&ared at eah other in silene otter waso hear his errati heartbeat. he should have stayed aotter. he should have kept his mouth shut. he should have—
“yed,” potter repeated. only, this time, it didn’t souion. “i ahis.”
drao pressed his lips into a tight line.
“y engaged!”
drao startled. so mad? yes, drao had kept his e a seret, but there was no reason for him to—
“why didn’t you tell me?”
drao rised at how hurt potter sounded.
“it’s not offiial, yet,” he said, tryi himself.
“oh, of ourse!” potter threw his hands in the air. “were yoing t me along u it in the paper?”
“you dohe paper,” drao retorted.
“drao!” potter suddenly seemed livid.
“ed. potter had net mad at him. he wash the iedious rush! but…what was it he had just said? ‘string him along’? surely, he lying—
“what exatly oint of this, then?” pesturing around. drao wasn’t sure if he meant the diheir friendship?
“you were the oed to be friends,” drao poi.
potter raked his fihrough his hair, ausing it to look as if he’d just been out flying. “then you—you don’t—”
don’t as he trying to say?
“i guess i’ve beehe signs wrong.”
signs? what signs? —
&, um, fet about this.”
drao blinked. did potter mean this oion? this evehing? whatever he meant, drao didn’t want to be here ao url up in his bed and die.
“i just remembered, i osed to fireall mother this eve gets too te.”
“yeah, you do that,” potter said. drao almost shivered at how old and distant his voie sounded.
“thank you for di was—” he broke off, havio eeer refused to look at him whih, thankfully, made his flight a little easier at least.
uer’s stony expressioed fraze, was all he ould think about as he y awake that night, uo fi.
saturday, 1 marh 2003
“happy birthday, ron!”
“thanks, luna. oh, what’s this?”
“your present, of ourse,” luna beamed. weasley took it with a bright grin, whih quikly faded when he realised whatever akage was moving.
“luna,” he said, sou’s in there?”
“it’s a surprise, obviously. be sure to tell me whe. i want to see your fae.”
drao washer to ugh at weasley’s worried expression or to be worried himself. luna was suh a wildard.
he leared his throat aended his arm. “happy birthday, weasley.”
for a seht weasley would deline his hand. how ironi would that be? but he didn’t, a squeeze as hard as drao eted. without further expnation, drao hahe bottle of firewhiskey under his arm. some might have said it was a b gift, but these people obviously had no taste. as far more ohe fat that this r pearls before swine.
“oh wow, that’s some premium stuff! thanks, err, malfoy.” huh. he almost souill, it didn’t make drao less unomfortable to be here. yes, he ould have delined luo aompahe party, but…well. as always, it otter’s fault.
drao hadn’t see dreadful dinhem had made ontat agaihough drao wao expin his…situation, he had a feeling it would ohings w here probably was move, givea erfet opportuer again without having to i. ahough drao would rather have beehan admit it out loud, he missed seeiupid prat.
as soon as he and luhe living room, drao sahere le he didn’t reognise. probably people ith. great, just what drao needed, a bunh of drunk aurors! well, they didn’t look that professional now, all dressed very asually and surrounded by olourful ballooing around the room.
&ed granger, who was talking to some people from shool; thomas and finnigan, arehe hip these days, longbottom, a few ryffindors whose names had esaped drao, and…nh.
“so, should we get a—” drao looked around when he realised he was talking to nobody. where was luna? ah, there she was, talkihe weasley twins. drao’s heart sank a little when he realised he had fotten his name agaiifying him ihe one who survived’. drao ouldn’t have ared less about his ime to make some real effort.
braihe unomfortable oion he was u to have, he walked over to them, his joints beomiiff with every step.