when they became villains [draco malfoy] {book 2}

Year 6 - 155

He had begun calling her poppet again. 

To say her heart fluttered every time he did would already be a serious understatement. To say his own didn't would be a lie. 

They had gone through and completed the list Malfoy had developed to mend the cabinet and Astrid knew she should've been relieved. Astrid should've been more at ease and she kept reminding herself she should be happy she was on better terms with the blonde again and that her friends finally bothered to ask how she was doing time from time, yet still she couldn't find the energy to do so. Astrid gave easy smiles and even easier chuckles yet all she could think about was the way others seemed to care only when she pushed them onto it. Like they did it out of a place of pity and guilt within themselves rather than actual worry.

And she had never liked that - pity.

"Tea?"

Malfoy and she were working late again. Again, having completed the list of instructions, they had placed an apple into the cabinet and were now waiting to get a response from the other side - hopefully, have Mr Borgin send the apple back. That was if he had even received it.

Reluctantly, Astrid pulled her eyes away from the cabinet and blinked up at Malfoy. The top buttons of his shirt were opened and his platinum-haired messed up from all the times he had run his hand through it as he leaned over a smaller table he had one day brought over to the couch and the cabinet seemingly out of nowhere. Its leg had been broken and even after fixing it was still a little crooked, but Malfoy had made good use of it. Tea, sugar and the occasional chocolates were what was permanently placed on the table and now he stood looking over those things as he placed teabags in two empty cups.

Malfoy glanced at her momentarily, but upon noticing her looking, he turned his head to face her completely and raised one of his eyebrows in question.

Astrid shook her head and looked away.

"Was that a 'no, i don't want tea' or 'no, don't look at me like that'?"

"No, both."

"Are you sure?"

She looked back at him to see both his eyebrows raised now, a small smirk playing at the corners of his lips.

"Yes, I don't want tea-"

"Oh, no, I was asking about me looking at you," and with that he jumped his brows, playfully looking her up and down.

Despite herself, Astrid smiled. "Certainly not." And although she had intended to consider this whole conversation as an easy joke, an unexpected sense of insecurity washed over her - something like what she had never felt before. Watching him, momentarily she wondered if maybe he was being serious and the only reason he was acting this way was to get her for a little while and then dump again.

"You don't look too sure," he sucked in the side of his cheek and then smirked before turning his face away from her view. He put one of the teabags back in place and then poured water into just one of the cups.

"You're so cocky," she rolled her eyes. "It's annoying."

"Oi, is that Miss I do as I please and you do as I say speaking?"

Astrid pressed her lips in a thin line and cocked her head. "Oi, is that Mr memorising my lines because he's such a fan speaking?"

Malfoy huffed and when he had turned back around, he was still chewing on the inside of his cheek. The lad walked over and plumped down next to her, placing his cup on the ground beside the couch. "Oi-" but he didn't get to finish his sentence as a sudden thump came from the cabinet.