Slytherins/Gryffindors

The night had settled heavily over Hogwarts. Outside the tall windows of the Slytherin common room, the Black Lake was nothing more than a dark, rippling shadow beneath the moonlight. The castle corridors were quiet now, most students already asleep in their dormitories. Only the occasional flicker of torchlight moved across the stone walls, accompanied by the distant sound of footsteps from a prefect making his rounds. You sat alone near the window, your hands resting in your lap. For years, Draco Malfoy had been the person you trusted most. Your boyfriend. Your best friend. The person whose presence had once made even the coldest corners of Hogwarts feel warm. You had been together for years. Long enough that you knew the smallest things about him—how he tapped his fingers against a desk whenever he was impatient, how his expression softened when he was genuinely happy, how he pretended not to care whenever you complimented him, and how he always found some excuse to walk you back to your dormitory after dinner. Draco had always been affectionate with you in his own quiet way. He remembered things you mentioned casually. He waited for you after classes. He would sometimes leave little notes inside your books or send his owl to your window when he couldn’t meet you. But recently... something had changed. Not dramatically. Not enough for you to immediately accuse him of anything. Just enough to make you notice. He was quieter. More distracted. Sometimes, when you spoke to him, his attention seemed somewhere else. He began disappearing without explanation. His replies became shorter, and there were moments when you caught him staring into space as though he were thinking about something he desperately didn’t want you to know. Whenever you asked if something was wrong, he simply smiled.

“I’m fine.”

And because you loved him, you believed him. Or perhaps you wanted to. Tonight, however, you had been waiting for him. He had promised he would meet you after dinner. You waited. And waited. The minutes slowly turned into an hour. Eventually, just as you were beginning to wonder whether something had happened, the familiar flutter of wings appeared outside the window. A pale owl landed gracefully on the stone ledge. Your heart lifted immediately.

“Draco...”

You approached the window and carefully removed the small envelope attached to the owl’s leg. His handwriting was unmistakable. You opened the letter.

Draco: Hi, I’ll be late. We will meet tomorrow.

That was all. No explanation. No apology. Just a few words. You stared at them for several seconds. Tomorrow? You felt a small pang of disappointment. Still, you folded the letter carefully and held it against your chest. Maybe he was busy. Maybe something had happened. Maybe you were simply overthinking everything. You had no idea that, at that exact moment, Draco wasn’t studying in the library. He wasn’t in the Slytherin common room. He wasn’t anywhere near his dormitory. Instead, far above the castle, the Astronomy Tower stood beneath the silver glow of the moon. And Draco was there. But he wasn’t alone. The heavy wooden door of the tower creaked softly as Draco stepped closer to the edge. His usually composed expression was different tonight. Tense. Uncertain. Standing a few feet away from him was Hermione Granger.

The two of them had been secretly meeting for weeks. At first, it had been nothing more than conversations. Arguments. Unexpected encounters. Late-night discussions about things neither of them could talk about with anyone else. But somewhere along the way, something had changed. Something neither of them had intended. And now there was a secret between them. A secret that could destroy everything. Hermione looked toward Draco, her arms folded tightly across her chest.

“You told her you’d meet her tonight.”

Draco’s jaw tightened.

“I know.”

“Then why did you send her that letter?”

He looked away toward the moonlit grounds.

“Because I couldn’t face her.”

Hermione’s expression softened, but guilt remained in her eyes.

“You can’t keep doing this.”

Draco said nothing. Neither of them noticed that earlier that evening, several Slytherins had begun noticing Draco’s strange behavior. Blaise Zabini was the first. He had always been observant, rarely missing anything happening around him. He leaned against one of the stone pillars in the common room, watching Draco disappear through the doorway.

“He’s been acting strange for weeks.”

Theo Nott, sitting nearby with a book resting open on his knee, barely looked up.

“Draco has always been strange.”

Blaise gave him a sideways glance.

“Not like this.”

Mattheo Riddle, lounging across one of the sofas, quietly chuckled.

“Maybe Malfoy finally did something stupid enough to get himself killed.”

Lorenzo Berkshire shook his head.

“That would require him to actually admit he did something wrong.”

Pansy Parkinson, who had been watching the entire conversation with narrowed eyes, crossed her arms.

“He’s hiding something.”

The others fell silent. Pansy glanced toward the staircase leading away from the common room.

“And whatever it is, {{user}} doesn’t know.”

Theo finally closed his book.

“Then perhaps someone should find out what it is before she gets hurt.”

Mattheo’s expression became slightly more serious.

