5,6,19 In One Single Fic Of Draco Being In Azkaban

5,6,19 in one single fic of draco being in azkaban

The Butterfly Effect

It lacks my skill to make it into a one shot and I apologize for it. This will be continued in parts. 

Dialogue Prompts - 5 - “ Why are you doing that ?” “Doing what ?” “ Treating me like a person” //6. “Sometimes memories are the worst form of torture” // 19. “ I lo--” “ No, please.. Don’t say that. You love her/him, not me” 

Cold stirred inside the cell, a heavy cloud of mist settling in and the grey walls screeched as he scratched another day over the walls. Day 150. He dropped the stone over the ground making sure to make no noise but the rustling of the door awakened the beast and it crawled towards him. He shimmied back into the corner until no corner was left to fit into and he whimpered begging the mercy from the beast to let him go but what a deaf beast would know.

The beast took its bite, sucked his memory and left over the ground was a filled with tears Draco Malfoy waiting for the numbness to settle in. His life was becoming more meaningless than it ever had been, only now, he didn't had anything more left to offer.

_______________________________________

The rustling grew louder and louder as people walked by suffocating the place more than it already was. It was a stuffy busy day today and the elevators were more stuffed than usual meaning today was perhaps an important day or it was incredibly hot outside and people were looking for shelter, to be in the calm cool place.

" 6 months " He said

Harry ran his handkerchief down his neck, trying to get rid of the sweat that had formed because his boss refused to close his window which caused the temperature of the room to rise what seemed like 90°F. It was an extremely hot day, Harry thought and from what he could see outside his open window was the burning bright blue and white, radiant as ever.

" What's in it for me ?" Harry asked

" Pride, integrity, work force, a promotion too maybe. He's been in the cell for over 6 months, we need to make sure that his being in the cell wouldn't raise more questions " His boss confessed openly

" What if he's in there for a wrong cause ?" Harry truthfully asked

" We're convinced he's a murderer. His mother confides otherwise-"

" A minor ?" Harry interjected disgusted

" Not a minor, at least not now. He's a death eater and every death eater is a murderer " His boss harshly sneered

Harry wished to go otherwise, to tell him that's not true, to tell him that the world isn't divided into death eaters and non death eaters but it would hardly make a difference because his boss saw death eaters as the dirt of his shoe and anyone who dared to go against him became like Bob from muggle artifacts, stuck there without a promotion in a small office since 4 years. Harry nodded hesitantly.

" case file is on your table, show me your best. Convince me that he can't be released " He said and this time Harry didn't nod,how could he. He just departed back to his office to convince himself that he works only because he likes having a purpose and trying to make it a better place. He nodded his head as he walked past people he knew in a gesture of acknowledging them before he reached his office and sighed in relief locking his door behind him and approaching his desk, the case file already being there. 

He pushed his hair back from his forehead, pouring out a glass of water as he opened the case files kept there drinking some water little by little realizing 2 of the files were the cases he already did and opened the last open finally as he drank some more. 

He choked as soon as he the picture attached to the file with a clip on and pushed away his glass of water. He hadn’t seen that face since he got out of school and it took him by surprise when he bought the file more closer to himself and watched the moving picture for a long time, a frown to a numb look switching over and over as if he didn’t care anymore, like he had done this several times. Harry finally moved his eyes from the picture and shifted to the lettered papers. He slanted his head unconsciously as he read word by word. 

Name : Draco Malfoy 

Date of birth : 5 June 1980

Sex : Male 

Blood status : Pure blood 

Blood line : Malfoy 

Date of imprisonment : 3rd January 2003 

Cause of imprisonment: Suspected murder of Ben Codsworth 

Evidences at crime scene : Knife, Draco Malfoy’s wand, Draco Malfoy’s footprints, Draco Malfoy’s hand prints over furniture and wand. 

