Chapter 14: What They Don't Say

"Draco."

The silver-eyed wizard standing within a hair's breadth of her chuckled slightly, plucking her glass from her hand and taking a swig. He grimaced and handed the glass back to her. "If you're going to drink alone, at least make it worth it." He flagged down the bartender, calling for a red wine and a whiskey before turning back to her.

Katerina had a million thoughts running through her mind but the first sound to escape her lips was a loud huff. "How did you…" she stopped. How did you find me? How did you know what I did? How did you know I'm here alone? He ignored her almost-question, taking his time paying the bartender and handing her her glass.

"May I?" he asked, raising an eyebrow and gesturing toward the chair she had just moments ago slid out of reach of Ollie. She narrowed her eyes at him, contemplating pulling the same stunt, before nodding once. She threw back the dregs of her beer and held the wine glass in its place. They stared at each other, neither wanting to be the first to speak.

Kate sighed indignantly and tried again, this time only asking "How?" and nothing else.

"Your brother told me," he answered as simply as she had asked, shifting in his seat to lean his arm against the bar, his free hand resting on his knee so close to her own leg.

"And how did Ben know where I was?" she asked, shifting in her own chair so her leg wasn't so close to his. It was difficult enough to concentrate with the anger and the alcohol flowing through her system, she didn't need to get distracted by the feel of his magic sparking against hers.

"He didn't. He simply told me you had a row with your parents and left rather abruptly."

"Why would he tell you?" Her tone was harsh even in her own ears and she immediately felt guilty. He bristled a little and took a drink before answering.

"I'd written you." Her eyes went wide and she averted her gaze to her drink as she raised it to her mouth. "I know it's been a while-"

"Ya think?" she cut in. His face hardened but he didn't argue.

"And I wanted to check on you, make sure you had everything you needed before school starts next week."

"How considerate," she murmured, keeping her gaze away from him while he continued.

"And," he tried again, his frustration obvious, "to ask if you'd be interested in joining me on the train ride to the school." At this she did look at him. Shit, it was Blaise who knew about my early arrival, but Draco had no idea. "However, your brother wrote me back saying you weren't home. Didn't tell me any specific details, only that you'd disappeared for a bit."

She sat there for a few moments in silence, taking in everything he'd just said before nodding slowly. "Right. Okay. And you just happened to come here of all places to look for me?"

He smirked, adjusting in his seat so this time his knee did brush against hers, sending a jolt through her whole leg, and, she imagined, through his as well. She absently ran her hand up and down her denim-clad leg to dispel the aching need for him to do it again, sipping her drink in the other hand. "Educated guess," was all he said.

"Good guess," she said, a little more breathless than she wished for. He chuckled at her demeanor and finished off his drink, signaling to the bartender for another.

Once it was safely in hand he turned back to her. "So what do you think?"

"About what?" she asked, unable to remember any specific question he'd asked in his presentation of information.

"About joining me on the train this Sunday."

"Oh. No." She watched something akin to hope leave his eyes and once again felt two inches tall. "Oh, no! I don't mean that I don't want to. I just can't. Ben and I are going up on Saturday to be sorted." He seemed to recover and nodded.

"Makes sense. Less attention that way. And you won't have to deal with the simpering first years in the process," he replied. Of course he'd understand, she thought, giving him a shy smile. He returned it, and silence fell between the pair again.

After a few quiet moments Katerina heard him inhale in a way that suggested he was going to say something, but when she looked at him expectantly, he only swallowed a bit of his drink and stayed quiet.

"Blaise said he's planning drinks for his birthday. I hope you'll be there," she said, breaking the silence with something she hoped would make him happy to hear. She was wrong. His eyebrows drew close together in confusion and she saw his hand tighten on his glass slightly.

"Is he?" he asked, the question clearly rhetorical. Unsure of why this would make him mad, Katerina only sat there. He had to know, surely. Unless Blaise hadn't told him, only her. That certainly sounded like something Blaise would do now that she had resigned herself to the realization that he was capable of anything. Draco didn't say anything else, and she watched his hand slowly curl into a fist, like some sort of realization had been made on his end but she wasn't sure what.

Hesitantly she reached out her hand and placed it next to his on his knee. His icy demeanor melted at her touch and she could feel his sizzling magic slow to a patient buzz on contact.

"That doesn't seem fair," he saying jokingly, unfurling his fist to place his hand over hers.

"Whatever do you mean?" she asked playfully. A smile tugged at the corners of his lips. She knew already because the same thing had happened minutes before when his knee had graced hers: the negative emotions she had been feeling had fallen away and been replaced with a desire to just touch and be touched. Apparently he felt it too, and she pulled her hand back just enough to interlock their fingers together.

She got a flashback to the dream she'd had of them before, and was thankful her face was probably flushed enough from the alcohol so as to mask the blush that threatened to reveal her inner thoughts about wanting to kiss him in real life. Instead, they sat in amicable silence, neither feeling the need to say anything, allowing their mingling magicks to do all the work.

She was startled from her trance when he spoke, his voice low, laced with mild concern. "Do you want to talk about what happened?"

