บท 45: Don't Think The Surprises Are Over
Theo set the bottle down on the table, sliding it across the glass to Draco, who caught it deftly in one hand and took a long swig, passing it back.
"I need help for Valentine's day. It's in a week." Draco grumbled, running a hand through his hair. Theo smirked at his friend's distress.
"The great Draco Malfoy is having issues being a romantic sap? Ha!"
"I'm only asking you because you're great at being one." Draco retorted sharply, grabbing the bottle once more. Theo's smirk shifted to a scowl.
"Hmmph. Well, in that case, I'm not sharing." The black-haired boy settled back into the sofa, a smug expression on his face. Draco sighed.
"I'm just asking because I really don't want to fuck it up."
Theo shrugged. "Then don't make it overdramatic, you twat. Keep it simple. Hermione seems like she'd appreciate that more than you tryna do something stupidly romantic and fucking it up."
Draco sighed. "Fat lot of help you are."
Theo leaned forward. "Speaking of help. I got something to ask you for Pansy. It's serious, Draco," he added at his friend's don't-go-all-hypocritical-on-me face, "and I need your opinion..."
***
Pansy smirked. "So.. how is it going with Liana?"
Astoria smiled, her face lighting up. Liana was the Chinese woman that Astoria had been going out on dates with for about two months now, since the Christmas gala. She was an Ilvermorny graduate and American citizen, as well as a British one. Astoria's eyes sparked with happiness every time she even got to talk to Hermione and Pansy about her.
"Good. Really good. And I think I'm going to ask her to be my girlfriend." She said this in a rush, as if she didn't want her friends to hear.
Hermione gasped. "I'm so happy for you, Astoria!"
Astoria nodded, her blush creeping up her ears. Pansy clapped her hands excitedly. "On Valentine's?"
Astoria nodded again.
Hermione squealed and Pansy made a sound that faintly resembled a banshee. "This calls for celebration!"
Astoria grinned. The two brunettes stood up, announcing they'd be back soon with whatever they'd need; indeed, both were back inside of five minutes, Pansy with a noticeably much larger bag than Hermione. At Astoria's eyebrow quirk, Pansy responded with one of her own.
"It's just some extra stuff." Astoria waved a hand.
"Extra stuff, my arse, but alright."
Pansy tossed her dress on the floor unceremoniously, stripping to replace her underthings with her black bikini. Hermione flushed, and opted to go into the bathroom; Astoria rolled her eyes but copied Pansy. Hermione came out in the same suit she'd come in the first night she'd come over to Astoria's apartment.
Pansy grinned. "You know, Granger, I may have neglected to tell you. The first time I saw you in that suit, I thought you looked fucking fantastic. If I was gay, I'd have drunk my weight in vodka and then asked you out."
Hermione coughed very purposely. Pansy rolled her eyes. "Oh, it's not like Astoria minds."
Hermione rolled her eyes, but grabbed her bag and hefted it over her shoulder and dumped it onto the rim of the hot tub before sinking in, letting the jets soothe her legs. With Pansy and Astoria following, she pulled out a box of chocolates, as well as a bottle of port and levitated it over the water on a conjured-up floating structure. When she broke out of her concentration trance, she saw Pansy smirking.
"Port. I like the way you think."
"It is a celebration, after all."
Astoria popped a chocolate in her mouth and groaned. "Where'd you get these?"
Hermione smirked. "Belgium chocolates. From that little store down the street from my place? Expensive, but worth it, I think."
Astoria nodded, mouth still full of chocolate. "I'm going to go and get a whole stash of my own."
Hermione agreed sagely. "I have a large stockpile in my locked cabinet. Draco can't get into it; it's a muggle lock that's unbreakable and you can't just use . It can only be opened with the code."
Pansy nodded her approval. "Useful."
"I agree. Now," Astoria said, pouring glasses of port for the three of them," What girl talk should we have tonight? Please, not about Valentine's. I'm stressing about it- but don't worry, I'll come up with something." Astoria's tone reassured her friends.
Hermione tapped her chin as she pondered. "How about we discuss something intellectual for once? A debate, instead. I had one with Draco the other night, about Garrison's Theory."
"What is there to discuss?" Pansy furrowed her brows. "Garrison was right." Hermione smirked in triumph, despite the fact that Draco was not there to see it.
"I was right!"
***
The week rolled by rather quickly. Hermione had already started drafting plans for her organization; it would be a not-for-profit as she'd still have income coming in from the Malfoy business, and she'd do charity events to raise money in order to be able to finance any larger movements she'd want to propose to the Ministry. It was always easier to prove a point with money on her side; while she preferred not to, she'd rather use money that was legally acquired to smooth out the bargaining process as opposed to spending months of back-and-forth before even being granted any sort of audience where her idea might be heard or even considered.
"Hi love." Draco shrugged off his jacket, returning back a little later from work. "Still working?"
Hermione hummed out a response absent-mindedly, mind wholly focused on the task in front of her. "Mhmm. You don't have to wait up for me, if you're tired." She broke her trance of concentration to reach up and peck him on the cheek, but Draco sat down beside her, pulling the papers towards him.
"It's okay, I'll help. What've you got?"
***
Pansy opened her eyes, trying to blink away the sun as she sat up in the large bed she shared with Theo. They'd been dating for a while now; but not once in their relationship could Pansy ever remember waking up alone, much less on a day as important as Valentine's day. The silk sheets felt colder as they fell to her hips, and Pansy sighed a little sadly as she slid out of bed- only to realize the wonderful scent emanating from the kitchen. She pulled on a black button-down embroidered with red roses that she tied at the front, and high-waisted black jeans, exposing her collarbones and a bit of her chest, as well as her stomach, the diamond on her throat reminding her of Theo's presence even when he wasn't there.
She made her way to the kitchen through the spacious, two-floor penthouse: while Draco had wanted to forget the amount of space he'd once had access to by only getting relatively small apartment (compared to what Theo had), Theo had made the most of the inheritance he'd gotten, buying a penthouse apartment on the top floor of one of the classiest apartment blocks around. Her footsteps echoed quietly on the wooden staircase, and she reached the kitchen, where Theo was cooking something delicious. He looked up, black hair obscuring his eyes.
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