Chapter 13: Polluted Pureblood Perspectives
This day was a nightmare. He and Dudley was on the path leading to the gates of the manor. Draco had argued and in the end won and had convinced Dudley that apparating was a much better way to travel then using any muggle transportation. Dudley was still wary about apparating from his first experience, which Draco could understand and had therefor agreed to apparate from outside the grounds, even though he had taken down all the anti muggle protections that had been on the manor.
So now they were on their way, Dudley looking too cheerful for his own good and Draco going 3 steps behind sulking. Really he was never getting drunk again, seriously how had he ended up agreeing to this.
A Malfoy never backed down when making a promise or taking on a challenge though. So here he was on his way, if he survived a whole afternoon with muggles with his life and insanity intact it would be a miracle.
"So do you like your outfit, I think you look handsome and a little artistic" Dudley was smiling at him and that only made Draco grumble. In reality though he kind of liked the clothes Dudley had chosen for him, grey slacks, a light blue cashmere sweater, a black scarf and beret, it felt a little French inspired and that made him feel more comfortable.
He had to admit although reluctantly that muggle clothes may have some practical advantages to wizard clothes as well. Really robes could be very unpractical at times.
Muggles do not have any style, they are all slobs, Bellatrix had once told Draco and he couldn´t help but question it now, it seemed muggles like wizards had a big spectrum of styles and a range of clothes in different quality if Dudley were to be believed. Draco couldn´t understand why Dudley used those hideous clothes though, looking a lot like the style of clothes Harry had had around Hogwarts when not in his school robes.
His curiosity took over and he forget that he was supposed to be sulking for a moment. "Why do you go around in that, really it seems your fashion sense is not that terrible but those things you put on every morning is."
Dudley was looking back at him, the smile didn´t falter. "My mum have always chosen my clothes, I haven´t really cared or even thought about what style I would like" here he looked thoughtful and a little sad but that expression was soon replaced by an excited expression "maybe you would like to go shopping?"
Of course he would want to go shopping, he hadn´t done so since a year or so before the war had ended, he was in desperate need of new clothes. Getting the clothes from the muggle world though, he was very skeptical to say the least.
Before he knew it they had started a conversation about different clothing styles and the difference between wizard clothing and muggle clothing where Dudley had stated that wizards were just so old fashion. Draco had protested of course but had not been able to provide very good arguments as he had very little experience with muggle clothes and there was the detail of that the clothes the Malfoys used was much the same now as what they had used centuries ago.
He was so lost in the conversation that before he knew it they had reached the gates and there was no turning back. He sighed "ready?" Dudley nodded to him enthusiastically, making Draco feel a little irritated. He grabbed Dudley´s elbow and apparated them to the same alley he had apparated when he had first picked Dudley up all those weeks ago.
Landing on the pavement in the abandoned alley he was hit by the wave of the sounds from the moving masses of muggles just 50 meters from where they had landed. He swallowed and looked at Dudley pleadingly making the other boy laugh, "oh no, you are not getting out of this, I´m positive you will be pleasantly surprised."
Draco just snorted and made an uninterested gesture with his hands as if saying whatever, just get this over with already.
Dudley´s mood seemed to be unable to dampen today and it only made Draco more sour and irritated. Dudley started talking about everything he thought Draco would find enjoyable in the muggle world if he only gave it a chance, Draco just moped and tuned him out. Dudley would see that this was a bad idea sooner or later, right.
"Pizza, it is what we muggles call fast food. It is something that takes a short time to prepare and can be bought by most people in a lot of places. Pizza is from the beginning Italian, it can be made with a variety of toppings and because of that it makes it suitable to a lot of people." It seemed that after their evening last night something had changed and Dudley now thought they were best friends. Draco was on his way to get a headache, could the bloke not just shut up.
On the way to getting their pizzas he saw a lot of different kind of muggles, they seemed almost normal, but some was talking to what it seemed being no one, maybe they were the mentally retarded ones? He found himself being a little curious, "are they daft?" Dudley stopped and looked at him surprised.
"What the Italians? Pizza is not stupid, it´s delicious" Draco rolled his eyes, maybe it was Dudley that was the daft one. "No, those muggles that is talking to thin air, it looks really retarded" not that he had expected anything else of course.
