Hogwart's Golden Girl - Reader Insert

It's Not Over Yet

[Name] couldn't relax for the following month. You know why?

It was Exam season. The personification of stress, procrastination and constant self-doubt. On top of that, she was at Hogwarts. There were no mental health breaks for wizards apparently.

Her mind was overwhelmed with everything. From the written exams and practicals in sweltering hot rooms as the early signs of summer loomed ever nearer, to other things such as cramming revision before that especially difficult transfiguration test.

It wasn't helpful that she, and Harry, would receive head-splitting headaches every so often ever since Harry's detention in the forest. Though not as excruciating as the first one. Nightmares too, visions she didn't understand of cloaked figures and silhouettes without faces. On top of that, she'd constantly eyed any room's exit, hands clenching and unclenching and teeth grinding tightly together. As if something wicked would burst through those doors. Voldemort was back, presumably, and it was putting her on edge to an unhealthy degree.

But the utter relief she felt when the last exam, History of Magic, was finally over. Her posture visibility relaxed as she rolled up her parchment and dropped her quill into the pot of ink. But the exhaustion and tension settled in as well as she slumped in her chair, too fatigued to cheer with the rest of her classmates. Instead, savouring this short moment where she could breathe and not worry about her impending future.

As she walked out the exam hall, Hermione on her arm gushing away about the paper and how she overevised, [Name] exhaustion fluttered away at the sight of Draco ambling by, lackies so close behind they might as well be stepping on his cloak. Something bubbled within her and there was a brief moment of eye contact between the blonde and herself before Draco seemed to visibly shudder and hastily stalk away. His strides long.

Crabby and Goyle seemed confused and bothered by Draco's sudden increased pace, shuffling their feet quickly behind him.

Ah yes, Draco and her proposition - to be friends despite everything he had done and everything he will continue to do. The boy was still adamant about ignoring her and his answer was very telling to this fact... Though she wasn't utterly convinced, she let him decide when he wanted to reapproach her after... yeah that...

"You're offering to be friends on the Hogwarts express," she replied with a grin. "Mind if I change my answer?"

Draco didn't speak for a few seconds, his mouth open and gaping like a speechless fish. His expression went through a roller coaster of emotions before finally settling on scrunching up into anger and slapping her open hand. "Who do you think you are?! NO!"

"[Name] Potter of course. Am I not allowed to change my mind?" She sardonically replied but Draco was having none of it.

"You- You- You can't just change your mind!" He was clutching the side of his temple with his hands like his head was receiving a painful aching. "This... This is absurd! I've been everything BUT nice to you?"

"Well, why not?" She crossed her arms, leaning back on the wall. [Name] had to refrain from her smug smile. She wanted her motives to seem genuine, of course, as she was serious about reconciling with the school bully... For the oddest of reasons... But when she was serious, she was Serious. "Draco, as infuriating as you are, we might as well hang out, you already do that enough. Let's just make it official and get it over with."

"No! This would ruin my reputation! Imagine me caught rubbing elbows with the likes of you after you humiliated me on that train! People would think I would have gone soft!? COULD YOU EVEN IMAGINE?! Me with a blood traitor?! It'd be the open season!"