mickume/harry_potter_tiny · Datasets at Hugging Face

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"Your chest", the girl said confidently.
A door opened. Ginny widened her eyes in surprise as she felt her presence. A foreign feeling. A shadow behind her, yet as she turned the room had disappeared. A hand touched her from behind, but she couldn’t move. She saw her mother giving her a sweater for Christmas. Harry was there, already wearing his. This was way back. She used to have a crush on him then.
Simple-minded creature –
A voice echoed around her. Laughter followed somehow mixing two voices inside – one female and one male, making it terrifying. Unhuman, she thought but no words could escape her lips.
Ginny pushed the thoughts away and shouted her name with rage until she managed to locate her hiding in the memory next to Fred and George. Astoria was staring at her, between them, hiding like a shadow with a vicious smile. The twins didn’t seem to notice her. Ginny tried to warn them, but her voice was stuck in her throat. She suddenly choked.
Reality crashed on her. She gasped for air as she tried to concentrate. She was kneeling, supporting the weight of her body with one hand on the floor and the other on her chest, keeping her heart in place. Her eyes betrayed her as her mind pulled her down like a rock in water. She was looking at the floor as blood dripped. My blood, Ginny realized with horror.
Movement became easier. A deep breath as she regained strength and managed to pull her head up. Astoria was looking down on her from the same place she remembered her to be, Ron’s wand at her throat. That didn’t seem to leave an impression to her.
"Your mind", Astoria said to her as her hand stretched out to help her get back up, "It’s your mind that’s the easiest to break."
Ginny didn’t take the kind gesture and pushed her hand back. She rose by herself, gripping her wand. Her eyes had changed, she was serious now.
"We’re going to repeat this until you are able to push me back. Then we’ll move with the rest", Astoria said coldly as she looked towards Harry, "It will be easier for you as our consciousness have clashed before. You should still know going in is easier than pushing someone back".
"Clashed consciousness?", Hermione gasped with disbelief as she looked confused, "That’s not possible, it’s something forbidden".
"It’s dark magic", Astoria confirmed, looking at her.
They were all dark wizards –
"How do you know this?", Hermione asked as her features changed under anger and suspicion.
"It’s hereditary".
"And you use it?"
"I’m only using what was given to me".
They all stared at her with disgust, with suspicion, with hatred. It was clear she wasn’t welcomed here and it made Astoria feel stupid for agreeing to do this for Harry’s sake. All to protect the chosen one. She rolled her eyes.
"I think Harry should be first", Ginny said, "He was already tortured by Umbridge, they might try to break his mind next".
"Umbridge tortured you?", Astoria blinked with surprise to him.
Of course, there was no way of knowing as they didn’t talk like before. Only it sinked in now how much had happened and how much they didn’t know about each other anymore. He nodded and gave her his hand to take a look.
I mustn’t tell lies carved deep in the skin. Astoria didn’t tell him about hers but it said Whore and it was to shame her for her relationship with Draco Malfoy.
"I agree with Ginny, if everyone else are fine with me going first?", Harry said as he quickly pulled back his hand and took a serious stand in the middle of the room.
Other students gathered to stare, intrigued. And Astoria ran her eyes across the room to find students from all houses except Slytherin here. So many students. What stood out the most was the way they looked at him. Harry was their leader and they admired him, listened to them. They were preparing to go to battle with him, Astoria realized.
"One day he might have to face her, after all", Ron whispered behind her back. She ignored it.
"Today I have time just for you. Tomorrow more", Astoria said as she faced him.
Silence filled the room. Everyone tried to watch closely but it wasn’t really a technique to pass on. She wouldn’t tell them how even if she could, as that was her nature. Selfish, Draco had called her and Astoria could agree. Being selfish was how she managed to continue living on for so long to this life.
Harry was nervous. Last time this happened it wasn’t exactly pleasant for him. And it was a lot harder without the pretender of Mad-Eye Moody shouting at them both.
"I can make it not hurt," Astoria finally said to him.
"A Death Eater won’t spare me. You shouldn’t either".
A door opened. Harry’s eyes rolled into a blank stare. His body seemed unfaced. Astoria stood there. Her eye blank as well. She had stepped through this door before. This time she slipped, dragging her nails. Harry felt a sharp sensation of pain. But this was mental, in his mind, and yet it hurt worse than a real-life injury did.
It was dark. He was walking down a corridor. Light glimmered at the end of it. A nightmare he had some time ago. He was following a huge snake that passed between his legs. It looked large and dangerous, so he tried to be careful. The door opened and he saw Voldemort sitting in a chair as the snake came to him.
