Saturday, 26th September
Draco's POV
I emerged from the bathroom, clad in my trademark black suit, and shut the door with a decisive click, only to find Potter staring at me as I turned.
I smirked, holding my hands wide, inviting his assessment. "Well? What do you think?"
Potter scanned me from head to toe, shook his head and sighed.
"No."
"I beg your pardon?"
"You cannot wear that to the party," Potter firmly clarified.
I raised an eyebrow, arching it into a gesture of surprise. "And pray tell, why not?"
What does this wanker have to say about me now?
Potter hesitated, then said, "It's just too...formal."
"What do you mean? This suit is perfect," I replied, offended.
"I know you wear that suit everywhere, and for good reason— I mean—" He stumbled slightly. "It suits you very well. But it's just not a... great fit for this occasion," Potter ended, a slight pink tinge on his cheeks.
Unable to resist a good retort, I continued. "And why, may I ask, have you suddenly become the fashion Auror, Potter?"
"It's a fucking party, Malfoy. You can't wear a suit," Potter crossed his arms over his chest, looking like a ruffled owl.
I clenched my jaw. "I don't have anything else to wear, Potter." Gesturing at myself— "I didn't really pack much in my trunk."
Potter fell silent, then he pursed his lips, bright green eyes clouding in thought. "I think I might have something," he murmured.
Potter turned, walking towards his side of the room and rummaged through his trunk, occasionally throwing things onto the bed, until he finally stopped. He brought up a dark green silk shirt, a proud smile on his face.
He padded over, shirt folded over his hands.
"It's not exactly black," he mused once he was in front of me again. "It's green, which I guess still matches your entire aesthetic. I've never worn it before. I think it will suit you perfectly."
I smirked, eyeing the shirt. "You bought a shirt you don't plan to wear? That makes no sense, Potter."
Potter huffed out a breath, his hand pushing through his unruly hair, his scar flitting in and out of view before being hidden by a dark curtain of hair again.
"Just shut up and take the fucking shirt, Malfoy," he muttered.
He held out the shirt, which I reluctantly plucked from his fingers. "My, my, someone sure has a temper today,"
I had noticed that about him. After Potter's conversation with Wendy, when they had resumed working on the outline, Potter had become much more jumpy. He kept looking at me, blushing, and then when I commented about it, would get oddly defensive and prickly. Just like now, glaring at me forcefully, with something dark in his eyes, fucking forcing me to wear his shirt, the bastard.
"If it looks ridiculous, I'm going to wear the suit," I sighed, running my fingers sceptically over the silk.
"Sure, sure," Potter replied shortly, looking away from me. (See what I mean?)
I examined the shirt for another moment, and then, without another word, I turned on my heel to enter the bathroom again.
I quickly shed my black coat, taking off my white button-up before slipping on the shirt.
It felt cool against my skin, smooth and light. I buttoned it up, leaving the top buttons undone, to add that air of informality that Potter was so keen on having.
I stared at myself in the bathroom mirror, hoping that Potter wouldn't have anything to objects on this look. As much as I'd like to hide the fact, sometimes he scared the life out of me.
I stepped out of the bathroom again, finding Potter in the same spot I'd left him.
As soon as Potter met my eyes, he sucked in a sharp breath, blinking harshly, before he looked away. See! Again! I think, noticing the blush on his cheeks.
"This is certainly a very... Slytherin choice you've made there," I commented, just to diffuse some tension. "Never thought the famous Harry Potter would own a shred of green."
"It was an impulse," Potter replied. "I bought it one night, but never really worn it, never had the courage to,"
"Ah, of course, that Gryffindor pride still in you wouldn't let you wear green," I tugged at the collar, straightening it.
"Oh piss off, as if you own a single piece of red clothing," Potter snapped, eyes glued to the wall behind him, "Green would never have suited me, don't know what I was thinking when I bought that,"
"You never know until you try," I dropped the collar.
Potter shrugged. "Yeah, I guess so."
He finally looked at me, and I opened my arms, allowing his opinion.
"Well, dear Fashion Auror, what do you think now?" I smirked.
Potter paused, almost like he was choosing his words. His cheeks reddened slightly before he opened his mouth to reply.
"You look absolutely radiant."
He said it almost breathlessly, like he actually meant those words. It made my stomach turn over itself.
I opened my mouth, ready to say a witty comeback, but the words didn't come out of my mouth. Never knew a praise from the Golden Boy was what I needed to lift my spirits. I finally put myself together and managed a response, hoping my expression, didn't reveal the way his words had made my heart do cartwheels.
