Chapter 15

Getting lost on his first day at Hogwarts became Ivy’s favorite thing.

Not for a week.

Not for a month.

Forever.

Or at least that was Harry’s current theory.

Because every opportunity she got—

“You got lost.”

Harry looked up from his toast.

“We’ve had this conversation.”

“You got lost.”

“Yes.”

“On your first day.”

“Correct.”

“In a school.”

Harry narrowed his eyes.

“You realize you share my genes.”

“I got there eventually.”

“You were forty minutes late to breakfast yesterday.”

“That was strategic.”

Harry laughed.

Ron nearly choked on pumpkin juice.

⸻

The first few weeks passed faster than Harry expected.

Classes.

Homework.

More homework.

Then somehow even more homework.

Harry had started to suspect Hogwarts professors were competing with each other.

Hermione certainly seemed to think so.

One evening she arrived in the common room carrying enough books to cause structural damage.

Ron looked horrified.

“What happened to you?”

“Studying.”

“Voluntarily?”

Hermione looked offended.

⸻

Harry actually liked most of his classes.

Except Potions.

Potions was complicated.

Not because of the subject.

The subject was interesting.

The professor was the problem.

Professor Snape seemed to dislike Harry immediately.

Which would have been upsetting if Harry hadn’t spent most of his life being disliked by adults already.

It wasn’t exactly a new experience.

Still annoying, though.

⸻

“Potter.”

Harry froze.

There it was.

That voice.

Professor Snape stood over his cauldron.

Looking deeply disappointed.

As if Harry personally offended him by existing.

“What exactly is that?”

Harry looked down.

His potion looked normal.

Mostly.

Perhaps slightly green.

It wasn’t supposed to be green.

“Potion?”

The entire class laughed.

Even Hermione.

Traitor.

⸻

After class, Harry escaped into the corridor.

Only to discover someone already standing there.

Leaning against the wall.

White hair.

Grey eyes.

Harry stopped.

Draco looked up.

Neither spoke immediately.

Which was becoming a trend.

Then Draco glanced toward the Potions classroom.

“Snape hates you.”

Harry blinked.

“What?”

Draco shrugged.

“Observation.”

Harry stared.

“That’s not very nice.”

“I’m not saying I agree with him.”

That wasn’t what Harry expected.

At all.

For a second he wasn’t sure what to say.

Draco looked away first.

Which surprised him even more.

⸻

“You looked like you wanted to throw your cauldron at him.”

Harry laughed.

“Maybe I did.”

Draco’s mouth twitched.

That almost-smile again.

Harry was starting to think it only existed when nobody else was around.

The corridor was empty.

Quiet.

Just the two of them.

And somehow that felt different from seeing Draco across the Great Hall.

Or in class.

Or passing him on the stairs.

Harry couldn’t explain why.

⸻

Then footsteps echoed nearby.

The moment vanished instantly.

Students appeared around the corner.

Talking loudly.

Laughing.

The spell broke.

Draco straightened.

Harry looked away.

Neither seemed entirely sure why.

⸻

“Harry!”

Oh no.

Not Ivy.

Anyone but Ivy.

His sister appeared a second later.

And immediately noticed everything.

Harry knew she did.

Because she had that look.

The one that meant she’d already made six conclusions and three backup conclusions.

“Hello.”

Harry sighed.

Draco looked mildly alarmed.

Smart man.

“Hi,” Harry said.

Ivy looked between them.

Once.

Twice.

Then smiled.

Dangerously.

“Friend?”

“No.”

The answer came from both boys simultaneously.

Silence.

Ivy blinked.

Harry closed his eyes.

Draco looked offended by reality.

Then Ivy burst out laughing.

Actually laughing.

The kind that made it difficult to breathe.

“This is incredible.”

“It isn’t.”

“It absolutely is.”

Harry rubbed his face.

Beside him, Draco looked like he regretted every decision that had led him here.

Reasonable.

Harry regretted them too.

⸻

Eventually Ivy stopped laughing.

Mostly.

“Anyway.”

She pointed at Harry.

“We have Charms.”

Harry immediately stood.

“Right.”

Excellent.

Escape.

Beautiful escape.

He started walking.

Then paused.

Because Draco was still standing there.

Watching.

Harry hesitated.

Just briefly.

“See you around.”

The words slipped out before he could stop them.

A familiar phrase.

One he’d heard before.

Twice.

For a second Draco looked surprised.

Then—

That small smile appeared again.

The real one.

Gone almost immediately.

“Yeah.”

A pause.

Then:

“See you around, Potter.”

Ivy’s grin became absolutely unbearable.

Harry spent the entire walk to Charms pretending not to notice.