Drarry One-Shots 2

At Ministry Balls

152. "No, it's fine. I can wait until you're done talking to them."

"It's such a wonderful night though... would you like to leave by any chance?" Draco asked with a longing look towards the back gardens and a lightness which appeared as suddenly as a shout from the balcony door leading to the ballroom.

"Harry!" Both of them turned but from such a distance whoever had called for him was a mere silhouette against the party inside. By the shape of their formal robes and the voice, Harry would have guessed it was a woman, but he had no idea of who it might have been. Perhaps it was the champagne...

"I'm so sorry, Draco," he said with an apologetic grimace. "I promise I'll be right back. Give me two minutes – if I'm not back, come rescue me."

"No, it's fine," Draco replied, a sentence Harry didn't believe for a second. "I can wait until you're done talking to them."

Harry watched as Draco downed the rest of his champagne and then handed him the glass. "Bring me another drink, would you, Potter? And don't leave me waiting."

Harry nodded quickly and sighed in relief. "I'll do that."

He turned away and hurried to the now empty doorway - the mysterious person had disappeared inside. He slowed down and tried to will his head to stop spinning both from the alcohol and the nerves and the thoughts of the conversation – flirtation – he'd been sharing with Draco Malfoy for the past hour. And to think he'd been ready to skip yet another Ministry ball!

He slipped into the crowd inside and not a moment later someone latched onto his arm. Susan Bones.

"Harry! There you are," she said sweetly but he could see that whatever she wanted was unpleasant. Probably politics. The Man-Who-Conquered business. He frowned at the very thought.

"Susan, you needed me?" He tried to sound as polite as possible. Susan and he were acquaintances but on good terms. However, he would really like to be somewhere else at the moment. He hoped it wasn't an emergency. "Something urgent?"

"Well, urgent is a strong word," Susan hesitated. "You see there's this bill we've been trying to pass – "

"Susan, I don't think I'm neither sober nor drunk enough for this," he interrupted and gently pulled his arms away from her grip. "And you – well, I was in the middle of something when you came to get me."

"In the middle of something?" she frowned. "With Malfoy? Is he trying to talk to you about the whole primary education issue? Because our solutions are far preferable!"

"It isn't about the primary education issue," Harry shook his head and took a few steps back. "It's not about any issue – it's not about politics. Look, it's private, okay? And I really have to go now. Bye."

"Not about...", Susan repeated for herself as he walked away swiftly. Her eyes widened. "Oh. Oh."

She couldn't help but smile at that development. Malfoy and she may be political opponents and the man can be such a pain in the ass, but they did get drunk together that one time and she felt so bad for him afterwards.

"Miss Bones?" A voice came from her left. It was Carla, her assistant. "Did you find Mister Potter?"

"No," she said. "I'm afraid he left already."

"Oh. That's a shame."

"It is," Susan agreed absentmindedly, with a glance to the balcony. There in the shadows, almost completely obscured by shadows were to figures, standing rather close. Intimately close. She smiled again and flicked her wand to pull the curtains a bit closer together, so they'd obscure the kissing couple outside.

"Want a drink, Carla?"

"Oh, I couldn't, Miss," Carla declined quickly. "I am still technically working."

"One couldn't hurt," Susan said. "It might actually help!"

And thinking back to those glasses of champagne Harry had snatched on his way back outside, she couldn't help but believe that statement at all.