Open Your Heart. (Draco/Oc) (potassiumboron/Severu

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Neville watched as people came and went from Karina's desk.
She'd always been very social, and so it was nothing new.
Now that everything had calmed down, it felt like just another day at work.
Neville went through file after file, his eyes eventually glazing over.
Yawning, he stretched and sat back, taking a break for a moment.


And then Karina spoke to him, though her tone was cold.
"Oh, yeah, sure." He replied, leafing through the files until he found the correct one.
Grabbing it, he handed it to her gently, making sure not to let any papers fall out.



--

Atropa woke up, confused at first, wondering why she was in bed.
And then she remembered, and she turned over, yawning.
She felt a bit better now, though her eyes felt extra heavy now.
Sitting up, Atropa decided to go out for lunch today.


Calling her owl over, she decided to send a small note to Draco at work, hoping to smooth things over with him.

"Draco, I'm sorry about this morning.
I love you, and I've just been missing you.
I'm coming to town for lunch, if you decide to join me.
Love, Atropa."


And then she sent it off before getting dressed, and then apparating to a nice small Italian restaurant in town, which had been Draco and her favorite, at one time.
 
Snatching it from her friend (even if things between them were tense at the moment), she examined the papers inside them before turning her back on the other once more, seemingly happy to just ignore him for the day, when usually she would be told off for talking and chatting to much with him. Hell, that was how the pressure started for her to ask him out - the whole department realised she chatted to Neville the most.

Well, besides Draco, but there was obviously a different reason between their talking.

Peering over at Draco absently once seeing him receive a note out of thin air, it didn't take a genius to work out the conflicted expression meant the note was from Atropa, and any thought of his wife set guilt into Karina. She didn't want to be a marriage wrecker. She knew everything about the marriage, being Draco's confidant of most things, but she loved Draco, too much to really imagine not being affectionate with him. Yet seeing him suddenly walk out of the department did make her sink in her chair in evident upset. Though what could she expect? Like Neville had taunted earlier, there was no chance Draco would leave Atropa for her. No chance whatsoever.

---

Draco observed the note the moment it arrived in front of his desk. He had been attempting to get some work done, all while silently peering over at Karina with admiration - she had easily managed to give him comfort and brought him back from crying. Whenever he wanted that at home, it never happened, yet Karina gave it to him automatically and instinctively.

Although, the plans he had made with her minutes prior to go for lunch ended the second he received the note. Biting his lip, he did initially contemplate ignoring it, but then morals kicked in, and with a swift glare to Neville and an apologetic glance towards Karina, he made his way out the department to apparate without anyone asking him just where he was going.

Entering the quaint restaurant, he moved to run a hand through his hair, examining the tables before heading over towards his wife once spotting her at their table. The table they had always gone to whenever arriving for dinner, and seemingly, that habit hadn't changed. Even in his work robes, he did manage to contain a sense of air and grace to him -it was the Malfoy way, really- before taking a seat opposite her with an awkward sigh. Now would be a good time to apologie, though he couldn't face that, instead giving a swift nod and peering at the menu. "...I can't believe they let you take time off work for lunch like this," he started, his pale eyes meeting hers quickly. "I mean, McGonagall seriously let you leave Hogwarts for lunch? That's cool, I suppose."
 
Neville was so used to Karina chatting with him during work, he was a bit off on his schedule.
He'd usually be only half way through his pile of files now, but he was almost done already.
The fight had been ridiculous, and Neville felt bad for hurting Karina's feelings.
He wasn't sure if he'd done it for himself, or for Atropa, in all reality.
Sighing, Neville stood and made his way to Karina's desk.


"Karina.. Can we talk?" He asked, realizing it was lunch now.
Draco had gone somewhere, most likely lunch with his wife, and now would be the perfect time to speak with Karina.
If she would, that was.


