Chapter 371 Draco Malfoy Wants to Apologize
The town of Hogsmeade in winter is like a blurry oil painting.
Snow fell on the eaves and formed lace-like frost flowers on the windows. Pine branches and golden bells were hung on the door of every shop. People came and went on the streets, and the red, green and yellow scarves and cloaks revealed the festive atmosphere.
"That's the store I was talking about." Luna pulled Amanta's sleeve and pointed to a small house with warm yellow lights not far away. "I heard that they recently received a lot of styles suitable for Christmas balls."
Amanta nodded and walked in with her.
The gown shop is warm and fragrant, with gowns of all colors hanging in the air and rotating automatically. The dressing mirror next to the counter will automatically give customers a "dress score" and even judge the color matching.
"How about this one?" Luna picked up a light blue dress with a star pattern, her eyes shining.
"Suits you very well." Amanta's comment was brief and sincere.
"Pick one too," Luna patted her shoulder, "You are a Hogwarts warrior, you must be prettier than everyone else."
Amanta did not refuse and took out a dark green floor-length dress from a row of dark gold dresses. The hem of the dress was inlaid with fine silver threads and tassels, the shoulder line was very well-defined, and the cuffs were slit to the wrists, which was elegant and neat.
"This one's nice." She said lightly.
Luna pushed her into the fitting room and said, "Then try it."
Not long after, the curtain was drawn.
Amanta came out and stood in front of the mirror -
Her figure was outlined by the dress, making her look slender and tall, with her long hair falling down to her shoulders. The dress perfectly highlighted the sharpness and calmness of her temperament.
Luna's eyes lit up: "You look so good in this!"
Amanta smiled at her praise and curled the corners of her mouth slightly.
*
Across the street, Draco hid behind a shop window decorated with gold-rimmed snowflakes.
He had been standing there for a long time, his fingers had been frozen stiff, but he still refused to leave.
He hadn't meant to follow.
Yes...he was out shopping - he really just "happened" to see them passing by.
He followed them all the way until they entered the robe shop.
He didn't have the courage to go in.
It's not that he doesn't want to - he's just afraid that she would look at him coldly, afraid that she simply doesn't want to pay attention to him anymore.
He still clearly remembered the nonsense he said at the library entrance that day.
"Do you think you're worthy of everyone lining up?"
The more contempt he had expressed it at the time, the more regret he felt now.
He lowered his head, his face as ugly as the snow on the ground.
But the next second, he looked up unintentionally and saw the figure of the girl in front of the fitting room——
She stood in front of the mirror, looked back at Luna beside her, a smile on her lips, her eyes sparkling in the snow light.
At that moment, he felt like he missed a beat in his breath.
She is really beautiful.
He had never been so aware of it.
It's not like he had seen her in a dress before, but never before had he had such a strong urge like he did now... to hide her so that only he could see her.
He gritted his teeth gently, and gradually tightened his fingers against the cold glass.
He should have gone in. He should have apologized, should have stood beside her, held her hand, told her he was a fool, a Malfoy who was unworthy of her.
But he hesitated.
That door seemed like an insurmountable wall.
She is in it.
He is outside.
There was only a layer of glass between them, but he felt that they were farther away than ever before.
Draco held the small gift box in his pocket. The box was not big, about the size of his palm, and was wrapped in low-key dark green velvet.
Inside was a silver snake pendant—the Slytherin pattern was distorted and extremely detailed, and he had ordered it himself.
I had originally planned to wait until she was alone, hand it to her, say "I'm sorry", and then... see if we could dance together.
He practiced saying "I'm sorry" countless times, but never had the chance to say it.
He looked at her standing in front of the fitting mirror, wearing the dark green floor-length dress, with clear eyes and a gentle expression.
He bit his lip, tightened his fingers, and finally made up his mind.
He took a step forward, ready to push the door open—
"Brother Draco--!"
A sudden and delicate cry came from the side.
Draco paused, his face froze instantly.
Astoria was wearing a snow-white cloak, her hair was neatly tied up, and she walked over quickly with a smile on her face and grabbed his arm:
"You're here too? What a coincidence! I was just trying on headwear!"
Draco pulled his hand away subconsciously: "I have something to do."
"Huh? Are you waiting for someone? Are you going to buy a gift? Let me help you choose!" Astoria pulled him, with more force than usual, with a hint of inquiry in her eyes, "Is it for a certain lady?"
Draco looked past her and back to the window of the robe shop.
But Amanta had already walked back into the fitting room, leaving only a fluttering curtain and her light blonde hair in a mess.
His Adam's apple moved.
He quietly put the small gift box that was originally in his palm back into the pocket of his cloak.
He whispered, "…Nothing. Let's go."
Astoria smiled, as if she had achieved some kind of victory.
But Draco's eyes were fixed on the glass until the figure completely disappeared.
*
It was already dark when we returned to Hogwarts.
Amanta placed the bag she brought back from Hogsmeade on the bedside and took off her cloak. The fireplace in the room was burning with a flickering orange flame, making the silence in the room warm and hazy.
She sat on the chair, lowered her head to take out the dark green dress, and her fingertips gently brushed over the silver thread pattern on the hem of the dress.
His eyes were somewhat absent-minded.
She knew she wasn't the type of person who could be stalked by someone without noticing.
In fact, since she went out, she had noticed a familiar gaze behind her.
He followed all the way.
Standing outside the window, watching her try on clothes.
She didn't expose it.
It wasn’t because she was in a good mood, but because she…hadn’t figured out how to face him.
She didn't forget those words.
But she also saw it - the gift box in his hand that he had not had time to give away.
She's not stupid. She can guess.
Draco Malfoy wanted to apologize.
Just didn't say it out loud.
Amanta sighed softly, leaning back in her chair, her eyes somewhat complicated.
He is a proud man and always says one thing and means another.
But she is not the one who always bows her head first.
She unscrewed the kettle on the table, poured a cup of warm water, and was silent for a while.
Then, as if she had made some resolution, she whispered to herself:
"Then let him come to me."
She wanted to see if he could get through that door.
It wasn't her fault, she didn't want to take the initiative anymore.
If he really cared about her at all, he would have said that -
"Can you be my dance partner at the dance?"