Draco's Favourite Colour
“You’re a selfish bastard, Draco Malfoy! I never want to see you ever again.” Anna screamed, before dumping her alarmingly luminous cocktail on his head and storming from the bar. He took a deep breath before returning to his friends, who were all smirking at him.
“That looked like it went well.” Blaise said, as Astoria cast a drying spell on his hair and clothes. He thanked her, before rubbing his eyes harshly.
“What happened?” Pansy asked, moving the hair off his forehead with her hand.
“Anna was under the impression that we’d be wed before the year was out.” He said flatly, and the table erupted in laughter.
“She what? You’ve been on three dates. What planet is she living on?” Tori asked, and sighed.
“She’d bagged the wizarding world’s most eligible bachelor, of course she wanted to lock him down. She just moved too fast, revealed her hand too soon.” Blaise said, grinning mischievously.
“Pans, fucking move, I need to hide.” Theo said, hurriedly approaching the table. He clambered across it, and tucked himself in behind Draco’s tall frame.
“What the fu- Mate, what are you doing?” Draco asked as Theo all but attached himself to his side.
“Shut up, I need Matt to think I’ve left.” He mumbled into his shoulder, and they all looked up to see Theo’s latest conquest wandering about the bar, clearly looking for someone. Draco personally wondered what the hell Theo had been thinking, taking the frankly quite ugly man to bed, but he’d cited desperation and too much whiskey, and left it at that.
“You fucking owe me.” Blaise muttered as he stood up. “Oi, Matt! Theo’s gone, mate. No, no, I wouldn’t owl, he hates that sort of thing. Yes, wait for him to contact you, play the long game, make him come to you. Mmhmm. Yeah, great seeing you.” He clapped him on the back, and gently steered him towards the door.
As soon as he was gone, Theo gave Draco his personal space back, and downed one of the drinks from the table.
“That was mine, you incomparable prat.” Pansy seethed, and Theo simply shrugged with an innocent smile.
“Blaise, truly excellent work. Name your price, sir.” He said as Blaise sat back down.
“Next three rounds, all of us, you’re buying. Not that it would make a dent on your bloody vaults if you bought the entire bar another ten rounds, but you know. The gesture.” He waved vaguely, and Theo nodded.
“Done. You’re certainly feeling generous tonight. Is that what happens once you start shagging a Weasley?” He grinned, and Blaise glared at him.
“I’ll hear no slander towards Ginevra, she’s my new favourite person. An honorary slytherin if ever I saw one. I intend to make her my best friend once she gets a more suitable surname. You need to hurry up and marry the witch, my darling, make her a Zabini instead.” Pansy said over her wine glass casually, as if she wasn’t suggesting something so serious.
“It’s been three months.” He said flatly, and Pansy shrugged.
“And your point is…?” She grinned, and Blaise rolled his eyes, admitting defeat.
“Do you think there’s a gryffindor for all of us? Have we all got to adopt one?” Tori smiled, and Draco snorted. The witch had once been his intended wife, but the contract was dissolved as a result of the incarceration of both of their fathers after the war. They were more like siblings, and both had been incredibly worried about being trapped in the marriage. They loved each other, but they weren’t in love with each other, and that was something they both desperately hoped to find.
“Gods, I hope so.” Pansy said dreamily, staring into the distance. She’d somehow convinced Longbottom to go on a date with her, and it’s all she’d spoken of since. The wizard had grown into a handsome bloke, Draco could admit that, and Pansy had been all over him since she’d been made aware of the transformation. There was an obvious joke to be made about Longbottom being the plants guy, and Pansy being named for a flower, but he was sitting on it for the moment. Perhaps at their wedding.
“Mm! I meant to tell you, I heard the most interesting news in the queue for lunch yesterday.” Theo piped up. As an Unspeakable at the Ministry, he lived for the inane gossip he overheard in the canteen. “Apparently, the boy who lived is in fact the boy who swings both ways.”
“Merlin, Theodore.” Tori muttered, disapproving of how crass their friend could be.
“And you intend to act on this information?” Pansy asked, an eyebrow raised.
“I certainly do. We shall be a shining example of inter-house unity.” He said loftily, and Draco rolled his eyes as he took a sip of his drink.
“Theo, you don’t even have a way to contact him.” He drawled, and Theo simply smiled, casually checking his watch.
“Oh, you didn’t.” Blaise said, and Theo leaned back in the booth. Blaise turned to the rest of them. “Gin said she was out tonight. I’m going to take a guess and say that somehow our friend here has found out where they were going.”