To his surprise Dudley started laughing, Draco became a little worried and took his hand up to his hair to feel so that nothing had pooped at him again. "Good one, no they are talking to other muggles in their phones through those vires going to their ears, it´s called a hands-free." Draco had no idea what a "phone" was and his expression must have been given that away, Dudley smiled and added "it´s kind of like your fire-calls."
Draco looked at him like he had two heads, but not even they had methods to talk to each other over long distances just like that, while doing other tasks. And Dudley was saying muggles had methods to talk to each other, without the help of magic, from anywhere at any time. He was remembered of a thing his father had said in distaste, muggles are less intelligent creatures, they are lightyears behind in all areas of expertise. Now it seemed that had been proven wrong, if muggles could achieve solutions that even in some ways if not all were more efficient then the wizarding solution and to do so without the aid of magic they had to be quite resourceful.
Draco frowned, had what he had thought his whole life not been true? Maybe he should try to explore his attitude and continue this day with a more open mind. Not wanting to give away these thoughts to Dudley he gave a curt nod and showed his hands in his pockets.
Dudley just shook his head. He stopped a few minutes later and lead Draco in to a small little restaurant, if you could call it a restaurant, it was so below the standards Draco was used to. Even though he had decided to be open minded he found himself being judgmental.
Looking around himself he sneered at the interior decoration that was almost nonexistent, the tables were without tablecloths and the windows were without any curtains. He also remembered his mother´s words while educating him in etiquette, less expensive means less quality, simple establishments with cheap merchandise is for the general public, you are more important than the public and are therefore above such establishments.
He had not very high expectations of this meal, he was sure to just poke around and go from there hungry. "So what would you like? My personal favorite are Hawaii, but I guess you would like something more complex and more refined?" he looked around, was he joking, a refined meal from this place? He looked over the alternatives and chose the most expensive one, if he was eating cheap food he was eating the least cheap food. Dudley chuckled at his choice and gave him a look that Draco thought almost looked affectionate and amused but said nothing.
They sat down in one of the darker corners, they had a pleasant conversation where Draco almost forgot that he was supposed to not enjoy this. If he was being honest it was actually quite relieving not to be required to be so uptight and think about how he sat, how he talked and how he held himself all the time. To just be was something he had never let himself experience while eating in a restaurant before. Even more disturbing was that he found sitting in the small building in the corner talking to Dudley was sort of cozy, he shuddered at the thought alone.
About a quarter after they had ordered a servant came out with two plates. On the plate was a big mess, it looked about being the most unhealthy thing he had ever seen, but merlin if it didn´t smell delicious.
He heard his stomach make a sound and the answering chuckle from Dudley, "looks good right, damn I haven´t had pizza in so long." Dudley licked his lips looking down at his pizza and Draco found himself looking at Dudley instead and mimicked the movement with his own tongue unconsciously.
He was brought out of his stupor by Dudley looking at him amused "taste it then, oh and if you don´t want to look uptight eat it with your hands, it´s best that way anyway." Draco watched fascinated at Dudley took up a slice of the pizza and smiled at him before taking a big bite before making a sound that should not have been legal.
Draco looked down at his plate and scowled, his family seemed to have known something about the muggles, his grandfather had once said, muggles lack both elegance and grace, they can be compared to more primal creatures such as cats and dogs. Eating with his hands, was he a barbarian, his parents would have had nightmares for weeks. He chuckled when a memory of a certain Weasley eating in the great hall came to him, maybe eating like a barbarian was more a personality trait then a muggle one if you really thought about it.
He looked around, there was no utensils. He looked around the establishment cautiously as if scared to be judged by everyone else if he ate with his hands, everyone else was doing so though and there was of course no one there that he knew. He picked up a slice and looked at it angrily for a few seconds, too long it seemed because Dudley said with a voice full of laughter "what have the pizza done to you?" Draco glared at him as if to say, shut up.
With a new determination he took a bite, there was like a taste explosion in his mouth. Somehow all the different ingredients made each other taste even better, they married each other perfectly on his tongue. The melted cheese rounding it off and making him want more.
He must have made a sound because Dudley was looking at him with big eyes. He had not meant to moan in appreciation, it was just one of the best things he had ever tasted. Dudley seemed to shake it off before saying with a smirk that would have done any Slytherin proud "told you, it´s heaven on a plate."
He was so smug, but Draco could not say anything because he could not help but agree. He glared though and this time actually uttered a "shut up" before taking another bite of the pizza, this made Dudley laugh and smile a smile that made Draco feel pretty good all things considered.
