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mrsdr-ethan-ramsey · 5 years

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Rookie (Ethan Ramsey x MC)

Y’all, I couldn’t stop myself from writing this at like 12:30 last night. I literally fell asleep writing, but I needed to feel more angst. Honestly my biggest fear is that Ethan will start calling someone else Rookie. Plus it was an excuse not to do homework. I hope you all like it! (Also if you have any ideas or requests with Ethan, I would be more than excited to try to write them!)

Pairing: Ethan Ramsey x MC (Parker Kennedy)

Summary: When Parker hears Ethan call another intern Rookie, she can’t stop herself from confronting him.

Warnings: Angsttttttt, cause I love and hate how much Parker and Ethan hurt right now

Word Count: ~2500

‘So far, so good’ Parker thought as she maneuvered through the familiar halls of Edenbrook. She was off to pick up her intern, Esme Ortega, after delivering the results from the diagnostics patient she tested early today. She felt like she was on autopilot as she thought back to her discussion with Dr. Ramsey.

“We’ll be okay. We’ll make it work.”

Her heart still stopped as she thought about those words. To anyone else it would sound like they were talking about work; about their professional relationship. But they weren’t. He held her hand as he told her those words. His thumb rubbed the back of her hand so lightly that if she hadn’t looked down she probably would have missed it. Was he talking about their work relationship? A little bit. Was he talking about their personal relationship? She hoped to some greater being that he was. Needless to say, she felt like she was on top of the world.

Once she reached the nursing desk, she found Esme talking with Jackie and her intern, Molly Addison, adamantly. Parker put her best smile on her face as she came over.

“Hey all! How were rounds? Sorry I had to miss it Esme.”

Esme looked over at Parker, obviously not enjoying her peppy attitude. “It was fine.”

“Oh my gosh, no it was amazing!” Molly squealed. At this, both Jackie and Esme cringed. Parker hid her slight annoyance for the young red head as she gushed about all the ‘super cool!’ things they had seen! Parker only slightly regretted asking her about rounds, but she was happy that the young intern was enjoying her time at Edenbrook.

“I’m glad you’re finding your place here!” Parker smiled, “But I’ve got to talk to Esme about a couple things. We’ll see you guys later!”

Esme quickly followed Parker whispering a small ‘Thank God’ as Jackie sighed, being left with the human version of sunshine and bubble gum.

***

After a couple hours of showing Esme the ropes and watching her present her case, she finally found herself back at the nurse’s station. She was about to congratulate Esme on her stellar performance so she could see her roll her eyes again before she heard a deep voice call down the hall.

“Rookie!”

Parker’s head immediately snapped to the familiar voice, ready to go help with Dr. Ramsey with whatever he needed. Just as she was about to head over, she watched Molly skip over.

“Yes Dr. Ramsey?” She asked sweetly, her voice dripping with desire.

Parker couldn’t hear the rest as her high from earlier quickly died. He obviously called her that before because she came right over and he started talking to her. When did he start calling other people Rookie? That was her nickname! Right? Although, he did seem reluctant to call her Rookie when she saw him at Donahue’s…but that doesn’t matter. The point is, he had only ever called her rookie. Now suddenly this beautiful intern was Rookie?

“Woah, Parker. Don’t think too hard. There’s going to be smoke coming from you soon,” Elijah called, snapping her out of her internal panicking.

Parker turned to see Elijah and Sienna coming up, their interns following close behind. They seemed good, not overly excited like Molly but more open to conversation than Esme.

“Second year doctors meeting only,” Parker said quickly, tugging Sienna and Elijah some ways away from their interns.

“What’s up P?” Elijah asked.

“That!” Parker whispered angrily as she gestured towards Dr. Ramsey and Molly talking down the hall. “He called her Rookie!”

At this, both the doctors’ eyes widen.

“Seriously?!” Sienna exclaimed. She wouldn’t be happy to beat up Dr. Ramsey, but if Parker needed her to she would happily kick his ass back to the Amazon.

All three of them turned their eyes turned back to Dr. Ramsey and the intern. He must have felt their eyes on him, because his attention immediately turned and shot them a little glare. In panic the three quickly ran off with their interns, hoping to avoid the wrath of Dr. Ramsey.

***

Parker tried not to think about how betrayed she felt. She really did, but it always seemed to be nudging her in the back of her mind no matter where she was. She bumped into six different people because she had been so distracted about it. That’s how she ended up wide awake in her bed at 2:30 am. Her body rolling around under the covers, hearing Ethan say Rookie only to have the young intern bounce up to him happily. She was pretty, Parker did have to admit that. Her hair was naturally red, layered with different shade of red and orange that made it look like flames. She was small with a near perfect figure. Parker, on the other hand, was scrawny right now and slowly starting to gain weight now that Sienna was making sure she ate three meals a day. While Parker had brown-green muddy eyes, Molly’s eyes were crystal blue. Seriously, how could a man resist a girl like Molly?!

Maybe it was the lack of sleep, or the desperation to know what was going on, but Parker found herself climbing out of bed quickly. She pulled on leggings and a baggy sweatshirt before she called an Uber. Tip toeing through her apartment, she was glad Landry was no longer there. If he had, she wouldn’t be surprised if he was up ‘getting ready to go to the hospital’ as this time. She rolled her eyes at this thought before slipping a pair of shoes on and hurriedly leaving her building.

The ride was short without the normal traffic of the busy city. 2:45 was an excellent time to drive through Boston, Parker thought as she stared out the window at the lights flying by. The towering buildings were a dramatic change from her Midwest home, and she loved it. She was meant to be here; she could feel it deep within her.

Once at Ethan’s apartment, she thanked her driver and tipped her generously for driving her at such an awful time. Parker than moved towards the familiar building, pressing his apartment number praying the buzzing would wake him up. After a bit with no response, she repeatedly hit the button over and over (she knew this would annoy him awake).

