Chapter 4: Too Dramatic To Be A Doormat
There was no cloud in the sky that afternoon. They took a seat by one of the few trees near the edge of the forest.
Draco sighed heavily. "All of our lives we were told to maintain status and the sanctity of our blood. To the point of arranged marriages before we're conceived or inbreeding…"
He glanced at Blaise who sat beside him criss-cross on the grass yanking out weeds.
He looked up to the sky wearily. "I know it's not worth anything now, but for that to have all been a lie I—I… For me to be evidence of that rule being broken, it's unfathomable."
"I think it's for the best that this happened to you."
Draco whipped his head to scowl.
He chuckled. "Out of all of us save for Pansy, you had the blood purity shoved down your throat the farthest. We were all so proud and pretentious. You were incorrigible. After the war, I think it would be the hardest for you to come to terms with change. Now fate has forced you to never forget it."
Draco dropped his scowl to a faint frown and rolled his eyes. "Apparently I'm so bad at making decisions in my life, it's now up to some stupid witch."
Blaise's brows rose high then he nodded still looking shocked. He opened his mouth to speak then snapped it shut.
There was a rustle of leaves behind them. They both gripped their wands tightly and looked around. Right behind them was a thick mass of bushes. Draco squinted and saw a small figure. He looked over to Blaise who nodded sternly. Without another word they got up and walked back toward Hogwarts. They glanced behind themselves every few minutes.
.
They relaxed once they made it into the hallway that led to their dorm.
"How has the golden girl been while I've been out?" Draco teased.
"Granger? Holed up in her room studying for her NEWTS. I think she's nesting with the number of books she's collected. Other than that, she's pleasant as can be. I suspect that will change once you get up there."
"Lovely"
They stepped into the portrait together.
"Speak of the devil," Blaise said leaving his broom by the door.
Hermione had fallen asleep on the couch with a book over her chin and a blanket loosely on her legs. They stepped lightly around her toward the staircase. Draco stole a glimpse at the book she was reading. He recognized the title but couldn't remember the plot. Some wizard myth that got shared with muggles.
His eyes glanced at her nose just above the book. For some reason, he had figured her nose would be bigger since she was always in everyone's business. But weirdly, it suited her face well. Proportional.
He turned left and followed shortly Blaise up. He had been waiting in his chair with his feet propped on the desk. "Did you know our chairs SPIN? I just figured this out and had been waiting to show you." He dropped his feet to the ground, gripped his desk, and spun as fast as he could. "It's bloody brilliant! If muggle integration is like this I could get used to it."
Draco scoffed and threw a pillow from his bed toward the wheels.
It landed in between the rollers. Blaise's chair wiggled."Woah! Do you know how fast I was going? You could've killed me!"
He snickered as he jumped onto his bed. "Hardly. The worst that could happen is you being more of a fool."
Blaise glared and moved to get onto his bed.
"Like I was saying before I don't know entirely what this entails and I don't want to learn. I just want to have a normal life this year."
"A Malfoy being normal? Someone get Abrax in the flu because his grandson needs a reality check." Draco sighed into his duvet. "Now do you want to get to the part about a witch holding you at wand or..."
Draco turned so he would not be muffled. "Veelas are romantic creatures that have the opportunity to meet their soulmate with guidance and the desire to be a doormat for them to walk all over. Or something like that."
Blaise's face stayed stoic as he thought. "Or you die?"
"Yep"
"Delightful." He clapped his hands together mulling over the situation. "So, any interactions with witches that scream fate?"
Draco thought back to earlier in the day when he descended the staircase. When she had walked past him, the world stopped. For once instead of turning back and hiding, he felt like leaping into action. Then as soon as she left the feeling went with her.
Or just now when they walked in how he couldn't help but steal a glimpse at her over the book. Taking time to notice a small feature on her face.
"No," he answered quietly. "I was just released this morning. I barely had contact with anyone."
Blaise raised a brow at his response but left it. "Alright then, we'll have to find her ourselves."
"How exactly do we intend to do that? Matter of fact, why would we?"
