Hogsmeade

The crisp December air nipped at our noses as Kenny and I slipped into our matching outfits—a ridiculous yet adorable decision we made at two in the morning after a sugar rush from stolen Honeydukes sweets. The castle grounds were blanketed in a thin layer of fresh snow, sparkling under the pale winter sun, and excitement buzzed through the students like an unspoken spell. Today was our first-ever visit to Hogsmeade, and it felt like a well-earned escape from the monotony of school life. Hogwarts was magical, sure, but staying cooped up in the castle for months without a change of scenery could get a little suffocating.

We gathered near the entrance as Professor McGonagall, her expression sharp as ever, reminded us to be on our best behavior.

"You are representatives of Hogwarts, and I expect you to conduct yourselves accordingly," she said in her stern, no-nonsense voice.

Kenny leaned closer to me, whispering, "Best behavior? That's a bit of a stretch for you, isn't it?"

I elbowed her playfully. "Please, I'm the definition of grace and decorum."

She snorted. "Yeah, sure. And I'm the Minister of Magic."

The day was going better than I had imagined. We had butterbeer at The Three Broomsticks, where we gossiped about McGonagall's secret social life (Kenny was convinced she had a thing for Dumbledore). We wandered through Zonko's Joke Shop, where I nearly cried laughing when Kenny stuck a Nose-Biting Teacup in Blaise's hands and pretended she had no idea what had happened when he yelped in pain. Honeydukes was our last stop, obviously, because no trip to Hogsmeade was complete without stuffing our pockets with Chocolate Frogs and Peppermint Toads.

I was mid-sentence, tearing into a Sugar Quill, when Kenny nudged me.

"So," she said, drawing out the word. "Are we going to talk about the fact that Malfoy's been acting like you murdered his pet owl or...?"

I sighed. "I don't know what to say anymore. He hasn't spoken to me in weeks. I've tried everything, Kenny. I told him I was sorry if I gave him the wrong idea. I told him I just wanted my best friend back. He doesn't care."

"Or," she said, popping a piece of fudge into her mouth, "he cares too much. And he's being a little crybaby about it."

I laughed, shaking my head. "I don't think that's it. I think he's happy. With her."

Kenny rolled her eyes so hard I thought they'd get stuck. "Sree? Happy with Sree? Right. That's why he looks like he's being held at wand-point every time she opens her mouth."

I smiled but didn't say anything. I didn't want to talk about it anymore. Today was supposed to be about having fun, forgetting about—

And then I saw it.

Draco. Malfoy. Was. Kissing. Sreena. Thornwick.

For a moment, I felt like I had imagined it. Like the world had tilted and played some cruel trick on my vision. My fingers went slack, and the bag of sweets I had been holding slipped from my grasp, tumbling onto the snow-covered cobblestone. Kenny, standing beside me, followed my gaze, her mouth dropping open in equal horror.

"Oh, hell no," she muttered.

And before I could react, she had launched herself at Draco.

"KENNY—"

But it was too late.

Kenny stormed toward him, grabbed the back of his expensive Slytherin scarf, and yanked him away from Sree with the force of a girl who had been preparing for this moment her entire life. Draco staggered back, looking utterly bewildered, while Sree let out a dramatic gasp, clutching her chest like she had just been cursed.

"What the actual fu—"

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR TINY LITTLE MIND?!" Kenny screeched, shoving him so hard that he stumbled into the side of the Honeydukes entrance. "YOU! YOU HAVE THE AUDACITY! AFTER EVERYTHING?!"

Draco blinked, looking somewhere between confused and guilty. "What the hell is wrong with you, Ken—"

"DON'T YOU 'KENNY' ME, YOU TWO-FACED, SPOILED, BLONDE-HAIRED MENACE!" she cut him off, pointing an accusing finger at him. "You sit there moping for WEEKS about how Selene doesn't love you, and the moment she tries to make things right, YOU GO AND SHOVE YOUR TONGUE DOWN THAT'S THROAT?!"

