How's everybody doing~? Good, I hope!
Here's the latest installment of the YDW! Series. Things are starting to get more interesting as more characters are being introduced~
I think I'm going to continue this chapter to several more parts and then take a break to do some shorter Drarry drabbles...*shrugs* We shall see...
If you like what you read, leave a comment~
Xxxx -DxH- xxxX
"Bloody hell...I can't believe that we're actually going through with this..."
"Just relax- everything will turn out just fine...probably..."
"Probab- Potter! You do realize that you're essentially orchestrating our funeral right now, don't you?!"
"Oh stop being such a drama queen, Malfoy. Going out to lunch with friends is nowhere near death on the danger scale."
Draco threw an incredulous look down at his lover- whom was sitting placidly on the couch- as he continued to pace and rant around their living room.
"That's what you think! You're getting together a group of Slytherins and Gryffindors, putting them all together in the same room, and expecting them to get along without trying to tear each other's throats out..." He deadpanned with a dramatic wave of his hands for emphasis.
"I mean, sure- we already told Granger, Weaslebe, and Blaise about us- but that's only half of the party that you're inviting! Add in Theo, Pansy, and Weaslette and I'm pretty sure things are gonna go downhill real fast..."
Harry suppressed a chuckle and patted to the spot next to him. "Sit down and just try to relax, love. You're gonna wear a hole in the floor with all of your pacing.."
The blonde scowled but did as he lover bade and slumped down onto the sofa with a huff.
"I still don't think this is a good idea..."
"It'll be fine, Draco."
"It's not too late to cancel."
"Our reservation is already set."
"I think I'm sick."
"Draco, enough." Harry soothed with a chuckle. "Everything is going to be just fine."
Draco huffed and scowled at the raven haired male as he threaded their fingers together calmly.
"How come you get to be so calm and collected about all of this..." He muttered petulantly.
"Blame it on Gryffindor bravery." Harry replied with a smirk, squeezing his hand gently.
The blonde huffed and pouted his lips. "Well my Slytherin intellect is telling me that you're gonna need every ounce of that Gryffindor bravery to survive this afternoon..."
Harry rolled his eyes at the dramatic statement. "Honestly Draco, what's the worst that could happen?"
Xxxx -DxH- xxxX
Harry knew he'd regret saying those words, and though they hadn't yet been put to the test- he had the unnerving feeling that they were going to be.
He and Draco had arrived first at the quaint French cafe that they had agreed to set their luncheon at, (per Draco's request), and sat at their table while they waited for their other guests to arrive. Blaise had been the next to arrive soon after, all smiles and not seeming nervous at all about the whole meeting. Seeing as he had been the most accepting of their relationship so far, his presence actually helped Harry to relax a little- lightening the atmosphere at the same time. A few minutes of talking with his best mate, and Draco's anxiety seemed to lessen substantially as well.
"So...you talked to Pansy and Theo, then? About... Harry and I..?" Draco asked his fellow Slytherin hesitantly- almost forgotten anxiety slowly creeping back into his voice at the topic he wanted least to discuss.
"I did..." Blaise replied with a slight smirk. "I sent them each an owl, at least."
"...And?"
"And..." The dark skinned Slytherin drew out a long pause with an evil grin. "Theo laughed and said that he didn't believe me, and Pansy said that she'd have to see it to believe it.."
Draco groaned slightly and dropped his head to the table. Well, that was as good as them not knowing then. Blaise patted his mate lightly on the back and turned to the raven haired male that had been quiet for entirety of the 10 minutes that he had been there.
"So who else should I expect to be seeing here? You invited a few of your mates, Potter?" Blaise asked with an easy smile as he noticed Harry glancing backwards towards the entrance every so often.
"Huh? Oh, yeah...Ron and Hermione, and Ginny too..." The Gryffindor replied a bit tersely, and Draco nearly laughed at the irony.
"So you can tell me to man up and be brave and pretend to use your 'Gryffindor courage' but you really feel the same as me, is that it?" The blonde deadpanned with the quirk of an unimpressed brow- to which Harry sent his own pouting frown back.