Try to take me somewhere else –
A familiar voice echoed. He tried to think about a happy memory like summoning a Patronus, but it was hard. Her presence was everywhere and her will was undeniable. She pushed with so much strength it was hard for him to even keep track of his thoughts. And for some reason, there was no happiness.
It was dark again. Another corridor. This time the place was familiar. A man with rough skin and black curls stood up to greet him with a smile. He had tattoos on his skin, human tattoos. Sirius Black. Shit, he thought as he realized he never told her. It was supposed to be a secret and he couldn’t risk it –
You didn’t tell me what? Couldn’t risk what? His life –
Fear was taking over him. Astoria could read his thoughts, something he found logical as this was his mind but it scared him. Nothing was sacred to him only, everything he was – on display. It intrigued her and she pushed harder.
Harry couldn’t stop himself walking in and hugging Serious. It was supposed to be the order’s secret. So much depended on it. And he managed to keep Sirius safe for so long, years passing by. Only Hermione and Ron knew.
You think of him as a father –
He wanted to scream to her. To tell her to leave, to curse her. This crossed lines.
"Harry, for a second there I thought you were James!", Sirius said to him as he brushed his messy hair with his fingers.
This was a meeting of the Order of the Phoenix. He knew it was something he had to keep to himself. He never wished for her to see this, this wasn’t his happy thoughs or maybe his mind had instinctively went to Sirius, seeking a safe place.
"He’s going to try and rid of Dumbledore so he can take Hogwarts to himself", Lupin said.
"James was your real father. You told me about him. Is this his friend?", Astoria pushed as she glared towards Sirius. She was standing at the table between Moody and Lupin.
Something was wrong with her eye, he noticed. It was red. The blind one, he realized. She suddenly looked at him and he swore there was horror in her eyes. It made her angry as pain took over him.
And she stepped forward, heading towards him. Harry stood there, unsure how to react, because this was his mind and his memories yet everything felt out of place. Maybe something was wrong.
"Astoria?", he said confused.
A palm across his face answered him. It stung the way a slap does, always. No matter how much you try to stomach it, it’s the shockwave that gets you and it’s worse when it’s unexpected. Harry surely didn’t expect this because Snape had warned him it was dangerous to hurt someone in a similar state.
He suddenly found himself on the floor. It was no longer Sirius’s house – the order’s headquarters. His nose was bleeding. Ron held him and helped him get up. Ginny was furious, her wand was pointing towards Astoria. He heard her scream, yet his consciousness hadn’t arranged itself back and it took him a second to understand his surroundings.
"It’s okay", he quickly said, hoping to defuse the tension.
Astoria was standing in the same position. Her body hadn’t flinched, and she looked bored with whatever they were saying to her but she stared at him in surprise and worry. Her nose doesn’t bleed like it used to, Harry noted to himself. There was a change, she was stronger now and no longer afraid.
"I’m okay", he said again.
"This is unhuman! Harry, you’re in pain!", Hermione pleaded with him. "Please, stop this".
"Death Eaters are not going to treat us kindly".
"And her? How do we know she isn’t one of them?", Ron snapped.
"Dumbledore – "
"What about Malfoy? Draco Malfoy? Isn’t he sleeping with her?", Ginny interrupted him as she shouted towards Astoria.
This struck a nerve. Astoria grew angry and it cracked her stoic expression. She cares for him, Harry thought, watching her change. It’s the first thing that had an effect on her.
"It’s not that deep", she hissed. A lie.
Everyone looked too shocked to react. Neville stepped in, he looked furious.
"We can’t trust her, Harry. We must get her out of here!".
Most students agreed with him.
"We could do this private", Astoria turned towards him. She didn’t seem scared but rather irritated. "I don’t care about them. Only you are enough."
"Oh, I bet you wish", Ginny said with a laugh.
"Whore", Ron said under his nose.
It happened in seconds. Harry barely heard his words, yet the room was big and it had a permanent echo. Astoria Elroy snapped. She shifted, her body fast like a snake. She lifted her arm but nothing came out of it. Everyone were lost, their eyes blank as if they had fallen in a trance. Ginny’s body was on the floor, under the tip of Astoria’s fingers.
Only Ron and Harry seemed unaffected. She left them on purpose. To watch her torture Ginny for her brother’s words, Harry thought with horror but nothing had happened. Astoria was breathing heavy, looking around, hesitating. She moved in a half-circle, turning back and forth as she glared at her.
"You shouldn’t have invited me here in the first place. They all hate me", she said, her breath heavy.
"Tori, please relax", he said quietly, still processing what was happening.
What she did to him, apparently wasn’t limited to one mind. It was a horrifying realization of how powerful she truly was.
