Disclaimer: None of these characters are mine, only the plot.
Can I Buy You a Drink?
His blood was boiling; who did this girl think that she was? Nobody did this to him. He was Draco Malfoy, and he was the one that the girls were supposed to fight over, not the other way around. Girls were, well they were more than objects, and even he wasn't that pigheaded to reduce them to nothing but possessions. But still, girls were… inferior. Yes, that was the word he wanted, inferior. There was no reason that she should have this kind of hold on him! But, her eyes, they were so captivating; they were such a piercing, fierce emerald color, rivaling that of his old school robes. Her eyes gave away her fierce spirit despite her tranquil outlook.
She was everything he'd ever dreamed about in a girl. Wow, was he really thinking these things? Maybe Draco really had driven himself off the deep end about this girl. But no was she ever worth it, he was finally free from this bloody war, from his parents, but then he met her, saw her and couldn't forget, would never forget. What was happening to him? He was legal, but he was still young; these were supposed to be the best and happiest years of his life. That meant he should not be wasting them, hoping just for a glimpse of her, a chance to run into her; no this was all backwards. She should be the one lusting after him, because that's all this was, lust, nothing more. She was smart and beautiful, a young woman worth his time if ever he saw one.
There he went again, letting himself get caught up in thoughts of her. But she was too young for him; his mother would scold him, telling her she was naught but a child. And yes, she was not but a child, only seventeen, fresh out of Hogwarts. He was nineteen already, nearing twenty, and as he well knew, males matured slower, but females remained more innocent and naïve, even if they were more mature. Not only that, but Draco knew the thoughts he had about her, and they weren't right, and still he was unable to stop them.
He was about to turn down the street, headed for the Three Broom Sticks; he was planning to spend his day off with some old friends of his, when he spotted her small round face, that cute button nose, her long flowing platinum strands of hair. And then their eyes met, her fierce green ones probing his grey ones, bringing them to life before he broke the connection. If he wasn't careful she may find something in his eyes that she shouldn't.
Draco had his secrets, his past – a very dark thing indeed, and his feelings, oh if she could read those thoughts… This was ridiculous; his being reduced to nothing more than a bashful child. He was Draco Malfoy, and he was not so easily broken, not so easily tamed. But this girl, she was something else. But there was nothing to worry about, he just had to turn the corner, slip into the Three Broom Sticks, and he'd have avoided her. It was one thing to admire her, study her from a distance, but what would he do, how would he respond if she returned these feeling? She was still a child; and he couldn't take that away from her, he wouldn't allow it. He'd never forgive himself. So why wouldn't his feet move?
"Draco, yes? Draco Malfoy." Her voice was more than he could handle, a soft soprano, so contrary to the fire in her eyes. How had she made it to where he stood, so smoothly, elegantly, without him seeing her coming? Of course, she stood a few inches shorter than he, easy to lose in a crowd, well not exactly. Draco could have picked her out of any crowd, the poise with which she carried herself, the majesty her movements displayed; Draco would have noticed her anywhere. My, had she grown since last he had seen her, since the last year he'd spent at Hogwarts, or perhaps he hadn't noticed because of that war. Either way, Draco most certainly noticed her now; there was no question about that.
"Yes." He replied coyly, no hint of emotion in his voice. Play it cool, that's what he always did. He'd learned the art of masking his emotions, growing up in the Malfoy mansion did that to a person. "Can I help you?" Sure Draco knew better than to pretend he couldn't recognize her, but this was the first time they'd spoken, since he'd graduated or otherwise. She had always been a quieter girl, much different from her older sister, a girl in his year, his age. They could have passed for twins except for the slight difference in height, but he would always know the difference. He'd never felt this attraction towards Daphne, only her.
"I've seen you here a few times before, but I was afraid you wouldn't remember me." She smiled softly, her voice creating a gentle melody inside of him. He could listen to her speak for hours, but she wouldn't give him the pleasure of such. He'd seen her before; she was much more of one to listen than to speak. "You went to school with my sister, Daphne." She spoke softly, as if she were nervous, but what for he wasn't sure. Well, he was Draco Malfoy, but he didn't mean to intimidate her for it.
