𝐇𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐭𝐡
𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞

──────────⊱༺ ♰ ༻⊰──────────
HEMERA

It only takes a brief-lasting gust of the chilly afternoon wind for me to wrap my coat tighter around my body, the silky feeling of the material sliding over the base of my neck engulfing me into a wool-made shelter of much-needed warmth. Even if it's only the early days of September, I know better than to assume that the weather always goes hand in hand with calendars and dates. From the mild rainfalls that dared to make an appearance during the supposedly warmest weeks of the summer, I can take a fair guess that the cold winter awaiting ahead is already planning a lash-out. Perhaps, one that nobody will expect.

"Are you cold?" Draco asks from where he's sitting directly next to me on the blanket we have laid out on the grass. The castle's backyard is quiet, placid, and surprisingly, deserted most of the time, making it one of our favorite places to hang out when we both wish to get away from the chatter and gossip that always chase us down. I keep my eyes on the open arithmancy book splayed out across my crossed legs and answer his question with a short-lived shake of my head.

"You can have my coat if you want." He presses.

"I'm fine," I mumble, still not looking at him as I focus on transferring all the numbers of the equation onto a spare sheet of paper before I have to solve it. "Thanks though."

"Just let me know if you change your mind and need it, yeah?"

A smile tears my mouth in half at how considerate he is; at the thought that he's always been like this. Caring, compassionate, benevolent in every way he can. He's the person I'd doubtlessly let myself rely on over and over again because him letting me down isn't even a possibility that would ever cross my mind. And if it did, it'd be immediately squashed by the love and blind trust I have for him, before it could poison my thoughts with doubts.

I hum out my almost silent response and blink with rising confusion at the long line of numbers I've written down. Numbers that I'm supposed to know how to add and deduct and multiply and divide again and again to eventually come to a pointless result— a result that will define my grade in arithmancy when our Professor checks my homework tomorrow.

The deep frown that stretches over my face brings my brows too close to touching. Subconsciously, I begin to chew on my thumbnail in thought. Trying to come up with an idea- anything, that would possibly help me solve this provoking equation. Not to be dramatic, but part of me feels like it's staring intensely into my soul the longer I contemplate giving up.

A few more seconds of me looking blankly at the mocking numbers and I come up empty still. Frustrated with this nonsense and with myself, I blow out a heavy sigh that reveals no hint of relief hiding somewhere in it.

Crestfallen and completely defeated against any hope of improvement, I turn my head in Draco's direction. He looks utterly and undividedly concentrated on capturing the shape of the tree's trunk on the other side of the yard, his skilled hand drawing line after line on his sketchbook. The faint gray color of the featherlight pencil strokes stretches all over the top of the paper, in inexact sketches that I guess are the outlines of the long branches. This oak tree whose frond-filled branches shade a vast part of the castle's backyard is something he's been wanting to paint for a while and watching him finally working on his rough delineation fills me up with admiration to the brim.

"I like your sketch" I mumble, peeking at it.

"It's pretty rough." He doesn't look up.

"I still like it."

The wide smile that etches itself at his mouth cranes his cheeks and his eyes soften at the edges. "You know, I'd love to paint you sometime."

Warmth floods my thoracic cage, seeping through skin and bone and turning my beating heart into a living inferno. "Like a portrait?" I ask.

"Yes." His answer is so determined that I wonder if the idea has been circling his mind for a while.

The breeze not only attempts to flip the pages of my book but also blows the blond strands of hair that tickle his forehead, to the side. Though Draco appears completely unbothered by it, I reach out and ruffle the strands on the crown of his head by running my fingers through them. His hair's always been soft, a light, whispery sensation of smoothness skimming under my digits.

My touch makes his eyes snap to mine, his head turning to the side to face me fully as a smug smile climbs his lips. One that looks so irresistible, as though it would've appeared even nonconsensually despite his desire to suppress it. His eyebrows draw closer in a furrow, morphing his expression into the question he wants to ask before he mutters it. His tone is so calm that it's hard to believe it is produced by the same vocal cords as his normally deeper voice.

"What?"

I smile sheepishly at him and tug at his arm, ignoring the sensation of his bicep flexing slightly beneath my fingers. "I may or may not need some help."

He shakes his head, chuckling "In arithmancy? Last time I checked, I asked if you needed help and you said and I quoted" he holds his pointer finger out in front of me, shaking it in denial and intentionally adds a high-pitched note to his voice, trying to mimic mine. "'Of course, I don't need help, I'm actually getting good at it.'"

