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

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It made Neville nervous just to imagine Karina coming to his house.
He was already going to hers today, which was bad enough for his nerves.
He really liked Karina, and didn't want it to be awkward since they'd had a fight today.
And then he was wondering what to wear, and if he should bring something...

Before he even knew it, it was four o clock, and time to leave.
"Wow, that sure went by fast, huh?" He called to Karina, smiling nervously.

Now he had to go back home and get ready. This was going to be fine.
Maybe he'd bring a picture of his cats..

---

"Mhm, you're exactly right." She told him, laughing as he pulled her closer.
Atropa relished in the happiness she was feeling right now- Draco certainly seemed happy.
Her heart swelled with love and warmth, and she knew she would sleep well tonight.

"Mm, that does sound nice." She replied, running a finger along his chin, smiling up at him.
"We could go to Diagon Alley. We haven't been for a while."

Atropa wondered for a moment how long it had been since Draco had seen his parents.
Years, at least.
She hadn't seen hers for a long while either- though she had no desire to.

Leaning towards him, Atropa kissed him again, gently, not pulling away this time.
She just enjoyed the feeling of kissing her husband again.
​
 
"Huh?" The girl blinked, spinning around in her chair in evident confusion, and only when consulting her wristwatch (one that worked by magic, and as such, wasn't always that reliable) did she break into a wide, toothy grin. "Oh yeah, home time. Today's gone super quick, huh?"

An eventful day, sure. It had its highs in organising this unofficial 'date' with Neville, and also its lows with obviously having decided to be nothing more than work friends with Draco, having a feeling that, given he hadn't returned to work since lunch, he and Atropa had made up, and he had decided upon the same.

Though, as sad as she had been earlier, that didn't seem like such a bad thing. He could work on his marriage, and she could perhaps form something with Neville, smiling to herself once casting a glance at him whilst gathering together a few files she decided to work on at home - after dinner, of course. "I guess I'll see you later, though. It should be fun, so don't stress about it. It's just a casual dinner and perhaps getting a little tipsy on whisky or wine."

---

And Draco's mind was rather full of similar thoughts on his parents once he mentioned them, frowning to himself in spite of the affection he was receiving at the moment. He had always adored his parents, particularly his mother after what she had sacrificed for him all those years back at the Battle, and to not have had any contact with them for so long was something h now felt guilty about.

Before he could wallow in that guilt, though, he was brought back to the moment at the kiss and the snuggle closer, seeming to recollect mention of Diagon Alley, and promptly smiled... though only really after needing to pull back for breath. "Of course, it's been a while since we went together. I'd quite like to have a look around, actually... Take my mind off things."​
 
Neville smiled at her, nodding.
"A lot quicker than usual." He answered, tapping some files into order and putting them in his "out" box.
Turning off his computer, Neville got out of his chair and stood, straightening out his shirt.

After lunch, Draco hadn't returned, so Neville assumed he and his wife had worked things out.
Despite knowing it would make Karina upset, Neville was secretly glad.
He wanted Draco and Atropa to be happy.
Plus, it left Karina for him, if she decided to be with him.

"Sure, no stress." He replied, laughing as he made his way out of the office.
He smiled once more at Karina, and then apparated home.

---

Atropa could tell Draco was thinking about his parents.
He always got tense and frowned when he thought of them.
His father was an ass, but his mother loved him, Atropa knew that.

"Sounds good. We can have a nice lunch there, too."
Atropa yawned, looking at the time.
"I'm going to go make some dinner. What do you feel like eating?"​
 
Once watching him leave, she finally allowed nerves, spurred with excitement, to show on her expression, much to the amusement and playfulness of her fellow work colleagues. Nervous to the extent, in fact, that she had to force herself to concentrate, her hands shaking a little.

In truth, she just wanted the night to go successfully, with her and Neville (considering she had nobody else to invite, really) hopefully getting on better than ever, and that was the main reason she as nervously heading on out. Instead of apparating though, she chose to walk as she did every day. Living in close proximity meant she could do that, and it was nice to have some fresh air to clear her head... even if that ten minute walk was filled with anxious babbles to herself, and by the time she arrived home to the delighted chorus of meows of her three fluffy cats, she was fussing to put something in the oven, get some bottles of wine out and pulling on something to wear to look presentable enough.