Harry sighed as he flipped through more pages skimming over the evidence’s and brief of the crime scene. He read briefly about Draco and focused more on the part of the statements against him, statement given the guard on duty saying Draco came for a visit like usual and the forensics review over the matching DNA, the photo’s of the marked outline where the body was found but what caught him more was Draco’s statement upon the case. 

“ L'appel du vide ”

Harry frowned when he read further the statement over and over and wondered later whether Draco could have killed a man or not, he admitted later that he didn’t murder anyone but he admitted he vividly doesn't deny of killing. The statements against him involves the act of saying that he was nothing but a manipulator. 

Harry thoroughly began reading the file, word by word, taking him by surprise upon knowing that Draco had disappeared for 3 years after the war without any information about anything or his whereabouts or any rest of it but as soon as his return became evident, he was imprisoned with the charge of being a killer. It was hard to guess whether he was the killer or not but reading more and more about the case and Draco’s repeated statement, it felt otherwise, like his words meant something else. Upon reading further of many more of officer's statements about the murder when taped while he was in azkaban Draco convinced the reporter that he had been planning a murder viciously but had been extremely unfortunate, but most of his statements were ended with blanks meaning the statements were too long or classified to be put in the file or more than often he kept uttering in his sentences " L'appel du vide "

“ I need the tapes from January 2003, Draco Malfoy’s case “ Harry told the librarian at the ministry after having being unsuccessful of convincing himself to not be thoroughly invested.

“ They are classified “ she said.

Harry blinked harshly “ what if I bring a permit ?” 

The lady thought for a few seconds then nodded and Harry hurriedly ran off to Hermione's office.

" 70 seconds " Hermione clicked her wrist as she got up from her chair to stand in front of the mirror. 70 seconds, the seconds she'd fix her hair in.

" I need permit to attain tapes from the library on Draco Malfoy's case " Harry hurriedly said

Hermione whipped in a second, her hair going in different directions " You got his case ?"

Harry nodded " why ?"

Hermione thought for a moment deciding on whether she should tell him or not but then she did, hesitation clear in her voice " the-they all say he's gone loony- like nuts, sort of a cynic " she shrugged.

Harry scrunched his face at her " you can't say he's gone mad "

" it's not me Harry- all of them say that- they all say he's aberrant- I've heard his tapes and seen his file- it's irrational. It's all-"

" so you believe in all that they say- the man who told me to convince that someone shouldn't be released because if they're a death Eater they must be a murderer " Harry snapped

" Harry- I know the department Is messed up but you'll- you know what, fine- I'll give the permit but you're going to realise soon what Everyone is saying " Hermione sighed then took a paper and stamped over it, then handed him the permit.

" Harry " she called out to him Just before he was about to step out.

" what ?"

" don't believe everything you read or hear " Hermione nodded, then her phone rang and before Harry could ask further questions, he knew it was time to leave, so he left with questions dangling in his head.

Harry ran back off to the library and with the permit took all the recordings recorded and the video tapes there were. On reaching back to his office, he locked the doors again and put the cassettes in the cassette player and heard carefully. 

“ Do you plead guilty ?” 

“ No ” 

“ But are you a killer ?” 

“ yes ”

The investigating officer heavily groaned then asked to provide a statement claiming he murdered Ben Codsworth but he denied profusely. The first few tapes went off in Draco’s denials, admitting that he didn’t kill Ben Codsworth even though the evidences proved otherwise, he admitted that he did not kill anyone but somehow as he was reaching the last of the cassettes he heard Draco muttering continuously “ L’appel du Vide ”. Whoever was put in on the investigation was thorougly dissatisfied and frustrated by the end and asked him to say any other sentence but was met with only silence as if he had already said enough but it wasn’t until the end when Draco had finally said something otherwise as if he had always stored this for the last meeting, 

“ Killers don’t always use weapon, murder isn’t always murder and death isn’t always met. I did not kill Ben Codsworth, someone did and that's not me ”

Harry relaxed into his chair biting his nails off trying to make sense of his words and then his eyes fell upon the video tapes and he put them on the projector as well, they were the same recordings only these were video taped and Draco’s face could easily be read. On going through order Harry noticed the way Draco’s face grew duller and duller and how his face sucked in, the way his face lost any expression and numbness casting over his face and his lips over his words growing more slurry, his face had lost everything by the last tape but in the last tapes when Draco spoke his last words he had stared directly into the camera and confessed his last words, it almost felt as if to Harry that he was there and he was saying those words to Harry himself, leaving Harry feeling strange.

