when they became villains [draco malfoy] {book 2}

213

"What do you mean you can't come to the pub tonight?"

Draco grunted from his side of the table separating him from Theo. He had just arrived at the flat the lad had gotten after selling his manor. Draco's intention had been to drop by for no more than 5 minutes right after his workday was over to inform the lad that he wouldn't show up for their monthly Friday outing, but Theo had sat him right down, pushing a beer bottle under his nose. Reluctantly, Draco had accepted it though he had to admit that after the first sip he realized he might be needing something stronger. Two days it was that Ninomae was back in his life and he already couldn't catch a break.

"You know how it is nowadays, Theo, with the press and all," Draco responded though held back from mentioning that his real reason was Ninomae. The more he thought about it the more embarrassing it felt having to work for her. "I have work to do if I want to pull myself out of this slump."

"I don't believe you have so much work that you cannot secure one evening free to hang out with your friends."

Draco rolled his eyes and took a sip of his beer. He would've gone. He would've done his research more thoroughly over the weekend instead of throughout that very day, and had her over on Monday, but Ninomae had slipped away before he had had even the slightest chance to object. And he had no doubt she would turn up that night. Draco didn't trust her to be dissatisfied and alone in his house. 

After a moment of silence, Theo rushed his words again. "I swear if this is another excuse to stay at home and sulk over Astrid, then-"

"I'm over her, Theo."

"Yes, of course," Theo said and Draco just about wanted to bash the lad's head in for sounding so sarcastic. "But after the paper came out, you've been tenser. Just look at the way you're clutching your bottle. Unless you intend to crush that to stab me with one of those shards because of how annoyed you all of a sudden seem... What work is it that you're doing anyway?"

"You're not convincing me to forget about it for one evening, no matter how hard you'll try."

"What can possibly be so important?"

"If you don't have an instant solution to gaining my credibility back after freeing somebody who's been painted a murderer all over the UK, then get off my case."

"So you're simply planning on sitting in your office and brainstorming solutions?"

How could he make it sound so silly? And childlike... Like a ten-year-old scribbling random sketches on a piece of paper.

Maybe that was why Theo's business was struggling. He was smart, there was no doubt about it. Barely anyone knew about it, as it was illegal, but Theo was near done with perfecting his time-turner. For a few years, he had been working on other inventions and products too and tried selling them, but he had a hard time achieving that. In Hogwarts, he had always been a guy many came to when they needed something, but it seemed outside of school his charm no longer worked. He just sounded silly. He was smart, but whenever he spoke Draco just about wanted to bash his head in, and he had a feeling he wasn't the only person who felt that way.

"It's not as simple as you make it sound," Draco sighed.

"Well," Theo leaned back in his chair. "It seems easy enough to me. You'll never get out of this one so there's no point dwelling on it really."

"Oh, thank you," Draco responded, heavy sarcasm dripping off his tongue.

"No, but think about it, Draco. Unless you hunt her down, you will be incapable of controlling her actions, on which your career does heavily depend. Though we all know, even if you somehow do find where she's been hiding, you won't hold her down. It's Astrid we're talking about here. There's nothing you can do anymore. Apart from moving on to other things. Which will be hard. We all know how hard it is. But it is what it is."