Drarry AI Oneshots

The Problem with Draco Malfoy

Everyone had noticed it. There was something off about Draco Malfoy during their eighth year at Hogwarts. It wasn't like the years before the war when he had strutted through the halls with his usual arrogance. No, this was different. Draco had become... jumpy.

His friends had noticed it first. Blaise and Pansy had been concerned, especially when Draco started acting strangely-fidgeting, avoiding eye contact, blushing at the slightest provocation. At first, they had assumed it was something lingering from the war. Maybe it was nightmares, maybe it was guilt. Merlin knew they all had their own scars from what they'd been through.

But after a while, it became clear that something specific was triggering Draco's odd behavior. And it didn't take long for Pansy to realize what-or rather, who-it was.

"Did you see him today?" Pansy whispered to Blaise as they sat in the Slytherin common room, watching Draco from across the room. He was standing in front of a mirror, nervously running his fingers through his hair for the third time in as many minutes. His robes were immaculate, his hair perfectly styled, but still, he kept fussing with his appearance.

Blaise raised an eyebrow, leaning back in his chair. "Yeah. What's he doing?"

Pansy sighed dramatically. "He's been doing that every time Harry Potter is about to show up."

Blaise's eyes widened slightly as he followed Pansy's gaze. Sure enough, the minute Draco had caught wind that Potter might come by the library later, Draco had started acting strange again. His fingers twitched as he adjusted his robes for the fifth time, then he glanced nervously toward the door, his lips pressed into a thin line.

"He's been like this for weeks," Pansy continued, rolling her eyes. "It's always when Potter's around. He gets all jumpy, fidgety... it's so obvious something's bothering him."

Blaise frowned, watching as Draco gave himself one last look in the mirror before turning away, a slight flush rising on his cheeks. "Do you think it's something left over from the war?" he asked quietly. "I mean, Potter did save his life in the Room of Requirement. Maybe that's messing with him."

Pansy waved her hand dismissively. "No, no. I don't think it's trauma. I think..." She trailed off, her eyes narrowing thoughtfully.

"What?" Blaise asked, his curiosity piqued.

"I think..." Pansy's lips curled into a mischievous smile. "I think Draco has a crush on Potter."

Blaise blinked in surprise, his mouth hanging open slightly. "You're joking."

Pansy shook her head, her grin widening. "Nope. Think about it. He only gets all flustered when Potter's around. He's constantly fixing his hair, straightening his clothes, and blushing like a schoolgirl whenever Potter so much as looks at him."

Blaise leaned back, crossing his arms as he considered Pansy's theory. "You think Draco-our Draco-has a crush on Harry Potter?"

Pansy smirked. "It makes perfect sense."

"I can't believe it," Blaise muttered, shaking his head. "That's ridiculous."

"Is it, though?" Pansy asked, raising an eyebrow. "You've seen the way he acts around Potter. It's like he's afraid of embarrassing himself."

Blaise stared at Draco, who was now pacing near the door, clearly waiting for something-or rather, someone. And then it hit him. Pansy was right. Draco had been acting oddly, sure, but only when Harry was around. The stammering, the nervous glances, the constant need to fix his appearance-it all made sense now.

Draco Malfoy had a crush on Harry Potter.

"Well, this should be fun," Pansy said with a wicked grin. "We'll just have to wait and see how long it takes for Draco to admit it."

The next day, things came to a head.

Draco was sitting in the library with Pansy and Blaise, going over their Potions notes. Or at least, Pansy and Blaise were going over their notes. Draco, on the other hand, was completely distracted. His eyes kept flicking toward the door, his fingers tapping nervously on the table.

"Draco," Pansy whispered, leaning in with a smirk. "You're not even listening."

Draco blinked, tearing his gaze away from the door. "What?"

"You're waiting for Potter again, aren't you?" she teased, her grin widening as she watched Draco's cheeks flush pink.

"I am not," Draco snapped, though his eyes betrayed him as they darted back to the door.

Pansy chuckled softly, leaning back in her chair. "Sure, sure. You're not waiting for Potter to show up. You're just... anxiously waiting for someone else to walk through that door."

Draco glared at her, his jaw clenched, but before he could retort, the door to the library swung open.

And in walked Harry Potter.

Draco stiffened immediately, his fingers gripping the edge of the table as he quickly straightened his posture. His eyes locked onto Harry, who was walking toward their table with that casual, easy stride that Draco hated to admit he found annoyingly attractive.

Pansy, noticing the sudden change in Draco's demeanor, exchanged a knowing glance with Blaise before turning back to Draco with a smug smile. "See?" she whispered. "You're hopeless."

Draco shot her a warning look, but his heart was pounding in his chest as Harry approached.

"Hey," Harry said, giving the group a small smile as he stopped at their table. "Do you guys have the notes from last week's class? I missed a bit of the lecture."

Draco's mouth went dry, and he found himself staring at Harry like a complete idiot. He couldn't even form a coherent response.

Pansy, who was watching the entire scene with barely-contained amusement, suddenly grinned and said-much louder than necessary-"Oh, Draco's got it bad, doesn't he?"

Harry blinked, looking between Pansy and Draco in confusion. "What?"

Draco's face turned a deep shade of red, and he shot Pansy a murderous glare. "Shut up, Pansy," he hissed, his voice low and dangerous.

But Pansy was on a roll now. "It's so obvious, Harry," she said, laughing softly. "Draco's been all jumpy and flustered around you for weeks. At first, we thought it was something from the war, but then we realized..."

Draco's heart plummeted, his stomach twisting into knots. He wanted to sink into the floor and disappear forever.