Chapter Text
It was Friday, and he was determined to enjoy his evening. Yet again, his mother had scheduled some awful dinner with an inevitably awful Eligible Young Lady (the ages of whom seemed never to deviate north of twenty, which was becoming distinctly icky as Draco neared thirty), and he was looking for a Nice Muggle Lady with which to spite his mother in secret.
His intentions towards marriage hadn’t changed since the end of the war, in that he had no interest in it – especially if said witch came from the type of family is parents might approve of. It felt altogether too risky to consider someone who might not find ‘Former Death Eater Who Started a Wizarding War as a Teenager’ too much of a turn off. As this left only half-bloods and muggleborns, all of whom were suitably repulsed by him, he found himself single, but relatively happily so. That said, a man had needs, and occasionally, he liked to indulge them. Tonight was one such night.
With his usual self-important swagger, he made his way to the bar through the growing crowd of patrons, taking a seat and ordering a whiskey to sip at while he took in the evening’s selection. This was a bar he frequented, in part, because the grandeur of the aesthetic pleased him, but predominantly because the price-point naturally excluded the riffraff. He had been on many successful pulls here, and he had no reason to believe tonight would be any different.
There was already a handful of ladies he had his eye on – in particular, a dark-haired woman at the opposite end of the room with one of the shapeliest bottoms he’d had the pleasure of perusing in recent months. He barely paid attention to her group as she had them in rapt attention while she regaled them with some story or other. She held her cocktail glass elegantly, properly, and there was an overall sense of polishedness about her, even in spite of her animated story-telling. He kept an eye on her as he let his gaze flit across the rest of the space on the lookout for any other possibilities for the evening.
This was when his eyes snagged on a woman he recognised making her way to the bar. She wasn’t quite how he’d remembered her – more shapely hips, more angular features, she had gained control of her hair. She moved fluidly, even in heels, and he supposed her movement had always been hindered by arms filled with books before. She wore a navy halter-neck floor-length dress with a split up one side, giving him a flash of slender golden thigh with each step she made towards him. Her hair was mostly down, bounding about in smooth, glossy curls quite at odds with the birds nest she’d sported through most of her school years.
His gaze flitted to the direction Granger was headed – almost the opposite end of the bar to him – to see who she was meeting, but, whoever it was, it seemed she’d arrived first. He wondered if it were a date. She looked as if she might be on a date. Surely Weasley wouldn’t bring her to a muggle bar?
Not wanting to be caught staring, he moved his gaze elsewhere as he waited to see who’d be joining her. He noted with displeasure that the brunette he’d earmarked earlier was now talking into the ear of a man she clearly knew intimately, while his fingers traced circles on her lower back. Draco renewed his search, but was interrupted when his prey came to him.
“Excuse me.” She was very pretty, in an angular, ethereal sort of way. She reminded him vaguely of Luna Lovegood. “I wondered if I might take this seat,” she gestured delicately at the stool beside him, and he nodded with a stoic look that many women seemed to find far more endearing than a smile. She looked pleased and sat down beside him with an ease often not afforded to women attempting to get onto a lofty barstool. Even without her heels, he wagered she must be almost his height.
“Can I buy you a drink – ”
“Kate,” she supplied, “and no, that’s very kind, but I’m actually hoping to use you as a shield, so I don’t get approached by anyone while I’m waiting for a friend. She’s running late. I hope you don’t mind?” Kate caught the eye of the barmaid and asked for a white wine while Draco schooled his features to ensure he didn’t let on his disappointment that she seemed to view him as somebody safe and certainly not someone she might consider sleeping with.
“Not at all,” he replied politely, taking a sip of his whiskey. She smiled at his cooperation. “I’m Draco.”
Suddenly, he had all of her attention. “Draco? Like the constellation?”
He nodded, now very used to Muggles and their reaction to his name, although few of them appeared to know much about the stars.
“I’ve never heard that before. Sorry, you must have people say that to you all the time,” she added quickly.
He waved her off. "I do, but I acknowledge it’s not a particularly conventional one.”
“I can’t say the same for my name. We Kate’s are common as muck.”
He smirked. “You don’t look all that common to my eye.”
Her eyes narrowed comically. “Is that a come on?”
“I wouldn’t dare. Not after you were so clear about me just being here to shield you from the hordes of admirers you’ll have to fend off while you wait for your friend.” He gestured around pointedly to the distinct lack of hordes.
She took his jibe in good humour, smiling widely. “Proof of what an excellent job you’re doing, I’d say.”
Kate’s drink arrived and she took a delicate sip.
“I didn’t think to ask what you’re doing here tonight. Are you going to get in frightful trouble when a date arrives and sees you with another woman?” she asked, looking around the room in search of his ‘date’. As his eyes followed hers, he noticed Granger chatting to a group of women who’d come up to the bar beside her. She didn’t seem to be with the group, just making small talk as they waited for their drinks.
Kate, an observant sort, turned back to him with a raised eyebrow. “Are you here on the pull? She’s beautiful.”
He scoffed, “We went to school together. We didn’t get along in the slightest.”
“Oh,” Kate pouted briefly. “Are you on the pull, though? Or are you meeting someone?”
“I’m not meeting anyone.”
