Prompt: Sharing a pint during the Quidditch World Cup
For @ms-merlinblack I’m certain this isn’t what you meant but it’s how my brain works. #sorrynotsorry and I love you. Unbeta’d and unedited but I hope you enjoy!
Draco drummed his fingertips on the lacquered surface of the bartop, feeling an uncharitable sneer pull at his lips. If one more drunken hoodlum slammed into his back he would –
He huffed a long breath through his nose as he found himself jostled closer to the bar, bracing himself as he fired a glare over his shoulder.
This was the last time he would ever subject himself to such utter nonsense as watching the Quidditch World Cup magically projected in one of the seedy bars along Diagon. It would be box seat tickets or nothing. Blaise and Theo were out of their minds to enjoy this stifling cacophony. Draco couldn’t even hear himself think.
“Fucking finally,” he muttered to himself with a roll of his eyes as the overworked and inattentive barkeep slammed a heavy pint glass to the surface of the bar ahead of him, sloshing a little over the edges. He was overheated and beginning to sweat – his nose wrinkled at the thought.
Draco reached for the glass, eager to get away from the tightly packed mob waiting for beverages, but a small hand grazed his fingers and wrapped around the pint before he could reach it.
“Excuse you,” Draco sneered, “that’s my drink. I’ve already paid for it.”
“Actually, I’ve paid for it,” a voice returned, and the owner spun on the spot, mouth open to continue. Chocolate eyes met his and the girl froze. “Malfoy?”
“Granger,” Draco replied, frowning. It had been years since he had seen any of the golden trio – and it was just his luck to run into her now. He waved a hand at the tall, perspiring mug. “Really, it’s mine.”
Granger sighed, rolling her eyes. “I don’t know where you drink is Malfoy, but I’ve been waiting here twenty minutes. Kindly, shift to the side so I can get through this infernal mass.”
His jaw clenched, Draco folded his arms. He felt a slight stab of desperation as he shook his head, checking his watch. “Twenty-five. Hand it over, Granger.”
“No,” she hissed, eyes narrowed. He curls were as wild as he remembered but there was something in her expression. Something more mature.
Someone slammed into Draco’s back, causing him to stumble forward a little into her; the amber liquid spilled from the glass and Granger scoffed, switching hands so she could wipe the liquid from her fingers. He couldn’t keep his eyes from landing on her ringless finger – he was certain he’d heard she had been engaged after the war but maybe that was no longer the case.
He felt himself bristle as someone jabbed an elbow into his spine, his nerves alight with the need to escape. He reached for the glass, clenching his fingers around the rim as he attempted to dislodge the drink from her grasp.
But she clung to it with an unnatural strength, her lips pressed into a thin line. “Quit it, Malfoy.” She threw a glance over her shoulder; the barkeep was nowhere to be seen. “You’re just going to have to keep waiting for yours.”
“This is mine,” he ground out, shelving all sense of propriety.
“Look,” Granger hedged, with what he could only surmise was a forced attempt at a smile. She drew her wand and waved it in the air, conjuring a second glass. Then she poured half of the pint into the fresh glass, spilling some when a drunk stumbled into her. She released a tight breath as she presented the halved drink. “Here – happy?”
Draco blinked at her, scratching the back of his neck as he accepted the offering. “Fine. Yeah, that’s fine. Thanks.”
“Good.” She huffed, making to edge away; she brushed against him in the tightly packed mob, a flush of colour flaring in her cheeks as her eyes met his. “I hope you enjoy this Merlin-forsaken event.”
“Unlikely,” Draco muttered, clutching his half a pint like a lifeline. She snickered, a hint of a smile pulling at her lips.
He watched her walk away for a moment, a little unnerved at the entire exchange. Seeing her from the back, her curls fell a bit smoother than he recalled, and he didn’t remember her having all those curves. But then she turned back, and there was something akin to consideration in her gaze; Draco swallowed thickly as her eyes locked his for a moment. He watched as she pulled her lower lip between her teeth.
His eyes slid to the left where Blaise and Theo sat. In a split decision, he turned right.
