ivy | theo nott

"You know I love you, for Merlin's sake, but Draco Malfoy?" Terry Boot wasn't known to be the center of attention, though he had apparently received a new voice box for Christmas and was now drawing far too much attention in the crowded café. It was snowing, and the three friends were huddled up at a tiny table pressed against the frosty window, Grace for one enjoying the sight of shoppers strolling through the winter weather all dressed in gorgeous new outfits that were surely three days old by now.

"Keep your voice down!" Grace snapped, ignoring Leah's laughter as well as the stares from the surrounding customers.

"Alright, bossy." Terry replied, though his voice had indeed dropped to a more acceptable level. "Are you going to elaborate on your romantic Christmas ball with the country's most esteemed death e-"

"Terry." Leah finally cut in, her eyes narrowed in warning as the blonde boy trailed off.

"He's just a friend. We had a great night." Grace said, plainly, taking a sip from her half empty butter beer and waiting patiently for the conversation to continue.

"It's his family's party. He wouldn't bring a friend."

"As if you would know anything, Ter, what are you, the pureblood expert?"

Grace sighed, usually she quite enjoyed her friends bickering, though today's topic was leaving her drained, and the day had only just begun.

"And for your information, Draco said they all usually bring friends. Lorenzo brought Daphne Greengrass, Draco said he and Theodore have both gone with Daphne in the past, and-"

"Theodore." Terry hardly tried to contain an eye roll.

"God, Terry, Santa brought you quite an attitude this year." Leah laughed and Terry finished off his drink, whipped cream painted over his top lip.

"I'm sorry, I just don't like him. Either of them really, but at least Malfoy doesn't look like he's ready to kill someone at every waking moment."

"Theo doesn't look..." Grace trailed off, holding back another sigh. "Well, I don't like Anthony Goldstein and yet I still put up with him for every single study group you force us all into."

"You like the study groups!" Terry argued, pointing his straw at the blonde who couldn't help now but smile.

"Yeah, I do. And think how much better they'd be without his arrogant arse."

"Seconded." Leah agreed, gesturing for their server to bring the bill which Grace quickly snatched from her hand with a smile, returning it at once with a few golden coins from her purse before rising to her feet.

"Usually, I'd fight you on that, but as the future Mrs. Malfoy, I'd say you can afford-" Leah trailed off in a fit of giggles as Grace shoved her half heartedly towards the exit, the golden bells jingling over their heads as they pushed out onto the snow covered path.

"This was a truly awful idea, meeting you two here. Should have done it in the safety of my own home." Grace muttered as they started their walk back towards the Leaky Cauldron where they could all Floo back home.

"Yeah, totally! At least there your mom is on our side. She might be more in love with Draco than you are-" Leah trailed off and Grace's eyes followed to where hers were fixed, her stomach jolting at once as she scanned over the group of Slytherin, all gathered around Quality Quidditch Supplies.

It took less than a second for her to realize he wasn't there, no blonde head mixed in with the brunettes. Theo was grinning as he turned away from Enzo, his head shaking slightly though the smaller boy wouldn't have noticed, eyes still fixed firmly in front of him. The green eyes fell to Grace's, his smile faltering for only a second before he muttered to his friends and made his way through the rushing crowds.

"Oh, great." Terry muttered, and Grace resisted the urge to step on his foot.

"Gracie." Theo smirked, nodding to her friends quickly before his eyes returned to hers. "Long time no see."

"Yeah, feels like forever since I've seen that scowl." She teased, a smile pulling to her face as his eyes rolled. A few snowflakes had found their way into his dark hair since he had stepped away from the awning, though he either hadn't noticed or didn't care.

"You're so charming, I always forget." He grumbled, "What are you guys up to?"

"Exchanged late Christmas presents, did a bit of shopping." Leah explained, holding up her many bags that had cost her nearly all of her Christmas money.

"I see." He nodded, seeming a bit distracted as he snuck another look back to his friends.

"You know, Terry, I wanted to stop into Flourish and Blotts before we went home-"

"For what? You don't do homework-" Terry trailed off with a cry, Grace's eyes flying to where he was rubbing a sore spot on his arm and trailing after Leah towards the crowded store front, sneaking one last look at Grace standing with the tall Slytherin.

"They're subtle." Theo said, eyes trained to the Ravenclaws for a moment longer.

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing. Did you have a good Christmas?" Theo asked, leaning up against the chilly bricks of the shop behind them.

"It was great, how was yours?" Grace smiled, politely.

"Other than me wishing I could have slept half the day away.. It was fine."

"You're so cheery. When was your last good Christmas?" She laughed, lightly and Theo shrugged.

"Well, I'm going to get back... I guess I'll see you Thursday?"

Grace blinked, racking her brain for any idea of what he could be talking about.

"New Years Eve?" Theo went on, noting her silence. "Didn't Malfoy invite you?"

Her heart fell, mouth opening to let out some sort of excuse only a moment too late.

"Oh, what an asshole. He probably forgot... We're all going to this bar for New Years. We went last year, the Malfoy's rent the second level out for us, it's pretty fun. At least there's booze?" He smiled as the edges of her lips pulled up.

"At least there's booze." She joked, "But, I'd hate to intrude-"

"You're not. I'm inviting you." He cut her off, taking one step closer to her then thinking better of it and leaning back into place. "Malfoy meant to anyways, he's just a dolt."

"Alright," Grace answered through half a laugh, "Owl me the address?"

"Sure." He nodded, swiping a hand through his hair and freeing the few remaining snowflakes there.