“I swear if this is a prank I will call the cops,” she heard Ethan’s familiar voice crackled angrily through the intercom, Jenner barking in the background.

Quickly, she hit the speak button and said urgently, “Ethan! It’s Parker! I need to talk to you, now!”

“Parker?” He sounded confused, and tired.

Before she could reply, she heard the lock click. She didn’t waste any time getting into the building, hitting the number for his floor. The elevator shot up, brining her closer to a sleepy (and more than likely pissed) Ethan Ramsey. When she was outside his door, she hesitated. Was she really going to barge into Ethan’s apartment and demand to know why he’s calling Molly, Rookie? This was crazy! She was crazy! She should just go home, and if Ethan asks her just deny, deny, deny. She could convince him it was a dream, right? Ugh, who was she kidding. Ethan’s too smart to fall for that plan, she thought. Instead, she stood at the door; petrified as she lifted her hand and knocked gently against the wood.

Ethan had never been a heavy sleeper, so when he heard his buzzer go off the first time he thought it had been someone hitting the wrong number. After it keep going incessantly and Jenner started barking, he forced himself out of his light sleep to scare the kids ringing his buzzer shitless. He had been more than surprised to hear Parker’s voice and quickly let her into the building, assuming that something had happened. He couldn’t think of another reason as to why she’d come 3 am. He swung the door open, preparing for the worst, but was surprised to see her completely fine.

“Parker, what’s wrong?”

Hearing his voice, heavy and low with sleep she lost her train of thought. All she could think about was how she had woken up to that voice before. How he kept her in bed as long as possible, knowing that when they left her room it’d be over. She just hadn’t expected him to replace her so quickly.

“Did I mean nothing to you?” she whispered, barely audibly. Tears threatened to stream, but she refused to cry in front of him. She already felt like a child compared to him, if she cried in front of him it would be the icing on the cake. But Ethan could easily see through her, so he opened the door wider to let her in. He wouldn’t let her cry in the hallway.

As she crossed into his space, Ethan’s brows furrowed in confusion, “What are you talking about?”

“Rookie.”

Ethan’s face flushed. “You heard that?”

Radio silence. Neither knew what to say to make this situation better. There was an invisible wall between the two and neither were quite sure how to take it down. Parker had tried that first night at Donahue’s when she kissed him, only to receive the nicest rejection she had ever gotten. She had hoped that seeing her and kissing her again would remind him of what they had before he vanished. Unfortunately, he had a much better resolve than her. So now she didn’t know what to do. She had no backup plan on how to win him back over.

“If you weren’t interested in me, you could have just told me…if you just wanted someone prettier you could have just said, you didn’t need to string me along for two months and then flirt with another girl in front of me to make that point.”

“I wasn’t flirting with her Parker. Christ.” He ran his hands through his bed head. How had she gotten that from one conversation with an intern whose name he couldn’t even remember? Did she really think that he’d try to get with an intern when he just told her that they need to keep a professional relationship? Did she really think that low of him?

He locked eyes with her. “I didn’t know her name and couldn’t be bothered to ask.”

Parker looked back at him, begging his deep ocean eyes to tell her the truth. She saw that he was actually hurt that she had thought he was flirting with another intern. She felt stupid for jumping to conclusions, but it had hurt to hear him call another person ‘Rookie’. If he was looking for a sure way to drive her crazy, he found it without even trying.

“I…I guess I had always thought I was your Rookie. I didn’t think you’d drop it as soon as you got back…”

“Parker,” he said gently, “You’re not a Rookie anymore. You’re a skilled doctor who earned her way onto the nation’s top diagnostics team. I assumed you wouldn’t want me calling you that anymore.”

He was right, as usual. Anyone else listening in would probably find the nickname degrading, not endearing like she did. She couldn’t fight his rationale behind the name change, so instead she looked down at her feet like a child caught stealing a cookie. Ethan looked at her small frame, finally analyzing her. She seemed a little off than what he had remembered her being two months ago. She seemed a little duller, not as wide-eyed and hopeful as she did when she first walked through Edenbrook. He hated that she lost her sparkle under his watch; he had no one to blame but himself.

Parker made her way to the floor to ceiling windows, looking out over the bay as she crossed her arms protectively in front of her. She was putting up a barricade around herself, hoping to ease the pain. If the wall between them wasn’t coming down, she’d simply put one around herself to stop her from trying to scale or break it down to get to him. “You still have the best view in all of Boston.”

“I’ve learned to appreciate it more,” Ethan said with a sad smile, thinking about how Parker had pointed the view out to him the first night they were together. That felt so long ago. He studied her shrunken frame. She looked at home in his space. He loved that, but he knew he shouldn’t get used to it.

Ethan heard her let out a small yawn, reminding himself of the time. “Why do you get a little rest before your shift. You take my bed; I’ll take the couch.”

At the offer, Parker turned back to look at him. “Oh, you don’t need to do that. I’m fine on the couch.”

“Nope. My house, my rules.” He insisted, as he lead her into his bedroom. He made quick work ordering Parker to take off her shoes and get in the bed. Once she was laying down, he pulled the covers up around her.

Parker let out a yawn as she looked up at Ethan sleepily. “Thank you.”

“You’re always welcome here Parker.”

As she closed her eyes and flipped onto her stomach, Ethan couldn’t stop his heart from going wild. Seeing Parker Kennedy back in his bed made him wish that he could wake up to this view every day. He wanted nothing more than to climb into bed next to her and pull her into his chest, whispering sweet nothings as she drifted off. Fuck, he had never been a romantic before she came barging into his life. He hated that she did this to him, but loved it just the same. Fighting every urge in his body to get into the bed, he walked out to the living room and sat down on the couch. Flicking on the lamp, he slid his glasses on and began to read a new medical journal as Jenner slept happily at his feet.

