21 – Love The Enemy

DRACO

Draco woke up from a sharp pain in his earlobe. He cursed, sitting up in his bed and reaching for his wand.

"Lumos," he whispered, looking around for whatever had disturbed him. An owl? At this hour? But what else could the small brown figure be? It must have bit him. He scowled. How had that blasted bird even got in here? There were no windows in the dungeons. The bird hooted softly, staring at him out of big expectant eyes. He wanted to curse the owl for waking him up so rudely but the curiosity was stronger. Who would send and owl this late at night? With a yawn he untied the little note from the owl's leg and enfolded it.

I don't even want to know how you found out about golem magic but I should hope you're not stupid enough to further engage yourself or my goddaughter in this tomfoolery. It's a dangerous branch of magic that even experienced wizards haven't been able to master. I trust you understand what I am going to do, if I hear you're involving her in your little experiments.

Perhaps you've already noticed but the owl is a little impatient. It appears to have a penchant for biting. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a less violent bird. I hope it didn't wake you or anything.

"Shit," Draco cursed. The owl had bit him again. This time it had picked his finger. "Blasted bird", he mumbled, shooing the brown owl away. It hopped closer again. What did it still want? A treat?

"Accio owl treat," he muttered, pointing his wand somewhere in the general direction of his cupboard. The treat came flying toward him and was promptly snatched up by the bird. He had half a mind to hex the owl, seeing as it was making a mess of crumbs on his bed and still not leaving!

"Shoo!" He tried impatiently but the bird only started hooting again. Then it tapped its leg on the letter urgently. Oh. Was it waiting for a reply? He groaned. The blasted creature would probably pester him and keep him from sleeping until he had written a response. That Black sure knew how to torture someone. With a sigh he summoned a quill and an ink bottle and turned the note around. What the heck was he supposed to write? Was it inappropriate if he started the letter with Hi bastard?

Maybe he should just forego the address.

Neither do I give a damn about golems nor am I involved with any dubious experiments. So, leave me bloody alone and stop sending me those ridiculous letters!

He erased the last line.

You may think I'm some worthless Slytherin who's nowhere near good enough for your goddaughter, but I would never let anything bad happen to her. Not if I can help it. You probably don't believe this. But it's the truth.

He thought about it for a moment. Then he added another line.

Fortunately, I wasn't bothered by the bird at all. It didn't even wake me. Truly, a well-behaved animal.

Draco grinned. Let him think his petty plan had failed. But then the last three sentences vanished all of a sudden. What the-?

He tried another line.

The blasted bird bit me so I hexed its beak off.

This time only the second half of the sentence vanished. Oh, he realized. A truth serum. He must have impregnated the parchment with it. Draco rolled his eyes and erased the half-finished sentence. So, the parchment only allowed him to write things that were true. Well, if that was the case…

The bird was as pleasant as our correspondence thus far. I guess, I do have a hand for animals after all.

The lines remained clear and blue against the white parchment. The boy smirked. He even got away with calling the fool an animal. That should be enough, right? He couldn't be expected to write anything more in the middle of the night. So, he folded up the parchment and tied it around the owl's leg again. For a second he considered placing an exploding hex on the letter but before he could even think of the incantation, the bird had flown off into the darkness. Even better. That meant he could finally go back to sleep now. A certain Gryffindor was waiting for him in his dreams.

…

HALEY

"Dean? Hand me the sausages, would you?" Ron asked at breakfast. Even though the bowl with the sausages was located right next to Haley. The boy hadn't spared her a glance all morning. Let alone, talk to her. It was like fourth year all over again. Haley sighed. How long would his indifference last this time? She glanced at Hermione who only gave a shrug in return. Obviously, her friend wasn't going to get involved in her and Ron's argument.

"Come on, there's something we've got to do. Did you forget?" He asked Hermione impatiently. The boy was already up, sausage in hand dripping onto his robes.

Haley shot her friend a questioning look. What was he talking about?