"Alright, see you Thursday then." She shrugged, offering him a small wave and starting towards Flourish and Blotts, sure she would find her friends peering through the store window.

"Thursday." He nodded, his voice practically lost in the wind and the bustle of people passing by as he started back to the boys.

➺

Draco flipped the cover shut on the book in his lap and stretched his arms over his head. And to think, he could have been wandering through a frozen Diagon Alley gazing at all of the same old store fronts they had all seen before the Holidays. No, he'd much preferred the hours in the silent library where no one could bother him except for his now sore muscles from his lack of movement over the past few hours.

He stood, pushing the book back into it's empty slot along the bookshelf and starting from the room, his footsteps echoing through the silent hallways. Theo would surely be pestering him any time now, whether by owl or the floo, if Draco knew him at all, and he liked to think he did. Theodore preferred to stay out of his father's path at any cost over holidays, which usually meant days on end with the Malfoys. Not that Draco minded, as Theo nearly always returned late at night and slept half the morning away on his own.

"Oh, Draco! There you are!" His mother's voice carried from the dining room and he took a few steps back, the smile falling from his face as he spotted her. Narcissa and Lucius were the only two occupants of the expansive dining table, sat directly across each other, leaving the usually occupied head chair vacant, a curling parchment spread between them in dark ink.

His father looked too pleased, and though Draco tried to assure himself it was simply another award from the Ministry, another business deal gone right... the nerves painted along his mothers forced smile had his stomach practically in knots as he stepped through the doorway.

"We thought you'd left us, you've been so quiet." Narcissa went on, patting the empty chair beside her which was usually filled by Lucius.

"Just reading." Draco answered, leaning to press a quick kiss to his mothers head before taking the seat between his parents.

"There's something we need to discuss with you." Lucius said, his voice an odd mixture of excitement and gravity.

"Oh?" Draco hoped his voice conveyed his severe lack of interest, yet it was all he could do to maintain his father's eye contact and not glance back to Narcissa.

"Indeed." Lucius went on, "You know that times are changing. In our favor, I'll add. You know that."

Draco nodded solemnly. He had of course been listening to his father's rants on this same subject for practically a year now, since the skull outline on his forearm had begun to darken and Cedric Diggory had been killed, though he was not privy to exactly what had happened at the end of last year's tournament nor anything that had been happening the last few months while he'd been at Hogwarts.

"You know how important it is to keep the Malfoy name strong. The blood line from the Malfoy and Black families... You are our last real hope to ensure our family name does not tarnish. This will be important to the Dark Lord. Blood purity and loyal families."

"I agree." Draco wished that his voice didn't sound so small. "Though I have plenty of time to worry about all of that-"

"We do not have the luxury of time." Lucius interrupted, "It's time to grow up, Draco. You're not a child anymore."

"I'm fifteen." Draco scoffed.

"Your father and I were engaged the summer before our sixth year." Narcissa finally spoke, her voice much softer than Lucius's.

"That was a long time ago-"

"Watch. Your tone." Lucius warned.

"I can't believe we're actually even having this conversation..." Draco could feel the panic begin to bubble inside his stomach. He wished desperately that he could retrace his steps to the library, though he knew the conversation would have only been delayed a few hours at most. His thoughts flickered to his friends, likely still wandering the streets of Diagon Alley, all care free and unbothered. What a fool he had been to turn them down.

"The Abbott girl... The pure one. You brought her to the ball." Lucius plowed on, ignorant to his son's apparent internal crisis.

"Grace... We're just friends. Completely."

"You looked good together." Narcissa added, a nervous smile pulling at her lips as Draco's jaw fell, spinning to meet his mothers eye.

"Mum, I only brought her to get rid of-"

"Enough!" Lucius snapped, all eyes returning to his dark ones. "We did not ask for excuses. The point stands. You have assured us you've no interest in the Parkinson girls, Miss Greengrass has always just been a friend. We have run out of options, Draco."

"Run out of options in the entire world? There's more to life than Hogwarts, father, and I'm perfectly capable of finding my own-"

"No need." Lucius answered, simply, a short flick of his wand sent the parchment soaring to Draco's fingers where he scanned over the neatly penned letter.

"The Abbott's have agreed with our proposal. I'm sure they too are concerned with their family name after half of it was so brutally tarnished, the marriage to that muggle." Draco could practically hear the disgust in his father's voice, yet his mind was still spinning, the black letters blurring together on the paper before him.

"It is a good match, sweetie. You like her, don't you?" Narcissa reached a hand out for Draco's, the smile falling entirely from her face as he jerked his from her reach.

"Grace agreed to this?" He sputtered, wide eyes flying between his parents.

"I have no information on what the Abbotts have chosen to disclose to their daughter." Lucius replied, impatiently. "I am telling you, as it is your responsibility. You will be proposing. This summer. We'll have an engagement party to announce the union."

"I'm going to be sick." The chair legs scraped against the stone floor as he stood up, the letter falling to the floor at his side as he wrapped his fingers around the edge of the table, sure he would fall without it's assistance. "You can't be serious... You wouldn't..."

"Draco." Narcissa whispered, her tone warning.

"You can't just spring this on me! Out of no where!"

"When have we ever lead you to believe anything different? Your mother and I have always expressed the importance of bloodline to you, the importance of finding a good family to join ours. It is not our fault that you've wasted the past few years and we've had to resort to finding you someone."

Draco shook his head, kicking the chair out further behind him and storming from the room, slamming the door shut behind him simply to hear the bang echo around the empty hallways as he went, not caring if it earned him some trouble later.

What more could they do to him?