---

Atropa sat down at their regular table, hoping for Draco to come in the door.
She wasn't sure if he would, and she found herself scared that he wouldn't.
The waiter came by, and she ordered a soda, telling him she wasn't ready to order food yet.
Just as she was losing hope of Draco showing up, he finally came through the doors.
But the look on his face was anything but happy.
She'd obviously interrupted him, somehow.


"I didn't go to work today. Um, I wasn't feeling well."
She told him, voice quiet.

"Did I... Did I interrupt you or take you away from something?" She asked, gazing up at him.
Her heart was pounding in her chest, she was sure she knew what he was going to do for lunch..
"I mean, I can eat by myself, if you had other plans."
She smiled at him, but she wasn't sure how well she pulled it off.
Her heart hurt, as cliche and stupid as it was. She could feel a deep ache in her chest.
But if he wanted to go to lunch with... What was her name- Karina- then he should be able to.
She could eat alone. She would be fine.

 
Silently taken aback by the fact he had approached, the girl's eyes absently flickered at him before shrugging stubbornly, busying herself with organising her files to avoid peering back at him. "I think we've talked enough. There's nothing left to talk about, is there?" She murmured finally, swallowing hard as her eye finally locked back on his. "I don't want to get lectured, Neville. I realise I'm doing something wrong, and I realise that he'll never leave her for me, but that doesn't mean I can just stop. I happen to... love him."

There it was, the 'L' word. She hadn't really admitted to loving Draco, not even to Draco himself, so doing so now, in front of Neville was a big deal. She hadn't even felt love before, so how could she be sure that this was it? In short, she couldn't, but it felt enough like love from what she knew about it, anyway.

"I'm not in the mood to be told off again, so if that's what you want to talk about, you can forget it."

---

"What?" He immediately muttered, a little angered by her words for the main reason that he had pushed aside Karina, who had spend ages comforting him, to see his wife, and now she was telling him that she could eat alone? It was a tad irritating. "And why couldn't you include that in the letter? i have work, Atropa. I just took time off to come here, and you're telling me that you could eat alone? And what tops it all off is you not going to work! We need the money, okay?"

He quietly hid behind the menu at realising how loud he had grown, sighing heavily once the moment passed, and peered over at her once again. She did seem in a state of unhappiness, yet it didn't occur to Draco that she knew about the affair. "...I want to be here, Atropa. I want to spend time with you, but not when you refuse to try and get better, and shy away from being a couple with me. You have to get over the miscarriage eventually, you know."
 
Neville sighed and shook his head.
"I don't want to lecture you."
He swallowed, feeling nervous suddenly.

"I... I want to apologize."
He didn't want to say sorry to Draco, but he wanted to say sorry to Karina.
He liked her, and he didn't want to ruin his friendship with her.
He wasn't even sure if he could save it at this point.


"It... It was rude of me to say those things to you. I'll never like Malfoy, so I don't apologize for what I said to him."
Clearing his throat, Neville lowered his voice.
"But I'm sorry for what I said to you. I like you, Karina. And I just didn't want to start something, if you were into Draco."
He looked down at his feet, cheeks pink.
"And now I know that you... Feel something for him. So I'm going to leave you be. But I want us to be friends, at least. I understand if... If you don't want to be my friend anymore."
He met her eyes, hoping she would at least be friends with him, still.


---

Atropa looked around, cheeks bright pink, when Draco raised his voice.
The people around them weren't looking, though, so she returned to her own menu.
Things were so difficult lately. Everything she did or said was wrong when it came to Draco.
She was beginning to wonder why they didn't just... Divorce.
The thought hurt. But it seemed that was where they were heading now.


"Sorry. I didn't realize that you had things to do at lunch. I'm guessing it involves someone named Karina."
Her words were quiet, but her tone was ice cold.
Glaring down at the table, Atropa gripped her skirt tightly.

"I'll be back to work tomorrow."