Kate settled herself deeper into her seat, looking smug. “How about her?” she asked, gesturing towards the brunette he’d spotted earlier, who had now separated from her beau and was laughing at something one of the group was saying.
“She’s taken,” he replied curtly, resenting Kate’s help.
“Did you make a move on her already?”
“No. She was in the arms of the chap with the purple shirt just before you arrived.”
She nodded studiously. “Anyone else you’ve already discounted?” she took another sip of wine, feigning disinterest.
“How long until your friend arrives?” he asked in return.
She smiled at his evasive tactics. “She said half an hour.”
Draco tutted at that. “She’s lucky I was here. You’d have been positively buried in the hordes by then.”
With a dramatic sigh and a flutter of her lashes she cooed, “My saviour!”
“Steady. My friends would have your hide if they found out you’d been further inflating my ego.”
She looked about pointedly, eyes narrowed. “Draco, I can’t see any friends.”
“I don’t tend to take them on the pull with me.”
“Whyever not? Everyone can benefit from a wingman – or woman.”
He raised a sceptical eyebrow. “Clearly you have not met my friends.”
“Speaking of friends,” she noted, nodding discretely in Granger’s direction, “You don’t think she’s been stood up, do you?”
The gaggle of women had vanished into one of the corners of the room, leaving Granger alone once more. As they watched, she briefly checked her watch, though her expression betrayed nothing.
“Perhaps whoever she’s waiting on has been caught up with whatever it is your friend has been up to.”
She shook her head, swallowing another sip of wine. “She got caught helping an elderly neighbour catch a frog her cat brought in.”
Draco pondered this a moment. “Yes, seems unlikely they’d have both been involved in that. Per chance, is your friend a character from a cartoon?”
Kate smiled brightly. “On reflection, perhaps I haven’t painted her in the best light: both tardy and eccentric in the space of five minutes. It’s not a fair reflection. She’s really very lovely. And totally normal.” Kate reflected on her addition. “I realise that in describing her as such, I may have further dug this particular hole, so I shall stop now. You’ll meet her in a bit anyway.”
Draco found himself smiling at her little monologue. “I look forward to meeting your definitely very normal friend.”
“Speaking of friends…” Kate was angling her head towards Granger again.
“She’s really not my friend. Quite the opposite, honestly.”
Kate looked rather doubtful. “It’s just you’ve barely stopped looking at her since I sat down.”
Draco was somewhat taken aback at that. He hadn’t realised he’d been looking. Well, he had, but he was fairly certain he’d been doing so discretely, so as not to garner any notice.
“Are you sure you’re quite the opposite of friends?” she pushed.
He considered being economical with the truth, but figured he had nothing to lose. “I was an entitled brat back then and I took a particular disliking to her. I was awful. If I were her, it would ruin my night to see me here.”
Kate fingered the stem of her wine glass, appraising him studiously. “Do you regret it?”
His eyebrows drew together. “Of course I do.”
She shrugged lightly. “Perhaps now is as good a time as any to apologise.” She took another sip, and left him to ponder it a moment. “Why was it you disliked her? Jealous of her in some way?” she hedged.
Much though he quite liked Kate, he wasn’t about to get into the whole bigotry thing and how being beaten by a muggleborn year after year had caused the steady dissolution of his relationship with his father, which had ultimately resulted in him joining a cult and starting a war. Instead he offered her a thoughtful hum.
“Oh!” Kate, eyes fixed behind him, hopped gracefully to her feet, wide smile on her beautiful face. Draco turned in his seat to see a woman almost entirely her physical opposite making her way across the room towards them with a matching expression.
The women hugged enthusiastically, and he watched awkwardly. “Mia this is Draco,” she introduced.
“I’ve been fighting off the hordes,” he supplied, offering the very petite Mia a smile.
Mia rolled her eyes at her friend, before turning back to him. “She is so bloody dramatic! She got hit on by two guys while waiting for me one time and now she simply cannot abide sitting alone.”
“It's alright. I found her to be perfectly adequate company,” he returned, shooting a smirk at Kate who threw him a mock-stern look in response.
“Did you want to join us?” Mia asked, all smiles and enthusiasm.
“Actually, I was hoping we could head out to the piano lounge this evening. I want to dance,” Kate chipped in.
“Have you been drinking wine?” Mia glanced about the bartop, unable to see the empty glass hidden behind her friend’s far larger stature.
“Of course I have, now come on. I’m sure Draco has had quite enough of me. He’s on the pull.” Kate looped her arm around Mia’s. It looked well-practiced and comfortable, but rather awkward due to the height difference. “It was lovely to meet you, Draco,” she continued, patting him lightly on the upper arm.
Before he knew it, the pair had disappeared out of the bar and into the night beyond.
He was left staring into his near-empty whiskey glass, sneaking glances at Granger, who was still alone. Perhaps he should leave. He didn’t want her to have been stood up and have to confront seeing her childhood bully all in one evening. But Kate’s words were dancing about his head. Perhaps he should apologise. And if not now, then when?
Before he could second-guess himself, he asked the barmaid to bring him another drink, and sent over a second of whatever Granger was having. Then he waited anxiously as his ill-thought-through plan was set in motion.