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Moody was quick in healing himself and Astoria realized that all of her effort didn’t even leave a scar. As his body approached her, she flinched back from instinct. He gave her a hand, but she just starred at him. |
"Good, savor the rage", he said to her with a smile and then looked at the door, "you can go, Harry stays". |
Breathing hurt. She was going to be late, but she couldn’t run, she could barely walk for a fact. |
He cursed me, she realized and stopped. There was an echo of the pain running through her whole body, as if her bones were music strings who still vibrated. Tears pushed trough her eyes. Astoria wasn’t sad, she couldn’t quire figure out why she was crying. |
Her hair was a mess. She pulled out the braid and left her hair loose to try and make it better. Then managed to limp to Slytherin’s common room. A few eyes turned on her, but everyone was preoccupied. Draco and Pansy were dancing while Snape guided them with his voice. |
He noted what an excellent pair of dance partners both of them were and gave them as an example. He also didn’t spare Astoria from a sharp look of disapproval when he saw her stepping in late. |
Astoria could barely stand on her feet at this point. The pain grew weak, but she still felt it. Her muscles twitching beneath her skin. Theo Nott came to her. He tried to say hello, but his smile disappeared when he met her eyes. |
"What’s wrong?", he whispered in her ear. |
"I’m going to fall any moment now", she confessed to him. |
His arms immediately grabbed her as he took the weight of her body on himself. Theo was strong and she almost got lost in him. He kept her standing and she sighed with relief as this somehow eased her pain. |
"You look like someone beat you up", he commented and she noticed worry in his tone. |
"Moody wants to train me. It was our first lesson and he cursed me", she said, panting for breath. Her face was covered with her hair as it had spilled over her from behind her ears. He gently pushed it back. |
"Cursed you? Cursed you how?" he kept asking in disbelief. |
"Theo, I’m going to fall", Astoria gasped. |
His hands were on her waist. He pulled her closer to himself and held her like that until her body was able to push away the feeling of torture. It was a hug and it lasted quite a while. A few students gave them curious looks. Blaise snorted at Theo and Astoria felt ashamed she caught that but did not step away. |
Theo had hazel brown hair, two dimples on the side of his mouth that appeared when smiling and strong arms. It had something to do with Quidditch, Astoria was sure, she just couldn’t explain it as this was another subject she was ignorant of. One thing that was sure however was that being in his arms felt bloody good. |
When was the last time someone held her like that? When was the last time a boy took interest in her? One time, in the muggle world. Dumbledore had business, she was passed from one caretaker to another. They were in a café. When she went to the bathroom a boy followed and asked for her number. That was new to her, no idea what a number even was and she blew her chance with him completely. |
Another muggle boy, her first kiss stolen on vacation. Something she did, not out of love but out of shameful feelings like the desperation to feel wanted and insecurities. |
This wasn’t like that. Astoria wanted to thank Theo but could feel the redness on her face and was too ashamed to look back at him. |
"Have you considered my offer?", he said suddenly. |
"Yes, I have no idea why you want to go with me?" |
"I think you’re nice", he said and smiled back. |
"Cheating on Potter?", Blaise chuckled as he came near them. |
Astoria pulled back and managed to stay on her feed on her own. Faced him. Blaise had beautiful dark skin that always had a perfectly healthy glow to it and almost perfectly symmetrical features. He always gave the impression he knew that as his confidence was intolerable. |
"I think he’s out of the picture", Theo said with a smirk. |
Harry had just defeated a dragon and his luck had changed as everyone was cheering for him again. Astoria’s luck had changed as well and wherever she was, she noticed a group of students from Drumstrang following her and eyeing her. |
One on the left, three behind, a few, maybe five, staring across the corridor, one waiting in front of her. Just when panic made her think some of them followed her, she saw Harry. He was standing alone with Hermione. Astoria rarely stopped next to him, especially when her or Ron where around but she hadn’t seen Harry in a while. Sometimes the need to speak to him and be around him was undeniable. |
"You can do it", Hermione said to him with a gentle smile, "If you don’t, you will regret it". |
"You are right", he agreed with her. He did notice Astoria and smiled awkwardly at her, "Wish me luck", he told her and she smiled back. |
He left them there and headed towards a group of Ravenclaw girls. In that moment Astoria realized the crush he had on a girl from another house wasn’t her. It was Cho Chang, a Ravenclaw. He asked to speak to her and the two of them left the other girls, who giggled behind them. |