"Ah, is that you Astoria?" He smirked playfully before putting his finger beneath her chin and drawing her face up as if he were inspecting her features, determining if it was really her. "Ah, so it is." He smiled releasing her chin, letting her head lower again, though it didn't; instead her eyes searched his face now, which had become softer, his features less tense now that he was speaking comfortably with an old acquaintance rather than studying her from a distance, his eyes a lot more alive, less cold and guarded. "You've grown up since last I saw you." And it was true, though quite an understatement if ever there was one.
Her pale skin slowly slid into a pale rose color as she took his compliment, causing his smirk to deepen, widen, and become more genuine, less playful. It was a preposterous idea, but was there a possibility that she fancied him? No, he couldn't allow it, but how could he ever find it within him to turn her away? Or maybe, she was just the sensitive girl she'd been back when they were growing, that took things quickly to heart, quickly and quietly, without much input of her own. Momentarily, her face dropped, as if she was trying to hide her blushing features, despite the fact that he'd already noticed them by this time, and how becoming they were.
"You know my name." She spoke softly, almost as if she was surprised that he knew her name. After all, what reason had he to know it at all? They'd never spoken before, so it was understandable. But he knew her name all the same, and it was a name Draco would never forget. She shook her head, a few strands of hair falling loosely in front of her eyes, as she came out of her momentary stupor. "Daphne, she's told me a lot about you and…" Ah, so she was speaking to him because of Daphne? He felt his heart drop a little… wait why did he care? Sure she was pretty, no very attractive, but that didn't mean he fancied her to the point where he wanted her attention back. "This was a silly idea, I should be going." She looked away, and Draco seized his opportunity.
"Of course I know your name." His smirk didn't budge from his lips, remember, no emotion. But he brushed her hair from her eyes, and that piercing green met his eyes again. "Well I am truly flattered." Oh, and he was, even the fact that she knew who he was, had taken the chance to speak with him. But now he was intrigued, there was no way he was just letting her off and walk away, not when she was so close, not when her presence was becoming intoxicating, almost making him forget what he was doing. Draco reached for her hand, willing her not to go, pulling her back around to face him. "What's the hurry? Have a date to get to?" His tone was joking, evident by his manner as he spoke, but inside he was hoping that her answer was no.
Astoria's eyes returned to his face, before she blushed once more and looked away. "No, I'm here alone." Her voice was still beautiful, though her tone was feeble and one of embarrassment. "I just thought, you're an important man, Dra… Mr. Malfoy. I thought you would have somewhere to be, that's all."
"Well, a lovely lady like yourself deserves some company." His tone was still light, but underneath there was a hint of desire. This girl was slowly breaking Draco's hard façade, and it was hard not to fight it. "Today's my day off. What do you say I treat you to a drink at the Three Broom Sticks, and then if you still want to run, I'll let you go?" Draco smirked his familiar smirk, though the corners were beginning to give way to a genuine smile.
Astoria glanced up from behind her long thick lashes and bat them a few times, simply watching him, almost as if she was waiting for him to laugh at her, as if she were waiting for Draco to tell her it was all a joke. But what she didn't know was this was the farthest thing from a joke that he could get. His invitation to have a drink was probably the first genuine invitation he'd extended in a long time.
"I would hate to be a bother." She spoke quickly, beginning to withdraw her hand, but Draco caught her fingertips, and raised his eyes to meet her.
"Believe me, Astoria, it would be my pleasure." Draco dropped her hand, no use in forcing her to stay if she was completely against the idea, after all, he could have read her all wrong. But he really did wish she would go along with him. It would beat his usual company, even if they didn't speak; her presence beside him seemed to be fulfilling enough.
Astoria looked back the direction from which she'd come before her eyes turned back up to his, searching his grey, and exceedingly dull eyes. But she must have found what she was looking for in his eyes before a small, soft smile formed in the most lovely, tempting shape on her lips. She nodded her head delicately; nothing like the eager bobble head motion he'd seen girls produce before.
"Maybe, just for a minute," Astoria spoke, her voice barely above a whisper, before something dawned on her, remembrance coloring her features, as they twisted into a harder set of features. "It's just, I don't really drink…" Her voice trailed off as if she wished to say more, as if there was something she wanted to tell him, but suddenly thought better of it.