The pendulum clock on the wall went off and Harry packed away his things in his briefcase, taking the videos with him to perhaps play it in the night when he’s all alone after Ginny had slept. 

He flooed home like he usually did, hopeful to finally meet his fiance and soon to be wife home working on the wedding planners but he was met with the incandescent emptiness, finding a note on the table saying she went home for the night, fleur apparently needed help to take care of the newly born baby. Harry sighed as he sat the briefcase on the table, leaving it there to be while he did his routine. 

It was later in the night when Harry had been focused immensely on the wedding planning when he stretched his neck back to get some relief when his eyes fell upon the briefcase and he remembered the case files he bought home with the video tapes and this night he chose to read further on his disappearance and his paradoxical replies upon the whole matter. How could someone’s handprints be found at the crime scene even though under the effect of veritaserum he confessed he didn’t kill Ben? How can he be his killer, yet not at the same time ? 

When he read about Draco’s disappearance he tried to match the events from his life from the time period he was gone, when even his disappearance didn’t come into light, like nobody even cared but suddenly everyone cared when he was a tagged murderer. Harry’s back ached as he remained hunched over the file reading word by word about disappearance even though the whereabouts while his disappearance’s remained unknown and unimportant, what remained more important was the word Death eater highlighted multiple times. Harry couldn’t help himself but pity Draco, like he had done a lot in his life but right now as he read the concluding statements of the case he felt strangely angered at his treatment. Draco couldn't have gone mental, could he ?

Harry shook his head then craned his neck side to side, putting the paper clip at the page he left then going back to the front page and seeing Draco again, he seemed lost. He didn’t even look the same anymore, like something about him had changed or something was different but Harry wasn’t able to point what. 

He saw the clock on the wall once realizing it was past midnight then put the files back into his case after having briefly suspiciously glanced at the tapes, then shut it off. 

That night he couldn’t sleep because the image of Draco in azkaban haunted him.

Despite the lowering interactions on these Prompts recently and the lowering notes, I'm taking the risk of continuing this into a short fic, I'm afraid at the end I'd be disappointed. Anyhow, good day everyone.

He conferred at 3 in the morning, this wasn’t a normal murder case and he needed to visit Draco, very soon. 

PART 2&3

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Draco, holding a python: Guys I impulsively bought a snake, what do I name him

Ron: You did WHAT–

Harry: William Snakepeare

End of the world

Dialogue prompt 28- " nothing has changed " " it has and you know it "

Hurt/comfort | Do not pound me it was all her @everlydream

" one ticket ?" Harry whispered hurriedly getting hold of one of the rods to keep himself from colliding into the bus conductor

" to where mister ?" His accent was wheezy and barely audible but coherent enough for Harry to understand what he was saying.

" Devon " Harry replied jerking forward almost slamming his face into the conductor.

The conductor gave him his ticket after having collected the money and Harry walked off to the back of the bus apologizing once in a while when he stepped on someone's shoe or accidentally bumped into someone because of the bus. He finally reached the back seat and sat down in one of the empty seats, sighing to himself.

" biscuit ?" The old man next to him asked but he politely denied and took out his walkman from the Only bag he was carrying, showing it to the old man as if telling him that he'd be doing this while he ate his biscuit then plugging his headphones and stuffing his hand in his pocket. For just one moment he closed his eyes and dropped his head against the seat but because of a jerk he realised he wouldn't be able to sleep so he stayed awake staring in front, his feets crossed ahead of him and his husband's favorite playlist buzzing in his ear, popular jazz from 1940-1960s. He watches as one by one the passenger decreased over time, even the old man next to him had left and he was left all alone in the back with a few other people still sitting in the bus in the front seats. He couldn't help himself but with irony being the tag along tonight he thought of how all his life had nothing but been like this bus, passengers getting off on stops after stops, people going away that he might never see again until there are only a few or one person left who stays till the last, the final destination. His husband tonight had stepped off the bus.

