Hufflepuff Oc - Tumblr Posts
draco malfoy ff
just gonna leave this here, i've gotten to year three already so (๑>ᴗ<๑)
❥ melt your heart | year one, chapter one
pairing: draco malfoy x oc genre: best friends to lovers! slow burn! warnings: draco being a lil bitch, very badly edited word count: 4.2k masterlist: melt your heart next chapter: chapter two
A CROWDED STATION leaves a little girl absolutely faint, having trouble getting through the sea of people to get her luggage onto the train. "hello, miss! need some help with your bags?" a railway porter asks, the girl blinks for a moment, taken aback, but then nods with a bright smile. "yes, please!" she says in a soft tone, handing her things to the man and thanking him in the process before getting onto the train.
julianna candy had to head to the station alone for her grandmother didn't really bother going with her for moral support. she didn't mind though, sure, she was a bit nervous but her excitement outweighed the nerves. passing by compartment after compartment, trying her best to find an empty one, she stumbled upon someone familiar.
as she slid the door open, "draco!" her voice cheery and face beams at the sight of the bright-haired boy. seemingly startled, draco placed his hand on his chest. "merlin's beard, know how to scare the wits out of someone do you, candy?" his comment ignored by julianna while the brunette placed her sling bag on the seat and sat opposite of draco. now, i know you're probably wondering 'they already know each other?! how?!' well, let me give you a flashback!
it was at flourish and blotts when the two met.
"i'm going to go get your books, girl. stay here." her grandmother said, heading towards the long line of parents and guardians trying to get their children's school books. she was particularly eyeing a man with long platinum blonde hair and his wife, her grandmother seemed to dread the potential encounter. julianna heard what she said about staying at the spot she left her at but she just couldn't follow through and so, she headed up the staircase of the shop.
the girl stared at the books uninterested. she didn't like reading much, it took too much effort, which was why she was mostly interested in art-related things like painting or drawing. "looking for something specific?" a young male voice asked her which made the brunette snap her head towards the person. julianna was met with a boy that was probably around her age, with slicked back blonde hair and bold blue-grey eyes. his lips were shaped into a tiny smirk and he oozed of confidence.
julianna starts panicking, not knowing how to answer. "o-oh, uh no... just browsing, sort of." she shyly replies, "i don't actually... like reading." her words shocked the blonde boy, "what?! why? it's an effective way of gaining knowledge." "mm, too bad. can't really gain knowledge from a book, i'm a visual learner. need pictures." she cheekily replied, her lips turning into a wide smile. the boy stared at her for a bit before a tiny smile broke out and he put his hand out. "i'm malfoy. draco malfoy." he introduced himself as though he'd been rehearsing this in front of his bathroom mirror at least twelve times. "julianna candy. i know, weird last name." julianna giggled, "no, not at all. in fact, sounds a bit familiar." he commented, "are you related t-" "draco! come! we have to go obtain your wand!" a woman's voice calls out, stealing draco's attention from julianna's name.
as he walked down the stairs, he stopped midway. "i hope to see you on the train so we can further this discussion." at his words, julianna smiled and nodded, bidding the blonde goodbye. she found it funny that he spoke so formally, but assumed it was the way he was brought up, just like her.
"julianna? where are you?" the sound of her grandmother's voice startles her, making her rush to the lower floor. "i'm here!" she announces, "didn't i tell you to stay here? can't do one thing right." the comment makes julianna look at the ground, feeling poignant. "here, help me carry your books, then we can go get you fitted for your robes." the heavy load of books was dropped onto her tiny hands, but the girl managed, always. "yes, nan." she had no choice.
julianna smiled widely at draco. "wasn't expecting to see you so soon!" she tells the boy who only scoffed. "i was. the train is not that long, you know?" he enunciates every word which makes the girl giggle. "what are you laughing at?" "well, i'd hardly call that laughing but, you're just funny." draco's eyes widen before going back to their regular size, "funny? no one's ever said that to me before." the brunette fiddles with her hands, "oh, uh, i just find how you enunciate amusing. reminds me of my grandmother." "your grandmother?!" this makes julianna burst into real laughter this time, especially at the redness of draco's face.
the two continued to talk, enjoying one another's company. this would be julianna's first friend ever! she hoped it would only get better from here on out. suddenly, draco remembered something. "oh. i just remembered the question i wanted to ask you at the bookshop. are you related to atticus chambers?" he asked, leaning his elbow on the window sill. "i am! he's my great great great grandfather or something. i don't really pay attention to my grandmother when she talks about things like that." the sudden topic change makes her fiddle with her hands once more. "i knew it! i heard my father talking about the candys and chambers at some point. heard your grandmother doesn't like my father very much." draco's words make her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "huh... i wonder why." she mutters quietly before the blonde ultimately changes the subject once more.
julianna realised how talkative draco was. sometimes he would talk about how he gets everything he asks for, or that he's amazing on a broomstick. he seemed a tad bit spoiled and egotistic, but overall, julianna liked him. draco listened to what she had to say about her interests and her views, until it became political.
