someday, somehow → d.malfoy [discontinued]

027

draco had, finally, asked pansy to the yule ball.

she'd said yes, of course—and while the relief should have arised from the prospect of her agreement; it had, rather, come from the fact that he did not have to worry about the ball anymore until christmas day. perhaps he should have made it clear to pansy that he'd just wanted to go as friends, but the idea of going back to find her and then bring up such a topic made draco want to lock himself in the dormitories until july showed its face. he was still, however, required to spend the next several months  within the confines of the hogwarts castle. it was not as if that were much of a compliant, he told himself. he had always felt as if the castle offered him some semblance of a different life; away from the judging, prying eyes of his parents as well as their their pure blooded acquaintances. at hogwarts, the most he heard from his parents came in the form of endlessly dark ink which had seeped into the thick, rich parchment the malfoys kept in the manor. this year, however, his parents had seemed to become increasingly interested in his life; his whereabouts, who he'd associated with, the going ons concerning the triwizard tournament. such things—all of which he was free to lie about. they would not see his expression when they received news about his friends and how much work he did. for instance—while draco was (to his standard, at least) extremely vigilant and vigorous in his studies, he'd perhaps stretched the truth ever so slightly; telling them he spent nearly every waking hour in the library reading up on information and completing his homework. another thing he'd successfully deceived them for was whatever had struck an incision in his and artemis' friendship. we remain on friendly terms, he'd written to them. she spends a lot of time with her beauxbatons friends, (which was entirely truthful) likely due to the fact that she has already built a string friendship with them the past years, and is far more comfortable around them.

draco had glanced artemis' way more than once since their argument—something he had, eventually, admitted to himself with a pang of shame and a purse of his pale pink lips. he shouldn't have continued doing so; caring about what she did and who she talked to now that the only friend she had in slytherin was blaise... draco had, on several occasions, been beyond tempted to ask said boy how artemis was doing. he'd stopped himself every time, however—aware that he was, perhaps, being far too immaturely stubborn, and that he simply ought to seat himself beside the raven-haired girl and begin a conversation. but doing so felt as if he would be giving in; simply giving merlin-knew-who evidence that he was weak-willed. he supposed it may have been similar in artemis mind—or perhaps it was not, at all; and she really did resent him for what he said to her.

"you should just apologise to her," blaise's voice sounded in his head—somewhat distant and hollow. with a start, draco realised he'd been staring at her (she was sitting and chatting comfortably with hadie knight, of all people; some five metres away) once more. the blond boy scowled at his plate—the dull golden shine reflecting warmly onto the cool shade of the skin stretching across his knuckles. he wished his eyes would not betray him as they so often did.

"what?" he replied; feigning oblivion. blaise only shook his unreasonably handsome face and continued to scoop a second serving of spaghetti onto his own plate as the buzzing noise of the great hall crowded draco's ears. though his mind occasionally wandered towards the girl he'd met only five months prior; draco managed to keep his eyes away for the remainder of dinner, and engage in conversation with pansy, blaise and theodore whilst ignoring the distaste he felt towards the way crabbe and goyle had inhaled their food.