Chapter Forty-five
In the morning, Araminta needed an extra strong spell to erase the dark circles from under her eyes. She'd kept having strange dreams from which she would wake up in a cold sweat. They were like memories; her only theory was that her mind was reaching into the alternate future for the new childhood memories she'd need if she grew up with Hermione and Draco for parents instead of Draco and Harry for fathers.
She pushed her waffles back and forth on the plate and chugged a Mountain Dew for energy. Pansy was doing the same with her pancakes, except that she was drinking pumpkin juice and refusing to look at Araminta or anybody else. In contrast, Millicent was eating a sandwich of peanut butter, cheese, and pickles with the crusts on and she washed it down with a big glass of milk. Her complexion was glowing and her
hair was thick and shiny, though her expression was as dour as ever.
Draco joined them at last, setting down his breakfast tray (toast, two eggs over easy, a banana, and a big bowl of Frosted Flakes) with a thump.
"So, who's going to kick it with me in Hogsmeade today? I have tickets to the Trollish Ballet." He wiggled his eyebrows up and down. "Very expensive, but we Malfoys have a box."
Pansy and Millicent exchanged glances. "We have to work on our costumes for the Quidditch Ball, so we're going shopping," they said.
Draco turned to Araminta and gray eyes met grey-green. "How about you, Minta? Do you have to go shopping too?"
"No, my costume is complete already," lied Araminta. "I love the Trollish Ballet! I'd love to go to the ballet with you, Draco."
Araminta got a devilishly romantic idea. "Hey Draco, would it be cool with you if I took my ticket now, for safekeeping? Then, I could go shopping with the girls and meet you at the theater for the ballet."
"Sure," said Draco, handing Araminta the ticket in a fancy envelope. "Don't be late!"
Pansy butted in. "Actually, Araminta, Millicent and I have ordered our costumes from Diagon Alley, so we won't need to go costume shopping. You go on ahead."
"Oh, okay." Araminta wasn't really all that disappointed. She didn't like hanging around with Pansy and Millicent that much, and it would be easier to put her romantic plan into action without them hanging around and nosing in.