"Well I wasn't feeling as anxious earlier, but now..." His eyes swept back to the entrance of the cafe for the fourth time that minute as he strummed his fingers on the table restlessly. "I don't know why I'm feeling this nervous now..."
Blaise chuckled and waved his hand dismissively. "I think you two are both overreacting. These are your best mates that you're talking about- I don't think things could possibly turn out as horribly as you're imagining that they could."
Harry cringed at the similar phrasing to the words that he had been replaying in his head. "As much as I'd like to believe you..."
Ding-a-ling~
The crisp sound of a bell filled the cafe, and as the party looked toward the sound, the oak door of the cafe suddenly swung open wide as two figures walked in.
"Ah, Ron and Hermione are here...You two stay here..." Harry hissed quietly, standing up and smoothing his shirt down nervously as he made his way back to the front door to greet his friends.
"Ah, Hey you guys..." He greeted awkwardly, walking up to the pair and running his fingers through his not-as-unkempt-as-usual hair (thanks to some intervention and hair products on his lover's behalf).
Ron and Hermione turned as they caught sight of their best friend.
"Harry, it's so nice to see you." Hermione greeted warmly, stepping forwards to give him her customary greeting hug.
"Hey Hermione." Harry murmured back- breathing a slight sigh of relief at her normal attitude before releasing her and turning to the redhead next to her.
"Harry, good to see you mate." Ron clapped him on the back with a friendly grin.
"Ron." He grinned back with a nod.
"So what's the occasion? You weren't very specific in your owl." Hermione asked cheerfully.
"Oh well..." Harry fumbled over his words as he tried to think of the most tactful way to explain to his friends about the purpose of this luncheon. Against his better judgement he had invited the three of his friends with an invitation that only gave the vague notion of having lunch together.
Who all would be attending...well, they were going to find out soon.
"...We just thought it would be nice to...catch up." He finally offered with another awkward brush of his fingers through his hair.
"We?" Hermione asked with a slightly puzzled look on her face before a flash of dawning crossed her face. "Oh, you mean..."
Ron apparently caught on and scowled slightly. "Is that- er...is your...him, you know...Is he here...?"
If Harry wasn't so nervous about this entire luncheon, he would've burst out laughing at Ron's evasive 'beat-around-the-bush' type of speech.
"C'mon, I'll show you to our table." The raven haired male replied instead, gesturing for the pair to follow him further back into the cafe.
Hermione threw Ron a pointed look behind Harry's back as they followed- and the redhead understood it as a silent warning to be on his best behavior, or there would be consequences later. They quickly reached the table in question, and Harry stopped and stepped to the side slightly- once again, running his fingers through his hair.
"Uh...Ron, Hermione...you remember Draco...?" The Gryffindor began poorly, gesturing lightly to his lover sitting at the large, circular table. Draco glanced up at hearing his name, coffee cup in hand, and offered a small smirk.
Ron immediately frowned. "You say that like we didn't go to school for 7 years with that git..."
"Ron..." Hermione chastised with a frown, but even she didn't try to hide her apparent displeasure at seeing the blonde Slytherin again.
"I was honestly hoping that that whole meeting was just a bad dream..." The redhead muttered sourly, throwing the smirking blonde a loathing look.
Draco smirked evilly and reached for his lover's hand. "What's wrong Weaslebe? You upset because I snatched him first?" The blonde turned and kissed Harry's hand gently before pulling on it to get him to sit down.
Hermione and Ron's eyes both widened at the Slytherin's unabashed displays of affection.
Harry, thankfully suspecting that his lover was about to do something stupid and embarrassing, was able to tamp down the better part of his reaction- but he still couldn't fight the slight blush rising to his cheeks. It was nothing though, compared to the full-on rush of blood that went straight to Ron's face- coloring it a vivid a red.
"Draco, stop." Harry murmured as he took his seat back at the table next to the blonde.
"But I didn't do anything!" Draco protested in return, paying no heed to the other Gryffindors as they slowly sank, shell-shocked, into seats next to Harry's.