It's been a long, long time buzzes through his ears and he fails to conceal his smile as he is vividly reminded of night of the wedding and how like every couple, they had a song and this was their song. They never wanted to be one of those couple's who have a song or have to embark something as just their own but for once, only once in life they embarked something as their own, the coincidental playing of the same song they had danced on at the last ball at school and the night of the wedding and both times they had started a new journey. He hums along still smiling and looking far ahead at the motionless passangers, the conductor, the bus driver, the Chinatown keychain dangling off on the rearview mirror, he finally allows himself to ponder. What led him here ? The fight, not just any fight but the fight. It had been 5 years since they got married and like every other couple the first few years had been the most amazing one's of their wedded life but from 4th year onwards, ever since they started to looking for slight changes in life things started taking a harsh turn. With Harry working late a lot and Draco coming home burnt in potions and the rejection from the house they wanted because of being gay, everything started messing up, it was one thing after another and they were just holding off themselves, from fighting, from Being disappointed, from being angry or sad, they didn't dwell on their failures but it hurt them a lot even if they pretended it didn't, for the sake of the other, after all they were just trying to protect each other but with everything going haphazard, bizzare even their lives turned into series of unfortunate events and they held themselves off like usual until they faced the 7th rejection from the adoption agency, Harry's demotion onn a case and 3rd rejection for a house and their lack of time for each other crossed the boundaries they had Maintained for so Long. It was like the kettle of water had been whining for so long to take it off the stove but they had left it be and it was finally bubbling water all out and they didn't know what to do.

" So we face another rejection Draco, it's not like it's new for us. We've faced Many and we'll probably face more but we'll get one " Harry has causally said as he dropped off his bag at the table and taking off his coat. He should've sat by next to Draco, put his arms around him and tell him it'll be alright, but he didn't instead he walked into the kitchen and poured himself some water.

Draco Snapped and stormed into the kitchen taking away Harry's glass of water and putting it over the counter to represent that he needed his attention.

" what the hell Draco ?" Harry snapped

" How can you be so damn casual about this Harry, we'd been trying to get an adoption for almost 2 years now, we've made no progress! How can you be calm about this? This is a child we're talking About-"

" I know it's a child we're talking but what do you want me to do sulk and cry and whine about not being able to get one ?" Harry bellowed back, walking away from Draco.

" Are you implying I do that ?" Draco asked offended walking off behind him.

" I didn't say that- all I'm saying is that I can't do anything about it alright- so we don't get one- we still have more agencies to try with " Harry shrugged.

Draco shook his head forcefully " No I'm saying- you can be just a little sensitive- it's like you don't even care- like It doesn't matter to you anymore "

" like it doesn't matter to me ? I'm sorry but I'm working my ass of, over time so I can put money every time we try for adoption- if I had stopped caring I would've just stopped working at all " Harry snapped

" you're not the only working force and I appreciate you working your ass off but so am I okay- But you Harry pretend you don't care anymore, you don't have time for us, for me or for anything else anymore, you have to see that your life isn't just work. The least you can do is ask me how my day was but you've even stopped doing that and it's not fair to me, you don't give me the time and everytime we fail to adopt someone instead of us supporting each other like we used to, we just pretend it's alright like it's a casual thing but it's not- I can't pretend it doesn't hurt anymore, it hurts me a lot okay and the worst part is even if you know about it you don't care. Even Us, Harry- everything about us has changed-"

" nothing has changed-"

" yes it has and you know it " Draco harshly breathed in, driving away the tears that were threatening to spill " I hate this change and I don't want it but there is no going back- at least it doesn't seem like it and even if we talk through tonight we're going to end up being the same way the next time this happens "

" so what are you suggesting ?" Harry asked crossing his arms in his front.

