A typical day for Draco revolved around four things: attending classes, playing Quidditch, trading insults with his cronies Crabbe and Goyle, and figuring out how to woo Harry Potter.

  In his early years at Hogwarts, if you asked Draco who the person he disliked most on this earth was, the answer would undoubtedly be Potter. Ever since the boy arrived, Draco felt like he'd become a second-rate character, a mere backdrop to the glory of that scar-headed Gryffindor brat.

  However, as puberty hit, Draco's thoughts began to shift.

  Observing Harry Potter, he realized the boy was a paradox. His perpetually messy black hair stubbornly refused to lie flat, yet when the Great Hall's firelight caught it, it shimmered ridiculously, as soft as a lazy cat's fur. His pale green eyes were large, round, and luminous, appearing delicate and gentle at first glance, likely inherited from a woman, but whenever Draco tried to provoke Potter and his two friends, they would sharpen like knives. He was slender but not weak – like a willow bending in a storm but not breaking, smiling sweetly but ready to punch Draco's nose if necessary. Potter was both a lamb and a dragon preparing to breathe fire.

  It sounded absurd, but the more he observed, the more captivated he became.

  Draco spent more time staring at Harry Potter since their fifth year. Perhaps he wouldn't have realized his crush on the scar-head until the boy started going out with that little Cho Chang girl. It was the first time in his life Draco wanted to hit a girl.

  It wasn't easy for him to accept the truth that he liked the scar-head, but who wouldn't throw a fit like they had rabies if they saw the person they hated going on dates with a girl in Hogsmeade?

  That was also when "scar-head" and "Potter" in Draco's mouth transformed into "Harry," and he began to seriously consider how to conquer his crush.

  Draco was always confident in himself: rich, not terrible at academics, good at Quidditch, and most importantly, undeniably handsome (or at least according to his personal assessment and Pansy's compliments). His only drawback was his lack of experience in pursuing anyone; Harry was the first person he had feelings for, and ironically, they had hated each other like cats and dogs for years.

  Draco believed that if he hadn't made the mistake of picking a fight and becoming rivals with Harry right from their first year, he wouldn't be so hated. Now that the Dark Lord had returned, Draco couldn't just apologize and make amends without being seen as a traitor. Though not yet a Death Eater and still considering how to avoid joining, he needed to think about his parents' safety under the Dark Lord's rule. However, Draco no longer called Granger a Mudblood or Weasley a poor wretch, even if deep down he still believed they were barbaric lowlifes. Just wait until he charmed Harry; he'd brainwash him into kicking those two pathetic losers to the curb.

  However, the relationship between Draco and Harry had always been disastrous, and now it had sunk to rock bottom after the infiltration of the Department of Mysteries, where Lucius led the group of Death Eaters attacking Harry and his friends. His father's imprisonment in Azkaban also truly shocked and devastated Draco. For the first time in his fifteen years of life, a major catastrophe had shattered his perfect world. Draco had written to his mother, subtly asking if there was any way to bribe their way out of this. Fudge likely wouldn't remain Minister for much longer after the scandal of covering up information all year; wait until a new hand took over, the Malfoys would bring trunks of gold to his doorstep – what couldn't be bought with a lot of money in this world?

  After watching the owl disappear against the blue sky, Draco reassured himself to feel a little lighter. How could there be any problem? His parents had escaped imprisonment in 1981; it would be the same this time. They couldn't keep his father locked up for long; anyone who saw gold would be blinded by it, politicians were all the same.

  Draco sighed, feeling a bit less worried, and left the Slytherin common room for the Hogwarts grounds, hoping to find some peace in the tranquil atmosphere.

  And he saw him, leaning against a stone pillar, Harry standing and talking to that goofy girl with the enormous, ugly Ravenclaw glasses.

  "My mother died right in front of me, a long time ago, so I know you're not crazy for seeing Thestrals."

  Through her enormous, outlandish spectacles, Luna's eyes were dreamy, as if recalling a distant memory. She was carrying a rag doll that looked like it was from thirty years ago, and you didn't need to be an expert on girls' toys for Harry to notice how ugly it was. However, that wasn't what he was paying attention to right now.

  "Right in front of you?" Harry said softly, stunned.

  "I was very little then, I didn't understand what death was, it was a potions experiment accident," Luna said simply. "I was very sad at first, but growing up, I knew I'd see her again."

  "What do you mean?"

  Luna smiled brightly, and it was the first time Harry realized how lovely her smile was, lighting up her whole face.

  "The essence of a person is their soul, the body is just a shell. When we die, we're reborn in another form, living a new life, with new parents, as a deer, a butterfly, or another person. It's the same for everyone, life springs from death, and the important thing is that people who love each other will be led by fate to meet again in another life. Death is just a temporary parting, never permanent."

