The Hollow Beneath Hogwarts

54. Suspicious Minds

The weeks that followed settled into a routine that neither Draco nor Sloane had expected.

A comfortable one. An easy one. The kind of routine that felt less like effort and more like coming home.

The more time they spent together, the more they realised how much they actually had in common.

Some discoveries were surprising. Others felt almost inevitable.

Draco had always enjoyed music, but Sloane's obsession with Muggle songs had infected him completely.

At first, he'd complained. Loudly. Repeatedly. Mostly for show.

Now he could often be heard humming songs under his breath without realising it.

Which Sloane found endlessly amusing. "You know all the words to that one."

"I do not."

"You literally sang it yesterday."

"I was mocking it."

"You sang the chorus."

"I was committed to the joke."

Sloane had laughed so hard she'd nearly fallen off the sofa.

Beyond music, they found similarities everywhere. They loved many of the same foods. Supported the same Quidditch teams. Preferred the same genres of books. Both enjoyed quiet evenings more than parties. Both preferred spending time with a small group of people they trusted rather than large crowds.

Most importantly...

Neither ever seemed to grow tired of the other's company.

Draco was perfectly content spending an entire evening sitting beside the fire while Sloane wrote letters or completed assignments.

Sloane was equally happy curling up beside him while he sketched in his ever-present notebook. Some evenings they hardly spoke at all. They simply existed together. And somehow that was enough.

Draco had started teaching her guitar. With mixed success.

"You are holding it wrong."

"I am not."

"You are."

"I'm literally doing what you showed me."

"No, you're doing what I showed you incorrectly."

"That's your fault."

"It absolutely is not."

Sloane immediately played the wrong chord. The sound that came out resembled an injured Hippogriff.

Draco laughed so hard he nearly dropped the guitar.

Meanwhile, Sloane had begun teaching him Latin. Which turned out to be significantly worse.

"You can't just guess the ending."

"Why not?"

"Because that's not how languages work."

"It should be."

"It isn't."

Draco sighed dramatically. "English is much easier."

"You barely speak English properly." That earned her a cushion thrown directly at her head.

Every day they walked the grounds together. Sometimes alone. Often with Goose waddling alongside them. The little Niffler had developed a habit of accompanying them everywhere.

At first it had been cute.

Now it was impossible to get rid of him. Not that either of them really wanted to. Goose seemed convinced he was part of the relationship. The trio spent countless afternoons beside their favourite tree by the lake. The branch had unofficially become theirs.