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"What is that?"
Blaise paused at Draco's question, fork halfway to his mouth. "Cottage pie?"
"No," Draco narrowed his eyes. "That, in your ear."
"An earring," Blaise shrugged and completed the journey of cottage pie to his mouth.
"Yes, but why?" Draco was getting exasperated.
Blaise made his friend wait until he had chewed and swallowed his food, taking extra long before he cleared his throat. "Because it's cool."
Draco snorted in derision. "Cool? Blaise, I don't know if it's come to your attention, but we are closer to middle age than to teenagers. Nothing we do is considered to be cool. What that is-" he pointed to the offending jewellery, "-is a cry for help."
"You, my friend, are a fuddy-duddy who is far too comfortable embracing old age before you should. We're going to live well into our hundreds, Malfoy, so technically, we're still teenagers."
"The grey at your temples begs to differ."
"They just add to my allure. Women love an experienced man." He then unnecessarily winked at the waitress as she passed their table. She had the good grace to ignore him.
The conversation died, Blaise thinking the topic had run its course. Draco, on the other hand, couldn't stop staring at it. The earring was a simple diamond stud, but it found its twinkle obnoxious and disturbing. It was a shiny beacon of someone who was raging against the steady flow of time towards aching joints and liver spots.
It left him feeling depressed.
Granger had a pair of solitaire earrings he had gifted her their first Christmas together.
He noticed them nestled in her jewellery box. He had gifted that to her too when he saw she left her various bracelets, earrings and necklaces bundled into an inextricable knot in an ice cream tub in her drawer.
As he waited for her to finish up in the bathroom, the sound of her muggle hair dryer filling the room with white noise, he stared at the earrings.
They glinted, almost winking at him from their spot.
Could he? Should he?
Blaise's comments from earlier echoed in his mind. He wasn't a fuddy-duddy. He was in the prime of his life. Draco Malfoy did not need some little diamond earrings to make him feel young. His gorgeous girlfriend made him feel young. A pickup game of quidditch made him feel young. An excellently brewed potion made him feel young.
Poking a hole in his earlobe was not going to do it.
Right?
His fingers twitched.
No. He should leave it alone.
He picked up an earring and held it to his earlobe, leaning down to look into the mirror over Granger's dressing table.
"What are you doing?"
Draco straightened up so quickly, that he was dizzy. "Nothing. Waiting for you to get ready."
"Do you want me to wear these tonight?" She gestured to the earring he held.
He stared at it as if he had no idea how it ended up in his grip. He promptly dropped it in the jewellery box. "No. Not if you don't want to. I was just...admiring them."
She smiled and stepped in close, pulling him into a hug. "You do have impeccable taste."
He returned her smile. "Exhibit A," he whispered, openly ogling her in her simple jeans and bulky red knit jersey. His smile faded a little.
"Would you say I'm old?"
She pulled back with a frown on her face. "Why would you ask that?"
"Nothing."
"It's not nothing. Who told you you were old?"
"No one," he bit his lip. "Blaise. He called me a fuddy-duddy."
Hermione let out a hearty laugh. "If only Blaise knew about that move you pulled this weekend. No fuddy-duddy could even attempt it."
"But I am cool, right? That's what attracted you to me."
"Draco Malfoy, there are many things that you are that I find attractive, but you have never, ever been cool."
"That's not nice."
She stepped away and sat on the bed to pull on her boots. "Okay then, what is your definition of cool?"
The image of Blaise with his stupid earring came to mind. "Being open to trying new things?"
"That's hip. Try again."
"Being able to avoid being accused of acting like an old man."
Hermione finished with her boots and stood up, picking up her handbag. "Cool is about confidence. You have that. You are usually confident about who you are and what you believe. That is cool, to me at least." She punctuated her statement with a kiss and took his hand. "Come, we're going to be late. And that is not cool."
He rolled his eyes and allowed her to lead him to the Floo.
It was only once they arrived at the dinner party and Hermione spotted Blaise's new adornment that she put two and two together.
After laughing for a good few minutes at Draco, she spent the rest of the night teasing him about his mid-life crisis and how she was dating an old man.
Later that night, he reminded her of how young he still felt.
As they lay tangled together, he made himself a promise to never let anyone's insecurity about growing old affect him again. If he was going to get laugh lines on his face, a slight pudge around his middle and discover liver spots on his hands, he wouldn't do it with anyone else than the witch in his arms.