The Saturday at the pub was more uncomfortable then the lunch they shared. Draco’s wife dressed up a little too much, not that he minded that red dress hugged Astoria in all the right places, and she always over dressed she was used to it at this point. Draco, knowing the pub a bit decided to skip the vest and just wear a button down shirt with jeans. The Potters, to no surprise, had worn their usual scruffy attire.
The girls greeted each other with a hug while the boys merely nodded at one another. They ordered some drinks and an appetizer and then there was just some awkward silence.
After what felt like an hour, probably only 30 seconds, Draco spoke up.
“How come you both were so shocked that Astoria was my wife? I mean it’s not like her last name is Greengrass anymore.”
“We were thinking about that earlier today actually,” Replied Ginny, happy to not sit in silence. “We figured out that we had never actually heard her last name before. I met her through the Harpies as she’s our assigned medic. But since I was late coming in to the meeting that introduced her to the team I only ever heard Astoria.”
“Yeah,” Harry piped in, “the first time I met her I was in having these plants starting to grow out of my leg and someone just yelled “someone get Stori she has been trained in this”
“And to be honest,” he continued, “I had no idea she had been a Slytherin let alone went to Hogwarts until the day I came in and saw her chatting with her sister and I kind of remembered them sitting together sometimes.”
“I knew,” said Ginny in a bit of a somber voice looking at Astoria “You were the Slytherin who would sneak food and medicine to us through Dennis Creevey during the war, weren’t you?”
Astoria gave a small sad smile remembering the small boy whose life had been far too short and nodded, “Dennis and I had been friends. As had a few others from the other houses. So I would do what I could without risking my families safety.”
Draco’s eyes grew in shock. He had never known Astoria had done that, and she had been only what 15?!
Harry whistled, “That took some guts. You could have been in Gryffindor.”
Astoria laughed and said,”Heaven forbid” with a dramatic over the top hand to the forehead. Then continued “Well I was actually a hat stall, though not for Gryffindor.”
“I didn’t know that,” Draco replied looking at his wife in shock. “Though I can see you in Ravenclaw I guess, you did find a why to graduate early from Hogwarts.”
“Oh no, not Ravenclaw the sorting hat kept saying I should be in Hufflepuff -”
Harry had interrupted Astoria’s story with a burst of heavy laughter. “Sorry,” he said still laughing, “I just remembered the one of the first things Malfoy ever said to me “imagine being in Hufflepuff, I think I’d leave, wouldn’t you?” and to think he almost married one!”
Both Ginny and Astoria joined in on the laughing, while Draco turned red. The drinks arrived and they continued to talk with a bit more ease. Draco was surprised the fiery red head had yet to make good on her promise at yelling at him. But he supposed it helped that he was still saying very little. He was only doing this for Astoria after all. He never excepted the Potters to like him, but he never wanted him or his name to interfere with Astoria making friends, not when she deserved the world to adore her.
They were on their 5th round when it happened. Ginny took a big swig of her beer and then turned and looked at Draco, “Alright,” she said slurring a little, “lets do this.”
Draco, who was also starting to feel his drink, gave her a confident smirk and said “Bring it on She-weasel.” Draco, could have just let have let her yell at him for hours. But he wasn’t sorted into Slytherin for nothing, he knew that if she just yelled at him that wouldn’t help Astoria’s goal to be friends with them. He had also paid close attention to Potter and his friends during their years at Hogwarts, a fact that had made Astoria very happy, so he had a feeling he knew how to play this.
Ginny had opened her mouth to start yelling at him but the boldness of Malfoy’s comment stunned her for a moment. Then she laughed “Alright, Ferret, if that’s how we are going to play it! You were an out right soddar growing up!”
“Yes I was!” declared Draco looking her straight in the eye.
“You mocked my brother and my family every damn chance you got!” Her voice getting louder.
“And I am sorry for that!” Draco replied matching her pitch.
Ginny sat on her knees and leaned over the table, “You kicked Harry down whenever you got the chance!”
“I was a complete asshole!” he mirrored her position.
Ginny stood up on her seat and Draco followed suit. “YOU WERE A ROTTEN PERSON WHO WAS, AND STILL COULD BE, EXTREMELY BIGOTED WHO NEEDED AN ASS WHOPPING TO GET HIS BLOODY EGO IN CHACK!”
“I WAS COMPLETE AND UTTER LOSER WHO NEEDED TO REALIZE THAT MUMMY AND DADDY WEREN’T PERFECT!!” he retorted.