Frankly, despite telling Neville not to stress, she wasn't the best at taking her own advice.

---

"How about something simple? Pasta is fine," he shrugged, refusing to move from his position under the covers, always being rather lazy... even if he didn't show that to the world. Likewise, he rarely did show the outside world any of the characteristics he showed Atropa, his laziness and affinity for lounging about being one of them. "Just shove some pasta on the boil then come back to bad and cuddle, Atropa. Don't fuss about in the kitchen so much."​
 
Neville arrived home, unlocking his door to a chorus of meows from his two cats.
"Yes, yes, I'm home." He told them, chuckling as they wrapped themselves around his legs.
Bending down to pet them, Neville went to the kitchen and checked their food and water before going to his bedroom to change.
The cats followed him, jumping up on the bed and watching.

Neville finally decided on a green sweater and a pair of black slacks, hoping it didn't look as if he was trying too hard.
He brushed his hair in front of the mirror, wondering what he should bring.

Karina already had food, and most likely wine.. Maybe he should bring her flowers.
Smiling, he went out to his backyard and picked a few tulips for her- peach colored, his personal favorite.
His garden in back was huge, and beautiful. He'd always been good with plants.

Sitting on his couch, Neville watched the clock until it was time to leave.
"I'll be back later." He told his cats, apparating in front of the apartments she'd mentioned.
Making his way to her door, he knocked gently, holding the tulips in front of him.

------

Draco could be lazy, though no one besides her knew that.
It was one of the things Atropa didn't mind about him- she enjoyed lazing about on the couch too.

"Okay, pasta it is." She told him, smiling at him as she got out of bed, making her way to the kitchen, where she put on some water to boil.
It was going to be simple, just some white sauce and pasta.
Even though she could use magic to cook, Atropa enjoyed doing it traditionally.

Returning to the bedroom, Atropa smiled and took her place next to Draco, laying her head on his chest.
She didn't know what to say to him, but sometimes, silence was just as good.​
 
There it was. The knock on the door she had anticipated for the last hour.

Breathing out quietly, the girl took to her feet as she headed to the door, feeling her heart hammer against her chest - it did mean a lot to her, to have a nice evening with Neville, and the fact she was this nervous confirmed her crush on him. A crush, she hoped, that would develop into a full blown relationship.

"Neville, you didn't have to bring anything, silly!" She squeaked the second she opened the door to her apartment to see the man with flowers, though took them nevertheless with a purr once taking a sniff of them, holding them close before beckoning him in, silently eyeing up his outfit and immediately smiling - he looked great, casual but smart... and undeniably attractive. Though he could have worn anything, and she would have thought that. She herself had opted for, as said, a simple summer dress, white in colour with royal blue buttons, and had tied her hair up into a sleek ponytail with a blue ribbon securing it into place.

Leading the other into the rather swish apartment, she hurriedly rushed to place the tulips in water, using her wand to pour out the Muggle wine into two glasses. "I... I'm afraid it's just us tonight," she started, her eyes apologetic, even if this was something she had known since offering him to come around. "Well, us and my cats-- they're in my room sleeping at the moment, but at least it's not just us, haha~"

---

Promptly wrapping his arm around her again, the time she had taken to leave and place their food on boil was enough to have him consider the earlier conversation of his parents, glancing towards Atropa with a half-hearted smile. "I was thinking," he started quietly, starting to pet her hair down once more. "I want to invite my parents for dinner at some point, or we could go to theirs. It's been a while since I even called my mother, and I would quite like to see her. She likes you, a great deal in fact."

That wasn't a lie. With Atropa's family being pure-blooded, it was only obvious that Narcissa and Lucius would have gotten to know them. If not, Draco wouldn't have gotten to know Atropa as early as he had, and because of the family ties, Narcissa had quite easily grown to like Atropa, particularly when she and Draco began to date.

"It doesn't have to be soon," he quickly smiled, not entirely up for it any day in the near future. "But I do want to see my Mother."​
 
Neville found it hard to breathe when she opened the door.
She was dressed simply, but she looked wonderful.
He fumbled into the door, blushing brightly.

