~five~
A couple of weeks had passed since Draco's chance encounter with Hermione at the manor. She had been spending more time round at the flat with Justin since then and, although it drove him crazy that she was still seeing him, Draco couldn't deny that he looked forward to her visits. It gave them chance to talk and spend small snippets of time together when Justin wasn't paying too much attention.
It was early one Wednesday afternoon and Draco had just left a lecture on rare medicinal herbs and their magical properties. He was heading across St Mungo's' courtyard to the refectory when he spotted Theo, perched on the railings by the doorway leading into the main building.
"Theo!" he called out as he approached. "What're you doing here?"
"Alright numb nuts. It's nice to see you too. Wondered if you fancied a few jars over lunchtime?" Theo asked, getting up from his seat and stretching idly.
"No, I can't mate. I've got ward rounds after lunch and then I really want to work on my dissertation."
"Aw, you're no fun Malfoy," Theo replied with a faux pout and giving his friend a playful shove. "You're really getting stuck in to your work at the moment. Feels like we haven't had a lads' night for ages."
"Well that might have something to do with the fact that you've been spending all your spare time with Davis." Draco replied giving him a shove back in return. "I take it you two are still an item?"
"Yep! And I take it you are still unhappily single?"
Draco rolled his eyes and before quietly nodding his confirmation of the sad fact.
"Oh don't tell me, you're still moping about missing out on getting in Granger's knickers…?"
"Theo," Draco interrupted sharply with a warning glare "I suggest you stop right there."
"Okay, okay! Jeez, Draco!" Theo relented holding his hands up in surrender. "You really got stung didn't you?"
Draco paused for a moment in an attempt to regain his composure, but the urge to release his pent up frustration eventually got the better of him and he let out an exasperated breath. "It's driving me fucking insane!"
Theo patted his friend on the back in a comforting gesture. "Come on mate, let's go get a bite to eat and you can tell Uncle Nottykins all about it."
The pair wandered casually along the hospital passageway as Draco began to fill his friend in on all his frustrations and feelings for Hermione.
He told him about how he recently ran into her at the manor of all places. He spoke in confidence to him about her panic attack and how he had employed his house elf to spy on Hermione for the rest of the afternoon to make sure she was alright.
He told him how what had happened with her parents had inspired his choice of independent study, being determined to find a solution and to secure her happiness.
Joining the queue in the canteen to pick out some lunch, Draco began to rant about how frustrating it was to see Hermione dating Justin, knowing what an absolute prick he could be, but having to admit that it seemed that he was actually treating Hermione well.
Theo let out a low whistle as he grabbed two packs of cheese and ploughman's pickle sandwiches and some pumpkin juice from the magi-chill refrigerator.
"Man. That …"
"…totally sucks?" Draco suggested.
"What totally sucks now?" came a familiar voice from behind them as Justin clapped the pair on their backs jovially, leaning forwards between the pair to choose some sandwiches for himself.
Draco and Theo eyed each other, before Theo made a wanking gesture with his fist behind Justin's back.
"Having to do ward rounds straight after lunch," Draco replied quickly.
"Ah. Yes well that is unfortunate," Justin agreed with a smirk. "Fortunately, for me, I've got the afternoon to work on my study - oh I'll get these," he said loudly to the cashier, paying for all three lunches before they had chance to refuse. "Although I'm not exactly sure that you should be eating lunch in here Nott."
Justin picked up the tray of drinks and sandwiches and carried them over to a table - leaving Theo and Draco no choice but to follow and join him.
They grimaced at each other as they trailed behind him and sat down sullenly at the table. They opened their sandwiches and ate in awkward silence for a few minutes, Theo making more daft gestures of vomiting and choking whenever Justin wasn't looking.
Suddenly, Justin seemed to remember something and, chewing his last mouthful and making a muffled sound, reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, black box, pushing it across the table towards Draco and tapping it with a smug smirk.
"Check that out, lads," he announced, leaning back and folding his arms confidently across his puffed out chest. "Went and collected it this morning."
Draco gave Theo a puzzled look before tentatively reaching out to untie the ribbon that held it together and lifting the lid.
