Chapter 72
Prompt: Can you sing
Draco remembered the first time he had heard about soulmates. He was told one day he’d find a person who would compliment one of his talents and he had scoffed.
His mother had been adamant over the ancient magic, trusting in it even though there had been no documented cases in the past 100 years.
Draco had a sneaking suspicion it was why she had enrolled him in so many activities as a child; quidditch, piano, chess, even an ill-advised Exploding Snap tournament that had left him with one eyebrow for the better part of one summer.
The only activity that had stuck was piano, it helped calm his mind and Draco credited it for surviving not only Voldemort, but also the aftermath of the war.
That’s how Draco found himself in muggle London every Friday evening, playing to a faceless crowd. The owner allowed him complete freedom to play whatever he wanted and Draco relished in both the freedom and anonymity.
Here he was just a man making music, no dark past, no family name, just Draco.
Tonight, Draco was trying a new song for the crowd. It was a somber melody, the notes had come to him upon waking from a dream he couldn’t remember.
As his long fingers trailed over the keys, Draco kept feeling a set of eyes on him, but couldn’t see anything through the crowd.
When his set was finished, the feeling had not gone away and as he grabbed for his jacket, a familiar melody was humming behind him.
He turned and locked eyes with Hermione Granger, regarding him with the most peculiar look and before he could question her presence, her own voice broke the silence.
“What are you doing here, Malfoy?”
Her tone was soft, not accusatory like he thought it’d be and her eyes shone with sincerity. Her eyes. It had been years since he last saw them but the same swooping feeling in his stomach was back as though no time had passed.
“I’m here every Friday night, which begs the question, what are you doing here?”
He cocked an eyebrow at her, an attempt at arrogance, but unable to hide the eagerness in his voice.
She hesitated, her gaze wandering the room before settling on his face once again.
“Honestly, I have no idea…I just -” she paused again, fighting the words trying to roll from her tongue, “I just- felt like I had to be here tonight.”
Draco felt his heart expand in his chest at her words. A tickling at the back of his mind reminded him of the melody she was humming earlier.
“Granger, that song you were humming earlier, it was the one I just tried out tonight.”
She cocked her head and nodded, eyes darting between his as she wondered where this random train of thought was going.
Taking a deep breath, Draco thought back to the conversation with his mother as a child, about finding another who complimented your talent and that same swooping sensation filled his stomach. His eyes met hers and his heart filled with hope for the first time since before the war.
“Can you sing, Granger?”