Disclaimer: The wonderful world of Harry Potter and the canon characters belong to J.K Rowling and I am only borrowing them to write for my and other people's enjoyment, without any intention of profiting from it. I thank this creative lady for blessing us with such a rich ground to build up our creativity on!
Draco Malfoy was glaring at the bottom of his Firewhiskey, inwardly cursing the day he decided to seduce Astoria Greengrass. It was such a mistake, an idiotic idea, and a Malfoy was a lot of things, but a nitwit was definitely not one of them.
He scowled and picked up the tall glass, swirling the amber liquid around slightly, and took another sip of the strong drink. The slow burn at the back of his throat was a welcome sensation to the blond. He gulped down the rest of the whiskey quickly, and motioned for the barkeep to pour him another.
Life was different, since the end of the Second Wizarding War. He had paid the price for his foolish decision to join the ranks of the Death Eaters, and gotten off somewhat lightly. The Wizengamot sentenced him to two years of house arrest, a few thousand galleons fine, and a limited use of magic, since Potter and Granger had both testified on his behalf.
The pureblood wizard was not expecting anyone to stand up for him, especially not those two. Their action spurred a fountain of contradicting emotions inside him. Apart from obvious shock, he was grateful for their involvement, since he really did not have any desire to get familiar with the inner workings of Azkaban. On the other hand, he felt queasy at the thought of the Golden Boy, and the Gryffindor Princess coming to his aid.
He spent the past five years reinventing his public image, and struggling with changing his views on blood purity. It was not easy to turn seventeen years of pureblood conditioning around, but he managed. Nowadays he could have a whole conversation with a muggleborn, without the urge of calling them a mudblood. That was more than some other bigoted purebloods could say, so he was satisfied with his efforts.
Although at the moment, he would not have minded calling a particular muggleborn wizard a mudblood, and punching him in the face again. He could not believe his eyes when he saw Colin sodding Creevey passionately kissing his fiancée, as he pushed her up against a pear tree.
He closed his eyes, and his jaw tightened as he recalled what happened.
It was a sunny day in London, and a very slow day at the office, so Draco decided to clock out early, and take a walk down on Wisteria Lane, which was a small magical park located just outside the city proper.
He haphazardly hung his work robes on his arm and turned around his heel, apparating to the outskirts of London. He walked down a narrow path, which was dotted with tall grass, and a few patches of dandelion.
Draco leaned down and plucked a flower, softly blowing at the seed head, watching as the wind carried some of the feathery bits far away.
His mother, Narcissa, once told him that one could determine whether or not one was loved, by blowing the seeds off a dandelion globe. It was said that if one could blow all the seeds off with one blow, they were passionately loved, however if some of the seeds remained, then one's partner had reservations about the relationship. Folklore also said that blowing the seeds off a dandelion is said to carry thoughts and dreams to one's beloved.
Draco had to admit that he was worried for a moment when he saw some of the seeds remain. Luckily for him, he did not believe in such flowery superstition. He let the stem fall from his hold, and he shook his troublesome thoughts away. Such nonsense was not befitting a Malfoy after all.
He paused in front of a worn down arbor, and waved his wand subtly from behind his hanging robes, and when the portal shimmered brightly, Draco slipped through. The sight that greeted him had almost made him smile, until his eyes trailed over the nearby pear tree, and his blood had frozen in his veins.
Astoria was flush against the tree trunk, as Colin freaking Creevey was kissing her feverishly. Her delicate fingertips were dipped in his blond hair, and one of her legs was wantonly wrapped around his hips.
Draco's heart hardened, as he witnessed the passionate lip-lock, and his jaw tightened. He suddenly felt extremely angry. He marched up to the pair of them, pulled Creevey away from Astoria, and punched him in the face, knocking him backwards.
"What the fuck are you doing with my fiancée?" He snarled, his well-groomed hair flying around his face, and crackling with wild magic.
"Oh my god, Colin!" Astoria gasped, and her hands flew to her mouth in shock. She immediately stepped forward and touched his burst cheek tenderly. "You are bleeding." She said in a strained voice.
Colin grimaced at the impact of the older wizard's knuckles, because it hurt. His gaze softened as the brunette witch lovingly caressed his injured cheek. "I am fine, love." He whispered, and turned to Malfoy with a cold stare. "I was in the middle of a display of my affections with your fiancée. Don't you know it is rude to interrupt?"
Draco's eyebrows disappeared into his hairline, as he seethed in anger. "So you are well aware that she is mine, are you? How does it feel to be a cheating bastard?" He sneered, discreetly grabbing his wand.
Creevey curled his lips into a smirk. "It feels freeing to be the person that Astoria runs to when you mess up. It feels amazing to feel her skin against mine, to feel her warmth, to show her that a man can be kind and compassionate, and a gentle lover, compared to a cold, chauvinistic bastard, who only thinks about himself."
He could not believe that the hyperactive, timid little boy with the photography obsession turned into someone with confidence, and that Tory was eating it up with adoring eyes, even now when he clearly caught them in the act.
He whirled around to face the woman. "Do you have anything to say for yourself?"
Astoria glanced at her fiancé, and her eyes turned distant. "Not really. It is as Colin said. I am tired of your games. I am tired of being over-looked. I don't have any desire to be a trophy on your arm, that you can parade around in those stuffy Ministry-, and Charity balls. I am tired of listening to your constant whining. I am tired of you never putting me first-" She paused for a moment. "Actually, I am just plain tired of you."