"I don’t want to stay here. Do you think I enjoy this? Being looked at like that?", Astoria then stopped as she looked towards Ron. Ginny’s body got up on it’s own, her eyes white like horror, still following her hand, "Being insulted!?"
"You’re right", Harry sighed, trying to remain calm, "This is unnecessary. Maybe we should just continue on our own".
"As if I don’t know what you think of me. I’ve been in your head, I’ve heard it myself", she screamed at him.
"I turned to you because I still think of you as my friend".
Astoria froze. It was true. She felt it herself. Ginny dropped on the floor and Ron ran to hold his sister. Everyone was back to normal. They seemed dizzy and confused. It gave her time, Harry observed how aware she remained in this seconds as pulling back from their consciousness didn’t seem to have an effect on her body or mind.
"I want to go", she insisted and he nodded in agreement. He put the blindfold on and held her hand to lead her out of the room before everyone jumped angry at her.
Astoria shook him off as she removed the blindfold. Harry panicked because this wasn’t where he planned to leave her but she wasn’t focusing on their surroundings.
"You’re a selfish prick, Potter", she hissed at him.
His heart sank. She never called him like that. Those were Draco Malfoy’s words.
"I didn’t think it through", he confessed. Astoria was powerful and he didn’t imagine just how strong her magic was. Fear was a natural reaction to it. It appeared to be something she didn’t realize or at least not enjoy.
"You never do, yet you are always the spoiled one, the lucky one, the charming and loved by all. The chosen one.", she shouted and it came out as an insult.
"Be quiet, I don’t want to go to Umbridge’s again just because you lost your temper."
"O – -", her voice sounded sharp like a scorpius’s tail, ready to attack him but he just wasn’t going to stay there and take it.
"Do you know how much I waited for you? That it was me who visited you and not Malfoy? Do you know the torture I endured to be able to reach your mind as you pushed me away and then continued to only push me further away from you?", he screamed back.
Astoria lost her breath. In contrast, Harry finally found his.
"How am I the spoiled one? You get away with everything. You are always hurt, burdened by something so great you can’t care for your friends! Am I not burdened? Is my life not in danger constantly? And yet I don’t behave like that!"
"Who’s there?".
A question echoed in the corridor. Harry turned away from her and the wall behind him opened to make an entrance to the secret room. Astoria didn’t have the time to think it through, so she ran.
In fear, in panic and great emotional distress, her body would disobey her mind and follow another’s will, set deep inside of her. When her mind told her to reach for Harry, to face the threat instead of cowering away, her feet disobeyed her and ran. Far away from the castle and even when the danger of being caught wore off, Astoria wouldn’t stop. If she did there would be time to cry and she hated that as it made her feel like before – helpless.
She came to him like a lightning; like an unstoppable arrow to his heart that would not slow down and instead crashed in his chest. Draco tried to calm her down, pushed her hair away from her face and hugged her until he could fee her heart slow down.
It was such an unusual thing for him – hugging, yet he was the only one to do it. It made her feel safe and it was a different kind of intimacy.
"What happened?", he asked worried. His long fingers drying the tears on her cheeks.
"Am I really that selfish? Am I really that self-absorbed? Does it really hurt that much what I do?", Astoria’s words poured down from her lips as her mind raced with her in her head. Many more questions came that she never got to ask her friend.
"I don’t know what you mean".
And he didn’t know what to do with her so he only held her tighter until she was calm again. Their relationship was becoming a problem. Each time Draco saw her face and caressed her skin, brushed over her lips and got lost in her hair – he knew deep down this was killing him slowly.
Draco Malfoy lived like a terminally ill man – every breath of air was sweet as if it was the last.
They were in the forest near the castle. It terrified him but he couldn’t take her to any of the places he met with the shadows. Astoria was still the pretty girl that he took to the Yule ball only for her to be so lovely and sweet to drive him mad. Make him need her, a horrible inconvenience. Even though he could feel her change.
Astoria flinched away as if she read his thoughts but didn’t react. The heels of her palms were pushing in her eyes. One was red the other brown, he knew it was a superficial clue of the shift in her. Draco never learned what happened to her in the comma. Potter had warned him about something that he figured was untrue and stupid of him. In his mind he always tried to separate them. It drove him mad with jealousy that Astoria kept him around, agreed to speak to him and now cried because of him. The fear it was love between them never left Draco Malfoy.
"You can tell me, I’m always here for you", he said softly. It was the form of intimacy he tried to avoid with her as it killed him faster.
"Why would I do that? You rarely share with me", Astoria snapped back to him. It was true, he tried to avoid that too.

