snowflake

ten

October 4th, 1993

"What if we go for a butterbeer today?" Elissia looked up sharply from her porridge, furrowing her brows at Malfoy. He ran a hand through his hair and took a bite from his toast without returning her gaze. She looked at him in confusion for a moment, processing his words.

He waited anxiously for her answer, he tried not to show it but he noticed her eyes divert from him to his leg that was bobbing up and down under the table. She shook her head slightly and put her spoon inside of the bowl.

"Us? Go to The Three Broomsticks? For a butterbeer?" She asked slowly. She knew what he was asking and what it was for, but she didn't know why he was asking. Especially why he was asking her out of all the girls in the school.

Malfoy sighed irritably and dropped his spoon loudly into the bowl, attracting the attention of Blaise and Pansy. He looked up to see them both staring at him with alarmed expressions.

"What?! Go on! Continue with your meal, didn't anyone ever tell you two it's rude to stare?" He snapped, Pansy raised her eyebrows but shrugged nonchalantly and Blaise simply went back to his breakfast with a shake of his head. Malfoy huffed and turned back to Elissia, "I do believe that's why people go to The Three Broomsticks, isn't it? To get a butterbeer with their friends?"

Elissia raised her eyebrows, her eyes widening slightly. "Did you just call me your friend?" She asked in disbelief. He swallowed harshly and tugged at the hem of his collar, swirling his spoon disinterestedly around his cereal.

"No, of course not--" He looked at her, she tried to read the expression behind his eyes but they remained blank, much to her dismay. "--Unless you think of me as your friend." He finished hesitantly, Elissia could see unease was now clouding his grey eyes.

She chewed on her bottom lip and thought over her answer before giving it to him. Would it really be so bad if she and Malfoy were friends? Even if it wasn't bad, was she willing to befriend someone, or consider someone as her friend, who's so complex that their personality resembles a labyrinth more than a labyrinth does? Every time she tried to figure him out, or every time she thought they were about to finally get somewhere, he throws another insult and jabs her pride right where it hurts the most. It was a tedious game they've been playing their whole lives, and it may never end; unless she accepted this friend request from him.

Malfoy took a deep breath as he waited for Elissia to answer his question. It could be one of two answers and he was praying to Merlin that it'd be the one where she says yes, yes she considers him as a friend and yes she'll go with him to Hogsmeade. Everything could start going smoother with them and he wouldn't have to put up the rude façade he wore around her; around everyone at that wretched school.

He tried with all his might to be patient, not to rush her. For if he rushed her decision making, she may think he was asking just to own up to a bet that Blaise or Daphne told him to do. That's the last thing he'd ever do to her, so he had to be extremely cautious around her for awhile. He didn't want to think his gestures were anything less than genuine, although he knew she probably already was questioning the sincerity of them.

After what seemed like a million years, Elissia cleared her throat a little and parted her lips to speak. Malfoy was pretty much on the edge of his seat with anticipation and fear at this point.

"If I say yes--" Elissia was cut off by Malfoy blurting out before she could get the whole answer out.

"If you say yes, I promise to torture you the whole way back. For Merlin's sake, Reyes, do you want to go or not?" He asked impatiently, his nerves getting the best of him despite his attempts to keep them below the surface. The girl in front of him raised her eyebrows and took a sip from her cup, setting it down after.