People Change | Draco Malfoy x Reader

Four

Fifteen minutes remained until the end of Potions. Everyone was frantically trying to correctly finish the Amortentia. The room was a mess, discarded ingredients littered the desks and the air was filled with steam from all of the bubbling cauldrons.

You were sat calmly in your seat, absentmindedly doodling on a piece of ripped parchment. Although you both lacked in communication, you and Malfoy worked efficiently, finishing way ahead of everyone else.

It would've been fairly obvious whether the potion had been made correctly. The air should have smelled like the things you loved. However, you were unable to smell anything overwhelmingly strong.

Glancing down, you examined what you had drawn; two people holding hands. You frowned slightly, folding it neatly and tucking it inside your robes. You had never been in a relationship, yet it was constantly weighing heavily on your mind. Maybe the timing just wasn't quite right, or you hadn't encountered the person you were meant to be with yet.

Slughorn then stopped the class, some people still with unfinished potions in front of them. "If brewed properly, you should be able to smell a heavenly scent, a mixture of things you love. Please write down what you smell on parchment, so you will be able to study your results." He announced.

Draco inhaled deeply and then furiously started scribbling down words on his parchment. You couldn't help but wonder what he could smell. Was it the person he was in love with?

You breathed in slowly, the smell filling you with a warmth and joy that was unlike any other. It smelled like new books, freshly baked cookies, baby powder and something else, which was familiar, yet you couldn't seem to identify, no matter how much you tried. The scent was comforting, making you feel wistful and nostalgic.

"Now, swap parchment with your partner and see what they smelt." Slughorn said, with an amused tone. Malfoy thrust his parchment at you, whilst you slowly passed over your own. You began to read eagerly.

"Now, swap parchments with your partner and see what they smelled." Slughorn said, with an amused tone. Malfoy rolled his eyes and shoved his parchment at you, whilst you reluctantly passed over your own.

Clutching Malfoy's parchment in your hands, you began to read eagerly, the curiosity taking over. His handwriting was small and neat, almost spindly. Rain, green apples, clean laundry were listed and you resisted the urge to smile, seeing that Malfoy did have some emotions after all. However, there was another scent which he had described as 'familiar, floral and calming.'

Maybe the potion had been brewed wrong, seeing as you and Malfoy had both detected a mysterious scent. Although, you had followed the textbook's instructions exactly as they had been written.

You handed him back his parchment and he did the same. Sneaking a glance at him, you were taken aback to see him already staring at you. Weird.

***

The bell suddenly rang, as you were lost in thought, making you jump. You had forgotten how loud it was, over the summer. After hurriedly packing away your books and equipment, you rushed off to your next class, which was Charms. But not before giving Draco his quill back and thanking him profusely, then getting your own from your room.

You raced through the manic corridors, desperately trying to make it to Professor Flitwick's class on time, maybe even early, at a push. You tried not to shove past the lost-looking first years, like so many of the other students, remembering how small and intimidated you felt in the bustling corridors and complex layout of the castle during your own younger years.

To your delight, you were the first one there. You stood outside of the classroom, awkwardly leaning against the wall, waiting for someone else to join you, so you didn't look so keen.