THC Round 2

House: Slytherin

Class: Herbology

Category: Themed – Smell

Prompt: [Event] Wedding, [Flavour] Butterscotch

Word Count: 1820

Disclaimers/TWs:

Beta's: Thanks to my teammates who looked over my story.


Draco was bored.

Scratch that, he was insanely bored.

Why he had to be in a cold, boring marquee tent instead of at home was anyone's guess. Perhaps, he thought, if I sneak out, I could return home without anyone noticing? As he stood up to shuffle to the exit, eyes were on him almost immediately, like he was under a spotlight. He glanced around, and blinked once, finding the source– his father, who was shooting him a pointed glare, discreetly suggesting that he should go back to where he had been. Draco grumbled a few curse words under his breath but sat back down in his chair.

He hated formal occasions such as these. One where he had to wear stuffy robes, smile, and use his well-crafted mask to speak to strangers about what his father's recent accomplishments were, how their family fared, and how he was doing at Hogwarts.

It was draining, and Draco hated it with a passion.

Weddings.

Awful, awful affairs and if he was honest, he'd rather be in class with the oaf Hagrid than mingling about in the ballroom with people he couldn't care less about. It wasn't his scene. He didn't have the energy to be nice to people, and he was starting to think he wasn't hiding it all that well as no one had dared to speak to him in two minutes, which was a record.

He frowned, however, when he recognised something familiar. He couldn't quite put a finger on the delicate scent creeping at the edge of his awareness, but whatever it was, it caused his shoulders to relax, and something warm settled in his stomach.

Draco's lips turned upwards, almost into a true smile. He closed his eyes and focused on the scent. It was sweet, and his stomach did a few backflips as he took it in. He didn't care if he looked stupid right now, but this… It reminded him of his childhood, in a way, and of special times with his best friend. Vanilla filled his nostrils, but it wasn't just that. The scent was mixed with a flavour of caramel, too, and he couldn't get enough of it as the enticing scent enveloped him once more.

It was definitely what he'd needed to calm down. He'd been on the verge of shouting at the other guests, "I am absolutely fine and Hogwarts is fine and everyone is fine, stop asking!" And that wouldn't do at all. Not if he was to escape another of his father's lectures on decorum in the public sphere.

Draco had always had a sweet tooth. It had always annoyed his father when he'd beg and beg for chocolate, sweets and just about anything with sugar. Hot chocolate was his favourite; Dobby used to make him hot chocolate with cream and marshmallows on top when he was ill or upset. Dobby made it the right way– using chocolate shavings and warm milk rather than hot water. It always cheered him up because that was the only time his mother and father would allow him to have something sweet.

"I thought you'd appreciate this."

A voice brought him out of his thoughts. He wasn't startled by it; it actually explained why his feelings had did a complete 180 from frustrated to calm in a matter of moments. His father had allowed him to invite a plus-one to his colleague's wedding. Naturally, Draco had bribed Theo with good chocolate to convince him (not beg, Malfoys did not beg) and keep him entertained. It worked. The chocolate hadn't helped his case, but Theo had little to occupy his time this summer (apart from their planned trip to the Quidditch World Cup) and since Theo knew how much Draco hated weddings, he had said that it would be fun to watch him suffer.

Draco managed a grin and reached out to take the cup and saucer with a grateful nod. "Thank you, this is very needed. Come, join me."

Draco brought one of the chairs closer to him so Theo could sit next to him.

He grasped the teacup by its dainty handle and took another moment to take in the flavours of the tea. It wasn't just any tea; it was something special. His mother and father would hate it so much that they'd send him home if they realised what he was drinking. It could be worse, it could have alcohol in… Being friends with Theo had its perks; Theo knew how to be cautious and sly, and as such, he could get away with anything and everything. If Draco was asked, he'd say that he was drinking hot chocolate. At least that way, he'd only be met with a dark scowl and gritted teeth, followed by a lecture at home.

But this wasn't any hot chocolate he'd ever encountered before–because it was slightly different–and something that he'd wish he had found out about sooner.

It was something he and Theo had found during the Christmas market at Diagon Alley last year. They had been trying to get away from their parents, who were talking about boring Ministry issues. Neither he or Theo cared about that stuff; they were only just coming up to their third year at Hogwarts at that time and they had more important things to discuss.