"That's cute, Potter."
It didn't come out as snarky as I'd hoped it would be. Rather, it sounded like a compliment— like I genuinely felt that way. Because I did.
Potter, if possible, blushed an even darker shade of crimson, and he glanced down, mumbling softly, "Shut up."
I felt drunk over this feeling, watching Potter look up slowly through his lashes, a shy grin growing on his face. I grinned back, feeling like I could fucking giggle.
The Draco Malfoy felt like giggling over Harry Potter, because he called him radiant. Wow.
I briefly closed my eyes before returning them to Potter, who still hadn't looked away.
Potter's eyes slowly travelled down my body in a way that made me shiver. I couldn't pull my gaze away from his face, his messy, chaotic hair, this small smile that pulled his lips up. I wanted to brush my thumb over it and memorise the shape.
Hang. The. Fuck. Up. Where had that thought come from?
No, I did not want to do anything of the sort. Potter's lips did not make me want to do anything like that. No. Not at all. Potter was cute. That was it. And when he looked at me like this... it made me want to... do things. But... no.
"Draco!" There was a loud knock on our dorm door. "Hurry up, mate, it's time!"
Theo.
I tore my eyes away from Potter and looked towards the door. Potter looked away, and rubbed the back of his neck.
"No need to yell so loud. I'm coming!" I replied, almost thankful for the interruption. "Just need to grab my wand,"
I glanced at Potter, giving him an 'are you coming?' look.
Potter shook his head. "I'm not quite ready yet. You go ahead."
I nodded and left the room, my mind still replaying the moment that just occurred.
When I opened the door, Theo grinned at me.
"Fucking finally!" He threw his arms around my shoulders. "Took you long enough."
I rolled my eyes as I got a mouthful of the boy's hair.
"Yes, yes, we all know how much you missed me. Now, let's get going, shall we?"
Theo beamed at me, "This is going to be so fun,"
And then we were swinging the door shut and walking into the hallway.
Harry's POV
I still hadn't moved. Malfoy just had to look like a Greek God in that green shirt. I almost regretted lending it to him. If I had known it would give me a heart attack, I would have kept that shirt deep inside my trunk.
Fuck, I'm screwed.
Why, Merlin, why did he have to leave those buttons undone? Was he trying to get me killed? And of course, the smug bastard hadn't realised what he was doing anyway.
I looked over at my trunk and decided I should get ready. Wouldn't want to keep Neville and Luna waiting.
I got up, opened my trunk, and looked for a new shirt. I didn't exactly remember what it looked like, but it was bought when I bought the green one. It was dark maroon. Just like Gryffindor, the polar opposite of the dark green one I gave to Malfoy.
After groping around my items for a bit, I pulled out a dark red silk shirt, its design identical to Malfoy's, only the colour providing some contrast.
I walked to the bathroom to get changed.
After changing, I studied my reflection in the mirror. While my shirt mirrored Malfoy's design, it didn't come close to capturing his effortless ease.
He wore it with an air of confidence, unsurprising considering his sculpted physique. The slightly open collar, revealed a glimpse of his Sectumsempra scars, tucked away under the shirt. It was undeniably hot.
I wouldn't show too much chest. No one needs to witness my chest hair. Thank you very much. I settled for leaving one button undone. We were supposed to look casual, after all.
Who the fuck does all of their buttons till the bottom anyway?
I took a deep breath and reached for the comb, dragging it through my tangled hair. Grimacing at a particularly stubborn knot, I placed the comb down, rolling my eyes when I noticed it did absolutely nothing to help my hair. It still looked like a rat's nest.
Am I doing too much?
Malfoy certainly took half the time, and I still didn't look quite as good as him. There was no need to impress anyone, but I couldn't stand the thought of being near Malfoy while looking like this.
Was it too late to back out of the party? Nobody would notice if I didn't go, right?
No, of course, they would notice. I'm Harry Potter. Who am I kidding?
Screw it.
Pushing open the bathroom door, I sidestep my bed.
I'll be fine. It's just a party. I'll stick close to Neville and Luna, and steer clear of Malfoy altogether.
With resolve, I exited the room in a whirl, snatching up my wand before I forgot it.
I descended the staircase towards the dungeons. Neville and Luna had said they would be waiting at the entrance for me. And sure enough, there they were, both smiling and dressed in light blue, like a matching couple.
