Apples and Oranges [Drarry] ✔

Chapter 9: Ladies and Gentlemen

"Somehow, without noticing I had slipped into his life with the same ease with which he had slipped into mine. I came to expect his messages, his invitations – days without seeing him were growing more and more rare. He was everywhere I was, and I was everywhere he was. His presence in my life became routine. My friends started asking after him, and his after me.

Once I realised this, my biggest wish was to go back to being oblivious. Because now that I knew, another realisation had become startlingly obvious and I feared I couldn't hide it – neither from myself, nor him, or let alone other people.

Against my better judgement, against all logic and reason, I was beginning to fall in love."

– Apples and Oranges by Francis Gallagher

_____

Harry is doing his best to paint Parvati's nails while Hermione, Luna and Ginny are ransacking his closet. An ancient Weird Sisters cassette is playing in the background on Ginny's borrowed radio.

"Why do you have nothing to wear?" Ginny groans, frustrated.

"I have many things to wear."

'Mione snorts. "Yeah, but nothing nice."

"I have many nice things."

"Not date-nice," 'Mione replies. Harry doesn't miss the look all the girls around him exchanged.

"We're just going to Gold – we've been there a thousand times."

"Yeah," Parvati agrees as he finishes her left hand. She shakes it for the polish to dry. "But not with Malfoy. We have to make you all pretty for your lover boy."

Harry rolls his eyes and closes the nail polish. "We're literally just friends. There is no lover-anything going on."

"But you'd like there to be," Ginny says, materialising over his shoulder. He startles. Glares at her. Before he can say anything though, she drops a beige tank top over his head.

"This isn't mine."

"It's Seamus's," 'Mione says. "We asked to borrow some things before they left to... do their last-minute preparations."

"Can they be any more annoying?" Ginny says. "Their anniversary is not for another month."

"Be grateful," Parvati says, tossing the nail polish at her. "We're getting a free party out of this."

"Yeah, okay, true," Ginny agrees with a shrug. Harry opens the tank top – it's tiny. And tight. "And! We get to see Harry's face when Malfoy is around – that should be amazing."

"It's amazing when he talks about him," Luna says from the other side of the room. Ginny grins at her.

"You sure you're not going with us, Moon-moon?"

"No," Luna shakes her head. "I'll go in August – celebrating something before it happens can be considered bad luck. Besides... I haven't seen Little Rose in a while; it'll be nice to spend some time with a blooming mind."

"I still think you're out of your mind for letting George take care of your kid, Hermione," Ginny says when 'Mione passes her two pairs of Harry's trousers. She chooses tight, light blue jeans and tosses them at Harry.

"Luna will be there," Hermione says and tosses a dark green loosely knitted cardigan at Harry herself. Upon further inspection, Harry sees it's short-sleeved. "It'll be fine. Put those on Harry, would you?"

"Yes, do it," Parvati also tells him, jumping from the bed. "You know Dean and Seamus – it'll be all ABBA, ABBA, ABBA, tonight and you, Potter, will be our dancing queen."