Author's Beginning Notes: All at the end.
Disclaimer: Do not own, so do not sue.
Things seemed to settle down once the plane had landed. The students were finally able to get off the plane. Draco was the first of the group to set foot on the ground.
He looked around, clutching his backpack to his chest. He stood, frozen, at the bottom of the steps, letting out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He gazed slowly around, not yet sure what to make of his new surroundings. He thought for a moment that it was a little humid here, his hair seeming to already be plastered to his scalp.
"Draco?" A voice came softly, followed by hands on his waist, steering him to the side. Draco turned around, looking up at Blaise silently.
"Are you okay? Do you feel any better?" Blaise asked, giving a small smile, though it did not last for long.
The Gryffindor trio stepped off the plane, Professor Lupin and Professor Snape following closely behind them.
Draco glanced over his shoulder toward the steps upon noticing Blaise's sudden scowl. "Come on." Blaise said softly still, steering Draco into the busy airport.
Draco allowed himself to be steered along, still feeling extremely sick from his first plane ride. He held fast to Blaise's hand, stomach lurching. "Merlin, I'm going to be sick." Draco managed out.
Blaise instantly took action.
Keeping hold of Draco's hand, he led the other boy to the restroom that was clearly marked up ahead of them.
The others waited for a long while outside the restrooms. Finally, the two boys emerged. Draco still clutched his bag tightly to his chest as he had before. Blaise walked ahead, pausing when Draco stayed in place.
"Come on," Blaise said, watching Draco's hesitation.
"I-I want to go home." Draco said, slowly walking to Blaise. "I want to go home." Blaise only smiled comfortingly, reaching out and placing a hand on Draco's shoulder. "We'll be going home soon enough." He assured, nodding to the group waiting on them.
"Let's go." Blaise wrapped an arm around Draco's shoulders, giving him a small, reassuring hug, and he began to walk back to the group.
Draco absently touched his stomach, which still seemed unsettled. With a small sigh, he followed after Blaise.
When they reached the others, Professor Snape sent a withering glare at the two.
"I believe we've wasted enough time-here." He said silkily, casting the same glare around the muggle airport.
Professor Lupin rolled his eyes at Snape's comment, motioning for his students to follow him out. Harry, Ron, and Hermione eagerly went after him, Blaise following as well, though at a more leisurely pace.
Professor Snape turned to Draco.
"Mr. Malfoy, I have a stomach settling potion handy, if you're interested." Snape smirked before sweeping after the others.
Draco watched him go, vaguely even missing the billowing black cloak Professor Snape often wore. It wasn't the same seeing Snape-sweeping- without the black robes, but instead in regular muggle clothing.
Draco sighed, and he soon went after them.
Draco fell back onto one of the beds in the room he was sharing with Blaise. He lay there for a while, staring up at the ceiling, unaware of the passing time
After a moment, Draco felt another weight fall back onto the bed next to him. He looked over to see Blaise there.
"Hey," Blaise said, grinning.
"Feeling any better?" He asked Draco, who only shrugged and replied, "I'm hungry now."
Blaise laughed, and he sat up. "Come on, then." He said, grabbing Draco and hauling him off the bed. "Let's go see if we cant-conjure something up." There was a glint in Blaise's eyes as he said that. Draco didn't like it much at all.
"Blaise?" He asked, eyebrows rising in unspoken question.
"Just come one!" Blaise said, and before Draco could object, Blaise was pulling to the door, and out into the hallway.
Draco allowed himself to be pulled down the lavishly furnished hallway, earning a few odd looks from a elderly couple trying to board the elevator.
Blaise went into the elevator when the doors opened, taking Draco along. He let got of Draco's arm, and he hit the button labeled 'G.' He then turned to look at his reflection in the mirror-like walls of the elevator.
Draco glanced his own reflection and cringed in horror. "Blaise!" He whined, trying to get his gel-free hair to lay flat.
Blaise smirked, licking the tip of his fingers, and slicking back the hair that refused to behave for Draco.
Draco flustered slightly. "Um," He looked for a moment at the elderly couple in the elevator with them The woman had a slight blush creeping across her cheeks as she tried to look like she hadn't seen anything.
Draco sighed, feeling at his hair again.
"Stop it." Blaise commanded, swatting Draco's hands from his hair.
"Fine," Draco pouted as the elevator gave a sudden lurch downward. Draco gasped, and he reached out to steady himself.
"Draco," Blaise smiled, "it's just going down. Don't be so paranoid." This earned him a glare from the blonde.
Blaise ignored the elderly couple, and he hugged Draco. "I'm sorry." He said, rubbing Draco back.
