Chuckling, Pansy shook her head. "For someone of your tastes? No, Theo. But it will probably suit Blaise's just fine." Everyone knew Blaise was into dark lace and velvet, not leather and chains, like his roommate.
Nott dipped his head in acceptance. "That'll do, babe."
"I don't have a costume," Tracey admitted. "But, I dohave a rather striking dress that I'd wanted to wear to the last Yule Ball. I bought it, but traded out for something else at the last minute. I could wear that! It's elegant though, not naughty."
Daphne nodded her head. "I have a similar dress that I had intended to display at next week's Final Summer Formal, but have since exchanged the garment for a different inspiration. I believe it would be appropriate to display it for this occasion instead."
Draco eagerly rubbed his hands together. "Excellent! We'll just tell the Gryffindors tonight that their women have to dress well, too. That way, we're even on both sides. Problem solved." Believing the matter settled, he turned to leave.
"Nuh-uh-uh, Draco," Pansy stopped him. "We're not as even as you make it seem, sweet cakes. What about you men? Can we expect to see you play dress-up as well?"
Next to her, Tracey laughed. "Yes, if we're expected to look sexy, you're expected to look dandy, too."
Theo traded a look with his friends. "Dandy? Does anyone even usethat word anymore?"
Zabini threw him a sardonic grin. "I do when talking about you."
Nott gave him the two-fingered salute, which had them all snickering, even the normally placid and reserved Daphne.
"You know I'll look fabulous," Draco arrogantly boasted. "Sexy shirt, pressed slacks, polished shoes. I'll even make a concession from my preferred colour of choice for my wardrobe ensemble and be contrary in white, just for the occasion. Sound good to you, love?"
Pansy nodded, and looked at Nott next. He scratched the back of his head, ruffling his chestnut hair. "We're about the same size, so I'll just borrow something from Draco's wardrobe, since all I brought back with me from Easter break was my dress robes for next week's dance." He threw his friend a pleading look. "Good?"
Malfoy rolled his eyes. "Plebe."
"Wanker," Theo shot back. He was definitely, of the three, the more overt trouble-maker.
Blaise cleared his throat behind a polite fist. "I have a more than adequate dress shirt and trousers for the occasion. I won't disappoint, your Majesties." Pansy puffed up, putting on false airs. "Wonderful. See that you don't." She turned her nose into the air and made a shooing motion with one hand. "Run along now, boys. We'll see you three at dinner."
With light-hearted humour, the trio of wizards bowed to their troika Slytherin goddesses - as they should, Pansy thought - and left. When the door shut behind Theo's bum, the three women looked at each other and erupted into giggles.
This was definitely the type of therapy that Pansy had needed to get over Ron wanking Weasley's cruel taunting from earlier that morning. Being fawned over by three delicious, wicked men was definitely a boost to one's ego.
X~~~~~~~~~X
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry, Scotland Seventh Year's Herbology Classroom Friday, June 12, 1998 (afternoon)
Theo met with Professor Sprout for his final exam review immediately after lunch during Herbology class. He spent a good ten minutes discussing her recommendationsshe highly encouraged him to wizarding university to further study the particulars of magical and non-magical plants, as his knowledge of the subject, she'd claimed, was exemplary–and then took his seat next to Draco and Blaise.
Lounging back on his elbows in his chair against the empty desk behind him, he considered this afternoon's impromptu meeting with the girls in the loo again. "Hey," he hedged, getting the attention of his two friends. "What do you think of Daphne?"
Draco smirked. "She'll eat you alive." Blaise's answer was to shrug in a noncommittal gesture that told Theo nothing.
"You've shagged her?" he dared to ask his friend, feeling an odd jealousy ping about his ribcage at the thought.
"No."
Usually, Zabini was tight-lipped about what he did behind closed doors, finding it impolite to brag, so when he actually committed to saying that he didn't do something, you could trust he was telling the truth.
"You want to shag her, though?" he pressed the issue, wanting to be crystal clear where the guy stood concerning the girl. He and Blaise had been awkward around each other since third year, and he didn't want to upset their recovered friendship by pursuing the same witch as his roommate.
Blaise shook his head again, making it clear that he had no feelings whatsoever for the witch in question.
"Good." At least that much was settled. Now Theo could pursue Greengrass without any regrets. He kicked a foot against the desk in front of him. "Wonder who she's taking to the formal?"
"Entwhistle," Draco replied, always seeming to know the newest gossip around the castle without any obvious sources.
He pulled a face. "Why would she want to go with a tosser like him?"
Chuckling, Malfoy shook his head. "Because that 'tosser' is intelligent enough to have a decent conversation without it devolving into sexual innuendo." Theo pondered that for a bit. "Hell, I could give her stimulating dialogue after, if she wants. I could spew out an entire discourse on magical water plants found in the Brazilian rainforest, if she'd let me fondle her jugs just once!"
Neither of his friends said anything more on the subject, leaving him to grumble and turn-over what he knew and thought of Daphne Greengrass over the years.
It hadn't been until recently that he'd begun noticing her. Prior to the Easter break, he'd thought of her as somehow cold and untouchable–unlike her two sisters, who were hellions, but when they'd both returned a few days early and happened to both decide to sit in the Slytherin common room on the couches and read silently before the fire one afternoon, he'd begun noticing the little things she did that made her seem more… human. For instance, she often mimicked the emotions of the fictional characters within the stories she read. Her face became a mask of true honesty as she smiled or became upset because of the plot of her books. She also twirled her long, golden-blonde hair while reading and preferred to tuck her legs up under her, leaning against a couch arm as a favourite comfortable position. There was, when he inspected her closer, a softness to her face and body that was certainly compelling, despite the iciness of her husky tone when she spoke.
He grew hard in his trousers just thinking about her soft curves now.
Right, so Greengrass was a dichotomy just dying to be explored, and Theo–who had been kicking about the idea for the last two months of getting a taste of her sugardecided then and there that he was going to be the man who did just that! Maybe he'd even be the one to finally melt that icy core of hers, and bring out the warmth he'd occasioned to spy during those few days she'd sat across from him reading in silence.
———————————————————
Don't want to wait?
Get the full chapters and extra content in my PDF store.
——————————————————
https://ko-fi.com/cmrowling