26. Summer Activities: A Magical Night

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You stand in front of the full length mirror attached to the back of your mahogany door, holding up one outfit and then another to your body. You tilt your head to the side and chew on your lower lip, unsure of which to choose. On the one hand, you think, holding up a forest green dress, this IS his favourite colour, but on the other hand... you switch the dress out for an airy silk top and nice jeans, this might be a tad more comfortable for the climate...

You toss both articles of clothing on your bed and flop down next to them with a sigh. The Malfoys and you aren't leaving for the play for another hour, so you should be good on time.

"If I can ever decide what to wear," you grumble into the bedspread. You sigh, and sit up. "This is ridiculous," you tell the mirror, "it's just an outfit, just a play; why is this giving me so much trouble?"

"Because," the mirror responds in your reasonable tone, "this is the first play you've been to that incorporates magic into the effects, and it's the first real place you'll be going with Scorpius alone. It'll be almost like a–"

"Shh!" you tell the mirror urgently, almost rushing over to cover your own reflection's mouth. You'd nearly forgotten it was a charmed mirror.

"Shush me all you want," you hear your own–somewhat smug–voice say from the mirror, "I can only say what you're thinking, somewhere deep down."

"Thanks," you say with a grimace, "but I'd prefer it if— those thoughts stayed deep down."

"Suit yourself," your image says with a shrug, and the mirror returns to acting like a normal, blessedly silent piece of furniture.

We'll go with the silk and the pants, you think with finality, picking them up off the bedspread. There is absolutely no need to dress up too much.

~-----------------------------------~

"Remember," Draco says to Scorpius as you both exit the car at a seemingly abandoned warehouse in a small, ordinary looking town. "I'll pick you two back up here at nine."

"Yes father," Scorpius says with a small smile, "we'll be here." his father returns his smile, and then looks at you.

"This is your first magical production, I think, Y/n?"

"Yes sir," you say, bouncing a bit on the balls of your feet, eager to see what you've been looking forward to seeing for days. "I'm rather excited!"

"Good," he says, and you see his smile grow a bit more genuine. "I'm sure you two will enjoy yourselves. Astoria and I would have joined you, but we feel it is good for young people to... socialise without outside interference." you see Scorpius's ears go red, and you feel your face heat up a bit. Draco chuckles softly, waves a final goodbye, and drives off.

"So," you say, trying to dispel the awkwardness that seems to have appeared in the blink of an eye, "I suppose this is the theatre? They didn't waste much money on advertising their production." you both eye the crumbling brick facade of the warehouse in front of you, and Scorpius lets out a little snort of laughter.

"It wouldn't quite do to advertise, I guess. Even though I'm fairly certain a good deal of the people who live here are wizards."

"Yeah," you say, rocking back and forth on your heels, thankful that you decided on sensible flats instead of the heels you had been considering. "So," you start again, looking up at him with a tentative smile, "would you care to lead me to the entrance? You know I'm hopeless when it comes to seeing through concealment charms." Scorpius's eyes go a tad wide, but he extends an arm to you.

"O-oh, of course!" the corner of his mouth flicks up in the glimmer of a smile, and you shiver, though not from any adverse weather. You take his arm, surprised to feel that it's not as thin as you thought it would be. You shiver again, as warmth radiates from where your fingers just brush the skin of his wrist where his shirt ends.

Shut up, you internally scream at your nervous system. Scorpius seems to regain some of his earlier confidence as his smile grows, and he gestures towards a doorway a few paces in front of you.

"I am fairly good with charms!"

~-----------------------------------~

As the last of the flaming dragon silhouettes makes its lap around the large, renovated theatre room, you and Scorpius stand with the crowd around you and applaud enthusiastically, letting out the occasional whoop and whistle. You think you even hear your—usually quiet and reserved—friend call for an encore.

"That play had everything a play ought to have," you yell at Scorpius, both of you still clapping wildly as the cast comes to make their final bows. "Danger, suspense, drama, humour, a touch of romance, and dragons!"

"For sure," Scorpius yells back at you, "nothing is good without a dragon, I would know!" you elbow him and he laughs. Your smile, which had already been set in place by the play's finale, grows as you look at him. Your best friend. Right now he looks like he could never be sad, like his smile could split his face, like... like... an ache starts deep within your chest, and the play begins to drift from your thoughts as you become blind and deaf to your surroundings. His eyes look so bright right now, his face so vibrant. You note the delicate, stately beauty his curling hair and thin nose give his face, the way his mouth looks when it smiles so widely. You inhale sharply, catching his scent in the air. You can't quite tell what it smells like, but you know it's him, just like you know your name's Y/n, just like you know the grass is green.

Then, without any warning his eyes are on you, all that radiance and joy directed at you. Me. You feel your heart skip about fifteen beats, and you can't for the life of you inhale, no matter how much you want to. I want him to look at me like that all the time, you realise, swaying slightly on your feet. And I want to be able to look at him that way. I want– I want–

But then, just as suddenly, concern creases his brow—his wonderful, regal brow—and he grabs your arms to steady you. Your arms promptly go numb, and you feel as if you're about to faint. He says something—perhaps asking if you're okay—but you don't quite catch it, you're too caught up in realisations that keep coming. His eyes, his hands, his lips... you shake your head to clear it, and blink hard.

"—you okay? Y/n?"

"I-I'm fine," you manage to say with a shaky laugh, "I think all the bright lights got to me, or I stood up too fast or... something. M-maybe I need some... some water." Scorpius drops your arms, and puts a comforting hand on your shoulder, his grey-blue eyes still fixed on yours in concern.

"There's some in the lobby," he says, his voice a mix of the excitement of the play and a sort of steadying gravity, "you sit right down here, Y/n, and I'll get you some." you try and protest, but he just heads in the direction of the lobby, waving off your words with the hand that was on your shoulder. His hand was on my shoulder.

Okay, you think, sitting down and staring into space, that was... weird. Maybe... maybe that mirror was more right about me than I'd like to admit. Maybe I do like him... you shake your head again, this time so violently you're sure anyone watching will think you're crazy– which you probably are, come to think of it! I can't afford to fall for my best friend! you think, dragging a hand across your face. That would make everything so... awkward! No, you think with determination, I am NOT falling for Scorpius Malfoy, and that is final.

Scorpius appears just then with a cup of water, and you accept it gratefully, noting with satisfaction that you can look at him now without getting any of those... silly feelings.

What a bunch of nonsense, you think to yourself as you and Scorpius leave the theatre, which turns back into a warehouse behind you. Falling for him, indeed! But as you drive back to the manor, you wonder, just for a moment, what it would be like if– no, there was no use wondering anything of the sort. You sigh, and lay your head on your best friend's shoulder, exhausted from the day's activities, and drift off into a dreamless sleep.

You've reached the end of published parts.

⏰ Last updated: Sep 22 ⏰

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