they were just kids [draco malfoy]

Year 5 - 84

Strained friendships always brought Astrid's mind back to one connection - Lucius Malfoy and Eric Ninomae.

Thoughts of said connection brought back the knowledge of the two men's past. That thought brought back the fact they had once been deatheaters.

Astrid had tried avoiding thinking of it, and although she knew her dad hadn't changed since she found out, she had not been able to look at him in the exact way she once had. Astrid had not really found peace with the fact her father was a deatheater. She had simply ignored it. 

Now walking down the stairs from the girls' dormitories to the common room, a pillow under one arm and a blanket balanced over her head, that was all Astrid could think about. She had not thought of the topic in a hot while; she was now filled with nearly the same unease she had felt when first finding out.

Thoughts like these always came and went in waves.

Feeling as she did, it was only her luck to come eye to eye with the son of her dad's ex-best friend.

Draco had come to sit in the common room after curfew had set in place to find some peace and allow himself to set his mind straight. Any conversions with Ninomae were lately making him feel such a way. His mind was confusing him, but more than anything he feared he wasn't all that confused at all. For if he allowed himself to think in a certain way, his feelings would become clear.

Something about watching the flames of the fireplace had always calmed him. It was peaceful and, most importantly, warm.

Draco abhorred how warm Nionomae's eyes were too.

Astrid ignored him as she walked over to the couch across from the one Malfoy was sat on. The blonde didn't speak a word as she placed her pillow and blanket on the couch, laying down and nuzzling into it. He didn't speak, but Astrid could feel his eyes on her the whole way.

It never went like that. Somebody always spoke. One always found something to insult the other about. Though now as both sat in the common room, the two teens remained silent, each too troubled about their own problems to acknowledge the other, who was on the core the cause of them all.

Astrid had forever wondered where Malfoy stood in his family. Now thinking about it as much as she did, she came to realise the blonde appeared like he had known of his family all along. He knew his family held murderers and he didn't appear fazed by it one bit. She couldn't understand it, for it had been breaking her insides apart whenever she allowed herself to think about it.

Fire crackled in the background as Astrid lifted her gaze from the dusty spot on the ground where it had been trained, to look at the face of Malfoy in front of her. She wondered whatever went on in his head.

The blonde's jaw was tensed, as he bit on the inside of his cheek deep in thought. The fire reflected in his eyes drew a great contrast to the original greyish hue of them. He looked conflicted about something and she hoped maybe the lad was thinking right of the thing she was. Astrid hoped Malfoy felt the same as her because it had been ripping her apart that she could not find comfort in anyone. Nobody would understand and she longed for someone who would.

That's why after long moments of consideration, the girl finally managed to blurt out. "How do you deal with the fact your dad is a... you know... deatheater?"

The question had taken Draco by surprise as he looked around the common room warily.

It was odd to hear such sincere words come from Ninomae's mouth for the girl never really spoke of anything seriously. It was even odder how the question appeared to echo in his mind as he carefully pondered on it. How did Draco deal with the fact?