Draco Malfoy Gets a Life Coach

Enter: Theodore

I floo'd straight home, not wanting to potentially injure Granger's shining reputation by taking advantage of the fact that she had left me, a criminal on probation, unsupervised in Diagon Alley.

It sure would have been nice to wander around for a while. Perhaps stroll through one of the lesser known book shops. Purchase a new quill...

Especially given the way I'd been feeling.

The flood of relief had largely worn off by now, but I could see many wizards getting hooked on the memory potion shots. Probably why Lovegood had a restriction on them, only two allowed per patron, per month.

I wondered idly if Granger always used her monthly quota.

And what had her memory been?

I had been wracking my mind, but could not think of any memory she might have which involved me that would be in any way positive.

Perhaps if I went and asked her directly she'd tell me. I could understand not wanting to discuss it in the moment. Had she been there to witness my own experience, I would have refused to share the details.

Could it be something like mine, though? Something that happened without her there...

Maybe when she'd been thinking of me? For some reason?

"Draco," my mother's voice silenced the din of my thoughts. "Are you alright? You look troubled. Where have you been?"

Questions. Questions would be the death of me.

"I'm fine, Mother. I had to stay for a lunch meeting after my session."

"You had lunch? With whom?"

"With Granger, it's part of the—"

"Ah yes, of course. So you got to dine in the Ministry cafeteria, did you? That's a place ill-befitting a Malfoy. Why, your father always said—"

"Actually no, we went to a pub in Diagon."

Mother froze, glaring at me. "You went... out? But isn't that against your probation boundaries?"

I shrugged. "Granger got clearance for it, she's too much of a good girl not to."

"But... why?" she asked me. As if I knew!

"Don't ask me to explain Hermione Granger to you, Mother, we'll be sitting in an awkward silence all day if you do," I grumbled and turned to go to my room before my mother's voice stopped me.

"Do you think you'd prefer a Muggle-born to any of the Pure blood options I've provided, Draco?"

It was my turn to freeze. I briskly attempted to examine all angles of her approach. I couldn't tell if she was trying to get me to admit something, or if she was actually in some sort of approval of the idea.

I turned around to face her, not wanting to seem as thrown by her question as I truly was.

I opted for the direct ask.

"What are you playing at, Mother? Why are you asking me this?"

She shrugged in a completely faux-innocent way, not even attempting to be convincing.

"I was merely curious as to whether your thoughts on the matter had shifted. I mean, I for one have seen first-hand how someone brought up in a Pure blood home could grow to feel differently about their traditions."

I scoffed. "Yea, and Aunt Andromeda lost her entire inheritance as a result."

"Ah, I see. So, your fortune is the thing standing in the way of admitting to a change of heart."