Part Two
"You should just ask her out already," Draco said, shaking his head as they entered the pub. They'd been meeting for dinner for almost three months, slowly but surely building a friendship until Draco could actually say something like that, and Neville knew he meant it and wasn't just taking the piss. He still shook his head as he waved at Hannah and made his way toward their regular table.
"She's not interested, Malfoy." He wanted to believe otherwise, but he wouldn't let himself. What if she said no? Or what if she said yes?
"Of course she is!" Draco exclaimed. "She grins like a Cheshire cat every time you walk in here, and usually rushes over to hug you. She hasn't hugged me once."
"That's because you're a prat and I'm not," Neville said, not missing a beat. "Besides, she hugs everyone else."
"No, she doesn't," Draco said, rolling his eyes. "She hugs you because she likes you. Just ask her out. If I can get a date with Astoria Greengrass for the Ministry ball next month, you can get a date for dinner next week."
"You're still a Malfoy, even if you're a prat," Neville pointed out, though he knew full well that didn't count for quite as much these days. "I'm just--"
"--Neville Longbottom, Gryffindor hero, former Auror, and Herbology genius," Draco replied sarcastically. "Give me a break, Longbottom. Who would say no to that?"
"I was lucky," Neville murmured, sometimes forgetting just what he had accomplished during the war--and after. He still didn't feel as successful as Malfoy sometimes seemed to think he was, that was for sure. In fact, he usually felt like something was missing from his life, though he wasn't sure what. He just hoped he'd feel different when his T.O.A.D.s were finally complete and he had a real job.
"You were good--still are. Just ask her." Draco raised a pale eyebrow. "Or I will."
"You wouldn't," Neville replied, though the look on Malfoy's said otherwise.
"Don't you know me by now, Longbottom?" He grinned as he waved Hannah over. "I'm a prat."
"Don't!" Neville hissed, but it was too late: Hannah arrived, smiling at both of them now. She had slowly started to accept that Draco Malfoy was Neville's friend and not a completely horrible person. It still surprised Neville some days, truth be told. He was actually friends with the boy who had tortured him at school, who had sold out their headmaster to Voldemort…and who had suffered five years of guilt over it, to the point of almost killing himself when he had tried to cut the Dark Mark from his arm. He was different now, and Neville accepted that, even if some of his other friends still had not. Ron in particular hated Neville even mentioning Draco Malfoy, let alone spending time with him.
"Good evening, you two," Hannah said brightly. "Same as usual?"
Malfoy nodded, but before she left, he reached out for her hand. "Wait a minute. Do you want to go out sometime?" Hannah stiffened and turned, her mouth hanging open.
"With you?" she whispered, pulling her hand away. "Draco, I know you've been through a lot, but I'm not sure I--"
"No, not with me," he laughed. Neville closed his eyes, mortified. "With Longbottom. I've been trying to get him to ask, but he thinks you're not interested. I think you are. So how about it?"
Hannah looked both flustered and amused, and Neville was certain she was going to say no. To his surprise, she finally brushed some hair from her face and smiled. "Yes, I am interested. I'd love to have dinner, get away from this place."
"Perfect," said Malfoy. Neville simply stared as they began to plan it out as if he weren't sitting there watching. "When's good for you?"
"Thursday?" Hannah suggested. She wasn't even looking at him; maybe she really wanted to go out with Malfoy. Neville let his head fall to the table.
"Thursday at 7 would be perfect," Malfoy replied, kicking him under the table. Neville shot up. "He'll meet you here and you can walk to Orsino's."
Neville gave him a sharp look; Orsino's was a restaurant just around the corner from Diagon Alley, owned by an elderly Italian Squib and frequented by just as many wizards as Muggles. It was a nice place, as well as a touch on the expensive side. He'd never taken a girl there, though; he'd only been with his family, when he was younger, and it seemed an awfully big step for a first date.
But Hannah's face lit up, and she actually giggled. "I love Orsino's! And I have just the right dress. It'll be perfect." She paused and cocked her head. "Thanks, Draco. You're not so bad after all." Then turning to Neville, she smiled warmly, a slight blush to her cheeks. "See you on Thursday, Neville."
She practically danced away, completely forgetting to take their order. Draco sipped at his water and gave Neville a questioning look. Neville shook his head as he ran a shaking hand through his hair.
"I can't believe you just did that," he muttered.
"Are you free Thursday?" Draco asked, trying to sound innocent and failing. Neville snorted.
"Of course I am. But it'll cost me a week's pay to eat there, you know."
Draco frowned as he waved over someone else to take their order. "You don't make much at the shop then."
"Technically I'm a student, remember?" Neville replied. "I'm supposed to be learning, not earning. I'm lucky I get anything at all."
"I can float you some Galleons if you need it," Draco replied. "I just got a promotion."
"That was quick," Neville said, happy for him while still being annoyed with his interference. "Congratulations. A promotion and a date for the ball."