***

The morning had been weird for Parker and Ethan, but they maneuvered it as gracefully as they could…like a baby giraffe learning how to walk. They stumbled around kitchen making coffee and toast. He even offered to give her a ride to the hospital. As they walked in, they saw Baz walking in as well, so Ethan (ever so smooth) made the comment that ‘He and Dr. Kennedy had met early to discuss her role on the team’. Parker couldn’t help but smile at this as she went off to find Esme and start the day.

Late in the afternoon at the nurse’s station, Parker caught a glimpse of Dr. Ramsey talking to Molly again. Her stomach flipped and she tried not to listen in to the conversation…but she really couldn’t help herself.

“Dr. Addison, I expect the results on my desk by 6. And your patient better not be dead.” He said sternly, leaving Molly with a shocked look on her face.

As Dr. Ramsey stormed off, he met Parker with a soft smile. He may not call her Rookie at work, but he knew he couldn’t call anybody else her nickname.

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husbandits · 5 years

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Hey! Not sure if you made one but can I ask for head cannons for Arthur Morgan (or any of the cowboys really) on their wedding day? I don’t see very much of these and I just love the idea of the boys being happy! 😳

thanks for sending this! I rlly enjoyed writing this, i think leaving most of the character spots empty was rlly fun, i like working with rarer characters!

i’m just now realizing you were asking for happy chars, and like i wrote arthur as more nervous/frazzled but that’s what i feel is accurate

female reader!

Arthur

this man is alll jitters

he’s frankly a bit of a mess leading up to the wedding

engagements are very much not his thing, alright?

but mostly he can push past that by focusing on doing chores, distracting himself

and you can come over and remind him, when he gets a little too lost in his head, of how much you love him, how excited you are to be his wife

that this is real, it’s happening

on the day of, however?

dutch got it in his head that this needs to be something of a ‘proper wedding’, with a cake and flowers and the whole tradition

which means he can’t see you until the ceremony

and he can’t get himself dirty lifting hay bales or going hunting

he just has to sit there, letting susan clean him up and getting himself dressed

he has to wait, and stew in his anxiety

despite the very rational side telling him otherwise, he can’t help but think that you’re desperately trying to find a last-minute way out of this

that you’re going to leave, coming to your senses at the last moment and realizing what a mistake it would be to marry a fool like him

he thinks so little of himself, sees himself as such a hopeless brute, there’s no way you could really want him

even if it’s very much the opposite for you, even if you tell him just about every chance he gets

so when it’s time for the wedding itself, he’s more than a little nervous

despite himself, he finds the ceremony charming. he’s a bit of a hopeless romantic, so the flowers and decorations all look wonderful

still, he’s worried about how much of this is you bending to his wants, because he’s not exactly subtle that he wants a wedding so. damn. bad

but he forces himself to stay put, wait this out

and then, as he’s waiting for hosea to come lead you down the line of chairs and crates they have set up as seating, something in him calms

it’s hard to explain, but it’s like it all clicks into place for him

you’re here

you want this

you’re ready, just as much as he is

he gives a small sigh, shoulders relaxing, and then you appear from behind the young tree branches someone’s bent into an arch

you’re beautiful, dressed up perfectly in the closest thing to a white dress you could get your hands on

you give him a warm smile and he just melts into place

Kieran

surprisingly he’s very lax when it comes to the idea of weddings

you want something big and fancy? he can do that, even if means waiting a bit

you want it to be something small and personal, little more than just the two of you? he’s fine with that too

the only things he really needs are that it’s a wedding, and you’re there

the rest is just window dressing to him

that being said, getting him ready for a wedding is a bit of a hassle

you send him into town with charles and arthur, to get a bath and get himself ready for the ceremony

you hang back in camp, taking a day off with karen and mary-beth and abigail, just enjoying yourself while you let them play around with putting up your hair

you go to molly for help with your make-up, after you’ve put on the nicest dress you own

everything feels… jittery, but welcoming

like the few seconds between the crack of thunder and the first droplets of rain

dutch is charged with keeping the Reverend at least a little sober, and there’s not really much more you want, in the way of ceremony

and then before you know it, the boys are coming back from town,

there’s a flush to kieran’s cheeks, excitement and pride and perhaps just a bit of alcohol

but he’s there, and you’re there, and that makes it perfect

Simon

okay so little known fact about simon

he is 100% a worrywort and will start fussing if things are even a little out-of-plan

like he's the guy on vacation that has to have things planned down to the rest stops

so he's pacing the entire time waiting for the ceremony

asking people to check on the food, the cake, the altar, the decorations

asking if you're okay to go, really, wanting to go out and look for himself

he might just slip off to go check on things if he can, take care of something himself

simon's a man of ritual, i feel like he'd definitely want a 'real' wedding with all of the bells and whistles

probably the closest to wanting what we in the modern age would want, given that he grew up in something of a high society (i think??)

so he wants something big, official

he also has a history of being taken advantage of in situations like this

personally i see his first wife/fiancee as a very quick/ thing, with dutch offering to take care of the problem and ensure that the wedding doesn't count, legally

and maybe dipping into his funds a little? idk

so he doesn't really trust all that well, at least with 'official' things like this

you've definitely been dating a few years before he'll ask, and it'll definitely be something planned, something he's deliberated over for a while

it feels almost… overdue, when he asks, like you should've done this a long time ago

so on the day of, he's more stressed than nervous

everything will work out, he just has to have everything perfect

i'm assuming this takes place a little bit after the gang falls apart, the two of you heading off to live in rhodes together, a somewhat cramped apartment above the store

so the ceremony is smaller, more personal, with only a few friends the two of you have gotten close to in town

you can hear him bullying someone about the flowers from where you're getting ready, letting one of the girls from town put your hair together

there's something reassuring about it you can't trace

and when it comes time to go down the aisle, everything looks perfect, the decorations are pristine, the flowers are bright and cheerful

you're alone, without anyone to guide you down the aisle, and it's a little sad that there's no one from your former life to see you through it

but there's something almost freeing about it too

this is a new start for you both, and you're going to go through it together

Mary-Beth

mary-beth is a bit of a romantic at heart, in my eyes

she doesn't need a big ceremony, or any overly fancy

she just takes you and swanson out to a scenic spot under a very big, old magnolia tree, deep in the woods