"I know, but I wanted to bring you something nice."
Smiling to himself, he was glad she liked them.

"Oh, t-that's fine!" He squeaked out, laughing.

"I'd love to meet them!"

----

Draco's soft strokes on her hair made Atropa sleepy, so she closed her eyes as she cuddled into him, listening quietly.
It was peaceful here, now. All the tension seemed to be gone, at the moment.
She knew that their marriage wasn't perfect, and it wasn't back to normal yet...
But she was optimistic.

"Of course." She replied, smiling.
Draco loved his mother, and Atropa was glad he could have that type of relationship with her.
Her own family had disowned her for not becoming a Death Eater.

"You know I love your mom." She told him, thinking of her own mother.
Her mother had never acted as one, preferring to spend her time with Atropa's older sister, Siren.
It was never a happy memory when it came to Atropa's family.​
 
"I'll show you them later. Honestly, they get mad if you wake them," she murmured, though a big part of her reluctance was having to show Neville to her bedroom. Even though she knew nothing would happen in that department, it was still a blush-worthy thought to have him, someone she openly thought attractive and sweet, in her bedroom.

Quietly taking her glass of wine and taking a small sip happily, she moved to sit on the couch and beckoned him to do the same, making sure to keep her eyes from straying too far from his. "Dinner should be ready soon," she assured, crossing a leg over the other quickly. "So we can just relax a moment, I suppose-- you didn't have trouble finding the place, did you?"

---

"...She thinks of you like a daughter. The daughter she never had, I suppose, to use a cliché," he softly said. He knew that his wife had problems with her family, and the fact his own -mostly his mother- were still supportive of him was an advantage he had he had never really accepted until comparing his mother to Atropa's, and seeing the obvious differences.

"So don't worry," he continued with a brief smile, pressing foreheads close to bring back the earlier warmth. "My mother will always adore you, regardless of how we end up-- and one day, in the future, when our children come along, you'll be a far better mother than yours is to you."​
 
"I understand. Mine do too." He told her, chuckling.
Taking a seat, Neville took a moment to admire the apartment.
It was nice, much fancier than his old home.

"It smells good." Neville said, grinning.
Whatever she was making smelled great.
"Oh, no, it was fine." He'd already known where the apartments were, honestly.

---

Atropa smiled, blushing at Draco's comment.
She was glad he understood her family situation. She knew that he had been a Death Eater for a very short period, but that was behind him now.
It was behind all of them, and most importantly, his family, and he himself, didn't judge her for not becoming one.
Even though the dark days were behind them, her family still acted as if they were on top for being followers of the Dark Lord.
In reality, they were on the bottom. Scum of the Earth.

"You really think so?" She murmured, looking down at her nails, which she began to pick at.
She was terrified she'd be a horrible mother, much like her own.
​
 
"Honestly, I'm not the best cook, Nev," she quietly smiled, deciding it was best to warn him to not get his hopes up - it may have smelled great, but she didn't want to trust that. In the past, food had either come out horrible, or fantastic, and it was the former that prevented her from trusting what she cooked, however nice it was destined to be.

Even though she did want the evening to go smoothly, there was something she did need to confront: their argument from earlier.

"About the argument, I just... I want to make sure you realise that me and Draco are totally over now," she smiled sweetly, pouring out another glass of wine. If there was one weakness she held, it was wine, often staying inside and drinking a few glasses to herself, hunched over a book or the like. "I haven't actually spoken to him, but I think he knows it's over now. He loves his wife, and I like-- well. I like you, so I'd rather not compromise something happening between... us by going with Draco again. We'll just be friends... even if that's unlikely. Draco will probably ignore me at work now... ha... guess I deserve it."

---

"Of course I think so," he scolded, albeit lightly and without a sense of maliciousness behind it as he reached to stop her picking at her nails - it was a habit he was trying to wean her off. "Honestly, you can't let your parents and how they raised you influence how you'll be. Let's face it, my father... as much as I used to admire him... he's an ass. He hardly treated me like a son, but I still reckon I'd be a good father. Like hell is he ruining that for me."

