I layed awake in bed, staring at the ceiling and playing with the pendant on my necklace.

I was really just waiting for it to get warm but nothing happened.

Actually I should be glad that Malfoy was well and maybe even sleeping but I had also benefited from him sleeping next to me.

I would have liked to repeat that, of course only for the sake of sleep and not because I wanted to sleep next to him.

I turned on my side and saw his sleeping clothes from last night, which he had obviously left here, lying on my dresser.

I thought about it for a moment but quickly decided on what I thought was the best but certainly not the most logical idea.

I rolled out of bed, grabbed his T-shirt from the dresser and as quickly as I was out of bed I was back in it.

I stared at the shirt.

Nothing about it was special, it was just a white shirt.

But it was his shirt. It smelled like him and as much as I didn't like to admit it to myself, I found his smell quite comforting.

I pulled it on and breathed in his smell.

"I'm pretty weird." I spoke my thought out loud to remind myself again how weird it actually was.

As if just hearing it would change anything.

But I didn't care how weird it was, I didn't care how weird I was.

I missed him, I became painfully aware, a feeling I knew all too well but was still amazed that I could relate it to Malfoy.

It wasn't like we were best friends, after all.

I wasn't even sure we were friends at all.

So why did I miss him?

I must have fallen asleep at some point but even in the morning I still couldn't make sense of my feelings.


"You're wearing the necklace again."

I flinched.

Hannah was sitting opposite me, grinning at me.

I had certainly unconsciously reached for the necklace again and when I felt it between my fingers my suspicions were confirmed.

"I'd misplaced it," I lied, dropping it back into my neckline.

"It's really pretty. Who did you get it from?"

Damn, why is she so nosy anyway?

The truth wasn't an option, I could vividly imagine how she and even Neville would react if I said the necklace was Malfoy's.

"From my grandpa, for Christmas", was the best lie I could come up with in a flash.

Hannah didn't seem to catch it as a lie and steered the conversation back to what she had been talking about before, the big celebration after the Quiddich game next weekend.

That explains why I had switched off.

But now I couldn't manage to divert my thoughts to anything else, so willy-nilly I was forced to listen.

Neville, too looked more like he was only physically present, for he only nodded in agreement in between but said nothing else.

"The subject is Fairylights."

A topic as well?

This is clearly way too much effort for a small student party.

That the Ball in may was enough of a celebration really only I seemed to think.

But Neville and especially Hannah insisted that I at least came over for an hour or so.

If I didn't enjoy it, I could leave.

So it was clear I would stare at the clock for an hour and then leave as quickly as possible.

I had never been to a party but from what Hannah told me it was loud, crowded and exactly the opposite of what I thought of as a fun evening.

I'd rather be back at a girls' night and that's saying something.

"There will be fairy lights everywhere and it will be super cool!"

I really had to concentrate not to roll my eyes.

"What are you going to wear, Daisy?"

She is talking to me, now I have to let on as little as possible that I have only caught the last of her sentences.

"I don't know", I said truthfully.

"You definitely need to let me do something with your hair."

She was so enthusiastic about all this that I wondered if I could feel such enthusiasm for anything too.

"If you want to."

I wouldn't even try to say anything against it. If she got to do my hair, she certainly wouldn't be in such a bad mood if I left so early.

So I nodded.

"Great," she clapped her hands with glee and I smiled at her.


After that my mind drifted away again and I didn't notice anything until Neville and Hannah got up because they had finished breakfast.

Somehow I must have managed to finish my cereal too and was now getting up with them.

"I have to go plan the party", Hannah said with a grin and gave Neville a kiss on the cheek.

"She's quite a whirlwind sometimes", he laughed, blushing.

I suppose she was but she also brought joy and life that way.

I found it annoying at times but I was glad to have her.

"The boys said there was something important to discuss."

At the word 'important' he drew inverted commas in the air and I started laughing.

"See you at lunch?", he asked and I nodded in agreement.

I would be spending my day in the library and I had to stifle my grin already, so much I was looking forward to this relaxing Sunday.


The relaxed thing didn't last as long as I had hoped.

It was just before lunch when someone came to my seat between the No-Maj non-fiction books.

I was quite engrossed in my book and only noticed my visitor when he cast a long shadow over my pages.

I looked up from my book and looked directly into grey eyes that were scrutinising me.

"Hey", I said quietly, though no one could hear us here anyway.

He didn't reply anything to my greeting and just continued to stare at me.

"Are you all right?"

Still no answer.

Now I wondered even more why I had missed him yesterday. He was just exhausting and no normal conversation was possible with him.

"Do you want something from me or do you just want to stand in my light and stare?", I asked annoyed and finally I got a reaction from him.

"My clothes are still at your place", he said quietly and now I was the one staring.

"Seriously?!

You came all the way here for that?

I would have given them to you in class tomorrow. Your wardrobe is full, you can't tell me you don't have anything else.

And besides, YOU still have my clothes. If you do, it's a trade."

He brought his hand out from behind his back, I hadn't even noticed he had it there.

On his hand were the trousers and shirt I had lent him yesterday.

"Oh. Your clothes are still at my place."

He just looked at me.

"I can go get them."

He nodded.

"You can just come with me too."

"I'll stay here," he said coolly.

I dropped my book on the armchair, grabbed the clothes in Malfoy's hand and headed off to get his things.


His shirt was still on my bed.

I folded it quickly so it wouldn't be noticeable and hurried back downstairs.

"Here you go", I held out the bundle to him, which he quickly took.

He made no move to leave again though.

"Is there something else? ", I asked a little annoyed.

