The Shadow Queen | Draco Malfoy X OC

III-X

As Daphne and I emerged from our rooms into the common room, the aftermath of the snowfall outside greeted us with a serene beauty. The decision to take a stroll seemed perfect in such weather, and as we descended the stairs, we spotted Draco, Theo, and Blaise engaged in conversation by the fireplace.

Draco's eyes lit up as he saw us, and he rose from his seat, Theo and Blaise following suit. Stepping towards us, Draco took my hands in his and tenderly kissed my knuckles, his whispered compliment sending shivers down my spine and eliciting a blush from my cheeks.

Blaise couldn't help but interject, his tone laced with playful exasperation. "This is torture!" His sudden outburst drew curious glances from those nearby."What's torturous?" Theo inquired.

"Seeing the four of you all lovey-dovey!" Blaise declared with mock indignation. "It's gross and makes me feel lonely!" 

 "Ah, young love in its prime, truly a sight to behold." Theo chimed in with a smirk,

Daphne rolled her eyes playfully, "Oh, spare us the romantic banter, Draco. You're making the rest of us sick."

Draco chuckled, unfazed by her teasing, "Can't help it if I appreciate beauty when I see it."

Blaise shook his head dramatically, "Well, keep it to yourselves, will you? Some of us are trying to maintain our dignity here."

Theo nudged Blaise with a grin, "Come on, Blaise, don't be jealous. Your time will come."

Blaise shot him a mock glare before joining in the laughter, "Easy for you to say, Theo. You're practically married already."

The banter continued as we made our way out of the common room, the playful teasing lightening the mood and adding to the camaraderie among us. Moments like these reminded us of the bonds of friendship and love that sustained us through even the darkest times.

As we strolled along, Cedric unexpectedly joined our little group, and when Blaise began griping about the recent incident in the common room, Cedric playfully consoled him, adopting a boyfriend-like demeanour, which sent us all into fits of laughter.

On our way back, Blaise paused to tie his shoelaces, a fact we only noticed after walking a few steps ahead. Halting in our tracks, we resumed our chatter, patiently awaiting Blaise's return. Suddenly, I felt a chilly impact against the back of my head. Whirling around, I discovered Blaise armed with a heap of snowballs, gleefully launching them at us.

"Game on!" Theo declared, dropping to the ground to fashion his own arsenal of snowballs. The rest of us followed suit, engaging in a chaotic snowball fight. Before long, we had buried Blaise under a mound of snow, and Cedric became our primary target as he valiantly attempted to rescue his friend. In the midst of the flurry, I found myself in the crosshairs. With no shelter in sight, I made a dash for cover, spotting Severus nearby. I darted behind him just in time, causing the snowball Blaise had launched to inadvertently collide with Severus's face.

Amidst our laughter, Severus wiped the snow from his face with a resigned sigh. "You lot should head back to your dorms and change into dry clothes before you catch a cold," he admonished, his tone tinged with exasperation. Just as he turned to leave, I couldn't suppress a sneeze from my hiding spot behind him, eliciting another shake of his head before he disappeared from view.

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It was Christmas, and for once, none of us had chosen to return to our respective homes. Instead, we opted to remain at one of my numerous estates. This particular one, akin to the Salvatore palace, was nestled deep within the forest, although, unlike the magical creatures that inhabited the vicinity of Salvatore palace, this forest remained devoid of such wonders.