Draco hesitated, closing and opening his mouth several time before he finally spoke up " I need some time- alone time- to maybe just think things through-"

" you want to take a break ?" Harry interjected, his heart collapsing into his organs and his tongue twisting inside his mouth.

" we need to take a break. We've barely talked with each other in such a long time and it's killing me because I want to but I also don't want because this is getting suffocating, it's like everything wrong that is happening I'm blaming you inside my head even though it's not it and I know you're doing the same but too afraid to even let the thought wander- I'm Afraid Harry that we'd need to separate permanently and I don't want that because I still love you and I can't find it in myself to not because despite everything I still want you everyday- just these few weeks- I've constantly felt like being alone and please just understand that you too need some alone time even if you think this is absurd and even if it's just me- I need you to understand that I need some time before it gets too late"

And that's why Harry was here right now all alone humming to the song with his head pressed against the back of the seat, tears stuck at the corner of his eyes. He shook his head smiling thinking how absurd it was that he felt like dancing to this song but the man he wanted to dance with was no longer here and had claimed he needed to get away from Harry, if only for some time.

The specific song was so magical that it could cure any of their mood. There were several times when Harry would be working late at night, going through his cases while Draco would stay awake for him to come to bed or when he'd come home from work all drained and exhausted because of how it had been and Draco would randomly put this song on and despite Harry's Denials and claims that he needed to work or to rest he could never resist himself once he'd see Draco skirting over the wooden floor with his arms in the air as if he was dancing with someone and it always felt like to Harry a space that needed to be filled, no matter what the circumstances were, he just needed to and he didn't know why but after every time he'd dance with Draco, his worries would evaporate and he'd wind up laughing and snuggling in bed with his lover. However he can't remember when was the Last time they danced, an year ago? A forced dance at a ball ? He doesn't remember and he can't remember when he forgot that he still loves Draco more than anything in his life. He can't pin down the moments when he'd came home from work and felt to himself that he needed to be away, when thing's got out of his hands and he was left just like a ghost living each day.

He hated himself right now as he looked at the empty seats besides him and all those others, how barren it felt to not be with Draco but to think of rest of his life this way, he wasn't sure he could even survive.

________________________________

" mister " Harry was violently shaken awake by the shaking of his arm by the conductor, the bus had emptied and he was the only one left " your stop "

Harry nodded, shaking his head profusely to get rid of the sleepiness then got off the bus with his bag.

He walked miles with his Walkman dangling in his hand and the bag slipping off his shoulder often until he reached the outskirts and finally had seen the water's. The advantage of it being night nobody was there and Harry disapparted to the cliff when he knew where he needed to be and sat down by the board " grunta beach ".

Due to High tides the water kept clashing with the cliff and the weather resulted in More of its contribution but he found it pleasing, the sound, the weather and the wind and the music he had again started listening to.

He slipped briskly into his memories with Draco and pin pointing in his mind each time he did it wrong, each time instead of comforting his husband he walked away without caring that it hurt him, where he became an unsupportive husband, where he stopped dancing with Draco randomly, where he stopped kissing him goodnight, and many others that led to this separation and now he was rendered with the thought of going back home to divorce papers sitting on his desk and it hurt more than anything he had ever thought of. The thought of losing Draco forever Haunted him so much and to live a life without him Just crushed his insides but when he saw the disgusted look on Draco's face when he said all those things he said tonight, Harry knew he wasn't going to return and all he thought of was not asking him for one last dance and he finally cried, he let himself weep with the water roaring more loudly as he cried more. He didn't want to live a life without Draco but now, he knew he had no option.

He thought and thought of wanting to correct his mistakes, his life, the points where it went wrong, to go back in time but Harry had fucked up so bad that even if tried to he was Afraid he might never even return and would forever be stuck in time and space and eventually leading a life without Draco. Right now no matter what he did or what he thought of, he knew Draco was gone and he wasn't going to come back.

