𝒜𝒻𝓉𝑒𝓇𝓂𝒶𝓉𝒽 | 𝒟.𝑀.

11 | ﴾ Effie ﴿

As they made to exit the building back on the main level, Draco was immediately distracted by the sight of Madeleine standing with Theodore Nott by the central fountain. He faltered for a moment in shock at seeing them acting so friendly; it didn't make any sense. Did they know each other? What was he missing?

Draco and Nott had been on good terms for the duration of what he could recall from attending Hogwarts. The two boys had been in the same year and the same house, and had similar mind sets and values, or at least, they had. Although this was the case they had never been incredibly close due to the fact that Draco was quite distracted by his duties as a Death Eater, and Theo unlike Draco was socially bizarre. He wasn't afraid of people - in fact opting to be quite dominating when prodded. He just seemed to avoid them for personal reasons or sit silently in the corner of a party, observing like a panther in the underbrush. He was in many ways, a creepy bloke.

Narcissa turned to glare at her son several meters away from where he had stopped to rubberneck his wife and his old friend clearly flirting. He found himself suddenly fighting with random sensations of jealousy reverberating in his thoughts, and it was unexpected to say in the least. She was dressed in a polished dark blue dress and she looked cool and professional with her tall, ivory ponytail.

He watched as she smiled up at Nott in a way he hadn't really seen her do before, except for a mere few hours earlier with him in his bed. This was the best clue he had that she was being flirty and his nose shriveled at the concept that she thought she could flirt with them both and get away with it. That he had let her touch and kiss him suddenly made him feel indignant and ridiculous. It had been pleasurable at the time, but now he was mad he'd permitted himself to get even a shred involved with her.

Nott put his hand on her shoulder and leaned in to whisper something. Over Theo's outstretched arm, Madeleine's eyes floated up to meet Draco's and he briskly moved on to follow his mother who was waiting ahead impatiently, wishing the girl hadn't caught him sneering in envy.

"I'll meet you back at home, I have something I want to do," he said to his mother curtly at the long line of green, flickering fireplaces.

The network was teeming with individuals coming and leaving the building and many were shooting them curious glances and whispering under their breaths, especially considering this was Draco's very first public appearance since the war had ended that fateful day. He had come out of the woodworks wobbling on a cane and with a broken arm to help pay for his father's crimes and sign a very binding document that would require him to work at the Ministry for some time. The news would've been spread around quite substantively by employees in anticipation well before the current date, and they were sending him knowing looks.

Everyone in the Malfoy family was sick of being placed under a microscope for so many weeks but there was nothing to do about it but let time muffle the hype around their decisions.

Narcissa nodded faintly to someone she knew passing by, but the sadness on her face spoke to how pained she was regarding losing her husband for several years to come. She looked up at her handsome, injured son, "To do what? Are you certain you can disapparate home independently?"

He avoided her primary question, "I'm fine. You go ahead."

She reluctantly left, and he decided to go to Diagon Alley instead of immediately home. Reappearing in a familiar bookshop fireplace, which was virtually abandoned, he made his way out onto the cobbled streetscape.

He had to move slowly, scrunching up his face to deal with cringeworthy aching in his body. Thankfully Dr. Hallewell had been highly alarmed by his injuries from the evening prior and had left him an impressive stash of healing potions with a very high degree of concentration. While the stronger medication was speeding up the process of pain relief and healing, there were consequences including dizziness and nausea, and the sensation of being mildly intoxicated.