Hogwarts

Draco realized that sneaking out of Hogwarts to meet Harry was harder than expected. Snape had showed him how, and turned a blind eye, but actually getting away without fellow Slytherins noticing was the hard part. Draco could only imagine the blackmail that would ensue if someone found out he was leaving Hogwarts. Draco decided the only way he could possibly avoid blackmail was to be nicer to his friends than he had ever been before. "Did you just... save breakfast for me?" Blaise asked as he sat down in the dining hall way past meal time, as he almost always did when there was no special gossiping to be had.

"Yes. You looked incredibly skinny yesterday. Crabbe and I were just discussing the matter." Crabbe looked at Draco in confusion, probably because they had not discussed anything, but did not argue with him. Goyle chuckled as Blaise took the plate as if unsure if it was poisoned or not. Tensions were high at every other table due to discussion of the reappearance of Voldermort, but the Slytherin table knew better than to ever show their feelings. Blaise seemed to agree upon this once he saw that Draco had accurately chosen the breakfast foods Blaise picked every day. Draco noticed in his peripheral vision that the other Slytherin boys, such as Nott, were looking at him in interest.

He looked at them back with superiority. They hesitantly looked away. Draco: 1. Hogwarts: 0. Since there were only loiterers left after all the food had disappeared, prefects were hanging around as if waiting for McGonagall or Snape to blow their whistles for them to hustle everyone out. Draco didn't have to look over at the Gryffindor side, he knew Weasley was probably staring him down with a burning look while Granger would look over at him every once and a while quizzically. Gryffindors were so predictable. In times like these Draco wished he were placed in Gryffindor, it would be so much easier to convince his idiot housemates that he wasn't up to something.

Draco thought of Harry then. He wondered what he would think of the Gryffindor house, known for sticking their noses where they didn't belong for the entirety of Draco's time at Hogwarts. And even though Draco wasn't always the greatest rule-follower, they still wanted to hound on both him and the rest of Slytherin. Harry wouldn't like them at all, Draco told himself, clutching a bag in his pocket which he had secretly placed five different pastries in the hopes that Harry would like one. Some of them were definitely not muggle, so Draco hoped Harry wasn't the type to ask too many questions. He felt like Pansy again. His hand loosened just as Pansy came up with her friends in tow as always.

"Vincent. Gregory. Blaise. Draco!" Her face brightened and she slid onto the bench next to Draco while the rest of the girls chattered by her side. Draco was used to the attention, it happened every day, and Pansy had made sure it continued even after they found out most of their parents were born-again Death Eaters. Draco looked at her and that was enough for her to put her head on his shoulders and talk to Blaise across the table. Draco hurriedly sped the conversation along once he found out it was almost time for him to leave and go find Harry. The one good thing out of it all was that they dismissed his hurried nature of just being impatient.

Harry's muggle school

Draco apparates into the edge of a wooded area that surrounds a field. Draco wondered if this was the woods that Harry had appeared in, but dismissed it. He couldn't be seen. He carefully walked out of the woods, hoping there would be no one out there to see him. In irritation, he saw a lone girl who was hanging out around the field, and Draco realized it was a football field. Draco then realized it was the same girl he had seen at Harry's house. Merlin's pants. Draco was in trouble if the girl had been told about him. Did people often come out of the woods in this neighborhood? Draco didn't think so. He nervously walked through the field, trying to appear normal.

He knew by now that the girl was watching him. She looked the same age as him and Harry, and Draco hoped she was Harry's friend instead of- a enemy. That was what Draco was going to think. She had a mysterious look but was dressed in regular muggle clothes, so Draco could see why Harry would end up befriending her. Draco even wondered if there was something special- no, not in her personality, but if she was magical or not. She picked up the football left at her side and began to walk up to him. Anxious, Draco wondered if he should try to outpace her, but gave up when he saw the look of determination on her face.

"You must be Draco, then? Harry was all excited and told me that you might be visiting." She said, with a eyebrow raise. What was she, his lapdog? Draco looked down at his muggle clothes, which the girl was observing. Draco was wearing a blazer and slacks, hoping that by looking official he wouldn't have to actually sneak into the school with magic. "And you are?" He said finally, annoyed by the girl already. "Maribella Black. If you're looking for him, he should be in the library by now. He likes to sit next to the smart kids and listen to the answers they come across." She said seriously, then laughed. Draco did not laugh, however, he was too focused on her last name.

Draco decided to ignore it for now. If she was a squib- and there was nothing wrong with that, Draco shook himself before he looked disdained, she likely did not know about Harry at all. "Alright then. Are you here to attack me?" Draco asked, already walking off. Black kept in pace. "No. Just here to see what he was so obsessed with." Draco felt his stomach warm. Obsessed? If nothing else, at least he was now able to get Harry back for last time. "Well, are you agreeing with him now?" Draco smirked, knowing she would probably disagree. Her eye's furrowed. "I'm not sure. It's quite weird how you came out of the woods like that."

Draco ignored her when he saw the library windows that showed a black head of hair and sped up. Black let him go, but Draco doubted it would be the last time he saw her. The head of hair looked up and saw him, he smiled before getting up out of his chair and coming outside. "I thought you wouldn't come after all." Harry said, out of breath. "Well, your friend back there had a conversation with me and said you were quite obsessed with me." Harry blushed. "I only brung you up one time, after she kept badgering me-" Draco held up a hand. "It's fine. I brought you something." He held out his bag of goods and Harry reached inside, right for the Treacle Tart. "I love these!" He yelped.

TBC -