...

Sorry it's been such a long time since my last update. I hope the wait is worth it because I can now present to you my longest oneshot!

It's dedicated to my lovely friend A_Daughter_Of_Ares because she's so Draco obsessed and I told her I had a Draco oneshot planned for her to fangirl over.

Scenes tend to jump from year to year, no more than three or so per year. Just pay attention to events mentioned if you want to know what year Baker is in.

Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy because I enjoyed writing it for you all!

...

"Darling, why don't you go out and play with some of the other kids?" Mum took my empty bowl and set it down by the sink before leaning over the back of her chair, which I hadn't seen her actually sit in for ages.

"Why? I thought you said you'd take me for ice cream!" I protested, flicking a bit of fuzz off my jumper then, noticing a frayed part of it, I held out my sleeve, "Mum!"

"Let me see, darling," she came closer and lifted my arm, inspecting the damaged cloth then sighed, "I'll see if I can get you a new one soon... we can go out for ice cream then, too."

"Really?" I grinned a toothy grin then hopped off the stool, "I'll go play, now!"

"Be back for your afternoon piano lessons!" Mum called after me as I skipped outside.

I shut the door behind me and hopped down the porch's stone steps before continuing down the road, knowing that Ashley and Olivia were gone on vacation and the other girls didn't exactly like spending time with me.

I skipped down the stone street, lost in happy thoughts, but my calmness was interrupted when I bumped into someone. I jumped back and looked to them.

"Say sorry to my son," the adult who had been accompanying the kid, who didn't seem to be older than me by too much, commanded.

I stuck my tongue out to him then turned to the boy, who was staring at me with his piercing gray eyes, before proclaiming, "Sorry."

"Don't be fake, girl," the man snapped, tapping my shoulder with an odd cane he held. He didn't seem old, despite the fact that adults were old in general, but he had a firm grip on his cane.

I pouted and smacked his cane away from me, protesting, "I said sorry!"

"Respect your elders," he hissed, staring down at me with a firm expression in his gaze, "Now, apologize."

I turned back to the boy for a second and flashed a small grin as I declared to his father instead, "I am sorry, mister, that your son bumped into me and that he can't apologize so I have to for him."

Both their eyes widened, the man in fury and the boy in shock, but I darted out of reach from the man's cane before he could do anything. I waved a quick goodbye as I shot back down the street, making sure I was out of sight before slowing down.

...

"Hey, you're the boy from yesterday!" I cried, bouncing up to the blonde-haired grey-eyed boy with enthusiasm.

He glanced over then looked away again, pretending he didn't see me. I huffed and moved to stand directly in front of him but he turned, facing the other direction again. I stood facing him again and took him by the shoulders, forcing him to look at me.

"What?" he asked, since he could no longer pretend I wasn't there.

"Hi!"

He rolled his eyes and slowly removed my hands from his shoulders, "Hello."

"Is your hair naturally that light?" I asked, reaching up to ruffle his hair.

"Don't do that," he grabbed a light hold on my wrist and moved it back down, "Are you a muggle?"

I stared at him blankly, "A what now?"

"Never mind," he glanced behind him, "Who are you?"

"Oh, Baker," I grinned, "You are?"

"Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."

I laughed, "Funny name."

He frowned at me but chose to ignore my statement, "How old are you?"

"Seven!" I bounced a bit, happy to be talking to someone new because most of the other kids were pretty boring.

"Oh."

I frowned, "Actually, you seem boring too."

"I'm not," he straightened and glared down at me.

"Your answers are so short! It's a wonder you've even said that much at all!"

He stayed silent and for a bit I thought he'd storm off but he sighed, "What do you want from me?"

"More answers!" I cried gleefully, excited. I glanced behind him and grinned, "Look! There's my mum! Ooh, want to join me and her for ice cream?"

"Ice cream?" he stared at me as if I'd just offered him a dead bug for dinner instead, "Why?"

"It's good, stupid," I sent an apologetic look to Mum, since I wasn't supposed to call anyone that, then asked her, pointing at Malfoy, "Can blond boy join us?"

"New friend?" Mum asked wearily, sending a small smile to him, "What's your name, sweetie?"

"Draco."

I grasped onto his sleeve and started to tug him along, "Come on! We're going to the little ice cream shop down the road! They have the best chocolate ice cream."

"Wait," he started to protest but Mum, as if sensing he was going to say anything about cost, cut him off.

"I'll be paying, don't worry," she assured him, her tone tired.

I looked back at her, "Are you okay, Mum?"

"Yes, of course, darling," she told me, waving it away.

I frowned but turned back to Draco, "What flavor do you think you'll get?"

"I don't know," he looked down at where I had his sleeve clutched in my hand before returning his gaze to where we were going, "I don't eat many of these sweets."

"Do you not eat sweets?" I asked, confused, since most of the kids I knew were gifted candies by their parents quite often, "I think they have some less sugary flavors, if that helps."

"That's not the - " he was cut off when I pushed open the shop door and the little bell rang, notifying the owner of our entry.

"Come in, come in!" he called, smiling at the three of us, "What can I get for you?"

I looked back at Mum then pointed at my favorite flavor, telling him I'd like it in a cone. The shop owner nodded and got to work while Draco scanned over the different types, looking like he was making a life decision instead of picking what type of ice cream he wanted.

"You're so slow," I complained, taking my ice cream from the shop owner then looked to Mum, "Are you going to get some?"

"I don't think so, darling," she shook her head, counting out coins in her palm, "I'm - not in the mood."

"But ice cream doesn't need a mood! Ice cream is good all the time!" I protested, "Why don't you get some vanilla, isn't that your favorite?"

She sighed, "I'm not hungry."

"Oh," my face fell but I let the subject drop.

Draco pointed to the chocolate, which was boring in my opinion because he seriously spent all that time to go for the most liked option?

The shop keeper smiled and placed a few scoops into a cone, "Here you go, kid. Ma'am, come to the cash register to pay."

I turned and went over to one of the small tables in the shop before sliding onto a seat, patting the one next to me to gesture Draco over. He sighed but came over anyway, carefully making sure his ice cream didn't drip.

I happily licked at the ice cream cone and watched as Draco studied my actions then followed, which I found odd, "Draco, have you never had ice cream?"

He looked up and gave a slow, hesitant shrug, "Not really."

I stared at him incredulously, my mouth gaping open in my disbelief, "You've never had ice cream? How?"

"Uhm," he seemed to shy away from the question but, before I could tell him never mind, he murmured, "I usually eat homemade things, from my family's chef. He likes to make fancier dishes, like from France or something and ice cream isn't exactly on that list."

"Oh, well, I bet what you eat is better anyway," I brushed past the thought that his family had a chef and, instead, turned his attention to the display case, "Look, see those colorful things? Those are sprinkles, usually I'll ask for them on my ice cream but... I can tell Mum's not up for it, you know?"

He nodded, biting into his cone before pausing and making a face, "Ouch, that - hurts."

"Brain freeze," I laughed, "You need to eat it more slowly, or that happens."

"You could've warned me," he grumped, taking another bite, this time smaller.

"Sorry," I crunched through a bit of cone and glanced over to Mum, who was sitting in one of the corner tables with her head in her hands. I leaned towards Draco and whispered, "I think Mum's stressed. We should finish up."

"Why would she be stressed?" he asked, confused, as he looked over to my mum.

"Dunno, she never tells me... I think it's because we don't have a chef for ourselves," I gave a sad smile to him and finished off my cone, "I should get going... I'll see you later."

I slid off my stool and waved at him before skipping over to Mum and taking her hand, pulling her out of her hunched over position and out the door with one last grin sent back to Draco, who watched our departure with a curious expression on his face.

...

"Baker?" I turn and see a familiar blond looking at me. I smile and wave him over, ignoring the odd looks I got from Ashley and Olivia, who had returned to town the morning of that day.

"Draco! Meet my friends, this is Ashley and Olivia!" I pointed to my two friends as I introduced them, "You two, say hi."

Ashley peered down at Draco, since she was taller, and frowned, "Hi."

"Hello," Olivia gave a small smile but it dropped away quickly.

Draco looked to me, "I'm not welcomed."

"Be nice," I scolded the two, "He's my friend too."

Ashley turned away and Olivia rolled her eyes, as if I couldn't see her. I pushed away the twinge of hurt and looked to Draco, who met my gaze, "I can go."

