Since his fifth year at Hogwarts, Draco's parents had been pressuring him to find a suitable girlfriend—a pure-blood, of course, who could eventually become his wife. Every holiday, Narcissa's questions became more persistent, her tone more insistent, and when they found out their son was gay — well, girlfriend switched to boyfriend and they became even more urgent.. Until Draco felt he could no longer avoid the inevitable.

This year, he decided to give in.

He began scanning the pool of pure-blood boys at Hogwarts, searching for someone who wouldn’t irritate him, who would play his part convincingly, and most importantly, who wouldn’t develop any inconvenient emotional attachments. Which would be a trouble because Draco Malfoy was just so strikingly handsome... so he needed someone who mildly despised him... How he thought of Harry Potter, Draco couldn’t exactly recall. They hated each other.. but that was beneficial to this situation. Potter was pure blooded, had mild income and was in extreme need of Malfoys elegant mind, in his opinion, and they surely would devolpe an attachment to each other. So, from the moment he came into mind, Harry Potter seemed ideal. He had something he could work with—a need that Draco could exploit.

Despite Potters pure-blood status and fame, he was modest at best. Financially, he means — and in every other sense of opinion. Potter's family had that stupid vault, but Potter only ever took enough to get by — which meant second hand robes. Disgusting. Compared to his wealthier friends, you couldn’t indulge in luxuries like sweets from Honey Dukes or the latest fashion at Hogsmeade without careful planning and saving. Draco, brilliant as he was, saw an opportunity.

One quiet Saturday afternoon, when most of the Slytherin's were out enjoying their free time, so they wouldn't bother ask why he was going off to look for Harry Potter, Draco found him alone out at the court yard. Before Potter had the chance to sneer or run away, Draco moved. Cornering him, he laid out his proposal, his tone calm and business like, as if discussing a simple transaction.

“It’s straightforward,” he began, his grey eyes cool and calculating. “You play the role of the perfect, respectable, loving boyfriend for my parents. In return, I’ll cover any expenses you have. Whatever you want.”

His words were devoid of emotion, as though he was offering a contract rather than proposing a relationship. Common of a Malfoy. It was a practical solution to a problem he didn’t want to deal with, a way to keep his parents satisfied without entangling himself in anything messy or real.