"Your chest", the girl said confidently.

A door opened. Ginny widened her eyes in surprise as she felt her presence. A foreign feeling. A shadow behind her, yet as she turned the room had disappeared. A hand touched her from behind, but she couldn’t move. She saw her mother giving her a sweater for Christmas. Harry was there, already wearing his. This was way back. She used to have a crush on him then.

Simple-minded creature –

A voice echoed around her. Laughter followed somehow mixing two voices inside – one female and one male, making it terrifying. Unhuman, she thought but no words could escape her lips.

Ginny pushed the thoughts away and shouted her name with rage until she managed to locate her hiding in the memory next to Fred and George. Astoria was staring at her, between them, hiding like a shadow with a vicious smile. The twins didn’t seem to notice her. Ginny tried to warn them, but her voice was stuck in her throat. She suddenly choked.

Reality crashed on her. She gasped for air as she tried to concentrate. She was kneeling, supporting the weight of her body with one hand on the floor and the other on her chest, keeping her heart in place. Her eyes betrayed her as her mind pulled her down like a rock in water. She was looking at the floor as blood dripped. My blood, Ginny realized with horror.

Movement became easier. A deep breath as she regained strength and managed to pull her head up. Astoria was looking down on her from the same place she remembered her to be, Ron’s wand at her throat. That didn’t seem to leave an impression to her.

"Your mind", Astoria said to her as her hand stretched out to help her get back up, "It’s your mind that’s the easiest to break."

Ginny didn’t take the kind gesture and pushed her hand back. She rose by herself, gripping her wand. Her eyes had changed, she was serious now.

"We’re going to repeat this until you are able to push me back. Then we’ll move with the rest", Astoria said coldly as she looked towards Harry, "It will be easier for you as our consciousness have clashed before. You should still know going in is easier than pushing someone back".

"Clashed consciousness?", Hermione gasped with disbelief as she looked confused, "That’s not possible, it’s something forbidden".