"Refuse to try and get better? Not wanting to be a couple with you?"
Atropa was trying to keep her voice quiet, but it was rising with her emotions.
"I'm seeing a counselor every week, Draco. I've been trying to spend time with you, in case you hadn't noticed, but you keep pushing me away.
Everything I do or say is wrong with you. You're seeing someone else at work, and yet here you are, telling me I need to work on things?!"

She was crying now, tears pouring down her cheeks.
"I'll get over it when I'm ready, Draco. It seems you already have. You've gotten over it... And me."
And with that, she put her menu down and stood, pushing her chair in.
"Sorry to disrupt your day. Go back to work. I'm leaving."
She turned and went out the doors, wiping the tears off her face.
At this point, she didn't care if people were staring. She felt like she'd just been stabbed in the heart.

 
In any other normal circumstance, concerning most other things, Karina wouldn't have even let things get to this state. She was notoriously known as someone who forgave easily, too easily sometimes, hence why she was rarely involved in arguments - she usually forgave and apologised (even if she wasn't at fault) to avoid bad blood with anyone.

So the last thing people would expect was her suddenly scoffing under her breath. Presumably, this wasn't like all previous times, and she wasn't following her basic nature. Not when it did involve something as intricate as her affair with Draco. Even hearing Neville say he liked her, and seeing his rose-tinted blush did nothing to deter her from her anger.


"Neville, you humiliated me and I... I know you were doing what you could to see me that I'm involved in something bad, but to openly embarrass me is out of order. I-I'm not a child, and I... I don't have many friends, believe it or not. I act like I do, but I don't, and I don't want to be friends. Not now, not really. I won't do anything with Draco anymore. I'll be his friend, his close friend, but I won't continue sleeping with him now. It's gone too far," she sighed, turning to place a few papers on the side, using her wand to collect a few together out of laziness. "Neville, just leave me alone, okay? I'm not exactly in the mood to deal with you. I know you were trying to help, but... ugh, go away, please? I'm... not in the mood..."

---

Before Draco even had a chance to respond, and expectantly create excuses to diffuse and knock back the 'accusation' of an affair, she had stormed off.

That did leave him sat in bewilderment, and mostly deep-set guilt.
She knew.
She knew about the affair, and who it was with by name alone, and even that made the man cringe at realising that, now she realised, things would be even more awkward and tense in their marriage. At least, for as long as their marriage continued, because he too had thought about divorce - he didn't want one. He loved the woman, even if that didn't come across often, and he had relied upon Atropa for all his school years, even when he had gone through the drama of being around Voldemort, and to know watch her go out in tears did make him realise the extremities and the wrongdoings he had committed, especially when she was in such a bad way. She was thin, depressed and doing what she could to make the marriage work, when Draco was off finding solace in Karina.


Sighing sharply at the epiphany, and shooting glares at anyone that dared glance at him, he hurriedly walked out and made a reach for his wife's arm before he apparated herself home. While he wasn't in tears, it was still evident of his upset, having to bite on his lip to stop the trembling. "...I don't... the affair... it just happened, Atropa. I... didn't realise how f-far it had gone, to be honest, and... I would have stopped it eventually, but... things are so tense at home, and I didn't know how to... deal with it. You know me. I can't deal with things the same way most people can. I'm not good at admitting failure, and we're-- I'M failing in the marriage, aren't I?"
 
Neville didn't know if she would forgive him, but her reaction was totally unexpected.
Karina wasn't the angry type, not that he'd noticed, and her reaction surprised him.
He stood there for a moment, a bit shocked.
And then he was angry again.


This time, though, he didn't say anything. He didn't shout, or say anything mean.
He simply turned and walked away, returning to his desk, continuing his work.
Today, he didn't feel like eating lunch.


---

Atropa hadn't apparated yet. She couldn't concentrate enough to do it safely.
Instead, she stood outside the building, crying, trying to calm herself down.
She didn't want to be out there when Draco came out.
Atropa didn't want to watch him ignore her as he walked by.
That would hurt too much.