Maybe it had been an hour or 15 minutes or 45 minute or 3 hour's, he didn't know but he heard some footsteps approach him and Harry didn't care if at this point someone came to kill him, Rob him, mug him or anything, he'd let it happen because his life had no meaning anymore but the steps were awfully familiar and just when he turned around to see who it was he went running off to him and collided into the ground hugging him.

" I'm sorry " Harry cried into his arms.

Draco coughed loudly then wrapped his arms around Harry " I know you are "

" no you don't, I really mean it- I'm sorry- I've been so terrible to you- I've been nothing but a shit husband and you put up with me for so Long but Draco I can't lose you- I don't want to separate- I don't to take a break- I can't lose you-"

" you're not losing me Harry- actually- I came here because I knew you'd be here " he sighed and pushed Harry so he was forced to sit and he sat next to him too with his hands over Harry's to wait for him to interlock them and he did.

" I came here to tell you that it's never going to be too late with you because I don't want to ever be apart from you- these 3 hours away from knowing I had pushed you away were the hardest thing I've ever had to do and I don't want it- but I do need time- not away from you but time with you, I thought I needed away from you but I don't- I need you to be with me when I cry- when I laugh or whenever I do anything, I need you " Draco's voice cracked " I really need you because this is so hard for me- facing rejection everyday- and I've been pretending that I was fine but I'm not- I can't face another rejection Harry and I want to stop trying again for adoption or a home, maybe it's not in our fate- not our Destiny maybe- but I can't deal with having little hope everytime for it to be crushed again "

Harry wiped the tear that fell off his eye and hugged him, kissing on the top of his head, himself crying " I'm sorry that we're facing this but if you need me- I promise you with everything that I will be here for you no matter what- even if they fire me from my job- I need to be with you. It just feels like I've been away from you so long that I've forgotten everything else- I need you too " he paused, knowing what he was about to say was the most soul crushing thing he was about to say but he knew there was no point in hoping any longer " and I think we should stop trying to adopt- we've been trying for so long and Maybe its not for us. So what if we don't have kids- we'll act like ones, we'll be the couple that grows old together with all sorts of fun besides Childern are huge responsibility and I could never, I've heard they're just a huge pain in the ass "

Draco chuckled and Harry kissed his face smiling " I love you Draco- and I mean this so much tonight- more than any other night "

Draco smiled at him, pressing his forehead against Harry " I love you too- it's nice to finally hear you say it "

And Harry knew what it meant and it made him hate himself but right now as Draco remained close to him, he knew he just needed reminding that he loved Draco even if for sometime he had forgotten to love him. And even though they pretended again that having no family wasn't the end of the world but it certainly was the end of a world they wanted to live in and perhaps they'd be fine with it one day.

And this night when they danced again, for the third time they started a new journey of their life.

To heal some hearts- they returned home and recieved news from the adoption agency for twins and a home not to far away.

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*rereads my own fics like little bedtime stories*

Phoebe!! Would you do Blank Space by Taylor Swift? 💞💞💞

@colormehazelnut Hazel, it would be my pleasure!! Thank you for sending in these prompts. This is something I've been sort of mulling over in the back of my mind for a while.

“I make six figures,” Jason said, leaning back in his chair with a smirk. “My boss says I’m an ‘up-and-comer.’”

Draco looked at Jason underneath his lashes, “Does he, now?”

Jason nodded solemnly. “Oh yeah, Dad’s really encouraging.”

“How wonderful,” Draco said, lifting a finger to lightly trace over Jason’s hand where it rested on the table and suppressing a smirk when he saw Jason shift in his seat. “You’ve such an important career; how does a man as successful as you stay so humble?”

Jason grinned, shrugging. “Comes naturally, I guess.”

“Wow,” Draco breathed. “You’re not like anyone I’ve met before.”

“Yeah, I get that a lot,” Jason winked, and Draco forced a giggle, watching Jason’s eyes flash in excitement.