"You know full well what you did."
"Honesty, I have no idea what you're talking about..."
"Oh really..."
"Really..."
Ron watched the pair banter with an increasingly sickening expression painting his face. "Bloody hell...you two must be together- or else you must just really like having lover's spats..."
Hermione muttered something under her breath akin to agreement, but Harry decided to ignore the snarky quips from his fiends for the time being as he turned back to his lover.
"Hmm?" Harry glanced on the side of the blonde and frowned. "Where did Zabini go?"
"What?" Draco glanced over his shoulder. "Oh, he went to loo..."
"Ahh...I see..."
Silence stretched over the table, and Harry struggled to find a topic that he could talk about.
"Um...So how has work been at the Ministry?" He tried tentatively, glancing between his two friends.
"It's...been going well." Hermione offered with a slightly strained smile, glancing at Ron for comment.
"Yeah...same old-same old I s'pose..." The redhead muttered with a shrug, for some reason taking a fascination in the table cloth and not lifting his eyes.
"You two work at the Ministry as well?" This time it was Draco's voice that cut in, and he glanced at the pair with an expression akin to honest curiosity.
Hermione hesitated for a moment to see if Harry would bail her out, then opened her mouth with a nod. "Y-yes...Ronald and I are currently working in the Bureau of Intermagical Wizarding Law."
Draco quirked a brow. "Oh? I don't think I've heard of that department..."
"It's a newer department that Kingsley had established when he became Minister of Magic after the war. Our job is basically to evaluate the current laws around the Wizarding World- some that have to do with the safety and protection of magic from Muggles, some are just the laws of magic themselves. We then decide if the laws are working, and if they're not what we need to do to change them and make them effective..." She trailed off and her cheeks tinged pink when she realized that she had started rambling, and quickly looked away to avoid eye contact with the Slytherin.
"Hmm, sounds fascinating..." The blonde drawled curiously, taking a sip of coffee from his cup before turning to his partner. "I ordered you some coffee when you left, it should be here in a moment...I don't know if your friends want to order anything while we wait for the rest of our party to show..."
Harry nodded his head and turned back to the pair to pass on the message- just as Blaise strolled back to the table, returning to his seat next to Draco.
"Ah, apologies...I guess I missed the greetings.." He drawled smoothly, turning an interested gaze to the new pair of Gryffindors sitting at the table.
Harry gazed worriedly at Hermione and Ron as they traded suspicious glances. He wondered if he should intervene, but before he could open his mouth, Blaise had already risen from his seat and strolled around the table to greet the new faces.
"Weasley...and Granger, right? Blaise Zabini, at your service." He offered his hand to Hermione, who took it with obvious tentativeness.
"P-pleasure." She responded nervously, and Blaise took that chance to bring her hand to his lips, gently kissing the back.
Hermione immediately flushed scarlet and Ron's face turned purple as he started sputtering angrily.
"Ah." Blaise glanced down at Hermione's hand again, ignoring the furious redhead. "I suppose you're not Granger anymore though." He examined the glittering diamond ring decorating the brunette's dainty ring finger, and released her hand with a smirk.
"Can I take it from your reaction that you're the lucky man?" The Slytherin turned to Ron with a widening grin.
Ron glowered at the dark skinned male a raised a fist threateningly. "Y-you! Leave her alone you no good!- "
"R-Ronald! That's enough, Alright?" Hermione cut in, placing a hand over his large fist and lowering it down as the color slowly faded from his face.
Harry watched the interaction with no small amount of utter mortification, but he couldn't bring himself to say anything to try and remedy the situation.
"Bloody hell, you two are married?" Draco cut in with an honest look of surprise on his face.
"What's it to you Malfoy?" Ron glowered back as Blaise returned to his seat next to the blonde.
Draco raised his hands slightly and shrugged. "Nothing, just surprised that you guys got married so young is all..."