"It’s dark magic", Astoria confirmed, looking at her.

They were all dark wizards –

"How do you know this?", Hermione asked as her features changed under anger and suspicion.

"It’s hereditary".

"And you use it?"

"I’m only using what was given to me".

They all stared at her with disgust, with suspicion, with hatred. It was clear she wasn’t welcomed here and it made Astoria feel stupid for agreeing to do this for Harry’s sake. All to protect the chosen one. She rolled her eyes.

"I think Harry should be first", Ginny said, "He was already tortured by Umbridge, they might try to break his mind next".

"Umbridge tortured you?", Astoria blinked with surprise to him.

Of course, there was no way of knowing as they didn’t talk like before. Only it sinked in now how much had happened and how much they didn’t know about each other anymore. He nodded and gave her his hand to take a look.

I mustn’t tell lies carved deep in the skin. Astoria didn’t tell him about hers but it said Whore and it was to shame her for her relationship with Draco Malfoy.

"I agree with Ginny, if everyone else are fine with me going first?", Harry said as he quickly pulled back his hand and took a serious stand in the middle of the room.

Other students gathered to stare, intrigued. And Astoria ran her eyes across the room to find students from all houses except Slytherin here. So many students. What stood out the most was the way they looked at him. Harry was their leader and they admired him, listened to them. They were preparing to go to battle with him, Astoria realized.

"One day he might have to face her, after all", Ron whispered behind her back. She ignored it.

"Today I have time just for you. Tomorrow more", Astoria said as she faced him.

Silence filled the room. Everyone tried to watch closely but it wasn’t really a technique to pass on. She wouldn’t tell them how even if she could, as that was her nature. Selfish, Draco had called her and Astoria could agree. Being selfish was how she managed to continue living on for so long to this life.

Harry was nervous. Last time this happened it wasn’t exactly pleasant for him. And it was a lot harder without the pretender of Mad-Eye Moody shouting at them both.

"I can make it not hurt," Astoria finally said to him.

"A Death Eater won’t spare me. You shouldn’t either".

A door opened. Harry’s eyes rolled into a blank stare. His body seemed unfaced. Astoria stood there. Her eye blank as well. She had stepped through this door before. This time she slipped, dragging her nails. Harry felt a sharp sensation of pain. But this was mental, in his mind, and yet it hurt worse than a real-life injury did.

It was dark. He was walking down a corridor. Light glimmered at the end of it. A nightmare he had some time ago. He was following a huge snake that passed between his legs. It looked large and dangerous, so he tried to be careful. The door opened and he saw Voldemort sitting in a chair as the snake came to him.

Try to take me somewhere else –

A familiar voice echoed. He tried to think about a happy memory like summoning a Patronus, but it was hard. Her presence was everywhere and her will was undeniable. She pushed with so much strength it was hard for him to even keep track of his thoughts. And for some reason, there was no happiness.

It was dark again. Another corridor. This time the place was familiar. A man with rough skin and black curls stood up to greet him with a smile. He had tattoos on his skin, human tattoos. Sirius Black. Shit, he thought as he realized he never told her. It was supposed to be a secret and he couldn’t risk it –

You didn’t tell me what? Couldn’t risk what? His life –

Fear was taking over him. Astoria could read his thoughts, something he found logical as this was his mind but it scared him. Nothing was sacred to him only, everything he was – on display. It intrigued her and she pushed harder.

Harry couldn’t stop himself walking in and hugging Serious. It was supposed to be the order’s secret. So much depended on it. And he managed to keep Sirius safe for so long, years passing by. Only Hermione and Ron knew.

You think of him as a father –

He wanted to scream to her. To tell her to leave, to curse her. This crossed lines.

"Harry, for a second there I thought you were James!", Sirius said to him as he brushed his messy hair with his fingers.

This was a meeting of the Order of the Phoenix. He knew it was something he had to keep to himself. He never wished for her to see this, this wasn’t his happy thoughs or maybe his mind had instinctively went to Sirius, seeking a safe place.

