Third Person POV:
Draco Malfoy was utterly baffled. It hadn't even hit him until he heard the clicking of Adeleine's heels against the marble floors that they were going on a date. A date. Something that Draco had been looking forward to for a long time. Draco wasn't experienced in that area. He didn't go out on dates and only recently had begun to change his ways. It was all new to him.
But Draco Malfoy was ecstatic. He felt like he was on cloud nine, but that feeling wouldn't last long when the realization of stress began to overpower his feeling over euphoria. He had no idea what to do. He had never planned a date before and the only time he was ever on a date was in third year when he had decided to make the grave mistake of going out with Pansy. It was safe to say that he never made that mistake again.
And even then he didn't plan out the date. Pansy had dragged his ass all the way to the Three Broomsticks where they just indulged in some warm butter beer and talked about things like Quidditch and that stupid chicken that had injured his arm. It wasn't a terrible first date, but it wasn't enjoyable either.
Draco walked back into the Great Hall, immediately spotting Theo and rushing over to him with a panicked face. "How did it go?" Theo asked, stuffing a slice of pancake into his mouth.
"It went... good" Draco said, furrowing his brows. He wasn't entirely sure himself.
"Well then explain mate" Theo said, gesturing for Draco to sit down next to him and finish his breakfast that had gotten cold. Draco pushed his plate away from him, not feeling very hungry anymore.
"I think we're going on a date" Draco rubbed the back of his neck, feeling his skin heat up at the mention.
"You think?" Theo raised an eyebrow confused and needing more explanation.
"Well I'm pretty sure. She told me to take her out on a date and to be honest I was kind of dazed out, you know. And so I'm pretty sure I'm taking her on a date" Draco explained, choppy and rambled.
"Good for you mate!" Theo cheered. "Merlin finally, I mean the way you two eye fuck each other, one would think you're undressing her in your mind."
Draco gave Theo a small glare to try to stop the heat that was rising to his cheeks. "It's not good!" Draco protested. "I mean I'm supposed to plan the date?"
"Well that show it usually works mate" Theo, pat his back and shook his head in disbelief.
"I know! But I'm not good at this. I mean where would I even take her?" Draco asked.
Theo was never one for advice. He was always the person taking advice and this was all new to him. He was the person who always needed help and now he was being asked for help. He couldn't help but feel slightly excited by that idea.
"What does she like?" Theo asked. "I mean you know her well enough."
"She likes Astronomy, Merlin she loves Astronomy. She's not the biggest fan of quidditch, but she'll watch to support her friends. I dunno, she loves books. She's an avid reader."
"Well then do something that has to with Astronomy or reading" Theo suggests and Draco silently thanks Theo in his mind, he would never say it out loud, but he is truly thankful for Theodore Nott.
Draco nodded understandingly, "But what?"
"I dunno, maybe go stargazing or something. Plan a very cliche picnic that makes her fall head over heels for you. Take her to a library and buy her as many books as she wants" Theo suggests like it is the most obvious thing in the world.
Draco raised an eyebrow to Theo with an impressed smirk. "For someone with such great ideas you should really use them for yourself."
"W-What do you mean?" Theo asked, slightly flustered by the oncoming question.
"Oh come on" Draco scoffed. "Don't play dumb on me now. Yesterday you were literally droning on and on about Abbott that I fell asleep on Blaise's bed. Ask her out on date when she comes back from break."
"No idea what you're going on about mate" Theo shook his head, continuing to play dumb.
Draco rolled his eyes, but did not push further. He knew when to stop and it was clear Theo was in a deep deep denial about his feelings for Hannah Abbott. "Alright, well help me come up with more ideas."
Theo nodded eagerly and they began to discuss ideas for Draco's upcoming date. They fined out every detail, planning it all to a tee. Draco was rather excited, though he didn't show it. Theo was just really happy for his mate who he hadn't seen smile like that in a long time with a faint glow in his eyes.
—-
Adeleine sat in the library to start her break homework early. Slughorn had piled them a mountain of homework, including 2 essays about any healing potions of their choice. It was during these times that Adeleine wished Hermione was in the castle. Even though she was intelligent, Astronomy was more of her forte.