"I think there are a lot of people that are taking life seriously after surviving through the war...if another experience like that ever comes up...Well, I think people are done taking their loved ones for granted..." Harry offered wisely, and the blonde's expression softened in understanding.
"I suppose, that makes sense..." Draco drifted off quietly, suddenly staring at the wall in deep thought.
"Ah Potter, what time can we expect the rest of our company to arrive at?" Blaise cut in suddenly, trying to steer the mood away from quiet and depressing.
Harry glanced at his wristwatch. "Um...I'm not sure...Ginny never actually replied to my owl, so I'm not sure if she's actually coming...Dray?" He touched his lover's arm lightly to get him to snap out of his staring contest with the wall.
"Yes?"
"What time will Nott and Parkinson be here?"
Draco redirected the gaze to Blaise with a questioning glance.
"Oh! I think they said that they were going to be coming together after work- I guess they picked up an extra shift today...so probably 10...15 minutes..?" The Italian replied after glancing down at his own wristwatch.
"There you go, 10 minutes." Draco reiterated to his lover, who nodded in response.
Hermione frowned slightly at hearing their conversation. "Harry, there are more people coming here?"
"Ah, well..."
Draco turned a slightly appalled look on his lover. "You invited them here without even telling them who was going to be here, and why?"
Blaise snickered slightly and cast an apologetic glance over to Ron and Hermione. "Ah. So I see my presence wasn't made known to you before you arrived."
Harry had the grace to look slightly bashful as Ron threw an accusatory scowl over at his supposed best friend.
"No matter- no harm done I suppose." The dark skinned male continued, offering the pair of Gryffindors a bright grin. "Let me fully introduce myself then. Blaise Zabini- best and one of only three friends of the snarky ice prince Draco Malfoy. We went to school together...not that you guys probably remember me since I was in Slytherin, obviously..."
Draco made a noise of protest at his apparent description, but Blaise shushed him before he could get a word in.
"Anyways, I found out that Dray Dray was dating someone about 6 or 7 months ago, but I didn't come to find that it was the boy wonder until quite recently, though I did have my suspicions..." He trailed off with a mischievous smirk, and all three Gryffindors shuddered at the lethal sheen in his eyes.
Ron scowled and took the momentary lapse in silence to butt in. "So you don't have any problem whatsoever that your supposed best mate is dating our best mate?"
Blaise shrugged with an easy grin. "Why would I? He's obviously happy- the happiest I've honestly ever seen him. I would give my blessing to him no matter who he chose to be with- so long as I'm sure that he'll remain happy."
The four remaining members of the party all shared an equal shudder at the poetically cheesy lines that he delivered with a straight face.
"You sure are...different from what I thought you'd be like..." Hermione finally commented with a slight quirk of her head.
"Oh~?" The Italian quirked his lips into a daring smirk. "Did I disappoint you~?" His tone dropped and took on a flirty note as he stared the brunette down.
"Oi, back off." Ron interjected menacingly, glaring down the Slytherin until he released his gaze with a chuckle.
"Alright, Alright...take it easy..."
"Bloody hell...and to think that you're the person that people entrust their children to..." Draco lamented with a disbelieving shake of his head.
"Hey, I'll have you know that those children love me!" Blaise exclaimed with a pout.
"Children...?" Hermione questioned with a frown.
"This prick works in the Pediatric ward at St. Mungo's..." The blonde supplied tiredly, rolling his eyes as Blaise puffed his chest out proudly.
"That's right! Healer Zabini- certified favorite Doctor of all at the pediatric ward at St. Mungo's, at your service." The Slytherin replied with a flourish of his hands and a grandiose bow of his head.
Draco rolled his eyes again. "Humble as ever, aren't you."
Harry relaxed into a smile at the sight of his lover looking much more relaxed than he had been earlier. Honestly speaking, Zabini really isn't that bad of a guy...
Draco and Blaise continued to bicker back and forth, and soon Hermione began to converse quietly with Ron. Harry glanced around awkwardly at the lack of a conversational partner before he noticed a waiter walking towards their table, levitating several coffee cups in front of him.