"He’s going to try and rid of Dumbledore so he can take Hogwarts to himself", Lupin said.

"James was your real father. You told me about him. Is this his friend?", Astoria pushed as she glared towards Sirius. She was standing at the table between Moody and Lupin.

Something was wrong with her eye, he noticed. It was red. The blind one, he realized. She suddenly looked at him and he swore there was horror in her eyes. It made her angry as pain took over him.

And she stepped forward, heading towards him. Harry stood there, unsure how to react, because this was his mind and his memories yet everything felt out of place. Maybe something was wrong.

"Astoria?", he said confused.

A palm across his face answered him. It stung the way a slap does, always. No matter how much you try to stomach it, it’s the shockwave that gets you and it’s worse when it’s unexpected. Harry surely didn’t expect this because Snape had warned him it was dangerous to hurt someone in a similar state.

He suddenly found himself on the floor. It was no longer Sirius’s house – the order’s headquarters. His nose was bleeding. Ron held him and helped him get up. Ginny was furious, her wand was pointing towards Astoria. He heard her scream, yet his consciousness hadn’t arranged itself back and it took him a second to understand his surroundings.

"It’s okay", he quickly said, hoping to defuse the tension.

Astoria was standing in the same position. Her body hadn’t flinched, and she looked bored with whatever they were saying to her but she stared at him in surprise and worry. Her nose doesn’t bleed like it used to, Harry noted to himself. There was a change, she was stronger now and no longer afraid.

"I’m okay", he said again.

"This is unhuman! Harry, you’re in pain!", Hermione pleaded with him. "Please, stop this".

"Death Eaters are not going to treat us kindly".

"And her? How do we know she isn’t one of them?", Ron snapped.

"Dumbledore – "

"What about Malfoy? Draco Malfoy? Isn’t he sleeping with her?", Ginny interrupted him as she shouted towards Astoria.

This struck a nerve. Astoria grew angry and it cracked her stoic expression. She cares for him, Harry thought, watching her change. It’s the first thing that had an effect on her.

"It’s not that deep", she hissed. A lie.

Everyone looked too shocked to react. Neville stepped in, he looked furious.

"We can’t trust her, Harry. We must get her out of here!".

Most students agreed with him.

"We could do this private", Astoria turned towards him. She didn’t seem scared but rather irritated. "I don’t care about them. Only you are enough."

"Oh, I bet you wish", Ginny said with a laugh.

"Whore", Ron said under his nose.

It happened in seconds. Harry barely heard his words, yet the room was big and it had a permanent echo. Astoria Elroy snapped. She shifted, her body fast like a snake. She lifted her arm but nothing came out of it. Everyone were lost, their eyes blank as if they had fallen in a trance. Ginny’s body was on the floor, under the tip of Astoria’s fingers.

Only Ron and Harry seemed unaffected. She left them on purpose. To watch her torture Ginny for her brother’s words, Harry thought with horror but nothing had happened. Astoria was breathing heavy, looking around, hesitating. She moved in a half-circle, turning back and forth as she glared at her.

"You shouldn’t have invited me here in the first place. They all hate me", she said, her breath heavy.

"Tori, please relax", he said quietly, still processing what was happening.

What she did to him, apparently wasn’t limited to one mind. It was a horrifying realization of how powerful she truly was.

"I don’t want to stay here. Do you think I enjoy this? Being looked at like that?", Astoria then stopped as she looked towards Ron. Ginny’s body got up on it’s own, her eyes white like horror, still following her hand, "Being insulted!?"

"You’re right", Harry sighed, trying to remain calm, "This is unnecessary. Maybe we should just continue on our own".

"As if I don’t know what you think of me. I’ve been in your head, I’ve heard it myself", she screamed at him.

"I turned to you because I still think of you as my friend".

Astoria froze. It was true. She felt it herself. Ginny dropped on the floor and Ron ran to hold his sister. Everyone was back to normal. They seemed dizzy and confused. It gave her time, Harry observed how aware she remained in this seconds as pulling back from their consciousness didn’t seem to have an effect on her body or mind.

