Notes

Oliver was a host with incredible charm. Harry was dragged back into his vortex with ease and as he was Draco was lost to the wayside. He paid him little mind as Oliver entertained him with the latest news. The food was washed down with strong, bitter ale and after finishing off one pint Oliver brought him another. Pulling at his beard he wiped flecks of ale from it, glancing sideways at Draco only once and finding it something of a surprise to see him actually eating. He had genuinely begun to believe that the young prince existed on moon beams and spite. Oliver bent over the bar to cajole him with tales from their youth, only drawing Draco into it by sheer proximity, his tales of boyish mischief pulling a few other regulars in with their own stories. Harry went a pleasing, ruddy red as he felt a wave of simple embarrassment at some of the retellings. "I narrowly avoided falling down my own sword," he admitted towards the end of one of them. "Hadn't the faintest clue the sheath was on backwards."

The food was undeniably good, that was for sure. There was something delightful about tearing into the chicken with bare hands, the grease sticky on his fingers. The soup was good too, warm and filling, the layer of cheese over it cracking when Draco touched his spoon to it. Oliver and Harry were in their own bubble, though Oliver would occasionally stop to refill Draco's drink, which he was becoming accustomed too, despite the sourness of it.
Draco had probably drank three glasses of the ale before Oliver left to attend to the kitchens, leaving him and Harry at the table. The pub was fuller now, louder too, with patrons coming in and out, some going up to rooms once they finished while others went out to continue their lives in town. He cleared his throat, staring down at his nearly clean plate with a small smile. He took another drink from his glass, looking at Harry with a grin. "There's not really food like this in the castle," he deadpanned, voice a little louder than usual, words starting to slur slightly. "I do still want my raspberries though."