"hope i don't get sorted into hufflepuff, heard a lot of the muggle-borns were sorted into there." julianna's jaw dropped slightly as she heard his words. "what's wrong with muggle-borns?" she asked, earning a disgusted look from draco. "what do you mean 'what's wrong with muggle-borns'? there's everything wrong with them! they don't belong here, with witches and wizards like us." he speaks so surely of himself that julianna knows this had to have been written into draco's mind by his parents, there was no way he just suddenly thought like this. "okay... but there's muggle-borns in all the houses, so why only hufflepuff." "hm, that house is just filled with boring people. it's just a horrible house." okay, julianna had a high tolerance for arseholes but this was a bit too much for her.
she had thought she'd make a normal friend, not a controversial one with whom she did not agree with on very important and serious topics. "that isn't fair. if you heard this from someone else, how would you know it's the truth if you didn't see it for yourself?" julianna spoke up, "and it isn't really our decision to decide whether someone is fit to be a proper witch or wizard, whether they're muggle-born or not, right?" she calmly tried to reason with him even though on the inside she seethed with anger.
draco rolled his eyes, "hm. didn't take you for a blood traitor, julianna. luckily, i'm willing to look past that because i find you tolerable as a person." julianna couldn't believe her ears! there was no way this was actually happening! "well, even though i really want you to be my friend because you seem like a nice person, i'm not willing to look past your views and i'm leaving." she said, standing up and taking her bag. "fine. be that way." she heard draco's comment as she left the compartment and she huffed, saddened. as quickly as she gained a new friend, she had lost them and made a new enemy. truth be told, she was willing to look past what draco said, thinking it was possible for people to change, but she didn't want her first friend to be someone who was prejudiced against muggle-borns! they literally didn't do anything or even ask to be chosen to become witches and wizards. it was unfair for draco to think that way.
while she was walking down the corridor, she bumped into a person, or actually, two people. "u-uh! sorry!" julianna quickly apologised, "it's fine, love." "no bumps or bruises, no harm done." two similar voices say. julianna looked up and was faced with a pair of red headed twins. "are you alright?" the one on the right asks, "uh, yes!" she turned towards the compartment they were about to go into that had only a boy with dark skin and dreads. ''is this your compartment?" the two nodded, "do you have room for one more?" there was a glimmer of hope in julianna's voice and the twins looked at each other before nodding again. "of course!" "come on in!" the two say back-to-back, she lets out a sigh of relief and thanked them.
walking in, julianna quickly learned the names of the twins and the other boy. fred weasley, george weasley and lee jordan, all third years. "what's your name?" lee asked, "i-i'm julianna candy." julianna cursed herself for stuttering but they barely noticed. "candy?" "that's cute." fred and george commented, "sounds familiar too." lee added, which made the girl think back to her conversation with draco about her ancestry. "yeah, i'm related to this important wizard or something, i don't know." she brushed off the subject which the three found weird but left it alone. the ride from there was then filled with giggles and little stories from all four of them. one of the stories was about how the twins fooled their little brother ron with a spell that could turn his pet rat yellow, it wasn't a real spell obviously. whilst they were talking, a chubby boy with a nervous look on his face came in asking if they'd seen a toad anywhere and explained that he had lost his but they all hadn't.
when they reached hogwarts, the first years were being called to a different route to the castle. "ah, you lot got the easy route." "we have to go by carriages." the redheads groaned in complaint, lee just shook his head. "we'll see you in the great hall." he said, waving goodbye. "have fun with the boats!" "be sure not to rock them too much-" "-or you just might fall out!" julianna rolled her eyes at the teasing and walked towards the rest of the first years. there stood a hairy, large man, who was over 12 feet tall, with a pair of kind eyes. his name was rubeus hagrid, the gamekeeper, keeper of keys and grounds at hogwarts. julianna had seen him in a few photos of her parents when they attended hogwarts. he seemed to know them pretty well. upon reaching the boats, hagrid told everyone to get into groups of four or five.
by the time julianna had wanted to find a boat to share, it had seemed all the boats were filled. she spotted a glimmer of platinum blonde hair but turned away as quickly as she did. "oh, dear. seems we have more new students than last time. never mind that! you can ride with me! i'm sure the boat can handle a bit more weight." hagrid smiled, sensing the dread that filled julianna's stomach when there were no boats left.
riding the boat with hagrid gave her the opportunity to ask him about her parents. "mr. hagrid?" "oh, just hagrid'll be just fine!" he assured, making her feel less tense. "did you know a maurice candy and a ivy purice that went to hogwarts around the early 70s?" at the sound of the two names, hagrid's attention was caught. "why yes, yes i did. why?" julianna grinned, "i'm their daughter, julianna candy." she explained and hagrid's grim expression was turned into a joyful one. "blimey! a candy and i didn't even notice! you look just like your mother too!" hagrid was absolutely elated before his face became sorrow once more, "i'm sorry about your parents, julianna. they were amazing people." "oh, it's alright! i didn't even know them so it's hard to be sad about people i barely spent any time with." she smiled reassuringly, but hagrid knew it was probably just an act. in fact, he was right.
then, she turned around and saw it; the hogwarts castle. all lit up inside as can be seen in the windows and all lit up outside by the numbers of lanterns surrounding it. the castle looked majestic in the night but had a hint of gloom to it. "it's beautiful." julianna whispered to herself, absolutely mesmerised. she looked behind her for a moment and saw draco staring at her before looking away immediately. the confused brunette decided to ignore it and continued looking at hogwarts.
once they got to the school, she was absolutely overwhelmed by the entrance. the design and the atmosphere made her burst with inspiration, giving her the desire to paint. the first years were then told to walk up the staircase until they reached professor mcgonagall. julianna was in the middle of the first year crowd. at some point while walking, the students spotted a woman in a witches hat with long green robes.