What Draco didn't know was why she didn't drink much; it went all the way back to her sixth year, not that long ago, at Hogwarts. She had downed not even a bottle of firewhisky, but still, she lost all sense of judgment, and then blacked out. That was only once, and there had been consequences; waking up in the arms of another boy, one she neither knew nor cared for, a boy that Draco would have beat senseless if only he'd known. But she kept this to herself, not eager to be taken advantage of again, because Astoria had a deep distrust of the opposite gender. And sure she had been admiring Draco for quite some time, even back when they both still attended Hogwarts, when she was still Daphne's freakish little sister and he was the son of Lucius Malfoy. Still, ever since that night, she had trouble believing that any man could genuinely care, that any man could ever think of her as more than a child, or a brief moment's joy before she was tossed aside. Draco was just another man, so it was no wonder she was reluctant to join him. She felt so foolish for having believed he was any different, but the way their eyes had connected before, she could only have hoped…
"A butterbeer then? Or is that still too strong?" Draco's voice held the light hint of laughter at her reaction, but at least she'd agreed to come. He was simply in good spirits now; he meant absolutely no harm in his comment. He reached for her hand and took it gently within his own, weaving his fingers through hers. To Astoria, it would seem like a common gesture, something that Draco must do with all his dates; but the truth was, this technically wasn't even a date, and Draco hadn't been on one of those in a long while. Work kept him tied up and he spent most of his free time in the Three Broomsticks.
Astoria shook her head as she eased her fingers together with his, allowing him to lead the way, slowly following beside him. "No, a butterbeer is fine." If she said this out of embarrassment or seriousness, he wasn't quite sure, but he never would have pressured her into it. Draco smiled as they reached the door and he slowly released her hand, opening the door and gesturing for her to enter.
"Ladies first," Draco grinned; he knew a thing or two about girls, grown or not. They loved gentlemen, unless of course they went for the bad boy type, though Astoria most certainly didn't strike him as that sort of girl. This time, he stepped in behind her and placed his hands gently upon her small shoulders and guided her towards a table, which just so happened to be out of the sight of his friends, who hardly seemed to miss him anyway, already having downed several drinks.
Draco pulled out a chair for her and waited for her to sit down, before gently easing her chair closer to the table. "Thank you, Mr. Mal…" Draco raised his hand as he slid into the chair across from her, so she stopped suddenly, wondering if she had said something to offend him.
"You speak to me as if I'm an old man. Please, just Draco." He smiled as he removed his coat, draping it over the back of his chair. Surely he didn't come off as the fancy rich type that prefers to be called Mr. Malfoy. If that was the case, he'd have to change his approach a bit. What was it with this girl that had him so bloody on edge?
"Sorry, Draco." She smiled sheepishly, as he saw her cheeks flush red. But before he could tell her that there was nothing to apologize for, such a sweet girl, the waitress appeared before them, oblivious to the fact that she was interrupting them. Okay, so she wasn't interrupting them, but he was still irritated, even if she was just doing her job.
"Two firewhiskies I presume, Mr. Malfoy?" The young woman shot Astoria a distasteful look that sent her sliding down a bit in her chair. That was something he'd have to tell her about later.
"No, I think I'll just be having one today." He smiled, running a hand through his golden hair before gesturing to Astoria. "And a butterbeer for the lovely lady if you will." She scowled before she went off to retrieve the drinks. Draco knew they flirted a lot, she being his usual waitress, but he never thought of her in that way. Lord knew what she was thinking when she saw that the girl across from him was hardly old enough to be out of school, not that he cared, not really.
A slightly awkward, less than comfortable silence hung over them as they looked at each other, their gaze unwavering, almost as if they were having a staring contest, seeing who would blink first. But there was more to this little game; they were searching for something that neither of them had ever had before. His eyes weren't quite as soft as before as they probed her fiery green orbs, looking for some hint of what this meant to her. Their eyes didn't move until there was the sour grunt of their waitress and the sound of drinks hitting the table, less than gracefully, his splashing over the edge ever so slightly, causing him to send a glare up at the waitress, enough to send her on her way.