"No! C'mon, guys, he can hang out with us, right?" I turned to my friends but they both avoided my gaze and, instead, shook their heads.

"We need to get home... Mummy'll be worried," Olivia mumbled, kicking a rock with her shoe.

"Yeah, we'll... see you," Ashley took her sister by the arm and steered her away, since Olivia had seemed to have lost the ability to move.

I watched, disappointed, as the two of them retreated down the road. I glanced back to Draco and found an expression I couldn't read on his face. It was like regret, confusion, and anger all mixed into one, small glint in his eyes.

I reached out and gave his shoulder a small push, "C'mon, we can go down to the creek for a bit."

"The creek?" he asked, trailing behind me as I led the way.

"Yeah, of course, I heard frogs can be found there... I'm not actually supposed to go down there but - don't tell my mum?" I smiled at him.

He looked bewildered that I was sharing something with him but he gave a nod, "Of course. But - frogs?"

"Yup, they're fun. Bethany found one a bit ago and it's now her pet!" feeling our pace was too slow, I reached over and took his hand in mine, pulling him over the grass a bit faster, "Hurry up! Apparently, at this time of day, there's plenty of wildlife hanging around! Ooh, did you know that Trevor a while ago found a white feather and his mother said it's from a peacock? Like the ones found in zoos! Or... so I've heard... I wonder where it came from! Ooh, I wonder if we'll find one today! Won't that be a fun adventure?"

He blinked a few times, as if registering my babbling, then shook his head, "Peacocks don't live near the creek, that was Alcyone, one of my father's favored albino peacocks. She escaped a bit back."

The news shocked me despite the fact that I knew Draco's family was more well off than mine. I peered over to him, "How many peacocks do you have?"

"Ten?" he thought for a moment, "No, wait, nine. Pluto died last week. Father is working on getting a new one, he likes even numbers."

"Woah, what? Ten? Where does your father even get them?"

He paused, hesitant, "I don't know. I've never thought about it."

I was considering asking another question but the sight of the creek came into view and, with renewed vigor, I dashed towards it with Draco still being pulled along behind me. I stopped on the banks and released him, having the feeling he wouldn't want to wade in. I sent a smile back at him and kicked off my shoes before stumbling into the cool water, trying not to slip on the algae-covered rocks.

"Ew," he remarked, watching as I moved towards the middle of the water, "What's in that stuff?"

I shrugged, "I don't know. Why?"

"What if there's like - waste in there?" he shuddered at the thought.

I cocked my head at him, "I never thought of that. It doesn't really bother me though - I can just shower when I get home, I guess."

"Where're the frogs you talked about?" he asked, looking around with mild fear in his eyes as if one of the reptiles would leap out of nowhere and land on his head.

"Oh, no, Draco, there's a frog on your back!" I cried suddenly, grinning at his reaction as he let out a small shriek and flailed for a moment before noticing the look on my face.

"Hey, that's not nice," he snapped, kicking water at me.

I grinned with a shrug, "Sorry."

We fell into silence as he stood there, watching the water trickle by. I didn't know what he wanted to do so, instead, I splashed back to where he was standing. He looked at me skeptically.

"Let's find a frog," I suggested.

He made a face, "Why?"

"Because it's fun! Please?"

He sighed but nodded anyway, "Fine, I refuse to touch it, though."

"We'll see!" I grinned.

...

"Here comes Malfoy," Ashley hissed, sharing a look with Olivia as if I wasn't standing right next to the two of them.

I scowled and glanced over my shoulder, happy to see that Draco was actually approaching, sort of, "Don't be rude. Draco!"

He gave a small, resigned sigh, and stopped hovering away from the three of us. He took a few steps closer and gave a small nod, "Baker."

"'Baker,'" Olivia mimicked, her tone and expression dripping contempt, Ashley snickered next to her.

"Guys! What's wrong with you?" I snapped, "I've been friends with him for a few years now!"

"He's the manor boy, Baker," Ashley scoffed, "He's rich and he's stuck up and he could probably buy your whole existence without any dent in his money. He's above you, why should he actually care for you?"

Olivia's lip curled up, as if she'd just smelled something revolting, "He has tailored clothes, neatly styled hair, and a personal chef, Baker, he doesn't need you. You should get some better friends."

"Better friends?" I spat, now furious, "You two would've been my 'better friends' when we were seven. Now you're rude to everyone. Why did I ever like you?"

"Life changed, Baker, we're no longer happy little seven-year-olds, soon we're going to be teens. Act like it," Ashley hissed, sending a glare to Draco, "Malfoy boy over there is older than you, he probably sees you as an immature little kid."

"He's barely a year older," I retorted, "He's absolutely fine, unlike you two. You act as those downgrading others is all that's important in life... hm, we're supposed to be the mature ones, soon, so... Act like it."

I spun around and grasped Draco's sleeve before storming off with him matching my steps quietly, as if my 'friends' hadn't just insulted the two of us. I walked quite a bit away before slowing to a stop, releasing Draco.

"You okay?" I asked him.

He looked down at me with a blank expression, "Fine."

"You don't seem okay," I fretted, noticing he was standing more rigid than normal, "What's up?"

He had a look in his eyes that seemed to say he wasn't willing to share but that glint faded and he sighed, "Father is lecturing me again."

"Oh, what about this time?" I asked, hoping I wasn't going over a line or anything.

"You, actually," he looked away from me, "He says you're below the Malfoys and will taint our legacy."

"That's ridiculous, how could I taint it?"

The cold look reentered his eyes and he looked over and down to me, "By ruining our image. I need to get back to the manor."

Without any more explanation, he spun on his heel and strode away, leaving me to stand there, quite confused.

...

"Hey, Draco!" I called, seeing my friend standing outside a shop. I hadn't seen him for weeks and so I darted over, "Draco!"

His eyes passed right over me and I frowned, waving my hand in front of his face until he could no longer ignore me. His stiff gaze met mine and he hissed, "What?"

"Woah, what's up with you?" I asked, wondering if I'd done something wrong to piss him off.

"Nothing," he snapped, "Just the fact that your annoying face is still in mine."

I took a step back, shocked, "What?"

"I don't want to be around you, Baker, don't you understand that? You're ruining the Malfoy name, we're being ridiculed, and I don't want to be the boy who tainted his family name. I'm heading off to a - private school and I won't see you for a long while. Maybe never, if I can help it."

"Fine, whatever, you're clearly pissed off about something so fine, I'll go. See you around, Malfoy," I hissed, spinning around and stalking off, pretending I'd never talked to him as I rejoined Mum as she looked through a rack of the cheapest clothing she could find.

"Darling, how's Draco?" she asked, holding up a sweater to my shoulders then shaking her head when she realized the sleeves were far too short, "I didn't see Mr. Malfoy with him."

"He's absolutely fine, Mum," I told her, lying through my teeth. She sent a glance down at me but let it pass, instead showing me a hat, "The color is off, is there a different one?"

"No, I don't think so, darling," she looked fretfully at the rack then back to me before whispering softly, "I'm so sorry, darling."

I pretended I hadn't heard, since she said stuff like that often, and, instead, reached for the hat, "This'll work, actually, washing it will probably help."

Mum smiled at me but it didn't quite reach her eyes, despite her best efforts. She reached for me and brushed a hand over my head, "Let's pay then go home for dinner, I bet you're tired."

"I am," I reached over and took her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

...

Before I knew it, Draco was gone. He'd went off to his fancy private school or whatever it was and I was left pretty much alone. Ashley and Olivia were done talking to me and, since they seemed to have established themselves as the ruling order over our small school, all the other girls ignored me too. I didn't mind too much, since being alone was better than being with snobby people, but it would've been nice to have Draco to talk to. He didn't often keep up his side of the conversation but I knew he was always listening, and that made me feel less alone.

...

"Darling, you got a letter in the mail," Mum smiled and pointed to the letter on the counter.

I grinned, "Really?"

"Yes," she laughed, "Open it up, I don't know what it's for."

I never got any mail, since Mum had no relatives to exchange letters with and my dad had left as soon as he'd heard Mum was pregnant, so I was too excited to even read past the "Ms. Baker" on the outside before I was ripping it open.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Dear Ms. Baker,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

I looked up to Mum and held out the letter, "What does this mean?"

