Victorian Chai
This was not how Draco expected to spend his birthday.
"Oops," The brush (more like shove) against his shoulder from the couple as they pass around him on either side shouldn't be a surprise, this is not his first time out in public since the end of the war, and yet, somehow, today, it is.
Equally surprising is the hot drink that ends up spilled across his white shirt. "So sorry," The woman says, struggling to hide both her unapologetic tone and holier-than-thou smirk.
"Don't worry about it," Draco fights back the sigh; it wouldn't do any good.
This much he's learned.
His lack of reaction clearly disappoints them, but their laughter resonates all the same as the couple continues out the door of the cafe. Draco blinks a few times, to clear his thoughts, and steps forward to the counter. "A breakfast tea, please?"
"Wow," He looks up abruptly, suddenly nervous about a second encounter in so many minutes. Instead, he's met with an amused face. "Covered in coffee and you don't even care?"
"It's not the first time," With the rest of the cafe now empty and only this girl's friendly face in front of him, this time he doesn't hold back the sigh.
"Yeah," She looks him up and down appraisingly. "I'd guess not."
A full year after the end of the war, Draco is used to the glances. It doesn't make them any easier. "My tea?" He says plainly.
She flicks her wand over her shoulder. "The water's boiling," She grins simply at him. "Aren't you going to clean your shirt?"
He hesitates, before answering with a scowl. "Left my wand at home,"
Her wand flicks over toward him immediately and shit, telling her that was such a bad decision, he knew...wait, his shirt is dry? He looks down. The stain is gone? Draco looks up and sees the girl failing to hide a smile. "Thanks," He nods.
"You're welcome," She returns, finally starting to fix his tea.
"I mean it," He presses. "Most people wouldn't do that for me right now."
The girl slides his to-go cup across the counter to him, grinning at him. "Most people are not in the same boat as us, Draco,"
His hand pauses on the cup. "Us?"
"Don't you recognize me?" Her grin grows as she takes in the look on his face. He can't place her at all. "They were right! Brunettes do do it better!" She flips her dark hair around, laughing.
It's the hair flip that gives her away; he'd seen that all too often...just not on her. "You're Daphne's sister, aren't you?"
She smiles. "Astoria,"
"Pleasure," Draco nods, pulling his tea over and taking a sip. "This...this is not a breakfast tea,"
She shakes her head. "Victorian chai. You looked like you needed it,"
Draco ducks his head so she can't see the smile on his way out. Far and away the best interaction he's had in public in years.
Earl Grey
"You moved out of your parents' house?" She gasps.
"Well I couldn't stay there forever!" Draco argues.
"I thought it was like, a law, that Malfoys had to stay in that house!"
"Hello pot, it's kettle!" He deadpans, for he knows she's staying with one of her sister's friends right now.
"That's just temporary," She brushes him off. "For my summer job," She waves her arms, and he's abruptly reminded that in just over a week, she'll have to return to Hogwarts and he'll be losing his best friend.
His only friend, really.
"I needed-a change." He needed floors that weren't stained with blood, rooms that didn't echo with shouts of former classmates and teachers. Parents that didn't stop sentences abruptly to avoid voicing an opinion that shouldn't be said but they definitely still had.
You know, former Death Eater things.
"You just wanted to be close to me," She crows.
"Only for your tea," Draco cradles his mug close.
"I feel used,"
"You shouldn't make such good tea then,"
She stares at him. "It's earl grey. A baby could do it,"
He sips his tea coolly. "Remember that when I write you at school, asking you how you get it to taste so good,"
Chocolate Candy Cane Tea
"Draco!" The sudden weight thrown against his back is a complete surprise, but there's really only one person it could be, so when Draco turns as soon as the weight drops off his back, he's already grinning down at the short brunette standing with him.
"You're back!" She's here, Astoria's back and Draco's pulling her in for a hug before he even knows what he's doing.
She's laughing when he lets her go, so much that she doesn't even notice the slight blush in his cheeks, for his own reaction to her arrival had caught him so off guard. "I've missed you too!"
Yes! That's it. He's just-he's missed his friend, is all. "How was end of term?"