He finished up with a silent smile, happy to just let her digest his words, and preferably realise that she had the qualities needed to be a good mother - she was kind, caring, and evidently had the capability to love and protect. As far as Draco knew, she would be the epitome of motherly.​
 
Neville took a sip of his wine, smiling at the flavor. He'd never been much into alcohol, but this wine was light tasting.
"Well, if it isn't good, I can always order us something, or I can try to cook."
He still didn't want to admit that he was good at cooking. He didn't know how Karina would feel about it.
To be honest, he was a bit worried about her food now. It smelled delicious, but what if it tasted horrible?
Neville would still eat at least half. Just to be nice.

Karina poured more wine,and brought up their fight from earlier. It was a subject he'd been hoping to avoid.

"I'm glad that Draco is being faithful," Neville began, putting his glass down.

"But, I want you to know, it wasn't my place to confront you two like that."
Sighing, Neville rubbed his eyes, tired already.
"I hope that he doesn't ignore you, of course, but if he does..I'll be around to talk to you. You know, I like you, too."
Smiling, Neville put his hand on Karina's, leaving it there for a second before pulling it back, not wanting to be overly clingy.

----

Draco always had to stop her from picking at her nails. It was a bad habit she'd had since she was in school.
Mostly, she felt that it was for when she grew nervous, and needed to focus on something other than the person in front of her.
"You're right." She said to him, putting her arms around him, instead of picking at her nails again.
She didn't tell Draco that she still had nightmares of her parents branding her with the Dark Mark.
It had never actually happened, but it still terrified her.

"I've got to go check the water." She told him, getting out of bed again gently.

She made her way silently to the kitchen, where she pulled out her wand to finish dinner up quickly.
A bit of white sauce, some chicken, spinach, and tomatoes.
It was delicious, and just the right amount for two people.

Putting the food into two bowls, Atropa walked back into the bedroom, handing Draco his bowl, before sitting in bed and taking her own.
"I used some magic to speed the process up." She admitted, smiling shyly.
She had always been good at magic, but she felt.. Ashamed for using it- most likely due to her parents, and their own magic uses.
​
 
Sensing that the conversation wasn't really something the other felt comfortable talking about, she did cringe inwardly at the fact she had already made things awkward - and he had only been there for a maximum of five minutes. Though her annoyance with herself only lasted a few seconds when feeling his hand on hers, her cheeks a bright red in response to it, and once feeling him pull back, immediately reached out to hold his hand again.

She did like that contact, and it was automatic that she reached back for it again, smiling to herself all the same. "You're so sweet, Neville," she sighed, leaning to peck his cheek as chastely as she could without it being overly intimate. "Right, if you're good at cooking by any chance, you can totally cook for us next time. I'm... dreadful, Neville. No exaggeration."

---

"It smells great," he chuckled, reaching for the bowl and practically hummed in response to it - he did adore his wife's cooking, whether it was a big meal or just an easy snack to prepare in minutes. Tucking in immediately, he was silent a moment, seemingly just enjoying the position he was in - being able to cuddle with his wife and share a meal with her in the comfort of their bed. It was something so simple, but it had been lacking for months, so being able to experience it again made him blush a little.

It also made him realise how crappy a husband he had been, but those depressing thoughts could be kept locked away rather than be brought up and ruining the mood.
​
 
The kiss on his cheek made Neville blush and take another sip of wine.
He was nervous now, but he tried not to let it show.

"I'll cook next time, and you can come to my house." He told her, smiling.

----

"Thank you." Atropa replied, taking a small bite.
It was delicious- she knew she was a good cook. But food hadn't been having flavor lately.

There was an awkward silence for a moment, and Atropa wasn't sure how to fill it, so she just took a few more bites.
"You know, as surprising as it is.. I kind of miss being in school."
It was the first thought that popped into her head.

Teaching at Hogwarts made her miss it more than anything.​
 
"I'd honestly love that," she admitted, moving off the couch the moment she recognised that the food was probably cooked and heated now - any longer and it'd burn, and taste more disagreeable than she was predicting. Shooting him an apologetic smile for having to abandon him a moment, she trailed out and, once alone in the kitchen, did let her blush finally show, feeling she had got a tad carried away by kissing his cheek.

But she couldn't take it back now, and so focused on plating the spaghetti up, eventually entering again with the two plates. "Honestly, I won't be offended if you don't eat it, to be honest... I've had people be sick after eating my food..."