(we're ignoring the fact that he probably wouldn't be nice about the two of you because fiction can be catharsis and all that)

tilly and karen are there as witnesses, bridesmaids, and hosea offers to lead you through the wood in place of your father

it's quiet and scenic; something you'll think about for the rest of your life

she has her vows planned out, flowery poetry and gushing prose

next to it yours feel a little overdone and stiff, but you say them anyway

she's sweet and honest and perfect and even if you're not 'really' married you'll love her until the day you die

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dreville · 8 years

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Nobody

This is for the March trope challenge issued by the @hprarepairnet and the @slytherdornet. The pairing is Draco and Neville, the trope is Nobody Thinks it Will Work. Fanfic, 6k words, general audience. This is chapter 6 of ?. Previous chapter is HERE.

Not sure how this chapter became 6k words, but apparently Draco had a lot of stuff to do before getting to the part with the trope, and then wouldn’t let me delete any of it. Stubborn boy.

Putting it after the jump because it’s so frickin long.

As soon as Draco and Cass returned from lunch with Harry Potter, Draco went straight for the family photo albums to look up Regulus Black. Draco was forever grateful to Harry for telling him about Regulus. For sure he had enjoyed hearing about Sirius. But as Harry predicted, Draco felt an immediate kinship to Regulus. He’d shown much courage, which he had in common with his Gryffindor brother. But he’d also demonstrated great cunning in how he had deceived the Dark Lord, which was pure Slytherin. Draco was bursting with pride.

Draco had asked Cass to come along with him to meet Harry for lunch, feeling too awkward to meet with his former enemy alone. Cass readily agreed – Americans were just as familiar with the Boy Who Lived as they were with Voldemort. Draco regretted bringing her when she immediately started gushing at Harry the moment they sat down. Harry gushed back about her brother, he and Ron being big fans of the American national quidditch team. Eventually, to Draco’s relief, the subject turned to Sirius, and then to Regulus. Hearing about the two of them went a long way towards making Draco feel he wasn’t the only oddball in the family.

Draco stared down at a picture of Regulus he’d found, his relative glowering imperiously up at him. He took it out of the album with the intent of putting it up in his room. He didn’t bother to try and find a picture of Sirius, he knew there wouldn’t be one. Harry had promised to find him one and send it to him. He also promised to take Draco to Grimmauld place and introduce him to Kreacher. Draco was practically vibrating with anticipation. He never would have thought he’d look forward to meeting a house elf, but he was the only link left to this amazing relative of his and he had so many questions.

Cass looked at the picture over Draco’s shoulder. “Are you going to tell your parents what you found out about him?”

Draco shook his head. “I don’t want them to ruin this for me.”

“Well, then, I won’t say anything either. We’ll just pretend we only discussed Sirius.” She gave him a kiss on the cheek and then ran up to her room.

Draco smiled at Cass as she left, and made his way to his own room. He’d been really relieved to learn that, despite being pure-blood, she wasn’t bigoted towards wizards who weren’t. In fact, she had a huge crush on a muggle-born at her school who apparently didn’t know she was alive. After this confession, she’d spent the rest of the evening urging Draco to promise not to make good on his threat to slip the boy some amortentia in potions class in the coming term.

Speaking of potions class, Draco decided he should probably spend tonight reading the textbooks that Professor Copple had assigned to him. He chuckled to himself as he remembered the owl he’d gotten earlier in the week with a long list of books the potions master demanded he read before start of term. Draco had been indignant that he was being assigned homework, but realized it made sense. He is supposed to be an apprentice, the point of which is to learn. And it was important to get a good idea of how different potion-making is in America, so he wouldn’t do something foolish when he got there.

The list had been why Draco went to Diagon Alley with Cass the other day. While she was dress robes shopping, he’d gone to Flourish and Blotts to get the books. Since a few of them were American-published, he’d had to place a special order. They arrived at the Manor while he was out to lunch with Harry.

Draco went over to his favorite window seat and cracked open the first book. But after a few minutes he realized he hadn’t read a word. He kept thinking of Neville, wishing he could be seeing him tonight. But Neville had promised his grandmother to see the muggle play, having switched the day so he could go with Draco to the quidditch match last night.

Draco leaned his head back and gazed out the window. Last night had been amazing. The way Neville had made him feel all night, with his words, his glances, his kisses. Draco still couldn’t get over that Neville had taken him to the Burrow. The reason he’d done so was incredibly sweet. Neville wanted Draco to have a second chance. But what made it all the more amazing was how much Neville must have trusted Draco to take him to see these people who are like a second family to him. Draco had been so bloody awful to him and his friends at Hogwarts, Neville had no reason to trust that Draco had changed, that he wouldn’t be unpleasant to the Weasleys as he had been in the past. To his Slytherin way of thinking, such trust was foolish. Reckless, even. All Draco had done was smile and give him a compliment, and that was enough for Neville to decide to court him. Typical Gryffindor playing fast and loose with his heart like that. And Draco adored him for it.

Courtship. Blaise had never used such a word with Draco. He’d barely called what they had done dating. Whenever Draco introduced him as his boyfriend, Blaise would roll his eyes. He’d smile slightly to soften the impact, but Draco could tell he found such sentimentality beneath him. Draco imagined what Neville’s reaction would be under similar circumstances. “This is my boyfriend, Neville.” Neville would probably smile shyly and give Draco an affectionate glance, squeezing his hand tighter. Because they would be holding hands. Always holding hands, like they had last night. Blaise never liked to hold hands, he complained it made his hand sweaty. Sometimes he’d let Draco link their arms as they walked, but that wouldn’t always last because Blaise had longer legs and would usually end up striding ahead of Draco.