But then she felt a hand on her arm, and she turned, expecting to see someone from the restaurant, but it was Draco.
And, surprisingly, he looked upset.
Genuinely upset, not fake upset.


"Draco, please.." She whispered, biting her lip.
She wanted to stop crying.
"You're failing the marriage, I'm failing the marriage.. It's just all failing."
She pulled her arm back, clutching her hands together, looking at the ground.

"I don't want you to be with me if you're unhappy. I want you to be with Karina, if she makes you happy."
It was the truth. She didn't want to continue anymore. Not if it hurt this much.
"I just ask that you... That you divorce me first, please."
This last part was whispered again. She couldn't find the strength to speak up.
 
Karina sighed, slumping in her chair at realising she had probably pissed off Neville, one of her only friends, but at the moment, she was too annoyed with herself to really care about him, as selfish as it was. She knew that her affair was wrong, and she knew she had to stop it going further... but it hurt.

Of course it did. She loved Draco, as bad as it was. She loved everything about him, and facing the fact of losing him as a lover was hard to accept - but Neville was right, and Karina wasn't the sort of person to generally hurt people, yet here she was, knowingly indulging in the affair that would hurt Atropa.

So, simply, she had to stop it with Draco, and to distract herself from it, she quietly peered back at Neville with a sudden smile, even if it was pained from these sudden decisions. "Neville, do you want to come around tonight for dinner? My... plans are no longer plans, I suppose, and I want to spend my night with friends. I'll invite some other people, it won't just be us, haha... I... don't mind if you don't wanna hang out. I did just have a go at you when you tried the same thing, but I needed that moment to think, and I decided now that you're right, so if you want to, you can come over my apartment...?"

---

Divorce.

She had openly confronted the matter of divorce, and Draco didn't expect that, and nor did he expect her to give their relationship up this easily and urge him to go with Karina.

In that moment, Draco did realise that, no matter what, she was simply looking out for his happiness, even if it meant giving up on their relationship so he could go with Karina and find happiness with her. As compelling as it sounded, given he had grown to adore the other girl, Atropa was his wife, and even if times were tough, it wasn't his way to just give up on it. He loved the woman, and they had gone through the worst pain imaginable in losing their child.

"Atropa, I... I don't want to be with her," he finally choked, voice strained as indication of him holding back tears - he wasn't someone who rarely cried. Tears were well acquainted with Draco, but he was attempting not to cry in public for obvious reason. "I want to be with you. I... I made mistakes, okay? Big ones, and I don't... want to be with her. She's lovely, but she's a friend. I... I'll find a new job if you want, to get away from her, a-and prove that I wanna be with you, so... no. We're not going to divorce," he straightened quietly, that usual grace surrounding him as he leant to take her hand. "...Shall we go home?"
 
Neville had been looking at the same paragraph for at least five minutes, not actually taking anything in.
Sometimes when he got angry, he couldn't absorb anything, until he calmed down.
This wasn't always a bad thing- but right now, it was.
Sighing, Neville closed the file and sat back in his chair, closing his eyes.
He needed to step back from this problem.


Sure, he knew and felt bad for Atropa, but it had nothing to do with him.
And he'd made a fool of himself, getting involved.
Karina was sweet, and gorgeous. Why couldn't he have just accepted her invitation?


Sighing, he opened his eyes just in time to see Karina smiling at him.
And then... She was inviting him over.
"Wow. Y-Yeah, that sounds great, actually." He told her, a small grin on his face.

So... Draco had cancelled? Interesting.

--

Draco's voice was choked, he was straining hard not to cry.
She knew it was difficult for him to keep his composure, and she knew that his tears meant he cared.
She felt her heart opening up for him, and she brushed the tears away.
He still wanted her.. He still loved her.
She remembered Karina from school- the girl was ten times prettier than she was, but even so, Draco chose her.


"You... You don't have to get a new job." She whispered, taking his hand and laughing through her tears.
"Yes, please. I want to go home."