My eyes roll playfully at his behavior "First of all, I don't sound like all the helium contained in the world's biggest balloon was forced down my windpipe" I point out, but he dismisses my statement with a barely audible scoff. "And secondly, I just didn't want to admit that I can't make any sense out of math to save my life, even if it's the simplest equation in the history of simple equations that I'm asked to solve."

"Alright alright fine, I'll help you" Draco rushes out, not letting the chance to stop my bickering slip out of his reach. He places his drawing next to him on the grass and takes the book from my legs, placing it on his, our knees touching. "But it'll cost you something because hurting my sweet and helpful intentions like that is far over the line."

"Cost me something?" I echo, my brows arching as my fingers start fumbling with my shoelaces. "Are you implying that tolerating your cockiness and risking running out of patience daily isn't enough to pay all my debts?"

Draco hisses as if in pain and looks at me, a mask of hurt slipping over his features slowly. The hand that's not holding the pencil flies to his chest, as though that's where my words struck.

"That will double the debt," he says, almost breathlessly.

"We never agreed to one in the first place" I don't know why I'm still trying to defend myself, but Draco returns to his previous activity of solving this nonsense. He seems to be doing so with so much ease that makes me wonder if it's my brain that is damaged beyond repair.

Writing things down as if he's willing to break a world record- making me curious as to how his mind keeps track of all the numbers and operations- he still doesn't waste a beat before replying.

"I was originally thinking of a kiss on the cheek, but unfortunately, your last blow gives me no other choice but to make them two."

My scoff comes out as if I made an effort to hold it back, rushed and urgently bold. I throw my hands in the air, giving up on trying to make sense out of this conversation "You're the most dramatic person I've ever met."

"Thank you" is what he replies "But I also hope I'm the only one whose dramatic behavior you'll accept to tolerate."
That, along with the smirk playing on his lips is the cause of my drain of chuckles being opened.

I don't think I could ever handle more like him, even if I wanted to.

[-]

As expected, it doesn't take long for him to solve not just the equation I asked him to, but every single one in the whole exercise. And hell does it have multiple individual questions, each and every one equally confusing. Draco finishes off by adding a period next to his last answer and proudly looks at his work with his shoulders rolled back.

"All done" he sighs, tucking the spare answer sheet that I once left completely blank into the book, and closing it. I wait a few seconds, my knee bouncing in a steady rhythm, but he makes no effort to hand it back as he holds it against his stomach, looking like he's holding a prized possession he won't give away without a fight.

"Can I have my book back please?"

"Can I have my kisses first please?" he returns my words, a coy smile appearing on his mouth as if it's something he's been waiting to remind me of for a while.

"I thought that was a joke."

"You either give me my two, well-deserved kisses or you're not getting your book back, Mera" he shrugs, casually, as if I'm not a sentence away from fusing into oblivion. "A deal is a deal." His gaze crosses with my pleading one, but not even me battling my eyelashes at him a few times sparks an ounce of pity in his chest. Sometimes, I'm convinced that melting the iceberg that took down the Titanic is easier than changing his mind.

Without asking for permission and as I make sure to hold his eyes in perfect alignment with mine, I try to be as quick as possible when I attempt to snatch the book out of his grasp— also hoping to catch him in the most unprepared state so that his reflexes don't catch up to my movements. A curse slips out of my lips when my hand is stopped in the air by the sudden firm grip he gains on my wrist. A grip he gave no signs to base any predictions on. I reach out with my other hand and still come up empty of luck as Draco holds the book above my head, higher than I can reach.

"That was pretty nasty" Draco chuckles, his hair messed up by the rush of his movements as he shows no interest in letting go of me no matter how much I pathetically squirm in his hold. "But thank Merlin you're not that height-privileged."

"Okay fine, I'll give you your kisses," I say, breathless with laughter.

Satisfied that I'm finally done resisting, he instantly tilts his head in a way that brings his right cheek close to my mouth. So close that I'm sure my lips will brush against his pale skin if I pout— exactly like my breaths are now fanning on the side of his face heavily every time my lungs expand with oxygen and shrink with its absence.

"I'm waiting." His eyelids are already sealed, as though I've mentally placed a thousand kisses upon him before even starting. Small pecks all over the finely chiseled features of his face, his high cheekbones and perfect nose, his forehead, and dimpled cheeks. All around the corners of his mouth and his temples, beneath his eyes, and along the strong line of his jaw. He looks as though he's already felt more than what we agreed I'd give.

