A Talk Over Breakfast

I woke up in the hospital bed feeling much better. As I adjust my sitting position to take a glass on my bed stand, a hand had already offered me a glass of water. I was surprised and jumped a little, gasping. "Holy...--Malfoy?" I trailed off my curse. "Feeling better?", he asked patiently. This kind of attitude coming out of a Malfoy was just out there. I had never seen it coming. Not one bit. "Much", and as I took the glass of water he offered, I mumbled, "thanks, Draco," I said as I sensed no hostility coming from him, so I decided to act civil. He smiled. Faintly, but I felt something within him changed. The chilly ice cold heart started to melt slowly. I glanced a little at his eyes and they glistened with cheerfulness I never thought would spark in his eyes. That sense of happiness just seeped in through me too. "I'm sorry, (Y/n). For everything I put you through. I may seem to always yell at you. I didn't mean it." "Well you practically yelled at me quite so many times," I took a second or two to think about what I wanted to say to him next. "It's just...I find it really confusing. You yelled at me..and then mocked me in public..and the next second, you kissed me, and the second after, you avoided me and started hanging out with--or maybe dating Parkinson. What point are you trying to prove? We barely talk, Malfoy. I barely know you. That's why you're always getting on my nerves every time you tried to fool me around. I just don't get it. We had nothing to bicker about to be honest." Draco looked down. He seemed to struggle to get what he wanted to say out loud. I saw him clenching his square jaws. "I..the thought..I mean..the feeling I get when we're close isn't like anything I felt before. I don't know what it is. It is big. I just don't know how to define it, so I sort of kept trying to prove that I didn't feel what I feel. And now I realise that it was a bad, wrong move." "Then you're right. Don't define it. Follow it. You'll know in the end. Don't rush it, don't fight it. Just face it and flow with it." I saw him looking at me intently and it made me blush. So I continued, awkwardly, "well, that's what my mom usually told me when I'm in the middle of something frustrating." "I'll try. Thank you, Professor Madden." "Oh, you can joke can you?" I gave him a mean look but then I couldn't help but reply back, "Study harder, Malfoy. Or you will have to stay during summer break taking extra classes," I said. We started chuckling and not long after, we burst out laughing. Just a moment later, Draco offered his hand to me, "Are we cool now? I mean, until I could really know what it is, I hope I don't disturb you too much." I shook his hand, "I guess we are. Forgive my harsh words too," I smiled shyly. We both did. We broke apart our abnormally long hand shake abruptly when a voice called me from behind Draco. "(Y/n)?" It's Emil. Of course. Draco's face hardened, and the usual expression of Draco Malfoy the kid everyone hated came back. I answered Emil while Draco and I still facing each other and looking at each other straight in the eyes, as if he's trying to communicate something. "Hi, Emil." He took a place on the other side of my bed staring at Draco curiously. Then he looked at me saying, "(Y/n), are you feeling better?" "Yes, I am, thanks. I really need a big breakfast, though", I grinned. "Do you want to grab breakfast with me? We could go watch the tournament afterwards. They're going to hold the second task at the Black Lake." He glanced at Draco again, then back at me. "Yeah, ok. That would be great. I need some fresh air as well." I said, getting out of bed, then said again, "But...I need to shower first, if you don't mind?" I grinned bigger. "Sure, I'll wait for you in the Great Hall. Don't take too long. I need to talk to you about something." His facial expression was unreadable as it is serious. "Yeah, Emil. I'll be quick. See you, Draco!" I bid him goodbye as I sprinted to my common room. I felt great already. I didn't know what happened to those two after I left the hospital wing, but hopefully nothing happened. I caught a glimpse of his face and it showed disappointment. I arrived at the Hufflepuff common room, took a shower which felt amazingly refreshing, then chose a dark green turtlenecked sweater which matched greatly with my dark brown hair, another pair of jeans, and this time I chose a pair of sneakers since we were planning to go to the Black Lake. Muds and all could ruin my flat shoes. As I arrived at the Great Hall's gigantic doors, I saw that Emil was already there, and the second I entered the hall, his eyes were instantly on me, watching my every move walking to his table. I flustered. He's just irresistibly good looking. I'd like to think that I was dreaming all along if I hadn't pinched myself and it hurt. Was I lucky or what? "Hey, sorry for waiting," I said as I took a place to sit in front of him. "I would never mind waiting for you, (Y/n)" he said to me rather playfully. "Aha ha ha, well played, Miroslav," I pretended to laugh, covering my mouth, and slapped his perfectly built broad shoulder. Just the right amount of muscle. Not too bulky. Just what I liked. He smiled sweetly. "So, what do we have for breakfast?" I rhetorically asked to the thin air. I saw stacks of pancakes, english muffins, perfectly glazed grilled sausages, fluffy scrambled eggs, baked beans, quiche, etc. "Pancakes, eggs, sausages, there you go," Emil handed me a plate full of my favourite selections. He couldn't be more perfect. Well, he wasn't, actually. He was a bit extra with me back in the hospital wing, after I passed out. I didn't dig that, honestly. Just too much. I couldn't deny that he was amazingly handsome. "Why, thanks, Emil! Wow!" I beamed. Emil's POV "No problem," I had filled my plate with my own food as well and began digging in. After a while, we were busy chewing our food until I finally spoke after encouraging myself, "So, (Y/n), you remember I wanted to talk to you about something, don't you? I was wondering...", she looked up from her food and stared at me with googly, sparkling eyes, "Uh-huh", she was so beautiful. That kind of classic beauty when no matter how often you looked at a person, you'd never get bored or tired of her. Very rare. I continued, the butterflies didn't stop fluttering inside my tummy, "..I actually asked you out to the Black Lake as a date. I..like you. More than I allowed myself to. I mean, if we do share the same feeling, I want us to at least try going with it until I have to leave Hogwarts. You know, I have to go back after all this festivity ends. Just make all of this worthwhile." I sounded dumb. She stared at me in disbelief for a long moment. Swallowing her food, she started to gain composure and said, "Well, I..would love to see how that goes. We maybe can decide once everything comes to end, and then..." she trailed off mid sentence, and went on, "yeah, we will see what happens. But for now, let's date?" she asked me, smiling. Which relieved a huge deal of weight I had on my shoulder a moment ago. "Great, I'd love that too," I said, beaming out of utter happiness.