Carpe Noctem (DRARRY)

Chapter 11- Maraschino Cherries and Comas and, Well, General Sadness

are people even reading this still lmao

I really love this song though :)

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Chapter 11- Maraschino Cherries and Comas and, Well, General Sadness

~Draco's POV~

Draco needed the nightmist seeds, though, and he probably wouldn't get murdered. Sucking a bit more aggressively on the quill, he turned and started down the street to the darkened alley, tucking the dirigible plums into his pocket safely. But, thankfully, before he entered the alley he stopped beside a trusted shop. Ollivander's. Wooden and a bit rickety, same as it always was. Draco hid the quill back in his bag, and wiped his sticky hands on his pants. His teeth were still furry with sugar, but, well... Ollivander wouldn't notice.

Entering the store, it appeared to be empty at first, and then an aged man's voice called out softly from behind the counter. "Come in, I'm just organizing these wands, won't be but a minute..."

After a time, an old man with a head of shocking white hair stepped out from between the shelves, smiling wanly. "Good afternoon... Draco Malfoy. Have you broken your wand? Kids these days always break their wands... Ten inches long, hawthorn, reasonably springy. A good wand, yours." He sighed, quite depressingly, and settled down in his chair, waiting for an answer.

Draco swallowed, rolling the words around in his mouth to try and get them to make more sense. "Well, er, no. I just was wondering if you could tell me where I could buy some nightmist seeds?"

Ollivander stiffened, eyes fixed on him with disconcerting intensity. "Nightmist? Very, very strong sleeping drug, that is... What'll you need that for? Wait..."

Something in his large, moon-like eyes changed. "You aren't thinking about...." Ollivander looked at Draco sadly, mouth turning down at the edges. "All the kids these days are so sad, you know... Nightmist won't help anyone. Let's just go and get you a, um, some sweets. You can talk to me any time, even though I'm old and my left ear is a bit deaf..."

Draco finally understood what the man was trying to say, and paled, shaking his head very quickly. "No, I didn't- I wouldn't do that. I swear. I just need it for a potion I'm making. A very small amount, I promise. A pinch."

Ollivander sighed, glanced at a clock on the wall which displayed the wrong time, and raised his eyebrows. "Okay. I have ten minutes before the next customer comes in, so I'll walk you there." He smiled at this, and put a hand on Draco's back, leading him out of the shop.

"I'm glad you needed those seeds for something else," Ollivander said quietly, and Draco smiled softly at him. Perhaps the wandmaker was simply a lonely old man, wanting some companionship.

The crowds were much thinner now that everyone wasn't buying school supplies, but busy moms and dads still hurried about in frantic crisscrosses like bees collecting nectar. Most of them blended into the hummingbird-like frequency, but a few (a wizard with a bright yellow hat, a witch with a jar full of human teeth) stood out unabashedly. Ollivander pushed him gently away from these patrons- gently, but with a certain force behind it. Draco was sure he saw a wizard with a dark mark and froze- but no, it was just a trick of the light.

As they neared Knockturn Alley, these witches and wizards soon became the norm instead of the exception. A shady-looking witch with one eye squinted at him as he passed, hissing quietly... But she wasn't even the worst of them. Once, a strange familiar-looking figure; well-dressed, suited as if they were going to a fancy muggle party, tried to tap him on the arm. Something in those elegant, long-lashed eyes were eerie, a déjà vu somewhere deep within his subconscious. Thankfully, Ollivander pulled him away- after all, so many curses can be distributed by a simple touch.