  Seeing Harry's bewildered expression, Luna said gently, "The root of suffering in separation by death is that people believe they've lost their loved ones forever. No, it's not true. Many years ago, when my dad and I traveled to France, we heard a meditation master teach and enlighten our minds. When I understood that life always continues after death, my sadness lessened a lot. Do you understand? The tree won't grieve when the cloud that befriended it is gone, because it knows the cloud will become rain and fall on its leaves. When the rain is gone, there's the stream constantly flowing near its roots. Death is just a rest stop, never the end of the journey, and those who love each other will always meet again. The tree won't suffer knowing the cloud will always return to it."

  Harry stared intently at Luna. He had never thought that the seemingly goofy Ravenclaw girl had such a profound understanding of the world. This wasn't the first time Harry had heard about this; four years ago, he had once picked up a similar book in Dudley's toy storage room, but he was too young to understand it then.

  Of course, Luna didn't offer any evidence to support her point, but Harry didn't need any. He believed Luna, knowing that these weren't the usual nonsensical ramblings about Nargles, and he felt the heavy stone in his heart lift.

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  "I'll see him again," Harry murmured.

  "You'll see him again," Luna repeated gently. "Definitely."

  Harry instinctively took the blonde girl's hand, feeling more affection for Luna than ever before.

  "Thank you so much," Harry said, the first smile since Sirius's death gracing his lips.

  "Found yourself a new girlfriend, ditching the little Asian one, eh, Harry?" a drawling voice echoed from behind Luna.

  They both turned. Draco, his platinum blonde hair meticulously styled, wearing a robe made from thousand-galleon Acromantula silk, was walking out of the castle. He didn't look very happy, to say the least, more like he wanted to punch Luna a few times.

  "What's wrong, Malfoy?" Harry said disdainfully. "Your dad's in Azkaban; I'm a little disappointed you didn't follow suit."

  Draco didn't seem offended. For the past six months, this idiot had suddenly changed his ways, speaking more politely, stopping his insults towards Ron and Hermione, and consistently calling him by his first name. His only remaining habit was his constant needling, showing up wherever Harry was loitering, sticking to him like a stubborn piece of chewing gum. Before coming to Hogwarts, Harry thought there was no one more loathsome than Dudley, but after encountering Malfoy, he realized there were mountains higher than mountains. And of course, this boy's unexpected obedience over the past six months couldn't change his opinion of the spoiled brat; on the contrary, Harry hated him even more for his leech-like persistence.

  Draco's grey eyes glanced from Harry to Luna, then down to their hands, which had just taken hold of each other. A wave of jealousy surged in his already troubled stomach. He growled, "Couldn't you find someone better than Loony Lovegood, Harry?"

  Pulling Luna behind him, Harry drew his wand, coldly looking at Draco and saying, "Luna is my friend, and if you open your mouth to insult her one more time, I promise you'll regret ever being born."

  His voice was sharp, startling even the dreamy blonde girl. Only Ginny had ever stood up for Luna against everyone's teasing. She wasn't afraid, letting the idiots laugh, but she was always incredibly grateful if someone defended her.

  Draco's grey eyes narrowed, his hands curling into fists. He didn't hate Harry for those words; how could he hate him? After so much verbal abuse, it was as soothing as a lullaby. All the blame lay with Loony Lovegood. If his father were still free, Draco would have told him to buy out The Quibbler so her and her father would starve.

  "Listen, Harry," Draco said smoothly, "I don't want any trouble with you, alright? I just want to talk privately."

  "I have nothing to say to you," Harry replied flatly. "Get lost, or your mother will be collecting your remains from the hospital wing right now."

  The wand tip glowed with a threatening red light. The teenager's green eyes were cold and sharp as knives. Draco involuntarily swallowed.

  "Alright, if you don't want to, then another time."

  As he left, he glanced back at Luna, hatred radiating from his grey eyes.

  Harry lowered his wand, muttering, "Without his father, he's nothing in this society."

  "Thank you," Luna said.

  "It's nothing," Harry replied, his harshness vanishing instantly, replaced by a gentle smile. "You fought alongside me at the Department of Mysteries. I'll never forget that."

  As he crossed the castle grounds to visit Hagrid's hut, Harry looked up at the vast blue sky. A bird soared in circles. He could still faintly smell the sweet scent of jasmine from Luna's blonde hair. He felt that life, after all, could still be so lovely.