Inside the box was perhaps the most garish and ugly piece of jewellery that Draco had ever seen. The yellow gold chain of the necklace was made up of thick links and the pendant was a large, orangey-red garnet love heart gemstone, with gold outspread wings imitating a golden snitch.
Draco and Theo eyed each other once more, Draco immediately looking away, knowing that Theo's expression might make him laugh out loud if he looked at him for too long.
"Is this for … Hermione?" he asked.
"Indeed it is," Justin replied smugly. "It's her birthday next week. I knew someone like you would appreciate fine quality when you see it."
Draco sat and stared at the necklace for a few seconds mulling over the thoughts racing through his mind. The thing was hideous and trying to picture Hermione happily wearing it was an impossible task. Of course, Draco knew exactly what kind of jewellery she favoured. He'd noticed her delicate silver chains and simple pendants. She wore a plain silver band on her little finger and her earrings were always simple studs, hoops or sometimes unique little cuffs that he presumed to be a muggle fashion. How Justin could consider for one second that this thing was to her taste was beyond him.
It was Theo who broke the silence first.
"So Finchley," he began, earning a twitch from Justin's left eye at the use of the nickname that he knew Justin disliked, "Looks like things are getting serious between you and Granger then?"
Justin considered this for a moment before replying.
"Well, I don't know about that," he said, tucking into the second half of his sandwich. "But I definitely want to keep seeing her… and we've not been seeing other people."
As he said it, Draco noticed that Justin's eyes flickered across to the other side of the hall, lingering on one of the newly recruited trainee nurse practitioners, who was sitting in the corner with her friends. He followed Justin's gaze, recognising her bright blonde hair and realising that he had done ward rounds with her earlier in the week.
He recalled how he had noticed that afternoon that her uniform appeared to be rather more short and tight than was customary for their standard issued robes. This became apparent to him when the old wizard she had been tending to had muttered something unspeakable as she had bent over at his bedside to retrieve his notes that had fallen to the floor.
He looked back at Justin with suspicion.
"Does Hermione feel the same way? That your relationship isn't quite that serious yet?"
"Yeah, I think so," Justin replied.
"You think so?" Draco replied incredulously. At that moment, Draco felt a warring of instincts rising inside him. The Slytherin self interest in him, began triumphing in the fact that Justin was going to give Hermione this awful thing for her birthday, totally messing up and potentially making Hermione question their relationship. But then the genuine care that he felt for the girl rose up and picturing her disappointment in the gift filled him with regret.
"Justin, you've been dating for quite a while now, and you seem to be spending more time together lately. Don't you think that you might be sending out the message that you consider your relationship to be rather more serious with this … this? he suggested, gesturing towards the box that remained on the table.
Draco felt Theo's wide eyes boring into him with the incredulity that he was seemingly advising Justin on his relationship with Hermione. Justin was giving Draco an appraising look. He then looked at the necklace and closed the box with a sharp snap, sitting back in his chair again and finishing the last mouthful of his lunch.
"Hmmm. You might well be onto something there, Malfoy." he said, narrowing his eyes in thought. "So you think I ought to tone down the gift a bit?"
"Oh I don't know about that mate," Theo interjected loudly. "I mean any girl would just love to get such a classy piece of jewellery as that" he continued, nodding at Draco conspiratorially.
"But I see what Malfoy's saying, Nott. I suppose it is something one would give in a more serious relationship. But..." he trailed off, twirling the box around on the table top and giving an exasperated sigh. "The thing is, I haven't got the foggiest idea what else I could get her."
Draco scowled at Justin incredulously, wondering how on earth this idiot had the brains to both get a place on healer training as well as managing to keep Hermione interested for so long.
"Well, that settles it then!" Theo interjected confidently. "Give her the necklace and have done with i…"
Draco kicked Theo sharply under the table before interrupting him.
"Justin, You've been dating her for months. Surely you've got to know her a little bit?"
