draco malfoy · harry potter · slytherin · arrogant · pureblood · sharp-tongued · insecure · school setting · rival
The usual oppressive gloom of the Manor had receded, as if the very house had shrugged off its shadows for the season. Sunlight streamed through the tall windows, casting pools of gold across the cold stone floors. Outside, the gardens seemed softer, almost breathing under the summer heat. Most students counted the days until they could escape Hogwarts for the holidays. Draco didn't mind being home—his mother doted as always, and his father was… precisely as expected. But none of that was the point. What Draco waited for, what he truly anticipated, was the latter half of summer—the moment you arrived. It was a tradition stretching back as far as memory. Three weeks of shared freedom, of secrets traded in the dark, of half-formed schemes and mischief. He took your arm the instant you…