"welcome to hogwarts. now, in a few moments, you will pass through these doors and join your classmates but before you can take your seats, you must be sorted into your houses." she started, "they are gryffindor, hufflepuff, ravenclaw and slytherin. now, while you're here, your house will be like your family. your triumphs will earn you points. any rule-breaking and you will lose points. at the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup." "trevor!" professor mcgonagall was interrupted by the same boy from the train that lost his toad. he rushed towards the highest step, grabbing a toad that sat there. mcgonagall gave him a look, "sorry." he muttered, going back to his spot. julianna quietly giggled at the interaction but was happy he had found his pet. "the sorting ceremony will begin momentarily." professor said before leaving and heading towards the gigantic doors before them.
at this, draco seized the opportunity. "it's true then, what they're saying on the train." he spoke and everyone's heads turned towards him. "harry potter has come to hogwarts." his words cause chatter and whisper amongst the first year students. julianna was starting to sweat, wondering what draco's going to do to the boy who lived. she's heard of him, of course, every kid in the wizarding world has, it's brilliant but she had barely any interest in him.
"this is crabbe, and goyle." he introduced the two goons beside him and julianna scowled, confused. 'where did those two come from?' he was literally alone when she came into the compartment and when she came out of the compartment. "and i'm malfoy. draco malfoy." julianna giggled, she was right, he does practise it, but she wasn't the only one who laughed. draco snapped his head at the redhead next to harry, who also snickered. "think my name's funny, do you? i've no need to ask yours. red hair and a hand-me-down robe? you must be a weasley." the blonde sneered demeaningly before averting his gaze to julianna for a second but said nothing, looking back at harry. "you'll soon find out that some wizarding families are better than others, potter. you don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. i can help you there." draco glanced at ron when he talked about the 'wrong sort', putting his hand out for harry to accept it.
harry potter had a hard look on his face before ultimately declining it. "i think i can tell the wrong sort for myself, thanks." he coolly replied, embarrassing draco whose face looked upset. as if just in time, professor mcgonagall returned and tapped on draco's shoulder. he went back to his spot, "we're ready for you now. follow me." mcgonagall informs and they all line up in pairs, unfortunately, julianna was next to draco.
she wanted to say something to him. she felt bad but knew he definitely deserved it, who would be friends with someone with that kind of attitude. only that's the thing, julianna got to know him without that attitude in the way and he wasn't so bad. "well, uh, that was something." she quietly spoke, regretting her choice of words as soon as they came out. draco didn't say anything.
"great hall's looking pretty nice." julianna pressed her lips together awkwardly, looking at the ceiling as they walked to the front of the tables. "good luck with the sorting. hope you don't get hufflepuff." she joked, this time draco did turn to look at her. "don't worry. i'll definitely get slytherin. it's in my blood." the look on his face showed how sure of himself he was, "hah!" she suddenly exclaimed, confusing the boy. "got you to talk to me." julianna grinned playfully, wiggling a finger at his face before he slapped away lightly. "whatever." the blonde crossed his arms before letting out the tiniest smile.
julianna was finally able to say that they weren't enemies, they're frenemies! definitely. hopefully.
everyone stood before the platform where mcgonagall stood, listening to her words. "now, before we begin, professor dumbledore would like to say a few words." she announced as a man with long white hair and a long white beard stood up. at the side, julianna could see hagrid and gave him a tiny wave which he reciprocated. "i have a few start-of-term notices i wish to announce. the first years please note that the dark forest is strictly forbidden to all students. also, our caretaker, mr. filch, has asked me to remind you that the third floor corridor on the right hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a most painful death. thank you." at the end of dumbledore's announcement all the first years looked either grim or terrified, julianna found it quite amusing. "pretty great first words of welcoming if i do say so myself." she quietly joked to draco, who rolled his eyes playfully, or not, nobody can really tell.
mcgonagall picked up a dusty, old-looking wizard's hat. "when i call your name, you will come forth. i shall place the sorting hat on your head and you will be sorted into your houses." she explained before taking a look at the parchment, "hermione granger." the girl who was called out started whispering to herself, feeling rather nervous. julianna, herself, was feeling quite anxious. did they really have to get sorted in front of the whole school? hermione was sorted into gryffindor which she seemed extremely happy about. "julianna candy." the brunette's eyes widened in horror, it was her turn already?
she walked towards the stool, sitting down with a tense look on her face. when the hat was placed, it yelled and the halls echoed. not only that but julianna got so scared she stood straight up. "ah, i do love messing with my fair share of candys. very jumpy lot." the hat comments as the hall erupted with laughter. she sat back down, a little less tense than she was before, thanks to the little prank. she caught a wink that both fred and george sent her, making her even more relaxed.