Draco pulled away reluctantly as the elevator seemed to come to a stop.
"See?" Blaise smiled again, taking Draco's hand. "Nothing to be scared of." Draco nodded as he returned the smile.
The doors slowly opened, and the old couple hurried out. Blaise shrugged, and he stepped out behind them, Draco follwing.
"Where are we going?" Draco asked quietly, coming up next to Blaise. He didn't miss the knowing look and smile Blaise gave.
"You'll see when we get there."
Draco wondered if Blaise had been here before. He seemed confident in his ability to navigate to where ever they were going to. Draco followed silently.
"What do you think?" Blaise asked, stepping aside to allow Draco to see the café.
"What is it?" Draco asked, looking around curiously. He'd stayed relatively silent the whole way there, though he had gotten rather excited on the trolley ride.
He watched the people milling around the tables, noting the white, powdery stuff covering the floor and table tops. Draco wrinkled his nose in disgust, questioning if they'd ever cleaned this place.
"Something wrong?" Blaise asked, watching Draco intently. "Do you want to go somewhere else? We can, you know."
Draco looked back at Blaise, repeating, "What is it?" He kicked at the powder of the floor.
"A café that sales Beignets." Blaise grinned.
"You'll like them, I know. They're baked dough covered in powdered sugar. Come on, try some?" Blaise made a point to pout here, and Draco sighed heavily. "Fine, but I'll blame you for making me fatter." He said.
Blaise rolled his eyes, pinching Draco's side.
"There's not an ounce of fat on you. If it wasn't for the fact I know that you eat like a cow every day, I'd say you starved yourself thin." Draco glared. "I do not eat like a cow ." He snapped.
Blaise shrugged as a woman wearing a white apron walked up to them. "Can I help you?" She asked politely, smiling.
"A table for two." Blaise said, unsure if they were supposed to seat themselves or not.
"Right this way." She replied, leading them to one of the few clean tables. Blaise sat down, Draco sitting across from him. The woman (girl, really) took out a small notepad and a pen, then she looked up at the two.
"What would you like to drink?" She prepared to write, waiting.
"I'll take a large coke." Blaise said, turning away from the woman. Draco gave Blaise a curious look, before saying, "Coffee."
The woman raised an eyebrow, still smiling.
"Coffee?" She said back, shaking her head. She said nothing more on the subject, but instead asked, "How many orders would you like?"
Blaise looked at Draco, and he winked.
"Five each, though, I'm sure he'll be demanding more." Draco glowered, leaning back in his chair.
The woman chuckled, and she returned her notepad to her pocket, along with her pen.
"I'll be back with your order soon." With that, she disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Draco to scowl at the pigeon's hopping around, and Blaise to laugh quietly at his friend's behavior.
When they were done eating, Draco having ordered another five beignets, the two sat in silence, waiting for the waitress-Melissa-to return so that they could pay.
"This was nice." Draco said finally, looking up from trying to get the sugar off his black, button up shirt.
"Yes." Blaise agreed.
Their waitress appeared by their table.
Blaise passed her the money, and her tip. Draco and he stood up.
The waitress did not budge.
"Um, excuse me," Said said timidly, her accent annoying both Blaise and Draco. "W-would.." She stopped, blushing furiously. She looked at Draco, and said quickly, "Can I have your number?"
Draco blinked. "What?"
She blushed awkwardly; having no idea that Draco would not know what on earth she was asking for. She fiddled with the money in her hand.
"Um, no." Blaise snapped, answering for Draco. The girl huffed, glaring at Blaise.
A group of waitresses, which has been standing suspiciously close to their table, burst into giggles.
Their waitress looked put off. "And why not?" She pressed, still glaring at Blaise.
"We live in England. Can you not tell?" Blaise grabbed Draco's arm, and he began to pull him from the café. As they walked away, Blaise heard the woman muttering to her friends, "They must be gay."
Blaise stopped, and he turned back. "Go wait over there." He told Draco, pointing to a bench near a small statue. Draco looked at him questioningly, but went to sit on the bench.
Blaise stormed back to the group of giggling waitresses, eyes narrowed in rage. He sought out their waitress, and he snatched the tip he'd given her from her hands. "Treat your customers with respect." He growled. "They're always right."
He shoved his money into his pocket, and he left, knowing they were gawking after him.
Draco watched from the bench as Blaise drew closer, and he could tell Blaise's good mood had been shattered. He stood up, and he met Blaise halfway.
Blaise smiled, motioning for Draco to follow him. Draco smiled back. "Are we going back to the hotel?" He asked.
"Of course not."
Draco raised an eyebrow, curious. "Where are we going now, then?"