"So I heard you asked Malfoy out on a date" came a voice she knew to well. Adeleine grinned to herself before turning to see the face of Theodore Nott.
"I did in fact" she said proudly, with a wide grin on her face. She didn't know where her sudden confidence had sprung up from, but she was enjoying it.
Theo matched her grin, taking the seat next to her at the table she was working on. "Yeah, Malfoy told me. I think you've just made him the happiest man in the world."
Adeleine's smile softened at those words and her heart fluttered. "I hope so" she answered after a minute of silence.
"So what are you doing?" Theo asked, looking through her papers.
"Homework" she answered shortly, beginning to start her essay on Essence of Dittany.
Theo groaned. "What?" she questioned him, "I mean, I told you I was going to work on my homework. We have a shit ton and I'm not trying to have a packed break. I want to relax, so might as well just finish it all the first few days."
"Do we have Astronomy homework?" Theo asked.
"No, but there is an event going on during break. It's called the Christmas Star. It's when Jupiter and Saturn look like their close together and it creates kind of like a planet snowman. I really want to see it" Adeleine described. Her eyes lit up at the talk of Astronomy.
Theo nodded his head, "Good to know. Good to know."
"Anyways, what brings you here? Oh wait, I never got to ask Hannah what she was doing for Christmas. I assumed that she was going home, but you probably know, right?" Adeleine asked.
"W-Why would I know?" Theo stuttered, feeling the room get hotter all of a sudden and his palms beginning to sweat.
"Cause you guys hang out a lot. I mean you probably talked about it, right?"
"Oh, yeah yeah. Of course we did" Theo nodded, wiping the non-existent sweat off his forehead. "Uh, she went home to her family. Apparently her mother got a new pet and their learning how to use muggle things in the house hold. You know, like a muggle camera. She said she's getting one of those. What's it called again? Like a polar bear or something?"
Adeleine chuckled slightly. "You mean a Polaroid?" she raised an unimpressed eyebrow.
Theo pointed at her, snapping his fingers into a gun, "That's the one." Adeleine chuckled again, putting her hand over her mouth.
"That's cool. I have one at home, but I've never brought it to Hogwarts" Adeleine said. "I have a few muggle things at home, like a regular chess set. Got it from my father where he taught me to play chess."
Theo nodded his head in interest as Adeleine began to talk about her family life. The interesting muggle things that she had tried over the years, her father being a muggle and living in the muggle world for 6 years of her life. She promised Theo that the next time they went out to London, she was having him try bubble tea. Along with Blaise, and the others who hadn't tried it.
"How's Hannah?" Adeleine asked in interest and suddenly Theo averted her eyes. "I mean you danced with her right. That's got to mean something."
"Yeah we did. Thanks to you and all" Theo nudged her slightly. "Well she's good I guess. Still nice, still happy, still Hufflepuffy."
Adeleine rolled her eyes at Theo's reluctance, but did not feel the need to push further. She knew that Theo trusted her and would be able to come to her eventually. At that moment she was just focuses on conversing with her friend about a diverse art of topics that ranged from Quidditch, which was a topic she didn't particularly enjoy discussing. She mostly listened while Theo rambled on and on about the Holly Head Harpies who had destroyed her brothers team, Puddlemore United and their chaser had gotten injured.
Adeleine continued to do her homework while Theo talked to her so she had gotten the majority of it all done. She finished the two achingly back breaking essays that Slughorn assigned and the sheets that McGonagall had assigned them. She finished her dream diary for Trelwaney, which was honestly just a bunch of nonsense that she didn't dream. She barely dreamed so she wrote down random ideas of dreams and got top marks for that bullshit.
"Alright I better head back. Malfoy's probably wondering where I went" Theo said, standing up from his chair and pushing it in. "See you tomorrow" Theo waved and Adeleine nodded, waving back at the brown haired boy.
She was content. Her life was finally going uphill from the war that made her life crash and burn. She was going on a date with a really good guy that she was starting to really fancy. It was strange, but a good strange.