So, as they went through Diagon Alley, they came across a Café hidden in one of the side streets, and Draco had been enticed by the scent of the Café the moment they had spotted it. He remembered sharing a look with Theo, not needing to speak, and they walked in. He would do anything to be there or to have that moment once more. There had been lots of different, new flavours of teas and coffee that he had never even heard of, but the one that had stood out was the same he now held in his hands.

That new discovery they had made, well, it was something that would probably make his teeth rot if he got hold of it every day. He didn't let that stop him, though, at this moment.

Butterscotch tea.

He took a long, appreciative sip and sighed.

Perhaps the wedding wasn't going to be as bad as he had originally thought. His muscles released tension he hadn't realised he'd been holding. He leaned towards Theo with an amused smirk. "I'm bored to death. How about a game?"

"Oh no. Any game but the one you're thinking of, please. I'd like to be as sane as I was when I arrived at this wedding, if that's alright with you," Theo replied, somewhat dramatically, pulling a face.

Draco chuckled lightly; his lips turned upwards into a smirk as he glanced around the room. He gestured, nodding his head at an old couple near the cake stand. "Come on, Theo. You love this game as much as I do. So, they're arguing about what flavour the cake is–I'll be the man."

"Hey! That's not fair. Why am I always the lady?" Theo whined childishly, his voice just above a whisper.

"I think the cake's red velvet," Draco said, mimicking a Yorkshire accent, leaving no room for debate, trying to hold in his laughter at his terrible attempt.

"They're definitely not from Yorkshire–"

"Alright, time out! I officially started the game. We can't discuss the accents, remember?" Draco said, somewhat playfully, somewhat seriously. "If you're not going to play properly, don't bother!"

"Oh, don't be like that. I always play properly. Remember when you made me laugh at a funeral? If we hadn't been seven years old, they would have kicked us out!" Theo hissed, glaring at Draco half-heartedly.

"Alright." Draco placed his hands up in mock surrender. "Alright. Let's continue… I'd love to get through this wedding somehow."

"I'm sure it's Victoria Sponge, Gary," Theo replied, in a very off-sounding Yorkshire accent, just a little too high-pitched.

Draco snorted, his shoulders shaking with laughter as he shook his head in amusement. "I told you not to call me Gary!"

"That's your name! Of course I'm going to call you Gary," Theo replied in dramatic frustration.

"I was being serious, you know. My name is now Bob! It's on my birth certificate and everything," Draco said passionately, unable to stop grinning. He had no idea where this was going to go, but he didn't care. It wasn't supposed to make sense. He was having fun, and he was with Theo. What more could he want?

"You need to stop lying about this, Gary. People are actually starting to believe you. The letter sent to the house yesterday was addressed to Mr Bob. I'm fed up with it! And it's Victoria sponge," Theo said, not being able to hold his laughter any longer.

"I'm done, I'm done with you and I'm done with this," Draco finished, waving his hands about dramatically as the old couple parted ways. Well, the lady walked away, flipping her hair over her shoulder as she found somewhere to sit.

The bride and groom had already cut the cake, so it was for everyone to help themselves. Draco was confused, however, as his laughter died down, about why the man had stayed behind.

"He's going to cut her a slice," Theo whispered in his ear, somehow answering his thoughts. "Watch."

Sure enough, Theo was right. The man cut the middle of the cake, the part that hadn't been sliced into yet, and a smile as bright as the sun appeared on his features. There it was, a lemon cake, if Draco guessed correctly. His eyes followed as the man made his way to the lady and sat down, offering the piece of cake to her. In a way, Draco was slightly envious as they shared the piece of cake with smiles and quiet chatter.

"I wish I had my camera with me," Theo said, breaking the silence that had lapsed between them.

"Yeah," Draco replied softly, not catching the teasing in his friend's tone. That would have been a great moment to capture.

"A picture of a sentimental Draco is one that could have been used for future blackmail. Alas, another opportunity missed," Theo commented amusedly.

Draco's eyes widened in realisation, an offended look on his face as he turned to his friend, pulling a face. "Hey!"

"What?" Theo replied, feigning innocence.

Draco's eyes narrowed. He slouched in his seat and glared half-heartedly, focusing on his Butterscotch tea once again as he ignored Theo. Draco took a long sip of his cup, glancing back to the old couple and frowned inwardly.

He'd like to have that one day.

Not that he'd admit it out loud.

Weddings, he thought, with a heavy sigh, are entirely too corny for my taste.