Professor Malfoy

Epilogue

Lou

The cafeteria is crowded, I'm lucky I found a table for two right by the window. I wouldn't know where else to look while waiting with my coffee cup half empty. My hands are hugging it to warm themselves and I take a quick look at them and my manicure.

There are cuts, wounds, uneven nails, chipped red nail polish from all the hard work at the shop. I had to learn how to sew and it shows on my hands. I breathe out nervously, cursing myself for not putting myself together, especially today.

December days at Hogwarts were always pleasant to look at. Beautiful snow, huge fireplace in our common room, Christmas cookies, decorations, Hogsmeade snow festival...here, in Paris, all I can see is melancholy, rain, and hard cold winter. It doesn't even snow much in here, and when it does, the chunks of snow quickly get mixed with the dirt on the street and it turns brown and grey. Nothing pleasant about that.

I can see the Eiffel Tower from the window. After one and a half years of living in here, I've never been up there. I've been meaning to make a trip, but who would I go with?

The door to the cafeteria opens and closes with the jingle bells ringing. I freeze on my chair. I can't see who came in, I feel it - the energy shift, the magic around me.

"Lou," he says from behind me. The moment I hear his voice, something invokes in me, something I thought was long dead and buried.

"Draco," I breathe out and stand up, "hi,"

For long moments, we stand there and stare at each other. This is the first time I'm seeing him after we met on the street. I couldn't get him out of my mind so we decided to meet three weeks later. I broke all my rules, went against myself and my feelings, and now we're here, the both of us, just like no time has passed.

"Are you real?" He asks with a smile.

"As real as I can be."

His chest goes up and down like crazy. Did he run? He is twenty minutes late, the sun has already gone down and Paris turned dark.

I don't go in for a hug. I can't. He understands and before he sits, he helps me with my chair.

"You ordered," he comments at my coffee cup.

"I didn't know it would take you so long,"

"And you almost finished,"

I shrug my shoulders, "it was getting cold."

His eyes are looking through me, I can feel his gaze on me even though I'm looking into the cup. I can't bring myself to keep the eye contact for more than a few seconds.

"I'm sorry to keep you waiting," he apologizes, "do you want another one? Or something else?"

"I'm good, thank you,"

What is wrong with me? Since when am I nervous around Draco? I don't even know what to say, what to ask.

"Lou," he says my name and my eyes lock with his, "are you okay with this?"

He didn't age, not even a tiny bit. Only his eyes got a bit darker, they're not as light as before. There's grey darkness in them.

"I'm the one who insisted,"

"I know, but I can go if you-"

"No, stay," my hand immediately lands on his hand placed on the table. The coldness of it doesn't shock me, but brings memories. He softens his gaze.

I quickly put my hand down, "please. I mean, stay, please,"

"Okay." he nods his head.

We talk about my current life and job, my aunt, he asks me if I'm eating, which baffles me for a second, but then I remember how caring he always was.