(slow updates) Dandelions || Drarry •

- 9 -

Harry's POV

I froze. Draco Malfoy. I kind of admired him. He had the guts to be bold. He was honestly perfect in every single way. Except for the fact that he was a death eater and had a part in several of my friends and family members' deaths. We haven't spoken since the battle. After the battle, he talked to me. He really felt bad. But there was a curse put on him, he explained. If he didn't do what Voldemort and the other death eaters said, he would suffer a fate worse than death. For me, I would have died before I killed but for Draco, He couldn't just leave his parents, even if he did hate him.

"Harry are you okay? You've been staring at me for the past few minutes." Neville snapped me out of my thoughts. I had to do a double-take twice already. Ever since I've been having feelings for guys, all of my friends' vibes just hit differently. Neville's kinda hot now.

"Yeah, I'm good. I just wonder what it'll be like this year with him and everyone else back in school. It's kind of weird to think that just a year ago everything happened." I looked at Neville sadly.

"It'll be okay Harry, besides, this year, no distractions whatsoever," Neville replied. I looked away from him. Obviously, there were distractions. I got a bloody mystery note from someone telling me I had a soulmate.

"Yeah, Nev, about that," I looked at him as I rubbed the back of my neck.

"Oh bloody Merlin, Harry, what did you do?" Neville looked at me warily. I took out the box with the dandelions and the note.

"Apparently I have a soulmate and honestly I don't know what to do. I got this package this morning and I sort of panicked." I handed Neville the note. He looked at it over and read it, inspecting every word.

"What does it mean?" He looked up. "Surely there was something other than a riddle."

"Yeah, a glass box with dandelions." I gave him the box gingerly. "Apparently, they'll help me or something. Whatever it is, I think it has to do with going back to Hogwarts."

"Be careful Harry. The last thing you need is another distraction from school. This could be some sick prank or something." He handed me back the box and note.

"Ever since the war was over, I lost my best friends and girlfriend. My family is gone. My friends are dead too. And it's all my fault. At least I have nothing to lose and this could be something good in my life." I turned to look out the window. "And the worst part is, I can't even tell anyone how I'm really feeling. I haven't had a lot of contact with the outside world."

"Harry, please, you're not the only one. The only person I've talked to is Luna and her father. I helped her rebuild her house over the summer. She's really nice." I turned and Neville gave me a smile. "And Harry, whatever is going on, I'm always here to talk. I tend not to judge people. We've all gone through the same thing."

"If I tell you, please, Neville, please don't tell anyone." I stared intensely at him.

"I promise."

"Well, it's not really a term used in the wizarding world. I'm bisexual. It means I like guys and girls. It's also one of the reasons Ginny broke up with me." I looked down, clearly ashamed.

"That's cool. I don't really care who you like Harry. As long as you're happy and no one hurts you. You're like a brother to me. We fought a bloody war together. And who cares what Ginny says, you're amazing Harry." Neville smiles at me and I can't help but smile back, his happiness is contagious.

"Thanks, Nev, you're not so bad yourself." We both chuckle lightly. "Oh look, there it is." We both turn our heads. Outside the window, about a mile away is my home away from home. Hogwarts.