Sree gasped, clutching her chest again. "Excuse me?!"

"Oh, shut up, you glorified bed bug," Kenny snapped. "No one's talking to you."

Draco exhaled sharply and straightened himself, smoothing his robes. "It's none of your business, McCallister."

Kenny barked out a humorless laugh. "NONE OF MY—" She turned to me. "Selene, back me up before I actually lose my mind."

But I couldn't. I couldn't move, couldn't speak. It felt like something was crushing my chest, making it impossible to breathe. My best friend. My Draco was standing in front of me with her.

And he had kissed her.

Kenny's eyes softened when she looked at me. "Selene?"

I shook my head. "It's fine," I mumbled, turning away.

Draco took a step forward. "Selene—"

"No," I cut him off, my voice barely above a whisper. "I get it now."

Draco's brows furrowed. "Get what?"

I swallowed the lump in my throat, forcing a smile that felt like it might shatter my face. "You win."

And then I walked away, leaving my scattered candy in the snow and the hollow ache in my chest behind me.

..............................................................................

I wanted a quiet spot, away from all the students. The energy of Hogsmeade, usually something I'd be thrilled about, felt suffocating today. My feet carried me somewhere far, somewhere isolated. And before I knew it, I found myself a little way from the Shrieking Shack, the most haunted building in Britain. The view was eerie but peaceful. I sighed, wiping my eyes hastily when I saw Ron and Hermione standing nearby. Of course, they'd be here too.

They turned towards me, clearly on guard. I couldn't blame them. To them, I was nothing but a bully—Draco Malfoy's loyal sidekick, always ready with a sharp-tongued insult.

"I won't bother you. Carry on," I said, turning away. My voice was even, but my heart was heavy.

I caught Hermione giving me a sympathetic look, but even she knew better than to intrude.

"You see that?" she said instead, pointing toward the Shrieking Shack. "It's the most haunted building in Britain."

Ron's ears went a little red. "Yeah. Right." He didn't sound too thrilled.

Hermione smirked. "Do you want to get a bit closer?"

Ron spluttered, his face now an alarming shade of red. "To the Shrieking Shack?"

I almost laughed. The moment was so pure, so utterly ridiculous, that I momentarily forgot about the ache in my chest. It reminded me of my first Divination class when Draco had leaned over to me and smirked, "Are you finally falling in love with me?" I had been so horrified back then, so insistent in my denial. If only I had just kept my mouth shut—

Before I could dwell on that thought, a familiar, drawling voice shattered the quiet.

"You two shopping for your new dream home?"

Draco. His tone was as arrogant as ever, and behind him stood Crabbe and Goyle, their usual thickheaded grins plastered across their faces.

"What about you, Weasel-Bee?" Draco sneered, his voice dripping with mockery. "I heard your family sleeps in a one-room shack." He laughed, and his minions followed suit.

I turned my head slowly, my fingers curling into fists. I knew exactly what he was doing. He was trying to 'make up'—not in the way normal people did, no, that would be too simple for Draco Malfoy. Instead of apologizing or trying to talk to me, he was putting on a show, trying to drag me into our old routine of cruelty and mockery.

Ron, predictably, turned red. "Shut up, Malfoy."

All of them turned to me now, expecting an insult, expecting me to fall in line. For a second, I almost did. The old familiarity of it, the expectation—it was tempting. But the words never left my mouth.

Draco noticed. "Oooo, not very friendly." His tone was still light, but I could tell he wasn't pleased. He looked away from me, now more focused on his usual targets. "Boys, I think it's time we teach Weasel-Bee how to respect his superiors."

I scoffed loudly, about to retort, but Hermione beat me to it.

"Hope you don't mean yourself."

"You better not," I added, my voice cool. The look of sheer annoyance that flickered across Draco's face sent a small surge of satisfaction through me. But he quickly masked it, choosing to turn on Hermione instead.

"How dare you talk to me—? You filthy little Mudblood—"

BAM.

