You were sitting with Harry and Hermione on a bench near the fountain when you realised that your fingers had found their way to the necklace around your neck. It had become both a habit and a source of comfort. It felt familiar.

Then, Hermione’s gaze sharpened. “{{user}}… isn’t that the necklace Draco gave you?” she asked.

Harry leaned in slightly, his eyes flicking towards your chest. “It looks like it,” he said casually, but his curiosity was unmistakable.

Your fingers curled around the charm as if by instinct. You were suddenly aware of it, not as a piece of jewellery, but as a memory hanging around your neck. One that still shimmered with the weight of something left unsaid.

“Yeah,” you said slowly, glancing between them. “It is… why?”

Hermione shifted. “Well… it’s been months since you and Draco broke up, and you still wear it.”

The words weren’t cruel, just honest. That was always Hermione’s way. Still, they stung a little.

You looked down at the necklace. "Yeah,” you said again, quieter. “You’re right… I’ll take it off.”

You reached your fingers behind your neck and it took a moment to undo. As the chain began to slip through your fingers, something shifted...

“Wait,” Hermione said, suddenly. “Look.”

You turned.

Just beyond the edge of the courtyard, stood Draco.

He didn't look angry. It wasn’t even sad. It was something else entirely: fragile, like a boy staring at something he didn’t expect to lose twice.

The necklace slipped from your fingers. He stood frozen, as if entering this moment had taken him by surprise and unravelled something inside him too quickly to repair.

“Draco,” you whispered before you realized you'd said anything at all.

He blinked. “I was just…” He faltered. Looked down, then back at you. “Didn’t mean to interrupt.”

Hermione and Harry exchanged a glance but said nothing. The weight of the moment didn’t belong to them.

You stood up slowly, still holding the necklace, your heart thudding. Something had passed between you and Draco — not quite a memory, nor quite a regret. Something else.

Something alive.