"Oh." Hermione turned to Haley. "Right. Would you mind going on ahead? Ron wanted my help with something." She rolled her eyes. That meant it was something harmless. Potentially stupid but harmless. Haley shook her head.

"I don't mind," she replied, "See you in a bit." Watching Ron pull her friend through the hall made her wonder what the two of them were up to. From the corner of her eye she noticed something red and glowing. A remembrall. It was lying on the bench, abandoned. Had someone forgotten it? Her eyes wandered to the entrance of the hall. Neville was just reaching it…

"Neville, wait!" She called after him, catching him at the doors. "Is that yours?" She asked, showing him the little ball.

"Oh… Yes! Thank you!" He said, taking the remembrall and frowning at the red smoke billowing up inside it. "If only, it told me exactly what I forgot!"

"Maybe it's just the remembrall reminding you that you've forgotten it," She suggested, as they walked down the hall that lead toward the Defence Against the Dark Arts class room.

"No… I don't think so. It would stop then, wouldn't it? But it keeps smoking!"

He was right. Then, right as they walked past a massive tapestry, showing a red three-headed dragon on a black background, Neville suddenly stopped.

"Merlin! I forgot my Theoretical Defence assignment!" He exclaimed in horror. He bit his lips, probably wondering if it was worse to arrive late to Umbridge's class or to be on time but without an assignment. "I should probably go back to the tower and get it. Sorry." He added, looking at her apologetically.

"Don't worry about it. If you want to, I'll distract her so she won't notice you tiptoeing into the class room," she joked.

Neville's eyes widened. "Really? You would do that?"

Haley chuckled. "I was joking," she explained. "But if you keep gaping at me, I really might have to come up with a distraction."

"Oh. Right." The boy smiled at her shyly. "Sorry." He shuffled his feet on the ground sheepishly. Had he always been this cute?

"I guess, I'll go then?" He said it like it was a question.

She raised an eyebrow, trying not to grin. "Yeah?"

"All right," he bit his lips. "I'll try to make it on time!"

"Sure." She chuckled softly, as he gave a little wave and ran down the hall in the opposite direction. He really was a sweet guy. What had Hermione said yesterday? That she deserved someone sweet and kind… like Neville? Neville definitely was sweet. But… that didn't change the fact that there was already a different boy in her heart. A boy who –

Someone grabbed her arm and pulled her through the tapestry into a hidden narrow passage. Before she could draw her wand, she spotted familiar blond hair lit up by a torch that dispelled the urge to defend herself. Instead she found herself smiling.

"Smiling at other guys, now, Potter?" The boy drawled in a bored tone.

"Why? Don't tell me you're jealous."

Draco scoffed. "Please. Malfoys are never jealous. We don't have a reason to be."

She lifted an eyebrow. "Of course you don't."

"It's not like you…" he stalked closer to her, making her lean back against the stone wall. "told Longbottom you liked him, right?" His voice sounded casual but there was a spark in his grey eyes that told her, he was thinking of one particular afternoon, where she might or might not have confessed her feelings to him. Did he want her to say it again?

"No." She said slowly, drawing out the o and peered up at him innocently. Then she glanced behind him, taking in their surroundings. "What is this place anyway? Some kind of secret passageway?"

"Something like that," he answered, gaze still focused on her. That didn't explain much.

"So, does that mean someone could just barge in here any moment?"

"Probably not." He shook his head.

"Probably? Are you going to make a habit out of this now? Telling people about us without checking with me first?" She had meant for it to come out as a joke but now she realised that the whole incident still bothered her somewhat. She crossed her arms.

Draco frowned. "Is this about your friends? I told you I thought you had already informed them."

She chuckled. Informed them. What a choice of words.

"I really don't get what's so funny about this," he muttered darkly. "Must be because I'm not one of your precious Gryffindor friends."

Was he annoyed with her? She sighed, taking his hand gently. He let her. He always did.