"Harry, what took you so long?" Neville asked, looking down at his watch and back up at me.
"Took a bit longer to decide what to wear," I replied, turning to face Luna, "Love the matching outfits, by the way. Did you do it on purpose?"
Luna smiled cryptically. "Would you believe me if I told you it was accidental?"
It wouldn't be one of the most unbelievable things, considering what you believe in. I almost replied, but I held my tongue.
"You both matched accidentally?" I eyed Neville's shirt, then his face, and sure enough the Gryffindor was blushing.
"Come on, let's go inside," he deflected, averting my eyes as he opened the door for Luna, and I followed behind her.
I winked at him cheekily as I passed, whispering to him. "Not so accidental, was it?"
Neville blushed a deep, deep red. I just grinned, entering the party, where the music thumped into a slow, aching throb. Vibrations of the beat strummed through the floors, and bright colours streamed all around the dimly lit room. To some people, it could be a place they could enjoy the whole night in. To me, it felt like a suffocating box — too dark, too closed in, and too many bodies surrounding me.
I could barely recognise anyone, but they all recognised me, of course. The sheer amount of people talking to me and bumping into me made the experience insufferable.
But Neville and Luna acted like bodyguards and made sure I got my way to a table without being crushed.
I was already sweating by the time I got myself seated in a far corner. Neville looked at me, "Should I get you a drink, Harry?"
I nodded, "Sure, why not?"
Neville left, and I made myself more comfortable. A party really wasn't my scene, but I'd always enjoyed them with the right people. Unfortunately, my people weren't present at the moment. Ron and Hermione are those people, of course.
Neville returned with a couple of drinks in hand. "They'll help you loosen up," he grinned and passed the drinks.
Luna was already in the middle of the dance floor, doing this odd move like she was reaching high up and trying to catch a snitch that kept slipping out of her hands. She finished it with little kicks from her feet.
She really didn't care that people were staring. It was one of the things I admired about her— her ability to not give a fuck about what people thought about her.
I desperately wished for that quality at this moment. My eyes scanned the dance floor and saw many pairs of eyes meeting mine. All these people I knew nothing about, but they knew so much about me.
As I looked around the room, my eyes met a familiar shade of ice grey. Malfoy was idly sipping his own drink, originally watching Theo and Wendy dance enthusiastically, but now, his eyes were locked on mine.
"REQUESTS FOR MUSIC ARE NOW OPEN!" A magically amplified voice called. "COME TO THE FRONT, AND THE DJ WILL PLAY YOUR FAVOURITE TUNES!"
A collective cheer ran across the room. I winced at the noise but smiled all the same. Not that I had any favourite songs, not really.
I looked back to the place Malfoy had been, only to find him gone.
My eyes wandered across the room, wondering where the blond had got to.
"Potter," said a voice behind me, speaking louder than usual to overpower the music. I jumped, turning and almost spilling my drink all over Malfoy.
"What?" I asked, yelling back.
"We're going to play spin-the-bottle at the back. Do you want to join?"
"Who is 'we'?" I said directly into his ear, inhaling, then regretted it immediately when Malfoy's scent drifted towards me. Of course, he smelled like apples. Still did.
"Just some of the candidates," Malfoy replied, "and Astoria, obviously."
I was about to decline, but upon hearing that Astoria was playing, I felt an odd, sick feeling. I needed to be there. I needed to see what happened.
"Okay, sure." I drained my drink and stood up. Malfoy started to walk to the back, and I followed, watching the way the light of the room reflected off the silk shirt he was wearing. My silk shirt.
We passed Neville, dancing with Luna. I asked him if he wanted to join. He told us he would after a minute, once he was done dancing with Luna. Malfoy and I continued walking, and finally, we reached the back of the room. It was like a hidden corner, where the music boomed a little less, where it was a little bit more spacious, a little less noisy. I liked it already.
It was ironic because I spent the better part of eleven years stuck in a cupboard that was half my size. I didn't mind small spaces, it was the crowds of people that made me nervous.
"Are you okay?" Malfoy nudged me softly, speaking into my face. "You look like you could use some fresh air."
"No, no, I'm okay," I replied, taking a step back. "It's just a bit hot in here."
"I suppose so," he simply said.
Neville and Luna joined us, and now, the majority of the candidates were here.
Wilson drunkenly smiled. "Okay, everyone," he slurred his words slightly. "We're going to play the spin-the-bottle game. I'm pretty sure everyone here knows the rules, and if you don't, well, I think you'll be able to pick them up quite quickly."
