golden longings

XX

***

Days passed before Draco and Harry interacted again. Days that felt somewhat empty to Draco, although the more accurate word might have been hollow. Not that Draco would have ever made a connection between those two circumstances.
And the feeling only manifested about halfway though the first day because when he woke up Draco still had a smile in his face. He didn't notice it,but his friends did.

More sensitive than credited for, Pansy and Balise and even Hermione refrained from adressing it. The latter beginning to spend more time around the trio. Draco suspected it was because of Pansy and Blaise shared his suspicion. However, both of them were well aware that whatever was happening was too fragile to be addressed openly yet.
That, however, didn't mean that they didn't drop hints and teasing comments continuously.

One morning Draco was actually swayed by Hermione after their reading session to join everyone for breakfast. So the trio, plus Hermione and therefore more of a quartet, headed down to the great hall. They found Luna at the eight years table, chatting with Longbottom. They joined them.
It had been a while since Draco had felt comfortable in such a large group but somehow he did.

"How wonderful to see you here, Draco. I was beginning to worry about you." Luna commented cheerfully.
"I am fine Luna, no reason to worry!" Draco assured her, more confidently than he really felt.
"I was thinking maybe the Wrackspurts had gotten to you. How glad I am to see I was wrong."

Draco's questioning look at everyone else came up empty. Without any idea what she was actually talking about, he just smiled.
"So am I, certainly." The last word seeming more like a questioning addition.
"Your aura seems so much clearer today."

Draco merely blinked in confusion. While he found her odd ways to be surprisingly endearing, she had entirely lost him. His Aura? Was that even a thing? And it seemed clearer compared to when?
Thankfully he was saved by Nevilles demand to have his Aura read as well.

After just a little convincing effort, Luna appeared to agree to reading Nevilles aura, whatever that meant. Draco watched carefully as she focused on Neville. She beamed a smile at him.
"It's pretty, Neville."
Before Neville got a chance to ask whatever that meant exactly, Blaise surprised everyone by asking:
"Could you do that to me as well?"
Five sets of eyes stared at Blaise in blank shock.

"What? I'm curious!" He jumped to his own defense, although not very convincingly.
"Sure you are, Blaise. Now since when are you interested in such things?" Pansy asked, seeming genuinely confused.
"Who says I haven't always been?"
"Everyone who's ever met you!" Draco chuckled while speaking. Hermione joined in giggling. But in all seriousness, Draco had no clue what Balise was on about. Certainly he didn't believe in that crap, right?

"Your aura is too blurry to read, the Wackspurts must have confused you!" Luna took all eyes off Balise and earned a few giggles. No one appeared to have even the slightest clue what Wrackspurts were anyway.
"Well too bad." Pansy giggled out, however not without shooting Balise another suspicious side-glance. Blaise, however, snuck in a suspiciously short glance at Longbottom.
Before Draco got a chance to try and interpret it further, Longbottom cleared his voice in a way that seemed uncomfortable and got up from the table.
"See you guys later." He said and did a silly little wave, seeming more cute and laughable.

"Bye Bye." Luna sang in her usual voice that always seemed a little dreamy to Draco, while Pansy and Hermione were busy trying to mimic the little wave. Blaise and Draco just went along giggling.
It was a tiny interaction of a group, a small moment. But it was the most comfortable thay Draco had felt in a group in years, if not in his life.
Everything about it seemed whole  and healthy. Simply a group of friends. The moment passed over so quickly and yet it left him feeling a little less broke and his mind a little more at ease.