“You have the ability to be so creepy, mate.” Draco commented, and he shrugged.
“Another round before our lions arrive? Tori, you’re going to end up with the Weasel. My apologies.” He touched her shoulder gently, before shuffling out of the booth.
“How’s he worked that out?” Draco asked, and everyone shot him a withering look.
“Because, you giant blonde fool, you’ll disappear off with Granger, and the rest of us have already staked a claim. Tori’s got the leftovers.” Pansy explained, and Tori grimaced slightly.
“Why would I-” He started, but Pansy interrupted him.
“Don’t play dumb, it doesn’t suit you.”
“Fine. All the best, Tori. I’m sure your ginger babies will be beautiful.” He said sarcastically, and the witch hit him in the arm, albeit playfully.
“And yours will be insufferable swots.” Tori shot back, and he shrugged, not totally hating the idea.
Theo then returned with their drinks, positioning himself on the edge of the seat this time.
“You could at least pretend that you aren’t waiting for Potter.” He said, and Theo grinned.
“By the end of the night, NottPott will be sailing off into the sunset. Mark my words.” He pointed at him, and Draco sighed.
“Please tell me we don’t all have horrendous names.”
“Of course we do. Yours is-” He tailed off as the bar suddenly became very loud, signifying the arrival of those he was waiting for.
“Wizards and witches, bear witness!” Seamus Finnegan hollered, entering at the front of the group. “You are now in the presence of the Golden Trio themselves, bow down, bow down.” The man was clearly totally pissed, as he swung his arms around dramatically.
“Game time, my fellow snakes.” Theo said, downing his firewhiskey and making his way to the bar.
“Shots for everyone! Harry’s buying!” Someone shouted, and a cheer went up. Potter always did that, whenever he went anywhere. Bloody attention seeking arsehole. Draco hated how much it made him respect him.
Upon spotting Longbottom and the Weasel together, Pansy dragged Tori towards them, leaving Draco on his own. He chuckled softly into his glass.
“You’d think he could at least be a little less obvious.” Granger said, sliding in next to him. He quickly, and he hoped subtly, took in her appearance. Green dress, curls flying everywhere around her face, chocolate eyes sparkling. Yes, he was fucked.
“Who?” He asked, and she looked at him like he was an idiot.
“Harry. This is the final step in his stupidly complicated plan to seduce Theo. It’s the only reason we’re here, because he knew you lot would be.”
“Wait, Potter’s plan to seduce Theo? We’re here because Theo’s trying to seduce him.”
Granger laughed. It lit up her face, and made his heart beat faster.
“You’re serious? Merlin, those two idiots. I mean, if they like each other, they should just say it outright. Why the plotting?”
“Insecurity? Long standing feuds? Our tumultuous and chequered past? I could keep going.”
“You’d never behave like that.”
“Mm, no, I wouldn’t. I lack the flair for the ridiculous to pull something like that off.”
“You know what I do? I try to guess their favourite colour, and then wear a dress in it.”
“And your success rate with that?”
“You tell me.” She raised an eyebrow, and he studied her face.
“You’re joking?”
She smirked. “Haven’t you heard? There’s a slytherin for every gryffindor. Unless you’ve a fancy for Ron, you’re stuck with me.”
He downed his drink and turned to face her properly. “My favourite colour is blue.” He said.
“Dark or light?” She asked.
“Dark.” He said with a smirk. She clicked her fingers, and her dress turned a deep navy. He chuckled. “You don’t need to show off. I already thought you were impressive.”
“I like to be thorough.” She smiled, eyes sparkling. He’d never understood what people meant when they said they felt butterflies before that moment. Now, he knew exactly what they meant.
He was about to reply when he noticed Potter essentially lying on top of Theo across the bar, the two snogging as if their lives depended on it.
“In a public place? That’s just attention seeking.” He said with a slight grimace, and Granger turned round, barking out a laugh when she saw them.
“You prefer private spaces for such activities?” She asked, and he stood up immediately, not missing the insinuation or the opportunity that had arisen.
“I’m a classy man, Granger.” He replied, offering her his hand with a pompous flourish.
“Are we leaving?” She asked innocently, and he rolled his eyes.
“I felt that much was obvious.”
“Just checking. As I said, I like to be thorough.” She replied, smoothing her skirt with her hands.
He didn’t say anything as he lead her to the floo, catching Tori’s eye as they passed. He just smiled.