Tango * dramione

Chapter 34

Chapter 34: allegro

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"Be a lover, not a fighter. But always fight for what you love."

~Unknown.

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Center Stage: Draco Malfoy
Setting: The dark, dismal corridor of frustration - aka, his mother's office.

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Walking into his mother's office in the late afternoon, Draco wasn't entirely sure what to expect. There was a lump in his throat the size of a snitch, impairing his ability to breathe and thus making it much harder to concentrate. He'd tried not to focus too hard on the whispers and stares when he'd entered the building; people were bound to talk. So let them.

But what he hadn't expected for sure was his mother sipping tea idly, a second teacup already poured at the opposite side of her desk. Two sugar cubes and a small container of creamer sat beside it - just the way Draco liked it.

He said not a word as he approached, shutting the door quietly, but briskly, behind him. A game of negotiations was never won by speaking first. Even if his mother had planned this very moment from the beginning of her treachery, he would not be ensnared to take the bait. However, he needed to look the part of an unassuming prodigal son, so he took his place in the chair across from his mother and dumped the sugar cubes carefully into his tea - not too much to cause it to spill, but enough that it threatened to, causing his mother unease. If there was one thing Narcissa Malfoy was, it was meticulous. Things had a place, and anything that threatened to rock the boat - or the tea, for that matter - was to be shunned.

Deciding the creamer wouldn't be poisoned or drugged with some sort of compliance potion, Draco tilted some into his cup and plucked the stirring spoon from the side of the tea plate. As he stirred, he noticed how his mother strummed her fingers lightly over her schedule book.

Good. She was growing impatient.

After a sip of tea, where he purposefully slurped as loud as he could, he batted away any residue with the napkin provided.

Then, and only then, did he look his mother in the eyes.

Come on, you old bat, he thought. His thoughts dried up, however, the moment his mother's lips peeled back into a devious smirk fit for an evil queen.

"How's the tea, dear?"

Draco's left eyelid twitched ever so slightly. That smug-"Bit weak, if I'm being honest." The both of them knew that the tea was the furthest thing from his meaning.

"Mmh, yes. I suppose when you've become exposed to bitter, common flavors, something refined would become lost on the palate. Such a shame."

They glared at each other, neither one loosening the reins on their seats of power. Though, if Draco was being honest with himself, he knew his mother held most of the cards in this deck. Hopefully, he could find a way to outsmart her, even with the disadvantage.

"Why don't we cut away the red tape here and get down to sickles and knuts. You're out of control."

"Am I?"

"Don't play coy. What you're doing is beyond deranged."

Narcissa's head tilted slightly. "No, dear. What I'm doing is protecting my son from making one of the largest mistakes of his life."

Draco lost his cool both emotional and physically - his blood boiled under his skin like an inferno. "And tell me, Mother, what mistake am I making this week? Are my socks the wrong shade of black? Have I parted my hair the wrong way? What about my shirt? Is it wrinkle free? Not wrinkled enough? Where do you draw the line at my life mistakes and my personal happiness?" His glare was a force to be reckoned with as he took another sip of tea.