It was like she stabbed his heart with a knife, and twisted it around with every word she uttered. He felt an ice-cold numbness engulf him, as he stared at the woman he loved. He knew he was not perfect, even if he liked to boast he was, but he had genuine feelings for her, and she did not care. She cheated on him with a bloody Gryffindor.
Life was simply a cruel joke, wasn't it.
"I may not be who, or what you need, but at least I am honest." He drawled. "If you were so disinterested and fed up with our relationship, you should have said so. As far as I am concerned you have no class."
Astoria balked at his words, her expression sour. "Draco-" She whispered, stepping forward.
"Do whatever you want with the ring, I certainly do not want, or need it. You tainted it with your dishonest acts of infidelity and lies. I am glad you refused the Malfoy family heirloom, as you are not deserving of it after all. I will have an elf drop off your belongings. You are not welcome in my home anymore." He said with an air of finality about his words.
The pureblood witch was ready to cry as she felt her safety net fall apart. "Draco-, we can still get married." She promised. "It would just be an old-fashioned marriage of convenience. I can be with Colin, and you can be with whomever else you want, it will be perfect, you see. A win-win situation for everyone." She pleaded with him.
"Are you out of your fucking mind?" He growled. "You can't just tell me you are tired of me, and then actually suggest we still get married. I won't keep you in a life of comfort and luxury, so you can screw around to your heart's content."
She paled, and Colin stepped forward looping a protective arm around her. "It's okay honey, I've got you." He promised, and looked at the angry wizard before them. He might think Malfoy to be a cold-hearted bastard, but if there was one thing he agreed with him on, it was that he did not want her married to him either.
"Yes, you got your boy toy, so leave me the hell alone!" Draco drawled slowly, his tone cutting and sharp. He turned around leaving the park, apparating to the nearest wizarding pub.
He opened his eyes, as he heard a familiar voice mutter quietly.
"Can't believe he had the nerve..." The soft feminine voice trailed off, and he glanced around, his eyes widening slightly as he gazed at the striking wild curls of one Hermione Granger. Her hair was positively alive with a crackling magic quality, as she ranted lowly to herself.
He grinned inwardly, and decided that he would amuse himself.
"Talking to yourself is the first sign of insanity." He spoke.
Her eyes snapped to his face, a flash of disappointment and irritation gleaming in her gaze. "Malfoy." She said curtly, and proceeded to ignore him, ordering a glass of Firewhiskey.
That was not the reaction that he expected. He frowned.
"Something wrong?" He found himself asking without really thinking about it.
She looked at him with surprise and suspicion. "What is it to you?" She grumbled, like a disgruntled kitten.
He arched an eyebrow. "Are you always this rude, or do you reserve this sweet disposition for my person only?"
"We aren't friends, Malfoy." She stated, and went back to ignoring him, sipping her drink quietly.
"Ten points to Gryffindor for being fucking obvious, Granger." He rolled his eyes. "I did not know that you had an attitude problem with people who are not in your social circle. Explains a lot, actually." He snorted.
She whirled around to look at him. "What does that supposed to mean?" She snapped.
He smirked. "If this is how you behaved at Hogwarts from the start, it's no wonder you had trouble making friends."
Hurt flashed in Hermione's eyes, and her lips tightened into a fine line. "I had friends." She insisted.
"Hit a nerve, did I?" He chuckled lowly, and drank his second helping of whiskey.
Hermione closed her eyes and slowly counted to ten. She had an awful day, and she really did not want to get into a row with Malfoy of all people, so even if his words stung her, as she did have trouble making friends in school, she decided to let his remark go, and focused on her drink.
Draco hummed. It wasn't like Granger to turn away from exchanging insults with him, so something really must have been bothering her. Not that he cared. Obviously. He ordered two more glasses of whiskey, and slid one of them to the witch.
It was not an apology. It was a gesture of understanding.
"Bottoms up, Granger." He winked at her, and stared approvingly, as she quickly threw the glass she ordered herself back, and repeated it with the one he bought for her. "Bloody hell, never knew you could drink like that." He muttered.
Hermione curled her lips into a small smile. "Well, we don't really know each other at all, Malfoy. We grazed the surface, and that's it, so don't be so surprised."
He chuckled. "You are right, I suppose."
She smirked. "Naturally."
Draco rolled his eyes. "Don't let it get to your head, Granger." He paused and smirked. "You need the space for all that crazy hair."
Hermione gasped dramatically. "Oh no, another hair joke. Scandalous!" She said sarcastically, with a hint of humor in her voice.
Malfoy's lips twitched with amusement. "Is it possible that you have a sense of humour? Colour me surprised!" He teased.
The brunette witch laughed lowly. "Perhaps. Would it be so bad if I was more than a bookworm?" She teased.
Draco Malfoy actually smiled. "Granger, the world would end."
A/N: This plot line has been teasing me for days now, so I sat down and wrote the first chapter today. The idea is that Astoria Greengrass cheats on Draco, and has some cutting words for him, which will eventually make him think. He is tired of the life he is living, and he wants a change. Hermione is fed up with her work, as her boss keeps coming on to her, and eventually makes her life way too miserable to handle working in the Ministry, so she quits. Will Draco Malfoy learn to find compassion, and will Hermione find herself? Is it possible that their paths of self-discovery are entwined? Will they find love and happiness together?
Thank you for reading!