"And you'll have your T.O.A.D.s and another date with Abbott in no time," Draco replied. "Even if I have to keep asking for you."
Neville shook his head. "Sometimes I wonder why I bother with you, Malfoy."
"Believe me," Draco said with a laugh, "I ask myself the same question every time I walk in here."
* * *
"You're joking," Neville stated, shaking his head as he sipped at his Gillywater.
"I am not," Draco replied, slightly annoyed. He'd just told Longbottom he was going to propose to Astoria, and that was the other man's response? No congratulations or good wishes, just a flat statement of shock? Why was it so surprising that he wanted to get married? And that he had found someone he actually wanted to marry and was reasonably certain wanted to marry him?
"You've only been seeing her for six months," Neville pointed out. "How do you know she'll say yes?"
"Because we've talked about it, Longbottom," Draco replied, trying to keep his voice even. "And we're both interested, we're both ready. I'm sorry if that's so hard to believe--or accept."
Neville sighed as he put down his fork. "No, it's not like that at all, Malfoy. I'm sorry, I'm just…surprised, that's all. I haven't even met her, you know. Sometimes I wonder if she's real or just a blow-up doll."
Draco sputtered into his soup. "A what?"
"Never mind," Neville laughed. "Just something Seamus used to joke about with Dean. Look, if you're sure and you're ready, then that's great. Congratulations."
Draco narrowed his eyes. "Really?"
"Yes, really," replied Neville. "I mean it. Look, in spite of everything, I don't really want to see you mess up your life again. It was bad enough the first time, holding your head over the toilet and Apparating you home every night. I do want to see you happy, in your own sick and twisted way."
That was more like it. Draco finally grinned. "Thanks. I figured you might be jealous."
Now it was Longbottom's turn to give him the annoyed glance. "What's that supposed to mean? I'm not jealous. You're an arrogant, pale-faced flash git--why would I be jealous of that?"
"Have you slept with Abbott yet?" Draco asked as nonchalantly as he could. He was rewarded when Neville flushed clear up to his eyebrows.
"That is none of your business," he muttered, but he glanced at the bar, where Hannah was cleaning some glasses and laughing with her uncle. Draco nodded knowingly.
"You don't have to wait, you know," he said, putting on his game face to egg on his companion. "At least, not as long as you waited to ask her out." He paused. "Oh wait, I asked her out for you, didn't I? Damn, does that mean I have to shag--"
"Shut it, Malfoy," Neville snapped, then leaned back and laughed bitterly. "You're such a bloody prat sometimes."
"I know," Draco replied, laughing at the reaction he almost always managed to get from Longbottom. It'd been over a year since they had met in the shop, but they still gathered for dinner, and Draco still looked forward to it. It was more than just winding him up: Longbottom could almost always hold his own now anyway, which actually made it far more enjoyable. More than that, they had become actual friends, somehow: he was genuinely fond of Neville Longbottom and really wanted his approval.
"So can I at meet her before the wedding?" Neville asked. "Just to see if she's real?"
"Yes, you can," Draco replied, ignoring the repeated dig. "Because I'd like for you to be my best man."
And once again Draco had surprised him, but this time the reaction was much more subdued, and a bit more unexpected. Neville put down his knife and fork, cleaned his mouth, took a drink, and finally narrowed his eyes at him. "What?"
"You know, the best man," Draco said, trying not to sound nervous or unsure, even though he was, now that it was down to it. "Stand with me as on the most important day of my life and make sure I don't do anything stupid. Will you do it?"
"Why?" The question was point blank and stung.
"Because that's what friends do for each other, don't they?" For the first time, Draco was actually worried Longbottom would say no, and the friendship they'd built over the past year would come crashing down because maybe it wasn't a friendship after all. The thought of it made him surprisingly sad, because Neville Longbottom was the closest thing to a best friend he had, and he wanted Neville to be there when he married Astoria Greengrass.
Neville nodded absently. "Yes, that's what friends do, but…pardon me for asking…don't you have better friends than me? I'm just wondering what people would think--what your parents would think, or your fiancée."
"My parents don't have a say in it, Longbottom," Draco snapped. "And Astoria's fine with it, because none of my other friends can string more than a few sentences together. I figured at least you'll be able to give a decent speech if you take the damn job."
The corners of Longbottom's mouth twitched. "Then I'll start working on it so I don't embarrass myself too much."
Draco blew out a breath as Neville grinned at him. "You're a bastard, you know."
"Be nice to me," Neville replied calmly as he resumed his meal. "You never know what might make it into that speech."
* * *
Draco was literally pacing the floor, shaking his hands at his side as if he could throw away all the tension and nerves that were building up in his body. Neville watched him for a bit, then stood, took him by the shoulders, and looked into his eyes.
"She'll be all right--they both will." Draco stared at him, wide-eyed.