---

"Are you serious? School was awful," he sighed to himself. It had been fun for the most part, but by his later years, his enjoyment had somewhat been dashed by becoming a Death Eater (despite that not lasting all that long) and being told he was to try and kill Dumbledore.

That was something he always regretted, but it was his one reminder whenever school was brought up, and it was hard to really think of anything nice about his time there when that overshadowed everything else.

"I suppose the Yule Ball was fun," he eventually murmured, folding his legs to place the bowl on his lap, smiling to himself at that one endearing memory. "And I guess I miss a few of the people, but not many of them. I don't know if you remember, but I was hated by most people, Atropa."
​
 
"Great! I'll have to plan a meal and everything, it'll be awesome."
Neville cringed at himself for using the word 'awesome'. Was he ten?
Luckily Karina had gone into the kitchen, so she could be embarrassed in private.
How more awkward could he get?

"I'm sure it's not that bad!" He told her, twirling the pasta around on his fork, smiling at her.
Taking a large bite, Neville had to take a moment to gather himself after the taste hit his tongue.
He hadn't been expecting it to be so horrible.
The pasta was squishy and the meat tasted burnt, along with the sauce with tasted like ketchup.

Taking a moment to chew and swallow, Neville took a drink of his wine, smiling as hard as he could at Karina.
"It's... Delicious!" He called out, grinning.
He secretly wondered if he could take another bite without throwing up.

----

School had been horrible for Draco, but Atropa had a wonderful time.
"I think we did alright, at least when we were together." She told him, smiling.
Her bowl of food was half empty, and she wished she had more.
Her stomach felt like a bottomless pit.

"The Yule Ball was amazing." Atropa said, remembering it.
She'd worn a gorgeous dark purple gown made of silk, with her (then, long) black hair pinned up.
It was... magical.

"I know, Draco.. But I'll always remember Hogwarts fondly, since, after all, if I hadn't gone there, I wouldn't have met you."
She smiled, a faint blush on her cheeks at the memory.
She'd never imagined that she would end up marrying Draco Malfoy. It was like a fairy tale.
​
 
The one rather astounding quality Karina did possess was how, no matter how awful her food was -which was the reality of the situation at the moment-, she never really seemed to have a problem eating it herself. Her insecurities over food basically arose with others commenting on it - if they hadn't, she would be blissfully unaware that she was an awful cook, deluding herself into believing the opposite.

And with Neville far too kind to tell her any different, she easily tucked into her food with no such problem, smiling over at him with a clear sense of pride that really shouldn't have been earned when she had plated up something... horrendous. "Yeah, it's pretty good, huh?" She grinned, mostly happy that Neville was 'enjoying' it, unaware that he was being too polite. "Thank God. I think I would have died of embarrassment if it was awful. Last thing I wanna do is serve you something bad, Nev~"

---

"God, how corny are you?" He teased playfully, eyes glinting in that playfulness to at least indicate he wasn't malicious - people often got confused over when he was teasing, for the fact he was Draco Malfoy, and malicious teasing had always been a pastime of his at Hogwarts.

As a more mature adult, he did look back on his school years in disdain, how he had treated people horribly and let his pureblood status rule his better judgement of people. Only now had he learnt that there was no real difference between wizards and witches... even if he could still be an idiot to those like Neville, but that had arisen from an argument. Normally, while he and Neville didn't talk that often, he would treat him with maturity and like a work colleague.

Sighing at the thoughts, he was at least happy Atropa had had a good time at school, and hadn't let her relationship with him bring her down. "...When we have children, I'm sure they'll have a fantastic time at school, especially if you're still teaching there."​
 
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Neville was glad that Karina was buying his story.
He didn't want to make her feel bad after all the effort she'd put into it.
Thinking quickly, Neville coughed and took another drink of his wine.
"Hey, um, do you have any Parmesan to go with this?" He asked, hoping to get her out of the dining room.

He had a plan. When she went into the kitchen, he would use a bit of magic to make the spaghetti taste better, and then he could eat it without lying to her.

It wasn't perfect, but it was something.

