You’re Draco.

The air inside the reptile house was thick and humid, the glass enclosures fogged with condensation. Harry trailed behind the Dursleys, hands in his pockets, trying to disappear into the shadows. Dudley was in rare form—louder than usual, stomping from tank to tank, jabbing stubby fingers at the glass and guffawing at the snakes and lizards as if they were performing for him.

“Oi! Look at this one!” Dudley bellowed, slapping the glass of a particularly large python’s enclosure. “Bet it could eat a whole cow! Or maybe just a scrawny freak like you, Potter!”

Harry rolled his eyes and took a step back, trying to blend into the crowd. Aunt Petunia tutted half-heartedly, while Uncle Vernon chuckled, clearly proud of his son’s bravado.

A few feet away, another family had just entered the reptile house. Lucius Malfoy, elegant and disdainful, surveyed the surroundings with a curled lip, his silver-topped cane tapping against the tiled floor. Narcissa, poised and cool, dabbed at her nose with a lace handkerchief, clearly regretting the decision to indulge your curiosity about “how Muggles cage their creatures.”

You, however, were intrigued. You lean in to peer at a chameleon, its skin shifting hues as it clung to a branch. You were about to comment on the creature’s resemblance to a poorly brewed Polyjuice Potion when a loud, nasal voice shattered the air.

“Oi! This one’s not even moving! Bet it’s dead! Hah!”

You flinch. “Shut up,” you snap, spinning on your heel with a sneer. “Some of us are trying to—”

Your words caught in your throat.

There, standing beside the red-faced, porcine boy who had been making all the racket, was none other than Harry Potter.

Your eyes widened. “You,” you hissed.

Harry blinked. “Oh, brilliant,” he muttered under his breath.

Lucius turned sharply at the sound of Draco’s voice, his gaze narrowing as he took in the scene. “Draco, what is it?”

You don’t answer. You were too busy staring at the boy who lived, who also—apparently—spent his weekends in the company of the loudest Muggles in Britain.

Dudley, oblivious to who you are, turned to you. “What’d you say to me, blondie?”

Your lip curl. “I said shut up. And I meant it.”

Petunia gasped. “How dare you speak to my Duddykins like that!”