Choose Me Instead II Draco Malfoy x Reader

Revelations

You saw him first.

He stood at the end of the stairs, next to Theodore Nott. The Slytherins were laughing about a joke that got drowned out in the chatter of the other students. Still, the scene unfolding in front of you tugged at your heartstrings. Nott looked up and when he saw you, he nudged Draco with his elbow and a smirk on his face.

You came down alone, nervously lifting your dress with one hand, trying not to stumble and fall. Draco turned his head and the smile on his lips warmed your heart. At the end of the stairs, he extended his arm and you took his hand. He leaned forward and placed a kiss on it – such an old-school, traditional thing to do. Something you would have rolled your eyes at just a few months ago.

"You look ...", he began but closed his mouth.

You looked at him and wondered if he liked your dress. (And also wondered why the hell you cared about that.)

"Stunning, beautiful, gorgeous," Nott said when Draco remained silent. "All of them are words you could describe your girlfriend with, Draco."

You chuckled and Nott took a step forward to greet you, placing a kiss on your cheek. You were surprised by the sudden friendliness. Nott had always been more on the quiet side, hardly ever engaging in house rivalries. Yet, he used to be cold and distant to non-Slytherins. So this gesture was definitely startling.

"What he said," Draco smirked at you. "You're beautiful."

"Well, you don't look too bad yourself," you admitted, reaching forward to touch the bow tie around his neck. "Who's your date then, Nott?", you asked the other Slytherin.

"Theo."

"Hm?"

"Theo," he repeated himself. "You've been dating for how long now? Call me Theo."

"Okay," you replied, even more surprised now. Had you made it into the inner circle of the Slytherins? Did they accept you already? "Y/N."

"There she is," Theo nodded in the direction of the stairs. "Have fun, see you later." And with that, he left the two of you. You followed him with your eyes; how he walked up the stairs towards a girl with a smile that lit up the whole room. She wore a green velvet dress that complimented her dark skin beautifully. Theo kissed her on the cheek and said something that made her laugh. You recognized her – she was a year below you. And she was a Hufflepuff. And ...

"She's a half-blood," you stated without taking your eyes off the couple.

Draco snorted. "Seriously?"

"Yes," you nodded, still in awe at the simple fact that someone like Theodore Nott would even see girls who weren't purebloods.

"Why does he always copy me?"

You furrowed your brows at the comment and looked over to Draco. "What?"

He shrugged. "I get a non-Slytherin girlfriend and now he tries to do the same."

"Merlin, Draco," you rolled your eyes. Yet another thought entered your mind, one that caused nothing but confusion inside of you as you didn't know what to do with it:

He said 'girlfriend'. He didn't put the 'fake' in front of it.

***

The Winter Dance was everything you had hoped for – and more.

They decorated the Great Hall beautifully. Large chandeliers hung from the ceiling, bathing the room in golden light. Snowflakes danced above your heads, vanishing into thin air mere inches before they would have touched you. There were tables with white and golden linens all around where students could take a break for a moment while getting something to eat and drink from the refilling plates. In the middle of the hall was the dance floor – so far, not many students dared to get on it. It was still too early. You spotted Luna and Neville, laughing and holding hands while jumping up and down.