golden longings

XXVII

***

A room that wasn't quite as big as it should be, for the amount of people it was supposed to house, could grew quite packed very fast. Alongside with being crowded, it also became incredibly noisy rather quickly.
It was an observation Draco had made before. One he felt very reminded of while letting his eyes wander the crowd, trying to observe.

Of course, before he had made the observation only during busy times of day. And not even half as many students lingered at those times as he was watching.
Resultingly, the effects increased. Little room to move and excessive noise all around. Music, laughing clattering and at least thirty different conversations polluting the air. Draco found it had to focus on any of the sounds, as they were immediately drowned out by another.

Whoever had had the idea to have the party in the common room had not thought it through.
Which would have left him having to blame his headmistress. Draco decided against that and instead decided to blame Dean Thomas entirely.
He had been the one to suggest the party in the first place and to agree to the suggestion of location. Therefore, Draco was happy to blame him.

The amount of noise was overwhelming. He assumed that likely, if engaged in a somewhat capturing conversation, the other sounds might've been easier to drown out.
But for lack of a conversational partner, that assumption was not af all of any help to him.

Draco could have ventured off into the crowd to find someone he was friendly enough with to chat.
Or he could have joined Luna. However, since she was occupying a seat together with the female redhead, he noted it as a last resort option. Weasleys in general seemed to have a particular dislike of him. Although the younger one managed to be a lot more civil. Occasionally even crossing the line to friendly.
He suspected it was to please her girlfriend. It benefited him none the less.

"Are you enjoying yourself?"
The sudden comment from the left startled him, almost enough to lose his grip on the glass he was holding.
"Merlin's beard."
He huffed out in surprise.
Next to him, Potter smiled sheepishly. Draco wasn't sure if he was trying to hide his amusement about his shock but if he was, he was failing.
"If you don't do that again and I finish this, I might just start to."

"Sorry, didn't mean to sneak up. But it's quite loud in here."
Objectively, that was correct. And Draco knew so. His startling was not Harry's fault for sneaking up but rather his own for failing to take notice of someone approaching him.
For the second time that night.

He made a mental note to start focusing on his surrounding more again. Something seemed to have lowered his guard.
He suspected that maybe it had been the sudden embrace from Lovegood.
"I suppose you could be excused in that regard."

Draco turned from the crowd to face Potter. If he wasn't going to go away, Draco might as well exhibit some proper manners.
"However lucky I am to be excused by you without even requesting it."
It was a poor attempt to mimick Dracos tone and melody of voice.
"It only sounds elegant if it's authentic. No need to try and replicate."

Harry was holding a drink as well. As oppose to Draco's, his glass contained a substance in a lighter shade of brown. Presumably Dragon Barrel Brandy. At least he concluded that from the slight sparkle in the liquid. Draco himself despised the beverage, too sweet for his taste, but somehow found himself entirely unsurprised that Harry would drink it.

"Do you ever not sound posh?"
Not as long as he had ant control over himself, Draco thought.
"Not while talking to you at least."
That earned him some kind of amuse sound from Potter, which the same immediately drowned with a sip from his drink.
And Draco followed his example in that regard right away, taking a large swing from his own glass, which contained firewhiskey.