"now, this is a complicated soul. perfectionist are you, but how much can you really try to be absolutely flawless before it breaks you open, tears you apart? a fast learner, but not willing to learn as much. loyal and patient, i know where you belong. any idiot can see it from a mile away. hufflepuff!" the hat roared and the hufflepuff table roared as well. fred and george can be seen with their hands in their heads, disappointed she didn't get sorted into gryffindor but were happy nonetheless. draco had the most hilarious expression, in utter disbelief in what just happened. julianna found this to be extremely ironic, standing up and making her way to the hufflepuff table. on her way, she stopped at draco. "still can tolerate me, malfoy?" she teased and ran towards the hufflepuff table, sitting beside a fourth year. julianna only watched draco get sorted, which was only a few seconds since the moment the hat grazed his hair it announced 'slytherin' which julianna found weird but brushed it off.
while waiting for the sorting to be done, she talked to the fourth year who she learned to be cedric diggory. he explained all about the classes and which were the best in his opinion. "personally, defence against the dark arts is particularly interesting but who knows, you may love potions, if you don't mind professor snape." he chuckles, "who?" julianna asked and cedric subtly pointed at the man with long, greasy-looking hair, a crooked nose and cold, empty eyes. "oh. he doesn't look too bad." "hah, you say that now but wait till you get in a class with him. he can be particularly strict." "oh, ceddy. nobody can be more strict than my grandmother. trust me." julianna jokes, the two smile at each other. the feast commenced after the sorting was done and afterwards the first years were guided to the dormitories by their respective house prefects. hufflepuff's prefect was gabriel truman.
gabriel led the first years down the grand staircase and into the hogwarts kitchen, which was conveniently underneath the great hall. inside they find a pile of large barrels and stand before it. a bunch of house-elves were working around the kitchen, cleaning up dishes and such. now, each dormitory had a password and this one particularly was extremely unique. "the password never changes. the way to enter the dormitory is to tap the barrel two from the bottom, middle of the second row to the rhythm of 'helga hufflepuff', like so." he explained, tapping on the barrel 'tap-tap, tap-tap-tap'. the barrels opened up a secret passage which led to a beautiful yellow-themed common room, decorated with flowers and all kinds of greenery. there was a yellow sofa near the fireplace and wooden seats with tables all around the common room. since the kitchen was on the ground level of hogwarts, there were only windows high up the walls which were accented by the hanging flower pots and vines. the common room was a botanist's dream, you could say.
"now, girl's dormitory is on the right, boy's on the left. just head up those staircases and go to your respectively assigned rooms, your luggage should already be in there. good night!" gabriel cheerfully says, ushering the boys to their dorms. now, this was what julianna was dreading the most; having barely any friends in the house she was sorted to.
she walked up the staircase and entered the first door on her left. two girls followed closely behind her, one girl with blonde hair and another with auburn hair. julianna had no idea who they were since she wasn't paying attention to the sorting, but luckily, they decided to introduce themselves. "hi! i'm hannah abbott! nice to meet you." the blonde girl greeted julianna who grinned at her, "julianna candy! and you?" she turned towards the auburn-haired girl, "susan bones." susan softly smiled and the other two smiled back. the three of them talked for a bit whilst unpacking until julianna heard a meow. they all went silent. "...d'you have a cat?" hannah asked julianna who only nodded, "oh no." she muttered, dashing towards the opposite side of her bed and saw her pet carrier that she didn't see because it was somehow pushed underneath her bed.
"pudding!" she exclaimed, taking her out of the carrier. pudding was a bright brown kitten with bright blue-grey eyes and scruffy-looking fur. "i'm so sorry! i entirely forgot about you!" julianna apologised and hugged the kitten close to her chest as she could feel the kitten shaking. "she's adorable!" "her fur is so pretty!" the two other hufflepuffs compliment, coming closer towards them. the kitten mewed, snuggling her face onto julianna's shoulder. "thank you! she's about four weeks old!" the three gushed over the kitten before they decided it was a good time to go to bed. they all got ready to go to sleep and julianna had to place pudding on her bed. worried she might trip and fall flat on her face, julianna set up a tiny little area for her in the corner of the room next to her bed so she could roam around in the area along with eat, sleep and poop. three most vital things to do in life.
once she finished, she changed into her nightgown and laid down. saying she was excited would be an understatement, she was over the moon. hoping that tomorrow would be great and the rest of the year too.
❥ melt your heart | chapter two
pairing: draco malfoy x oc genre: best friends to lovers! slow burn! warnings: draco being a bully(what's new?) word count: 4.8k masterlist: melt your heart last chapter: chapter one next chapter: chapter three
JULIANNA WOKE UP much earlier than she expected to, which was no need since hufflepuff had a pretty laid back first day, for the first years at least. it was six o'clock in the morning, so she decided to quietly get out of bed and check on pudding. looking into the tiny pet area the girl had created, the brown kitten was sleeping safely on her own baby pink bed. julianna smiled before heading towards her bed again, pulling out a yellow leather vintage suitcase covered in butterfly stickers. she flipped a switch at the handle and opened it up.
lo and behold, an easel sprung out of it resulting in her shoulder being hit ever so slightly. she quietly yelps in pain, rubbing her side, bending down to grab the easel and set it up nicely next to her bedside table. grabbing a hair tie to put her hair up into a bun deemed impossible when suddenly she tripped over a stray paintbrush and knocked her head on the bedpost.