"Look," she began. "I don't blame you… much." He glared at her. She raised his hand to her mouth and pressed a kiss to the back of it. He stopped glaring.

"It feels… good that I don't have to hide this from my friends any more." She smiled, drawing circles on the back of his hand with her thumb. "It's just… well… they didn't…" She sighed again, looking at her feet dejectedly, her voice nothing but a quiet whisper.

"They… didn't jump in excitement?" He joked lightly.

"No, can you imagine?" She quipped back half-heartedly.

"Clearly they're fools," he replied. "Ask anyone else in the castle and they'll tell you what a catch I am."

Haley snorted. "I'm sure. After you've handed them a couple of gold coins."

"I don't need to pay people to like me," he said with a sneer.

"It would make things easier, though," she noted wistfully.

Draco sighed, raking his free hand through his hair. "So, what did your friends say?"

The girl chewed on her lip indecisively. "Well… Hermione wasn't too surprised actually. She'd almost figured it out on her own."

"What?" His eyes widened in surprise.

"Yeah." She nodded. "Sometimes I think she's too clever for her own good." She chuckled softly. "She… wasn't too happy about it, though. But… I think she's trying… to come to terms with it. More or less. At least she's still talking to me." She added with a sad little laugh. It was quiet for a moment, while Haley did nothing but stare at the ground and listen to the soft sounds of their breathing.

"What about the Wea– Weasley?" The boy finally asked.

She almost chuckled because of his near slip-up. He really was trying. She squeezed his hand.

"He-" She broke off, not sure how to put into words how Ron's rejection still made her feel. "He thinks I betrayed him," she whispered. "He says he wants nothing to do with Slytherins or someone who associates with them." She shrugged helplessly. "He treats me as if I'm not even there." Her voice broke on the last word. Did she sound as hurt as she felt?

The girl finally looked up, witnessing a conflict of emotions on the Slytherin's face. His mouth was twisted in anger, his brows were knotted up in a way that hinted at worry or astonishment. But underneath the surface there was the familiar layer of unwavering affection that told her how deeply he cared and that he would hurt whoever made her sad. It was oddly reassuring. And in that moment she wanted nothing more than to be wrapped up in his arms and surround herself with nothing but the calming scent of lavender and mint. So, she stepped forward and threw her arms around the boy, nestling her face against the soft fabric of his robes.

…

DRACO

The forcefulness with which she clung to him made Draco wonder what else the weasel had said to her. In which other way he had hurt her. The thought that not too long ago he had done the same to Haley on a regular basis made him even angrier.

"I'm going to break every single bone in his body," he muttered darkly, hugging the girl even more tightly.

"Please don't," she whispered, her voice muffled because her face was pressed up against his chest. "I only just convinced him not to hurt you."

What? Had she been that worried that her friend would try to cause him harm? It wasn't like the weasel had even the slightest chance against him. Then he remembered something. Yesterday, when her friends had caught them the weasel had been ready to attack him. And Haley? What had she said? Don't touch him! She had been trying to protect him. Not that he needed it. He had Crabbe and Goyle for that. But still… It touched him. He sighed. Even though he was itching to find Weasley and perhaps try out a new curse on him.

"Fine," Draco drawled. "He can't be a harder nut to crack than your godfather."

"Huh?" She pulled away slightly, so she could properly look at him.

He smirked. "The last letter he sent me was bordering on friendly."

"Really?" Her face lit up in surprised joy. He nodded, pleased that he found a way to cheer her up. He didn't mention that the man had sent the letter at night so it would disrupt his sleep. Or that the bird had probably been trained to attack him.

"Of course," he purred. "Are you still doubting my charms?"

"I'll believe you once I've seen the letter," she teased.

"So suspicious," he tsked. "Are you sure you're not a Slytherin?"

"Ron was right, you're really trying to turn me into a Slytherin!" The girl said with wide scandalised eyes.

Draco rolled his eyes. Was the weasel really such an idiot? "That would be an incredibly foolish endeavour."