Blaise sighed dramatically and sat up in his bed. "Because unfortunately, for whatever reason, some people seem to care about you, Drake. I doubt they would want you dead."
"Like who?" He asked with a hum of humor.
"Idk me, your mother, Pansy, Theo, your parole officer who gets paid to make sure you stay here." Draco chuckled at the last part. "So, do you feel like living?" he asked with a smirk.
"No."
"I'll bet you 30 galleons you make it past a year."
"Deal."
"You have to actively be trying though." He said sternly.
The veela sighed heavily, "fine".
They heard a thud and a pile of stuff fall onto the floor. Draco winced.
"Well, then you should try studying in your room! Or back to that dark cave you call a library Granger." A shrill voice shouted.
Draco's lip curled, he looked at Blaise.
"May I remind you that unlike you, I live here! If you had kept that pug-faced-"
Draco's eyes opened wide and Blaise gaped at the door. "I think we have a visitor." He said with a smile.
Either the shouting got louder or they were closer to the door. Draco had to wrap a pillow around his ears to ease the pain.
"They sound like fucking Harpies" Draco sneered.
Someone started pounding on their door. "OI Zabini! You have an unwelcome visitor!"
"Dear Merlin". Blaise eventually opened the door to a fuming witch. Her face scrunched up and her hands were on her hip.
"This is what I was talking about Zabini! You have to give me some sort of notice when one of your accomplices comes knocking."
"I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours." He quipped back.
She scoffed. "Just… Keep it quiet. I am trying to relax. It's nearly the end of the week." She turned on her heels and walked out with her head held high, bumping into Pansy's right shoulder as she left.
"Didn't know this dorm came with its own goblin." She sneered.
Draco tried to hide his repulsion when she came in. He didn't mean to make a face. There was just something off-putting about her. She was one of his best friends; it's not like he hated her or anything.
She walked over to his desk and pulled out the chair to sit. She rolled it to the other side and handed a picture to Blaise.
"Thanks for letting me borrow that. I already made a copy." He nodded his head and put it back into a frame.
She got up and walked over to Draco's bed. "I haven't heard from you all summer. What have you been up to?" She scooted closer.
Draco tried his hardest not to gag. He leaned back a bit and swallowed. "House arrest, community service, signing agreements to never join a legion of evil."
She laughed and shoved his arm back playfully. He jumped back and scrambled off the bed. Years of social training went down the drain. His stomach lurched and he ran out of the room.
Pansy's eyes had followed him out and he looked back at Blaise. His eyes were comically wide.
He relaxed and shrugged "he hasn't had a real meal in a bit. It was probably that."
She gave him a look of disbelief then rolled her eyes. "Well that community service was doing him well, he finally grew into his features."
She smirked and bit her lip seductively. Blaise scrunched his nose and rose from his bed. "Anything else you need, anything you wanted to talk about?"
She jumped off the bed and dragged her hand across Draco's nightstand, the dresser, then desk. She stopped and twirled one of his quills in her hand. "I'm out of ink, so I'm just going to borrow one of his." She pulled open the top right drawer and grabbed one of the many containers. "I'm sure he won't miss it."
She had a cheeky grin and twirled on her heels out the door.
"Yeah, hi Blaise how are you doing?" Blaise said in a high-pitched voice.
"Oh yeah hey Pansy," he replied to himself. "Thanks for asking. I'm a bit stressed about quidditch try-outs. I am fairly out of practice, but I hope it goes well."
"Of course, it will Blaise, you're the best!" He squealed while raising one leg back like a flamingo.
He sighed and trudged back to his desk to work on homework.
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A/N: I'm excited about the next chapter, there will be some more Draco & Hermione scenes I pinky swear- In fact sneak peek
She gulped and looked back at him. "Uhh...Are, are you alright?"
He looked at her in horror, his face draining of any remaining color. "Get the fuck out of here Granger."
Her eyebrows furrowed. As she started to turn, she realized she still had the glass in her hand. She nodded to herself and turned back to him."There's no one else here." ~UnconsciouslyReading