𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃 & 𝐁𝐑𝐎𝐊𝐄𝐍 || 𝐃𝐌

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐎𝐍𝐄

It was never Draco Malfoy's intention to fall victim to Livia Blackwood's good looks – really, it wasn't.

If you asked him last year what he thought of her, he would tell you just looking at her makes him want to gouge his eyes out.

He hated everything about her – her stupid curly hair, her stupid green eyes, her stupid smile that seemed to always grace her face. Yes, he hated the witch.

And yet, as he sat in his usual seat, in his usual carriage, on the train he took every year to Hogwarts, he couldn't help but stare at her as she walked down the aisle. She didn't look like the Livia Blackwood he saw back in July as they departed for the summer holidays. She didn't look like the Livia Blackwood his parents told him to stay away from all those years ago.

This Livia was...different. Her wild curls were tamed, straighter than straight, resting over her shoulder, and the summer sun had left her skin sun-kissed, with a sprinkle of freckles dusted over her cheeks. She wore her uniform, yet somehow it looked new on her, fitting like she'd grown into it over the break. There was something else in her gaze too—something he couldn't quite place. A calm confidence, maybe. Or...was it indifference?

Whatever it was, he didn't like the effect it had on him. 

Turning to look out of the window, Draco averted his gaze, choosing to stare at all of the weeping parents stood out on the platform than the teenage girl he was suddenly captivated by. He craned his neck to see the big clock on the brick wall of the station - 10:59 it read. With a six-hour train ride ahead, the last thing Draco wanted was for his journey to be delayed. 

The blond boy was perfectly content with ignoring Livia. His plan was simple: settle into his compartment, fall into familiar banter with Blaise, and Theo - maybe even Daphne and Pansy if he felt nice enough - and pretend the witch didn't exist. And his plan would've 100% worked if she didn't slide into the booth opposite him, forcing him to be more attentive than he would've liked. 

Glancing over her, Draco noted the subtle changes Livia had undergone during the summer. Her curls were long gone - a sight Draco had never seen before. He couldn't decide if he preferred her with or without them - not that it mattered to him. Curls or no curls, she was still the same Blackwood she'd always been. Her cheeks were much more rosy now - perhaps a result of the 4 weeks she spent abroad in Romania with her family, or the amount of sunbathing she does on her fathers patio when he's at work during the week. Her lips were a lot plumper than they were two months ago, and when they stretched into her normal, lopsided smile, Draco noticed her once bucked teeth were now no-where to be found. 

He watched as she conversed with Pansy, smiling and laughing at her best friend as she told her all about her travels to Paris with her parents, completely blanking out Blaise and Theo beside him. While watching, Draco noticed she curled a strand of hair between her fingers, and threw her head back whenever she laughed - even if it was just a small snicker. Livia's laugh had changed over the summer - more open and unguarded now. She'd finally stopped hiding behind her mouth when she chuckled. It was as if without her buck teeth, she could finally laugh freely. 

It was a weird, but wonderful sight to see. 

Livia was a lot different to how she was last year, a lot more confident. That much was easy to tell. Especially when she-

"Malfoy? Hellooo, earth to Malfoy?"

Draco snapped out of his trance, blinking as he registered the hand waving inches from his face. Livia was sitting there, head tilted, her usual smirk plastered on her face as she caught the Malfoy boy staring right at her. 

"What?" he muttered, feeling heat creep into his cheeks.

She rolled her eyes, crossing her arms. "You were staring at me like I'd grown a third eye or something. A little unnerving, honestly."