“I HAVE HATED YOU SINCE I WAS 11 YEARS OLD AND FOR THE LIFE OF ME AND CANNOT FIGURE OUT HOW SOMEONE LIKE YOU COULD EVEN MANAGE TO GET SOMEONE AS NICE AS ASTORIA”
They breathed heavily staring at each other still standing on their respective bar stools.
Harry turned to Astoria, “and this is why I suggest this particular pub. Everyone gets into heated quidditch discussions here so it’s not abnormal for people to be shouting at each other.”
Astoria glanced around and indeed there were many people shouting. There was even another pair standing on chairs just a few tables down. Astoria grinned “Good choice Potter”
Ginny and Draco made their way back into sitting positions. Ginny looked at Draco suspiciously and took another swig of her ail.
“One last thing.” she said after she swallowed though in a much calmer tone. “One last thing and we can drop this whole mess.”
Draco politely nodded for her to continue.
“I never wrote that valentine to Harry during my first year.”
Draco’s heart stopped. Oh shit
“Oh right, yes,” he said before she could continue. “It was Pansy alright. I was covering for a friend and you were the closest target.”
“One last round over here please! So Ginny I must know what it is like to play professional quidditch.”
With the amount of drinks in all of them he was able to keep the subject from returning to that god forsaken valentine. In fact they have many pleasant conversations.
By the end they decided to try and meet up once a month for a drink and a yelling session.
Astoria, having the least amount to drink out of everyone, offered to take everyone to their respective homes. Once she had delivered the Potters safely home she returned for her husband. They arrived at home and started getting ready for bed.
“Hmmm” he replied, he was trying to unbutton his shirt but the amount of ail in his system seemed to be still effecting him. He heard his wife give a small giggle and then she was in front of him helping him with his buttons. God she was wonderful.
“What was Ginny talking about that you blamed Pansy for?”
“Oh right, you weren’t there that year. ummm.” Draco couldn’t think clearly, he took out his wand. “Accio potion.” He took a swig of it and it sobered him up a little bit, at least to the point that he was only tipsy. “Right, that year we had singing valentines delivered to people. I do not remember all of the details but Potter got one and we got into some sort of tiff, per usual, right afterwards. So I turned to the she-weasel and said something to the effect that Potter didn’t like her valentine.”
“Oh,” she replied. “But Ginny says it wasn’t her.”
“And you said it was Pansy”
Damn his wife. “Yes it was Pansy.”
“Pansy never gave a single damn about Potter when I knew her. Nor did Daphne mention her liking Potter before hand.” She was helping him shrug off his shirt now.
“Draco Malfoy I know when you are lying.” She threw the shirt in the hamper and had put her hands on her hips. If there was one thing Astoria hated it was when she was lied to.
“Damn it Stori, I didn’t- I just- FINE!” He threw his hands in the air and like a 4 year old stomped and threw himself on the bed. “I wrote it okay!” He said into the pillow.
Astoria had learned when he said something into a pillow it was always a truth that Draco did not want to be known. And usually as long as he said it she didn’t mind if she didn’t know what he said. As long as Draco told her the truth thats all that mattered to her. But unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, he had not covered his mouth fully and Astoria did hear him.
There was some silence and still slightly tipsy Draco had thought he had gotten away with it. Astoria walked to her side of the bed and sat gently down on next to him.
“Why did you send Harry Potter a valentine? Was it insulting?” she asked him calmly as she started to stroke his hair.
Draco blushed, “Er, well no.”
Astoria in the same calm tone asked, “Did you send it to him as a joke.”
“Er, kinda, at least that’s what I said to justify it.” He answered, he could feel his face getting extremely red. Damn he knew what his wife was thinking. He sat up, “Let me make one thing clear! I do not have a crush on Harry Potter, nor did I fancy him… most… of the time I was at Hogwarts. I just-”
Astoria interrupted and spoke very fast, “You had a small crush on him when you were 12 that you didn’t understand, which is why you continued to make fun of him. But as you grew up even if you realized how you might have been feeling you also moved on and started fancying other people thus no longer do you wish to be with Harry Potter.”
“Well… yes I think that pretty much sums it up.” Draco said blinking a little bit from all of the information.
vaporwave
2087
stormborns
s-u-f-j-a-n-s-t-e-v-e-n-s
germansingergirl
romaincrisis