"Alright, I have some coffee here for you guys~ " He stopped in front of the table with a smile. "So who do these go to~?"
Harry glanced at Draco, but he was still in the middle of a bicker fest with Blaise. Since he was the one that had ordered the drinks, Harry didn't actually know whose drinks were whose.
"Ah, sorry...You can just leave them here- we'll get it sorted out." Harry finally replied with an apologetic grin, realizing that nobody else at the table was going to speak up.
"Alrigh- Oh~? You're Harry Potter~!" The waiter's eyes suddenly opened wide and he gushed with a gleam in his eye. "You're the one that defeated He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named! You're a war hero!"
Harry flushed at the praise and quickly shook his head. "Oh, no- please. I'm nobody that deserves that kind of praise..."
Draco finally turned away from Blaise at the sound of his lover's embarrassed voice.
"-You should really let me buy you a drink sometime~ I'd love to get to know you on a more...personal basis, hehe~" The waiter continued, offering him a charming smile.
The raven haired wizard floundered awkwardly at the waiter's insistent invitation, and opened his mouth repeatedly as he struggled with what to say.
"Thank you, for the invitation...But you're taken- isn't that right, love?" Draco cut in suddenly, wrapping a possessive arm over Harry's shoulders and staring the man down with a cool look in his piercing grey eyes. Hermione and Ron glanced up, and their eyes bulged once again at the Slytherin's unabashed display of affection for their friend- while Blaise merely smirked in amusement.
The waiter scowled slightly at the blonde before flashing Harry another smile. "No matter- I'd still love have a drink with you sometime~"
"Ah..." Harry opened his mouth to finally refute the man, but he quickly turned on his heel and stalked away before any words could escape the Gryffindor's lips.
"...He left..."
Draco scowled and released his hold around his lover's shoulders with a huff. "You're too bloody defenseless..."
"I am not."
"You are bloody too."
"No, you just get too upset when somebody comes and talks to me!"
"I wouldn't have to be if they didn't come with such shameless intentions on their face!"
"Draco, honestly...I'm a full grown man, I'm pretty sure I can take it..."
"It's simply because you're a full grown man and they know you can take it that they're hitting on you..."
"Did you just- ?!"
"Turn your comment into an innuendo? Yes. Yes I did."
While the three Gryffindor's gaped, Blaise merely snickered and moved around the table to where the coffee cups had been placed. "Now now- this can't be helped. Potter's not used to being hit on, and Draco's never had anyone he needed to be jealous of, so of course you're both going to have opposing opinions on the matter~"
Draco threw a glare over at the dark skinned male. "Oh bugger off Blaise, I don't wanna hear that from you."
"Bloody hell, I think I'm gonna be sick..." Ron muttered queasily, watching Harry with no small amount of mortification on his face.
"Ah, Ron..." Hermione grimaced. "C'mon, I'll help you to the loo."
She stood up and braced an arm around Ron's back as she led him back to where the restrooms were supposedly placed- indicated by a small sign.
Harry let out a quiet groan a buried his face in his hands as his two friends walk passed him. Merlin's beard...It's already bad enough trying to get Ron, Hermione, and Draco to get along here- I don't wanna even think about what's gonna happen when the others arrive...
Ding-a-ling~
As if on cue, the light tinkle of a bell was heard- and Harry gulped as he raised his eyes nervously to see who it was.
"That's..."
"Pansy and Theo." Draco nodded, standing up from the table. "Shall I escort them in to our table of fun?"
Harry made a noise of protest, but the Slytherin was already on his way.
"Don't look so nervous, Potter." Blaise consoled with a sympathetic grin. "Pans and Theo aren't nearly as bad as you think they are."
"Ah...no, I wasn't trying to make it seem..." The Gryffindor flushed and shook his head nervously.
"Haha, relax."
"Sorry, it's just that you're the only one of Draco's friends that I've actually met yet...I'm still kinda nervous about this while thing..."
"-And here we are- satisfied now Parkinson?" Draco drawled as he promptly returned to the table- a tall black haired boy and slender raven haired girl in tow.