After they had finished their pizzas they had made their way out of the restaurant and had went around London. They had went to different stores and some big tourists spots. Draco was very surprised to discover all the cultural venues like the art and the music venues, he had thought that the muggles were all the same and didn´t have an artistically or creative bone in their bodies.
They had also gone to a bookstore, muggles was much more intelligent than he had ever imagined, they held information on so many areas were they had developed so much complex technology and had came up with solutions far more advanced than he had even dreamed about. He could have stayed there all day but a very amused Dudley had dragged him out of there after an hour saying they had so much other things to be doing, he had not sounded mad though only exasperated.
Before being dragged out he had managed to buy 10 books both academic and fiction. He had shrunk them and put them away before allowing Dudley to steer them to their next destination with more enthusiasm then he had though he would ever be feeling that day.
They had as well went to the clothing stores as Dudley had promised him and he had found he really liked some of their garments. He was now a proud owner of what Dudley had called skinny jeans, if he was not mistaken he had also heard a "makes your arse look bloody fantastic" come out of Dudley´s mouth when he had first seen him in a pair.
Draco had also gotten to style Dudley and he had to admit that it had been so much fun. The guy cleaned up very nicely.
For some reason Dudley had then tricked him to get a haircut saying that his hair was so out of style. Draco had of course snorted, but was not opposed to get pampered on and really he had not had a haircut in far too long. The hairdresser had been scary though and asked at least 3 times if he really didn´t want some colourful highlights in his hair because they would make him look so much cooler. Really some muggles was delusional, cool, more like ridiculous and so unrefined.
He made his way from the salon with a more modern look, the hair on the sides and back was cut short and the hair on the top of his head was tussled in an elegant but free arrangement. His new hairdo made him feel freer as well, he looked very handsome, once again he had heard Dudley make a comment that he thought he had not been supposed to hear, the guy had groaned and said something like "just shagged" regarding his new look. But really Draco was quite impressed, cutting hair without magic and getting such a stunning result was an achievement.
The sky outside had begun to darken now and the clouds had taken on an orange and pink touch making Draco have a hard time feeling the resentment he had had before about the outing into the muggle world. He found himself proven wrong on so many levels, he found himself relying on muggles in areas of expertise and he found himself trusting them with things he had never thought he would even consider trusting others with, even wizards. He found himself enjoying the day and letting go of a lot of impregnated believes he had been brought up to believe in. It was very disturbing.
His foundation was ripped from under his feet and he found himself being okay with it as long as he was allowed to keep on living and just be free. He started to question why he had stayed in his manor all these months, why he hadn´t been living and opened his eyes before now.
He glanced at Dudley that was walking beside him on the sidewalk alongside the Thames, the water giving away a glittering reflection from all the lights around them. He smiled, Dudley was the reason he had realized what he had been missing. He would forever be grateful to the guy for getting him to open his eyes and see the world for what it really was instead for what he had been taught was right and wrong.
He had an impulse to reach out and take the boy´s hand but shook his head at the strange thought, he refocused and the thought was gone before he had time to even process what it could mean.
When they had walked for a while he saw a commercial stand and his eyes opened wide, he did a double take, his first thought had to be wrong. He stopped and stared at the poster, it was of something he had first thought was a death eater, but it wasn´t really, it did have some resemblance though, in the unmoving picture was someone who had a white mask and black cloak.
Dudley walked for a few more meters before stopping too and turning around looking back at him "found something interesting?"
He must have nodded because a few seconds later Dudley stood beside him "ah, The Phantom of the Opera, I heard it´s very good." It brought Draco out of his stunned silence "what is, is he a wizard?" like a lot of times that day Dudley just laughed as a response.
"Of course not, we have a lot of stories about your creatures though, even wizards and witches, most muggles don´t believe it´s real. We call it fantasy, we also have science fiction which is more superheroes and stories about outer space."
Draco was fascinated even if he tried to dampen the emotion. "What is this Phantom of the Opera about?" Dudley seemed to think about that before shrugging "I´m not really sure, it is a musical with opera of course and a love triangle but other than that I´m not really sure." Draco thought he looked sad, there definitely was a story here "I like musicals, if they aren´t too over the top, but my parents didn´t think musicals was a proper interest for a teenage boy, so I haven´t had much opportunities to explore that interest of mine. I had even forgotten it was an interest of mine" he definitely looked sad and Draco couldn´t deny that he felt for the other boy.