Draco shoved the book on the floor. One night with Neville…sweet, chivalrous Neville…and he was now realizing how much had been missing in his relationship with Blaise. They’d had great times together, and it wasn’t like Blaise was a jerk to him. He probably did love him in his own way. He just couldn’t or wouldn’t give Draco the affection and romance that he craved. Draco wondered if he had some sort of father complex. Lucius was also non-demonstrative. His mother made up for it, but it still hurt that his father never hugged him, or showed concern when he was hurt (like that time he crashed playing quidditch at school). Draco found himself wondering if Blaise and his father really were that cold, or if somehow Draco didn’t inspire affection because he never lived up to their expectations.

Draco shook his head. No. He’d learned last night that it didn’t work that way. Neville had shown him plenty of affection, and Draco had done nothing to earn it except to show affection in return. And Draco was quite certain he hadn’t earned the exotic flower that Neville gave him after he kissed him goodbye at the end of the evening. Draco glanced over at it, sitting on his nightstand. It was white and elegant, and Neville said it reminded him of Draco.

Draco was startled to hear a tapping on his window. It was an owl. With a feeling of déjà vu, he wondered if it was Neville’s owl. He reached his hand towards the window, and then froze - a sudden thought seized him that Neville was cancelling their date for tomorrow night. He’d invited Draco to his flat for dinner, but now maybe he’s had second thoughts. Draco wondered if one or more of the Weasleys had gotten in touch with Neville today and convinced him not to go through with this courtship. Draco shook himself out of negative thoughts and cranked open the window. After all, Harry had kept their lunch date. So at least one of Neville’s friends was okay with him.

The owl offered its leg and Draco took the parchment. He unrolled it and saw that it was from Molly Weasley.

“Dear Draco, we were so pleased that you and Neville could make it to our little celebration last night. It was good to get to know you a bit and Neville seemed really happy with you, which makes us happy.

I am writing because next week is both Neville and Harry’s birthday – July 31. They will be 20 years old, and we’ve been planning a surprise party for the two of them. We’re having all of their friends over and we would love for you to join us. Just make sure that you don’t let on to Neville. His grandmother will bring him to the party right after they visit his parents – she will pretend like she’s apparating them to her home for cake, but instead it will be to the Burrow. I’m so excited, I love surprise parties. Let me know if you can come and I will send you the details. –Molly Weasley”

Draco stared down at the invitation. Far from his worried prediction, the Weasleys weren’t warning Neville away from him. They were actually inviting him back to the Burrow. A smile of relief spread across his face. But then it faded. All of their friends….so, a much bigger party than the one last night. And all people who had been at Hogwarts at the same time as Draco, who had known him or at least his reputation. Panic coiled through him at the thought of so many unfriendly faces. Not as big an occasion as the Restoration Ball, but certainly a much bigger test of his courage than the Weasleys had been.

He knew Neville would want him to be there, and would see it as another opportunity for reconciliation with his peers. Draco stood up and paced around the room, ignoring the owl waiting patiently on the window ledge for a reply. What if it was a disaster, and everyone continued to think he was a foul git even after hearing that he’d repented of his ways? He couldn’t blame them. If the roles were reversed, he’d not feel charitable either. The Weasleys seemed to accept him, but he’d learned last night that they were an extremely kind-hearted family.

Draco took several deep breaths and tried to get perspective. Okay. What was the worst that could happen? Everyone shuns him. He gets hexed. Maybe hexes a few back. Neville would realize he’d been stupid to put his faith in Draco. The courtship would be over and Draco would continue his plans to go to America permanently. He would be disappointed. So disappointed. But he’d have the memory of a week spent with a beautiful young man.

Okay, he could do this. He would do this for Neville. Draco exhaled, and with trembling fingers he wrote a response to Mrs. Weasley that he would be there, and wouldn’t give away the surprise to Neville. Draco watched as the owl flew off, feeling trepidatious, but also proud of himself for his courage. He looked over at the picture of Regulus that he’d propped up on his nightstand. He wasn’t sure, but he thought that the figure slightly nodded in approval.

The next afternoon, Draco and Cass were going through his wardrobe trying to figure out what he could wear to dinner at Neville’s flat. There was one shirt that Cass really wanted him to wear, that he insisted didn’t fit him well anymore. He wasn’t sure why he still had it. He’d bought it shortly after coming back from China when he was still gaunt from his ordeal. But he’d filled out some since then and the shirt was now too tight across his chest. Cass said that was exactly why she liked it. He laughed involuntarily. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for a second date, Cass. Especially since we’re spending the whole evening alone. What would he think?”

Cass rolled her eyes. “You are so old-fashioned!”

Draco smiled warmly. “Yes, I am. And so is he.” He started to throw the shirt in the bin, but then hesitated. Well…there may come a time... He hung it back up. As he was reaching for another shirt, he heard a tap on the window. For once he wasn’t startled. He’d been getting more and more owls. There had been a reply last night from Mrs. Weasley with details about the birthday party. There’d been another from Professor Copple with a list of ingredients he wanted Draco to bring with him to Ilvermorny. He’d explained in the note that he was curious to try some potions that he normally couldn’t make because the ingredients were not generally available in America. He’d also gotten an owl from Harry earlier with a suggested time next week that they could go to Grimmauld place.

Draco wondered who it could be this time, and when he opened the window he saw it was Neville’s owl. He eagerly unfurled the parchment. Disappointment coursed through him as he read the words. Cass saw the expression on his face. “Draco, what’s wrong?” Wordlessly, he handed her the parchment. She read it aloud. “Dear Draco, I am so sorry that I have to cancel our plans for tonight. We’ve been informed of a group of dark wizards planning mischief on a small muggle town in Scotland, and we have to go up immediately to find them and stop their plans. I don’t know how long we’ll be, but it is likely to take several days. Never have I been more unhappy with this job, now that it is taking time away from you. I’m afraid I won’t be able to keep in touch while I’m away, as we don’t want to attract attention to ourselves. But I’ll let you know when I’ve returned. Regards -Neville.” Cass looked up, her face crumpling in sympathy. “Oh, Draco! You must be crushed.”