His grip on my wrist loosens the moment my mouth comes in contact with his cheek in such a short-lived peck that I barely have the chance to identify it myself- though the coldness of his skin lingers on my lips even after I pull away. There's a sudden tightness rising in his shoulders, making the muscles on his back turn visibly stiff through his clothes, his shoulder blades squaring. The way his body just reacted to my kiss, the rigidity flaming under his skin, seeps through me like a stream of restrained tension I don't know how to welcome or understand.

"One more" Draco mutters, the low tone he speaks in having the rasp in his voice appear prominently- strong, the way it always sounds when he mumbles something. But despite the buzz in my head, I detect a hint of pleading in how those two words came out. One that I yet again don't know what to make out of.

So I laugh and kiss his cheek again, on the exact same spot, though the difference in the temperature of his skin is noticeable. As if there's any way for it to heat up so quickly, the feel of it is flushed.

When his eyes flutter open, blinking a few times as if to adjust to the golden tint of the setting sun, his gaze crosses familiarly with mine. I find myself getting lost in a trance of flooding warmth that radiates off of him.

Draco searches my face like he's trying to read something I don't know is there.

And then he turns back to sketching, picking up his pencil and sketchbook from the ground. However, I can't help but notice the slight shake of his head, so faint and quick that it's like he's trying to swipe his mind clean of a certain train of thought. "So, any updates on Mr. Perfect Guy?"

My jaw drops like my mandible cannot hold itself up. The dramatic essence of my reaction has Draco asking for clarification. "What?"

"Nothing. It's just that you never bring him up."

He pins me with a borderline playful look. "That's because you always do it before I have the chance to. But since you've seemingly suppressed this need of yours and haven't talked about him in exactly four days, I thought I'd initiate the conversation. You know, for your sake. I don't want you to burst from all those withheld words."

I place a hand on my chest. "Thank you for being so considerate. He came to the greenhouse today and said he'd been looking for me." It might be my first week at Hogwarts and I've already put the spare set of keys Sprout handed me on the first day of classes, to good use. The things that can keep me away from my favorite part of the castle are very few and require traits that hint of complete destruction. Earthquakes, floods, and natural disasters that would send me tumbling six feet under serve as great examples.

My smile is unfaltering and unsuppressable. The memory of Lucas knocking on the door and walking in with his charisma floating around him like an entity of its own had worked its way to my chest that instant and has stayed intact ever since. "He asked me if I'd like to hang out with him someday."
Draco purses his lips. "And what did you say?"

A careless shrug of mine. "I said no."

"Really?" His face, bemused, turns into the epitome of surprise, and flecks of laughter glimmer beneath his voice.

I almost feel bad for pouring ice-cold water over his flame of hope and burning it out with a single blow. "And to think you're a self-proclaimed genius."

His mind manages to at least catch up on my sarcasm. He breaks eye contact, robbing his sentence of any potential honesty I would've been able to distinguish. "Well, that's good I guess. You're finally getting what you've wanted, right?"

I can't let his one-sided rivalry with Lucas ruin the fact that the latter is finally showing interest in me so I nod, trying my best to look as unbothered by Draco's behavior as possible. I remind myself that I'm used to it and that the only thing I can't talk to him about is boys. Not because there's an unspoken rule we've set but let's just say that it's like trying to talk about politics with a four-year-old- they'll most likely stay unresponsive and show little interest.

"What do you like about him?"

"What do you mean?"

I hear Draco's sigh and see his chest waver slightly as the breath flows out of him. Tucking his textbook-sized sketchbook and pencil in his coat pocket, he bends his knee and places his hand on top of it, cupping it. "You never told me. Is it the eyes? The hair? You know I can go brunette before you even snap your fingers."

His question puts my mind to thought but it's not long until I realize that I'm incapable of conjuring up an answer. One that he would deem valid anyway. I'm sure he won't approve of me admitting that Lucas just looks unexplainably dreamy.

Saying that he's just attractive isn't enough. Although that might've been my judgment two years ago, I know that a pretty face and the atmosphere of sophistication he carries with him like a lucky penny wouldn't be enough to keep me interested for so long.

There's more to everyone than what meets the eye but I'd always been drawn to Lucas' charm. Putting it into words is like trying to read a letter written in a language you don't know. Utterly impossible. "Honestly, I don't know. Like, I've never really thought about it. From the second he pulled the chair and sat next to me that day, it kind of clicked into place for me. I can't explain it—"

"I get it." The velvety tone in his voice contrasts the raw emotion displayed on his features, the slight frown, and the dilated irises as they meet mine. "Trust me, I get it."