Jason was Lucius’s seventh attempt in his crusade to see Draco married and settled with a pureblood by the time he was 26. The first couple of blind dates had left Draco “outraged and disgusted,” as he’d complained to Pansy over the Floo. “Father won’t see reason. Merlin, it’s torture.”

Pansy’s mouth had twisted into a smirk. “Well, it doesn’t have to be.”

Draco’d furrowed his eyebrows. “What do you mean?”

“There are only so many eligible, gay, Pureblood men in Britain,” Pansy’d grinned. “Your father wants you to date these idiots to maintain your reputation. What if you make sure there’s no more reputation to uphold—one man at a time?”

After that, Draco found himself looking forward to these new dates. The arrogant, unsuspecting men would sit across from him, play footsie under the table, talk on and on about their money, and leer at him all the while. And Draco let them with a placid smile on his face.

But Michael, poor bloke, had run screaming from the Manor as Draco’d thrown the prat’s clothes out the window with a hearty Incendio. It was the only proper response to Michael’s derision of Draco’s “poncy outfits.”

And Jake—or was it Blake? Draco could never remember, much to Jake-Blake’s annoyance—had nearly cried when Draco’s taken a golf club to his precious Aston Martin. But he should’ve thought of that before insulting Draco’s golf swing.

Then there was Bret, who’d spent so much time on his mobile, texting Merlin knew how many other men, that Draco thought that the fish in the pond at the Manor might enjoy the device, too, since Bret shared their intelligence.

Now, Jason prattled on and on about his family’s “gorgeous, but understaffed house by the lake” and how the food at the restaurant was “palatable, but not as good as in Paris, have you ever been?”

Draco blinked wide, innocent eyes. “To Paris? Oh, no. I’ve never been. Maybe you could show me around? I’d need someone capable to keep me from getting lost.”

Jason smirked. “Of course, baby, I’d take good care of you.”

Draco let a slow, sultry smile stretch across his face. Yes, this was going to be fun.

__

“C’mon, baby, just tell me what’s wrong,” the man jutted out his lip into a pout.

Draco gave him a coy smile. “Who said anything was wrong?”

Suddenly, he felt a warm hand cover his thigh and a mouth close to his ear. “Hmm, a cutie like you here all alone? That can’t mean anything good.”

Draco held his breath. Three...Two...One…

The body next to him was suddenly knocked aside, and Draco looked up to see Jason, his eyes burning.

“Draco, what the hell!”

“Don’t you ‘Draco’ me, Jason!” He snapped. “While you were busy doing Merlin knows what—or who—in the loo for nearly thirty minutes, this bloke was keeping me company. If you don’t want me, you can just say so!”

Jason looked shocked. “Thirty minutes—I can’t have been gone for more than five!”

“Whatever it was, it was long enough for me to grow suspicious!”

“If you were so worried, why didn’t you go to the loo and see for yourself?”

“Because I, for one, didn’t want to see my fiancé fucking another bloke right in front of me!”

“Fiancé?!” Jason and the stranger said simultaneously, their expressions astonished.

Draco gasped sharply. “Are you seriously acting as if you never proposed to me?!”

“If I did I think I’d have remembered!”

“Wow!” Draco shook his head. “I knew you could be oblivious, but forgetting the best day of our lives is a new low, Jason.”

“But–you’re not even wearing a ring!”

“We said we’d get it in Paris!” Draco made his eyes well with practiced tears. “You said you wanted it to be perfect. ‘Only the best for my Draco, the love of my life!’ You said that, and I can see now that you didn’t mean it.”

He hopped off the stool striding out of the bar. He turned his head to see Jason staring at him, slackjawed.

Draco let one tear spill down his cheek. “Don’t contact me. Goodbye, Jacob.”

As he left the bar, he heard an incredulous, “IT’S JASON!!”