"jules?" a groggy voice spoke, turning on their lamp. "i'm alright!" she exclaimed, standing straight back up out of embarrassment. "what are you doing up so early?" susan asked as she sat up to get a better look on what the brunette was up to. "i mean, it's six and the sun's just coming up." she yawned out while rubbing her eyes, julianna only smiled sheepishly. "i woke up earlier than i expected." at julianna's words, susan finally saw her tiny little set up. "a paint stand? do you paint?" she asked, intrigued. the other girl shyly nodded. "have since i was only four! it's probably the only thing i find pleasing to do." she explained, "oh, and it's called an easel." she added, the redhead's mouth turned into an 'o' shape. shortly afterwards, susan decided to head back to bed for a few more minutes leaving julianna to organise her equipment and materials.
her suitcase was no ordinary one, it had an extension charm on it(thanks to her grandmother) which allowed her to store absolutely every type of artistic material inside said suitcase. she got the idea after learning about newt scamander, a well-known magizoologist and hufflepuff, who also had a case such as this.
when she was done, it was already 15 minutes after seven so she decided to wake the other two up and get ready for the day. "blimey, we've got potions with slytherin and gryffindor! it's only the first day." hannah complained as she looked through her schedule on their walk to the great hall, which wasn't that far since it was right above the common room. "i'm kind of excited! heard professor snape was really strict though, but i'm not worried." "who cares that he's strict?! he's terrifying just by appearance already!" the two girls discussed while susan just listened, deciding it wasn't necessary to say much in this conversation. the great hall was packed with students by the time they arrived, which was only 7.30am, and she could spot draco at his slytherin table talking with his friends. she saw everyone was either sitting at their own house's table or sitting with their friends from other houses. it made her want to sit with him.
"hey, you comin' or what?" hannah asked when she realised julianna was standing still, daydreaming. "oh! uh, yeah." she stammered, following her to the tables on the third row from the left, one row away from slytherin. just as she had turned away from draco, the blonde had turned his head and spotted her. his blue-grey eyes followed her figure till she sat down at the hufflepuff table, he held back a sigh. truth be told, draco really didn't mind she was in hufflepuff, or that she didn't care about blood status, because he'd already gotten to know her and he liked who she was. however, his pride will not allow him to go over there and talk to her, not while his 'friends' were there, not while everyone can see.
julianna grabbed a couple of toast and placed a scoop of baked beans onto them, chomping them entirely as soon as they touched her lips. "you'll get a stomach ache eating that fast." julianna gets startled by the sudden voice, turning around quickly. she's faced with a huge smile complimented by rosy cheeks, "cedric! morning!" the brunette mumbled incoherently, her mouth still full. cedric only chuckles, "morning, jules." he sat next to her and one of his other fourth year friends who happened to be next to julianna. "excited for your first day, first years?" the charming boy asked all the first years around him collectively. a few of them shrug, a few of them nod and julianna was the latter. "we've got a free period first so technically, our first class is potions with gryffindor and slytherin." cedric grimaces, "good luck with snape. you'll need it." "i doubt that! you're gonna see me ace his class and be one of his favourites. one of my specialties is pleasing strict mentors." julianna assures with a satisfied smile on her face, wiping her mouth with a napkin. everyone continued to talk about tiny things like their families, their interests.
"hey, candy! good luck with your first day!" "should be alright considering it's only the first day!" the weasley twins came out of absolutely nowhere, appearing beside julianna's face. "fred! george!" she turned around, "thanks! i'm sure it'll be fine!" her reply makes the twins grin harder, they lean closer to her. "if you ever need help in escaping a class or two," "we're always here to help." they whispered before skipping off to their table, julianna only shakes her head.
after waiting another hour, it was finally time for potions. julianna had lost susan and hannah due to the fact the two of them had decided to go to the library after breakfast to which julianna replied with a 'ew, hard pass.' and so she just stayed in the great hall, sketching anything she can see before her. she recalled the conversation she had while she was there. "free period, ms. candy?" a dreamy, amused voice had asked, tearing julianna's focus away from her sketching. she turned around and saw professor dumbledore. "ah! yes, professor!" she replied hurriedly, dumbledore only hummed before peering over her head and observed her drawing. "lovely rendition of the great hall. i, too, have tried doodling realistically." "oh? and how did that go, professor?" her question makes dumbledore pause for a moment, "ghastly." julianna had to hold back a laugh at his response, "well, i'll leave you to it." he smiles and glides away, 'interesting encounter.' she thought as she remembered it. she was so distracted by it that she didn't realise she was about to bump into someone.
"oh! sorry!" she immediately apologised, "i-it's fine." she looked and saw the boy with the toad from before, "heading to potions?" julianna asked him and he shyly nodded, she nodded along with him. julianna wanted to make conversation but she was suddenly feeling shy as well. "u-uh, what's your name? mine's julianna candy." "n-neville longbottom." longbottom, it sounds familiar. from what she knew about the longbottoms, she didn't want to make neville uncomfortable by bringing it up so she left it in the back of her mind.
the two conversed awkwardly as they walked to the dungeons. once they reached the potions class, julianna realised there were no seats available next to anyone she knew. the only seat left was one next to harry potter. she quietly sat next to him, not really wanting to hold up another conversation. she looked in front of her and saw platinum blonde hair. julianna stared at him till the door swung open and all the chatter amidst had halted. "there will be no foolish wand-waving or silly incantations in this class." professor snape immediately spoke as soon as he entered, strutting to the front of the class. "as such, i don't expect many of you to appreciate the subtle science and exact art that is potion-making. however, for those select few," his empty eyes glance at draco, "who possess the predisposition. i can teach you how to bewitch the mind and ensnare the senses. i can tell you how to bottle fame, brew glory and even put a stopper in death." draco hung onto his every word, julianna looked bored.
snape caught harry not paying attention (even though he was actually writing down every word he was saying), "then again, maybe some of you have come to hogwarts in possession of abilities so formidable that you feel confident enough to not pay attention." snape uttered the last few words loudly, staring holes into harry's head but he still seemed to not have noticed. julianna panicked and nudged harry's elbow gently, who looked at her before looking at snape while lowering his quill slowly.