My eyebrows arch, "now that leaves so much room for questions."

A shallow chuckle. "Of what kind?"

A scolding glare of mine as I nudge his shoulder. "You know what kind. Who's the lucky girl?"

Under the weight of my assessing eyes, he smoothes his countenance into neutrality. Or at least tries to. He seems to forget that I can read him like an open book. "No one. Should I remind you that my mother made me read The Notebook when I was eleven?"

My snicker comes to the surface with the force of a defensive reflex. "I'd completely forgotten about that phase of yours, my God." Right when he joins me in my fit of palpable waves of laughter, I say. "You loved it."

"I did not."

"Oh, you so did."

"Listen, they just had a strong bond, okay? My eleven-year-old self admired that."

I bring my hands up to my face and wipe away the tears collected in the outer corners of my eyes. "You even painted the infamous kiss in the rain Draco. I remember that vividly."

Flags of heat visibly scorch his cheeks and he turns his head in the other direction to hide the redness spreading on his skin. "Shut up."

"It's okay to admit that you're a hopeless romantic. I'm not gonna judge you."

Draco takes a deep breath and straightens his posture. "Fine. I liked The Notebook. But that's all you're getting."

My cheeks physically hurt from smiling so hard. "Don't worry, that's enough."

The sun casts a blinding shimmer upon him, making the silver-blue rings around his irises shine like sharp-edged diamonds. His hair looks almost white, so soft that running my fingers through it under the excuse of smoothing it out one more time, is something I physically restrain myself from doing.

His attention momentarily flickers to something over my shoulder, but then, having sobered up, he says, "Have I told you how much I like it when you braid your hair?" He reaches out and pulls my loose braid over my shoulder for emphasis, his fingers lingering on its end until he pulls back. "It reminds me of when you trusted me enough to let me do it."

I laugh, "After you almost burned a whole strand of my hair off my head when you attempted to curl it, I doubt you'll ever come close to it again."

I can see as the memory flashes behind his eyes, the countless times I brought the pillow crashing down on him afterward still haunting him. Before Draco can comment on my tells, I flinch at the hands that suddenly start ruffling my hair from behind.

Shaking them off doesn't work no matter how much I desperately try to pull away, and the person's laughter only shows me who I'll have to brutally murder tonight. I can already feel the blood rushing to my face, and I blindly bat the hands away as though they're flies circling my head. My tone is in a state of breathlessness, suppressed fury combined with my inability to save myself."Theodore freaking Nott."

Theo pats my head twice before stepping into view from behind me, plopping heavily next to Draco and not caring one bit about the risk of his uniform getting dirty from the ground. "Ding ding ding." He pretends to ring a bell, a broad smile dominating his features. "Bingo."

"Ugh, you ruined her hair, you disrespectful git." Pansy aims her words at the brunet who just laughs them off. She kneels behind me as she begins to undo my braid, her touch almost delicate compared to Theodore's previous assault.

Draco takes our friends in as if they spawned out of thin air, his eyes at last seizing up Blaise who lies down on the grass, his head turned to the side and propped up in his hand.

"To what eminent misfortune do we owe your unfavorable presence?" My best friend inquires, a note of pure playfulness evident in his voice.

"We just missed you, egghead." Blaise's eyes narrow into accusing slits, "Plus I'd rather spend an entire night roaming the dark forest than skip this make-out session that was about to occur and you'd most definitely persistently deny."

My face contours into a palpable countenance of disgust, but before I can say anything, Theo lays his hand on Draco's shoulder, shifting his attention to him. The brunet breathes in deeply and exhales in a sigh that's capable of emptying his lungs.

"Trust me mate, your games are too old. I heard you and almost puked yesterday's dinner out. 'Oh your hair is really nice, soft, and shiny.'" Theodore bats his eyes and pretends to run a hand through his imaginary long hair, acting flattered. That earns him the smack in the shoulder Draco has seemingly been dying to deliver. "It kind of sounds like 'Do you smoke pot? Because weed be good together.' You know, definitely not something I'd go for."

"The flirt king is here," Blaise exclaims, clapping his hands. Theo bows his head slightly, a hand to his chest.

"I have a good one." Nott turns yet again to Draco, pointing a finger "Take notes Malfoy. And Hemera, this one's for you." He proceeds to dramatically clear his throat. My smile is already wide in anticipation, and holding in my laughter seems more like a chore than a display of good manners. "Like a bouquet tied with twine, I can be yours if you will be mine."

