just for you (years 5-7)

chapter 39

"christmas party?"

i furrow my brow during breakfast the following friday, staring at the contents of the envelope i've just opened. with only two days left now before we're sent home for the holidays, i wasn't exactly expecting mail.

"yeah, have to bring a date too." blaise rolls his eyes, staring blankly at the invitation he's holding. i stare down at my own hands, with the same invitation. slughorn's christmas party, tomorrow evening. sounds like a blast.

"daph do ya' wanna—?"

"no." daphne cuts off blaise, barely sparing him a glance as she reads over her divination homework. i catch blaise's eye, laughing as he frowns at daphne.

"i'll ask astoria instead—"

"like hell you will." daphne rolls her eyes, calling his bluff.

just as blaise is about to argue back, draco and theo walk in— draco with a small smile and theo laughing loudly (as he usually is).

"christmas party draco, you're obligated to come with me." blaise grins as draco sits next to him, shoving the card in his direction.

"funny." draco smirks, reading the card quickly and pushing it back to blaise.

"you will have to go though." i say, and draco looks up at me. i flash my card at him, raising an eyebrow, "with me, of course."

draco fakes a scared look, widening his eyes and turning to his left. "blaise, on second thought—" he taps his shoulder quickly, and chuckles as blaise looks back at him with a hopeful smile.

"hate to break both of your hearts, but i'd rather not spend my last days in this castle at a party i wasn't invited to by a teacher who clearly dislikes me." draco frowns, almost apologetically (he's slowly getting better with realizing how his words affect others), and then starts to load his breakfast plate.

"c'mon draco" i pout, sliding the card across the table. "it'll be fun."

"no, thanks." he grimaces, flicking the card back in my direction.

"fine." i huff, knowing he's too stubborn to argue with. well, if daphne's out, blaise is already going—

"pansy, you get an invite?" i lean forward, catching pansy's eye on the other side of daphne.

"god, no! i'm barely scraping by in potions." she whines, and i notice she's currently writing our essay that was due at the beginning of the week. "and don't ask me to come with you— i'm far too behind on homework—"

"ok, ok!" i say quickly, not needing a repeat of her last homework-related meltdown (the week before OWLs, she was an absolute wreck). i scan again. goyle, crabbe, or theo.

the choice is— unfortunately for crabbe and goyle— fairly obvious.

"theo..?"

"no, the bastard didn't invite me." theo tilts his head, already taking the card from my hands. "yes, i would love to accompany you and rub it in his face." he looks up to me with a confident smirk, as blaise slaps him on the back proudly and gives me a grin. "black tie, eh? draco i need your suit—"

"i'm never letting you lay a finger on my suit." draco rolls his eyes, reaching across blaise to pluck the card from theo's fingers. "when's this again? maybe i can swing it—"

"too late!" theo tutts, and i'm forced to watch as he steals the card back, grinning ear to ear in the oblivious way that he does. "you already said no! idiot." he chuckles under his breath.

draco looks up at me, his face halfway between amused and annoyed— an expression usually reserved for theo's antics. i raise an eyebrow at him, trying to signal 'this alright?', as i nod over to theo— who's already coordinating outfits with blaise.