Meet Your Match

21. Love Like That

“Well, well, well, I guess it’s just a Malfoy kind of day,” Shannon said as Draco approached the counter.

He felt his face contort in confusion at the use of his surname. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means,” Shannon said as she started on his coffee, “that I just had the pleasure of meeting your mother.”

The confusion deepened. While Draco supposed he might have mentioned the name of the cafe he frequented in passing and Shannon was wearing a name tag, he couldn’t imagine what reason Narcissa would have had for seeking her out. 

“She’s gorgeous, by the way,” Shannon continued. “I can see where you get your good looks.”

He fought back the urge to laugh at that and silently thanked the universe that Shannon would never have the displeasure of meeting the parent he truly took after.

“My mother was here?”

“Mhmm.”

“What did she want?”

“Well, she got tea to go, but it seemed like she just wanted to chat a bit. She actually invited me to lunch with Hermione.”

“Excuse me?” Draco said, praying he’d misheard.

“Yes, well, I mentioned that you two had spent some time with Hermione’s parents a few weeks ago, and she actually seemed a bit miffed about that. Said something like, ‘clearly not too soon anymore,’ and then she said she was just off to see Hermione for lunch and would I like to come along. But obviously, I’m working today.”

“Wait, lunch today?” Draco asked, feeling his insides turn to ice.

“Yeah, she said she was headed to surprise her at work.”

“Fucking hell, what time was this?” he demanded.

“She couldn’t have left more than ten minutes ago,” Shannon said, clearly disturbed by his reaction. “Draco, is everything—”

But he was already out the door. If his mother walked to the official Apparition point, that would add a few minutes. He ducked behind a dumpster and turned on the spot.

He landed in an alley still several streets from the main building. He ran at a flat sprint, barrelling through the crowd in front of the Ministry visitor’s entrance and shoved his way into the phone box.

“Draco Malfoy for Hermione Granger,” he gasped into the receiver.

It seemed to take an eternity for the operator to accept him and issue the visitor’s badge. He clipped it to his jacket as the box lowered below the street.

“Come on, come on,” he chanted under his breath.

When the box stopped moving, he flung open the door and raced to the security desk. The guard gave a displeased look at his red, sweating face but accepted his wand nonetheless.

Draco practically jumped into a lift as the doors were closing, nearly crushing a tiny wizard against the back wall. He didn’t even apologise but just repeatedly punched the button for the level of the Muggle Liaison Office.