Laughter erupts as Pansy is done finishing my braid again. She wraps her arms around my shoulders, pulling my back against her front into a hug. I place my hands on her forearms, holding onto her as the warmth of her body seeps into me. "This one has potential. I could picture our little florist fanning herself in the name of a pick-up line similar to it."

Pansy referring to me as florist or gardener, or even petal-obsessed-psycho is nothing but an acknowledged, confirmed accuracy. I'm pretty sure part of her is terrified after she noticed how little time it took for me to fill our dorm with not even half the pots I have at home.

Even through the laughter and the half-moon eyes, I notice Draco rolling his, "Alright, what did you actually come here for?"

Theo's mouth gapes, making him look offended by Draco's upfront question, "Are you implying that pointing out your poor flirting skills is not reason enough?" The blond sends a hard look in his direction, making him think back on his answer. "Just kidding. We came here to—"

"Let you know that everyone is already going wild at the idea of this year's first party." Pansy smoothly cuts in and finishes his sentence, pure excitement threaded in her suddenly high-pitched voice. "Not to spoil the good stuff but I heard it'll be thrown in the Room Of Requirement and seventh-year Slytherins volunteered to organize it. Sunday night, October fifth— you all better highlight the date." She rests her chin on my shoulder and her short hair tickles the side of my neck. "Even the lamest of Gryffindors will be there, or so I was told. Can't imagine Longbottom at a party."

"Maybe he'll take a pot of his to keep him company while he sips on his fizzy water." Laughs Theodore, his gaze lost into a hazed piece of thought as he can vividly imagine said scene. "Will it be his beloved Gillyweed or Mimbulus mimbletonia he'll take dancing? Bets are on."

Blaise shakes his head, "Just because not everyone is willing to spend their nights with a chick's tongue down their throat doesn't mean they can't have fun. Let the boy enjoy his fizzy water at peace."

"And to think I was about to reluctantly accept that humanity has abandoned the world for good," I say, earning a proud smile from Blaise. He instantly gets the back of his head smacked by Theo's hand, the sound of the slap on the nape of his neck echoing around and pulling a chuckle out of Draco.

It's not often that all five of us collectively agree to allow a wave of silence to fall over us like a quilt of serenity, but I've learned to appreciate those moments whenever I get them. For a few seconds that might've trickled into a minute or two, I choose to savor the barely audible rustling of the fallen leaves as short currents of wind blow them across the ground- forcing them into swirls that look a lot like dancing flames licking the solid earth.

Theo fumbling with the sleeve of his robes, Pansy holding me tight against her chest and Blaise just lying on the short-trimmed grass bless us with unrequited calmness. Draco was never the one to break such a state, so he remains sat in his spot, his elbow resting on his bent knee as he spins the pencil gracefully in his fingers. I try to fight back against the laughter climbing up my throat at the memory flashing in my mind; the one in which Draco spent three hours trying to teach me how to spin my wand the way he always seems to play with his. Needless to say, there wasn't some hidden talent begging to be discovered, and those three hours were all it took for me to realize how blundering my fingers truly are. How careless and clumsy their movements have always been.

It's like every sound ceases to exist, the setting sun taking them to sleep with him. No birds to chirp, no first years to laugh their afternoon off.

Right as my muscles start to get rid of the tension that's been forced on them throughout the last few days of classes, Pansy's body tenses, her arms tightening around me.

Her flinch must've been as evident as it felt, for a knotted frown takes hold of Blaise's features. "Did an ant bite your ass?"

She flips him off lazily, sticking her middle finger up. "A raindrop just landed on my nose. Right here." She touches the tip of her nose.

"It's not raining, Parkinson. Blaise just spits when he talks." Teases Theodore.

Blaise only glares at him, "Funny."

"I'm not lying." She retorts, with a defensive bite to her tone.

"I think she isn't." Draco's voice echoing more familiarly than every other sound pulls my attention to him. Captures it. Undevidedly, with so little effort it's almost as if I am the one speaking. He wipes something off his forehead, using the sleeve of his shirt.

I'm about to call them both out when a heavy raindrop slams down onto my cheek with so much force, I can't help but wonder if it'll leave a freaking bruise. Not that I doubt its capability to mark its assault. I proceed to warn the rest, but I'm robbed of words when Blaise suddenly gets up and yells.

"Last to the common room pays for our next visit to the Three Broomsticks!"

Not even an electroshock experiment could have me jolting up and sprinting for my life like this sentence.

──────────⊱༺ ♰ ༻⊰──────────
thank you for reading<3