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

Summer 1997 - 171

The impact of hitting the water back-first knocked all the wind out of her. Like a wooden doll, she slowly sunk downwards. Mouth opened from the force of falling, bubbles floated upwards and to the surface.

Momentarily Astrid felt paralyzed. The pain in her back had spread throughout the whole of her body and the water felt freezing, despite the fact it was the middle of the summer. Her head could not think straight, her thoughts flailing around the same as did all these little bubbles.  Opening her eyes she could barely make out the shadowy forms of the water lilies; her back felt the sand of the shallow pond when she hit bottom.

Time felt slower underwater. In fact it felt like there was no time at all - frozen in the moment she laid at the very bottom and watched ahead, wondering if this would become her end, wondering if she would've liked it to be so...

The only problem was - one didn't drown by falling, but rather by staying underwater. This one platinum blonde prick had let her fall but he would certainly not let her drown.

It was just mere seconds later that legs beat the surface of the water, rattling the peaceful consistency of it. A bit later and a whole body had dived underneath, two strong arms taking hold of her sides to pull her up.

Only when the person had pulled her out, cold air hitting her cheeks, did she realize just how out of breath she had come to be. Her feet met the ground and Astrid coughed once, followed by a deep gasp as she tried to regain the air she had momentarily lost.

"Are you crazy?!?"

Looking up from the water and at the person still holding her, Astrid noticed Draco. Grey eyes glistening beautifully in the moonlight. She smiled.

Her back still hurt and she had no doubt it would be red and sore even hours from then but for once she felt happy. Truly happy. Even happier than she had been when dancing with Draco simply for the fact it felt more real. Dancing had felt like a dream - too good to be true. Falling through the air, flying momentarily, for the sole reason that she had wanted to, was raw.

"I can't believe you've never done this before."

"Merlin, you are crazy!" he took her face into his hands and inspected it, the same as he then peeked over her to see the top of her head and turned her to try and see her back. "Are you hurt? Does anything hurt? Merlin, that was a long fall, Astrid!"

He stopped talking and awaited an answer all the while Astrid just stared back at him - at his shining grey eyes, at the wet locks of his hair, at the way his muscles had tensed from the coldness of the water. His soaking shirt had stuck to moonlit porcelain skin, allowing her to see just those muscles.

"Have I ever told you just how beautiful you are?"

The lad furrowed his brows.

"I think you've hit your head really hard."

Astrid thought about it and felt the back of her head to see it did hurt quite a little at touch. "I think I might've."

He struck his thumb over her cheek. "Do you feel dizzy?"

The girl blinked and when she finally processed what he had said, she smirked. "Now that you're holding me this close, yes, I do." 

Astrid exaggerated a wink and Draco rolled his eyes at her.

His hands fell away from her.

"Now do you?"

She did a tad.

"Let's get you out then," Draco spoke and Astrid furrowed her brows, thinking he had read her mind, never realizing she had nodded subconsciously at his question. "Merlin, it's freezing in here."