She took it and scanned over it, a faint frown on her face, "Is there anything else in the envelope?"

"Yes," I handed her the still-folded bit of parchment that I assumed was for the list of supplies, "What does this mean?"

"I bet it's all a joke," she said wearily, setting aside the letter. She was about to turn away and continue cooking dinner but a knock at the door caused her to still, "Darling, did you invite anyone over?"

"No?" I peered out the kitchen window and spotted a severe looking man with long, greasy black hair and dark eyes that had no light in them, "It's a man."

"Go upstairs," Mum said suddenly, swiftly pulling me away from the window and nudging me towards the stairs, "I'll deal with it."

"But - " I was forced to stop protesting when she gave me her best stern look and I hurried up the stairs, heading straight for the window that overlooked the front door. I cracked it open a little and I could hear the door opening, both from the inside and the outside.

"Hello," Mum greeted, voice strained, "Do you need anything, sir?"

"Are you Mrs. Baker?" the man asked, in a slow voice that seemed like he was sneering at my mother.

I couldn't see Mum but I guessed she had stiffened from the way her voice had changed from strained to annoyed, "Ms. Baker, but yes."

"Well, Ms. Baker, is your daughter here?" the man asked, turning his head to look through the kitchen window, the motion causing his greasy hair to look even greasier in the light.

"She is not. Please leave."

The man turned his attention back to her and frowned, "I know she is."

"And have you been stalking us?" Mum demanded, taking a step forward into view, "I want you gone. Now. Or I'll call the police."

"They won't do anything," he remarked, a small smile on his face that seemed to say he was enjoying pissing off Mum, "I need to talk to your daughter."

"I said no!" Mum snapped, stepping back into the house and slamming the door. I took the opportunity to slide shut the window and creep into my room.

I could hear her taking a deep breath before coming up. She paused in the doorway of my room and I looked to her, "What was that about?"

"Some creep, don't worry," she assured me but her eyes said otherwise.

I knew she was lying but I didn't point it out and, instead, nodded, "Okay, hopefully none of them come by again."

"Let's hope," she agreed.

Except, more did come by. The next day.

...

The sound of someone knocking at the door interrupted my piano practice and Mum sighed, getting up to answer it, "Continue playing, darling."

"Okay," I started up again where I left off and I heard her open the door.

"Hello," she greeted.

I threw a glance over my shoulder to see a woman with a tight bun and kind of severe expression of her face standing there, "Hello, Ms. Baker."

"And you are?" Mum asked, sounding slightly rude.

The woman gave a small smile, "Professor McGonagall."

"Professor of what?" Mum prodded.

"I teach at a private school."

Mum, now annoyed, huffed, "But what school and professor of what?"

"I'm sorry, Ms. Baker, may I step inside? I could use a cup of tea, if you are willing."

"Of course," Mum said warily, moving aside anyway so the 'professor' could come in, "Any preferences?"

"Whatever you have will do," McGonagall said, glancing around. Her eyes landed on me and she smiled, "Is this your daughter?"

"Yes," Mum responded, filling a kettle with water. She introduced me, "Darling, say hello."

"Hi?" I greeted, a bit confused.

"Is it okay if I sit down?" McGonagall asked, gesturing to the sofa.

"Yes."

I watched as she sat, "Why're you here?"

"That's what we're about to talk about," she informed me, "Do you remember the letter you received yesterday?"

"Yes?"

"It was real, and I'm here to help you. At first, Professor Snape was sent but he obviously couldn't handle it so Professor Dumbledore sent me to retry."

"What's your fancy school about?" I asked, since I hadn't forgotten that she'd evaded my mum's questions.

"Ah, now that's what makes your mother here cautious. Hogwarts is a school of magic," McGonagall watches as my expression changes from shock, to awe, to confusion, and then to suspicion.

"Mum?" I looked to her, since I didn't know what to think of what the 'professor' was telling me.

"I don't know, darling," she looked to McGonagall, "Could you demonstrate?"

She nodded, "I suppose so. Do you mind if I borrow that vase?"

"I guess," Mum looked wary as McGonagall pulled out a slender wand and pointed it at the vase.

"Wingardium leviosa," she said and the vase lifted off it's table. It was flying. I looked at it, awestruck, until she put it down, "Anything else?"

"I suppose not but I don't - I don't have enough money to send her off to this school, since it's private," I didn't usually hear Mum say it aloud so my eyes widened when she admitted it to McGonagall.

"The school can help with that," she assured Mum, "We can take a trip to Diagon Alley tomorrow, since the school year starts in just a few weeks?"

"That would be fine," Mum replied, a tired look now on her face, "Is that all?"

"Yes, I'll get out of your hair for now," McGonagall stood and Mum escorted her out, the two deciding that we'd shop after lunch.

I was tempted to go hunt down Draco, since I knew he was home for the summer, but he avoided me now. I sighed, wishing he'd talk to me so I could fix it but he was stubborn and would never admit he was wrong.

...

"Are you sure we go into the barrier, darling?" Mum worried as the two of us faced the very much solid-looking barrier.

"Yes, Professor McGonagall said so -" I responded, my eyes locking onto the barrier as I started towards it with my trunk dragging behind me.

Mum kept pace with me and, right before we smacked into the wall, I closed my eyes and flinched back but the impact never came. I opened my eyes then gasped in complete awe. The train station was gorgeous, in my eyes, and the Hogwarts Express was a beautiful shade of red. Owls and an assortment of other animals skittered about and I found myself laughing at the thought of it all.

Parents and their students bustled around the stop, wheeling their trunks around with them. Laughter and excited conversations rang up from the waiting people, the sound of it bringing me to my senses enough to turn and declare, "I love this."

Mum smiled a soft smile, "I'm sure you do, darling."

I didn't give a response as I spun in a slow circle, taking in the sight as much as I could. I saw others looking just as awe-struck as me and I assumed they were also muggleborns, like me. I stood, fascinated, for who knows how long until my eyes caught sight of a familiar boy.

"Draco!" I screamed and, before I could truly register what I was doing, I had already closed the distance between us and threw my arms around him, "Draco! Isn't this amazing? I didn't know you're a wizard! You should've told me! This is so amazing, I can't believe it!"

He froze then threw my arms off, his face turning a light pink, "Be quiet, Baker. You're embarrassing yourself."

My smile faded a little, "Oh."

"I didn't know you're a witch," he commented, his voice with a small edge, "You better be a Slytherin, then."

"Slytherin?" I wrinkled my nose, "I mean, they all sound cool but I was thinking Gryffindor sounded the -"

He shook his head, "They're full of buffoons. At least hope for Ravenclaw, if not Slytherin, and Hufflepuff is all right since it's not Gryffindor."

"Okay," I looked around, "How does this work?"

"We get on the train," he looked like he was getting a headache, "And it takes us to the school. Excuse me, now, I need to find my friends."

"Really? Can I meet them?" I asked, not knowing if he'd actually agree. He'd been avoiding me for over a year so when he paused and started to shake his head I wasn't surprised but then he stopped.

"Fine."

I grinned, "Where are they?"

"Right there," he nodded towards a small cluster of kids, all wearing clean and tidy uniforms. I immediately noticed the green and silver ties around their necks. Draco was clearly a Slytherin.

He led me over to them slowly and, when they caught sight of me, their eyes studied me and I could see the disdain leak into their gaze. I cleared my throat, pretending I hadn't noticed, and introduced myself.

"Pansy Parkinson, pleasure," the only girl replied, her tone dripping scorn.

A dark-skinned boy gave a polite but stiff nod, "Blaise Zabini."

"Those two are Crabbe and Goyle," Draco added, nodding to the other two who were standing in confusion. I tried to give a nice smile to them but they looked like they could honestly snap my neck easily so all I managed was a half smile half grimace that I dropped immediately.

His friends didn't strike me as friendly but, then again, I had been friends with Ashley and Olivia so I guess I'd be willing to give his friends a try, since I had no one else to talk to. I was about to ask them about themselves but Pansy's lip curled up in a brief display of disgust, "Draco, is this girl muggleborn?"

I looked to him and he hesitated before a steely glint entered his eyes and he nodded, "Yes, mudblood."

"Disgusting," Parkinson replied, snickering, "She's younger too, isn't she?"

