99 ways to say I love you- Draco Malfoy

No.13

You're the most beautiful thing I have ever seen

"I don't know Lav, it's been forever since I went on a proper date," Emily groans, collapsing back onto her bed as her friend rifles through her trunk.

"Oo, this is super cute!" Lavender squeals, throwing a short yellow floral skirt at Emily, who catches it with ease.

"Yeah I guess," she agrees sitting up and continuing to watch as Lavender compares two tops, eventually throwing her a yellow cardigan before shutting the trunk.

"You don't sound excited," she comments, this catches Hermione's attention, who is sat on her bed reading a book, she glances at her best friend in concern, reading the anxiety easily and placing her book mark in, placing the book at the end of the bed and standing up, walking over, dropping down next to her on the bed. Lavender perching on the end of it.

"I'm just nervous." Emily announces "it's the first time we have gone a proper date and we've been together for like 2 months. It's just a lot of  pressure, everything's in the wrong order yknow?"

"You don't need to worry about it being a wrong order, there's no such thing, it's just a different order," Hermione comforts, her arm wrapping around the girl to pull her into a hug.

"There's nothing to be nervous about, at the end of the day it's just Draco, you guys are together all the time anyway," Lavender smiles gently

"Yeah but that's around the castle or in the grounds, not out in the real world and-"

"What's the difference?" Hermione cuts her friend off before she begins to ramble and get herself worked up.

"I don't know. There's just a pressure there when-"

"There's no pressure! It's just you and Draco. It'll be fine." Lavender assures, giving her friends knee a squeeze as she gets up. "I have to go and meet Pav, tell me everything when you get back," she grins before bouncing out of the dorm.

The best friends sit in a comfortable silence, Hermione's arm wrapped around Emily. Emily's head resting on Hermione's shoulder.

"You really don't need to worry you know. He's a good guy when it comes to you. He's obsessed with you, nothing is going to go wrong,"

"My biological mother is friends with Madame Rosmerta," Emily informs, Hermione looking mildly confused. "I'm nervous she will see us in the village, or someone will tell her they saw us in the village and my mother will find out,"

"Well so what? There's no reason you two can't date,"

"Parents complicate things 'Mione. His family view me as a blood traitor, he will be punished for speaking to me let alone being in a relationship with me. His father will try and talk him out of it, or bust his lip again, or worse. Hogwarts is like a pretty little idealistic space where none of that can happen,"

"His father wouldn't- wouldn't hit him, that's barbaric,"

"Pure blood families punish their kids physically all the time Hermione," she shrugs.

**

Draco can't help the wide grin on his face as he stands, clasping a bouquet of flowers that anyone can tell are ridiculously expensive just from looking at them.

He watches as she walks through the portrait hole and out of the Gryffindor common room. Her brown hair curling around her shoulders and her soft makeup allowing her skin to practically glow. Or maybe it's the bright smile she wears.

"Hey handsome," she grins, his own smile equally as wide.

"You're the most beautiful thing I have ever seen," Draco murmurs, not entirely sure if he wants her to hear and extending the flowers to her that she gladly takes. She blushes and leans up on tippy toes to press a kiss to his cheek.

"Rivalled only be you," she smiles with a wink once she's dropped back onto her feet.

"You ready to go?" He asks gently

"Hang on, I'm going to give these to Hermione and get her to put them in a vase for me," she smiles, flourishing the flowers before jogging back towards the common room.

He stands watching the door and waiting for her arrive, hands wiping on his trousers in an attempt to make them feel less clammy. Questioning, how in the hell he got so lucky.

His smile doubles in size when she exits again, immediately grabbing his hand in hers as they begin their walk down to the gates. Other students are around, also making their way down for the first trip to Hogsmeade since the second term began.

"So, where do you want to go?" She questions as they exit the main building and begin to make their way towards the gates.

"I need to go to Honeydukes, I owe Theo 10 chocolate frogs after I lost that bet about how many times he could get Crabbe to repeat himself before he worked out something was wrong,"

"13 really does feel like a few too many," Emily laughs, remembering her boyfriends bad mood when he lost the bet, despite admitting when he calmed down it had been hilarious to watch.

"It really does. I'd like to pop into Scrivenshaft's as well, I need some new quills. Anywhere in particular you want to go my darling?" He questions, the pet name falling off his tongue without a second thought.

"I promised Fred I'd go and pick up his Zonko's delivery because he has detention,"

"Of course," Draco nods. They arrive in front of the gates and he turns to her in confusion.

"Are you sure you want to do this? I mean once we go out there it's public knowledge we are together. Our families could find out and-"

"Does it matter to you?" He questions, feeling indescribably insecure. "What it'll get back to the Weasley's and they'll be mad and so you never want go leave the grounds with me?" He questions hotly, unable to stop himself now that his hurt is present and he drops her hand again.

"No, no, of course that not it Dray. I just- your dad was so angry at you speaking to me that he- well- he did what he did, I'd hate to think he would find out about us and do something worse. I just mean that I'd understand," she explains pulling his hand back into hers.

"I'm not ashamed of you. Of us. And anything he could ever do would be worth it, for you," he assures, leaning in to press a kiss to her lips before pulling her through the gates and out of their little bubble.