She squeezed his hand tightly, unable to push the smile off her face.
 
"I'll cook! My father's a Muggle, so I know some great recipes," she grinned, easing back into her chair, as happy as ever as though no arguments had occurred between them. Though those who knew her well enough would realise that this was a defence mechanism.

It was her genuine personality - she was bubbly and pretty much kind all the time, her giggles always breaking the busyness of the department, but whenever he was upset, this happiness tended to mask how she truly felt. She didn't want anyone to realise when she was hurt, and right now, the effects of realising her affair with Draco was over was hard to take in, even if she knew it was the moral thing to do.

And besides, this allowed her now to start dating. She hadn't wanted to when with Draco. She didn't want to harm anybody innocent, but now? She was free to date who she wanted, and form a strong, stable relationship as she had always wanted. Pretty she ay be, but unlike Neville, she hadn't had a boyfriend since she was in Hogwarts and dating a boy older than her in Ravenclaw. But right now, her sights were set on Neville.

Though she was pretty happy to be friends with him for now.It was too soon to really enter a relationship at the moment.

"My cooking is awful, though. I'm only good at pastries and sugary stuff," she shrugged, bringing her mind off the topic of Draco as she eased into her chair, using her wand to tidy up her messy desk piled with papers. "So, like, don't be afraid to not eat anything I cook, hon~"

---

"Good, because I enjoy my job. There are a few idiots there," he started, mind flicking immediately to Neville, though he shook the thought away quickly and shot his wife a smile.

Finally, things looked like they were going to improve. His affair was out in the open, but he planned now on remaining faithful. Sure, there was work to be done in reinstating trust in the relationship, and to form affection between one another, and finally having to come to terms with their loss to move on, but it was a journey he was willing to take with her just to make the marriage work with the woman he loved.

Karina was a friend, one of his closest friends, and he knew it was going to be hard to break it to her that he didn't want to be with her anymore... but if it meant he could fix things with Atropa, he had to hurt Karina along the way.

"Anyway," he sighed, moving to suddenly wrap an arm around her waist - a simple sign of affection he hadn't done for months, as incredulous as it was. "I love you, and we'll make it work, I promise. No more affairs. I... I can't never mention Karina, because she is my friend, but it'll be purely platonic. Just friendship, I promise."
 
"Oh that's great to hear!" Neville replied, smiling.
He himself could cook quite well, actually, but he didn't like to talk about it.
In the past, he'd been teased for it, saying it was "womanly", so he eventually quit mentioning it.
But it was nice that Karina had some recipies.


"Oh, well, dessert then!" He told her, laughing.
He knew she was still hurt, but he was glad she wasn't hating him, at least.
"I'll be sure to at least try your food!" He replied, knowing he'd eat it, even if it was gross.

Just to avoid hurting her.

---

"I'm sure there are." She told him, nodding.
She knew that Neville worked with him, and they'd never gotten along.

Right now, Atropa still felt weak, and tired, and hurt...
But it seemed that Draco was going to stop seeing Karina, and work on their marriage.
That was hopeful.


At his touch, Atropa leaned into him, something so simple, yet so romantic after months of no contact.
She laid her head on his shoulder, and wrapper her arm around his chest.
She'd missed him.
"We'll work things out." She told him, a small smile on her lips.

She didn't want him to be friends with Karina anymore, but.. She wouldn't tell him so.
 
"You're too sweet, Nev," she quietly smiled, her own cheeks no taking their turn in dusting pink, mostly at seeing just how kind he was. That was the main difference between him and Draco.

While Draco was sweet in his own way, he often grew too embarrassed and worried about his family name to show that to anyone, whilst Neville didn't hold back on compliments and whatnot in front of other people. And the big benefit with Neville was she didn't have to be secretive with him.