"Would you stop calling my friends foolish?" She glared at him.

"Sure. If…" He trailed off, playing with the sleeve of her robes.

"If what?" She asked expectantly.

He took a deep breath. This simply didn't get easier no matter how often he'd done it.

"If… you come to Hogsmeade with me." He swallowed. "This weekend."

Haley watched him in surprise. "The real Hogsmeade or… with your time umbrella?"

He was too nervous to correct her this time. "The real Hogsmeade." He bit his lips. "We could… use my metamorph mirror again," he suggested lightly as if the idea had crossed his mind only now. She seemed to think about that for a moment.

"This weekend… isn't that… Valentines Day?"

"Oh, is it? I didn't know." Draco answered innocently. He did know, obviously. Had even planned out in detail what he wanted to do and where he wanted to go with her. His heart was beating madly. She wasn't going to say no, was she?

"Strange, it says so all over the notice in our common room," she replied, grinning mockingly. She saw right through him. As always.

"Forget it," he spat, defensively. "If you don't want to-"

She chuckled in amusement. Then she snaked her arms around his neck and pecked his lips softly – effectively silencing him. "I want to," Haley whispered, against his mouth, pressing another kiss onto it. "I want to go on a date with you… on Valentines Day."

It was unreal how relieved he felt. Just as he started to lean down and kiss her some more, her next words made him halt.

"Shit," Haley cursed. "What time is it?" Her eyes wandered to her watch with a grimace. "We should go. Class is about to start and it'll look suspicious if we're both late."

She was right of course. And it would look even worse if they both looked like they'd just had a snogging session. He pouted, already mourning the missed opportunity.

Haley took his hand. "We'll continue this on the weekend, okay?" She promised, sounding as disappointed as he felt. The weekend was so far away…

"Sure," Draco agreed. "I'll go first. Wait a few moments before you follow me."

The girl nodded, her eyes trapping him and keeping his feet glued to the ground. Why was it so hard to turn away from her? He was going to see her again in class in a few minutes. But it wasn't the same. As soon as they stepped into the hall again, they would become two different people. People who were anything but close to each other. He already missed touching her even though he could still feel her fingers squeezing his.

"Go," Haley urged, letting go of his hand.

So, he turned around and slipped through the tapestry, not torturing himself by glancing back. The fact that he had a date to look forward to on Valentine's Day cheered him up somewhat. Wondering which robes he should wear, he turned a corner, already spotting the other students waiting in front of Umbridge's class room at the end of the hall.

"He's coming!" Someone whispered and then his vision was filled with an orange fur ball that was trying to rip his robes to shreds.

Draco didn't shriek. Well, he did. A little bit. But that was completely understandable, considering there was a cat in his arms that was trying to kill him. Or eat him. Whichever was worse. He jumped backwards in shock, his back hitting the wall and sank to the ground.

"Get – off – me – you – beast." His first instinct was to fling the creature off him. Why was he attacked by all kinds of animals lately? But then he noticed something familiar about the cat. It was one of the ugliest cats he'd ever seen. With a squashed-looking face and yellow eyes. Wasn't that… Granger's cat? And a moment ago, that voice… hadn't that been Weasley? Were the two Gryffindors behind this? He stopped, trying to get the cat off him and instead stared at it, wondering what kind of a dumb plot this was. Were they trying to intimidate him with with a cat?

He scoffed. "You're not intimidating at all," he told the cat that was much calmer now that he wasn't holding it in a death grip and trying to send it flying any more. It was sitting in his lap its tail flicking back and forth and yellow eyes glaring at him. "I've once fought a hippogriff. That creature was much scarier than you." He smirked, raising a hand, as if to touch the animal. It lifted its furry head to sniff his fingers. Then it meowed and rubbed its face along his hand. It was just like he had written in the letter. He did have a hand for animals, it seemed.

…

HERMIONE

"What the hell are you doing? Bite him you useless cat!" Ron scolded poor Crookshanks. He's half-kneazle, Hermione thought in resignation.