"The Aquarium." Blaise answered.
Draco, at first, had been clueless as to what an 'Aquarium' was, but soon enough, he discovered just what one was.
Draco gasped in awe, stepping behind Blaise into a sort of tunnel. He looked upward, through the glass that arched around them. He saw many different types of fish, and he stood there, hazing up, mouth open slightly. He'd never seen anything like this before, and he never had even imagine such a thing.
"Cool, huh?" Blaise said from his spot beside him, drawing Draco's attention away from the stingray that was swimming by above his head. He looked at Blaise, nearly beaming.
"It's amazing!" He exclaimed, eyes locking onto a shark that lazily floated by.
"Glad you like it." Blaise murmured, smiling broader at Draco's child-like excitement.
"There's still more to see." He said to Draco, beginning to walk again. Draco forced his eyes back ahead of him, walking slowly with Blaise from the tunnel.
"I've got something that will blow your mind." Blaise grinned, grasping Draco's hand and tugging him gently from the tunnel. They walked around for a while longer, Draco wondering what Blaise had meant all the while.
"Follow me now." Blaise whispered, moving back away from the glass, Draco still watching all of the sharks in pure amazement.
Draco nodded, and did just that.
As they neared a small fish tank-like area, Draco furrowed his brows.
He looked away from the crowd gathered there, and he looked up at Blaise.
"What are they looking at?" Draco asked Blaise softly, peering around a woman trying to catch a glimpse of whatever it was.
"I think you'll like this." Blaise said, not answering the question directly. He wiggled through the crowd with Draco.
"What are they doing?" Draco asked again, watching as a small girl petted what looked like a miniature version of the sharks they'd seen earlier.
One of the instructors noticed Draco's bewildered look, and she beckoned them to her.
"These are sand sharks." She said, "They're pretty much harmless, so that is why our guests get to pet them." She smiled, pointing down to one of the sharks. "Why don't you try?"
Draco timidly reached his hand into the water, uncertainty flashing across his face. Blaise smiled, and Draco assumed he was trying to give him silent encouragement.
Draco took the hint, and he cautiously ran his hand along the shark's back. The shark shot across the tank in a burst of speed and water. Water, which was all over Draco.
Blaise laughed, shaking his head. "Not quite the charmer with animals, are you?"
Draco felt the need to pout the rest of their time in the Aquarium, and he did.
Upon entering the hotel, Draco and Blaise burst into peels of laughter. Neither knew why, but it just semed right.
They dashed to the elevator, Draco shoving Blaise into a potted plant in his attempt to hit the button first.
Draco smirked as Blaise crawled up, righting the pant. "Not so graceful anymore, are you?" This got him shoved through the open elevator door, where he smashed against its mirror-like wall.
Blaise smirked, stepping lightly in.
"You could say the same for yourself."
It was an all-out war on the way back to their room. They both tried their best to unsettle the other, Blaise getting shoved into several more potted plants, and Draco being tripped and slammed into walls.
By the time they reached their room, the laughter was too much, and Draco could not get the key card into the slot on the door properly. "Why won't it fit?" He muttered as he repeatedly jammed the card in the general direction of the slot. "Why do they make the stupid slots so small?" He banged his fist on the door.
The door of the room next to theirs opened, and Professor Snape stepped out.
"Well," he sneered, "if it isn't my very own Slytherins, waking the living dead out here." Draco and Blaise grinned sheepishly.
"Hello, Professor." Blaise ventured.
"Where have you two been?" He snapped.
Draco finally managed to get the card into the slot. "Here and there." He replied, pulling the card back out. The green light lit up, and Draco opened the door.
"While you were gone, we had a lesson." Snape crossed his arms over his chest, glaring down at them.
"Thanks for the news flash, Professor." Draco said, entering the room. Blaise walked in after Draco, disappearing into the room. Draco stood in the doorway for a while, watching Snape.
"Beignets are good." Draco said out of the blue. "You really should try some tomorrow, Professor." Snape growled and his disrespectful student, and he swept back into his own room, the door shutting behind him.
"Right then," Draco shut the door.
Draco laid down in his bed, pulling the covers up to his chin. Blaise had gone to sleep long before Draco, and nothing seemed to disturb him.
Draco rolled over on his side, gazing out the large, glass window.
He was glad he'd done everything he had done today with Blaise. He felt closer to his friend than he had before, and Draco knew Blaise had only been trying to get him to lighten up, but he was thankful for it.
As he lie there, Draco pondered over the day's events. His thoughts drifted to the reason why Blaise had taken him out.
He'd missed home.