He was crushed. “I was hoping to have at least a couple more dates with him before his birthday. You know, in case everything goes south at the party.”

Cass hugged him. “It will be fine, Draco! You’ll do just fine at the party. And you and Neville will have plenty of dates before term starts. Including the Restoration Ball.” Her eyes sparkled. “That reminds me, we need to go back to Madam Malkin’s to get you fitted for dress robes. Let’s go tomorrow!”

Draco shook his head. “No, I don’t want to get them, yet. What if things don’t work out between us before the ball?”

“You’ll need them anyway for the Crystal Ball in a few months.”

He shook his head, again. “I don’t think it’s required for apprentices to attend.”

Cass tugged at his arm. “But I want you to attend! I want to dance with my handsome cousin and make all my friends jealous. By the time of the ball, they will all have an enormous crush on the new potions apprentice.”

Draco narrowed his eyes at her. “Oh, it’s your friends you want to make jealous? Sure, Cass.”

She wrinkled her nose at him. “Well, it’s a safer plan that poisoning someone with amortentia!”

“Maybe, but not as effective.” She gave him a shove. “Okay, fine! I’ll get the dress robes. I have to go to Diagon Alley anyway to get this list of ingredients that Professor Copple asked for.” Cass hugged Draco, and he was appreciative, knowing that she was trying to make him feel better about his cancelled date.

An ugly little part of Draco’s subconscious wondered if Neville was lying about the reason for cancelling the date, just using it as a convenient excuse to avoid Draco because he regretted the promise of courtship. Logic told him that Neville would never do something like that, but self-doubt could be a powerful influence. This particular fear was put to rest the next day at Diagon Alley. Cass wanted to go into Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes, and while they were there, George came up to Draco and chatted about the birthday party plans. He said that Mrs. Weasley was really worried that they’d have to postpone if Ron, Harry, and Neville didn’t get back from Scotland in time. George joked that he was tempted to go find the dark wizards himself if only to shut up his mother. Draco felt foolish when he heard these words, wondering why he continued to let his insecurities plague him. If only he could see Neville, look into his eyes and let the doubts melt away.

The next few days were uneventful, with Draco reading through the potions material and spending time with Cass. She was set to go back to America a couple days after the surprise party. Despite her attempts to distract him, the hours stretched out interminably, and his worry grew and grew. What if something happened to Neville? Draco kept telling himself that Neville, Ron, and Harry had faced more formidable foes. But he knew they weren’t infallible. The worry was reminding Draco of the war, how ever-present and suffocating the danger had been, how you couldn’t take anything for granted because your life might be taken from you in an instant. His fears about the party began to feel trivial, small. So what if these people hated him? They weren’t trying to kill him.

The night of July 30th, when Draco was on the verge of sleep, he heard a tapping at his window. He bolted out of bed and raced to the window. It was Neville’s owl.

“Dear Draco, I hope you’ll forgive me for abandoning you nearly a week. I wish I could write more, but I am exhausted and will probably fall asleep as soon as Squeak takes flight to send you this. Just know I am home and safe and I will write you tomorrow. Regards -Neville.”

Relief coursing through him, Draco regarded the owl. “Your name is Squeak, eh?” The bird gazed back for a moment, and then responded with a squeak. Draco giggled and then went to his desk to write a response. “Dear Neville, I am glad you are safe, and of course I forgive you. I can’t say the same for the idiot wizards who took you away from me. I look forward to hearing from you once you’ve gotten some rest. Take care -Draco.” He gave the note to Squeak and then went back to bed, leaving the window open so he could listen to the noises of the night, drifting into a deeper sleep than he’d had for days.

Draco woke up the next morning to a high pitched squeak. He opened his eyes and saw Squeak sitting on his night stand. Sleepily he read the accompanying note. “Dear Draco, as it happens, today is my birthday. I have to go into the Ministry to wrap up our mission with dreaded paperwork. I’ll be going to visit my parents and then promised Gran I’d have some cake at her house. I was wondering if maybe we could meet up afterward? I really want to see you. -Neville” Draco wrote a quick response saying he would love to. He smiled conspiratorially, realizing that Neville still had no idea about the party. For the first time he was actually looking forward to it, just to see the look on Neville’s face when he appears at the Burrow.

After breakfast, Draco dragged Cass upstairs to his wardrobe. “Okay, here’s the deal. Obviously I want to look good for Neville. But it’s not just him. I need to make a good impression on all his friends from Hogwarts.”

Cass gazed at him, her eyebrows raised. “You mean those people who hated you with the intensity of a thousand suns?”

“Yep, same people. So, which of my clothes says, ‘I am a nice guy now, give me a chance’?”

She stared at his wardrobe. “Hmmm, to be honest, Draco, I don’t think that any of this would work. You look really, really sharp in your suits, which is great when you want to give that impression. But suits aren’t very approachable, just the opposite. You need something more casual, more relaxed. And maybe not something all black.”

Draco snapped his fingers. “T-shirt and jeans! Neville was joking during our date that I would look elegant even in a t-shirt and jeans.”

Cass nodded. “Yes, a t-shirt and jeans would be perfect. I didn’t know you owned any.”

Draco looked crestfallen. “I don’t.”

Cass chuckled. “Well, I guess we have some shopping to do. Except not at Diagon Alley. We need to go to no-maj shops.”

“No what?”

“It’s what we Americans call muggles. They have the best style when it comes to wearing something other than wizard robes.”

Draco looked apprehensive. “I don’t know if I’ve ever been to a muggle shop. But it’s worth a try.”