Justin searched his mind and then shrugged. "Well, I know what kind of thing she likes in the sack - the little minx!" he said with a lecherous wink. "So, short of gift wrapping my love rod," he continued glancing down at his crotch, causing Theo to spray pumpkin juice down his nose and Draco to grimace in dismay, "… I'm not really sure. I suppose she's still a bit of a reader. You know? Like she was at school?"
Draco rolled his eyes and sighed inwardly. His opposing instincts were tormenting him. He wanted nothing more than for Justin to completely mess things up with Hermione, but moreover he wanted her to be happy and to enjoy her birthday. Gods, what had happened to him, he asked himself. Here he had a prime opportunity to join in with Theo and to encourage Justin to give her the hideous necklace, but his feelings for Hermione were getting in the way.
"Yes Justin, she still likes to read," he admitted through gritted teeth. "In fact…" he went on, screwing up his face with regret at what he knew he was about to inevitably say. ".. there's a couple of books that I know she's interested in."
In his peripheral vision, Draco could tell Theo was shaking his head furiously out of Justin's eyeshot.
"Oh? Well that's brilliant Malfoy!" came Justin's gleeful reply. "So you tell me what they are and I'll just give her those then. But then… Oh I don't know, it just seems a bit boring. I mean, the girl's used to me taking her out to high end restaurants and the like. How does someone give books?"
Without thinking, Draco instinctively blurted out "Well, maybe at a picnic or something?" before stopping himself from assisting his rival any further. At this point Theo dropped his head back, mouth wide open in stunned shock, mouthing incomprehensibly at the heavens.
Draco's inner monologue was seemingly doing the same thing as his Slytherin conscience demanded to know what the fuck he thought he was doing.
Justin looked doubtful for a moment and for a glorious second, Draco thought that he wasn't going to buy the idea at all.
"A picnic you say? Hmmm, well it seems a bit cheap compared to how I usually entertain her. But I suppose I could make it classier with some champagne and canapés…" he continued thoughtfully.
Draco sighed and began to eat his second sandwich that lay untouched on the table. He realised suddenly that he had completely lost his appetite and threw the rest of it back down on the table.
"Whatever Justin." he stated mutely. "I just think that the necklace is a dick move."
He inwardly cursed himself as the reality of what had just happened sunk in. What in the name of Salazar's scrotum did he think he was doing?
In trying to steer Justin away from giving Hermione a necklace that she would undoubtedly dislike and that would certainly give her the wrong idea about Justin's current intentions, he had wound up advising him on the perfect gift that sounded like it was going to be presented in a lavishly romantic fashion.
And to add further insult to injury and thus making this gloriously fucked up situation even worse, was the fact that he had already bought her those books with the intention of giving them to her himself, and they were currently sitting, ready gift-wrapped in the trunk under his bed!
Justin stood up and tucked the jewellery box back in his inside pocket.
"Alright then, nice one Malfoy, thanks for hearing my ideas out. Oh and.." he continued raising the volume of his voice significantly. "…Don't worry about paying me back for lunch. My treat eh?"
He took a last long swig of his drink and sauntered out of the refectory, passing the trainee nurse and her friends who glanced his way before whispering to each other. Theo and Draco looked around and noticed several pairs of eyes regarding them coldly.
"Thanks for hearing your ideas out?" Theo stated in disbelief, speaking in Justin's direction. "Fucking hell, there wasn't much to hear from you, you fucking prick!"
Draco closed his eyes and shook his head lightly.
"And as for you…" Theo began, turning his attentions to his friend. "What the actual fuck was all that about? Are you out of your Slytherin mind? Since when does Draco Malfoy turn down a prime opportunity to totally stitch up a rival and give away information to ensure his success?
"Just… don't Theo. Don't." came his friend's quiet reply.
Theo sat back and took Draco's depressed demeanour.
"Gods, Draco. You've really got it bad, mate," he remarked with a sympathetic smile.
Draco inwardly agreed with him completely.
"Right, you bugger. Me and you are going out tonight to get you drunk and, for your bonus round, we're going to get you totally laid. I'm owling Blaise straight after we get out of here."
Draco chugged back the rest of his juice, beginning to think that despite having a seminar to attend early the next day, that wasn't such a bad idea after all.