noxious | draco malfoy

one

The air outside was crisp despite it only being the second week of September, leaves fell from the trees and hogsmeade was busy for what felt like the first time years, Witches and Wizards finally roaming care free, no fear left from the war that seemed like almost a life time ago now and the members of Slytherin who sat together in the corner of the Three Broomsticks were drunk, extremely drunk. It seems like they always were these days.

"Theo, be careful!" Madison giggled as she watched her best friend almost miss the table when putting down his drink "we'll get kicked out" she joked, placing her head on his shoulder.

"AH! but I own the three broomsticks!" Theo cheers as he picks his drink back up, taking another long swig from the glass earning himself a chuckle for the lady behind the bar "Five more if you will m'lady" he winks over to her, watching as she rolled her eyes, a smile across her face as she started to pour the drinks.

"We're free" Zabini signs happily, earning a round of cheers from the group around him "All of us are free-"

"We've been free for a while now" Pansy huffs, a smile threatening to stretch across her face "and Madison was always free" she added sending a wink across the table to her friend

"I know" Blaise laughs, "it's just nice to remind myself-"

"you don't need to remind yourself every ten minute though do you Blaise" Malfoy sneers from where he sat beside Theo, as usual his posture was tense and he wasn't as involved as the others were, he felt more like a tag along these days, an outsider who was no longer apart of their group; but this was his own fault, the others wanted nothing more than for him to be involved.

Everyone looks at one another for a while, the back ground music making their sudden silence only slightly less awkward. "Malfoy lighten up will you" Madison fires back in her usual manner, something about Draco always riled her up and no one knew why, but he hated her just as much as she hated him and so it had always been, and will likely always be the cycle they lived through.

"Yeah Malfoy, things are changing" Theo slurred as the barmaid came over, setting down their drinks, sending her a gleeful "thank you" before continuing "for the first time in our lives, we may just be on the right side of things"

Malfoy sniggered at this comment almost as if it was a pathetic one to make, his hand brought his drink to his mouth, taking a long swig as his eyes avoided his friends, he used the back of his hand to clear his top lip of any left over alcohol before he spoke again "I think i'll pass on the whole playing hero thing" he mocked as everyone watched him closely "was never really my sort of thing-"

"-and don't we all know" the girl snarled, her own hand reaching for her drink, raising it into a pretend cheers "here's to the most pathetic death eater there ever was" she taunted further, a smirk spread across her face as she watched Malfoy clench his fist, his knuckles turning white as he licked his lips, a sharp breath blowing from them soon after.

Maddison loved getting on Draco's last nerve, it made her feel powerful.

"pathetic" he repeated his eyes finding Maddison's green ones, watching the amused look on her face "I'd hex you to death right now if Theo wasn't sat in the middle of us"

A laugh escaped Madison's mouth, her tongue darted out to wet her lips as she leaned forward on to her hand "not very good with your aim Malfoy?" she asked followed by a devious wink, the kinda wink that would bring any other man to his knees.

The girl shocked everyone by suddenly jumping from her seat at the end of the booth, doing a dramatic spin with her arms stretched out and the fabric of her dress flowing around her before she stopped, slowly pulling her wand from her pocket pointing it in the direction of Malfoy "don't be shy now, here's your chance".

The smile on her face could trick anyone into believing she was as innocent as they come, her small frame and graceful moves matching this completely, her attitude however did not.

Everyone's head turned slowly between the two, trying to decide what was more amusing; Madison's patronising manners or Malfoy's poor attempt at trying to remain calm.

Malfoy stood from his seat, his legs almost failing him from the amount of alcohol he had consumed, but not even his blurred vision could miss the way Madison almost floated towards him, meeting him half way until they were face to face.

"I'm yet to be hexed" Madison smirks circling Malfoy slowly, dragging her wand along his left shoulder as she did so. She was a very giddy drunk, in fact she was giddy whilst also sober and tonight was no exception to her giddiness. She was struggling to hide her smile as the deep set dimples in her cheek betrayed her, dipping in despite her best efforts to act cool and collected.

Malfoy swallowed harshly as the girl stopped in front of him again, his eyes meeting hers making the hatred she felt towards him bubble in the pit of his stomach "ASCEND-" he begins to yell as he raises his wand towards the pretty little thing in front of him, his hex being cut short as the bar maid stepped between the two, pulling Malfoy's wand away from the edge of Madison's nose.

"Not in here Mr Malfoy" she said with a pointed finger causing the three sat around the table to laugh "I should hope a polite young gentleman such as yourself wouldn't be prancing around trying to throw hexes as lovely young ladies such as Miss Clearwater anywhere for that matter" she spoke with a knowing look on her face, being more than away of their history of duels

"Me?" Draco asked pretending to be offended, raising a hand to his chest acting as though what she had said hurt him "Never" he finished looking past the bar lady and straight towards Madison, who as usual had an award winning smirk, Malfoy hated that smirk, he wanted to wipe it straight off her smug face.

"Good. C'mon you lot you've had more than enough to drink tonight, its about time you all headed back to the castle, don't you think" The bar lady spoke, her eyes wondering around the drunken friends

"As much as I don't agree with you" Theo laughs standing from his seat, one arm steading himself against the table whilst the other assisted him in finishing the last of his whisky "I'm desperate for a good nights sleep"

Pansy rolled her eyes for what felt like the hundredth time that evening as her and blaise also stood up, swiftly finishing their drinks as well "It doesn't count as a good nights sleep if you're gonna be waking up feeling like shit in the morning" she joked, although there was truth behind her words

Theo walked over to stand beside Madison, her arm linking through his softly as his eyes meet Pansy's "Ahhh, but there's a spell for that my dear pal Parkinson" wiggling his eyebrows he leaned closer to her speaking again "There's a spell for everything!"

The four of them laughed as Malfoy watched from where he now stood by the door, his cheeks had turned a deep shade of red as the cold air hit his face, his eyes focused on Hogwarts in the distance. As relieved as Draco was to have his freedom, being back at Hogwarts didn't feel like freedom to him at all; in fact he often thinks about how maybe  (just maybe) he'd rather live a lonely life in Azkaban over this shit show.

As they walked with the wind all laughing and chatting back up to Hogwarts Draco realised that a lot in his life had changed, the biggest change being within him and he wasn't so sure this was where he was meant to be anymore, and if it wasn't for the stupid fucking terms of his release then he would definitely not be here, but suddenly he wasn't so sure he'd ask his friends to be elsewhere with him.