Murder to Malfoy - D.MALFOY

[34]

A formal dinner where all friends groups were split up into their separate houses and made to sit with people they didn't particularly like to talk to (in some people's case anyway) was not the most ideal situation for the height of exam season where stress was on the rise. Yet it happened anyway. Fin went off with their Hufflepuff friends, laughing most of the time that they spent walking away from ivy and Blaise. Whereas the two Slytherins were made to half perch at the end of the bench, Blaise next to Goyle and of course Ivy next to Draco. It seemed the universe was particularly keen on throwing them together for whatever reason.

She, while sitting as far to the side of the bench as she could, chatted to Blaise during the entire meal. She made sure to keep the conversation between them flowing, so no one near felt like they could interrupt with something that she definitely didn't want to talk about right now. Antony's birthday and all the emotions that still sickened her stomach remained to linger within her mind, more so than she admitted to anyone who asked. She did not want to talk to Malfoy at all, let alone look at him and be reminded of his father all at once. Ivy wondered if that similarity would ever stop, if she could ever find the ability to separate him from his father.

While in the midst of a discussion about their hopeful plans for the summer, Ivy found herself severely transfixed by the look of pure shock on Blaise's face. She vacantly plucked something off her plate, that had been put on there while she was distracted, and bought it to her lips. Only she never got to taste it. Within seconds, a hand collided with her own and the burger flew to the floor with lettuce flying out from the inside of the bun. She turned, glaring at Malfoy as he put his hand back down onto the table. "The hell?"

"Look at what you were eating," he sighed, gesturing to the plate of burgers that lay in front of him. He plucked one of the sesame seeds from the top of the bun, they were somewhat hidden from sight, she would have seen them if she had been paying attention. Sweeping gratitude flushed her cheeks, once again rather glad to have not gone into anaphylactic shock.

"Oh, thanks," she replied softly, shock still flooding through her veins. She pushed the contaminated plate away from the usual spot on the table, hoping that would trigger her mind to remember that she could not use it and wiped her hands on her discarded jumper to try and rid the presence of sesame from her hands as much as possible. Meanwhile, Draco had shrugged and turned back to talking to whoever about whatever. She wasn't really paying attention.

Blaise passed her some of the hand sanitisers he kept on him at all times for moments exactly like this, though they were extremely rare, and swapped their plates while she cleaned her hands off. While doing so, he kept glancing between both Draco and Ivy while trying to come to terms with their new dynamic. It seemed so strange, so out of sorts and peculiar.

"So anyway, did you want to go?" she asked, putting a pile of safe cheesy chips onto her plate instead. After such a close call, she wanted to resort to food that was safe without a single doubt.

He scoffed jokingly, staring at her with such a puzzled expression that she truly couldn't figure out his intentions. He half exclaimed, making a conscious effort to keep his voice as low as possible, "Go to Italy with you and Fin on holiday without adults? Are you kidding me?"

"Well it wouldn't be without adults technically," Ivy countered, taking a chip from the pile. "Since Ced's coming with us."

Blaise stared at her once again, trying to comprehend new fact after the new fact was becoming more and more difficult to his sleep-deprived mind. "He doesn't count!"

She leaned over the table partly, accidentally nudging Malfoy in the process. He didn't seem to be bothered by it though and didn't say anything, which was odd, to say the least. Normally she would suffer a berating for such an act, via words that ended up being quite funny, but not this time for some reason. "Yes but he can buy alcohol," she whispered to Blaise, watching as something clicked deep within his mind.

He leant back in his seat and took a sip from his water, contemplating something that didn't really require such intense thought. After what could have possibly been minutes (Ivy was too transfixed by her cheesy chips to notice the passing time), he smiled brightly and replied, "You had me at Italy."

Ivy grinned, glad to have been able to convince him to go like Fin said she wouldn't have been able to do. Shows them. She simply could not wait for the holiday, to be in the hot Italian sun with all her friends. Nothing could be better. "Luna's welcome to come too, by the way."

"She's busy that week, going on this trip with her Dad," he replied as if it was muscle memory, not like he had been counting down the days to whisper the counter in her ear upon seeing her every morning - not at all. He then shrugged, trying to avoid the knowing quirk of Ivy's brow. "Well for the first few days anyway."

"Ask her, see if she wants to fly out and we can go a few days later or extend the trip a few days," Ivy suggested, wanting Luna to get to experience the trip too. After all, she was an incredible person and very special to Blaise, Fin's partner had been invited also. Ivy was going to go alone but she would have Cedric to talk to while they were all off being romantic and such.

"She has always wanted to go to Rome," Blaise half sighed, picturing the trip in his very vivid imagination. All he could see was the grin that would be on Luna's lips during the many tours that they could take, all the photographs he would definitely take of her enjoying life.

"Take her, be all romantic and sickly," Ivy laughed softly, knowing the vacant look in his eyes a little too well. 

He chuckled softly, flinging a piece of torn bread at her, "So Italy then?"

She smiled softly, "We're staying in a distant family member's vineyard near a small but sweet village. They do weddings in the house all the time, it's truly beautiful down there."

"Gives me something to look forward to after school ends."