Actually, I didn't want to be annoyed, I wanted to ask him how he was and if he could sleep but I knew that if he wanted to talk about it, he would do it voluntarily.

If I asked him, he wouldn't say anything, like a stubborn animal.

"I've been thinking", he began quietly and I raised my eyebrows in interest.

"I think you and I should be friends and after everything that's happened, it would only be appropriate if you called me by my first name."

My eyes widened and I wasn't sure I had understood correctly what he had just said.

Before I could ask, he continued.

"Well, only when we're alone, of course.

In class, I'm still Malfoy to you."

I probably should have said either all the way or not at all but that was a huge move on his part.

So I just nodded.

But when he didn't talk any further I tried to lighten the conversation a little.

"Then you must at least try to call me Daisy."

"I'll try." He smiled, an honest smile.

"Lunch", he said curtly as he got up from his chair.

I followed him at a reasonable distance that it didn't look like we were walking together.

This friendship was going to be a bit strange but I didn't really care.


The party was the talk of the school among the seventh and eighth graders and not even in class was there any peace about it.

I sat next to Draco in Potions and in front of us at the table there was another wild discussion about dresses, music and alcohol.

"Sucks", Draco groaned next to me and I chuckled lightly.

"Aren't you going?", I asked curiously.

"Not if I can help it. Don't tell me you're going there."

"Not by choice." I rolled my eyes.

"Neville and Hannah want me to. I have to stay for at least an hour."

"You should learn to say no."

Easy for him to say, Neville, Hannah and him were the only friends I'd ever had, so I'd do anything to keep it that way.

I don't want to be alone, not again.

"Maybe I'll enjoy it."

Now he rolled his eyes.

"Silence!", Professor Slughorn interrupted all conversation in the room.


In the middle of the lesson, Draco slipped me a note.

«Wednesday evening 8pm courtyard? »

I quickly wrote a «Yes », under it and pushed it back to him.


Not quite as punctually as I had hoped, I was standing in the courtyard on Wednesday.

It was kind of strange, there were so many courtyards in this school but I knew exactly which one Draco had meant.

Draco. It was still a little weird calling him by his first name, even if it was just in my mind.

Speaking of which, where is he anyway? This was THE courtyard, which else would he have meant?

I walked up and down a few steps, looking around in all directions but didn't see him.

Instead, I saw a few other students who were probably also enjoying the quiet of the corridors in the evening.

Draco wouldn't be happy about that. It made him uncomfortable when people saw us together.

Maybe that was the reason why he isn't there yet.

I decided to sit on the bench under the tree in the courtyard and wait for him.

I didn't have a watch but when he finally showed up I guessed it was half an hour later than the appointment.

"Astoria delayed me", he said instead of a greeting.

He hadn't said a word about her since the break-up, so I was surprised at her mention.

I waited for an explanation but he didn't seem to think it was necessary.

"What did she want?", I asked to get him talking.

"She was apologising. For cheating."

That was a short explanation and I was sure she had said more than that but I settled for that.

"Have you forgiven her?", was my next question.

I didn't know how I would react in such a situation. I just hoped never to get into one, yet, or maybe because of that, I was interested in what he did.

"She did what I would do.

There is nothing to forgive.

We are both out of this situation, both free to be with others, with people we really love.

I can't do anything but thank her and that's exactly what I did."

The openness and this flow of speech actually amazed me and I was sure Astoria had been more than confused when he had thanked her because that was not something Malfoy did.

It wasn't what Malfoy was doing but maybe that was exactly what Draco was doing?

"You would have done the same?"

He shook his head.

"I did the same thing."

I looked at him with wide eyes.

"Maybe not exactly like her but my thoughts didn't stay true to her."

Somehow it reassured me that he hadn't had another girl besides Astoria.

But when he said his thoughts hadn't stayed true to her, did that mean he had fallen in love?

Was that why he wasn't well because he had fallen in love with someone he couldn't have?

That would definitely make sense but it also meant that Draco Malfoy was capable of more emotions than hate and dislike and that pleased me more than I wanted to admit.


Our meeting consisted of talking about all sorts of things.

It was like we had been doing this forever, just talking about things.

Malfoy pulled a pocket watch out of his pocket and flipped it open.

"It's almost curfew, if you don't want to get in trouble you should go back."

"And you won't get in trouble or what?", I laughed but he just looked at me seriously.

"I'm a prefect, I'll just say I'm on patrol."

"It's a bit unfair."

I yawned.

"But yeah, I really should get to bed. I'll see you Friday."

I smiled at him again and then turned to leave.

However, Draco grabbed my arm and held me tightly.

"Is there something else?", I asked, confused.

But instead of answering me, he pulled me closer to him and hugged me.

He pressed me so close to his chest that I could hear his heartbeat.

For a moment I was perplexed but then I put my arms around him and hugged him.

"Thank you for being there", he whispered into my hairline.

"That's what friends are for", I whispered against his chest and he squeezed me a little tighter.

We stood there like that for a short while until he let go of me.

"You really have to go now."

I had to laugh.

"It's okay, I'm going."

My next sentence was thoughtless.

"Good night, Draco."

I was unsure if that was a step too far, if he was uncomfortable but we had just hugged, there was a good night, clearly less intimate.

"Good night, Daisy."

I hadn't expected my body's reaction to that sentence.

A warm shiver ran down my spine and goosebumps spread up my arms again.

He had an incredible effect on me and I didn't know why.


With a grin on my face, I crept through the dark corridors of the castle.

The grin did not disappear even when I layed in bed.

When I woke up, it had disappeared but I had slept surprisingly well.