She had grown tired of being secretive and hiding affections, so if this was going to one day be a relationship with Neville, the big advantage was never having to keep it a secret. Draco could have his wife; Karina could date, and they could just remain friends. As hard as it was to accept that at the moment, it would be for the best.

"You can come over straight from work. It's a really small apartment, and I have a few cats, so if you have allergies, just beware of that," she babbled quietly, the fact she was inviting him over making her a little bashful, even if she had also promised to invite other people too to make things a little easier.

---

Intending on being friends with Karina, valuing her friendship too dear to lose, he was under the impression his wife accepted that, and with that in mind, he did earn a great deal of respect for her.

She was far more understanding that he gave her credit for, and while he would understand her yelling at him, cursing him out for the affair, the fact she was willing to move on from it so maturely did make him smile, and for it, he was fully ready to devote himself to her entirely.

Apparating home alongside her, not bothering to return to work when he and Atropa needed all the time together as possible, he removed himself from their quasi-cuddled state with a small smile, only to be able to remove his work robes. "...How is counselling going?" He quietly asked. Usually, h wouldn't even approach the subject. He knew she went for help, but he had originally thought it weak of her and refused to acknowledge her going... but know he realised that it was insensitive of him, and he was trying to make up for his mistakes. "Does it help a little?"
 
Neville smiled at Karina, thinking how cute she looked when she blushed.
He knew that she loved Draco. And he also know that it was over now.
But even so, he didn't want to make a move on her.. Not now.
It was too soon.
"I try." He told her, rubbing a hand through his hair.


"Oh, really? I love cats!" Neville said, laughing.
He owned two of them himself.

"What's your address?" He asked, grabbing some paper to write it down.

----

Atropa wasn't okay with Draco being friends with Karina at the moment.
But she knew that eventually... She would get over it.


Even though she'd wanted to scream and cry and hit him, Atropa hadn't done any of it.
She'd decided that it took too much energy, and why waste it on something, or someone, if it wasn't going to work out?
She'd been to drained to do anything.


His question caught her off guard. He'd never been interested in her counseling before.
Taking a breath, Atropa pushed her hair behind her ear and took a seat on the couch.

"Well.. I think it's going well. I'm beginning to feel better about the miscarriage."
She bit her lip at the word, but continued on.
"I still feel like it's partially my fault.. But I realize, also, that there's nothing I could have done differently."

Sighing, she leaned back, letting her head land on a pillow.
She was just so tired. But she needed this.

"I, um.. I felt like cooking dinner tonight. If you were maybe up to it? I could rent us a movie, too."
She turned back to look at him, hoping he would agree.
 
He liked cats? Draco had always told her that cats were just lazy pests, a complete waste of time.

But hearing Neville liked them immediately made the girl grin - she herself adored cats, often spending her time with them as friends and colleagues all met outside for social events. They did take up most of her time, but hearing someone else seemed to understand how loving the creatures could be made that light blush grow much stronger.

Finally breaking out of the moment to hear his question, she fanned herself, playing on the fact her blush wasn't a blush, but due to being warm, before managing a bashful grin again. "Oh, Greenview Estate. Fourth floor, number 18. It's a nice area, so... you'll be fine finding it. There's a fountain outside, so look out for that and you'll be in the right place."

---

Watching her out the corner of his eye as he undressed and pulled on his pyjamas, even if it was only midday, he climbed into bed beside her with hands clasped over his midsection absently. Listening along to her, he did find himself allowing a frown over his face, any talk of the miscarriage managing to deflate his mood.

"As long as the counselling helps, you should still go. The miscarriage wasn't your fault. It just... it happens," he sighed quietly, having come to terms with that on his own, and with help from Karina who had convinced him it was just a terrible tragedy, and nobody's fault.

"...I would like to try again for one, Atropa," he suddenly revealed, pale eyes locking on hers and lighting with determination. "I want a child with you. We'll work on our marriage first, make sure that we're okay and stable, but one day, in the future... I want a child. A piece of us, you know? I never knew I wanted a child until... we lost one."
 