---

"You know me. I'm a romantic." She teased back, smiling.
She had always been able to tell when Draco was teasing or being mean, though he was rarely ever mean to her on purpose.
Most people just assumed he was being an ass, and got offended.

Of course, his reputation was well earned. Despite her pleading, back in school Draco had been a mean kid.
He'd teased plenty of people horribly, and had bullied more.
She'd been spared, but only because he loved her.
She'd had a few girls ask how she could ever love him- but she couldn't explain.
Draco was different with her.

"I hope so. I have big shoes to fill, and I just hope I'm doing him justice."
Atropa murmured, speaking of their own professor, Severus Snape.
She'd admired him for years, and surprisingly, he'd taken her in as an assistant and had taught her everything she needed to know.
His death had been hard on her.
​
 
"Parmesan? Oh, sure. Sorry, it slipped my mind to add it," she sighed, that being enough of a disappointment for her, so if he had any inkling what Neville planned to do, she would be distraught. It wasn't that she wouldn't appreciate his kindness. No, she would instantly - she just also honoured honesty too, however hard it would be to accept. Though perhaps it was best to keep her in the dark about her appalling cooking skills, the girl slipping out to fetch the cheese as asked.

When she made an appearance, she was none the wiser as she placed the cheese down for him, topping her wine up yet again. She wasn't intentionally planning on getting drunk, but from how many times she had topped her glass up, it was looking likely that that was how the day would end, as it did most nights for her if she was honest, especially as of late. "So," she smiled, folding a leg over the other casually as she made a reach for her bowl again. "You said you've dated lots of girls, huh? I've never thought you as a playboy figure, Neville."

---

"Snape? Nah, he'd be proud, honestly. You know him. He wouldn't like anybody to have taken over his role unless they were capable, and you're pretty damn capable," he said sternly, knowing that, especially in recent days, she had a tendency to doubt herself, and he did have to reassure her to build her confidence up.

"Snape... he adored you. I like to think he liked me, but I doubt it in all honesty. I bet he thought I was a snivelling Mommy's boy who cared only for wealth and blood status, huh? Oh well. He... was a good man."​
 
Neville smiled, waving her apology off.
As soon as she was out of the area, he brought out his wand and tapped his plate, slipping it back into his pocket just in time.
Taking the cheese, he shredded some on top and took a large bite, smiling for real this time.
Now it tasted like spaghetti.
"This is really just delicious, Karina." He told her, honestly this time.

Turning red, Neville coughed awkwardly and took another sip of his wine, emptying the cup this time.
"Well, I, er, may have.. Lied a bit. I mean, I've had a few girlfriends. Three or so."
He laughed, rubbing the back of his neck.
Neville hoped she didn't think he was a loser.

----

Atropa smiled, a happy blush on her cheeks.
"You're the sweetest." She told him, kissing his cheek.
She knew his words were true, though. Snape would never leave an idiot in charge.

"Nah, he liked you. He spoke very highly of you." She told him, smiling.

"He really was." Atropa agreed, sighing.
Grabbing her bowl, she stood, hand out for Draco's bowl as well.​
 
"You lied? But... why? Three is still way more than I've ever had in my life, Neville," she admitted, seemingly still impressed by the figure, even if he had lied... though it wasn't a major lie, and it had been when they were arguing, so, as usual, she was pretty easy in letting it go without too much time dwelling on it.

"Honestly," she continued, swirling the red wine in the glass with a tired sigh. "I've dated in Hogwarts, with the guy a year above us. And there was what I had with Draco, but that wasn't dating. So my grand total is one. One boyfriend. It's sorta ad, I suppose, when most people from school are married-- like, you know Jamie? He and his girlfriend had two kids already. I'm stuck with my cats," she chuckled, not wanting to really bring up the fact she could have a relationship with Neville - it seemed too full on to admit to at the moment, and the last thing he wanted was to scare him off.

---

"I hope so. I always admired the man," he sighed, handing his empty bowl across to her with an appreciated grin, resting back now he was full and contented.

Content not just because of the food, but because of their conversation and just how easy it was to get on with her now they had cleared some air between them. It was a great relief, really.

"Is there any chance you can just stop fussing about me now and get back into bed already?" He yawned, already laying back down and pulling the blanket over himself for warmth.​
 
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