Title: Underneath It All
Rating: G
Warnings: None
Word Count: Went crazy with counting but Microsoft Word says 200.
Author's Note: Written for dramione_ldws at LiveJournal. Please vote for your favorite drabble every Thursday and Friday!!!
His lips were pressed tightly and his left fist was clenched firmly at his side. The night air at Diagon Alley was light and breezy but the tension around them was thick.
Ten years ago, Draco knew that the situation before him would have been the opposite. He wouldn't have been at the receiving end of taunts or insults nor would he feel their jabs slowly sink into his skin.
"Death Eater scum," another man murmured. He was the fourth that night alone. They couldn't forgive. He flinched internally, walking as if the words hadn't fazed him. As his fingernails dug into his palm, his mantra reverberated in his mind.
Calm down, Malfoy.
He wouldn't let them win. He had to keep his composure and remain cool and aloof - especially tonight.
His right hand was given a reassuring squeeze and he forced a smile. He knew it was going to be a challenging first date. It was an outcry: Hermione Granger caught in public with an ex-Death Eater. But Draco remembered that everything will be alright. Because despite his cool, seemingly perfect exterior, Hermione knew how Draco was flawed underneath. Yet, she forgave him when no one else could.