Sincerely, Yours (Draco Malfoy X Reader)

Chapter 10 ~ Brewing Bonds

The next morning Y/n received an owl during breakfast which said that she and Malfoy should be utilising to practice for the upcoming potions competition. The letter by Snape stated that they had to meet at least thrice a week. Except, Snape took the courtesy of highlighting their common free periods and study periods, and would be checking their progress.

Y/n trudged up the dimly lit staircase to the top floor of Hogwarts, and she couldn't shake the feeling of dread and exhaustion. She was tired from staying up late studying for her upcoming exam and the last thing she wanted was to be awake early for a Potions competition practice with Malfoy. As she reached the top floor, the bright morning light streamed in from the high windows making her squint. The air was chilly, and she hugged her arms to her chest, wishing she had grabbed a cloak or sweater before leaving her dormitory.

Malfoy appeared from around the corner, looking just as dishevelled as Y/n felt. His face was neutral and his eyes turned to her. They made their way to one of the old, unused classrooms at the end of the corridor. The door creaked as Malfoy pushed it open. The air was thick with the musty smell of old books, and she couldn't help but feel a sense of peace and tranquillity. It was nice to be away from the chaos and noise of the rest of the school, just focusing on the task at hand. "I can't believe we have to do this," Y/n grumbled, rubbing her tired eyes.

Malfoy replied with a shrug, pulling out a large, tattered book from his bag and flipping through its pages. "At least it's just the two of us, so we can practice without any distractions." After a long moment, he seemed to remember the reason they were here. "What do you suggest we start with?"

Y/n took a deep breath, explaining what the logical thing to do was "I think it would be best if we start with the basic potions and work our way up to the more complex ones. That way, we can ensure we have a solid foundation." She came prepared, with all her notebooks and textbooks bookmarked according to difficulty and skill level.

Malfoy raised an eyebrow, a smile tugging on his lips. "Sounds boring. Why don't we just jump right into the challenging stuff? That way, we'll know exactly where we stand."

Y/n shook her head, determined not to let him get the best of her. "No, I think we should start slow and steady. That's the best way to make progress." Except, it would be far from tedious to do something challenging.

Malfoy rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair. "Fine, have it your way. But I still think we're wasting our time."

As they studied, the room filled with the sound of pages turning and the occasional murmur as they discussed potential potions and their ingredients. They always found ourselves working surprisingly well together, bouncing ideas off each other and building on each other's suggestions. Eventually, their bickering became less frequent, and they found themselves working in comfortable silence. Turns out, Y/n was right after all. They both had a few faults in some basic potions but they made a note of that and fixed it.

She finished scribbling down her sentence and dropped her Quill against her notebook She closed her books and gathered her belongings."I don't know about you, but I'm starving. I'm going to go down for Breakfast."

Malfoy interrupted her, circling a word on a piece of parchment. "Breakfast doesn't start for another fifteen minutes. Let's just finish this Y/l/n, so I don't have to see you more than I already have to."

Y/n rolled her eyes slinging her bookbag across her arm, "You can finish up. I'm still going to go. I can't stand to look at your face any longer, Malfoy. It's making me feel sick."

Malfoy finally looked up at her, "Y/l/n, we're almost done with this and we'll be wasting time if we have to finish this off later."

Y/n couldn't stand him, not one bit. Every part of him grated on her nerves, and she could not bear to endure this any longer. Potions were already a struggle she could tolerate, but this? How much longer would she have to put up with working alongside him? Until she left Hogwarts? She pondered for a moment, then decided, "Let's just finish on the way."