"mr. potter. our new celebrity." the professor walked closer towards them and julianna was internally cursing at her choice to sit next to the harry potter. the floor would've been a better choice! "tell me, what would i get if i added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?" snape asked and a bushy haired girl sitting on the other side of julianna shot her hand up instantly. harry only shook his head, not knowing the answer. "you don't know? well, let's try again. where, mr potter, would you look if i asked you to find me a bezoar?" again the girl from beside julianna raised her hand faster than she could blink.
julianna was confused. sure, harry's the boy who lived but he's parents had passed, right? he's been living with muggles definitely, how would he know any of this? julianna felt the need to save him from this but it was hard, she didn't want to lose points for hufflepuff in doing so. "i don't know, sir." "and what is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?" okay, now this was just sad. "pity. clearly, fame isn't everything. is it, mr. potter?" "professor, since harry doesn't quite know much about magical herbs and fungi, maybe you could ask someone else that knows?" julianna spoke up, "like her?" she pointed at the girl who was now standing up with her hand reaching towards the ceiling. snape looked at julianna with an unreadable expression before walking around the first table and grabbing a seat directly in front of them. "put your hand down, you silly girl." he told her then averted his gaze back to the gryffindor and hufflepuff.
"if you want me to ask another student then fine. why don't you tell me what is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?" snape asked julianna, thankfully, herbs and greens were her specialty, so she didn't need to read a book to know this. "there is none. they're the same plant and they also go by another name, aconite." she confidently answers, praying the information didn't somehow change while she said it. draco stared at her in astonishment and confusion, remembering that she doesn't like reading so how'd she know?
the long-haired professor stared at her for a while, "hm, and what about the asphodel and wormwood? the bezoar?" now, she was screwed. "i don't know much about those, sir." she quietly muttered, her cheeks turning pink out of embarrassment. snape only scoffed, "for your information, potter," he turned back towards harry, "asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion so powerful it is known as the draught of the living dead. a bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat and it will save you from most poisons. as for monkshood and wolfsbane, as ms. candy has explained, they are the same plant." julianna cringed in her seat, this was a bad first class. "well, why aren't you all copying this down?" he asked loudly and soon the sound of books being opened and quills being dipped in ink filled the room. snape went back to his desk but not without a last word, "and gryffindors, note that a point will be taken for your classmate's cheek." harry looked guilty, "and hufflepuffs, a point will be awarded for ms. candy's coincidental knowledge of herbs." now, julianna was looking extra guilty. she didn't mean to do that, she felt horrible. she glanced over at harry who was still staring angrily at snape. she opened up her notebook and chose to stay silent for the rest of the class.
everyone was then put into pairs and to julianna's dismay, she was partnered up with draco. she didn't miss how he was snickering when snape was picking on harry and she didn't like that. "julianna." draco greeted, "talking to me again, are you?" julianna jokes, nudging him in the shoulder. "are you really taking sides with potter now?" his sudden words made the girl extremely baffled, "sides? there are sides?" she asked incredulously, her eyes widening. draco furrowed his eyebrows. "yes." he simply replies, "well, then i'm on my side! are you telling me i can't be friends with you if i become friends with harry?" it didn't show, but julianna was rather angry. "well, no- but, yes!" draco's argument was confusing the hufflepuff and her head was already buzzing from the lesson at hand. "look, draco, i'm not going to not make friends with other people you don't like just for the sake of not liking them. i like having you as my friend and i hope we can continue to be friends regardless if i do become harry's friend." the frown on the boy's face stayed there but he uttered a tiny 'fine' which made julianna extremely happy. character development! sort of.
besides that argument, the pair made an excellent team. draco read the instructions, not before mentioning, "since you don't like reading so much, i'll read the instructions for you." with his signature malfoy smirk, earning him a light punch, while julianna added the ingredients and stirred. as she stirred however, snape had turned his attention to them. "mr. malfoy, you would do well to assist ms. candy on her stirring. any faster and this could-" snape was interrupted by a puff of green smoke and a shriek. the three looked behind and saw that the contents in neville and his partner's cauldron had burned the cauldron itself and was now on the floor, melting people's shoes. "idiot boy! i suppose you added the porcupine quills before taking the cauldron off the fire?" snape was definitely livid at that. draco sniggered and was about to say something bad about neville before he realised who he was talking to and held back his words. julianna turned to him, "you're not going to say something mean about what just happened?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. draco blinked and shook his head. "i'll keep my thoughts to myself." this made julianna smile.
"also, how'd you know monkshood and wolfsbane were the same?" draco asked, "oh, my grandmother has a garden and i tend to it. i know everything there is to know about plants and flowers. at least, i think. there's probably a lot more i don't know about them, like for instance..." and this went on and on whilst they worked on their potion, which made the slytherin regret his question partly. on the other hand, he enjoyed listening to her going on and on about her plant children back home.
when potions ended, she caught up to harry to apologise. "apologise? whatever for?" harry asked, confused. "i didn't mean to lose gryffindor points. i just wanted to help you." julianna pants out due to the fact she had to run to catch up with harry since she stayed back to ask snape a question or two about asphodel.