Hours later, when Draco arrived at the Burrow, he saw that there was a huge tent set up in the yard. Clearly there were going to be many more people than would fit into the house. He swallowed hard and approached it. He could see that it was already about half filled with people. He could hear music and laughter and chatter as he drew closer. He skirted around the edge, hoping to find one of the Weasleys. That was a surreal thought, he’d certainly never sought one out before. He did eventually spot one, but it was Ron. Draco silently cursed. He’d managed to avoid Ron when he was at the Burrow last time.

Ron walked over to him, his eyes narrowed. Draco blinked as he saw what looked like scorch marks on Ron’s face, clearly left by a curse. It was a superficial wound, one that would heal quickly, but seeing such a mark on Ron made Draco’s blood run cold. Ron opened his mouth to say something, but Draco suddenly blurted, “Is Neville okay?”

Ron’s head snapped back. “What?”

Draco pointed to his face. “You’ve been in a duel. That means those dark wizards fought back. Neville said in his note that he was safe, but he didn’t mention getting hurt.” His voice was tight with fear.

Ron blinked at him. “No, no, Neville’s fine. Not a scratch. I’m the only one who took the brunt of it.”

Draco exhaled in relief. “Good. That’s good. Not good that you got hurt, but good that Neville’s okay. Look, do you know when he’s going to get here?”

Ron shrugged. “His Gran said it varies when it comes to visiting his parents. Could take half an hour. Could be two hours. You’ll just have to be patient.”

“Not my strong suit,” Draco ground out.

Ron huffed, but gave a half smile. “There’s, uh, a punch bowl set up over there if you’re thirsty. I have to go help bring out some more pumpkin pasties.”

Draco nodded, and Ron gave a short nod back, his expression speculative as he turned towards the house. Draco continued to edge around the perimeter of the tent, not really wanting to actually step inside and be seen by people. He saw the punch bowl situated in a corner of the tent and went to pour a glass. He went and stood by one of the tent poles, facing away from the interior.

He heard a voice behind him say, “Hannah? Hannah Abbot?”

“Pavarti! Hi! Oh wow, it’s been years since I’ve seen you.”

“I know! Not since the DA meetings. Merlin, that was our 5th year. I guess with the war and everything we lost touch. But you must have kept up with either Harry or Neville, since you’re here for the party.”

“Yeah, Neville and I have lunch together sometimes. I work at the Ministry, too.”

“Oh really? How is he?”

“Well, I haven’t seen him in several weeks. He tends to be away a lot in his job as Auror. I’m dying to catch up with him tonight to find out if the rumors are true.”

“What rumors?”

“One of my coworkers said he was spotted at the Puddlemere game holding hands with none other than Draco Malfoy.”

“What? Are you serious? Neville and Malfoy? That makes no sense at all. We both know how Neville feels about dark wizards. And why would Malfoy be interested in him? He was always so hateful to Neville, from the very beginning of school. I still remember that first flying lesson, it made my blood boil...”

“I know! It’s bonkers, isn’t it? And everyone in the office is shocked that an Auror would date a known death eater. I mean, Malfoy and his parents were pardoned, but still! Nobody thinks it can possibly work out between those two. Not if Neville wants to keep his career as an Auror.”

The voices of the two girls faded as they walked away from where Draco was standing. He squeezed his eyes shut as he took in this awful news. Did Neville realize that dating Draco was career suicide? Draco opened his eyes again and jumped slightly when he saw a girl standing next to him gazing up with a placid expression. She had long, light blonde hair, and gray eyes. She looked familiar, but he couldn’t place where he’d seen her before.

“She’s right, you know.” Her voice was high and musical. “Nobody thinks it will work out with you and Neville.”

He stared down at her, amazed at her directness. “Who are you?”

She smiled dreamily. “I’m nobody.”

He frowned. “What?”

“That’s what people used to say to me at Hogwarts when I tried to make friends with them. ‘You’re just a nobody.’ And then they would walk away laughing.”

He realized then that she’d been making an odd little joke. He relaxed slightly as she continued, “It’s actually a better nickname than the other one they gave me. Loony. That one’s making fun of my real name, you see, and it hurts because I like my real name.”

Draco really didn’t know what to make of this girl. “And what is your real name?”

Her smile widened. “Luna. Luna Lovegood.”

Draco blinked. “That’s a very pretty name. I can see why you wouldn’t like them twisting it up.”

Luna cocked her head. “You’re quite different than you used to be. We never interacted, but you seemed like the type who would have been just as likely to twist up my name as the others.”

He smiled sheepishly. “It is the sort of thing I would have done, yes. But not anymore. Are you sure we didn’t meet before, because you look familiar.”

“I was in Dumbledore’s Army, and you were quite keen to catch us in the act. I’m pretty sure you followed me once.”

Draco’s cheeks reddened. “Oh. Right.”

“Hannah and Pavarti were also in Dumbledore’s Army. I had fun with them, learning how to defend against dark spells. But once you and your squad broke up our meetings, they never seemed interested in spending any more time with me. I went back to being nobody.”

“And nobody thinks it will work out with me and Neville?”

She smiled and winked. “Exactly! Cheers.” She held up the glass of punch she’d been holding and after a brief hesitation he held his up and clinked it against hers.

As he sipped his punch, he felt the dread leaving him, replaced by an unexplained warmth. He cleared his throat. “Well, obviously you aren’t a nobody or else you wouldn’t have been invited to this party. You must be friends with either Harry or Neville.”

She smiled. “Both, actually. Although sometimes I think neither of them are sure how to act around me.” She leaned in and whispered, “I’m a bit of an oddball.”

Draco grinned. “I like oddballs. I’ve learned to admire people who don’t behave in the way that’s expected of them.”

“If that’s true, you should subscribe to the Quibbler. It’s my father’s newspaper, and I can guarantee that it will always contain the unexpected.”