He didn't have to be specific, she knew what he meant. She hadn't intended to talk to him about the fight with her parents, and she knew if she did she'd not be able to stop herself from telling him about Blaise's comments as well since it was all connected in her mind. However, after his reaction to the small bit she told him about Blaise's birthday, she thought it better to leave sleeping dogs lie for now and enjoy the present situation.

"No," she said, shaking her head slightly and tightening her grip on his hand. "It's not that important. I'd rather just enjoy tonight out while we… I can." He opened his mouth as if to argue, but seemed to think better of it and raised his glass to his lips instead, and she thought a silent thank you for it.

Out of the corner of her eye she could see Ollie staring at them, his previous red face of embarrassment replaced with crimson irritation. He made to stand, but one of his friend grabbed his arm and pulled him viciously back in his seat, whispering what she thought was "it's not worth it, mate," before turning back to the rest of the group. Katerina raised an eyebrow at the scene, but only shifted in her seat so she was facing the bar more straight on, their hands twisting to be clasped palm to palm.

Draco watched her movements and glanced over his shoulder at the red-faced boy seething more heavily when he made eye contact with the blond. She saw Draco's jaw clench and unclench slightly, his chin lifting in silent satisfaction for having clearly gotten under the other boy's skin without doing any work, and turned his back on him once more.

This time Ollie was able to slip through his friend's grasp, and was heading straight for them, anger etched across his face. Draco turned at the sound of Ollie's chair scraping across the ground as he stood, and whispered something under his breath she didn't quite catch only a second before the No-Maj boy tripped over seemingly nothing and sprawled out like a starfish on the floor once more. Katerina gasped, covering her mouth with the hand that wasn't holding Draco's and looked at the wizard with shock that he'd actually hex a No-Maj after chastising her for doing the same.

The bar erupted into hysterics again while two of Ollie's friends rushed over, hauling him to his feet and dragging him forcibly outside, the rest following not far behind.

"Draco!" she admonished, swiping at his arm with her free hand, though it was half-hearted, he knew.

"Don't look at me," he said, his face cracking into a genuine smile, faint laughter rising up with it as he held up his free hand as if to prove he didn't have his wand so he couldn't have done it. She swiftly brought her wine glass to her mouth, trying to mask the smile breaking out on her face in response, finishing the drink much faster than probably recommended.

She realized just how much she liked the way his eyes lit up when he smiled, truly smiled, not smirked. And that he had more of a playful side than she thought possible for the usually stoic aristocrat. Whatever it is that's been bothering him lately, at least he's distracted for a moment, she thought.

She was so caught up in the way his silver eyes sparkled like his signet ring had in the sun that she didn't realize he had said something.

"Sorry, what was that?" she asked, shaking her head to clear the image of that ring still at the bottom of her delicates drawer. His face was no longer bright and happy, like reality had set in heavily on him again.

"I said, it's getting late. We should get you home." Katerina's own face fell and she huffed petulantly.

"Oh, come on. One more." She knew it sounded like begging but she didn't much care. She brought their clasped hands up toward her, putting her other hand around the back of his. The magic pulsed from one side to the other, passing through like a pendulum.

"I only came to make sure you were alright. I'm not even supposed to be out, much less drinking this much," he said, but the conviction he'd had in his previous statement was waning with each pass of the pendulum chord.

"Neither am I," she shrugged. He huffed, staring at her eyes as if half-wishing she'd change her mind. Instead he rolled his eyes, conceding.

"Fine. One more," he said, holding up a single finger and then lifting another to motion to the bartender. Katerina grinned at his defeat and pulled her second hand back so she could take the fresh glass, the other guiding their clasped hands back to her lap this time. The couple clinked their glasses in salute and drank slowly.

"So," she started, causing one of his eyebrows to raise in anticipation. "Are you an only child?"

He nodded slowly, seemingly taken back a bit by the question. "Yes. My parents tried for years to have me. After many failed attempts I popped up, and being a male, my father thought better than trying again and risk putting my mother in danger."

Katerina paled a bit. "The pureblood curse," she breathed, and he nodded again. "My mom got pregnant with me almost immediately after their marriage. But Benny… he was a surprise." She stopped, unsure how to continue. He squeezed her hand, prompting but not forceful. "It nearly killed her. She was in the hospital for three months before he was born, and another two after. He came home before she did, actually." She took a long drink before continuing. "I think that's probably why she's so protective of him. He's the child that shouldn't have been but was…"

"And you feel like the child who was, but shouldn't have been," he said, finishing her unspoken thought. Katerina nodded, but said nothing. "Is that what earlier was about?"

She thought about it for a second and meekly shrugged one shoulder. "My mom and I get along fine most of the time, but when we don't it usually has to do with Ben, or some way that I've managed to mess up, again. She's always been very... passionate about everything she does, including being a mother, but sometimes I feel like that passion is disproportionately split between Benny and me."

Draco hummed in response, and she could tell he was trying to think of what to say next.

"I don't mean to kill the mood," she said, a small chuckle escaping her lips. "I guess it's just been playing on my mind a lot lately." Draco nodded in understanding and took a swig of his own drink. She briefly admired his ability to throw back whiskey without making a face about it; older than his years in many small ways.