"Leave him alone, Ronald. It's not Crookshanks' fault your plan failed."

"It didn't fail!" He thundered. "Didn't you see him tearing up that git's robes?"

She clucked her tongue impatiently. "Yes. He did that because you threw him at Malfoy as if he was a blasted basketball!"

"What's a basketball?" He turned to her in curiosity. She wished the scrunched up expression on his freckled face wouldn't look that cute.

"It's part of a muggle's sport. Basketball. Basically you're meant to throw a ball into a basket. It's a bit similar to quidditch actually." She was getting off topic.

"Quidditch?" He asked excitedly. Well, she certainly had his attention now.

"Yes, well. Are you done torturing Crookshanks now?"

He frowned. "I wasn't – hey! Why is he purring now? Why is he letting that git pet him?"

And sure enough it seemed as though Malfoy and the orange cat had become the best of friends in merely seconds.

"What the-? Crookshanks?" Haley chose exactly that moment to step into the picture, glancing back and forth between the boy and the cat on the ground and her two friends in confusion. Hearing someone call his name, Crookshanks looked up, perhaps expecting a treat. He jumped out of Malfoy's lap, sauntered over to Haley and meowed expectantly, while rubbing his body against her leg. It didn't take him long to realize he wasn't going to get a treat and so he sent them all a betrayed glare, before stalking away, with his bottle-brush tail high in the air. Hermione made a mental note to make it up to him later. Perhaps with one of those canary treats he liked so much.

With questioning eyes Haley appeared by her side, obviously waiting for an explanation. Ron turned around and went ahead into their class room. Haley frowned.

Merlin, how long were they going to keep up this childish behaviour?

"Come on," Hermione said with a sigh, pulling her friend toward the class. It was strange. Nowadays, there was this permanent feeling of impatience and frustration whenever she looked at Haley. She simply couldn't understand what had gone wrong with her to be… drawn to someone like Malfoy. To some point, she could even understand Ron's cold behaviour toward her. Although, she knew it wasn't the right thing to do.

"But-"

"He's just mad it didn't go as planned." She explained because the girl looked helplessly confused.

"What didn't go as planned?"

"Do you remember Pettigrew? Crookshanks was suspicious of him since the beginning, right?"

Haley nodded. "Yeah, of course. After that Ron treated him much better. He even used him to confirm Pig wasn't another fraud…"

It seemed to dawn on her. "Are you saying that's what this was about? He wanted to test Draco with Crookshanks' help?"

"I never said it was a great plan." She shrugged.

"That's so Ron." Haley chuckled, shaking her head. "He still cares." She added almost disbelievingly.

"Of course, he cares," Hermione replied, mildly irritated. "It's because he cares so much that he feels this hurt!"

The girl furrowed her brows. "I didn't mean to hurt anyone." She sounded defiant. Perhaps she sensed that Hermione wasn't only talking about Ron who felt hurt. She had to bite her lips to stop herself from saying something she might regret later on. Like accusing her friend of being naive or ignorant or telling her she might not have intended it but her actions had hurt someone. And who even knew how many people they would hurt in the future.

"Come on. It doesn't matter now." She said instead, making her way to their usual seats, where Ron was waiting, obviously still irked about the Crookshanks incident. Wonderful. Now he was mad at her, too. Not that she wasn't used to fighting with him. But this time his annoyance with her was completely unjustified.

"Chrm, chrm." Umbridge coughed, announcing the start of the lesson. If one could call it a lesson. Hermione would rather call it a waste of time. This was seriously messed up. They were on the verge of a war, not even learning to defend themselves and her friends had nothing better to do than fight because one of them had seemingly lost her mind. She didn't know what to do. It didn't happen often. But she was definitely at a loss now. Why did everyone always leave the important stuff for her to take care of? Hermione had to do something. If she didn't come up with a plan, no one else would. Every one else clearly had better things to do.