A snowball hit Draco squarely in the face.

For a moment, he stood there frozen, the world around us completely silent. Then another snowball came flying out of nowhere, hitting Crabbe in the ear. Then another—Goyle got one right to the chest.

Ron and Hermione looked equally shocked as more snowballs came hurtling at Draco and his cronies from seemingly nowhere.

"Who—what the—?!" Draco sputtered, trying to shield himself, but the snowballs kept coming, hitting him over and over, pushing him back towards the ground. Crabbe and Goyle were helpless under the relentless attack, flailing uselessly against the unseen enemy.

Hermione gasped. "Harry."

Oh. Of course. The Invisibility Cloak.

I crossed my arms and leaned against the fence, watching the scene unfold with a smirk playing at my lips. Draco, arrogant, proud, Malfoy heir Draco, was being humiliated by an invisible force in the middle of Hogsmeade. And for once, I didn't feel the need to step in and stop it.

Draco was now on the ground, arms flailing as he tried to shield himself. "STOP IT! WHO IS DOING THIS?" he shrieked.

I almost wished he could see the way I was beaming, watching his grand theatrics unfold.

Ron doubled over laughing. "This—this is the best day of my life."

Hermione bit her lip, trying not to smile, but even she couldn't contain it.

Draco finally managed to scramble to his feet, looking positively furious, his blond hair dripping with snow.

"LET'S GO!" he barked at Crabbe and Goyle, who were still wiping snow out of their faces. The three of them stomped off, seething with rage, while I stood there, still smirking.

For the first time in weeks, I felt just a little lighter.

I glanced toward the empty space where I knew Harry had to be standing.

"Well played, Potter," I muttered under my breath, and with that, I turned and walked away.

..............................................................................

As we entered the girls' dormitory, I couldn't help but glance at Kenny with a teasing smirk. She was still slightly out of breath from our hurried walk up the stairs, but there was a telltale pink hue on her cheeks that had nothing to do with exertion.

"Mind telling me what's going on between you and Blaise?" I asked, tilting my head knowingly.

Kenny practically choked on air. "What?" she exclaimed, her voice coming out higher than usual. She glanced away, pretending to be very interested in adjusting the pillows on her bed. "It's nothing. We're just...getting close."

I folded my arms, leaning against one of the bedposts with a smug grin. "Uh-huh. Getting close, you say? Do you always turn into a tomato when you're 'just getting close' with someone? Or is that a special reaction for Blaise Zabini?"

She groaned and covered her face with her hands. "I hate you."

"You love me," I shot back, flopping onto my bed dramatically. "So, when exactly did this little... getting closer start happening? Was it the library? The common room? Oh, oh—don't tell me—did he offer you his cloak on one of those chilly nights by the fire? That's classic, you know."

Kenny finally peeked at me through her fingers, eyes rolling hard. "You read way too many romance novels."

"And yet, here you are, living in one." I wiggled my eyebrows at her, and she tossed a pillow at me, which I barely dodged.

"Fine," she huffed, but there was a small, almost shy smile tugging at her lips. "We've just been hanging out more lately, that's all. He's funny. And kind of...sweet."

I gasped, placing a hand over my heart in mock shock. "Merlin's beard! Kenny, are you blushing?"

"No!" she shrieked, grabbing another pillow, which she did not hesitate to throw with full force.

I burst out laughing, ducking just in time. "Alright, alright! I won't press. For now. But you do know, if he so much as looks at you wrong, the next person getting beat up in Hogsmeade will be Zabini."

Kenny laughed, finally letting her guard down. "Deal."

"Good," I said, nodding with satisfaction. "Now, shall we head to the common room? There's still time before dinner, and I'm in dire need of hot chocolate and a comfortable chair."

She grinned, linking her arm with mine. "Only if you promise not to spend the whole time coming up with dramatic theories about me and Blaise."

"No promises," I teased, dragging her toward the door as she groaned in protest.

Little did she know, I wasn't letting this go anytime soon.