Living Death

- chapter one

A rather scruffy looking owl landed on the end of your four-poster bed after flying through your dormitory door, perched with a parchment in its beak. You were used to this by now. Blaise and Theo seem to find it hilarious to send fake love confessions from various people in your class, the funnier ones being made out like they were from Neville Longbottom or Seamus Finnigan. It hardly took a genius to work out they're from the, but this time they'd gone above and beyond. No half scribbled handwritten note. This one was printed.

"Come to the Astronomy tower tonight.
I want to watch the stars with you."

Odd. They never usually put this much effort into their pranks and most of the time they'd sign it off as whoever they'd decided to pretend to be. Still, Blaise and Theo were your friends, so whatever elaborate prank they were going to pull, you knew it would be a shame to miss it. If only Draco was around. He'd returned home a few days ago, his parents said they needed him there. You'd been there often growing up, and even in more recent years, but something about their tone indicated the invitation to visit wouldn't be extended to you this time.

Hogwarts was more than enough of a home to you though, but time passed slower without him, your partner in crime, by your side.

Well, you thought that until you awoke to the sounds of your fellow Slytherin housemates laughing and listening to music from the common room, an indication time had passed by far quicker than you'd imagined it would, your cheek rested upon your open potions homework on your bed and the darkness of the evening seeping through the very limited light you got just above the surface of the lake, it darker than ever as it mirrored the night sky. The weather must have taken a turn. You looked down as something fell from your lap as you stood and saw the letter you received earlier there on the floorboards. Shit. You forgot. You quickly checked yourself in the mirror, rubbing off the wet ink from your cheek, a perfect print of your half-finished homework you'd used as a pillow, but the homework would have to wait. Detention was hardly a worry, it might as well have been a subject on your timetable given how often you'd find yourself attending it but miraculously, Draco always seemed to avoid it, that or Snape just enjoyed your company so much that he put you in for detention whenever he was given the opportunity. Whatever, you were dropping potions next year anyway.

Sometimes you wished apparition was possible within the school, because the workout that going from the Slytherin dorms in the dungeon to the Astronomy tower required, would finish you off one day. Your heavy robe was hardly helping, and you knew you should've worn a lighter jacket but it was the first thing you could grab.

Finally, you started to see the darkness of the sky as you climbed the stairs of the tower, the moon appearing occasionally from behind the darkest of clouds and a thick sheet of heavy rain ruining the usual picturesque view you could get from the tower. What a brilliant night for stargazing. You were practically freezing and bundled your robe closer around you but Blaise and Theo were nowhere to be seen and you mentally cringed thinking that they might've invited some Gryffindor boy to come and meet you, like some awful blind date you'd have to go along with.

Footsteps interrupted your thoughts and you turned to the source of the noise, it sounded as though they were intentionally trying not to be heard.

"Really funny Theo.. I have to admit your letter impressed me though, the dedication in having it printed and all"

Before you could continue, you saw that signature mop of platinum blonde hair appearing from behind the central globe. "Draco?" you let out with a half laugh. "They set you up to this? I know they joke about us being a couple but setting us up, on the stormiest night on record, to stargaze? I admit it's kind of funny." You titled your head with a slightly perplexed look "I didn't know you were coming back tonight?"