The girl stepped in front of Draco and peered at Harry curiously, raising a manicured eyebrow as she inspected for...something- Harry knew not what. He tried not to flinch away from her piercing gaze.
He did recognize her from Hogwarts though, he realized after seeing her face up close. Her hair had usually been pulled up into a ponytail, and she was always talking nonstop- she had a bit of a screechy voice, Harry remembered with a grimace.
The girl now however seemed much older and more mature- her hair cut short into a sleek bob, accented with a single stripe of purple tucked behind her ear. She finally opened her mouth after staring at Harry for a few moments.
"Harry Potter- the boy wonder and savior of the Wizarding World...Well color me surprised..."
Harry blinked in surprise. She didn't seem to be acting condescendingly, he noted as she turned back and threw Draco an impressed smirk.
"I'd love to hear the details on how this happened..."
"I'm sure you would..." Draco replied with a mischievous look, turning to murmur something to Theo next to him.
"Now now, we have plenty of time for that." Blaise interjected with a sly grin, motioning for the newly arrived pair to take a seat. "Don't be rude Pansy, you're supposed to greet your superiors."
Pansy threw an annoyed look down at the dark skinned male and pursed her lips as she sank into the seat next to him. "You're not my superior Blaise."
"Well, I hate to break it you Pans, but I actually am. See, doctor outranks nurse, thus I'm a higher rank than you- thus making me your superior."
"Well if we're going by how you act, then that's not actually true Blaise." Theo finally commented with a quirk of his brow, sliding into the seat next to Pansy.
"Hmph, you guys just don't respect me~" Blaise pouted, turning to Draco for support as the blonde too, returned to his seat between him and Harry.
"Oh don't you look at me like that, you're not dragging me into this." Draco refuted resolutely, ignoring Blaise's set of amber puppy dog eyes directed at him.
Harry watched the exchange between the four Slytherins with an expression just short of astonishment. So they can act like that with each other too, huh...
"So, I suppose proper introductions are in order then..." Draco raised his voice to get his fellow Slytherins to be quiet- just as Hermione and Ron returned to the table, the latter thankfully not looking on the verge of sickness anymore.
"Oh just bloody great- more Slytherins..." Ron mumbled under his breath, taking his seat with no great amount of enthusiasm.
"Ron, stop." Hermione scolded as she took her seat next to him.
"As I was saying- " Draco continued, glancing between his friends on his right and his lover's friend's on his left. "I suppose we should make proper introductions. The whole reason why we decided to hold this luncheon with all of you lot was so we could all get to know each other better. We're going to be seeing each other much more frequently in the future, so we decided it would be best to try and get things out and in the open sooner rather than later..."
Harry nodded in agreement and glanced around the table. "So, Uh...how exactly should we go about doing this...?"
Pansy rolled her eyes. "You Gryffindorks...We don't need to formulate a battle plan to decide how we should introduce ourselves..."
"Oi, who do you think you are-" Ron started indignantly, but shut up when given a pointed look by Harry.
"How about you just introduce yourself...tell us how long you've know either Harry or myself for...what your current occupation is..?" Draco offered with a dismissive wave of his hand.
"I can go first then, if you like." Theo offered with a polite raise of his hand, earning a snicker from Blaise.
"By all means, due enlighten everyone here Theo." Blaise responded in a mock-serious voice, his amber eyes dancing in amusement. Draco jabbed him in the ribs to get him to stop, then nodded to Theo for him to start.
"Well, I'm Theodore Nott- please just call me Theo though. Friend of Draco's since we were kids...I'm now a Healer at St. Mungo's that specializes in the use of potions for anesthetic as well as for the purpose of healing ailments."
"...You do what...?" Ron scrunched his face up in confusion.
Hermione opened her mouth to respond, but Pansy beat her to it. "He's responsible for making potions that make people fall asleep- so they can be operated on, as well as to help make and create new potions that can be used to cure people when they get sick or hurt." The girl supplied with a minor eye roll.