He frowned, musical? "Not to sound uneducated or anything but what exactly is a musical?" he was relieved when he saw that his lack of knowledge gave Dudley amusement and brought back that easy smile the bloke had been sporting all day.
"It´s theatre with music elements, it really is a special way to tell a story and to convey emotions." He seemed to think something through before sending one of those smiles Draco´s way, "we should go sometime?"
He sounded so insecure, it made Draco want to hug him but of course he refrained from doing so. Instead he smiled back and nodded, he really didn´t have any reason not to, it sounded like something very sophisticated and a thoughtful way to express oneself and tell a story. He snorted thinking back on something he had heard on a pureblood ball his family had hosted when he was younger, muggles are uncultured and unsophisticated beings that is a shame for the human kind, it seemed they were more cultured then even himself at times and he could not help but be intrigued.
Dudley seemed to let out a breath he had been holding in and sigh in contentment. He looked at Draco and when they started to walk again their elbows were touching, he thought about stepping away but found himself liking the proximity.
"I really like this, I don´t want today to end" to have someone just liking spending time with him because of his personality was something new for Draco, the feeling that filled him was better than he could have imagined, if this was what it felt like to be happy he never wanted to be unhappy ever again.
In this moment it felt right to be honest, he didn´t feel weak for feeling or for letting down his defenses, he felt empowered and true in being vulnerable. "Me neither Dudley, me neither."
He had gone into this day in the muggle world with contempt but had been pleasantly surprised, he wouldn´t want to change anything even if he could. He had enjoyed every minute after he had taken out his head from his arse and opened his eyes. To his surprise however what had made today make him feel so elated was not what they had done or what he had realized, no it was because of who he had done it with and who had helped him see the world in a new light.
He looked at Dudley as they walked down the river towards the big wheel that Dudley had referred to as the London Eye. He saw Dudley in a new light too, he was not just a muggle boy and not just Harry Potter's cousin, he was a good person and a good human being. He made Draco want to be a better person as well.
Before he knew it they were underneath the big wheel of metal. Under the wheel was a crowd of muggles, they made Draco feel a bit uneasy. When he saw muggles go on to moving capsules hanging from the wheel he became slightly worried, they were going around the wheel in one of those? "We are going up in one of those, surely that is not safe?" Dudley looked at him and shook his head smiling a little.
"Thousands of people ride the Ferris wheel daily you have nothing to worry about" he dragged Draco to the line in excitement, really what was so special with going around a big wheel Draco wondered. As if Dudley had read his mind he started talking "the view should be amazing from up there, especially now at night with all the lights. It is also a really nice way to end a date, uh I mean not that this is a date, I was just saying that it´s a romantic setting and that… ugh." Dudley shut up from his rambling and he was biting his lip.
Draco lifted his eyebrows in amusement, it was kind of cute really how he put his foot in his mouth and couldn´t seem to stop talking when excited.
That Dudley seemed to have seen the day as a date should have made him feel uncomfortable but in reality it only made him feel flattered. He smiled and patted him on the shoulder "we are in the front now, why not show me that view you were talking about huh?"
Dudley looked up at him from under his fringe and smiled in relief, he seemed to be on the verge on taking his hand before just nodding and making his way into the capsule, Draco followed him and was relieved when they got the capsule for themselves.
It really was a special atmosphere. It was as amazing as Dudley had said it would be and a really great end of a day he would remember forever.
He looked over the city that he had just began to see for real today, the life hitting him like a shockwave, it was pulsing like a heartbeat of any creature. The lights making it a beautiful ocean of color, the light breeze was ruffling his hair and making him feel alive, like he was living in the moment, he was not just looking at his life from outside, he was living it for one of the first times in a very long time.
When the capsule had just went over the top of the wheel and they had taken it all in Dudley moved a little closer to Draco. "You know there is another thing muggles sometimes do in Ferris wheels?" he blinked and thought Dudley sounded a little nervous.
"Oh, what is that" he turned his head towards Dudley and became frozen in place as if hit by a stunner.
Dudley had kissed him, Dudley was kissing him. In his surprise he started kissing him back as a reflex while his mind went blank expect for one thought.
Love is for idiots and will only be in the way of what really matters, his father had once told him, but surely this was not love, but then why was he enjoying it so much?