"hey, it's not your fault..." harry paused when he realised he didn't know her first name, "julianna! julianna candy!" she smiled, he smiled back. "it's not your fault, julianna. it was all mine for those points." "more like just snape being biased towards gryffindor, again!" the redhead beside harry spoke up, julianna recognised him. "are you ron? fred and george's little brother?" she asked, he nodded. "ron weasley. nice to meet you." he held his hand up for her to shake and she does. "you too." "i'm hermione granger." the bushy haired girl from before came out of nowhere, startling julianna. "nice to meet you too, hermione." ron looked annoyed at the sudden sight of hermione, julianna was not going to ask why.
the four made their way towards the great hall since they had a free period and it was near mail time. "hey, candy!" julianna turned around and was surprised to see draco. "draco?" the trio looked at her and then him, utterly at a loss for words. "draco? you're friends with him?" ron whispered, disgusted. julianna didn't appreciate the judgement.
"forgot your notebook." he told her, handing her said notebook. "oh! thanks, dray." the nickname caught everyone, and i mean, everyone, off guard. draco's face was a light shade of pink before he stormed off towards the great hall, almost running. julianna just hummed to herself, not realising how weirded out everyone still was. "let's go, guys." she says, walking about her business with the trio trailing after her.
julianna entered the great hall and bid the three goodbye, dashing towards the first hufflepuff she recognised. "ceddy, my favourite fourth year!" she exclaims, sitting on his left side. cedric smiled, "i'm the only fourth year i've seen you talk to." "yeah, i don't really like talking to people actually." julianna whispered jokingly, placing her sling bag next to her on the bench. julianna left cedric alone so he could focus on his work and decided to disturb the gryffindor table.
"'ello, gryffindors! how're we doing on this fine morning?" "it's 12 in the afternoon, julianna." "codswallop! it's still morning in my books." hermione rolls her eyes at julianna's response. "mind if i sit here, neville?" she asked the nervous boy and shook his head shyly.
the sound of a boy chanting a spell was so loud, harry just had to ask. "what's seamus trying to do to that glass of water?" ron glanced at who julianna assumed was seamus, who was neville's potions partner from before, and ron explained that he was trying to turn the water into rum. "actually managed a weak tea this morning, before-" ron was cut off by an explosion coming from seamus, the whole hall erupting in laughter. "oh, dear." julianna mutters, fanning away the smoke. suddenly, a squawk was heard. "ah, mail's here!" she heard ron announce and looked up before looking back down with a bored look on her face.
everyone had gotten either packages, letters or even both from their parents or guardians, while harry and julianna hadn't gotten anything. harry asked ron if he could borrow the newspaper that came with his mail and ron nodded. neville opened up a package from his grandmother, receiving a glass ball. "oh? a remembrall, nev?" julianna asked, her head leaning on her hand which was placed on the table. "i've read about those. when the smoke turns red, it means you've forgotten something." just as hermione explained, the remembrall glowed a bright scarlet. "the only problem is, i can't remember what i've forgotten!" neville says with a small frown, julianna pants him on the back. "s'okay neville! i'm sure it'll come to you some time." she reassures and he nods, putting the remembrall in his pocket.
he then looked at julianna, "did you not get any letters or packages from your nan, julianna?" he asked carefully, not wanting to indirectly insult her. julianna realised he knew, "nope. not surprised. she probably doesn't care enough to send even a tiny little note." she nonchalantly replied, taking out a sketchbook and starting to doodle. neville felt a tad bit guilty. "i'm sorry for-" "don't apologise, it was just a question. in fact, since you asked me one, may i ask you one?" the boy nodded, julianna breathes in. "are your parents... frank and alice longbottom?" she asked slowly, neville pursed his lips before shaking his head. "they are. your parents are maurice and ivy candy?" julianna gives him a melancholic smile, "fun to know we have something in common, eh, longbottom?" she joked and he cracked a smile, easy to say that this made them bond a little easier.
"reese, come look! she's awake!" a woman with dirty blonde hair calls for her husband, "yes, yes, i'm on my way!" her husband shouts back at her, coming out of the kitchen, going up the stairs while wiping his hands with a cloth. the couple looked at their infant with only love in their hearts. "she looks just like you! how unfair." the man complained, "now, now, she has your eyes, maurice." maurice nods, "hm, you're not wrong, ivy." he agrees with his wife, pulling her closer by the waist and placing a kiss on her temple. they leaned closer towards their baby. "hello, juli." ivy gushed, "you're doing it again." "what are you talking about?" "the baby voice?" "i am not!" the couple bantering makes baby julianna guffaw and giggle, "awh, she likes it when we fight." "don't be ridiculous, reese!" they continued to bicker until a loud crack and boom interrupted them, "oh? didn't realise it was raining." ivy said, about to look out the window but was stopped by maurice. "it isn't." he says lowly, pulling her back closer to him. "stay here with julianna. i'll check out what's happening." he tells her, clenching her hand in his before going out of the nursery room.
ivy nibbles her bottom lip nervously and turns back towards her child. "i'm sure daddy will be just fine. he'll be just fine." she reassured julianna, but it was more for reassuring herself. the house was so quiet, it scared ivy. suddenly, the sound of a man shouting and spurs of magic rang throughout the chilly home and ivy reached for her wand. placing a protective spell around julianna, ivy went out the nursery door and placed a spell on the entire room as well.