"I want to go", she insisted and he nodded in agreement. He put the blindfold on and held her hand to lead her out of the room before everyone jumped angry at her.

Astoria shook him off as she removed the blindfold. Harry panicked because this wasn’t where he planned to leave her but she wasn’t focusing on their surroundings.

"You’re a selfish prick, Potter", she hissed at him.

His heart sank. She never called him like that. Those were Draco Malfoy’s words.

"I didn’t think it through", he confessed. Astoria was powerful and he didn’t imagine just how strong her magic was. Fear was a natural reaction to it. It appeared to be something she didn’t realize or at least not enjoy.

"You never do, yet you are always the spoiled one, the lucky one, the charming and loved by all. The chosen one.", she shouted and it came out as an insult.

"Be quiet, I don’t want to go to Umbridge’s again just because you lost your temper."

"O – -", her voice sounded sharp like a scorpius’s tail, ready to attack him but he just wasn’t going to stay there and take it.

"Do you know how much I waited for you? That it was me who visited you and not Malfoy? Do you know the torture I endured to be able to reach your mind as you pushed me away and then continued to only push me further away from you?", he screamed back.

Astoria lost her breath. In contrast, Harry finally found his.

"How am I the spoiled one? You get away with everything. You are always hurt, burdened by something so great you can’t care for your friends! Am I not burdened? Is my life not in danger constantly? And yet I don’t behave like that!"

"Who’s there?".

A question echoed in the corridor. Harry turned away from her and the wall behind him opened to make an entrance to the secret room. Astoria didn’t have the time to think it through, so she ran.

In fear, in panic and great emotional distress, her body would disobey her mind and follow another’s will, set deep inside of her. When her mind told her to reach for Harry, to face the threat instead of cowering away, her feet disobeyed her and ran. Far away from the castle and even when the danger of being caught wore off, Astoria wouldn’t stop. If she did there would be time to cry and she hated that as it made her feel like before – helpless.

She came to him like a lightning; like an unstoppable arrow to his heart that would not slow down and instead crashed in his chest. Draco tried to calm her down, pushed her hair away from her face and hugged her until he could fee her heart slow down.

It was such an unusual thing for him – hugging, yet he was the only one to do it. It made her feel safe and it was a different kind of intimacy.

"What happened?", he asked worried. His long fingers drying the tears on her cheeks.

"Am I really that selfish? Am I really that self-absorbed? Does it really hurt that much what I do?", Astoria’s words poured down from her lips as her mind raced with her in her head. Many more questions came that she never got to ask her friend.

"I don’t know what you mean".

And he didn’t know what to do with her so he only held her tighter until she was calm again. Their relationship was becoming a problem. Each time Draco saw her face and caressed her skin, brushed over her lips and got lost in her hair – he knew deep down this was killing him slowly.

Draco Malfoy lived like a terminally ill man – every breath of air was sweet as if it was the last.

They were in the forest near the castle. It terrified him but he couldn’t take her to any of the places he met with the shadows. Astoria was still the pretty girl that he took to the Yule ball only for her to be so lovely and sweet to drive him mad. Make him need her, a horrible inconvenience. Even though he could feel her change.

Astoria flinched away as if she read his thoughts but didn’t react. The heels of her palms were pushing in her eyes. One was red the other brown, he knew it was a superficial clue of the shift in her. Draco never learned what happened to her in the comma. Potter had warned him about something that he figured was untrue and stupid of him. In his mind he always tried to separate them. It drove him mad with jealousy that Astoria kept him around, agreed to speak to him and now cried because of him. The fear it was love between them never left Draco Malfoy.

"You can tell me, I’m always here for you", he said softly. It was the form of intimacy he tried to avoid with her as it killed him faster.

"Why would I do that? You rarely share with me", Astoria snapped back to him. It was true, he tried to avoid that too.