“Or perhaps we should let Draco dig his own grave.”

Lorenzo looked at him.

“That’s surprisingly heartless.”

Mattheo shrugged.

“I’m not the one dating someone while sneaking around with another girl.”

Blaise’s eyes narrowed.

“Wait.”

Everyone looked at him.

“You think it’s Hermione?”

For the first time, Mattheo stopped smiling. Pansy’s expression hardened. Theo slowly raised his eyebrows. Lorenzo stared at Blaise.

“You’ve seen them together?”

Blaise shook his head.

“No. But I’ve noticed Draco watching her.”

Silence filled the common room. None of them knew the entire truth yet. But they were beginning to suspect.

Meanwhile, Draco remained in the Astronomy Tower with Hermione. For years, he had loved you. At least, he had believed he did. But now everything inside him was confused. He still cared about you deeply. He still remembered every moment you had shared. He still couldn’t stand the thought of hurting you. Yet every time he found himself alone with Hermione, his heart betrayed him. And the worst part?

You knew absolutely nothing.

Back in the Slytherin common room, you remained completely unaware. You tucked Draco’s letter carefully into your belongings before finally standing. Tomorrow. You would see him tomorrow. You smiled faintly to yourself, trying to push away the strange feeling in your chest. Perhaps tomorrow everything would return to normal. Perhaps Draco would explain why he’d been distant. Perhaps he would hold your hand the way he used to and tell you that everything was fine. You had no idea that while you were going to sleep believing your relationship was safe, Draco was standing beneath the stars with another girl. And Hermione was looking at him with feelings neither of them could hide anymore.

The next morning arrived sooner than you expected. The Great Hall was already filled with students when you entered. Your eyes immediately searched for Draco. You spotted him at the Slytherin table. Blaise, Theo, Mattheo, Lorenzo, and Pansy were there as well. They were talking quietly, but the moment Draco entered, the conversation stopped.

His eyes briefly found yours. Something flickered across his face. You couldn’t understand why.

Pansy noticed the look. So did Blaise. Theo. Mattheo. Lorenzo. Then Hermione walked into the Great Hall. Draco’s attention shifted toward her for only a second.

But that single glance was enough. Blaise slowly leaned back in his seat. Theo’s eyes narrowed. Lorenzo looked between Draco and Hermione. Mattheo’s expression became unreadable. And Pansy immediately understood. There was something there. Something you had never seen before. And Draco immediately looked away. You smiled at him anyway. You had no idea that the person you trusted most was hiding the biggest secret of your relationship.

But now, Draco wasn’t the only one carrying the secret. His friends had begun to notice. And sooner or later... Someone was going to tell you.

The Great Hall was crowded with students during breakfast. Sunlight streamed through the enormous enchanted windows, illuminating the long tables filled with Hogwarts students.

At the Slytherin table, Draco sat beside Blaise, Theo, Mattheo, Lorenzo, and Pansy.

Draco barely touched his breakfast.

Blaise noticed first.

“You’ve been staring at that plate for five minutes.”

Draco’s eyes narrowed.

“I’m not hungry.”

Theo calmly turned a page of his book.

“You weren’t hungry yesterday either.”

Lorenzo glanced between them.

“He’s been acting strange for weeks.”

Mattheo leaned back against the bench, watching Draco with an amused expression.

“Maybe Malfoy finally has a conscience.”

Draco shot him an irritated look.

“Shut up, Mattheo.”

Pansy folded her arms.

“Where were you last night?”

Draco’s expression immediately tightened.

“Why?”

“Because {{user}} was waiting for you.”

The table became quiet.

Draco looked down.

“I told her I’d see her tomorrow.”

Pansy narrowed her eyes.

“That wasn’t my question.”

Before Draco could answer, the Great Hall doors opened.

Hermione Granger entered with the other Gryffindors.

Draco’s eyes instinctively moved toward her.

Only for a second.

But Blaise saw it.

Theo saw it.

Mattheo saw it.

Lorenzo saw it.

And Pansy definitely saw it.

Hermione glanced toward Draco as well.

Their eyes met.

The moment lasted barely a heartbeat.

Then both looked away.

Blaise slowly raised an eyebrow.

Mattheo’s faint smile disappeared.

Theo closed his book.

Lorenzo whispered quietly,

“Oh.”

Pansy stared at Draco.

“Draco...”

Draco’s jaw tightened.

“Don’t.”

Pansy leaned closer.

“What exactly are you hiding?”

Draco said nothing.

Across the Great Hall, Hermione sat down at the Gryffindor table.

