Chapter Text
Disillusionment:
A feeling of disappointment resulting from the discovery
that something is not as good as one believed it to be
“Je prendrai le Confit de Canard avec un verre de Château Margaux, s'il y en a. S'il vous plaît.” Draco looked up and handed the menu to the waiter. He waited until the man had left earshot before turning his attention back to Astoria. “You look lovely tonight.” He complimented plainly.
“You’re too kind.” Astoria fluttered her eyes, and the thought that she was correct fluttered across his mind before he could stop it. “I just threw this on at the last minute.”
The urge to roll his eyes was almost overwhelming. There was never anything this woman did casually or last minute. Nor did he believe for a moment that she didn’t go out and buy the most expensive and revealing dress she could after he asked her to join him for dinner. No doubt she believed it looked alluring, but all Draco could think was how unenticing she actually was and how it had nothing to do with how nice of a dress she was wearing.
Truthfully, it was why he had asked her to dinner. It had been three years since his father had forced the advancement of Draco and Astoria’s contract. Stating that the Malfoy line needed an heir and it needed to be done before the decent women were all taken. In other words, lock down a Pureblood of good breeding. It seemed a war and almost a decade in Azkaban wasn’t able to douse the ignorance clouding Lucius Malfoy’s brain.
Death was, however. Which happened almost two weeks ago. Lucius Malfoy had an unfortunate event as the Healer said. Theo translated it to a heart attack which meant that the man’s heart literally could not handle the amount of hatred pumping through his veins and just stopped. Draco wasn’t upset in the slightest. There had been a point in time where he would have. Would have cried and been angry at the world for taking his father away. Then he was forced to grow up much too quickly and the idiocies of his father and his ways became painfully obvious.
A petite foot began to rub against his leg, pulling his attention back to the present as the waiter returned to pour the wine.
“Merci pour votre aide.” Draco nodded. “Look, Astoria—” He cleared his throat and pulled his leg away. “There is something I wanted to talk to you about.”
“Of course.” She gave him a sultry smile, her blue eyes shining brightly in the candle light of the table. “I’m all yours,” she whispered then leaned forward, “We can even sneak off to the bathroom for a pre-dinner taste.”
One of his hands pushed through his hair while the other grabbed his wine glass. He downed it quickly, trying not to acknowledge the expectant look on Astoria’s face. The nerves rolling around in his stomach were starting to make him wish that he ordered something much stronger than a red wine. Waiting until he was done eating was a painful idea initially, but now it was out of the question.
“No.” Draco moved his chair back a bit further to remain out of touching range, “There is something that I’ve been needing to talk to you about.” He cleared his throat again, his hand running down the lapels of his suit jacket.
“I am terminating the contract.” Draco said at the same time Astoria said “Yes.”
“So you agree? This isn’t working.” A sense of relief began to bloom in Draco’s chest.
“What?” Astoria asked venomously.
“As I said,” Draco forced a tight smile, “I am terminating the contract. I do not believe we are a good match and —”
“You can’t do that.” She hissed leaning further onto the table, this time in frustration. “You can’t just terminate the contract.”
“Actually, I can. You see, it was drawn up and only enforceable within my father’s lifetime. Being that he has died, all of his estate and contracts have fallen to me granting me legal authority over which ones to continue and which ones I wish to dissolve. Since I do not see our arrangement being lucrative in—”
“You can’t leave me.” She sneered, not seeming to have heard a word Draco had said.
“I can and I am.” He sighed.
“You need an heir.” She sat up with a purse on her lips, “No one else can give you—”
“I do not need nor care about having an heir at this time. I refuse to tie myself to someone that only cares about monetary things like the weight of gold in my vault or the amount of photos you can get in the paper.”
“I’m the last Pureblood aspect you have.”
“Good thing I don’t care about such trivial things.”
“Ha!” She shook her head, “And what do you care about now, Draco?”
“Happiness.” He said plainly.
“Your mother is going to be so disappointed in you.”
“Don’t presume to understand the workings of my mother’s mind.” Draco stood quickly, a sneer on his face as he glared at her. “You have never truly known my mother and you never will.” He turned to walk away then paused, “Do not worry about the bill, I will have it taken care of but it is the last time I will do anything for you. Goodbye, Astoria.”
“How can you be so thoughtful and such a dick at the same time?” Theo asked, the glasses of whisky he held clinking onto the table in front of Draco.
“Your questions are always so riveting and clear.”
“You didn’t bring me food!”
“You’re an adult with a job, you can buy your own damn food.”
Theo groaned as he slumped into the cushion of the booth, ignoring the laughter from Blaise and Pansy in the process. Draco didn’t hold back an eye roll this time as he tossed a menu for the bar in Theo’s direction.
“Not to mention a vault filled to the brim with galleons.” Emilia squeezed Theo’s shoulders as she walked behind him to sit on his other side. “Hey guys, sorry I’m late.”
“You’ve only missed that Draco left the slag to pay her own way in the world.” Pansy smirked at Draco’s glare.