Once again, he paused before responding, "Year younger."

"Aw, got a puppy, do you, Draco?" she hissed with a wicked grin, "Devoted follower? Love-struck little kid?"

A sting entered my heart as I took a small step backwards from her as she started to laugh, a mocking and harsh sound that dug it's way into my mind. I licked my lips and murmured, "I'm going to go get on the train, Draco."

As I ducked away, I heard Parkinson telling Blaise in a stage-whisper, "First name basis? Gross."

...

"Baker, snap out of it," I blinked and looked over to my fellow Hufflepuffs at my table. We were supposed to be sorting potion ingredients but I'd apparently spaced out, "You need to arrange those by height."

I glanced down to the stalks of whatever near my hands and nodded, "Yes, of course, sorry."

"Thinking of Malfoy, are you?" Cali snorted, setting aside a neatly labeled and organized jar, "He's way out of your league."

"Huh?" I started moving the stalks of plant so they each had their own group, the tallest, the medium, and the shortest, "What do you mean?"

"So oblivious," Cali hissed to Trixie, who held off a snort.

I buried the sting of hurt at their behavior, since I didn't want to let them get to me, but it still slowed my progress as I jarred the piles into their own bottles and labeled them. Hufflepuffs were stereotyped to be nice and pushovers but clearly that wasn't the case.

"Tsk, tsk, you seven were supposed to be done already," Professor Snape drawled as he neared our table. He glared down at the thirteen bottles we'd finished then gave a dramatic sigh, "The eagles are going double your pace. Ten points to Ravenclaw for no incompetence."

"What? That's unfair!" Cali protested, finishing off another bottle.

Snape picked up the bottle and threw it across the room, causing it to smash into the wall, "Ten points from Hufflepuff for talking back. Clean that mess up, Miss Carter."

He stalked off and Cali stood up, her stool skidded across the floor, "Idiots."

Trixie sent her a sympathetic look as she stormed off to find something to clean up the broken glass and ingredients. Diego sighed and reached for another jar, "Let's just seem going. We can catch up, right?"

"Of course," I replied immediately, grabbing a container of some sort of slimy stuff and squinting at it, "What is this?"

No one seemed to know so I set it aside with a jar, knowing Cali would probably know because she was a master at Potions. The seven of us picked up the pace to make up for Cali's absence and, at the end of the period, we'd barely used up all the provided jars. It would've been a nice victory but the Ravenclaws had finished a good twenty minutes before us.

Probably because Snape kept guiding them.

I picked up my back and slung it over my shoulder as the bell rang, immediately leaving the room and making my way up the stairs, towards the Charms classroom since Draco and his friends came out of there and, if I got there fast enough, I was often able to catch them before lunch.

I got there just as he was leaving the door, drawling some sort of story to his friends, and he glanced over as I approached but didn't pause his tale to greet me as he started towards the Great Hall, his friends trailing after the two of us because I tended to keep pace with him instead of following after.

He finished telling his story and looked over to me, his eyes flicking away just as quickly, "How was Potions?"

"Professor Snape took points for 'incompetence' and threw a jar across the room," I replied, giving a small eye roll.

"Probably because you were incompetent," Parkinson snickered from behind us.

I ducked my head as Draco let out a slow breath, "Be quiet, Pansy."

"Draco -" she protested but he whirled around and set a glare on her and she nodded, "Yes, of course, sorry."

I threw a glance behind my shoulder as we continued walking but looked away quickly because Parkinson looked livid. I slowed my pace a little so I was behind Draco but in front of his pack of followers, not wanting to talk to either.

Draco plowed through the crowd as if he owned the school and the rest of us followed closely behind, as if we were his bodyguards and he were a celebrity. We entered the hall and he glanced over his shoulder, meeting my gaze for a moment before moving towards the Slytherin table while I went for the Hufflepuff.

...

"Baker," I looked up from the History of Magic book I'd been reading and saw Draco, hands in his pockets.

"Hey, Draco," I bookmark the page and set it aside, patting the space on the grass next to me for him to sit down.

He studied the grass, as if checking it for something disgusting, then dropped gracefully into a cross-legged sit, "History of Magic?"

"Yes, it's boring," I rolled my eyes, brushing a hand across the cover, "Some of it's all right."

"I'm hoping to drop the class at my first chance," he smirked, "History doesn't change the future."

"Tell that to all the avoided mistakes from lessons learned in the past," I point out.

He snorted, tossing his head back in a brief moment of amusement, "You've got a point there, Baker."

Before I could stop myself, I glanced over his shoulder then asked, "Where are your shadows?"

"I don't know," his expression darkened for a moment but he smothered the look with a neutral expression, "Probably off with their tutors."

"Tutors? Whatever for? Aren't they all pretty smart?" I pause then laugh, "Except for Crabbe and Goyle."

Amusement flicked across his face, "Their parents hire tutors for them, says it gives them a little extra knowledge for tests."

"Do you have a tutor?" I asked.

"Technically, yes."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

He smirked, "I have a tutor, just never meet up with her."

"Draco, that's rude," I chided.

"Not really, she's still getting paid for all this. My parents said that if, twice a week, she shows up at the library to tutor she'd get paid. It never said she has to tutor me."

"It's implied," I rolled my eyes, "But whatever, easy money."

He nodded, "Of course."

My thoughts slowly turned to my own money struggles but I had to brush them away because, surely, there was no way I'd get a job for tutoring or really anything because none of the 'Sacred Twenty Eight' families would hire a first year mudblood to tutor their children.

"Plans for tomorrow?" he asked, gazing out to the lake as the water rippled and gleamed in the sun.

I followed his look and spotted the squid swimming lazily near the surface, "I don't know, homework, probably."

"Why not the quidditch game?"

"What about it?" I looked to him and he met my eyes, "You're not playing in it so what's the point?"

"House spirit," he informed me.

"I don't think so," I replied, feeling a little sorry, "I don't care for the game."

He gave a small nod in response before standing, "I need to go."

"Why?" I peered up at him, "I thought you don't have a tutor to meet."

He adjusted his tie, avoiding my eyes, "Still have work to do, Baker."

"All right."

By the time the words fell out of my mouth, he'd already turned and walked off, striding across the grass back up towards the castle.

...

"Did you hear of that new wizarding band?" Cali asked Trixie and I as we moved towards the carriages to take us to the castle. They didn't seem to have an obvious source to pull them so they were quite fascinating as the three of us climbed onto one of them.

I couldn't help but look around as it slowly pulled away from Hogsmeade station, trying to catch sight of Draco. He'd told me that sitting on the train with his Slytherin 'friends' meant it'd be easier to talk to me later and I trusted him but that didn't stop me from searching for him.

"I told you, Baker, he's out of your league. Stop mooning over him," Cali snapped her fingers in front of my face, "Why not chase Diego or Oscar?"

I made a face at her, annoyed, "I'm not mooning over him and isn't Oscar with Robin?"

"I don't know, I thought Robin was with Chiara?" she responded, pausing for a moment, "Either way, they're in your league. Bleached blondie isn't."

"Chiara dumped Robin, said the relationship didn't have sparks," I pointed out but she wasn't truly listening anymore, instead turning to talk to Trixie.

I shifted so I was facing the landscape as it went past, tuning out my dormmates. Eventually, the carriage pulled to a stop and I let the other two climb out before I followed. By the time I'd dropped from the carriage, I could no longer see the two of them amid the other students.

I pushed through the disappointment and joined everyone as they moved towards the open doors to the castle for dinner. In front of me, I spotted gleaming blond hair that looked silver in the light. I carefully skirted around others until I caught up with him, "Draco! How was your summer?"

"It was okay, you?" he responded coolly, shoving his hands into his pockets as we climbed the stairs towards the Entrance Hall.

I forced a small yet bright smile onto my face, "It was lovely, you should've come down to the creek with Ashley, Olivia, and I. We went every day."

"You're hanging out with them?" he looked to me with a disapproving look, "You know they don't like you at all."

"Yes, but..." I trailed off then picked up again, "but someone didn't want to hang out with me so I was bored."

He frowned, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be! It was a lovely summer."

I could tell he wasn't very convinced but he let it drop when we flooded into the Great Hall. He set a hand on my shoulder briefly but, before I could react, he'd already removed it and walked away, disappearing just like Cali and Trixie.