Astoria scrunches up her face, looking over her shoulder slightly before turning back to him. Draco's eyes follow her gaze to a group of girls he vaguely remembers being a few years below him at Hogwarts before returning to Astoria. "Ah," He says, nothing more needing to be said.
"They're not all bad," She tacks on guiltily. "But unfortunately, the good ones couldn't be here today.
"Well," Draco offers, looking over her shoulder. The girls are pointing at them now. This can only get worse, in his experience. "I'm doing some Christmas shopping. I could use some help looking for something for my mother if you're looking for a better offer to-"
She's linking their arms before he can finish. "Lead the way,"
Astoria gives him the scoop about those girls as they push through the crowd of students in front of Quality Quidditch Supplies (because that would never be an acceptable gift for Narcissa Malfoy, even Draco knows that) and Draco can't help but wonder why she hasn't mentioned any of this in her letters last semester, which had all seemed so light and happy.
It seemed Hogwarts was taking a little longer to settle down than the picture she'd originally painted for him.
"So," Her light nudge pulls him out of his thoughts and he realizes they've made it through the crowd. "What does your mother like?"
He blinks down at her. "Expensive jewelry to prove she's better than everyone and pureblood elitism,"
She laughs; it's loud and musical, drawing the attention of a few people around them and Draco can't help the small smile that grows over his face as he watches her. "Well one of those you can't buy and one of those you can't afford...you can't afford expensive jewelry right now, right?"
"On my zero galleon salary as a volunteer studying potions and alchemy manuscripts at St. Mungo's?"
"Pro tip: try that "poor little rich boy" act on someone who hasn't ever been to your manor before,"
Draco can't help but laugh and Astoria grins triumphantly. "You get my point," He says.
She grins. "Yes, I suppose I do. Then what else does she like?"
Draco frowns. "I dunno. Clothes?"
Astoria shakes her head. "No,"
"How do you know?" Draco argues.
"I just do!" She reaches up with her free hand to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear and it's then that Draco realizes their arms are still linked. They have been, this entire time. It's been...nice...being this close. He hadn't realized that sweet vanilla smell was her.
Except now he's hyper aware of the fact they're so close. Suddenly, his arm feels heavy and awkward. Why is he so stiff? He is not old enough for body parts to be freezing like this-or is he too old?
"Let's just...pop into a few shops and see if we find anything," Astoria suggests, already leading them into the closest store full of knick-knacks.
"Hello dearies," A sweet old lady greets them the instant they walk in the door. "Anything I can help you with?"
"Ye-" Draco starts, only to be cut off by Astoria.
"Just browsing, thanks."
The owner smiles. "Can I offer you two some tea while you browse?"
Draco's eyes widen. "N-"
"That would be lovely!" Astoria beams and the owner gives them both a smile before hurrying off to the back.
Draco tries to convey she's going to poison us with his eyes as they browse, but he's not sure it passes over to Astoria, since she's happy to continue picking up small objects and sniffing spices.
"Here you are, dears!" Astoria accepts hers with thanks and Draco takes his skeptically, still shouting, "murder," loudly in his head. Maybe she's magically developed Legilimency skills this term.
Apparently not.
"Oh Merlin!" She exclaims. "This is amazing! You have to try it,"
"I don't need to," He says stubbornly. "I have the best tea maker right next to me,"
She shakes her head. "It tastes like Christmas in a cup!"
He scowls, resigning himself to dying and ruining his parents' Christmas. "Oh. Wow,"
"Chocolate candy cane tea," The shop owner smiles. "It's my best seller in December,"
"Does your mum drink tea?" Astoria's got that look in her eye and Draco nods, knowing exactly where she's going.
"This would be perfect."
He returns to the shop a day later, to pick up another bag of it to give to Astoria for Christmas. She's completely surprised and her hazel eyes light up as she throws her arms around him in thanks and he finds himself returning the hug almost immediately with no reservations this time.
It's such a vastly different response than the tight lipped smile and nod he'd received from his mother.
