*
"It's all gone mad," Draco proclaims, sitting down as if in a hurry. "Will you lot keep a secret?"
Blaise arches an eyebrow. "Absolutely not."
"Not even at the cost of your life," Theodore says, spreading a bit of margarine over brown bread.
Draco huffs.
"You must understand you have to know…"
"I never said I didn't want to know," Blaise argues, his voice lowering.
Theodore shrugs, nibbling. "Your 'not-so-kept-a-secret' secret or whatever rubbish this is."
Draco hesitates.
He leans over the Hall's table in front of him.
He waits.
It's for suspense, really.
"Millicent Bulstrode…"
"What about Millicent Bulstrode?" Pansy asks, cheerfully seating herself at Draco's side. She snatches up one of the empty silver serving-plates, exaggeratedly puckering her lips, admiring her reflection. There's a shade of very bright pink lipstick on her.
"I was explaining that Millicent Bulstrode…"
"Oi, there she is," Theodore mutters, ducking himself.
Draco's head whips around.
Millicent, dressed in her usual Slytherin tie and her robes, practically skips inside the Great Hall. With her muscular and large frame, it's darling. She hums a broken, little tune, Millicent's expression soft. But that's the least unusual thing, Draco thinks…
Blaise glances from Pansy's semi-smudged lipstick to the bright pink kissmarks on Millicent's right cheek.
"Merlin," he whispers, awed.
"A brilliant colour for Milly, isn't it?" Pansy declares, now admiring the other girl in the distance.
She perches her hands under her chin, also humming, while Theodore scrunches his nose in contemplation.
"Milly?"
Pansy waves a little, gaining the attention of Millicent shyly avoiding it. She hops onto her feet, eagerly leaving.
Draco narrows his eyes at the other boys.
"Love potion?"
"Love potion," Blaise and Theodore conclude in unison.
(Hours and hours later, both girls remain unaffected by any influence other than a sweet, sweet love.)
*