Draco laughed. “I will absolutely do that.”

The music turned off and a hush fell over the crowd as Mrs. Weasley’s voice boomed out from the wand at her throat. “Okay everyone, we’re not sure yet when Neville will get here, but Ginny’s on her way with Harry. We’ll all yell surprise when he gets here, and then we’ll just do it again later for Neville. Now, I’m going to dim the lights. They should apparate right in front of the tent and I’ll turn the lights back on and that’s your cue!”

The lights dimmed, and everyone stood in the dark, whispering and giggling. There was a soft whoosh, and Ginny and Harry suddenly blinked into view a few feet from the tent. The lights went back up and everyone yelled, “Surprise!!!”

Harry looked gobsmacked, then thrilled. He started walking towards the tent. Limping, more like. Draco, who had been laughing along with everyone else, suddenly felt cold. Harry was limping! Clearly he’d been hurt while they were in Scotland. Draco saw that Harry was approaching Ron and Hermione, who embraced him as he came into the tent. Draco went up to them as they were laughing and talking, and he grabbed Ron’s arm. “You told me you were the only one hurt when those dark wizards attacked you! But I can see that Harry’s limping! Tell me the truth! I need to know if Neville was hurt!” His expression was a mingle of fury and fighting to hold back tears.

Harry put his hand on Draco’s shoulder. “Whoa! Neville’s fine, Draco. I didn’t get hurt in Scotland. Ginny and I were visiting my parent’s grave in Godric’s Hollow and right before we disapparated, I tripped over an old gravestone and twisted my ankle a bit.”

Hermione laughed fondly. “Oh Harry, always the klutz.”

Draco flushed as he realized he was jumping to conclusions. “I…I’m sorry, Ron.”

Ron nodded. “It’s okay, mate. I see that you really care about Neville.” Draco lifted his shoulders sheepishly. “Yeah, well, he wouldn’t shut up about you the whole time we were in Scotland. I think the only reason I bum rushed that gang was so I wouldn’t have to hear about it anymore.”

Draco couldn’t contain the smile that leapt to his face hearing that Neville had been talking about him. “Um…I see. Well…uh...happy birthday, Potter.” He said the name in an exaggerated way, the way he used to address Harry.

“Thank you, Malfoy.” Harry’s eyes narrowed, like they used to, and then they both laughed.

As some of Harry’s friends approached to wish him a happy birthday, Draco found himself facing Ginny. She looked him up and down. “You look nice, Draco. Not as imposing without your black suit.”

Draco went a little pink. “That was the idea. My cousin Cass helped me.” She hadn’t been able to convince him to wear something bright and cheerful, but she’d at least steered him away from black. He was wearing all grey, to match his eyes. The t-shirt was a very soft material, and the denim trousers were a brand name that he’d never heard of, but Cass assured him the designer knew what he was doing to fit a man’s form. And boy did it ever. Draco had been a little embarrassed at the way both the t-shirt and jeans hugged his body, but Cass said that Neville would love it. She also agreed with Neville’s prediction that he would look elegant.

“Well, she has a good eye. Are you enjoying yourself so far?”

He nodded. “Actually, yes. I’ve been talking to Luna.”

Ginny smiled softly. ��Well, then. I guess any fears I had are put to rest. Luna is the most perceptive person I know. And if she likes you, then that means you really have changed.”

Warmth spread into Draco. So, apparently he’d passed some sort of test that he didn’t know he was taking.

Suddenly a ghostly figure appeared in front of the tent. It was the face of a rather imposing woman, and she said in a sonorous tone that Neville would be arriving shortly. Then the face winked out. Clearly that had been Neville’s grandmother warning them of their arrival. Mrs. Weasley dimmed the lights as before. Another soft whoosh, and Neville appeared with the old woman. The lights went up and everyone yelled “Surprise!!!”

Neville looked extremely confused, and then comprehension dawned. He laughed in delight and looked down at his grandmother, who was giving him a smug smile. He hugged her, and then turned to approach the tent. Draco couldn’t take his eyes off him. Neville was finally here. A whole week had passed since their date, and it had felt like months.

Draco suddenly felt shy, and retreated back to the punch bowl, watching as people came up to Neville to wish him a happy birthday. All these people knew Neville so much better than Draco. They’d earned their place in his world, he didn’t want to interfere and take focus away from them. Neville made his way to the center of the tent, chatting with his friends, his expression fond.

Draco noticed, though, that he seemed distracted. He’d pay attention on the people who were talking to him, but every so often his eyes would lift and scan the room for a moment before looking back at his friends. Draco wondered at first what he was looking for, but then realized the answer as soon as Neville’s eyes found and locked onto his. His expression became exultant and he shouted, “Draco!” The person who’d been talking to Neville - Draco saw it was Pavarti Patil - stopped mid-sentence, her eyes widening.

Not sure what to do, Draco smiled self-consciously and raised his hand and gave a little wave. Neville immediately started walking swiftly towards him. Draco flushed as people seemed to stop talking and turned to stare. When Neville stopped in front of him, though, everyone else seemed to melt away and Draco gave him the biggest smile he could muster. Neville looked him up and down, his expression briefly turning sultry as he took in what Draco was wearing, and then pulled Draco into a hug.

Neville whispered in his ear, “I’m so glad you’re here. I was looking around for you, but I honestly didn’t think you would show up with this many people here.”

Draco murmured back. “I knew that you’d want me here. So I came.”

Neville hugged him tighter. “Thank you. I hope you’ll forgive me for what I’m about to do, but I want it to be clear to all my friends what you are to me.” Before Draco could figure out what he meant, Neville pulled back slightly, but only far enough to tilt his head down and press his lips to Draco’s. Draco heard a few gasps, and a lot of murmuring, but he couldn’t be bothered to care what people thought. He knew in that moment that he would absolutely go with Neville to the Restoration Ball.

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