Padma stepped forward. "Now, we understand all of you present here may not be willing to kiss each other. In that case, you have to chug on this firewhisky until the crowd is satisfied."
"With that," Wilson smirked, "Let the game begin."
Everyone got seated on the floor. I took a seat beside Neville and Seamus. The circle was divided between girls and boys facing each other, so the bottle would face a guy and a girl most of the time.
Astoria sat opposite me, and for some reason, that made me nervous.
"Would you mind?" I heard Wendy asking me to shift. "I'd rather not get kissed by any of you guys."
I chuckled and made some space for her to sit. Now, she faced Astoria instead of me.
"I hardly believe you would want to kiss Astoria," I whispered as she sat.
"You never know who might come out of the closet tonight," she winked.
I chuckled, shook my head, and focused on the bottle that had already been spun.
The bottle spun for what seemed like some of the longest minutes and finally came to a halt, facing Wendy and Wilson.
"Well, I'll be damned," Wendy commented. Then, grabbing the bottle of firewhisky, she raised it toward her brother as if making a toast.
"Hard pass, brother," she said and gulped the whisky.
"Chug, chug, chug," the crowd cheered.
Wendy squeezed her eyes shut at the sensation of the whisky burning her throat and finally passed it to Wilson.
"Hard pass indeed," he said and chugged the whisky until the crowd cheered.
He gave the same expression as Wendy and spun the bottle. This time, the bottle quickly stopped and landed on Malfoy and... Natalie Harris.
You've got to be kidding me.
The crowd cheered in order to see the first kiss happen. But as I had predicted, Astoria didn't let that happen.
"Uhm, guys?" she casually said. "Has everyone forgotten Draco's girlfriend is right here?"
"Oh, come on, Astoria," Natalie said, rolling her eyes, "It's just a game."
"Of course it is," Astoria smiled fakely, "But Draco happens to be a loyal boyfriend. He wouldn't do anything of that sort. Right, Draco?" She glared at him.
Draco cleared his throat and went for the firewhisky.
"Chug, chug, chug," the crowd cheered, except for Astoria and Natalie. Astoria seemed to be staring at Natalie, which went completely unnoticed by her.
Natalie didn't drink. Apparently, the drinking rules applied to the one who refused to kiss or get kissed. The one who was willing to didn't have to chug.
Draco's POV
So far, a couple of people had kissed. Seamus, Theo and Wendy had kissed some seventh-year girls.
Now, the bottle was spun again. Honestly, I was getting a bit bored. I was there because of Astoria, though I didn't understand what was the point of participating in the game if she wouldn't let me kiss anyone.
The bottle stopped. It pointed straight at me.
Oh, here we go again.
The other end pointed at Luna. I didn't say a word and went straight for the whisky.
"Chug, chug, chug!"
It seemed they would never stop, but Luna pulled the bottle out of my hand and started drinking it. She showed she was equally disinterested in kissing me.
After she stopped, she spun the bottle. It landed on a pair, and they kissed. They spun the bottle again, and it ended up pointing at another pair. They kissed, too. It happened a few more times before the bottle landed on Astoria and Wilson.
"The Slytherin prefect herself!" Wilson said. "Sois mon invité." ("Be my guest.")
"Je ne préfère pas," Astoria said, watching me as if looking for my reaction. ("I'd rather not")
I didn't know she could speak French.
"Elle parle français!" Wilson exclaimed, looking mildly surprised. ("She speaks French!")
"Oui, mais ça ne m'intéresse pas d'embrasser un garçon français," Astoria said. ("Yes, but I'm not interested in kissing a French boy")
"Ta perte," Wilson shrugged. ("Your loss")
Astoria grabbed the bottle of firewhisky and gulped it.
Wilson, however, did not. It wasn't like it mattered, he was far beyond wasted already.
I stole a glance at Potter, who was sitting diagonally from me. I noticed that he looked confused, looking at Astoria then back at Wilson. The poor bastard didn't speak French, like I did.
The game resumed once again, a couple more kisses here and there. Potter had so far only kissed two people, a small peck with Luna and another with Padma. He had a small smile on his face, and looked really warm and soft, lights from the room illuminating his face like a halo. As he leaned against the wall, his unruly hair stuck up at odd angles, almost making him look endearing.
Endearing?
Endearing?!
What is up with me?
I blinked and looked away. Maybe I had drank a bit too much.
