“Pa stas her, so he takes the ue from her and sits without ahe hair sreehes oone floor whe bak, a the table, it is lear that they are not here for a soial visit. “Beautiful as always.”
& him. Drao doeso use the word often, but she embodied it at that momehe souhe bak of her throat ahe table between them, dripping with derision. It should have bothered him, but he also thinks that sharp edges will be easier to deal with today than sharp wer was always easier to take than hurt.
&.” She looks him up and down, and like always, Drao wo she sees there. This is not like shool, when she would hang onto every word he said just beause his father made money and his mother ame frht family. She did o be nie i help with homework, or make sure that she smiled for pitures that might end up i. Despite being friends f as he an remember (evehan d Goyle, but then the fire for one and Azkaban for a, don’t thiop it), this might be the first time they were ever real with eah other. “Heard you’ve been running around with Potter.”
&ightens his fingers around a up with just to have something to hold. He knows Pansy did not miss the movement. “I have.”
“And Granger.”
& flinh this time, beause he knows that this is the prie he must pay if he wants to beome friends with her agai apologize for this, either. “Her too.” Then, thinking it might be better to be ompletely ho, he admits to the rest of it. “We’re friends, atually. I’m running around eople we wouldo, bak at Hogwarts.”
“A friend of mudbloods and traitors now, are we?” He must have made a fae, or flinhed, or something, beause she ughed, the souo draw stares from the table arou wasn’t a good idea, to draw stares ihis. “Rex.” She slumps in her hair, a help but ty she was, even though he hadn’t thought about her like that for a while.
& sure he ever thought about her like that. Maybe, he just thought of it as ahat they would get together i datis, get engaged, have kids to arry on the family legay. Even if it wouldn’t have beehey would have been happy. Happier than they deserved.)
“rong about that stuff.” This ing poiernoon, deidiay or leave. He would not, ould not, stay with her if she oo preah the old ways. If she was still full of hate. He knows now that there is too muh pain in this world to add more o beause you are afraid or like others to be small just so you an be big. He wo of that a didn’t make se our pareelling us.”
“I know.” She raised her up of tea to her lips, but he ould tell she wasn’t drinking. Drao had heard that a lot of the Slytherins ould in publi a with their pareered all over the papers and their ed from every ion. It waso sream at them all, wheripping jinx shot at him or whe groeries were spoiled whe home. You an’t bme us for arents did, it’s not fair, it’s not fair, didn’t you just fight for freedom? “Too little, tht?”
The rim was lih dark lipstik whe it away from her mouth, and she froing it akin before he ould stare at it f. It made him smile. That had always bothered her bak in shool, too.
“Maybe hings are always goihe same. Pansy’s always going to stik, and she’s always going to dress like she’s ready for a photo shoot at a. He’s always goih as an old friend ahought he ould love, ohings were differeh goied by things that weren’t their hoie, and they es in the wizarding le like Harry would never oepping foot in. But maybe some thiant things, ould hahat’s what matters now. “Maybe we’ve got enough time.”
He reahed aross the table to take her hand, a him away like he thought she would. Instead, she smiles, aears fillihat she wiped away before they ould spill down her heeks. Pansy always had hated for people to see her ry.
“I hope so.” Pansy stood and threile of galleons dowable, extravagaipping. “Merlin do I hope so.”
Chapter 11
Drao
Harry’s te again.
&hough it’s irratiohough it’s uhough Harry doesell Drao where he’s at or whe be home at his usual time, it still makes a bubble of pani rise i, so big that he aake a full breath. It’s silly, but at the same time it’s he st time Harry didn’t ome home ohing was very wrong, someo, and they all had to fae somethi want to. Drao didn’t wa like that again, where you khing is wrong and you have to wait for someoell you what it is, whih one of your frierouble.
Ohe door opens, Drao knows that he shouldhered to worry, beause Harry was te for a very different reason.
He’s drunk.
&ually druhan Drao had ever seen him, and Drao doesn’t really know what to do with that, beause the only person he’s ever s