PART 2: Charm (Romance with a Muggle)
Charms are spells that alter an object's inherent qualities, such as its behavior or capabilities. Charms change what an object is doing (as opposed to transfigurations, which change what an object is).
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2.4 ORCHIDEOUS
Orchideous is a spell used to make a bouquet of flowers appear out of the caster's wand.
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Dating was a bit of a foreign concept to me. Previously, it had seemed slow and tedious, not to mention trivial. With Maddie, though, I saw it as an opportunity to spend time with someone and really get to know them.
Our first date wasn't exactly original; I asked Maddie to dinner.
I wasn't entirely sure what to wear. I owned little muggle clothing, most of which was t-shirts and jeans. I ended up going shopping and buying a green and black plaid button-up shirt, which I wore with a dark pair of jeans that I already owned. I bought a few other shirts and things as well, since it seemed I'd be spending a lot of time with Maddie.
When I went to pick Maddie up, I was overwhelmed with nerves. My hand itched to grab my wand and conjure up flowers, but of course, I was still underage.
Maddie was waiting outside, wearing a jean jacket over a soft blue tank top with a knee-length white skirt. Her face lit up when she saw me.
"Draco!" she shouted happily. She jogged over, and we stood next to each other awkwardly for a moment before she leaned forward and hugged me.
We walked to the restaurant together, Maddie supplying most of the conversation. Since I'd spent the past few years learning magic, there wasn't much I could tell her about. However, as the night went on, I was able to relax, and found it easier to participate in the conversation. I discovered a lot of simple ways to talk about Hogwarts while leaving out the parts about magic.
Maddie was fascinated when I described our "field trips" to Hogsmeade, and loved all my stories about Zonko's Joke Shop. I wished I could take her there.
Regardless of my need to keep so much of my life secret, we had a great time together. And at the end of the night, Maddie gave me a kiss.
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Our second date was a little more unique.
While I'd been shopping for muggle clothes, I'd picked up a newspaper out of curiosity. I'd skimmed through most of it without finding anything interesting, but one particular article had caught my eye. Apparently, there was an art exhibit in town, and the artist himself was teaching a free pottery class.
I'd immediately gone to a payphone and called the class coordinator from the article. Fortunately, there were a few spots left in the class, and I was able to reserve two for Maddie and I.
Maddie was absolutely delighted when I invited her, and I was rewarded with several excited kisses. Then she took my hand and practically skipped there with me. My smile couldn't have been wider.
The pottery class was first, and even though art wasn't exactly my area of expertise, it was actually pretty fun. Our hands got coated in clay as we shaped simple pots on a wheel. Mine was fat with a big lip, and it was a little lopsided, but not a total failure. Maddie's was thinner, more elegant. When we finished, all the pots were placed in a kiln and we were released to look at the artist's work.
I admit, I probably paid more attention to Maddie than the actual art. The wonder and awe on her face was far more precious to me than anything an artist could create.
After we'd perused everything, we took a break for lunch, then returned to get our finished pots, which were still a little warm. The artist encouraged us to stay and paint them, so we did. Maddie covered hers in spiraling shades of blue, like Van Gogh's "Starry Night". I painted my own pot with green and silver stripes, adding black details around the bottom, neck, and lip.
"Not bad," Maddie remarked with a smile. I grinned back at her.
We walked outside to kill a little time while the paint dried, and I pulled Maddie into a kiss, a real one.
"Thank you," she murmured against my lips.
"For what?"
"For giving this a chance."
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After our second date, Maddie and I started spending a lot more time together. My mother was rarely around to notice how often I was gone.
Sometimes, Maddie and I went out for a meal, or to see a movie, but we often just hung out around her house. I thought about inviting her into the manor, but there were so many magical items that I doubted it would work.
One day, as I was puzzling over that exact problem, Maddie showed up at my door.
"Hey, Draco! So the referee for the match today is sick and I was wondering if you'd mind stepping in?"
Maddie was an assistant coach for a little league football (A/N: soccer) team, which had games every Saturday. I'd been to a few practices, and Maddie and I had played one-on-one a few times, so I was familiar with the rules.
"I guess I could… I don't know how well I'll do."
She shrugged, "It's a bunch of seven year-old girls and their parents. Low stakes. You'll do fine."
