Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, though I wish I did.
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And never brought to mind?
It is Christmas Eve, and like the sodding idiot that I sometimes am, I have completely forgotten to get my wife a Christmas present.
Yes, even Draco Malfoy, the resident Hogwarts bully way back in pre-Second Wizarding War days, can admit when he's right...in the wrong. Let's just say that a great many things have changed since my schoolboy days.
Now, here I stand, out on the streets of London, battling the bitter cold and wondering how on earth the local bookstore just around the corner from the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron could have just moved? I swear I was here just last week.
That, or a very great many things have changed since my schoolboy days, and I'm not only talking about my newfound humility.
I stamp my feet to shake off the snow and contemplate calling my wife on her mobile to admit my failure, when I notice a woman in my peripheral vision advancing in my direction. I have never been very good with dealing with complete strangers, much less Muggle ones, but I am in dire straits. Those Muggle philosophers got it right when they said that a happy wife makes a happy life.
So, I muster up the courage to ask her as she neared, "Excuse me, but do you know where Diamond Books is?"
She stops to answer, and in that moment when our eyes meet, I can feel a whirlwind of memories and emotions fly past me until the colors stop and fade into the sight in front of me. I never thought I would see her again, especially not after the way I had treated her in my sixth year. But then again, I never thought a lot of things would happen.
Before I find my voice to call her name, the woman speaks.
"It's moved a couple of blocks away. I'm headed there myself."
She speaks clearly but impartially, without inflection to acknowledge that she recognizes me or an implied invitation to follow her. She rouses herself enough to break eye contact and walk past me.
Okay, I might be a more reformed Draco, but I'm still a Malfoy at heart. Malfoys do not take being ignored lightly.
"Oi!" I call out. "Chang!"
She doesn't turn around, forcing me to jog to catch up to her. Somehow, I knew that she would be like this when - and if - I saw her again. Can't say that I blame her, really, Out of all the things that I lost during the Second Wizarding War, I had mourned her the most. That is why I am determined to have her face me and acknowledge that I am still alive. Confront her past, that sort of thing.
"Hey, wait!" I call out as I finally catch up to her, placing a hand on her shoulder to stop her from moving. "So, you think you can just ignore an old school mate, eh? Where's your holiday spirit?" I can hear my breath coming in pants thanks to my little jog, but I summon that buried Malfoy charm and do my best to throw her what I imagine is my best smirk.
Cho turns her head and catches my eye, albeit with a slightly wary and disapproving glance. "We're here," she says dryly, not bothering to respond to my conversational bait. I glance upward and realize that we are standing in front of Diamond Books, the reason why I came out to Muggle London in the first place. To buy a book. For my wife.
At that realization, I drop my hand quickly and shove it into my coat pocket, nodding to indicate that I've heard her.
"Shall we?" Cho steps nimbly away from me and up the two steps to open the bookshop's door without waiting for my answer. I follow silently. An uncomfortable gurgle of guilt bubbles in my stomach, but I ignore it as I step into the warmth of the shop and trail after Cho. I don't bother with hanging up my coat near the door, as she is already disappearing beyond my line of sight towards the back. I allow myself a small, indulgent smile. Ever the typical Ravenclaw, that one. It is one of her many quirks that attracted me to her so many years ago.
Several people mill about in the narrow aisles, forcing me to sidestep all the way to the back. Finally, I reach Cho. Standing next to her, i gradually realized just what kind of books were in front of us.
Pregnancy books.
I can feel my eyebrows shooting up into my slightly receding hairline. Without turning to her, the question comes tumbling out of my mouth before I have a chance to catch it. "Are you pregnant, Chang?"
She looks up from the book she is flipping through and gives me one of her best exasperated looks. "No, I'm not. I'm researching for my sister." Closing the book with a thud, she places it back on the shelf. "And even if I were, you do know that is one of the few questions you should never ask a woman?"
"Well, yes, but you know me, I was never one of the more politically correct types. Slimy git was one of the more endearing nicknames, I believe."
A beat of silence, then she relaxes and lets out a laugh, a bright, happy sound, and scans the shelves again. "So, what brings you in search of a bookshop on Christmas Eve, then?" I realize fleetingly that she still has not addressed me by my name, surname or otherwise. Curious.
"I've got to buy something for-" Do I say my wife? Technically, Astoria is my lawfully wedded wife, but she and I both know that this marriage is more for convenience and show than love. Not too many eligible young ladies were lining up along the driveway of Malfoy Manor after the war ended. The Greengrass family was one of the few who stood by us Malfoys in our time of exile.
"-for my wife," I finish, quietly. Telling the truth has become easier in the last several years. I only hope that she doesn't take the news the wrong way.
"Oh, I see." Another beat of silence, this time with hesitation. "Well! I didn't expect Mrs. Malfoy to be a reading sort of girl."
I can hear the jab meant for me and let it slide. "Ms. Greengrass, actually. Astoria is a bit of a feminist." I ran my hands along the spines of the books in front of me. "And, no," I continue, "we're not expecting. I came to find a mystery book for her. If she hadn't been in Slytherin, she would have made an exceptional Ravenclaw."
Why did I just say all of that?
To her credit, Cho doesn't pick up on my non sequitur and instead helpfully offers to show me around the bookshop. This is a good sign. She wants to be around me. I imagine all bookshops are the same, wizarding or Muggle, but I accept her offer anyway. Anything to give me more time with her. Maybe I can finally explain my behavior to her all those years ago...
Cho starts off through the aisles, and I quickly follow. Her enthusiasm for books is still boundless, and her mood improves the longer we go on, rising to the cheerful nature I remember as she recommends books to me that I only half-hear. Though I am momentarily distracted by a uniquely Muggle publishing phenomenon known as self-help books, my entire focus has been on her and how to tell her everything I had wanted to say for the past decade. All too soon, we arrive in front of our destination.
"Here it is!" Cho chirps merrily. "The mystery aisle! Muggle authors really know how to churn out these novels, don't they? I suppose not having magic makes everything a bit more curious."
"Yeah, I suppose so."
"So, what novel in particular did Ms. Greengrass want?"
"Well, I think it was one by someone named...Becker?"
"There's a whole shelf of books with that surname, Malfoy."
She laughs again, and I feel a sudden, strong urge to always want to be the reason for her laughter. Uncharacteristically, I summon what little courage I have left and sidle closer to Cho, close enough that our arms brush. Even through the winter layers, I can feel the heat rise and settle between us, another layer to the sexual tension.
"Yes, but I was hoping you would know which book was the absolute best," I purr, hoping that she takes this bait.
Cho frowns slightly, then her eyes slowly widen and cheeks color as she makes the connection. She gives me a look, and shifts her weight towards me so that our arms are fully touching.
"I didn't think you had remembered..."
"How could I forget?"
Cho looks up at me then, and I see so many emotions flickering in her eyes. "How could I forget," I repeat, softly, "the first time that we met?"
A/N: Yes, I know that the first two lines come from a song traditionally heard on New Year's Eve, but there is a method to my madness.