𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐁𝐎𝐑𝐍 | Draco Malfoy

45: Couple

Chapter 45: Couple

The news of Draco and Madeline spread around Hogwarts like wildfire.

It was expected, really. Everyone loved the gossip, and with the pair being notorious in their disagreements in the past, it came as a shock to many people. To others, it was expected. Of course the king and queen of Slytherin would one day find each other. And really, the prospect was somewhat terrifying.

Madeline and Draco didn't feel the need to hide their relationship, either. Madeline would walk into the common room in the morning to a forehead kiss and a 'good morning' murmur from Draco (which definitely did not make her heart skip a beat nor her skin tingle, thank you). In the evenings, she'd find herself draping her legs over his lap on the common room couch. His thumb would stroke her knee while they laughed and joked with their friends.

And she was really, really happy with Draco.

She didn't feel like she was trying to impress him. Ever. He'd seen her at some of her lowest moments, and liked her despite them. He'd known about her father since first year when he'd called her a Dearborn. She felt like she didn't have to hide anything when she was around him.

And of course, it was all Ron Weasley could talk about.

"I bloody knew it," Ron huffed in the Gryffindor common room, "I knew she was like Malfoy-"

"-Only because she's dating Malfoy doesn't mean that she's like Malfoy," Hermione pointed out, "Besides, you might not be sat here today if she hadn't come with us to the Department of Mysteries, would you?"

Ron grumbled, crossing his arms, "One good deed doesn't make you good."

"And one bad deed doesn't make you bad," Hermione retorted, eyes scanning a copy of the Evening Prophet that had been left on the coffee table.

"Malfoy is trouble," Harry added, "Don't you remember what we saw in Knockturn Alley?"

"Funny you should mention that," Hermione interrupted, "The paper says Ron's dad has been to visit the Malfoys' house. 'This second search of the Death Eaters residence does not seem to have yielded any results. Arthur Weasley of the Office for the Detection and Confiscation of Counterfeit Defensive Spells and Protective Objects said that his team had been acting upon a confidential tip-off.'"

"Yeah, mine!" Harry explained, "I told him at Kings Cross about Malfoy and that thing he was trying to get Borgin to fix! Well, if it's not at their house, he must have brought whatever it is to Hogwarts with him-"

"But how can he have done, Harry?" Hermione stressed, putting down the newspaper with a surprised look, "We were all searched when we arrived, weren't we?"

"Were you?" said Harry, taken aback, "I wasn't!"

"Oh no, of course you weren't, I forgot you were late," Hermione sighed, "Filch searched us all when we got into the entrance hall. Any Dark object would have been found, I know for a fact Crabbe had a shrunken head confiscated. So you see, Malfoy can't have brought in anything dangerous."

"What are you lot on about now?" George asked as he and Fred descended the Gryffindor dorms stairs into the common room, plopping themselves on either side of Hermione on the largest sofa.

"Madeline's pretty little new boyfriend," Ron rolled his eyes, spitting out the last word.

"Listen, it's not my fault Slughorn invited Hermione and me to his stupid party, but you don't have to get in such a mood about everything-"