THC Year 7, Round 8 - Never Be Forgotten
House: Slytherin
Class: DADA
Entry: Drabble
Prompt: [Situation] Not knowing anybody at an event (Alt, not knowing most people)
Word count: 988
Betas: Aya Diefair, Butterflies765, Fires of Eden Red Rose Aurora
I am aware that Draco married Astoria, Daphne's little sister, however, I felt like it would fit better if the Greengrass family would introduce Daphne instead of Astoria, as Daphne would be roughly the same age as Draco.
Enjoy this little drabble of mine :D
The First Of Many Uncomfortable Evenings
Draco tugged at the collar of his suit. It was uncomfortably tight around his neck, so tight that he could barely push his fingers between the fabric and his skin. But his mother had told him to wear it anyway.
"Man up, Draco," she had said when he'd complained to her about the stiffness of the garment. "You're a Pureblood, and you are to dress like one. Now, brush your hair. It looks horrendous."
He knew he wasn't to moan about his robes, yet he couldn't bring himself to get over them.
As he was standing in the doorway to the grand entrance hall to Malfoy Manor, he shook out his arms just before tugging at the top button again. Would anyone notice if he were to loosen it just a bit? For only a minute or two?
Probably.
Did he care?
Yes, a small voice in his head provided the answer almost as soon as the thought had entered his mind. He was a Pureblood, the heir of one of the wealthiest and most influential families in Great Britain and France combined. He would survive an evening in an uncomfortable suit. His whole future would be full of these evenings, after all.
That knowledge, however, did nothing but point him at the second issue that presented itself right in front of his eyes—the people mingling in his home, none of whom he had ever seen before.
"Ah, Draco!" A very posh-looking woman with long, black robes walked up to him and held out her hand for him to shake. She had a hairstyle he would be able to find in one of the history books his father had told him to study last month. "It's a true pleasure to finally meet the heir of the House of Malfoy."
"The pleasure is mine, Ma'am." If he was anything, he was polite. He may not have a clue who this Victorian-looking woman was, but he was sure she was someone. So, he did as he had been taught when encountering awkward situations—he maneuvered his way out of it in the most elegant way he could think of.
"I hope you are having an enjoyable time in our humble home," he said while plastering his rehearsed smile onto his face, "and I do hope we will get the opportunity to talk to each other at a later point, but I must look for my parents. If you excuse me." He did a little bow, just for good measure, and forced his legs to move slowly away from the beaming woman. He may just be eight years old, but he did know how to carry himself like someone of pure blood.
He dodged more eager wizards and witches that wanted to make his acquaintance with excuses varying from "Thank you, sir, I do need to refresh myself, though, if you will excuse me" to "I see my mother waving for me. I am truly sorry, I would love to converse with you after the banquet." It was exhausting and, although he had said so at least six or seven times, he had yet to find either of his parents.
He had made his way through the ground floor three times before he found the one woman he had been looking for for nearly an hour now. "Mother," he whispered as he tapped her on the back.
She turned around, holding a glass of sparkling champagne. "Ah, there you are, Draco," she said before putting her hand on his shoulder and guiding him to her other side. "I want to introduce you to the Greengrass family. These are Mr. and Mrs. Greengrass with their eldest daughter, Daphne."
Draco eyed the girl for a second before he put on his pleasant smile and offered his hand to the woman. "It's an honour to finally meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Greengrass"—he turned to the man and shook his hand as well—"Mother and Father have only said good things about your family."
"Is that so?" He wasn't sure whether Mrs. Greengrass was amused or merely polite as she turned her smiling face back to his mother. "Well, we very much appreciated the invitation to your gathering."
"Oh, it was nothing," Draco's mother said before taking a tiny sip of her beverage. "Lucius and I are just very grateful that Draco has finally reached an age that allows him to partake in the pleasantries."
"Indeed, it is very much the same with our Daphne. We thought she might enjoy mingling."
Their parents droned on and on about meaningless topic after meaningless topic and Draco couldn't do much more than stand next to his mother and wait patiently. This was what he had been practicing with his etiquette teacher—knowing his place and keeping quiet unless talked to.
He would have tried to engage that Daphne girl in a conversation, but she looked just as boring as her parents sounded. Plain hair-do, plain dress, plain face. Nothing special about her, nothing that said Pureblood to him, at least.
"Draco," his mother's voice pulled him out of his distracting thoughts, and he turned his head towards her, smile in place, "why don't you take Daphne to your wing in the manor and show her the rooms? I'm sure she will enjoy a little private tour of the house."
His stomach dropped uncomfortably, and he had to actively bite back a groan when he understood the meaning of her words. If his parents wanted him to spend time with the Greengrass daughter, they had a future planned for him; a future he already knew he wouldn't enjoy.
"Of course, Mother," he said nonetheless because, first and foremost, he was the heir of one of the wealthiest and most influential families in Great Britain and France combined.
He would survive an evening in an uncomfortable suit and with unpleasant company.
Hehe I hope you liked it!
Until next time - see ya!