented when she returned.

Hermione looked up from her assignment. "He's right," she said mildly surprised. "You're positively glowing."

Haley shrugged, sitting down at the table with her book clutched to her chest. "It's a brilliant book."

She said with a sheepish grin, not meeting either of her friends' gazes.

"Oh, yeah?" Ron raised an eyebrow sceptically.

Haley nodded, placing the book on the table and reading the title for the first time.

"Since when have you been interested in runes? You're not even taking the course." Hermione said with a frown.

"Um… it looked fun… It's a shame I never took Ancient Runes," Haley replied, opening the thick volume that was titled Runes, Secret Codes and Ancient Incantations. As the girl flipped through the pages randomly, she felt two pairs of eyes watching her. But surprisingly, she wasn't bothered by it. Everything seemed … dreamlike. And light.

"Haley – are you sure there isn't another reason you're in such a good mood?" Asked Hermione in a careful voice.

The girl grinned but didn't look up from the pages. "Maybe, there is," she whispered.

"So? Are you going to tell us?" Ron wanted to know.

For a moment, Haley looked up into the expectant faces of her friends. Would they understand? Or would they judge her? She decided that she didn't want to ruin her good mood just yet. "I'll tell you soon," she replied, turning back to her book.

"Why not tell us now?" Ron asked. He sounded somewhat impatient.

Haley frowned. Someone had left a note between the pages. "What-?" Then she recognized the writing. Another letter? Damn. She had forgotten to write to her godfather about this.

"Huh?" The boy pressed.

Abruptly, Haley jumped from her seat. She had to fix this. She had to –

"What's wrong?"

The girl shook her head. "I've got to go," she muttered breathlessly, her eyes still glued to the words. They were just as horrible as the ones in the first letter.

"Go where? Why? What is it?" Hermione asked while Ron was trying to get a glimpse at the letter that was making her this angry. She held the book higher.

"The owlery," Haley answered simply. And with that she swept out of the library.

She didn't even remember getting to the owlery. People and places were only strange shapes and colours that didn't matter to her. The only thing that was important was that her godfather would finally stop sending the boy she liked these atrocious letters!

The moment, she arrived in the owlery, she realised that she didn't even bring a quill or something to write on. How intelligent of her. But fortunately, it didn't take her long to spot a lost pen in one of the corners, almost hidden by old feathers and dust. Seemed like someone had forgotten it. She picked it up, trying not to wonder where the dark stains stemmed from and scanned the place for a piece of paper. There was none. Her eyes wandered to the book in her hand. She could rip out one of the pages or… Beneath the letter was another piece of paper. There were strange symbols all over it but the backside was blank. It didn't seem like someone would miss it. She started to fill the blank page with sentences that reflected how furious and betrayed she felt.

Just as she was done and turned to the owls in order to search for her trusted feathery friend, she realised something else. She couldn't use Hedwig. Not with Umbrigde snooping around. Why hadn't she thought of that sooner? Now she had to go all the way back to her common room and hope that George was there. So she could ask him to relay her message. And if he wasn't? Well, then she would have to take a long look at the Marauder's Map.

…

SIRIUS

Life at Grimmauld Place was utterly boring. Sometimes it felt as if he had never truly escaped Azkaban. He was still a prisoner, wasn't he? Still surrounded by painful memories and the shadows of his childhood. Doomed to stay in that foul house day-in, day-out. It was slowly driving him insane. Lately, though, a source of fun had entered his dull daily routine. Sirius found a sick pleasure in looking for the most vile insults in books that originally dragged Muggles through the mud, written by a pureblood guy called Brutus Malfoy. He then wrote letters filled with the most offensive slurs he could find and sent them to none other than the author's great-grand-something-son. The irony made the man cackle gleefully, as he penned out the next one, cheerfully sifting through his volume in search of more insults.

Did he feel guilty? Not in the slightest. That little pest had no business playing around with his goddaugher. It was his own fault for trying to mess with her. The sooner Haley saw what a bastard that disgusting snake really was, the better. Who could blame him for doing his part to further their inevitable separation? Even if that boy was serious about her – which Sirius did not believe for one second – he would eventually break her heart. There was no point denying that. So, he would of course make sure this thing ended before Haley got hurt worse. Because it was obvious that she would get hurt.

Over Christmas, when she had opened her heart to him, it had been evident that she cared about that boy. So, it was better for her to get over this nonsense before her feelings got any deeper. What did she even see in that bastard? It was a mystery to him. Just as it had been with Lily and Snivelus. How could she have been friends with someone who was so busy with worshipping dark magic that he couldn't even be bothered to wash his hair? But Lily had seen the light in the end. And so would her daughter.

With a grim smile Sirius dipped his quill into the bottle of ink to his right, when a noise interrupted him. Someone was downstairs. But there was no meeting planned for tonight, was there?

With a sigh, he put down the quill and made his way downstairs. It ended up being Molly. She brought him some of her famous pumpkin pie and complained that he wasn't eating enough. She didn't stay long but informed him over a cup of tea in his kitchen that the Order was meeting the next day. Before she left she handed him a letter from Haley. His goddaughter. His stupid goddaughter who he terribly missed. He almost forgot saying goodbye to his cousin, that's how eager he was to read the letter. He broke the seal and fished out a small piece of paper. It was a good thing Sirius was already sitting down at his kitchen table because the words he found in the letter almost knocked him over.

I can't believe you! You liar! How could you do this to me! I trusted you, damn it! If you send one more of those horrible letters to him, this will be it. I will never speak a word to you again! And if you think, I'll talk to you again, if we eventually break up, you can forget that as well! Never means never! And if you keep writing these letters, you can never call yourself a godfather again! Do I make myself clear!

She might have as well sent a howler. It felt as if he was being yelled at. Sirius chuckled. Ah, she definitely got her temper from her mother. He sighed. Teenagers really were a handful. Was she actually serious? She would never speak a word with him again? She couldn't mean it, right? But what if she did? He grimaced. Writing these letters had been such a fun pastime. Did he really have to go back to his boring routine of slinking through the halls and riling up that miserable house elf? He turned the paper around in case he might find a solution there. Maybe it was all just a prank after all. Maybe she –

What was that? Runes? He had seen these symbols before. Regulus had had a phase where he'd been interested in all kinds of secret codes and runes once. He glanced back at the page. This didn't seem like his goddaughter's script, though. Who had written it then? That Slytherin snake? Was he trying to send him some kind of secret message? What were the odds that he would find a book on exactly these runes inside his brother's old bedroom? Sirius grinned. It seemed like he had found a new way to kill the boredom after all.

…

A/N: Hello hello! I know, this is terribly short but my original draft was so freakishly long that I had to cut it off somewhere. To make up for the short chapter I will post the next one within the next few days, so stay tuned for that :) And i can tell you that some things you guys have beeen waiting for are going to happen in the next chappy ;)

Thanks for reading, everyone :) !

(Btw is anyone else as heartbroken over the end of season two of Tokyo Ghoul as me?)