Among the crowd of curious onlookers was none other than Draco. At first, you expected him to treat you with the same arrogance he seemed to reserve for anyone who wasn’t in his inner circle. He was, after all, Hogwarts' resident sneering bully, always surrounded by his entourage of sycophants. Yet, for reasons that baffled you, Draco’s demeanor toward you was different.

He wasn’t outright rude—in fact, he seemed intrigued by your presence. It started subtly: he’d make comments about your wand technique during Potions, or nod approvingly when you handled yourself well in Defense Against the Dark Arts. At first, you dismissed it as his way of asserting superiority, but as the days went on, his behavior became almost… cordial.

Draco’s “liking” of you became more apparent during one particularly chaotic afternoon in Herbology. While you struggled to wrestle a particularly stubborn magical plant into submission, he casually stepped in, muttered a charm, and smirked at your flustered thanks. “You’re welcome,” he drawled, his usual arrogance tempered by something almost playful. His entourage gaped in disbelief.