…

RON

Disappointments. Wherever he looked there were nothing but disappointments waiting for him. Hermione. Crookshanks. All that blasted cat had to do was rip up that scumbag's skin. A simple task. And the biggest disappointment of them all? Ron's so-called best friend. He'd never felt more betrayed than this. Not even when Haley had been chosen as the Hogwarts champion two years before. Although he had been really mad because of that. Or when Hermione went to the Yule Ball with Krum. That had felt like a stab in the back. And now… well, mostly he was disappointed. And incredibly angry. He still wasn't completely sure this wasn't actually a gigantic joke by the twins. Had he fallen into some kind of parallel dimension?

Around him, everyone started packing up their stuff and leaving the green house. Was Herbology over already? He hadn't the slightest idea what the topic of the lesson had been. Well, it wasn't a big deal. He could always ask for Hermione's notes later on after all. He followed her and Haley out to the castle grounds, not bothering to take part in their conversation. Why was Hermione even still talking to her? He kicked a stone angrily, almost hoping it would hit one of the girls.

"Oh, Hi Luna! How are you?" He heard Haley say. That made Ron look up at once. The girl was just coming from the general direction of the Forbidden Forest.

"Hello Haley! And Hermione! And Ron!" Luna greeted them cheerfully. Her cheerfulness brightened his own mood almost instantly. Did that have something to do with her veela aura?

"We just had a lesson on unicorns. That was really fun!" She beamed. He remembered something Haley had said about her. That she was friends with Malfoy or something. How ridiculous!

"We had a lesson on them, too. They're really fascinating, aren't they?" Haley commented.

"Sure, if you're not a guy," muttered Ron grumpily.

"Honestly, I always thought, there are more exciting creatures than unicorns. Like thestrals. Or the Crumple-Horned Snorkack," she replied. "There's an excellent article about it coming up in the next issue of the Quibbler. I can show it to you once it's out."

"The Quibbler?" Hermione asked sceptically.

"Yes. My dad runs it." Luna returned, almost defiantly. "Are you headed for the castle, too?"

"Yeah," Ron said eagerly, thinking of lunch. He fell into step beside the Ravenclaw, not even checking if the other girls followed.

"One day, I'll find it," she mumbled almost to herself.

"The Snorkack?" He asked. "That's just a myth though."

"It's not a myth!" She argued. "I'll show it to you. You'll see!" Her outburst could almost be called passionate. It was cute somehow. Her conviction. He smiled.

"I mean it," she added quietly. "There are so many undiscovered creatures out there. Just waiting to be found." Her voice had become an excited whisper. "I want to see all of them!"

The girl's face was shining with wonder and eagerness, capturing his full attention and making a strange feeling spread through his insides. Then he tripped over a rock.

"Shit," he cursed, feeling his cheeks go red. At least he hadn't fallen.

Luna's small hand gripped his arm reflexively. "Are you okay?" She asked worriedly.

"It's nothing." he grunted, shaking off her hand that made his arm prickle uncomfortably. Compared to everything else that was a complete mess at the moment it really was nothing.

"Something is bothering you," the girl noted, after a while.

He scoffed. Was it that obvious? She looked at him as if she was waiting for him to explain. But what was there to explain? He couldn't bloody well tell her about the thing with Malfoy. Unless… she already knew. But no. That couldn't be right.

He sighed. "Who wouldn't be upset, if some obnoxious guy stole your best friend and brainwashed her?" He vented. "I mean, she's supposed to be my best friend and she kept this huge secret from me all this time! If she'd only told me sooner, I could have done something. I could have stopped her! But she betrayed me!" Angrily, he kicked another rock.

"I see." Said the Ravenclaw quietly.

It was like the feelings he had buried inside were finally bursting out in one frustrated rant. "All the times, I caught her sneaking out, she was actually with that – bastard! And she even played quidditch with him! It's been ages since we last played together!" He exhaled heavily, pressing his hands against his face. "I just – why did this have to happen? Why did that git have to go and corrupt her?" He seriously didn't understand it. "Why would she abandon her friends for someone like him?"