The thought made my stomach churn.

...

"Baker? What happened to you?" my head snapped up at the sound of Draco's voice but I ducked my head again, refusing to meet his gaze, "Don't tell me Cali and Trixie got to you."

His tone was so flat that I looked up, finding quiet anger in his eyes. I shook my head, "No, no, it's fine."

"It isn't. If it was fine, you wouldn't be crying in an abandoned hallway after curfew," he responded, sliding down the wall until he was sat next to me.

"It's after curfew? Crap," I made to scramble up to return to the Hufflepuff basements but he stopped me, standing up as well and pushing on my shoulders until I relented and dropped back to the stone floor.

"Don't worry about it, no one'll find us," he assured, "I bet those two broke up your friendship?"

"How did you know?"

He let out a humorless laugh as he tapped his head against the wall a few times, "They were crap talking you outside the Great Hall, lots of kids heard."

"Oh," I rubbed my face, "They can talk, most probably isn't true."

"Still," he stood up and looked down at me, "We should return to our common rooms, I'll walk you to yours. I can ward off any Prefects."

"Thank you," I murmured as I took his offered hand and let him hoist me up.

He let go almost immediately before starting off down the hall. I kept pace with him as he turned right. He stayed silent so I did as well, letting him stay in his thoughts as we walked.

After about ten minutes we stopped in front of the barrels for the Hufflepuff dorms. I turned to look at him and he stared back. Nothing happened for a few moments but then I stepped forward and wrapped him into a quick hug before releasing just as abruptly.

"Thank you," I said again, turning and tapping the barrels to open the passage to the common room. I entered and, as the barrels moved back into place, I heard him call a quiet good night.

...

"Ew, look at Baker, still trailing after Malfoy," Olivia sniped loudly to Ashley as Draco and I left a small shop that sold sweets.

Ashley snickered, "Like a lost puppy."

"I heard she followed him to his private school, somehow, even though her mother is dirt poor!"

I leveled a glare at the two of them as we passed by them. Olivia rolled her eyes and Ashley snorted but they fell silent when Draco reached for my sleeve and led me down the street.

He turned the corner then stopped, turning to me and handing the bag of candy we'd bought. I reached in and pulled out a chocolate bar. Ripping open the package as I studied his expression.

"You okay?" I asked, breaking off half the chocolate and offering it to him.

He took it but didn't eat any, "I should be asking you that. You need better friends."

"You're completely fine," I responded, biting off a bit of chocolate, "They aren't friends."

"They were," he pointed out, shifting his hold on the candy so it wouldn't melt in his hands.

I looked at the wrapper I held and crumpled it, knowing I didn't exactly have the best taste in picking friends, "What about yours?"

"I didn't chose them," he responded quickly and firmly, "You chose yours."

"Still," I took another bite of chocolate.

He looked to his melting candy and made a face, "This stuff is gross. Wizarding chocolate doesn't melt this quickly"

"No, it's not. You're supposed to eat it, not hold it, idiot. I bet wizards hold their chocolate for ages if they made chocolate that doesn't melt," I reached out and broke off a piece of non-melted chocolate and held it out to him, "Eat it quickly, before it melts, too."

He looked skeptical as he popped it into his mouth anyway. He made a face quickly, "Honeydukes is better."

"I've never had it, can't compare," I responded, finishing off my own chocolate before it melted, "If you don't want that, I'd be happy to eat it."

"Take it, I truly do not want this. Also, I'll take you to Honeydukes next year, you'll be the right age for it."

I quickly finished off his chocolate, rubbing my fingers to get the melted goo off, "Really? You don't have to spend every waking moment with your pureblood pack?"

"It doesn't matter," he looks to the melted chocolate on his fingers, "This is gross, what do I do to get it off?"

"I mean, you could lick it off or wipe it off."

He frowned then pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket, swiping his hands across it until all traces of the candy was gone.

"That's one way to do it," I remarked, "The fancier way."

He stuffed the handkerchief back into his pocket and nodded, "I guess. I need to get back to the manor, though."

"Oh, all right. See you tomorrow?" I asked hopefully, knowing he often had to blow me off because of all the plans his father made.

He nodded, "Of course."

Of course? I watched as he turned and walked off down the street, heading back towards his manor. I chose not to dwell on his words, though, and, instead, planned what we could do.

...

"Darling, Draco's at the door," Mum knocked on my doorframe and I looked up, "Go down to answer it."

I scrambled off my bed, "Why? It's like, eight in the morning."

"I don't know, but I can say that he looks nice," she winked and left as I started to make myself more presentable than pajamas and messy hair.

I rushed down the stairs and threw open the door, "Draco!"

"Baker," he responded with much less enthusiasm, "Want to do something?"

"Draco, it's eight in the morning. I'm usually sleeping right now, what're you wanting to do, exactly?"

"You're usually sleeping right now?" he looked surprised but shook his head a little, "Anything, really."

"That's - not helpful."

He shrugged, "There's a small cafe in town?"

I'd never gone to a cafe but the thought of going to one with Draco made me fidget, "Are you sure?"

"Do you not want to?"

"No, it's just that - well, I guess we could," I sighed.

"You can say no, if you don't want to. I just know that you've never been to one and that I agreed to see you today."

"What, Draco, that's sweet," I cooed, teasing him because it was better than overthinking.

He ducked his head, "Be quiet, Baker, I could leave right now."

"But you wouldn't," I whispered to myself, "We can go, c'mon."

I called a goodbye to Mum then pulled the door shut, locking it behind me with a key that I tucked into my pocket. Draco stepped off the porch and I kept pace with him as he strode down the road, heading towards the heart of town.

"I thought you'd be busy," I commented, letting him lead since he knew where we were going and I did not.

He sighed, "Sorry, I thought I would be too. I'm here, though, and that's good, right?"

"Of course it is, why wouldn't it be?"

He shook his head, "Never mind. Are you excited to be going to a cafe?"

"Yes, of course I am! I've never been to one and this should be a fun experience," I grinned at him and he offered a small smile back, "This'll be awesome."

"Hopefully it will be," he commented.

"Draco, stop ruining the mood. Act like this is the best thing in the world. We're going to a cafe! And school's starting again soon!"

"Cool."

"Okay attempt," I laughed and a smile flicked across his face, "Aha! You can smile! Who knew?"

"I can smile," he protested, "I just don't do it often. It's silly."

"Oh."

I didn't know what to say to his statement because I smiled a lot. Did he think I was silly? I let the thought sit for a moment before I pushed it away, since it clearly would just ruin the day that we could spend together.

He stopped and pulled open a door, "Here we are."

He gestured he inside, following after, and I took in the small space. It was small and would've been cozy if it wasn't packed with a bunch of people, most of whom seemed to be teens, just older than Draco and I.

I followed Draco to one of the high, two people tables and hopped up onto the seat. Barely a few seconds later, a waitress came up to our table and placed down menus, "Anything to drink for you two?"

"Water, with lemon," Draco said immediately.

I shot him a glare, since he wasn't exactly being the most polite, and told the waitress, "Just water, please."

"All right, I'll be back with that soon," she smiled and turned off, checking in on some other tables, before heading back to the kitchens.

Draco took one of the menus and flipped it open. After a few moments he looked up at me with a raised eyebrow, "Are you not hungry?"

"I am," I responded quickly, reaching for the other menu and opening it to the first page.

We spent a few minutes in silence before he set down the menu, "I'm just going to get a salad."

"What?" I glanced over, "Really? Come on, Draco, don't be so boring. At least get a sandwich or something."

He sighed, "I'll order a pastry or something afterwards."

"Better."

When the waitress returned with our drinks, we gave her our orders and she jotted them down before heading off again. I pulled at the straw wrapper and dropped it into my drink, watching as Draco squeezed a lemon into his.

"Fancy, are you?" I asked, amused.

He shrugged, "It tastes better."

"You're weird."

A smile crossed his face, "You should try it. I can get a lemon slice for you."

"No, don't do that," I started but he waved over the waitress before I could do anything else to stop him.

"She'd like a lemon slice," he informed the waitress and she smiled.

"Of course, honey," she took some dirty dishes from the table next to us and strode off.

"Draco!"

He met my eyes, "Yes?"

"I told you not to," I take a sip of my water, "It tastes just fine like this."