Neville couldn't hide his own smile, seeing Karina light up like that.
He found that too many people disliked cats, and it was really sad.
He himself loved them, as he did most animals, and he just couldn't see himself with anyone who didn't adore them as well.


Her grin was too cute for Neville to handle, his cheeks going from pink to red.
He had to look down at the files on his desk, and tell himself to calm down.


"Oh, fancy. I've heard of those places." He winked at her, letting her know he was joking with her.
"I'll be there. What time?"


---

Draco had changed into his pajamas, which was unusual for him, in midday, but Atropa didn't care.
She herself was only in a skit and a simple shirt.
Getting out of bed, she pulled on her own pajamas- a pair of shorts and a tank top to match, in pink gingham.


"I know. I realize that now." She told him, climbing back into bed.
It was true- she was beginning to realize it, slowly.

His sudden confession surprised her. She hadn't realized he'd wanted a child so badly.
"Well, we'll see. I think for now, we should focus on our marriage, and our jobs."
She told him this, while looking at the blanket.
"I need to go to work more." She said, sighing.


 
"Oh, they're not fancy," she giggled quietly, holding her cheeks to hide the raging blush, and the knowing wink of a few of the women in the department wandering in from lunch to see the two at their desks, and no longer cocooned with tension, but instead, more friendly and happy with one another again.

"It's just a block of apartments home to mostly people who work in the Ministry, It's pretty close to here, so most people buy their homes to have close proximity to work," she explained. It was partly why she was invited out so much, living with people that worked in the same building as her, and it did make it harder to refuse them and make excuses up - they would just think her a little weird if she admitted she liked her alone time to focus on her hobbies, including painting and knitting.

"Time?" She blinked, being mostly captivated with her thoughts. "Ah, if we finish at five, how about you come over at six? it'll give you an hour to get ready-- though you don't have to wear anything fancy! I'm just going to be in a summer dress, nothing special, Nev."

---

Draco sighed to himself once more, hands resting momentarily behind his head and, for a moment, it did seem like their positions were going to be as distanced as they were on most nights, before he turned onto his side and moved a strong arm around her contently, smiling blissfully at the long-missed closeness with her.

"Oh! I-I know it'll be a while before we even get around to thinking about it, but I just want to be open with you. I've been secretive way too long," he murmured, his admission being part of trying to open up and sharing how he felt - surely if he did that, they would be a closer couple like they had been before things went downhill.

"...I'm sure they understand why you have time off. I wouldn't rush to go in. My work is stressful, but... your work must be more so. i could never deal with being a teacher at that place. I liked it there, but I'd never do back," he chuckled to himself, pressing his head a tad closer if indeed he wanted to peck her lips later on after the conversation. "You're good at your job, though, so just get back to being healthy before you even consider work-- you need to be healthy, you know."
 
"They look really nice, though!" Neville told her, smiling.
He noticed a few of the older women around watching them with interest.
He wasn't sure why, but they all seemed happy, so he didn't mind.


"I have a small house, a bit away from town. It's quiet."
He enjoyed the quiet. He'd never wanted to live in the city.

"Sure. That sounds perfect."
Neville smiled at her, taking a moment to look at her.
She was so beautiful.


---

Atropa leaned into Draco, snuggling up against him, smiling in relief.
She'd missed this closeness.


"I understand. Thank you." She replied, looking up at him.
She sometimes forgot how handsome he was.
Thinking that, she blushed, grinning to herself.


"I think I'll go back on Monday. Give myself the weekend off."
She smiled at him, leaning up to kiss his lips gently, letting them linger for a moment before pulling away.
They had barely done more than a quick peck lately, and she wanted more than that.
"I love you, Draco." She whispered, hoping she wasn't scaring him away with her clinging.
 