"Wow, that actually sounds...fascinating." Hermione marveled with a glimmer of curiosity in her eyes.
"It's pretty interesting most days." Theo agreed with a nod. "One of our projects that we've recently been working on is a new version of Skel-a-grow. One that will be able to restore bones in as little as an hour."
Harry grimaced at the mere mention of the vile bone replenishing potion that he had been forced to take in second year. Just the name brought back horrible flashbacks of that most unfortunate accident involving a bewitched bludger and Gildroy Lockhart.
He shuddered and tried to wipe the memory from his brain. "Ah, so you work with Zabini then?"
"Indirectly, yes." Theo confirmed with a nod. "I work behind the scenes most times, but I do come in to operating room to assist with sedations and the like...as well as administering potions to some younger children in Blaise's ward..."
"Yep, Theo's normally pretty quiet- but the younger kids take an especial liking to him for some reason!" Blaise commented somewhat enviously.
"That's probably just because you're so loud, Blaise." Pansy interjected with smirk.
"Well at least the kids like me~" The male shot back childishly.
Pansy pursed her lips with a slight pout, and Theo sent an unimpressed look over to Blaise- the first actual facial movement that Harry had seen from the male.
"Do you...work with children as well...?" Hermione asked timidly, almost afraid of getting snapped at by the other girl.
"Yeah, I do...I'm Blaise's nursing assistant in the Pediatric department." The raven hair girl replied sulkily. "Well, I guess I may as well keep introducing myself next then...I'm Pansy Parkinson- only female friend of Draco Malfoy for 10-15 years...? Went to Hogwarts in Slytherin with these three...I already told you I'm a healer at St. Mungo's..." She trailed off with a slight shrug.
Draco nodded and turned slightly to Harry. "So, who's next?"
"Well..." Harry glanced over at Ron and Hermione before Blaise spluttered in protest.
"But what about me?"
"You already introduced yourself, Blaise." The blonde replied with a roll of his eyes, glancing over at Hermione. "Granger, er...Mrs. Weasley? No...Bloody Hell, this is gonna get too confusing..."
"Ah...Granger is fine..." Hermione muttered back embarrassedly.
"The hell it is! You're a married woman! People need to make note of who you belong to!" Ron interjected angrily.
Hermione turned and sent a scowl to the redhead. "I'm not your property, Ronald. I'm free to choose how I would like to be addressed..."
Apparently the glare that he received worked- Ron immediately grew quiet and slumped back into his seat with pink-tinged ears.
Hermione cleared her throat slightly. "Ah, I suppose I shall go next then...I'm Hermione Granger- now Weasley. Ronald and I got engaged shortly after the war, and we celebrated our wedding just a little over 2 years ago...I now work at the Ministry of Magic in the department of Intermagical Wizarding Law, as does Ronald...and I guess I've known Harry since we met at the very beginning of our first-year at Hogwarts..."
Harry shared a small smile with her at recalling their first encounter- while certainly not the best, it had definitely been impressionable.
"So you two really did get married?!" Pansy asked in shock, her mouth dropping open in aghast.
Hermione winced slightly and slowly nodded her head.
"Alright, pay up Nott!" She crooned gleefully, suddenly stretching her hand out to the quiet male beside her.
Theo scowled slightly, reaching into the pocket of his pants and fishing around before retrieving and pulling into view several golden disks- Galleons, Harry recognized after they came fully into view- and dropped them into the her hand. "I thought you had forgotten about that..."
"Of course not! I never forget a bet I make with anybody!" Pansy grinned victoriously, opening up her clutch purse and dropping the Galleons in.
"Oh you don't, Eh?" Blaise cut in with a drawl, smirking deviously at the girl. "Then you shouldn't forget that you now owe me 5 Galleons on the bet that we made together, Parkinson~"
"Ah, damn..." She muttered with a scowl, reopening her purse and relocating several of the gold disks into Blaise's outstretched hand- which he transferred to his pocket with a triumphant grin.
"Did I...miss something...?" Harry asked in confusion, glancing over at Draco for help.