"I’m sorry you had to see this", Harmonie said softly. |
Astoria looked at her with suspicion. She knew none of Harry’s Gryffindor friends liked her. |
"I don’t know what you mean", she responded coldly. |
"Maybe its for the best", Hermione continued, "I think you will put him in danger one day". |
She swallowed that. It was something Astoria feared herself, yet it felt like a smack on the face coming from her mouth. |
"I still don’t know what you mean", Astoria barked back. |
"I researched your family. They were all dark wizards. All of them. Did you know that?", Hermione said, she had this smart-ass tone that everyone around her barely tolerated mostly because she was also almost every time right. "Even if you prove to be an exception, the chance of one of your family members being alive and finding you puts Harry in a position of danger and could give Voldemort a path to reach him". |
Astoria remained silent, thinking about what she was hearing. They were all dark wizards, she repeated in her mind with horror. |
"I agree", Astoria admitted quietly. |
"Then you understand why you need to stop seeing him", Hermione was firm in her voice. Their eyes never met; both had a stoic look that never met the other. Harry was still speaking with Cho somewhere behind the corner. |
"I think Ron’s insecurities are also a liability, would you cut him off too?", Astoria hissed. It was a test and she already knew the answer. |
Maybe she just wished she was included, equal to them in a way in the status of "friend of Harry". |
"No", Hermione answered and a long paused followed, "Ron is one of us". |
"Then tell your boyfriend to leave me alone as well", Astoria said, her voice filed with malice. |
She wanted to hurt her back. Her eyes met for the first time those of Victor Krum who followed her around like the rest of the boys from Drumbstrang. Now he stood around the corner, watching them talk, and he looked at Astoria as if he could jump in and kill her any moment now. |
"They follow you on the orders of Igor Karkaroff. He thinks Voldemort is a threat no more, but is convinced you are, or you will be one day, a bigger threat to the magical world", Hermione stated dryly. |
"I can barely do anything", Astoria confessed, knowing it wasn’t the smartest thing to do. |
"Harry says so as well, yet the potential in your genetics is terrifying. Something common for pureblood families Is the strive to achieve the perfect wizard through breeding and magic. Your family line Is the only one that came close to success. Proving through generations, no matter how many were skipped, that every time an all-powerful wizard would appear" Hermione looked towards her for the first time. |
She was already suspecting her of malice and betrayal. |
"I’m not a pureblood witch, I’m just an orphan", Astoria said so quiet, it came out as a whisper. "Like Harry". |
Harry was coming back to them; he didn’t show an expression on his face which meant he probably got rejected. When he was happy, the feeling couldn’t be contained in his body. |
"He isn’t just an orphan and I think you aren’t either", Harmonie said sharply and headed towards Harry. |
Astoria didn’t wait, she left immediately. She changed directions and headed towards Slytherin’s common room. Following the stares down a shadow caught up to her. And fear moved her as she turned to point her wand only to find Draco Malfoy next to her. |
"Are you mad?", he said and Astoria sighed with relief. She wasn’t in the mood to exchanges unpleasantries. |
"I’ve had a horrible day", she snapped, "please don’t make it worse and leave me be". |
"I might actually make it better", he responded daringly, his eyes glimmered as he smiled towards her. |
"Yes, by leaving me be." |
"Come", he commanded as he grabbed her by the arm and led her astray. |
His grip did not allow resistance. They went down some corridor as faces on the paintings followed them. There were small, peculiar places, not exactly rooms but still private enough as walls crossed strangely in the dungeon, seemingly to confuse whoever once inhabited them. |
He finally stopped and leaned towards the wall. He studied her with a cold gaze. Astoria found it hard to maintain eye contact with him as Draco’s eyes were icy and so light-blue it made her uncomfortable. As a child a caretaker told her that people witch such light blue eyes can hex just with their gaze. It was absurd, yet she shivered a little. |
"I saw Theo Nott snooping around you", he finally said. |
Astoria nodded as she didn’t wish to explain herself to him. |
"What did he want with you?" |
"We were discussing a potion in class, you were there", she said coldly. |
"Why do you lie to me?", he hissed at her, visibly irritated. Astoria was ready to protest, when he caught her off guard. "What about during the preparation for the Yule Ball, he talked to you then, held you even". |
Astoria stood there speechless. He saw, she thought with surprised, and then corrected herself – he watched. She looked back at him and forced herself to meet his gaze. |