"maurice?!" she shouted for him, but no answer. when she reached the staircase, she saw the door had been opened. ivy raced down the staircase and out the door, looking around frantically. "maurice?!" she called out once more, only for her to get hit by a spell, putting her in a deep sleep.
the house was empty, cold, there was nothing there. nobody was there. only julianna.
julianna shoots up from her bed. panting with sweat dripping down the side of her forehead. "another dream? about dead people? merlin, it's always about dead people." julianna whispered to herself, rubbing her face with her palms. she often had dreams of her parents. she hated it.
she checked the time and it was about 4am. rolling out of bed, she heads towards her easel and grabs a canvas. it helped to paint it out, the dream. painting out the tiny details of the house, the tiny details of her nursery room. her grandmother had only ever told her about how they died and who killed them but rarely ever explained what they were like as people. julianna didn't know what her parents were like, how they acted, what their favourite colour was, she had no one else to ask. no one but hagrid. hm, hagrid. she could talk to him about it. she didn't want to disturb him though, so she erased the idea from her mind.
a few hours later, it was time for flying class. julianna was beyond psyched up for this one. no reading, no writing required, just pure broomstick action.
"don't fall on your face, candy." draco taunted, mostly jokingly. "in your dreams." actually, there was this one time in julianna's dreams where she fell off a broomstick but she was sure it was just a dream and not the future. all four houses lined up in two rows facing each other. julianna was next to harry and hermione and was on the opposite of draco, who was smirking at her constantly like an evil little git.
madam hooch was making her way to them. "good afternoon, class." "good afternoon, madam hooch." julianna was tempted to scratch her nose but she controlled herself. "welcome to your first flying lesson. well, what are you waiting for? everyone step up to the left side of their broomstick. come on now, hurry up." madam hooch instructed and everyone did as told, "stick your right hand over the broom and say, 'up'." and soon, there were students shouting 'up' and brooms flying to their hands. harry, draco and julianna were the first of few to get it immediately. in fact, julianna's broom went up so fast, it slapped her in the palm. "ow!" she exclaimed, alerting harry. "are you alright?" he whispered and julianna nodded, smiling. draco's smirk left his face while watching the interaction.
once everyone had gotten their brooms up after madam hooch told them to do it with "more feeling" (ron's broom entirely smacked him in the face, causing others around him to snicker), it was time to mount them and take off. "when i blow my whistle, i want each of you to kick off from the ground, hard." at the sound of the whistle, neville's broom suddenly had floated up on its own. "neville?!" a few student murmured and shouted at him, even madam hooch was concerned. it was like his broom had gone rogue, taking him up and down, left and right, all around the yard. the poor boy then got stuck on one of the statues before falling to the ground, ending up injuring his wrist.
julianna was worried but madam hooch had told them to stay put on the ground while she took neville to the hospital wing, so it was unlikely she could follow. draco rushed to neville's original spot and grabbed his remembrall that had fallen out during the incident. "d'you see his face? maybe if the fat lump had given this a squeeze, he'd have remembered to fall on his fat arse." "draco!" draco's words have julianna scolding him, giving him a dirty look. "what? am i wrong?" he asked her, harry had enough. "give it here, malfoy." his words make draco turn around with a scowl on his face, "no. i think i'll leave it somewhere for longbottom to find." draco stepped on his broom and floated away dramatically before mounting his broomstick properly, "how about on the roof?" he suggested, flying up high.
oh, now he's done it. julianna was pissed. you can't be prejudiced against houses and blood status, and be fatphobic! that's just too much. "come down, right now, draco!" she shouted at him, a more-than-angry look on her face. draco contemplated it but after seeing how upset harry looked, julianna's words completely left his mind. "what's the matter, potter? bit beyond your reach?" he asked with a mean grin plastered on his face, harry then started mounting his broom. "harry, no way! you heard what madam hooch said. besides, you don't even know how to fly!" and harry flew anyway despite hermione's reminders, "what an idiot." she muttered, julianna sighed.
the two boys flew around each other for a bit before draco decided to throw the remembrall far away, leaving harry to zoom after it on his broom. when draco flew back down he was met with a harsh look from julianna, who only 'hmph'-ed and turned around to watch and see if harry would be able to catch neville's belonging.
of course, he did. it's harry bloody potter we're talking about. "well done, harry!" julianna congratulates, running up to him. harry blushed at all the praise he was receiving from everyone. "harry potter!" professor mcgonagall spawned out of nowhere, calling out to harry. "follow me." she told him and draco was back to being content. "uh oh." julianna muttered, harry turned around and handed the remembrall to her. "give this back to neville, could you?" he asked and she smiled, "of course." and harry went off to follow professor mcgonagall.
"merlin's beard! that was bloody fantastic! lucky he didn't heed your warnings, eh, hermione?" hermione rolled her eyes at julianna's words, "well, it could've gone worse if harry wasn't a natural! he could've been injured and neville's remembrall would have broke!" the bushy-haired gryffindor reasoned, "yes, yes, but that didn't happen!" the hufflepuff exclaimed, clenching the remembrall in her fist. "which reminds me, need to go hand this to neville. i'll see you!" she bids the two gryffindors goodbye and skipped all the way to the hospital wing, humming to herself happily.
it's great and all, what harry can do, but she couldn't stop thinking about draco. if only he weren't such an insufferable bully, she wouldn't have so many contemplations.
"she's a sweet girl. so kind, so compassionate. such a shame that she never received the same from her guardian."
[portrayed by adelaide kane]
i'm almost on chapter forty for my draco fic on wattpad, it is absolutely WILD that i've gotten this far into writing it ngl