White Papaya Tea
Astoria's cleaning a table in the cafe, where she's taken a job again after graduating back in May while she figures out what to do next, when Draco grabs her waist to twirl her around excitedly. "You'll never..." He trails off, when he sees her face. "What's wrong? You look a bit flushed today,"
"Nothing," She shakes her head. "What's-" Her cheeks are still pink. "You look happy! What's happened?"
He examines her skeptically, but lets it slide. "I-I found something today,"
"You did?" Her eyes light up and she drops the rag on the table. "Can you-are you going to tell me?" She's already going behind the counter to make tea and Draco settles down at a table. She's back in a few moments, with two mugs, and places one in front of him while sitting down across from him.
Draco takes a sip of the tea-it's creamy and slightly sweet. "What is this?"
"White papaya," Astoria says impatiently. "Draco! What did you find?"
He can't help but laugh at her eagerness. Her entire face is lit up and he can't help but smile along with her. Just her presence always lifts him up. "It's big, Stor, it's-" He explains a little about the manuscript he's been working through recently and how it could help retrieve lost memories, before he continues. "And it would make such a difference right now on people who've lost their memories from the Imperius or Cruciatus,"
"Draco," She breathes. "This-this is huge!"
It is huge. It's been the only thing they've talked about all day at work. It's what's going to put him on the map, maybe finally give people something to whisper about him without a hint of disdain in their voices.
And he'd immediately rushed here to tell her about it the moment he'd been able.
The realization washes over him abruptly and he tenses, even as she's still smiling her perfect smile at him.
"We have to celebrate!" She exclaims.
"Sorry," He hears himself say, rather coldly. "I'm busy now,"
Astoria looks, understandably confused at his sudden change in tone, but she nods all the same. "Later then,"
"Maybe," Draco nods, but now that he knows how he feels, he can't. He has to protect her from the names and words. "Goodbye, Astoria,"
He turns quickly so as not to see the look on her face, but he doesn't manage to move fast enough to avoid seeing it fall.
Victorian Chai
It's a few weeks later that Draco is waiting outside the cafe, two to-go cups of tea in a carrier in his hand, taking deep breaths to steady his nerves. A few Astoria-less weeks later that have been absolutely miserable.
It turns out that avoiding her after realizing his feelings for her had done nothing to make them go away. What a surprise.
He pulls out his pocketwatch to check the time, nodding when everything looks right. Suddenly, the door opens in front of him and he jumps up, but it makes no difference; when Astoria sees him, she stops abruptly. "What are you-" She stops. "Why haven't you been around in a while?"
"I was being stupid," Draco says firmly. "But I'm done doing that now," If he was going to be better now, he was going to do it with everything, Astoria included. She stares at him, lips pursed, and unable to take the silence, he says, "Did you change your hair?"
She nods. "Daphne tells me that getting bangs is never really about getting bangs and there's really some great, underlying trauma, but I think I like them. They feel..."
"New," Draco supplies, because he knows the exact feeling, of needing something tangible to feel like things are different. A visible representation to signify the fresh start.
"Yeah," She nods. "Is one of those for me?"
"Yes!" He passes it over to her. "A Victorian chai." She smiles; it's clear she remembers the same as he does. "Though it's nowhere near as good as yours."
"I see," She says, sounding like she wants to be teasing, but her words cut a little too much. "You're just back because you want me for my tea,"
"It's not just for your tea," Draco admits. "Though it's taken me far too long to admit that it's for you too,"
There's a splash against his foot and Astoria's breath catches in her throat as she looks up at him. She doesn't appear to notice she's dropped her cup, but Draco doesn't care this time that there's coffee spilled all over him as he steps closer to her.
Her lips part just in time for him to kiss them softly. "You made me drop my tea," She accuses, when they break apart.
"I told you it wasn't very good!"
"Hmm, if only we knew someone who could do it better," Astoria grins, leaning in to kiss him again.
"If only," Draco agrees, thinking they may not be getting that tea for a while.
A/N:This was originally written for The Great Collab of 2018-2019 over at HPFT. This was for topic 1: new beginnings with a challenge theme of slow burn.
additionally, many thanks to starbuck for reading over this and giving lovely comments and advice! also, shoutout to my aunt and uncle's spice and tea store, which is where i specifically looked for types of tea to use in this, thanks fam