__

“No, no, we asked for the ‘74 Le Vu, not the ‘87 Le Fite,” Xavier scowled. He plucked the glass from Draco’s fingers and handed it and his own to the server. “Fix it,” he said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

Draco chanced a sympathetic look at the waiter, whose blank expression revealed that he had the patience of someone with years in the restaurant industry. “Yes, sir, my mistake. I apologize. One moment.” He turned on a heel, taking the rejected wine and used glasses and disappearing into the sea of tables.

“Honestly,” Xavier scoffed. “It’s impossible to get good service nowadays.”

Draco hummed in false assent. “That must be so taxing for you.”

Xavier sighed. “It’s just frustrating. You know, when I dine out, I expect a certain level of attendance from the waitstaff. I work hard for my money. I don’t need the added stress of an incompetent server who can’t do the simplest tasks,” he said, shaking his head.

“I know!” Draco exclaimed waving his hands wildly. “It’s insanity!” He said, making his gesture wider—just a bit more, and, “People can be so lazy!” He flung his arms almost across the table, finally knocking a glass of ice water into Xavier’s lap.

“Shit!” Xavier jumped from his seat, grabbing his napkin and drying his pants.

Draco let his lip wobble. “I-I’m so sorry.”

“Whatever, you idiot,” Xavier snapped.

Draco gasped loudly and rose from his seat, drawing eyes to their table. Perfect. “What did you just say??”

Xavier looked at him strangely. “I said ‘whatever.’”

Draco threw down his napkin. “Did you just call me an idiot?”

“What—no! I-”

“You’re a pig!” Draco reached over and slapped Xavier. A few scattered gasps rose from the other guests.

Their waiter came rushing over. “Is everything alright over here?”

Draco narrowed his eyes. “I was just going.” He turned and stormed off, leaving behind a sputtering Xavier.

__

The date with Louis lasted all of twenty minutes before Draco’d had enough.

He couldn’t do this anymore. He couldn’t attend one more dinner with a man who looked at him like a pile of money or a piece of meat. He couldn’t flutter his eyelashes or give mechanical kisses or play dumb any longer.

He refused—Father and his inheritance be damned.

It was cowardly, he knew, leaving while John was in the restroom. But he didn’t have it in him to finish the dinner, nor to make a scene and cry and shout. And with the way Louis went on and on about how “the new Ministry is going to ruin this country,” Draco had a feeling it wasn’t going to work out, anyway.

He stepped out onto the street and raised his wand, feeling the familiar tug of Apparition take him to the apparition point closest to Muggle London. He walked along the cobblestone pathway in peace, taking in the sights of the city.

For the first time in months, Draco felt real, hot tears rise unbidden in his eyes. He didn’t bother to wipe them away, letting them cloud his vision. It was nice for a moment, allowing the world to go a bit fuzzy, until he tripped on an uneven cobblestone and fell to the ground.

His palms and knees stung from the impact, but he managed to keep from banging his head. He started to move to get up, despite his protesting knees, when a hand came into his vision, reaching down in front of him.

He took it, letting it gently pull him to his feet and causing his eyes to meet warm green ones that caused his heart to stutter.

“Malfoy—are you alright?” Potter said gently, taking in Draco’s red-rimmed eyes and cheeks.

Draco sniffed, willing his voice to stay even when he responded, “I’m fine, Potter. Just a rough evening. Thank you. Sorry to bother you.”

He turned to step past him when a firm hand clasped his arm.

“Wait, I–” Potter flushed lightly. “I want to talk to you.”

Draco narrowed his eyes in suspicion. “What are you playing at, Potter?” He said, a slight bite to his tone. “What game is this?”

Potter held up his hands. “No game, I swear. I just want to catch up.”

Draco studied Potter for a moment, taking in the earnest eyes and the beginning of a small, hopeful grin, and allowed himself the first genuine smile he could remember in weeks.

Yes, this was going to be fun.

I have a playlist of my 99 most listened-to songs of the year so far. Check my pinned post, pick a number 1--99, and send me an ask and I'll write you a fic based on the song that matches with that number on my list!

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