Potter

Chapter 96

"Long," Holly interrupted, concern visible in her features. Her eyes darted briefly to Nigel, his solemn expression, before she looked back to me. "There's nightmares, sometimes, but nothing awful. Mostly just the Carrows. We missed most of the fighting of course."

"You made sure of that," Colin told me, his tone good-natured and tinted with only a little resentment. I gave him a small smile, feeling absolutely unapologetic.

"And she would do it again," Neville told him for me, looking a little amused. "You three did wonderful though, getting all of the younger years out and to safe houses. Who knows what could've happened had someone caught on to you all."

"Well, if it was going to be the only we got to do, we were going to do it well," Nigel reasoned with a shrug, and lifted his butterbeer up to his lips. Colin nodded in agreement beside him.

"Not that it was hard. We did run into a dementor at one point, though Holly scared it away with her giraffe."

"Wonderful Holly terrified the dementor with her badass, amazing giraffe," Holly corrected, sounding rather pleased with herself. "And you're welcome. Again."

"You're never letting go of that, are you?" Nigel sighed, looking absolutely smitten. Holly winked at him. Colin let out a bark-like laugh.

"Of course she's not! You shrieked!" the Gryffindor half-wheezed, looking completely unbothered by the intense shade of red Nigel's cheeks turned as he glared at his friends. Beside him, Neville reached over to pat Nigel's shoulder encouragingly, and finished off the last of a butterbeer with a sigh.

"We miss you at Hogwarts, Lily," Neville told me when he set his mug down, gaze warm and smile small. I nodded, my small smile turning apologetic.

"I miss being at Hogwarts," I admitted with a sigh. "But training is good. I've got good wizards working alongside me– and Theo, of course. And then Lavender to come home to."

"But soon it'll be Draco," Holly sang, and despite myself, I felt my cheeks turned pink as the boys snickered. Neville rolled his eyes, but his amusement was clear in his grin when he looked at me.

"Did I heard my name?" A familiar voice chimed from beside me, and I felt my expression visibly brighten as I turned to smile at my fiancé. He looked back at me, a pale brow quirked in amusement and grey eyes shining. He wore a dark coat, his Slytherin scarf wrapped tightly around his neck and a small package tucked under his arm. If I loved anything about winter, it was how well it suited Draco Malfoy.

Beside me, Holly let out a soft breath.

"Hi," she said, and though she wasn't looking at me, I had a feeling her sweet brown eyes had gone rather wide. Draco's eyes ducked down to her, surveying for a moment before he managed a small smile– he had never had an issue with a Hufflepuff.

"You must be Holly?" He said, to which Holly nodded. 

"Um, yes– that would be me," she said, voice only the slightest degree of shaky. She moved over, allowing Draco a spot to slide into the booth. He did so smoothly, looking regally out of place in our little group, and I loved him for it. 

"It's nice to meet you," Draco said with a small smile, grey eyes flitting to look over Holly's head and find mine before darting over to where the three Gryffindors set. "And the two of you." Then he looked at me, a pale eyebrow arched up. "I believe we have some last-minute holiday shopping to do, Potter."

"I believe we do," I agreed with a sigh. "I've got a list with ten names on it and no presents, and too big of a conscious to be okay with it."

Draco's responding eye roll was one of his signature 'classic Gryffindor' ones that I was often subject to. I beamed at  him. Sitting between us, Holly turned to look at me, brown eyes wide and round and near pleading.