"He helped me stay on my feet. I am to train with Alastor Moody and it was our first session if you must know." |
"Fuck, what did he do to you?", Draco smirked and his face changed as he looked amused. |
"He performed the Cruciatos curse on me", Astoria said slowly yet with confidence. |
The smile quickly died on his face. Draco stood silent and looked at her for a while. |
"I’m sorry he did that to you". |
"Is that all you talked about with Nott?", he finally said, softer than before. "I thought he asked you to the Yule Ball?" |
She hesitated for a moment, then finally said – "He did". |
"Did you say yes?", his question followed immediately. |
"I didn’t have the chance", Astoria replied with anger in her tone as she looked at him. |
This seemed to give him some satisfaction. He suddenly leapt from the wall behind him and came towards her. As he got closer the taller he became, looking down on her. |
Arrogant bastard, she swallowed. |
Astoria took a deep breath yet remained silent. It was Harry she was hopping to go with. But Harry wanted Cho. She probably turned him down. Did she wanted to go with Harry that way? As the second-best option? No. |
Reality lured her back as there was the sudden realization his face was next to hers. Draco’s eyes glimmered as he saw her return to him. She tried to step back but for every step she took, Draco took a step forward until he cornered her to the wall. |
"Why would I do that?" |
"I want you to tell him you’re going with me", he said slowly as a command. |
"You?", Astoria was startled. She couldn’t comprehend what was happening. It was too random, too unusual. |
"Yes. Me", he growled at her, leaning closer to her. |
"But you don’t like me. You think I’m pathetic and you’re going to go with Pansy anyway", Astoria snapped at him and tried to push him away with her hands. He quickly restrained her and his face became hard as stone. |
"Who said I don’t like you?" |
"Why? God, why?", her voice grew louder, which apparently irritated him. |
He quickly managed to grab her left arm by the wrist and his other hand he put on her mouth as he pushed her towards the wall to stay still. He turned to check behind him but shadows passed by and disappeared. |
There were stars spinning in her mind. His body was next to her, his face was next to hers and she could feel his warmth. It felt strange, being so close to him. She met him every day in class, but he never stood this close to her. And this was no other than Draco Malfoy, the boy who made fun for her for years and who hated her friend Harry. |
There was no point in keeping her quiet by force, as words wouldn’t come to her anyway thanks to shame. They never touched, actually no one ever touched her. It was Harry who used to hold her hand, but he always pulled and they rarely hugged because it felt awkward. Her body however seemed relax. It was her mind that was on fire. She was sure her face was red as a beet. |
"Please keep it down", Draco hissed at her, as he looked behind himself once more. |
His leg was between her legs, nonintentional, she concluded, yet it was all she could think about. |
"You’re a Slytherin, yet you are never loyal to your house. I told you I can teach you some things. Besides, you, as just you, are fine. ", he hissed. |
Is this supposed to be a compliment, she wanted to scream at him, but his hand was still pressing her lips shut. There was no point in trying. She just looked at him. Her free arm rested on his chest to push him away, but she didn’t, feeling his heart beat, steady with no trace of nervousness. It was a hypnotizing rhythm. |
"I want you to go with me, just give me an answer", Draco said, he sounded as if he was striking a business deal, professional and cold. |
His hand left her face and the word slipped out of her mouth almost immediately. |
He looked surprised and so was she. Astoria didn’t even had time to think about it, honestly, she probably couldn’t think right now. |
Draco didn’t move, not yet. His body stayed pressed to hers, his hand now resting on her neck. He studied her again with his cold eyes. She tried to look away, but he didn’t let her. It was a punishment, starring at him. |
He is handsome, she realized taking in his image. But he looked repulsed as if she had offended him deeply. When he was satisfied with looking at her red face and watching her struggle next to him, he quickly released her and turned away. He didn’t even give her another look and just left her there, panting and gasping for breath. |
The same night Astoria met Harry. She split her braids and she slipped out of her dorm. It was the last time, she told herself. Hermione was right, but she could say goodbye and have a last laugh with him. There was no harm in it. |
Harry greeted her with a smile. He seemed clueless and happy, as he usually was. It was a naiveness to his manner that made him very charming. He made life seem easy and carefree, as if all the bad things truly never lasted but just passed by, while this warm feeling remained. It was an illusion, a coping-mechanism of his, Astoria guessed. |
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