Bound by Love

Chapter 5: First Names and Hidden Places

Harriet's POV

The summer days dragged on in a predictable cycle. There was always something to be done around the house, but my mind had started wandering more often, consumed by Draco's letters. They had begun as something unexpected, but now they had become the highlight of my days. I wouldn't admit it aloud, but I found myself waiting for Hedwig to return, wondering what he'd say next.

When she flew through the window today, a strange thrill shot through me. I untied the letter carefully and noticed something immediately-he had written my name.

Harriet.

It looked strange coming from him, almost as though he was another person entirely. We had never been "Harriet" and "Draco." It was always Potter and Malfoy. I wasn't sure what to make of it, but I kept reading.

I've been thinking about what you said in your last letter. About never having a place to belong. I thought I had one, but now I'm not so sure. I tried for years to be what my father expected-a Malfoy in every sense. But I don't think I ever really believed in it. Not the way he wanted me to.

It's strange to admit, but I think we've both been fighting for something we don't fully understand.

I exhaled, leaning back in my chair. Draco had spent his entire life under the weight of his family's expectations, just as I had grown up under the shadow of something far darker. It was the first time I had seen him in this light-someone struggling to figure out who they were, just like me.

Then, at the end of the letter, something unexpected:

We can't keep doing this forever. These letters... they've helped. But there's only so much we can say without it feeling incomplete. What if we met? Somewhere no one would know. No expectations. Just to talk. Just us.

I sat still, rereading that line. He wanted to meet. My mind raced with a thousand questions. Would it be the same in person? Could I trust him? Yet underneath the caution, there was curiosity. His letters had revealed more of him than I ever imagined possible, and I couldn't help but wonder who he was without the shield of parchment between us.

I stood up from my chair and moved to the window, staring out at the fading light. The air was thick with the heat of summer, but my thoughts were elsewhere. Could I really meet him? Could I face him, knowing all that had passed between us, both the bad and the good?

Without thinking too much about it, I grabbed my quill and began writing.

Draco,

I hesitated for only a moment, writing his first name for the first time. It felt... odd, but also right. We weren't Potter and Malfoy in these letters anymore.

I've been thinking about your letter since I read it. The truth is, I never thought we'd end up here-writing to each other like this. But I think you're right. We've said a lot in these letters, but maybe there's more to be said in person. So yes, I'll meet you.

There's a small clearing in the woods outside Little Whinging. No one goes there; it's hidden, and we won't be disturbed. Let's meet there in three days, just after sunset. I'll make sure no one notices me leaving.

My hand shook slightly as I wrote those last words. Meeting Draco in person felt so much more final than the safety of letters. But there was something in his tone that felt different, something that made me want to know the boy behind the words.

I don't know what this will be like, but I'm willing to see. No expectations. Just us, like you said.

I sealed the letter quickly, as if writing it any slower might change my mind, and sent it off with Hedwig. As I watched her disappear into the darkening sky, a strange sense of anticipation filled me. What would it be like, seeing Draco again-this time not as rivals, but as something else?

The thought made me both nervous and excited.