"I bet where you live is so pretty. I've never really... been out of the city, apart from school, really," she smiled, unaware of Neville's thoughts on her, though that was probably for the best for now. It wasn't that she wouldn't appreciate it - on the contrary, she had always thought Neville handsome, and had always liked him as a person since meeting him in school, but at the moment, any compliment would just render her unable to speak properly, and blushing to extremes.

And given the gossiping women, a few of whom lived in her apartment building, blushing vibrantly wasn't the best plan.

"So, yeah... come over later and it'll be fun. I'll have some Muggle food and drink, and more normal stuff," she promised. At least she knew Neville would be coming. The only real challenge was finding other people to come. As said, she didn't have that many close friends, and the only real friend she had other than Neville was Draco, but she wanted to create as much distance between them as possible. So, as cringe worthy as it would be, it did look like it could just be her and Neville, that thought both making the girl smile, and feel somewhat giddy at the same time.

---

Draco couldn't exactly stop himself from blushing, and given his pale complexion, the pink blush stood out like a sore thumb, having to quietly bury his head a little closer to her to avoid it being seen-- so the kiss was not only a long awaited piece of affection, but a way of him hiding his blush.

Yet once pulling away from the kiss, the blush only really deepened-- though at that moment, he really didn't care all that much, his blonde hair tussled over his forehead by now. "I love you too. I mean, even after... everything I've done, I never fell out of love for you, and I mean that, so... yeah. I'm optimistic about us and the future now. It'll be fine. Malfoys don't fail, Atropa. So we're not gonna fail."
 
"You'll have to come around someday, then." He told her, smiling.
His own house was small, only a one bedroom, but it was big enough for the two of them.
If she ever decided to come over, that was.
Neville didn't have guests over a lot, so he never knew exactly what to expect.


Looking around, Neville began to wonder if there was some type of bet going on around them, or something.
Everyone was looking at them as they went by, and smiling.


"Sounds great." Neville replied, grinning.
Looking at the clock, he realized lunch was over now, so he sighed and went back to work, wishing he'd eaten something.
There were only about four hours left of work now, so Neville didn't have much time left.


----

Atropa hadn't seen Draco blush in a long time. It had always been so cute, and even now it made her heart pound.
She was so lucky to be his wife- he was popular and handsome in school, and a lot of girls wanted him-
but he'd chosen her.


She still wasn't sure why, exactly.

"I know." She told him, closing her eyes as she cuddled up against him.
"I miss laying like this. It's so warm."

 
"Oh!" She suddenly squeaked, her azure eyes sparkling almost immediately at the man's words. Even if they weren't that serious, though there was no reason to believe that they weren't, she had already felt her heart quicken at the idea at going to his home. The fact he was coming to hers that day, and the prospect that she could go over his...

It just made the girl smile to herself and realise that something could blossom between them - and she did genuinely hope that the did.

Noticing her friend had returned to her work, she promptly followed-- though all for five minutes. Expectantly, the social butterfly found herself drifting out of her work and chatting to the woman sat in front of her dealing with a flood of letters arriving out of thin air from the accident the day prior. Yet, that onslaught of work went unnoticed as the two chatted, mostly in hushed breaths, about Neville and the 'date' - that was what the department had come to class it. Even if Karina told the woman that many more people were coming, it seemed to come across to them as an excuse to cover up the fact that this was a date.

And while it hadn't been mutually agreed that it was a date... Karina really didn't bother correcting them anymore, blushing to herself once realising that she rather liked the sound of it.

---

"So you've only missed my proximity to you just because I offer warmth?" He teased, eyebrow raised in faux surprise, though did move to simply tug her a little closer, practically purring like the cat who had the cream at how nice it was just to lay with his wife, and not feel awkward about it like he had done only the day before.

It was this that did give him hope for the future, and if it meant he had to stay clear of Karina for a while, then that was what he would do.

"We could go out tomorrow, go do some shopping," he murmured absently, stroking back her hair with a small smile crossing his features. "It'll be nice to do something couples do, wouldn't it? My mother always used to go out with my father."
 
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