  In the following days, Harry often sought out Luna for conversation. Except for the times she rambled about Nargles or Blibbering Humdingers, which made him think she could be the champion of the "Most Nonsensical Person in the World" competition, Luna was quite lovely. She was intelligent, a completely different kind of intelligence from Hermione's bookishness; it was a way of thinking that went beyond conventional frameworks. Her dreamy soul and high creativity allowed Luna to see things from multiple perspectives and possessed a great optimism. It was hard to feel sorrowful around someone like that.

  Conversely, this was a rare time for Luna to have friends, and especially a boy. Due to her somewhat eccentric personality, she only really got along with Ginny. After joining Dumbledore's Army, people viewed Luna more positively, but she still hadn't truly become close to anyone besides the red-haired Gryffindor girl. Harry was the second person who genuinely wanted to befriend her, and she always felt great when hanging out with a guy like him. He was resourceful, clever, saw many aspects of life, perhaps due to having experienced too much too quickly for his fifteen years, and was also someone with many groundbreaking thoughts that didn't follow the beaten path. The more Luna talked with him, the more she cherished this person.

  "One day, you'll have to kill him," Harry said slowly. "It's fate, it will definitely come. It's unavoidable."

  "Do you think you can defeat him?"

  "I don't know," Harry shook his head. "There's no plan yet, but as long as there's a way, I'll go to the end to defeat him."

  "You know what?" Luna observed his face carefully. "I think you're a very interesting person."

  "How so?"

  "You have a blend of strength and gentleness," she commented. "Maybe that's why so many people like you."

  Harry blushed, turning away and muttering, "No one does..."

  The final weeks of the school year passed slowly but memorably. Ron and Hermione also noticed Harry spending more time with Luna, and they were both happy that he had emerged from his miserable gloom over Sirius's death. Of course, the pain was still there, and every time he thought about it, it was unavoidable, even knowing that the two cousins would meet again, but whenever he was with Luna, Harry felt her presence soothe the wound in his heart, and he could smile more often.

  "Can't believe you actually like hanging out with Loony Lovegood," Ron said, stuffing a huge chicken leg into his mouth. "But I guess that little girl makes you happy."

  Hermione gave Ron a disdainful look before saying to Harry, "She's kind, isn't she? If you're happy, then we're happy too, Harry."

  "Yeah," he smiled. "I should have realized how amazing she was sooner."

  He didn't notice Ginny looking slightly sad, poking her chicken with her fork without seeming to want to eat any.

  However, the peaceful days seemed to end in the final week of the school year. As Harry emerged from the kitchens, carrying two glasses of golden chrysanthemum tea personally brewed by Dobby, thinking he should give one to Luna, he saw Draco standing opposite her around the corner. Immediately sensing the unusual atmosphere, he stopped and listened.

  "You'd better stop following Harry around everywhere, you ugly thing," Draco's drawling voice echoed clearly down the hallway.

  "He's my friend," Luna's eyes behind her enormous glasses didn't look dreamy at all. "And who are you to order me around? Harry doesn't even call you by your first name."

  Draco's face twisted in fury. He hadn't thought that the usually goofy-looking Loony Lovegood would dare to speak to the Malfoy heir like that, and it stung even more because she had hit a nerve. Their relationship had been shattered after five years of intense rivalry, and even if Draco tried to be kind, it was truly difficult with the Dark Lord's return. He couldn't express his feelings too openly without guys like Crabbe, Goyle, or Avery, and a whole bunch of other Death Eater descendants, snitching to their parents, and then it reaching the Dark Lord's ears. Draco didn't trust them, even his two usually loyal followers. And even if he said he wanted to approach Harry differently to understand him for the Dark Lord's destructive purposes, Harry wouldn't even talk to Draco; in fact, he had even received a punch that broke his nose for the crime of following his crush around the castle under the guise of being a Prefect on patrol.

  "Who I am is none of your business," Draco glared at Luna. "If you stick to Harry one more time, I swear I'll gouge your eyes out, you ugly, ambitious little brat."

  "Oh, how terrifying," the girl retorted immediately. "I fought alongside Harry at the Department of Mysteries, facing Death Eaters; do you think I'm afraid of a student like you? Listen, Malfoy, if this is your tactic for pursuing the person you like, you've failed right from the start. Harry will never like someone like you."

  Hidden behind the wall, the green-eyed teenager stood stunned in disbelief.

  Had he just heard that right?

  Malfoy liked him?

  Was he crazy?

  But before Harry could process this shocking information, Draco had drawn his wand, pointing it at Luna. Too fast, without thinking, he instinctively lunged forward just as the platinum-haired boy opened his mouth to cast a spell.

  A loud explosion echoed. Smoke billowed. Luna coughed, raising her wand and casting a spell to clear the smoke. In the hallway, Harry lay motionless between them, his eyes closed.

  "Harry?!" The frantic shouts of both Luna and Draco tore through the castle.