Who Knew

Draco was sitting at the Slytherin table, mindlessly circling his fork in his shepherd’s pie. He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he missed all of the Sorting Ceremony and the new Headmistress’ announcements. He did, however, hear that Filch had finally reached the one thousand mark of items on his list of objects forbidden inside the castle.

“Are you going to eat that?” a question was asked, yet Draco didn’t hear.

He propped his elbow on the table and leaned his head against his hand, still staring down at his food. All he heard was distorted chatter among the students in the Great Hall, not caring what was being said.

“Earth to Draco,” a voice said again, finally snapping him out of his thoughts.

He quickly turned to the source of the voice and smirked when he noticed it was his best mate. “Sorry, Blaise.”

Blaise laughed, as he reached forward and grabbed a piece of bread in the center of the table in front of him. He took a small bite out of the corner, staring curiously at his friend. “What were you thinking about?” he asked, as he chewed on the piece of bread.

Draco shrugged, not yet ready to tell his friend. He wasn’t sure how he would react to the news and was nervous to think he would no longer be accepted in his life. He loved Blaise like a brother. They had been through a lot of bad times together and always looked out for one another, which would amaze people to learn this about the two Slytherins, since they were known to be selfish and uncaring. But he had no clue how comfortable Blaise would be, once he learned the truth.

Blaise stared over at him a little bit longer, searching for any answers. He tried to read Draco’s face, but knew it was an impossible task. He was Lucius Malfoy’s son after all; he knew how to keep all emotions hidden. Giving up the search, he sighed and turned his attention toward the Gryffindor table. He smiled when his eyes fell on those brown eyes staring back. He quickly turned away, afraid someone would notice their affections for each other.

“How long?”

Blaise raised his eyebrows, as he turned toward Draco, who was now staring at the Gryffindor table. “How long for what?” he inquired, feeling his stomach lurch at the thought they were just discovered.

Draco turned toward his friend and smirked. He was surprised to have witnessed what he did, but in a way, he was grateful for it. He now felt much closer to his friend, knowing his little secret. “How long have you and Granger been secretly seeing each other?”

Blaise blushed at the assertion, hoping he could have hid it a little longer. “During the summer,” he sheepishly responded. “We bumped into each other one day and, well, it just sort of happened.”

Draco shook his head in disbelief. He never would have thought his best friend would date a Muggle-born. The Zabinis were not known to tolerate anything but perfection. And if there was one thing Draco knew, it was that Granger was anything but perfection in the eyes of a Zabini.

“So how much do you want to hurt me right now?”

Draco smirked, as he turned to look over at Granger, who was now laughing with Potter. He felt a fluttering movement in his stomach, but put it out of his mind at the moment. “Are you happy?” he suddenly asked, surprised by his own question.

Blaise, a bit surprised himself, leaned back in his seat, staring over at his friend who was still watching the two Gryffindors laugh with one another. “For the first time in my life, I can honestly say that I am,” he confessed.

Draco nodded, as he turned toward his Slytherin friend. “Then I’m happy for you.”

“What?”

Draco smirked at the baffled expression on Blaise’s face. “What did you expect?”

“Well,” Blaise shrugged, “a punch to the head, for starters. Then a disapproving glare and a long lecture of how we should never taint our blood,” he answered.

“Sorry,” he apologized, “maybe next time.”

Blaise smiled, grateful for his friend’s acceptance. He never enjoyed lying to him and was very nervous for when the truth was finally going to come out. He released the breath he was still holding, feeling some of the weight on his shoulders rise. “So, what about you?” he suddenly asked.

Draco furrowed his eyebrows, not sure what his friend was talking about. “What about me?”

Blaise shrugged, “Are you happy?”

“Oh,” he quietly answered, before turning away from his friend when he saw Professor McGonagall stand up at the podium again and clear her throat.

Blaise noticed his sidestep, but decided to ignore it for the moment. He turned his attention to the Headmistress, reminding himself to have a talk with his best mate later.

“After much consideration and talking among the professors and students here at Hogwarts, I want to introduce you all to the new Head Boy and Head Girl, Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger,” McGonagall announced.

Draco’s eyes opened wide, when he heard his name. He had no idea he was even up for the title. He just assumed that last year’s little escapade had lost him this recognition, so put it out of his mind. He heard the cheers coming from his table, which snapped him out of his thoughts. He looked around the hall, noticing some more disturbing glares had reached him. He sighed to himself, knowing what they were all thinking, wondering how he of all people had been considered for this.

He saw Granger smiling proudly over at the Gryffindor table. He was rather impressed by how she carried herself. He then thought about Blaise, understanding his infatuation for the girl. Sure she was a Muggle-born, but he knew she could hold her own, especially when it came to Slytherins, and knew his best mate had definitely found his match. He sadly lowered his stare to his food, wondering if that would ever happen for him.

“Why does he have to touch her like that?” Blaise grunted.

Draco turned to Blaise, with questioning eyes. Blaise moved his head over in Hermione’s direction, which Draco followed with his eyes. He saw the Weasel holding Granger around her waist, pulling her closer to him. He narrowed his eyes, feeling a strong urge to protect his best mate from the Gryffindor display of affection.

“I hate that we have to pretend,” Blaise sighed.

“Wait, are you telling me she’s going to keep dating that Weasel?” Draco snapped, feeling irritated that the girl he just began to admire and thought was good for Blaise was already hurting him.

“No,” Blaise quickly stated, seeing the fire in his friend’s eyes. “She’s going to end it.”

Draco calmed down a bit, although he was still livid at the thought. “So how long is she going to keep you a secret?” he questioned.

Blaise shook his head, “It’s not her, Draco.”

Draco turned away from the Gryffindor couple, staring befuddled at his friend. “What do you mean?”

“She’s not the one keeping us a secret.”

“But I thought-”

“She doesn’t care what others would think, especially Potter and Weasley,” Blaise interrupted his friend.

“Then why-”

“Because even though she doesn’t, I do. I know what they could do if they found out, and I don’t want her to lose her friends like that. Especially over me,” he finished.

Draco raised his eyebrows in shock. He knew Blaise had a caring side, but never like this. To care about a girl so much that he would want to keep them a secret so as not to hurt her relationship with her two best friends was very honorable. “What the hell happened to you over the summer?” he smirked, surprised by this rare side of a Slytherin.

Blaise chuckled, as he shrugged, “Love can make you do some weird shit.”

“How do you know when it’s really love?” Draco curiously questioned.

Blaise smiled, turning his attention toward the Gryffindor Princess once more. “You just do,” he replied, as he smiled over at the girl who had again turned to look at him and smile back.

Draco watched the two, feeling a bit envious that his friend didn’t have the same complications he had with relationships and love. He frowned, as he again stared down at his shepherd’s pie, feeling too full to eat, even though he hadn’t eaten anything all day.

*****

Black Padfoot: I'm so glad you're loving my story so far, especially when it's so early on!! I hope you will continue to like it. :)