Chapter 26: Sticky Labels
Harry felt like he was the leader of a wolf pack as he wandered through the muggle town in the lead. Even though Draco had magically managed to break the ice with the two totally different couples with his cool wit, Harry was still the one expected to lead them around so they wouldn't have a argument. This was why Harry didn't quite enjoy the prospect of group dates to begin with. It was just... always on edge. And it didn't matter how many times they had hanged out together. Draco felt it too, as his personality had took on a one hundred-eighty degree change as Draco wasn't known for liking uncomfortable, non-talking situations.
It was mainly Blaise's and Ron's fault. Harry was grown up enough to admit that his best friend was always ready to defend his friends, even if there was no need to, at least, if only to himself. Ron kept 'an eye on' Blaise and Pansy wherever they went and whatever they did, and it was obvious to everyone else. Blaise had already made hilarious quips about it being flattering, but it was obvious that Pansy was getting exceedingly uncomfortable. Harry had grown accustomed to how Pansy seemed to function; she was all bold and brash on the surface, but as soon as she was reminded of something she was afraid of, her fight-or-flight kicked in. Mostly learned from Draco.
Hermione was second in charge of keeping everyone decent. She kept Pansy in the loop, and they seemed to be having a girls-only conversation last time Harry had tuned in. Which was fine, you know, if all of them were girls. But they weren't, so Draco still had to keep Blaise and Ron from hair-pulling. "Guys! Look! A drive-in! We have to do it." Harry pointed at a sign. Harry had been looking for something to do the whole time, because after their real group date (At the Three Broomsticks) Hermione had suggested they go adventuring through a muggle town (Right as soon as they got back to their dorms to change) since it was such a 'nice night' (Which knowing Hermione, it was not a suggestion.)
...Fast forward thirty minutes, and there they were. "Are you sure about this, Harry? We might get robbed." Draco said, concerned. Hermione and Harry both laughed, but the rest of the born-wizards were still confused. "It's just a outdoor movie. We'll be fine." Harry shared a grin with Hermione and they both began walking in the direction of tickets. Everyone else sped to keep up. When they finally got in line, Harry let the others go first so he could hang back with Draco. "How's it going?" Harry said, jokingly. Draco rolled his eyes and uncomfortably stuck close to Harry due to his proximity to a growing amount of family members joining the line behind him.
"Oh it's... going, alright. Why Hermione always thinks this is a good idea I have no idea why. I just hope this ends quick." Draco said, eyes shifting from a tense Ron to a boisterous Blaise. "Well, no one is saying we can't have fun." Harry said, smirking at Draco. Draco chuckled. "At a muggle public event? Why Harry, Whoever thought you to be so scandalous." Draco whispered in Harry's ear so neither their friends or the muggles behind them could hear. Harry was about to say another suggestive thing when he noticed that it was their group's turn to buy tickets. Draco grinned and wrapped an arm around Harry.
~.~.~.~.~.
Draco shuffled around in his coat pockets for his wallet, hating how inconvenient and tight muggle clothes were, but they were the only ones Draco had just hanging around in his closet for when Hermione insanely asked to go out at night in a muggle shopping center. Harry, of course, looked comfortably rugged in a tee and jeans, like such fashion troubles were beyond him. He hadn't even bothered getting a coat, he had just stuck his wallet in his back pocket without a care in the world for pickpockets, because in his words, he 'wasn't scared of them'. His boyfriend was the snobbish one, not him, thank you very much.
The guy at the ticket counter had a toothy grin on his face when Harry and Draco both came up to pay. "The third and fourth wheels, huh? You two the only ones without a date?" Draco, already irritated with the man's clueless behavior, tugged Harry closer to him and took his hand instead of answering. "No, we're not." Harry answered for him, trying to be polite. Draco stared the man right in the face as he gave him the required ten Euros. Muggle money confused him, and he was thankful when he did nothing but hand him back change (even though he had no idea what it meant.) "You could have been nicer to the poor man, you know." Harry scolded, after giving the man his money as well as they walked away.
"And let him say something about us? I don't think so." Draco said, on edge. He held Harry's hand tight as they followed Hermione to the front of the drive-in where people who didn't bring cars were lounging on blankets. "Uhhh, Hermione, We didn't bring a blanket." Pansy said, eyebrows arching in hidden message. "Oh! How silly of me! I might have one for us in my bag..." Hermione said, putting her bag down and crouching in front of it. Ron stood behind her to block the view of Hermione grabbing her wand and summoning a blanket, something Harry said Hermione would often do while they were out in a muggle area.
Harry knew The Golden Trio were no strangers to breaking the Wizard rules, but Pansy and Blaise still acted like it was the most shocking thing they had ever seen to annoy them. Even Draco ignored them and sat down on the blanket instead. They eventually gave up on the face-making as soon as they noticed a food cart. "Want anything?" Harry asked, turning to Draco with a smirk. "Well... at movies they serve popcorn... so popcorn would be nice." Draco said, trying to sound convinced. He still wasn't comfortable with the greasy fast foods of the muggle word, but he wasn't about to be made fun of by Harry.
"To being ousted as a gay couple at a muggle place." Harry said, as he ceremoniously passed a huge popcorn box to Draco. "I thought you didn't like labels, Harry." Pansy asked quizzically. "He doesn't. But I've never liked fanny myself, so..." Draco said, eliciting laughter from Harry. "Merlin, Draco! So crude in a place where children are around!" Pansy mocked, but Draco knew she was joking by the telltale cat's grin on her face. Hermione groaned and Ron uncomfortably asked if they could just watch the movie already. Blaise, for his part, said nothing as he had popcorn in his mouth. Draco took some himself and grimaced. "What is this on the popcorn, Harry?" Harry looked at him incredulously. "It's popcorn salt, Draco!"