Suddenly, the crowd cheered, and Potter's face went from smiling softly to surprised. I looked toward the bottle that had stopped spinning. It moved a bit, or maybe I imagined that since my vision was already getting a bit blurry, but it was clear who it was pointing at.
The bottle, that pointed straight at me, led to no one else but the golden boy.
Potter...
With his face flushed the same as mine, Potter's bright green eyes pierced me. He looked as confused as I was. He didn't move. Towards me or the bottle.
Of course, we can't kiss. The thought was absurd. The crowd cheered because they knew it. Nothing would please them more than to see Potter and his infamous enemy chug on firewhisky. Except...
It will be a real scene if Potter and I really kiss.
My mind unconsciously began to imagine the scenario. I had wanted to see how the crowd would react, but it was their echoes that faded into the distance, and what remained were Potter's surreal eyes, binding me into a spell.
Perhaps I had had too much to drink that I couldn't control my very own imagination, but perhaps a part of me didn't want to stop thinking about it either. What if...?
What if I really kiss Potter now? Can I do that?
How would it feel? His lips against mine...
My eyes were already lingering on his cherry-pump lips. And thank Merlin, before anyone could notice, Astoria shook me out of the trance.
"Draco?" she called out, and I broke free from whatever spell Potter had cast on me.
I did not look at her and went straight for the firewhisky. I gulped it down, hoping my unreasonable thoughts would drown with it. The whisky burned my throat, but I did not stop. I drank it until the scenarios in my head went further and further away.
The crowd had stopped shouting chug, but I continued to drink. Finally, Astoria pulled the bottle out of my hand.
"Draco, that's enough," her voice was laced with concern, so I stopped for her sake.
Now, my vision was far from just blurry. I regretted drinking. Tomorrow was going to be a bitch.
Potter took a couple of sips until the crowd cheered and then stopped.
Oh, what a fool I am! Why did I have to drink so much?
The bottle was spun a couple more times, but I was too wasted to understand what was happening. It only caught my attention when it landed on me once again.
For Merlin's sake!
This time, the bottle had landed on the Slytherin girl again— Natalie.
Without any hesitation, she proceeded to lean in. But obviously, Astoria interrupted.
"And what the hell you think you're doing, Natalie?" she snapped.
"Oh, come on, Astoria," Natalie rolled her eyes. "Are we seriously doing this again? This is the second time the bottle has landed on me and Malfoy. I think it's pretty obvious that the universe has fated our kiss."
"How about you focus less on your Astrology class and more on what is going on here?" Astoria crossed her arms across her chest. "Draco is my boyfriend, and he is not going to kiss anyone but me."
Natalie laughed mockingly. "Then why bring him to this game?"
The question made sense. Astoria was quiet for a moment, but then said, "You're right. The idea was stupid."
"All he's done in this game is drink, drink and drink," Natalie said, "And now he has to drink again."
"No, he's not going to drink anymore," she said, less to me, more to the crowd. I was in no position to argue or even speak a word. Head spinning lightly, I slumped back.
Suddenly, she turned to Potter and said, "Harry, could you please take him back to your dorm if it's not too much trouble? I would have done that myself, but I've got to take care of the things here. And Draco doesn't look like he can manage by himself."
I couldn't even protest. It felt as if my brain was working faster than my mouth could. When I opened my mouth to say something, Potter spoke first.
"Of course," he said, "It's no trouble. I was planning to leave anyway. I'll take care of him."
"Oh, thank you so much," Astoria said. Then turning toward me, she whispered, "I'll see you tomorrow, Malfoy. I hope you're ready to have a little talk about tonight."
Her words barely made sense to me. I just nodded to whatever she said. She squeezed my arm, but I could hardly feel it.
When I tried to stand, my vision began to waver, and I lost my balance. Potter grabbed hold of me, and our eyes met again for a moment. In that second, the world faded back to being an echo again...
// ha...hahah...ha
That was one long break (half a year?? Kind of... almost??)
I feel like I owe all of you an explanation
The reason it took so long for me to post was, well mainly the sudden work load 😭 and my co-writer, lisa is super busy (you may notice she's practically a ghost at this point), so it was really hard to actually get work done... because we usually double triple check with each other before posting, but none of us have done that and life always manages to get in the way. I was also overseas for a fair portion of this year, so there's that.
BUT
Let's hope it gets better :)
Like always, have a great day, hope you're not too disappointed with this chapter, I know it sucks 😭 //