Despite his unamused expression, Draco wasn’t all that upset by the way his closest friends were talking about Astoria. If he was honest with himself, he had never truly been that upset about anything they’d ever said about her. Even when they were first pushed together. Which should have been his first sign that it wouldn’t work out between them.
Initially he had tried to make it work, wanting to try to find a bit of happiness within the life of obligation his father was pushing onto him. There was no denying that the method was archaic, even barbaric. It was part of why he wanted to make sure he had a way to make his own money. So if he ultimately couldn’t find himself capable of committing to someone he had no feelings for, he wouldn’t be held hostage by the ability to support himself or a family he hoped to one day have. There had actually already been a plan in place for him to end things with Astoria before his father died, he simply just wanted to make sure that it would not jeopardize his future within the league. Afterall, being a professional player for the Appleby Arrows was not an easy feat and never anything he wanted to take for granted.
“Not sure how she can be a slag, Draco hasn’t been laid in almost three years.” Blaise said.
“There are more ways to be a slag than to simply sleep with someone.”
“That’s also nothing to say there hasn't been other things going on.” Draco corrected, then snapped his mouth shut. “Besides, that's not the point.” He turned to look at Emilia, “How did your date with Juliette go?”
“I’m here rather than at the flat with her…” Emilia deadpanned, “you tell me.”
“What was it this time?” Blaise asked, thankfully following Draco’s lead to get the conversation away from Astoria.
“You know, I love Quidditch. Obviously. I played then, when I got injured, moved to ref. But bloody hell there is more to talk about than the damn sport constantly.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard that.” Theo tapped his chin thoughtfully. “Tell me, what's it like to be annoyed by most people’s choice of conversation?”
“Fuck off, Theo.” Draco tossed a peanut from the table at him, “Please don’t take offense to this, Em, but you’re a referee.”
“Yeah…I know.” She rolled her eyes and pulled the bowl of peanuts toward her, “apparently she couldn’t get her hands on a Harpy.”
“Did she really say that?” Pansy asked after barely keeping herself from spitting out her drink.
“Well…no, but might as well have.”
Draco shook his head, finally undoing the tie at his neck and letting it hang over his shoulders. He understood the annoyance. Always talking about nonessential things such as Quidditch or the future of the Malfoy name. Money and public opinion are two of Draco’s least favorite subjects yet it seems to be the only things anyone wants to talk to him about. All he truly wanted to do was play Quidditch and live a simple life. A life that he could take pride in outside of who it brought him into contact with or what fortune it might bring. Astoria was among the worst; every conversation involving their next public appearance, who they could get in contact with, and how beautiful their children would be. It was simply exhausting. He couldn’t imagine how it must be for a woman vying for another woman in their current world. It was with the utmost respect that Draco looked upon Emilia.
“What topics do catch your interest, exactly?” Theo asked, “How well a bird’s hair looks on your pillow? How loud she can—”
“You’re vulgar.” Pansy smacked him, “Is that what you care about in a bloke?”
“Yelling out my name, yes. The hair, meh. Could go either way.”
“Not all of us can be happy and in love like you and Greenbottom or Thickhead over here and Red.” Theo gestured toward Blaise who simply took a sip of his drink in lue of an answer.
“We’ve been married almost a year, you could at least say our last name correctly.” Pansy glared.
“I want someone that can make me laugh.” Emilia said with laughter in her voice, “Too bad you’re a bloke, Theo.”
“And very, very gay.” He toasted her then turned his attention to Draco.
“What about you, Pretty boy?”
“What about me?” Draco sighed.
“Please. We’ve known what he looks for.” Blaise scoffed, drawing everyone’s attention. “Intelligence.”
“Obviously.” Draco raised a brow.
“Passionate.” Blaise continued, swirling the amber liquid in his glass thoughtfully. “Brave, of course.” He smirked.
“Loyal.” Pansy nodded. “Determined and resourceful.”
Draco narrowed his eyes as his friends exchanged gleeful glances. It never bode well for Draco when the three of them agreed on something so readily. Especially when they were halfway finished with a handle of whisky.
“Ambitious and confident.” Blaise pointed to Pansy.
“Can’t forget confident.” Theo added with a snap, “How else can she keep up with his inflated ego.”
“Piss off.” Draco snapped. “All of you. We aren’t having this conversation. I was just able to break it off with Astoria, I don’t want to think about entertaining someone else.”
“That’s it though, isn’t it?” Emilia put a hand on his, “When it’s the right person, it’s not entertaining someone. It’s just being able to be yourself. Happy. Carefree. Loved.”
“I’m not sure you remember, but not even a decade can erase the list of reasons I will have none of those things.” He whispered back and removed his hand. “The most I can hope for is someone that can actually have a decent conversation. If I’m extremely lucky, I will be allowed to escape the incessant reporters and fans when I’m not obligated to be around them.”
“Add that to the list!” Blaise raised his finger in the air. “Extreme loathing of the press.”
“The irony.” Pansy snickered.