I was a little hesitant, but agreed regardless.
Maddie gave me the referee uniform and said she'd meet me there, as she had to get there early. I dressed quickly, and put on a pair of black Converse. I was worried that I'd be late, so I ended up leaving my hair rather messy.
For good luck, I brought the football Maddie had given me for my birthday, and let the kids use that instead of the traditional black and white ball. They seemed pretty excited about it.
I didn't have to do much besides keep track of which team had the ball before it went off the field. It was a close game, but Maddie's team ended up winning by one last-minute goal.
Everyone went out for pizza afterward, and Maddie invited me along. I wasn't much of a kid person, but I have to admit it was entertaining to see all the little girls so excited about their victory.
When the celebratory lunch was over, I walked Maddie home.
"You know," she said with a somewhat sly grin, "I like your hair like that."
I cocked my head at her, a little confused.
"You always slick it back, but I you should really leave it natural more often." Maddie ran her fingers through my hair. "It's really soft."
I felt my face heat up a little, and Maddie laughed, pressing her lips to mine. Her hands were still threaded in my hair.
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The most exciting date we went on wasn't one that either of us planned.
Since I'd spent so much time at Maddie's house, I'd gotten to know her family a little bit. They were good people, and they were very kind to me. Her parents seemed happy that I made their daughter happy. I didn't really feel like I deserved their kindness, but I was grateful.
A few weeks after we started dating, they gave Maddie two concert tickets that they happened to find for a good deal. While it wasn't said out loud, she knew the second one was for me. I was honored by the gesture.
The concert was in London, and it was a band called The Who. (A/N: The Who actually did play a concert in London on June 29, 1996) I'd never heard of them before, but Maddie was a big fan, so I figured they had to be good.
I had to ask Maddie what I should wear, and she told me to dress casual, so I wore jeans and a burgundy t-shirt. I stared at my hair for a minute and ran a hand through it, before deciding to leave it as it was.
Maddie wore jean shorts and a black tank top. Her hair was in a ponytail, long blonde hair hanging down in wild curls. Her mother and father offered to drive us, and Maddie's little brother Bennett came too.
Bennett and Maddie didn't look much alike. His hair was a dark auburn and his eyes were a bright green. Still, the boy reminded me of Maddie when she was younger.
Bennett was apparently a genius of sorts. Though he was only ten, he was about to enter year seven. I talked to him during the car ride, and he told me that he wanted to be a doctor so that he could help people. That made me smile.
We finally got to Hyde Park, the concert venue, and waved goodbye to Maddie's parents.
The concert was amazing. It was pretty hot in the crowd, but we managed. A ways into the night, Maddie and I found a little space to dance, which was pretty great.
Seeing Maddie so delighted always made me happy. She had a beautiful laugh, too, and whenever she really laughed her eyes scrunched up on the sides in the most adorable way. Being with her made it easy to forget how awful the world was becoming.
When we finally got back home, it was pretty late. Bennett was asleep on the car window, so I had to climb over Maddie to get out. She pecked me on the lips as I slid out of the car, and I winked at her in a rather uncharacteristic way. I was on a sort of high from the night, and felt almost giddy. I wasn't sure how I was ever going to fall asleep.
When I walked in the door, my mother suddenly appeared. Not appeared as in apparated, she just showed up all of a sudden and caught me off guard.
"Draco! Where on earth have you been- I was worried!"
And my high dissipated. Up until that point, I hadn't seen much of my mother, so I'd been able to maintain a relationship with Maddie as well as a semblance of normalcy at home.
"Nowhere," I muttered, hoping she wouldn't push the issue. I'd had such a great night and I didn't want to spoil it with an argument.
I started walking towards my room. My mother followed.
"Don't tell me you were nowhere, because you had to be somewhere."
I sighed, but didn't reply.
"Draco! Listen to me when I'm talking to you!"
I ignored her.
"DRACO LUCIUS MALFOY, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL NIGHT?"
"None of your business!" I snapped back. Having reached my room, I stepped inside and slammed the door. "Leave me alone!"
I hoped my mother would let this go, or that I could find a good explanation. Otherwise, I doubted Maddie and I would get to spend much time together for a while.
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Sorry if Narcissa's a little OOC. I did my best, but she still kind of sounds like Molly Weasely to me. Oh well. It could be worse.
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