Anna, Will, Lily, Caroline, Harry, Hermione, Ron and Seamus were
sitting in a booth, not far from were Draco sat, alone, waiting for Alicia
Spinnet, a woman he barely remembered.
"Maybe we should order, so not to make it so obvious that we're spying on him." Hermione said. Everyone agreed, but they made no move to pick up their menus. They watched in silence for another five minutes, before a slim woman with long brown hair walked in.
"Is that her?" Caroline whispered. Hermione nodded, without looking away from them.
"He's such a gentleman." Hermione said adoringly as Draco stood to remove the woman's cloak and pull her chair out. He glanced over at them and then leaned over to say something to Alicia, who nodded.
"Maybe you guys should turn around and sit on your asses so no one thinks you're spying or anything." Draco said, frowning amusedly at them. Everyone turned immediately and sat down. Draco walked back to his table.
"Hi." He said nervously. "How have you been, since, uh, I saw you last?"
He relaxed when Alicia didn't giggle at him. She smiled, and spoke instead. "I've been good. Working a lot, I guess. I don't know why, since I have no one else to supposrt."
"I guess that's why. When you have no one else to support you have no one to spend your time with either. That's why I put in over-time."
"I heard about your daughter, I'm sorry." She said tentatively. "Is that not something you talk about?"
Draco smiled. "Oh no, by all means." He pulled a photo out of his pocket. "That's her, just before third year."
"Maybe we should leave. Or something." Harry said.
"Why?" Everyone else.
"Because, they're talking. And stuff. And we should leave them alone."
Hermione rolled her eyes but nodded. "Yeah, alright. Come on everyone, back to our place. We'll catch up with Draco later."
"So d'you think this is going to work out?" Ron asked Harry later, as they sat back at the house.
"I hope so. Draco deserves something to work out."
"No kidding. Why Alicia Spinnet?"
"She's the only person from school who isn't dead, married or in St Mungo's."
"Good enough for me."
They talked pointlessly for the next couple of hours, jumping everytime the door so much as creaked. Finally, when everyone's nerves were so shot they were vibrating, Draco walked in. He looked at everyone warily as he hung up his cloak and took his shoes off. "What? What do you want?" He asked.
"How'd it go?"
"Fine." Draco said cautiously.
"Did you walk her back to her flat?"
"Yes."
"Did she invite you up?"
"Would I be here if she had?"
"Good man! Thought you were losing your touch."
Hermione kicked Seamus and tunred back to Draco. "Are you going to see her again?"
"Probably. Why?"
"Because you need a girlfriend. It's very important and vital to the path your life is taking. Do you want to die alone?"
"Well if it meant never having to be bothered by you guys again, then yes, I would."
"You don't mean that." Hermione said lazily.
"Wanna bet."
"Yes." Harry dug around in his pocket and pulled out some gold. "Ten galleons says you don't mean that."
Draco reached into his pocket and threw a galleon at each one of them, pelting them in the forehead with the gold pieces.
"Heh heh heh. So you like her then? She's polite and mild-mannered and knows what to say to someone who murdered his own father?"
"Why can't you drop that?" Draco said, sitting down in a chair.
"I don't know. Possibly because I don't know anyone else who's done it."
Draco shook his head. "What a freak."
"Maybe we should order, so not to make it so obvious that we're spying on him." Hermione said. Everyone agreed, but they made no move to pick up their menus. They watched in silence for another five minutes, before a slim woman with long brown hair walked in.
"Is that her?" Caroline whispered. Hermione nodded, without looking away from them.
"He's such a gentleman." Hermione said adoringly as Draco stood to remove the woman's cloak and pull her chair out. He glanced over at them and then leaned over to say something to Alicia, who nodded.
"Maybe you guys should turn around and sit on your asses so no one thinks you're spying or anything." Draco said, frowning amusedly at them. Everyone turned immediately and sat down. Draco walked back to his table.
"Hi." He said nervously. "How have you been, since, uh, I saw you last?"
He relaxed when Alicia didn't giggle at him. She smiled, and spoke instead. "I've been good. Working a lot, I guess. I don't know why, since I have no one else to supposrt."
"I guess that's why. When you have no one else to support you have no one to spend your time with either. That's why I put in over-time."
"I heard about your daughter, I'm sorry." She said tentatively. "Is that not something you talk about?"
Draco smiled. "Oh no, by all means." He pulled a photo out of his pocket. "That's her, just before third year."
"Maybe we should leave. Or something." Harry said.
"Why?" Everyone else.
"Because, they're talking. And stuff. And we should leave them alone."
Hermione rolled her eyes but nodded. "Yeah, alright. Come on everyone, back to our place. We'll catch up with Draco later."
"So d'you think this is going to work out?" Ron asked Harry later, as they sat back at the house.
"I hope so. Draco deserves something to work out."
"No kidding. Why Alicia Spinnet?"
"She's the only person from school who isn't dead, married or in St Mungo's."
"Good enough for me."
They talked pointlessly for the next couple of hours, jumping everytime the door so much as creaked. Finally, when everyone's nerves were so shot they were vibrating, Draco walked in. He looked at everyone warily as he hung up his cloak and took his shoes off. "What? What do you want?" He asked.
"How'd it go?"
"Fine." Draco said cautiously.
"Did you walk her back to her flat?"
"Yes."
"Did she invite you up?"
"Would I be here if she had?"
"Good man! Thought you were losing your touch."
Hermione kicked Seamus and tunred back to Draco. "Are you going to see her again?"
"Probably. Why?"
"Because you need a girlfriend. It's very important and vital to the path your life is taking. Do you want to die alone?"
"Well if it meant never having to be bothered by you guys again, then yes, I would."
"You don't mean that." Hermione said lazily.
"Wanna bet."
"Yes." Harry dug around in his pocket and pulled out some gold. "Ten galleons says you don't mean that."
Draco reached into his pocket and threw a galleon at each one of them, pelting them in the forehead with the gold pieces.
"Heh heh heh. So you like her then? She's polite and mild-mannered and knows what to say to someone who murdered his own father?"
"Why can't you drop that?" Draco said, sitting down in a chair.
"I don't know. Possibly because I don't know anyone else who's done it."
Draco shook his head. "What a freak."