a christmas break | draco malfoy - 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐋𝐄𝐓𝐄𝐃

27

The two were exceptionally good at avoiding one another, the same way they couldn't keep their glares to themselves. Draco quietly walked behind her every breakfast, lunch and dinner, his eyes watching every silky hair on her head as he approached her.

Unlike him though, Astera was calm and collected. Deep down, even when filled with rage, her soul stayed quiet and relaxed; something Draco wasn't capable of doing. Even the professors, who hardly ever noticed the feuds between students, felt a lingering feeling of anxiety and intimidation in the Great Hall when the two were there.

But, unfortunately for Draco, Snape wasn't as uninterested as Minerva or Sybil.

"I swore on my life to protect you, Draco!" The man before him hissed, pushing a finger in the air and pointing it to his student's chest, "Why are you trying to ruin all of this? For your father, yourself?"

"I'm not!" the boy yelled back, his voice strings becoming so thin from all the yelling, he feared they'd almost break, "The cabinet is almost done, anyway! I got the stupid mark, what else do you want from me?"

"To not linger around with her!" Snape banged his hands on his desk. Draco flinched from the sudden bang, a trigger in his mind taking him back to an awful childhood memory and bringing him back quickly, "If she finds out about this, you're the one to blame. But I'll be the one killed!"

Draco looked down at his feet, wishing he was on top of the Astronomy tower, under that thick blanket of wool, resting his head on her shoulder as she quietly read to him, "Well, I didn't ask you to make that vow! If I get myself in trouble, you die. So what?"

Scared to stay any longer, Draco pushed himself out of Snape's cabinet. He didn't think twice before talking, usually getting himself into trouble. Snape hurried behind him but was too late to open the door, watching Draco turn a corner at the end of the hall. The man sighed, slamming his door shut, creating an echo throughout the castle.

Draco had nowhere to go. He didn't know where to go. Every place he went, he went with her. They occupied every part of the school as theirs, hiding from their professors. And, as much as he didn't admit it, he wanted to bump into her. Even if they argued.

In her tower, Astera was sitting on the window, Mist in her lap as she randomly made objects float with her wand. She had gotten afraid of using magic, much less without her wand. She wished to seek guidance, but Albus was too smart. He'd see right through her lies the moment she walked in his office. Fear of magic made her hesitant of herself. If she were capable of knocking Draco out of his consciousness when angry, what could she do when she was afraid?

The last two days, after their little ball, Astera had felt more lonely than usual. She had grown used to the fact of being alone since the age of 12, but Draco, though evil and annoying, made her feel less alone and strange. She found a weird sort of comfort in him, even if it was her who was usually comforting him.

"Oh, Mist, you have it so easy," she pet the cat's head gently, her purrs calming her nerves, "Would I be insane to look for him?"

The cat's head looked up at her with her daring blue eyes, ,"I'll take that as a yes, then," Astera chuckled, resting her back on the stone wall behind her. Even as a child, she talked to Mist as if she was a human who understood her every word. As time passed, the girl learned her cat's behaviour, knowing her answer even before she asked it, "Let's go for a stroll, huh?"

The two got up from the window, Astera grabbing her coat and walking down the stairs with Mist by her side. She kept her hands inside her pockets, twisting the end of her wand with her fingers as it, too, was in her pocket. Mist happily strutted down the hall with her owner, jumping on windows then down, making her journey enjoyable.