Astoria didn't miss the jealousy in the waitress's eyes. One would almost think that she was with the man across from her with the ice in her stare. But Draco wouldn't do that to her? No, she wouldn't believe it. But what he didn't know was that she realized almost any other girl would kill to be in her place, not that they necessarily would, so why couldn't she treat him to the kind of company he deserved, the kind of company almost anyone else could give him? Maybe that was what made her agree to the butterbeer, because she knew it would loosen her up…
After a few sips from his glass, Draco cleared his throat, finally breaking the silence. The question had been biting at the back of his mind for a while now. "If you don't mind my asking, what exactly made you ask if I was… me?" After all, Draco didn't know why, and he could come up with no logical answer. What girl just walks up to a guy, asks who he is, and then tries to walk away? Apparently Astoria Greengrass did, but why?
Astoria sipped a little more of her drink; for not drinking much alcohol she drank it rather quickly. Maybe she was avoiding his question; he wouldn't blame her. If he had been the one to go up to her, he most certainly would not have admitted to his fascination; Draco never would have come out and said that he felt an odd sort of attraction to her bordering on lust, it would have made things rather awkward. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I mean, I won't make you…" Draco murmured softly as she raised her head, her eyes coming again to meet his.
"It's alright." Astoria shrugged, but offered little more of an explanation. "It's just…" Her voice trailed off and her eyes seemed to go out of focus for a moment. The alcohol was affecting her already. She wasn't kidding when she said she didn't drink. She must not be able to retain much alcohol before she went over the edge and actually blacked out, especially considering the low alcohol content in butterbeer.
"What is it?" Draco asked, no hint of joking or light heartedness in his speech. "Is everything alright?" He reached for her hand and rubbed his thumb across the palm of her hand before closing his hand around it gently.
With her free hand she sipped from her glass again before looking down. It was almost as if she thought his questioning was his way of letting her know that she was wearing on his nerves. But how could she think so lowly of him? And if he sounded like a concerned parent, he didn't mean to; he was just worried about her. Draco didn't want to see her black out or do something she'd regret, she was still a child, and that was what mattered first. What had made him buy her anything with alcohol in it to begin with?
Astoria shook her head, but instead of what had once been grace and elegance, it was a stuttered action of her head upon her neck as she pushed her chair out behind her and made to stand. What was she thinking? He thought that he'd done something to hurt her, to send her the wrong message. But why did he really care? So he screwed things over with one girl, but he was Draco Malfoy; there were so many others to choose from. But then why did he feel like he wanted this one?
"I'm fine. But I should really… really get going." Astoria pushed her chair back with some difficulty, and he was on his feet before she was. And sure enough, as soon as she tried to take a step away from him, away from the table, out towards the door, she fell forward, right into his open arms. Poor thing, and to think, this was his fault. And this was why Draco refused himself this pleasure before. Because he knew that he would hurt her; she was still a child and needed protecting, and that was one thing he couldn't give to her. Draco wasn't built for protecting; he never seemed to perform that task too well. And again, he had failed; but this time, Draco actually felt the pain of letting her down…
Draco was about to lift her into his arms and carry her out of here, not that he knew where he would take her, but at least away from this place there would be no foul men ready to swoop down on her.
But then Astoria laughed almost unexpectedly, uncharacteristically, her green eyes sharp as a dagger as she shook her head and dared to steal one last look into his eyes. "Look at me, thinking you could ever like me." Her voice held a tense sort of irony. What was so unbelievable about a guy like Draco falling for a sweet and innocent girl like her, especially when it had happened? Now if only Draco could say the words that needed to be said, the words that would make her stay. But could he say it, was he ready? It was too soon. Damn, no girl should make things this difficult. Draco paused after he lifted her into his arms, noting how light and small her body was as her head fell drowsily to a rest on his shoulder. Before long, she was sleeping like an angel in his arms, and he couldn't bring himself to leave her. Instead he found a small bench outside a fairly empty shop.
"No, Astoria Greengrass. I think you're right. I could never like you." Draco mused, whispering into her ear, though even if she could hear what he said, she would never remember it when she woke. "You know why?" He paused and brushed a few strands of hair from her face. "Because I think I might… I might just be falling in love…"
A/N: This was written in response to sick-atxxheart's The Never Challenge. This is also my second attempt to write about Malfoy. I just hope I didn't butcher these two. Please read and review, I would love to know what you think.