"I tried muggle chocolate for you, you should try lemon water for me."

I sighed, "Whatever."

"Please?"

"Woah, did you just actually say please?" I teased, not wanting to miss the chance to poke fun at him.

He shot a glare a me, "Yes, is that really so surprising?"

"Nope, don't worry," I assured him, leaning back when the waitress returned with our food and a lemon slice, "Still can't believe you got a salad."

"It tastes good," he defended, picking up his fork and spearing some of the lettuce.

I picked up my sandwich, "I'll take your word for it."

"She brought you a lemon slice," he pointed out, "You can try it yourself."

"I'll pass," I said but, with the look he gave me, I changed my mind and relented, "Fine."

I took the lemon slice and squeezed it over my glass, dropping it into the water afterwards since Draco had. Then, I took a sip of it and made a small face, to which he frowned, "Does it not taste good?"

"It's fine, but I'm just not used to it, I guess."

He nodded, "I guess that makes sense."

I didn't know what else to say so I grasped for something, commenting, "You seem quite dressy."

He was, in fact, wearing a collared shirt and nice black pants. They were a far cry from some of his normal school wear but, at the same time, it was fancy for what he wore around town when the two of us were hanging out.

"It's nothing," he responded quickly, "Father insisted."

"Whatever for?"

He shrugged and stabbed at the greens on his plate, "I don't know."

"Oh."

I changed the subject not so subtly but he went with it and we chatted a little as we finished off our meal before he suggested walking out to the fields near the village, where a farmer didn't mind teenagers watching his animals from behind his fences.

I didn't think he was one to enjoy the company of smelly farm animals but he didn't seem to mind.

...

"Shadow," I heard someone hiss as I passed but I refused to duck my head or hurry away as I passed the group the insult had come from. They jeered as I moved away from them but I acted as though I hadn't heard.

I descended a set of stairs and came into the Entrance Hall, were students were buzzing about the Hogsmeade trip. Third years, like me, were all whispering in excitement while older students showed much more chill reactions to it. Most seventh years weren't even there.

I quickly caught sight of Draco on the edge of a small bunch of Slytherins and weaved my way through the milling crowd towards him.

His eyes locked onto mine and he smiled a little as I approached. I tugged on his sleeve teasingly, "Fancy again, Draco."

"I'm just stylish," he replied, sending a glance to his fellow Slytherins before grabbing hold of my hand, "Come on, they should be letting us out to the carriages any minute now."

I kept pace with him as he moved closer to the doors, which were being pushed open and students were starting to be allowed to pass through them. The Entrance Hall was stuffed since students from all three schools had crowded in but, as the flow out increased, it was easier to move.

Draco led me out of the hall and we crossed the lawn to the carriages. He released my hand and let me up first before following after, sitting across from me and sending glares to anyone who dared to consider joining us in the carriage.

"Draco, stop being rude," I chided as he scared off a pair of Ravenclaws who I recognized from Astronomy.

He raised his eyebrows at me, "Do you want some random blokes in here with us?"

"I don't care."

"I do," he responded, as if that settled the whole matter.

I sighed, "We're going to Honeydukes, right?"

"Yes, unless you want to go somewhere else?" he asked, looking out as the carriage pulled away from the Hogwarts grounds.

I shook my head, "No way, you've been talking about Honeydukes for ages, I'm not passing that up."

"It's not far from the carriage stop," he informed me, leaning back as we got closer to the village, "It is always full, however."

"I don't mind," I smiled when I caught sight of Hogsmeade, despite the fact that I'd technically been there before because of the train, "Look!"

"I have eyes, Baker."

I rolled my eyes and grumped, "Such enthusiasm. Come on, Draco, it's my first time!"

"I know that, but it's just Hogsmeade."

"It's not just Hogsmeade, you're ruining all the fun," I huffed, my mood shifting to a little serious.

He must've noticed because he sighed, "Sorry but we're here, come on."

He climbed out of the carriage then turned to help me out, making sure I didn't tip over when I hopped out. He took ahold of my hand and led me around other students who were exciting the carriages.

I kept pace with him as he guided me down the street, listening as he pointed out different shops. Which ones were interesting, which were always busy, which to avoid. I smiled when he explained an incident that had happened the previous year in a small stationary store, noting how he was quite invested in the story as we walked.

He kept his gaze on me as he explained just how dumb the pair had been and almost missed the bright sign for Honeydukes but I stopped him and pointed it out. He turned a light shade of pink, "Sorry."

"Wow, hold up, did you just apologize?" I marveled, entering the door with him by my side, "I wish I could lock that away in my memory forever."

He rolled his eyes but his lips twitched as if they wanted to smile, "Go pick something out, I'll buy it for you."

"No, Draco, it's fine -" I started to protest because I'd been saving up coins specifically for the trip but he waved it away, insisting because 'it's your first time here, it should be special' to which I rolled my eyes at.

I moved away and scanned the shelves, marveling at the wide variety of candies and sweets as I went. There was a huge section for chocolates, some of Honeydukes' best, and overflowing shelves of brightly colored sweets. Students and adults alike bustled around the area, some fighting for the last of certain brands. It was gorgeous and screamed magic because some of the displays were just too mystifying not to be.

The candy themselves also pointed to wizards with their odd names and interesting choices of ingredients and I couldn't help but picking up some of the packages, simply wanting to inspect them.

After a bit too much gawking at the displays, I picked up two simple bars of chocolate and retraced my steps in an attempt to find Draco between the shelves and other customers. I found him closed away in a corner with his friends around him, all of their faces holding hidden anger.

"... and why is it any of your business, Parkinson?" Draco asked as I got closer.

Her face was a bit red as she snapped her fingers in front of his face and hissed, "You're ruining the Malfoy name, haven't you noticed? She'd a mudblood, a Hufflepuff one at that. You don't fancy her, do you?"

Her tone had turned accusing at the end and I ducked behind a group of people inspecting a display, since I wanted to hear. Eavesdropping was wrong, to be honest, but I couldn't stop myself this time around.

"That'd be disgusting," Crabbe snarked, earning a guffaw from Goyle. He smirked, "Little puppy Baker, following her role model."

Draco's cool expression of mild anger was breaking as he reached forward and wrapped his hand around Crabbe's collar and tie, bunching it beneath his fingers as he pulled the boy closer, hissing, "Shut your mouth, Crabbe, nothing you say is worth hearing. Save your little brain power for something useful."

He released the stunned boy abruptly and sent a faint glare to the others with a stiff nod before pushing past them and striding off. He walked right past me and I hurried to go to a shelf and appear busy so I wouldn't look to suspicious when he found me.

"Oh, Baker, there you are," he said when he located me, a hint of confusion in his tone that barely smothered the anger in his words, not that it could keep his fury from flashing in his eyes when he sent a glance back towards the corner he'd been in, "Do you have what you want?"

"Yes, I hope it's as good as you promised. If it isn't, I'm going to be disappointed."

He took the chocolate from me and started towards the counter, "It'll be good, better than good. Don't worry."

...

"Draco?"

"Yes, Baker."

"Do you know what this means?"

"Hm?"

I slid over the thick book I'd been assigned to read over the next couple of weeks and pointed to one of the top paragraphs, since I had no idea what it was going on about. He took it from me and read it over.

"History of Magic?"

"Mhm," I hummed slowly, feeling exhausted since we'd been in the library for a good three or four hours. The sun was setting and the faint light from the windows was fading, causing Madam Pince to go around to light the lamps by hand so she could peer down the necks of our fellows students as she did so.

He thought for a moment then replied, "It's about goblins, which I don't think you know about. Lots of the events or vocabulary in that paragraph wouldn't be familiar to a mud - muggleborn like you. You'd need a dictionary."

"Oh, wonderful," I deadpanned, "Just what I needed, another book."

A small smile flickered across his face, "It's not that bad."

"We've been in here for hours and I've barely made any progress and now I need to check words from a dictionary," I flip through the ten or so pages I'd been able to read, "It wouldn't be that bad but the text is so tiny."

"You could use a magnifying spell."

I scrunched my nose, "I don't know those. I probably won't until the end of this year or the beginning of next."

"I'll teach you," he responded as if it were obvious that of course, he'd teach me a new spell.

I raised an eyebrow, "Really?"

"Why not?"

