Candles in the Sun | d.m

IV. SILENT HALLWAYS

She laughed, "I saw how much brandy you drank, I think you managed to get drunk all on your own."

Draco pulled his bottom lip into his mouth, inwardly disagreeing. Where the amount of alcohol he had that night would've easily been enough to get someone drunk, he barely felt tipsy. He often chased his nightmares away with a few glasses of fire-whiskey and it usually fulfilled its purpose to numb the constant fear he felt. He supposed those near-daily indulgences ruined his tolerance.

She spoke again, ignoring Draco's lake of response. "Of course," she took a light sip of her wine. "Enjoying a good glass of wine with a handsome friend is one of life's greatest pleasures, so I suppose, getting drunk is simply part of the process."

His attention was immediately diverted from his potential crutch on alcohol.

"You think I'm handsome?"

Astoria's eyes widened and she stumbled over her words, "I didn't say that."

Draco pulled his bottom lip into his mouth, letting her comment slide for the moment. "Astoria Greengrass," he started, "how come I have never met you before?"

It was her turn to shrug with a rue smile. "You were a few years older than me Draco, when did you ever notice little Slytherin's except to bully them?"

The serotonin that had been building in his system to due Astoria's words dissipated instantly and he grimaced, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "Yeah, I was a bit of a foul git, wasn't I? Did I ever harass you? Use my famous phrase on you?"

She rolled her eyes with a knowing grin. "Thankfully, no. You were a bit of an enigma to us young kids, we were all mostly terrified of you."

This lightened Draco's mood. He hated to talk about his Hogwarts days, but this was a nice sentiment.

"Good."

"Yeah," Astoria continued, "Theo used to go on and on about how much you complained about the first years, as though you weren't also that annoying when you were a first-year."

"You knew Theo at Hogwarts?" Draco questioned, completely bewildered as to the friendship that his old and new friend apparently had.

Although Astoria's cheeks were flushed from the wine, she turned a deeper shade of red. "Well...We dated for a while."

Draco's face blanched. "You dated...Theo? Isn't that awkward now? Also— you are like two years younger than us, you were a child!"

Suddenly Blaise's sentiment about Astoria became vividly clear.

"It wasn't like that!" She protested. "Our families had been friends for so long and I used to spend summers and winter holidays at the Nott Manor and one day something just changed..."

Draco was stunned into silence and stood rooted to the spot. Astoria turned to him, confused, but Draco's mind was racing.

Had he been so singularly focused on himself at Hogwarts, he failed to notice who his friends were dating? Draco knew Blaise never dated anyone at school and no one was particularly fond of Crabbe or Goyle, but Theo...Well, Theo did get around.

"Why'd you guys break up?" Draco finally managed, still not moving.

Astoria shrugged, "Well...there was a war going on, wasn't there? Things like love and relationships...they didn't feel important anymore. We broke up a little after my fifth year."

The people in the portrait they were in front of were listening earnestly, leaning forward with wide eyes.

"Yeah...Pansy and I broke up before the war really started..." Draco trailed off, unwilling to speak the truth.