Entry 099

(Written in 05.2021)

(Harry Potter Fanfiction) Story about how Draco and Astoria meet

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“Draco, come.”

Obediently, Draco Malfoy walked down to where his mother stood at the bottom of the stairs, her posture elegant and graceful even after all these troubling years, or perhaps more so because of what happened, Draco pondered; the name must be upheld even in the darkest of times. His mother arranged his tie like it was his first day of school; only this time he didn’t bat her hand away.

“Mother, my date is waiting.”

Draco could count on one hand the times he’d been incredibly nervous: the first time he stepped onto the Quidditch stadium as a Seeker in his second year in Hogwarts, the day he’d readily agreed to be a death eater and accepted with equal eagerness the almost impossible mission of murdering Dumbledore, and during his three pathetic attempts at that horrible task. The war had changed him, but he’s never been an easily nervous man. Yet, tonight he felt his stomach twisted in a knot, his eyes wandering to his watch every few seconds, already contemplating an excuse to excuse himself despite having just arrived. A watched cauldron never boils, he thought, then busied himself with sipping the glass of wine and teasing the idea of leaving this instant, concocting a story of how he’s taken ill. His watch had told him he’d been twenty minutes early – he gave in to another glance – that was a minute ago.

When Draco was about to leave at exactly eight o’clock, using the excuse of how he despised people who came late to any designated meeting time, a woman in a dark green dress entered the restaurant and smiled at him after sweeping her gaze around the room. In a trance, he found himself standing up and greeting the woman, pulling the opposite chair out for her, then pouring her a glass of wine like his; all the while, his ears were drowned in sounds of whooshing water. He heard their exchange of names and occupation, himself asking the lady – didn’t she say her name was Astoria? – which courses she preferred.

He mentally shook himself to get out of the dream-like state he was in. Draco Malfoy was not an innocent schoolboy; he was a grown man…on a date, and he should be acting like one. His glance lingered on the familiar face of his date. Her pale complexion, warm brown eyes and tall nose all reminded him of someone he knew…from Hogwarts. He knew she was a Slytherin, or his mother wouldn’t have called this arranged date, but all the faces of his fellow housemates were a blur except for Goyle, Pevensie and the haunting image of Crabbe, old school friends whom he hasn’t seen much of after graduation.

“…Draco!”

Snapped out of his woeful memories by her voice, he gave an apologetic grin.

“Huh? Sorry, what were you saying?”

“It doesn’t seem to matter to you.” He wasn’t usually so inattentive…or more precisely, absent-minded. He wanted to massage the bridge of his nose like when he was tired…instead, Draco regained his manners and sat straighter in his chair.

“I sincerely apologise for...my absent-mindedness. You were talking about…?”

Astoria looked at him once and said, “I talked enough about my job. Let’s talk about you. I only heard so much from my sister.”

Of course, Pevensie had a younger sister, who’d been…in the year after them? But then he should have known her from his class when he went back to Hogwarts for his seventh year after the war…

(To Be Continued)