I bookmarked the page and set it aside, stalling just a little before meeting his gaze again and asking, "I thought you were busy."

"Why would you think that?" he asked, a small hint of confusion in his voice, "I don't tell you my plans."

I didn't want to tell him that I'd heard him brushing off Parkinson, Zabini, Crabbe, and Goyle so I shrugged instead, "Never mind."

"Want me to teach you now? We can stop afterwards."

I nodded and he pulled my book to the center of the table, flipping back to the page I'd been reading. I didn't point out that the text wasn't that small and, instead, let him teach me the proper pronunciation and motion, activating an effect like a magnifying glass just without the handle.

I then used it any time we were studying with each other.

...

"I hate Professor Umbridge," I hissed quietly to Draco as I took a seat next to him in the Great Hall, pretending that Slytherins and Hufflepuffs were staring at me. The snakes with hatred and the badgers with betrayal.

He gave a small nod but otherwise didn't show much outer reaction, since the 'professor' was known for punishing students harshly, even the favored Slytherins if they stepped too far past a line.

"Do you think we could do some homework?" I asked, serving myself a little food so he wouldn't complain about me not eating.

He shook his head, an apology showing in his eyes, "No, can't. Prefect."

"Oh, all right. Tomorrow?"

"Inquisitorial Squid duties," I hid the hurt I felt from him admitting that he was associated with the same woman who had screeched at me for nothing just a few days previous.

I frowned but turned away so he wouldn't notice, "Okay, tell me when?"

"Of course," he brushed a stray bit of hair away from my face but his hand withdrew just as quickly, "We can meet up in the library on Saturday."

"That's a whole week away," I mumbled quietly before I flicked a small smile onto my face, "All right, you better help me with Transfiguration, it's kicking my butt."

"It's not that hard," he responded, slightly amused.

I kept up the lighter atmosphere and let out a faint laugh, "It's so hard. I don't know how I'll survive the rest of this year."

"I'll help you, don't worry."

"Baker."

I turned and glanced up to find Cali and Trixie, the two of them seeming to tower over me as they stood a few feet away. I knew Trixie had been the one to catch my attention because Cali had started to act 'above' all of that kind of stuff.

Trixie sent a glance to Cali before stating, "Common room. Ten minutes."

Cali gave her an approving nod before the two of them walked off, Trixie trailing just a little behind. Enough to be noticeable but not enough for it to seem that she was 'beneath' Cali, though Cali sure seemed to believe that.

"Don't go," Draco said immediately.

I looked to him, "Why not?"

"They're worse than Potter."

A real laugh fought its way out and I raised my eyebrows, "Oh, that settles it."

He didn't look amused and, instead, his gaze turned more intense, "You shouldn't associate with them."

The bit of lightness I had felt faded and I gave a slow shake of my head, "I can't help it, Draco. Hufflepuff loyalty can kill."

...

I tapped my quill against the desk as Professor Umbridge informed us of which chapters we'd be reading for the class period. Something about repelling, something about theory, something about 'being safe!'

I didn't care.

I wished I could unleash some sort of beast upon her then call out something about being safe and having no reason to worry because no one would attack someone at Hogwarts. She was a load of crap.

She commanded us to make note of something she wrote on the board and I dipped my quill into my inkpot before writing in quick, jagged shapes 'no need to fear, the ministry is here!'

She started to pace around the classroom and I panicked briefly because my supposed notes was just a sheet of parchment full of mocking remarks. I glanced to her then made to crumple up the paper so I could jot down some better notes but, before I could, she was standing right in front of me with a sickeningly sweet grin on her face.

"Now what is this?" she picked up my parchment, "Oh, dear, that won't do. Detention, Miss Baker."

I wanted to protest, I almost protested, but I held back the words because it's cause more harm than good if I said anything else against her. I watched silently as she lit the paper on fire, thinking bitterly of the lecture she'd just given on how knowing the theory of a spell was better than practicing it, and sent the smoldering remains onto my desk.

The heat burned into my skin, just a little.

...

My hand felt raw and sore as I left her classroom. I had held back tears or sounds of pain in there but, as soon as I was far away, I let them fall. Heavens, it hurt. It hurt so bad. I knew it would scar and that scared me, since Mum knew nothing about the dangerous things of the wizarding world. I hadn't told her of Sirius Black, of the death of Cedric Diggory, and I surely could not tell her about the nuisance called Dolores Umbridge.

"Baker? What. The. Hell. Happened?" I heard a sharp voice hiss and my head snapped up to see Draco rushing towards me.

"No, it's fine - " I tried to push his hand away but he grabbed a hold of my wrist and looked to the dried blood covering the back of my hand, the raw, pink words of 'I must not speak ill of the ministry' showing beneath the red, "Draco, I'm fine."

He shook his head, his hand digging into my wrist, "It's not fine. You're bleeding and you have a bloody scar on your hand of the dumbest thing I've ever heard."

"I thought you supported the mini - "

He cut me off, "We're going to Madam Pomfrey, she'll have something."

"Draco, no," I locked my knees to stop him from pulling me down the corridor, "Getting caught past curfew will make it worse. I'll just go back to the common room, I'll wash it off and bandage it up - I know Ernie and Hannah have been keeping some bandages and ointments on a shelf for these... these situations."

He met my eyes and held them for what seemed like ages before he let out a slow, heavy sigh and nodded, once, "Fine. Don't do anything else against Umbridge, okay?"

"I won't."

"Good," he seemed to hesitate before tugging me a bit closer and pulling me into a quick hug. He let go and stepped back, "I'll see you around."

He disappeared down the hall.

...

"Baker?"

"Yes?" I responded, not looking up from the sketch of a wildflower I'd been doodling on some spare parchment. I didn't draw often and was far from a professional but it could be calming.

"Christmas break is coming up and I was wondering, do you want to come over to the manor?" Draco asked, staring directly into my eyes. Most looked away when faced in awkward situations but he tended to face them head on. He once told me it's so he could tell if the other person masked a reaction.

I let the shock show but it quickly morphed into amused surprise, "Really? Would your parents approve?"

"Of course not."

I laughed, "Then why're you asking?"

"Idiot."

I snorted, "It's not obvious to me."

"I don't care what they'd say, I still want you to come over to the manor," he said.

"Hm," I pretended to consider it, "Why not?"

"Christmas Eve? I know it's a lot to ask, y'know your mother would probably want to spend it with you and all but - "

"Be quiet. She'll understand."

He let out a quiet sigh of relief and a smile crossed his face, lasting much longer than his usual barely a second ones, "Just come to the gates, I'll let you in."

I nodded, "Got it."

...

The Malfoy Manor was quite intimidating.

The gates were insanely tall and the manor itself seemed ominous, even though it wasn't as bad as the manors in horror movies. I stood stiffly in front of the large gates and tried to will myself into not fidgeting as I waited for Draco.

He'd never specified a time so I shot for late afternoon, since he'd probably want to spend the morning with his family. Mum had insisted on buying a slightly more fancy dress for the occasion, with a wink that made me wince, and the skirt waved a little in the faint breeze.

It was chilly and, therefore, I cursed Draco for making me wait. I was tempted to turn around and head back to my own home, since it had started to snow, but, suddenly, Draco was hurrying down the path to the gates.

The flurry of snow lodged flakes in his hair, turning the already pale locks into almost white, and he smiled as he pushed open the gates, "Sorry."

"It's fine, I totally wasn't waiting out here for a good twenty minutes," I followed him back down the path and towards the manor doors.

He frowned, "I would've been out sooner but Father was... lecturing me. Next time bring a jacket."

"I didn't think it'd snow and I also didn't think I'd be waiting for so long."

"Sorry," he said again as he opened the doors, closing them softly behind us.

A small creature, which Draco quickly told me was a house elf, scurried up then, as if he noticed I didn't have a coat, bowed then backed off. Another one, this time a female, came out of a hall to the left and bowed deeply to Draco then gave a small dip of her head to me.

"Sir, Lord and Lady are waiting," she said before disappearing from sight with another bow.

"Lord and Lady?" I asked as he started towards the hall.

He sighed, "Father insists."

"Well, sir, that's quite interesting," I snickered.

He rolled his eyes, "Don't be ridiculous."

"No, sir."

I erupted into a fit of laughter and didn't notice that we'd entered a very fancy dining room. I only stopped short when a disapproving voice greeted calmly, "Draco."