"Ah, those three make bets with each other all the time- sometimes I join in...I have no clue what they were just betting on now though..." Draco replied with a quirked eyebrow in Blaise's direction.
Blaise returned the look with a snicker. "Ah, well you see...Theo and Pans made a bet about Granger and Wesley getting hitched. There was a rumor in Witch Weekly that those two had gotten engaged and held a secret wedding a while back, but I think there was still speculation about whether or not it was actually true." He rambled with a shrug. "Pansy said that they did get married, and Theo said that they didn't. They made the bet a while ago, that's why Theo thought that Pansy had already forgotten."
Pansy grinned and elbowed Theo teasingly. "I told you they got hitched!"
Theo rolled his eyes at her childish display and shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "I figured that if two of the biggest war heroes of the Wizarding World were getting married, every paper from here to Hogwarts would be covering the story. Since there wasn't any talk of it besides that one article, I figured it probably wasn't true..."
Blaise chuckled and nodded in agreement. "I actually agreed with Theo on that one, but I didn't bet any money on it."
Hermione flushed in embarrassment at the conversation, but Ron seemed to care less.
"Then what was with the money from Pansy from just now?" Draco asked suspiciously.
"Oh- you mean this little sum~?" Blaise grinned wickedly and jiggled the Galleons in his pocket. "I told Pansy that our innocent little Draco had gotten himself a lover, and it turned out to be none other than dear old Saint Potter himself! Well, of course she didn't believe me, and I bet money on it...So, to the victor go the spoils~!"
This time it was Harry's turn to flush slightly at the nonchalant way that Blaise explained the situation, though Draco seemed used to his friend's antics.
"Come to think of it, you two can never seem to beat me at a bet- can you~?" The dark skinned wizard crooned gleefully, earning scowls from both Theo and Pansy.
"That's...not true..." She refuted with a scowl.
"I won the wager on whether Draco was gay or not." He reminded her with a devious smirk. "Didn't you lose about 50 Galleons on that bet...?"
Pansy sent him another loathing glare while Draco's eyes widened and his pale cheeks dusted over ever so slightly with pink. Apparently that bet was news to him.
"Wha- What kind of stupid shit have you guys been betting on?!" He demanded immediately- but his three friends seemed to pay him no heed as they continued.
"Well we still have an active bet between the three of us that has yet to decide a winner..." Theo interjected solemnly, and Blaise and Pansy immediately snapped to attention with a gasp.
"Oh..."
"That's right..."
"The winner will be the recipient of 100 galleons...?" Theo questioned cooly, and Blaise nodded numbly in response.
Pansy glanced over at Draco with a piercing gaze, which he returned with a quirked brow. "And what, pray tell, does this bet have to do with me this time"
"It's quite simple actually." Blaise started with a nod.
"All you have to tell us..." Pansy continued slowly.
"Is how you and Potter started dating..." Theo finished with a small quirk of his lips.
Draco screwed his face up in disgust. "Do you three have nothing better to do than to make bets on my love life?!"
"Eh." Pansy shrugged. "Helps liven things up."
"What a minute, so let me get this straight..." Ron's booming voice suddenly cut through, and all eyes turned to him.
"You three made a wager on how Harry and Malfoy...got...you know...with..each other..?"
Pansy snickered and rolled her eyes slightly. "Well, kind of. It's not exactly that simple..."
"But telling them all would ruin the fun~" Blaise grinned evilly, sending a shiver down Harry's spine.
"Alright, then let's do this." Theo offered with a smirk of his own. "Have Potter and Malfoy tell us the story of how they started dating...then we'll reveal the bet we made, and the winner of said bet..."
Hermione actually quirked her head interestedly. "I'll admit, even we haven't heard this story yet Harry."
Harry gaped in disbelief as he struggled to keep his face from flushing a deeper color red. "How can you all discuss things like this so calmly?! This is our private life we're talking about!"
Blaise waved a hand dismissively. "This is nothing."
"So- let's hear it." Pansy turned to Draco with a smirk.
"The story of how you two started dating..."
