House : Slytherin
Category : Drabble
Prompt : [Speech] "Calling him/her/them my other half means that neither of us is whole."
Word Count : 333
"Hold my beer, will you? I'm going to try a backflip," cried Ron, his slurred voice echoing through the small pub. Hermione Granger watched him from the other end of the room, a half-empty glass of whisky on the table in front of her.
"Fancy seeing you here," a familiar voice called from behind her.
"Malfoy! What a pleasure!" she said, her voice laced with sarcasm.
He raised his hands in mock surrender. "Sorry."
"What do you want?" Hermione sighed.
"Just some company." The pair sat in silence for a few moments before Draco spoke again. "So, that's your fiancée?" he asked, gesturing to Ron, who was telling some elaborate joke that involved a bar stool and a pink paper napkin.
"Yes."
"It's just… I never thought you'd end up with an utter fool."
"Shut it, Malfoy."
"Okay, okay… Just curious."
"Curiosity killed the cat."
"But satisfaction brought it back. So, tell me, do you honestly believe that Ronald Weasley is the love of your life? Your other half?"
"Calling him my other half means that neither of us is whole," Hermione said tightly. "Stop with the questions, Malfoy."
"My, my, Granger. Just making conversation. It's only natural for one to wonder how the brightest witch of the generation ended up with someone like that."
"He's not always like this."
"I see him here often enough to know that's not true." After that, Hermione was silent. Sensing he hat gone too far, Draco was the one to break the silence. "I - sorry. I'm being an ass. He's drunk and-"
"He's not," Hermione mumbled almost inaudibly.
"What?"
"He's not drunk. I used a spell to siphon the alcohol out of his drinks. He just thinks he is."
Draco's mouth hung open for a few seconds before he and Hermione turned to look at Ron, who was challenging someone to a duel with a straw.
"So, how long do you want to keep pretending you still want to be here?"
"I'll get my coat, Draco."