"But she's still your friend, isn't she?"

"What?" He asked, taken aback.

"Even if she found someone else who she wants to spend time with… that doesn't mean Haley abandoned you." Her blue eyes bored into his uncomfortably. "I'm sure, she still considers you as her friend and would like you to do the same."

That was too much. "But she's the one who turned away from us first! She's the one who acts like a completely different person!"

For a moment she watched him thoughtfully. "It's scary when things change," she whispered. "After my mum died, my dad became so different that I sometimes wondered if he was still my dad. But then I looked closer and… I saw that he was just the same. A little different… but still my dad." She paused, her eyes far away. "I think, if you look close enough, you'll be able to find your friend again." Luna smiled at him warmly and somehow the words she said made the heavy feeling in his chest become a bit lighter.

Then she suddenly stopped walking, took his hand and placed something small inside it. It looked like a couple of shrivelled up beans.

"What's that?" He whispered breathlessly. Her fingers made his skin tickle. Then they were gone.

"They're Searing Seeds," the girl explained in her quiet voice.

He frowned. "What are they for?"

"You can lure out fire sprites with them." Her words were hushed like she was telling him a secret. He felt a strangely excited shudder run up his spine.

"Fire sprites?"

"Mum showed me how to attract them. It's not hard. You just need to set them on fire. A match works as well." There was a warm glow lighting up her face.

"And then?" He asked in a hoarse voice.

"Most of the time one of the sprites appears and they keep you company. They like creating little fireworks. Which look really pretty. And they like hearing stories. They're the best listeners! Mum always thought I spent too much time alone as a kid."

Well. That was a lot to take in. Ron stared at the seeds in his hand, feeling oddly touched and thinking of something to say.

"Er… thanks?" He opted for.

Luna shook her head. "Don't worry. I just hope it'll help you find your friend again." She gave him a small smile, reached for his hand and gently closed his fingers over the seeds. With another light squeeze, she let go of him, leaving his skin prickling and his heart beating out of its usual rhythm. This couldn't be normal. What was wrong with him? Why did she make him feel like this? And then it just burst out of him, like he couldn't hold it back any longer.

"Are you a veela?" He asked, feeling foolish and determined at the same time.

The girl's eyes widened and she tilted her head to the side curiously. Then she chuckled softly. "Veelas are magical creatures," she said like that explained anything. Before he could ask her what that was supposed to mean, she sent him a mysterious little smile and continued walking toward the castle. To be frank, Ron didn't know what any of this meant. But he had the feeling that some of the disappointments that had been weighing him down were slowly beginning to disappear.

…

HALEY

"The Quibbler?" Hermione asked sceptically. It was no secret what she thought of that magazine.

"Yes. My dad runs it," Luna replied, sounding slightly defensive. "Are you headed for the castle?" She asked, pointing in the general direction of the main building and starting to walk down the path leading to it.

"Yeah," Ron confirmed, following the girl without glancing back. Haley wondered if he was that eager because he was hungry or because he was still mad at her.

"As if anyone would read that thing just because of some insane mythological creature." Hermione muttered quietly.

Haley shrugged. "I mean, there have to be people who read it, right? At least they're not writing all the rubbish the Prophet makes up."

"That's just because people expect the Quibbler to be full of nonsense. If the Quibbler printed slanderous articles about Dumbledore and you instead of the Prophet everyone would know it's rubbish right away."

"It's a shame, then that Rita Skeeter doesn't write for the Quibbler," Haley commented.

Hermione stared at her in silence.

"Um… Hermione?"

"Hm?"

"Are you still with me?"

"What?" She blinked. "Sorry, I just had a thought… it's probably crazy but… Never mind." She shook her head and looked around in confusion. "Where are Ron and Luna?"

Haley turned around. "They already went ahead, I think."

She could spot them a few metres in front of them, talking about something that she couldn't hear.