"My mother has always hovered over me. Ever since I was young she raised me to be kind and respectful to everyone. It was my father who taught me the difference between being a boy and being a man, and often being a man directly contradicted what my mother had tried to teach me." Katerina gazed as the man in front of her. At only sixteen it was clear in his eyes that he'd experienced more than most had at his age, and she couldn't begin to fathom being an heir to a family like she'd heard the Malfoys are.

"I know we're still getting to know each other, but I like the man you are," Katerina offered, her voice shy, barely loud enough to be heard above the noise around them. She'd said this expecting it to offer him some comfort, but as she watched his face change to a look of mild anguish, she was once again left wondering what it was she said wrong. He avoided her gaze, looking down at their clasped hands, absently running his thumb back and forth across the back of her hand.

"I'm trying," he said, so quietly she wasn't sure she'd heard him correctly. Her heart ached at the pain in his voice, and without thinking, she leaned forward and pressed her lips lightly to his cheek, feeling his warm skin emit a sizzle and pop against hers. It only lasted a couple seconds, and she pulled back to find his eyes squeezed shut but his cheek where her lips had been turned a subtle pink. He let out a long exhale, and when he opened his eyes to meet hers his pupils were dilated, his irises a deep slate.

Next to them a bell rang, the bartender calling out "LAST CALL!" followed by a collective grumble from the crowd.

"I think that's our lot," he remarked, his anguish breaking, replaced with reluctance. Katerina tore her eyes away to look at the level in her glass. With only a centimeter left, she downed the rest and set the glass on the bar for the bartender to collect when he's ready. Draco followed her lead, downing the rest of his drink, though there was more in his than hers, and standing up from his seat. Katerina groaned, but allowed him to pull her into a standing position as well. As soon as her feet hit the ground all of the alcohol that had lain dormant rushed to her head, and Katerina pulled her hand out of Draco's grasp just in time to grip his shoulders to keep herself from toppling over. His hands went immediately to her upper arms to steady her, and between the alcohol and his close proximity she thought she might combust on sight.

"You okay?" Draco asked, more amused than concerned. She took a couple deep breaths and nodded. Draco squeeze her arms lightly just to make sure before leaning down to retrieve her coat which had fallen to the floor at some point without her noticing. He helped her slide her arms into it, and took her hand in his once again to lead them out. "Come on," he prodded, "some fresh air will do you good."

In her own warped reality Katerina thought she was walking fine as they stepped out into the chill night air, and made to protest when he pulled his hand from hers before draping his arm around her shoulders to hold her up. He snickered beside her, but the glare she shot him stopped him from saying anything.

They walked for a bit in silence, Draco only catching her twice more when she failed to pick her foot up high enough and stumbled slightly. They came upon an old church, the name of which Katerina barely registered as some beheaded old saint. She noticed the dark outline of massive gravestones jutting from the black grass sea just to the right of the stone building, wondering how many of those are older than her home country. A low stone wall ran the edge of the grounds and Draco lead them over to sit on it.

Katerina inhaled and exhaled a few cleansing breaths, watching a faint puff of steam leave her mouth as she did. Draco's arm slid from her shoulder down her back, his hand resting on her right hip, leaving a trail of fire in its wake despite the layers of clothing between them.

"Thank you," she breathed, drawing his attention from whatever he saw in the night.

"For what?" A faint whiff of cedar and spearmint rose from him, mingling with the smell of coming rain. She laid her head on his shoulder, and after a few moments he rested his chin on her head.

"For being here tonight." He hummed in response but said nothing, and Katerina suppressed a chuckle as his ever-popular response to things. She could practically hear him thinking next to her, and resisted the urge to push her way into his mind, opting instead for his tactic from earlier. "Want to talk about it?"

Once again she heard him inhale as if to speak, but stopped, shaking his head slowly. "Not tonight."

"Well, I'm here whenever you do," she replied, placing her left hand on his anxiously bouncing knee to stop it. He covered her hand with his free one, communicating a silent thank you for not pressuring him to talk, and resumed his stoney silence.

Katerina was unsure how long they sat on that churchyard wall, but when the bell chimed announcing midnight had arrived, she knew her adventure was over.

"Time to go," they voiced at the same time. She giggled when she felt his chest shake in amusement before they reluctantly pulled apart to stand up.

"Think you can apparate safely from here?" he asked, his face serious once more. She looked at him questioningly, slightly disappointed that he meant to leave her here rather than seeing her home safely, but she merely nodded. "I expect an owl when you get there." His concern for her made her smile slightly, and she reached out to squeeze his hand once. He raised her hand to his lips, letting them linger there as the fireworks of his magic and hers exploded across her skin. "Good night, Ms. Boot," his warm breath ghosting across her fingers.

She glanced back at the church clock before meeting his mercurial eyes once more. "Good morning, Mr. Malfoy." A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he straightened, squeezing her hand once more before letting go. She offered him one last smile, then stepped back to a safe distance before drawing her wand and disapparating toward home.