"Father, Mother," he replied, his tone turning stiff, "This is Baker."

I tried not to marvel at how fancy the room was but my eyes still flicked around a bit as Draco's father seemed to scrutinize me silently from across the room. The tension could've been cut with a knife until his mother stood up gracefully and stepped over.

"I'm Narcissa," she introduced herself with a small smile, "My son praises you often."

I returned the smile as she led me towards a chair, pulling it out for me then returning to her own seat next to me. Draco took the chair across the table and he offered a quick smile, which helped to calm my nerves.

"As my wife has already stated, we've heard much about you from our son. Why don't you tell us about yourself so we can hear it from the famous Baker herself?" his father laced his fingers together and set his chin onto them, leaning towards me slightly.

I tried not to flinch, "Well, I'm Baker. A fourth year Hufflepuff."

"Anything else?" Mr. Malfoy drawled, looking bored and unimpressed.

"She's kind, loyal, and doesn't let others get to her," Draco responded suddenly, his voice firm, with a pointed glare aimed at his father, "When does dinner start?"

Mrs. Malfoy offered a placating smile to Draco, "We never said otherwise, Draco. Dinner will start soon, the house elves are almost done setting up the courses."

"Courses?" I said before I could stop myself.

Mr. Malfoy smiled a smug one, "Yes, Miss Baker, courses. There are four, this evening."

"That's - a lot," I admitted truthfully.

Draco smirked, "Not really, usually we have seven. Surprised we haven't all exploded from the sheer amount of food we eat."

"Draco," Mrs. Malfoy scolded, half-heartedly.

Before the conversation could continue, a small line of house elves entered the room, each carrying platters of food. I watched as they placed the dishes onto the table, bowed, then disappeared with distinctive cracks.

The Malfoys all started to eat but I just sat there, not knowing exactly what to do and feeling awkward. Eventually, Draco raised an eyebrow, "Are you not hungry, Baker?"

"Uhm, no, I am, it's just - "

"Then eat," he nodded down at my plate, "It isn't poison."

I smiled, "I know that, it's just... awkward."

"I can understand that but just ignore my parents."

I glanced over to his parents and saw a small smile across Mrs. Malfoy's face while Mr. Malfoy looked quite livid and ready to hex me.

"So, Draco, how has school been?" Mrs. Malfoy asked, obviously trying to break the tension.

He swallowed his bite and shrugged, "I've had better years."

"Isn't there another new professor? Professor Umbridge, is it?" she continued, spearing a bit of the lettuce on her plate.

My hand tightened around my fork and I tried to force the muscles to relax. Draco seemed to notice and he cleared his throat, "Yes, Mother, but we'd prefer not to talk about her."

"Of course," Mr. Malfoy cut in, his cold eyes fixating on me as he spoke his next words, "Don't want the precious mudbloods to be shown their proper place."

"I think Baker's done," Draco stood abruptly and looked to me, 

I gave a small nod and stood as well, avoiding Mr. and Mrs. Malfoys' stares. Draco came around the table and took hold of my hand, bidding his family a curt goodbye before walking out of the dining room.

"Are you okay?"

"Fine," I choked out, "I want to - I think I want to go back home."

He nodded and released his hold on my hand, "Understandable. I'm sorry."

"It's fine, Draco, you weren't the one insulting me."

He sighed, "Yes, but I brought you to the ones who did and I'm sorry."

"This doesn't change my perspective of you," I informed him as we left the manor and headed for the gates, "I still believe you're a kind person, your parents just aren't... the best. Although, your mother isn't as bad."

"I do prefer Mother over Father," he responded quietly. We walked in silence until we reached the gates, which he pushed open, but, before I could leave, he reached out and grabbed my hand, "Do you want to go out when we return to Hogwarts?"

I blinked and looked down to his hand that clutched mine, "Of course."

...

"Oh my gosh, Baker, you're actually going out with Malfoy?" Cali screeched, bursting into my carriage, "Why didn't you tell us?"

Trixie trailed after Cali and she gave me a small nod of acknowledgement before taking a seat.

I stared at Cali, "I haven't told anyone."

"I heard from Pansy! She said you'd put him under a love potion, smart move! Where'd you get it? I've been trying to find some for quite a while - "

I cut off her ramblings firmly, "I did not use a love potion, that is pure gossip. If you're here for my love life, you can leave."

Her lips tightened and her eyes flashed dangerously as a slow, wicked grin spread across her face, "Oh, Baker's getting bold. Who knew? Maybe blondie's harshness rubbed off on you, aw, hope we didn't lose the sweet little pushover we used to know and love."

She barked a laugh at the last word and snapped her fingers at Trixie, telling her that the two were leaving. She winked mockingly as she left and I just smiled, much to her annoyance.

I stared out the window as the Hogwarts Express pulled out of the station and started off down the tracks towards Hogwarts. I was ready to go back to school, where the only worries seemed to be homework, at least for me. Kids like Potter were different but thank Helga I wasn't Potter.

The door soon slid open again and I sighed, turning, because I expected to see Cali and Trixie with backup but, instead, it was Draco. He raised an eyebrow as I relaxed, "What is that about?"

"Cali and Trixie, don't worry."

He copied my sigh and sat down next to me, "They should go die in a hole."

"Draco!"

He rolled his eyes, "They gossip about everyone, even each other."

"So?" I stared at him, "They're still people."

"Fine, be righteous or whatever."

I huffed, "I'm not, you just shouldn't send death threats to people."

"I'm not sending them. I'm stating them," he defended.

"Believe what you wish."

...

"Date day," Cali sang as she and Trixie descended upon me.

I let them do their thing to 'prepare' me for the date since arguing would do no good and I didn't want to get on their bad side.

"I can't believe you never style your hair for him, it looks like a rat's nest," Cali remarked, running a comb through my hair.

Trixie handed Cali a hair tie, agreeing, "It's boring."

I nodded slowly but that rewarded me with a slap on the back of the head from Cali and she snapped, "No moving."

"Sorry," I mumbled, making sure not to move.

When the two were finally finished, I left quickly while trying not to be obvious with how fast I bolted out of there. I hurried up to the main level and out to the Entrance Hall, where I found Draco waiting somewhat patiently.

"Sorry," I called as soon as I was in range for him to hear me.

He shrugged, "It's fine. Let's go?"

"Yeah," I matched his pace as he headed down to the carriages.

Halfway there, he broke the silence, "What happened to your hair?"

"Uhm," I reached up and sighed, "Cali and Trixie."

"Oh, them," his voice was stiff as we climbed into the carriage.

I sighed, "They're my roommates, Draco, what am I supposed to do?"

"I tell Nott, Zabini, Crabbe, Goyle, and the others to leave me alone all the time so just do the same."

"You're ruder than I am."

He smirked, "One of us needs to be."

"Wrong."

"I don't think so."

I rolled my eyes, "That's you. And you'd never admit you're wrong."

"True," he looked out to where Hogsmeade was coming into view.

...

The day was lovely.

We visited shops and walked down the roads, chatting the whole way. He bought a small pin to put on my satchel and showed me a shop he liked to frequent. I couldn't have asked for a better day out.

On the ride back to the castle, when evening had started to fall, I could've sworn he called my name softly so I looked up to find him looking out to the forest as we passed.

"Draco?"

"Would you be willing to do something like this again?" he asked, quietly.

I wasn't sure I'd heard him right, "Pardon?"

"Does going on another date with me sound fun?" he said, louder this time, while watching my reaction.

I flushed a light pink then replied softly, "Of course, this was so fun and... I quite like you, Draco."

"Really, now?"

"Don't get a big head," I responded quickly.

He smirked, "I won't, you're here to deflate it."

"Oh, hush."

"Next Hogsmeade weekend?"

I smiled and scooted closer, laying my head onto his shoulder, "Yes."

...

And there we go! Originally, it was going to end with either Draco introducing Baker as the girl he liked to his parents or the two heading to Baker's home during the summer and her saying 'aw, young love is so cute' or something but I thought this had a nicer feel (I just couldn't incorporate young love into it like some of my other oneshots). I'll probably write a bonus scene for the two introducing themselves as a couple to Baker's mum in my bonus book because it'd be such a cute scene.

I hope it was worth it! Love you all

...

[Word Count: 13309]

...