I still do. He reminded himself with a small sigh. I wonder what's happening over there? He had many ideas, but refused to think of any of them as being true.
"I want to go home." He whispered, closing his eyes tightly.
That night, he dreamed he was home, and not stuck in this odd, foreign country. He dreamed he was back at Hogwarts, falling asleep in his own four-poster bed. His old house mates' snoring the only thing disturbing the silence.
He dreamed of getting the daily owl from his mother, and all the interesting things she would have to tell him. She always had interesting things to say.
Somewhere in the dream, his day with Blaise surfaced. It was the most time they'd spent together in a while, and Draco cherished that knowledge. He was glad he'd experienced this new world with Blaise, and not the filthy mudblood and her friends. With Blaise, he could be like his younger self, and have to carry on a game of charades.
That was one good thing about being here.
Draco awoke with a start the next morning, as something fell down next to him.
He rolled over, coming face to face with Blaise.
"What?" Draco demanded instantly, trying to pull the covers up over his head.
Blaise grabbed them and pulled them back down. "Of no you don't." Blaise said, pulling the covers all the way down to the foot of the bed.
"We're going out again." He said, pulling Draco up by his arm. "Professor Lupin is taking us to the mall on Granger's behalf."
Draco rolled his eyes.
"What is a mall? And since when did we follow anything Granger did?" Draco asked, never being a morning person.
"I want to go, too." Blaise told him. "It's our last chance to do something today. We have lessons later." Blaise informed him, smirking. Draco groaned. "We never escape school, do we?" He whined.
Blaise shook his head. "Seems not, so get dressed!"
Draco sighed, giving in.
"Fine, fine," He mumbled, climbing from his bed.
"Yes!" Blaise laughed, hopping up.
The trio walked ahead of Professor Lupin, Draco and Blaise trailing behind.
Draco slumped visibly, moping along.
"Cheer up!" Blaise told him, falling into step next to him. "It could be worse."
"True, but no." Draco said, pulling at the sleeve of his white shirt.
"Mope all you want then." Blaise quickened his pace, leaving Draco behind. Draco rolled his eyes, watching them walk away.
Inside the mall, Draco was confronted with more muggles than he'd ever have wanted. He kept close to Blaise, disgusted look firmly in place, to steer off the Gryffindors.
Hermione shot off into one of the first store they came across. Draco inwardly groaned, recalling what it was like to go shopping with Pansy. He hated shopping with girls.
Blaise looked curiously after Hermione, but soon he kept walking. Professor Lupin and the two remaining Gryffindors went into the store after Hermione.
"Let's go this way." Said Blaise.
Draco pulled his gaze away from the glass elevators. "Tell me why we're here again?" Draco looked up at Blaise.
"You need more muggle involvement. You seriously need to get out more, too." He stated, smirking.
"Shut up." Draco huffed.
Blaise slowed to a stop by a small coffee place. "Can I treat you?" He asked, and Draco raised an eyebrow. Blaise shrugged, "I owe you." He said, heading in.
Dracp paused, looking over his shoulder. Deciding they'd find the other later, he went in as well.
Draco and Blaise sat down at a small table, Draco glancing around.
They'd already ordered, and Draco was fixing his coffee the way he liked it. Blaise watched him as he did so, scowling somewhat.
"Why do you drink that stuff?" Blaise asked. He'd always wondered, but never said anything until now.
"Because I like it. Why else?" Draco replied, setting his spoon down on a napkin. He sipped his coffee slowly, savoring it.
"But, it's disgusting." Said Blaise.
Draco glared, setting his cup back down on the table.
"To you. I've always liked coffee."
Blaise leaned back in his chair, observing Draco quietly. It was times like these that he thought Draco was simply too mature for his age. He didn't like this side of Draco. The one from yesterday was the Draco Blaise knew from long ago, always child-like, but not too much so.
Now, Draco reminded Blaise exactly of Lucius Malfoy.
How he hated that man.
"Draco," Blaise began, but stopped right then. Draco looked up at him
"Yes?"
"Never mind." Blaise said, scooting his chair back and standing.
"Let's go find the others." Draco nodded, and, saying nothing, trailed after Blaise as he left the coffee shop.
Author's Ending Notes: See? I finally updated. You should all cheer and jump for joy. Just don't spill your drinks.
Anywho, updates are weird lately, I'm trying to keep them evened out. I have another, BSO, and this one to attend to, not to mention beta reading for my friend, and typing her story up. Gah, too much to do, and so little time.
We had exams this past week, so that sucked majorly. But you didn't hear that from me. XD
Well, look for future updates.. I think? Well, until then, cheerio!
PLEASE REVIEW!! ^_______^