"Boys are so simple-minded. Is a girl only interesting if she's got flowing blonde hair and blue eyes?" Hermione grumbled darkly, marching ahead.

"Uh… what?" Haley followed her quickly.

"Oh, don't tell me you haven't noticed the way he watches her with those dreamy eyes whenever she tells one of her insane stories? It's pathetic," she spat in a way that was terribly uncharacteristic for her.

"Er…" She had noticed Ron's strange behaviour around the Ravenclaw, of course. But she hadn't thought… that it was something as serious as Hermione had phrased it.

"Oh, right," her friend snorted derisively. "I forgot. You're into blonds now, too."

Haley could only gape at her. Why was she behaving like this?

Hermione seemed to ask herself the same question. She shook her head and sighed.

"Look, I shouldn't take it out on you. I'm sorry, it's just–" She stopped, glaring at the two figures in the distance who seemed to be holding hands for some reason.

"I can't take this," the girl said brokenly. "Seeing him with her…" She took a deep breath. There was a crease between her two brows. "I always thought, if I waited… if I just waited long enough, he would realize it eventually. One day, he would understand how I feel about him and see that we could be more than friends." She admitted quietly. "There were all those signs. Like how jealous he was of Viktor or the perfume he got me for Christmas. That's not something you usually gift your friend as a guy, is it? Or did I make it all up in my head?" She angrily wiped at some tears that had leaked from her eyes.

Haley was at a loss. How was she supposed to comfort her upset friend? She placed her hand on the girl's arm, making her stop and face her.

"I don't think you made it all up," she said quietly. "I mean, you've still got a chance. They're not even dating or anything!"

"Not yet," Hermione argued, sniffling softly.

"Look. Just – I mean, even if they get together, how often does the first relationship last?"

"It happens, though," she replied stubbornly. "And even so, I don't want to be his second choice because the first one didn't work out!"

Haley didn't know what to say. She couldn't think of anything that would help.

"I hate this. I can't take watching him fall for another girl," she sobbed in frustration. "It hurts, Haley. It hurts so much."

Haley remembered how disappointed she had felt when Michael Corner had dumped her for Cho Chang time and time again. But it had only been a stupid crush, so it hadn't hurt too badly. She tried to imagine what it would be like if the same thing happened with Draco and some girl… The mere thought sent a sharp pang of pain through her chest.

"I'm so sorry," Haley whispered, stepping forward and hugging her best friend tightly. It seemed like a dam had broken, as the other girl fiercely clutched her back and poured out her heart against her shoulder.

Haley felt ashamed. All this time while she had been so focused on herself and her own problems, her best friend had been suffering as well. And she hadn't even noticed. She had been wrapped up in her own bubble of ignorance, annoyed that her friends didn't understand her, when she hadn't even tried to understand them. How was it possible for good and bad things to exist so close together? One person's happiness might mean another person's sorrow, she realised. Who knew for how long her own happiness was going to last? She had been so selfish. Stuck in her own world and wondering why nobody understood her. She couldn't just think about herself any more. And right now, it was her friend who needed her. She needed to be there for her.

Soothingly, Haley stroked Hermione's hair. She had never seen the girl break down like this. It made her feel terrible, the girl's sobs echoing in her ears. She wanted to blame someone. But there was no one to blame. Love can be a terrible thing, she thought, forcing back her own tears, as she tried to comfort her broken-hearted friend.

…

A/N: Hello angst my old friend, it's you again... Right. I'm not sure if this chapter or the previous one is more angsty... well. There's a bit of fluff in here as well. And some humour :) Anyway, sorry for taking so long to update. It's like I've got no time to write at all :/ (master theses and everything...) Well, let me know your thoughts :)

The title is inspired from the song "Crueler Kind" by San Fermin. If you add a comma after love (Love, the enemy) it completely changes the meaning of the sentence, which I find really interesting. Feel free to interpret that however you want.

Wish you all an amazing start into the new year :)