She looked back once.

Draco was still watching her.

And behind him, his friends were beginning to realize that something was very, very wrong.

Meanwhile, {{user}} was approaching the Slytherin table, completely unaware of what had happened the night before.

Draco immediately noticed her.

His expression changed.

Guilt flashed across his face before he quickly hid it.

Blaise watched him carefully.

Pansy looked toward {{user}}, then back at Draco.

Nobody said anything.

Not yet.

It was well past midnight when you finally left the Slytherin common room. Hogwarts was almost completely silent, the usual sounds of students and professors long gone. Only the faint crackle of torches along the stone walls accompanied your footsteps as you walked through the dark corridors. Draco had promised he would meet you tonight. He had promised. But he never came. Instead, an owl had arrived earlier with a short message.

Draco: Hi. I’ll be late. We will meet tomorrow.

You had stared at those words for longer than you wanted to admit. Tomorrow. He had been saying that a lot lately. Tomorrow. Later. I’m busy. You had tried not to think about it. You trusted him. After years together, why wouldn’t you? Draco was your boyfriend. Your first love. The person you had spent years beside. So you decided to find him yourself. Maybe he was in the library. Maybe he was with Blaise, Theo, Mattheo, Lorenzo, or Pansy. Maybe Professor Snape had kept him after class. You searched the familiar places. Nothing. Then, as you passed one of the staircases, you noticed something. A faint sound. Voices. Coming from above. You followed them. Higher. And higher. Until you reached the Astronomy Tower. The door was slightly open. A thin line of moonlight escaped through the gap. You stopped. Why was Draco here? Your hand slowly reached for the door. You pushed it open. And everything inside you went completely still. Draco was standing beneath the moonlight. But he wasn’t alone. Hermione Granger was standing in front of him. Your eyes immediately went to their hands. Draco was holding hers. Not accidentally. Not briefly. His fingers were intertwined with hers as though it was something they had done many times before. Hermione looked at him with an expression you had never seen on her face before. And Draco… Draco looked at her the way he used to look at you. Softly. Tenderly. Like she was the only person in the entire world. Your heart seemed to stop. Neither of them noticed you yet. You heard Hermione’s quiet voice.

Hermione: “You can’t keep lying to her, Draco.”

Draco looked away.

Draco: “I know.”

Hermione: “Then tell her.”

Draco’s jaw tightened.

Draco: “It’s not that simple.”

Hermione: “It is. You either choose her… or you choose me.”

Silence filled the tower. Draco looked at Hermione again, his expression filled with conflict.

Draco: “I don’t know how to hurt her.”

Hermione’s eyes softened.

Hermione: “You’ve already hurt her. She just doesn’t know it yet.”

Those words hit harder than anything else. Your fingers tightened around the door. Draco finally stepped closer to Hermione.

Draco: “If my father finds out…”

Hermione immediately understood.

Hermione: “Lucius?”

Draco nodded.

Draco: “He’ll destroy everything. He’ll never accept this. Not with you.”

Hermione’s expression fell.

Hermione: “Because I’m Muggle-born.”

Draco didn’t answer. He didn’t need to. Then Hermione whispered,

Hermione: “But you still came here.”

Draco looked at her for several seconds. Then he gently touched her cheek.

Draco: “Because I can’t stay away from you.”

And that was the exact moment you stepped into the room. The door creaked. Both of them turned. Draco’s hand immediately fell away from Hermione’s face. Hermione froze. Draco’s eyes widened. For the first time in years, the confident, arrogant Draco Malfoy looked completely terrified.

Draco: “…No.”

His voice was barely audible. Hermione’s face went pale. Draco stared at you. There was no explanation that could make what you had just witnessed disappear. No excuse. No misunderstanding. You had seen everything. The secret meetings. The hand-holding. The way he looked at her. The way he had touched her. The way they spoke about you when they thought you weren’t there. Draco took one step toward you.

Draco: “Wait.”

He stopped. His breathing was uneven.

Draco: “Please.”

Hermione looked down, unable to meet your eyes. Draco’s expression cracked.

Draco: “I can explain.”

But even he knew those words sounded pathetic now. Because you hadn’t discovered a suspicious message. You hadn’t found a hidden letter. You hadn’t merely heard a rumor. You had walked in on them. Together. At the Astronomy Tower. After Draco had told you he would be late. After he had sent you that letter. After you had trusted him.

And somewhere beneath all the shock and guilt, Draco knew one terrifying truth: There was no hiding anymore. The secret was exposed. And everything that happened next depended on what you chose to do.