What Do A Lion And A Wolf Share?

Draco's Fall

Draco sighed heavily, staring at the crowd pouring through the gallery doors. Charity balls always bored him. Usually he was only in attendance at his mother's behest and forced to drag along a date handpicked for him. One small perk of being one of the organizers of tonight's event was that he could come stag and avoid an endless evening of mindless small talk with a society witch he had no interest in.

Not that this ball would be without mindless small talk. Draco had an assignment - he was to spend the evening rubbing shoulders with Britain's wizarding elite, talking up the event's cause in an effort to raise additional funds.

"Ready mate?" Theo gestured to the arriving people before he began to walk down the stairs. "I've got to find Luna," he called over his shoulder, practically skipping like a child. Though Draco couldn't remember a time he'd ever seen his friend skip; he'd never been so weightless. Unlike the mask he usually wore over his baggage, Theo's carefree mood seemed genuine. Adjusting his deep navy dress robes, Draco trailed down the stairs after the lanky wizard and put on his haughtiest smirk. He knew it was time to turn on the old Malfoy charm he'd seen his father leverage countless times.

"Mister Cuffe, how lovely to see you tonight," Draco shook hands with the older man who blocked his way at the bottom of the staircase. How the editor-in-chief of the Daily Prophet had skirted any repercussions following his support of the Dark Lord, Draco would never know. "I trust this event will be covered by your paper?"

"Yes, but I'm here to enjoy myself while my reporter Creevy covers it. Though I'd love to hear how a former Death Eater got so involved with a cause led by one of the wizarding world's saviors, Mister Malfoy." The white-haired man eyed him greedily as he asked; it was a look Draco was uniquely familiar with, from how Greyback watched him in his sixth year to how his godfather stared at his mother when he thought no one could see. This was the look of someone who wanted something deeply, selfishly, and dangerously. He made a mental note to talk to Theo and warn him that his mother's attempts to starve off the press were waning.

"Who wouldn't want to help, Mister Cuffe?" Draco asked with a smirk, his tone cold. "It is a worthy cause led by Britain's most brilliant mind. I jumped at the chance to support it, as well as my friend's sister. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go talk to said friend to make sure things are running smoothly. Enjoy yourself," said Draco with a polite nod. The Prophet editor-in-chief repeated the action, but watched Draco carefully as he walked away. Interactions like this reminded him of how much he detested the press. As he sauntered towards Theo, in his ridiculous blue robes, Draco searched the crowd for Granger as nonchalantly as he could. Unfortunately, his attempt to warn Theo about the press and his search for the other organizer of the event were interrupted by a herd of potential donors swarming him. He internally sighed in irritation, but fixed the haughty smile to his face just before greeting them.

After a few hours of mingling, Draco had raised more galleons than he ever had for one of his mother's charities. "I'll have to deal with the guilt trip comments later," he mused mentally as he excused himself from a conversation with the Undersecretary's wife. Eager for a quiet moment and another drink, he retreated to the bar in the smaller ballroom, keeping his eyes out for Granger, just as he had for the entire night.

As he walked down the hall, he finally spotted a familiar witch ahead of him, popping out on the balcony for air. "Mystery solved," Draco thought as he leaned against the wall, watching Granger for a moment. The witch was completely transformed from their strange encounter earlier. He found himself noticing that she'd cleaned up well for this event. "No doubt Mother hired a team for her debut as a Nott to society. I'm sure she hated that," Draco chuckled to himself as he imagined her rolling her eyes at countless dresses and trying to read as a team worked on that unforgivable mess of curls. The gold evening gown, which he suspected matched the gold flecks in her amber eyes, hugged her hips appealingly and showcased a surprisingly feminine form, making him think again of the blue sundress. Draco couldn't stop himself as his eyes traced her exposed back, surprised she'd pick anything that would show so much skin. The updo she was sporting showed off her clavicle, which he could catch just a glimpse of from his position inside as she turned to look out into the darkness. Draco debated joining her to brag a bit about his successful fundraising, before deciding a drink was needed first.