𝓔𝓾𝓹𝓱𝓸𝓻𝓲𝓪

It's Nice to Meet You

I'm not sure how. But I'd somehow managed to have an empty compartment all to myself. Maybe it was because of the peculiar way I was "seated." Being the short and lazy person I am, I didn't bother trying to properly put my trunk away -not even with magic- so it stayed on the floor next to me. Besides, it made for more convenient access to my books. I find it really hard to get into a comfortable spot and stay there. Hence, why I moved around so much, in so many wild positions. Or, it could also be because I didn't exactly have a ton of close friends. Well, no matter the cause, it allowed for peaceful reading.

At this point, I was lying on my back, sprawled across the seat, finishing up Quidditch Through the Ages. After about a minute, I sat up and slid over to my belongings. I put Quidditch Through the Ages away and was about to grab a muggle book called Legend. As I reached to close my trunk, I jumped when I heard the sounds of a sliding door. There was a tallish boy who was around my age standing in the doorway.

He looked me up and down before asking, "Anyone else in here?"

I shook my head. Where'd my voice go? Am I really not that used to talking to people after they startle me?

He gave a curt nod and sat down in the middle of the seat across from me. I latched my trunk lid since it closed when I had accidentally let go. I turned my body to lean against the wall of the compartment and brought the open book to eye level. Before I started reading, however, I glanced at the boy. White blonde hair. Thought he looked familiar. I brought my eyes back to my book but didn't read. Instead, I asked him, "What brings you here, Malfoy?" I could see him looking at me in my peripheral vision.

"The people I was with got annoying."

"Right, so you just up and left?" I flipped the page but kept the bookmark in the same place so that I could return to it later.

"Obviously," he moved one of his arms a little bit to gesture around, then slumped back into the seat.

At this point, I couldn't resist the urge to move to sit against the back of the seat. I rotated my body and was now sitting at the "correct" angle. Except, I had one of my legs propped up with my book leaning against it. I quickly glanced at Malfoy and saw he was still studying me. I took in a deep breath and mumbled, "Study me all you want, I doubt you even know who I am," as I let it out.

"That's where you're wrong."

I froze.

"I do know."

I set my book and leg down. "Alright, so you heard me. Who am I then?"

"L/n, Ravenclaw, third-year."

"Is that all you know?"

He sneered, "It's not like I'm on a first-name basis with you. L/n. You called me by my last name, after all."

"Practically everyone calls you Malfoy, Malfoy. Everyone except Parkinson and maybe Crabbe, Goyle, and Zabini. Speaking of which, she's not going to be very happy to find you here, Malfoy. Away from her. With another female."

He rolled his eyes, "What do I care? I can talk to whoever I please."

"Whomever."

"What?"

"You said, 'I can talk to whoever I please.' That's incorrect grammar. The correct pronoun would be, 'I can talk to whomever I please.' "

"Smart little Ravenclaw, then, are we?" He leaned forward in his seat.

I felt my face grow a little hot. What's wrong with me? I've been complimented before...I guess it has been a while. "I-I guess..."

"Tell me what other classes do you take?"

"Uh...Arithmancy, Muggle Studies, and Study of Ancient Runes."

"Fitting, I suppose."

I let out a light scoff. "Why do you want to know?"

"Because, I know that your last name is L/n, you're a third-year Ravenclaw, you like correcting people's grammar, and the extra classes you decided to take are Arithmancy, Muggle Studies, and Ancient Runes. Oh, and I've also seen you reading under trees and by the lake." He smirked, "How's that?"

I scowled. "There's a lot more you don't know about me."

"Oh, yeah? Like what?"

"I'm a half-blood. I'm the only Ravenclaw in my entire family. I suffer from anxiety. I hardly have any friends. I'm always reading under trees and by the lake because I have nowhere else to go. I tend to get bullied. My name's Y/n, by the way. And, I listen to almost purely muggle music in my spare time. Any questions?"

His face seemed stunned. I shuffled into the far corner of the seat and stared out the window and passing scenery.

After a minute, he asked, "How long?"

"How long what?" I mumbled

"How long have you had anxiety?"

"I don't know. At least two years."

"And the bullying?"

"About four years."

"I'm sorry."

I shrugged, "It's not like there's anything you can do about it."

There was a moment of silence.

"I could be your friend?"

I turned to look at him and chuckled dryly. "Thanks, but I don't need your pity or popularity."

He started rolling his eyes but then shook his head. "It's not pity."

"Why should I believe that?"

"I left the few people I can actually tolerate, willingly sat down with someone I've never even said a word to, stayed, and had a conversation with them. A conversation in which I tried to prove that I knew who they were."

I gave a small laugh, "I would have assumed that was all Malfoy pride. Hmm...Maybe you should have been put in Gryffindor." Seeing the open-mouthed look on his face, I burst into a fit of giggles. "Alright, alright, I'm done! You have a point. Snap out of it, Malfoy!"

Coming back to his sense, he gave me a look.

"What?"

"Let's start over?"

"Start over?"

"Yeah."

"I mean, I guess? Okay."

He reached his hand out, and I raised an eyebrow at him. He gestured for me to take it, so I did.

He lightly shook my hand, "Name's Malfoy. Draco Malfoy. You can call me Draco." He added the last bit quickly. I guess old habits die hard.

"Y/n L/n." We released our grip.

"Nice to meet you, Y/n."

"You too, Draco."

"Do you think we could be friends?"

"Why not?" I remembered how high his social standing was, "But what about you're image and popularity."

He answered without skipping a beat. "If you're that concerned, -although you really shouldn't worry about it- we can have our own downtime, away from prying eyes."

I thought for a second. "Sounds good."

"Glad to hear."

We spent the rest of the ride to King's Cross talking. Surprisingly, Parkinson, or people she would have sent, never showed up to look for Mal- I mean Draco. Old habits really do die hard. When the train arrived at the station, and we were about to go our separate ways, I asked if it would be okay if we wrote to each other. He agreed to the idea.

I smirked, "Bye, Malfoy!"

He rolled his eyes, "Until September, L/n."

And with that, the summer holiday, as well as our friendship, started.