"How do you know that?" he demanded. "It's been almost twenty-four hours already! She's tired, she's in pain, and she's ready to be done with this whole sodding thing."
"And so are you--except for the pain part, of course," Neville soothed. "Look, I know because it's just the way things are. It's how women give birth. Sometimes it takes a while, sometimes it doesn't. But it's what they've been doing for thousands of years, so it will be all right. How is she now?"
"She's sleeping," said Draco, raking his hand through his hair. "The Healers gave her some herb to speed things up, only nothing sped up. He's still in there, obviously. So they gave her something to relax and sleep instead. They want to wake her in a bit and really jump start things with something stronger."
Neville nodded. "That sounds about right. Look, Hannah was in labor for eighteen hours. From what she told me, it's normal for a first time mother. They gave her some motherwort, and Brian finally popped out, pink and wailing like nobody's business. It'll be the same for Astoria. Trust me."
Draco took a deep shaky breath. "All right. I'll trust you, since I have no choice. Thanks for coming, though. It means a lot since you've just gone through this."
"When was the last time you ate something?" Neville asked.
"Before we got here," he replied with a shrug of his shoulders. "They're not letting her have much, so it seemed unfair of me to eat a steak in front of her."
Neville laughed. "That would get you slapped for sure. Let's find something to eat downstairs. Is Daphne still with her?"
"Yes, she's been here from the beginning." Draco sighed. "Which has been both a blessing and a curse. I feel a bit left out, but she's a Healer, so she has a good idea of what's going on, even if she's not in charge of her sister's case."
"It's brilliant," said Neville, guiding him away. "Count yourself lucky. It was just me and Hannah on our own in there, which was what we wanted, but I still feel like I was a complete and utter failure at times."
Draco laughed. "She didn't hex your bits off so I'd say you did fine."
"Did Astoria get yours then?" Neville asked, feigning sympathy. He needed to take Draco's mind off things for a little while--get him to eat something, get him to relax. Then he could go back in and help deliver his son. Neville knew he would have appreciated the distraction during Brian's birth had it gone much longer, so he was determined to do that for Draco.
Draco punched him on the arm. "Of course not," Draco replied. "She values them too much." Neville pretended to rub it, then laughed.
"It's your fault she's in there, you know." He grinned; Draco groaned.
"Don't remind me--she already has. Look, can we talk about something else?"
"What, like nappies, late nights, spit-up, crying…" Neville trailed off at the even paler than normal look on Draco's face. "I'm kidding. It's not all bad, trust me."
"Tell me something good then." They had made their way to a small break room downstairs where food was available, but as it was quite late at night, there were only some stale pastries and cold coffee left. Neville served them up a bit of each.
"Well, they're quite peaceful when they're asleep," Neville said, sitting down at a small table. "And they smell great after a bath. And the funny noises they make are adorable. And…what are you looking at?"
Draco shook his head. "Look at you. The little puffskein's got you wrapped around his finger already."
Neville smiled as he leaned back and took a bite of an old raspberry biscuit. "So what? It'll happen to you too. Give it a month, maybe less."
"Doubt it," Draco murmured. Neville noticed an apprehensive look on the other man's face and leaned forward.
"Why?" he asked, sensing that Draco had something on his mind.
Draco hesitated before he finally answered. "I don't do babies, Longbottom. They're so small, and all they do is eat and sleep and cry. I'm not going to be that drooling, doting father everyone seems to expect from every man who has ever had a son."
Neville smiled to himself. Draco was just like every other man, really: none of them, not even Harry who had been so bloody thrilled about Ginny's pregnancy, were not scared of the idea of being a father. It was terrifying, and it was hard work, but he wouldn't trade it for the world.
"Look, Draco," he said softly, and Malfoy glanced at him in surprise, since even after so many years they still rarely used their first names with one another. "You may be nervous and scared or even terrified--I know I was--and you don't have to admit it if you don't want. But believe me when I say that the moment your little boy looks at you and smiles, or grasps your finger, or says something you're convinced sounds like 'Dad' even though it's really a gas bubble--you'll fall in love, too. It happens to the best of us, whether you want it to or not."
Draco just looked at the table, swirling his cup of cold coffee. He opened his mouth to speak when a Healer stepped into the room.
"Mr. Malfoy? Your wife's awake. It's time."
He jumped up, spilling coffee everywhere. Stifling a laugh, Neville took out his wand and quickly cleaned it up, then pushed a rather stunned Draco from the room. Draco turned and gave him a grateful smile. "See you on the other side, Longbottom."
Neville watched him leave, excited to meet Draco Malfoy's new son, even if Draco didn't feel quite ready yet.
* * *
Uncommon Friends by Gmariam
Chapter Endnotes: Three small moments in their friendship, followed by two more to come. Only the next two are much, much sadder.
Any mistakes are my own, especially if they are glaring Americanisms. Thanks for reading anyway! ;)