Toxic

Changes

Do you feel me now?

Something felt off as Draco walked into the Ministry on Monday morning. He tried to rationalize that Olivia's note first thing Sunday morning cancelling their meeting wasn't anything usual. It didn't mean anything in particular, he told himself. She was just tired, that's all. They had spent hours working on research on Saturday as it was.

That had to be it. She was just tired from all the work they did on Saturday. He didn't want to think that it had anything at all to do with her boyfriend showing up, whether he was pissed off about Draco being there and said something... or something else.

Draco didn't want to think about something else. That Wood was the reason Olivia was too tired to meet. That just got him worked up over something he had no right to be worked up over.

But none of it changed the fact that Wood hadn't seemed all that happy that he had walked into Olivia's house on Saturday and found him there. A whole manner of scenarios ran through Draco's mind. He knew Wood didn't trust him - there weren't many Gryffindors who did. But did he pass on this distrust to Olivia as that's why she cancelled?

And just when they had found a comfortable place around each other that wasn't full of arguing.

Saturday had been a rush, taking on something complex and working through the various obstacles that were in their way. He felt that he was doing something worthwhile. Something that would help a large amount of people. And maybe, perhaps, people would stop looking at him with distrust or disgust.

Perhaps he could finally show others that it wasn't truly "once a Death Eater, always a Death Eater." That he, Draco Malfoy, had changed. And that being Slytherin didn't necessarily make one evil or conniving.

Regardless of whatever it was, Draco's stomach was twisting as he walked into the main office that morning and saw Olivia already seated at her desk, going over paperwork though hardly anyone was there yet. Glancing around, Draco cleared his throat and then crossed the room, knocking on the open door.

Olivia looked up, her eyes wide as though she wasn't expecting to see him, her face paling slightly. This wasn't good, he thought as his heart sank slightly. Merlin, what had Wood told her? Surely she didn't fear for her life around him.

"Draco. You're early," she said, starting to shift papers around nervously, looking away from him. He could tell that she was attempting to keep her voice light and airy, but it came across more as strained. "What can I do for you?"

"Since we couldn't meet up yesterday, I was wondering if we could discuss your research," he said. "Spent some time working on it, and I think I've some ideas that we could work on. I've got a few experiments I'd like to get to work on this week as well."

Olivia stopped shifting papers and looked up at him.

"Right. Sure. Um, maybe not right now. I've got a lot of reports that I need to catch up on this morning. But later," she said, appearing vague and as though she was avoiding his eyes.

Draco sighed, trying to hide his disappointment.

"Of course, I understand," he said. He then turned and made his way to his office, hearing someone calling out to him. Though it wasn't Olivia, so he ignored it, continuing to walk as he went over the exchange in his mind.

Was this because of Wood? Did he tell her to distance herself? Knowing the keeper, he likely told her a bunch of shite about Draco's past. He then stopped as he entered his office, remembering what she had confessed over the weekend.

Her grandparents were muggle. Her mother was muggleborn. She was part muggle.

Draco grimaced, feeling more strongly than ever that the insufferable Gryffindor had told her about the war and his own past. It wasn't as though it was a deep, dark secret - everyone else in the office knew about it. But he had never brought it up to Olivia himself and he probably should have. Gotten in front of it before someone else could use the opportunity to paint him in a negative light.