Marriage of convenience (Draco x Astoria)

7- Under the moonlight

Mysteriously, Draco could not get Astoria's words out of his head.

"Would you let yourself go?"

That innocent question, asked without any kind of intention, had him on edge. He knew it was stupid, and that Astoria had only tried to play along with the joke, but that simple phrase wouldn't leave his mind.

Would he have let himself go? He imagined himself kissing Astoria, taking advantage of those long hours alone in her room, while the others slept. He imagined what it would be like to clandestinely sneak into that room at night, and meet her, cover her with kisses, touch her skin secretly, let himself be carried away...

He noticed that he was getting hot, just thinking about the many possibilities that existed, but then he got angry with himself, for thinking that way about a girl who had wanted nothing from him, and who had only made an innocent comment at his expense.

But he couldn't help it, he desired her. He wanted her with all his might, and for the first time he was glad that she was going to become his wife. It was a mean thought, and he knew it, but he had never felt this way, he had never desired anyone that way.

He couldn't erase from his memory the image of Astoria, sitting on her bed, dressed in that innocent nightgown, less than two feet away from him, fixing her eyes on his... and he remembered how close he had been the night before to lean towards her and kiss her...

And yes, let himself go. He would have given anything to be able to let himself go.

***

Protocol said that flowers should be red and white for funeral bouquets, but Draco knew that wouldn't work with Astoria. It seemed too pompous to show up with a huge bouquet, or a crown, especially since he suspected that the girl would appreciate a small detail more. So, he opted for a beautiful, newly opened violet, which he cut from the greenhouse before leaving.

Draco had timed himself very carefully. She knew that Astoria took the poison at ten in the morning, so she would be asleep until ten at night. She had told him that during the first few hours she felt dizzy, so he thought that midnight was a very prudent time to leave his mansion.

He had gone to bed early, to get some sleep and be rested at night, and that helped him take extreme precautions when arriving at the Greengrass Castle.

He had no problems passing through the camouflaged door of the sentry box, and when he arrived at Astoria's room, he found the girl walking from one side to the other, to exercise her legs.

That night she had changed into a long, pale green nightgown that hugged softly to her skin when she moved. The light from the candles filtered under the fabric, allowing him to guess the shapes of her body. Draco had to force himself not to stare at her with his mouth open.

"It wouldn't be a good idea for me to get dressed," she explained, noticing his expression. "If someone finds us, I can pretend to be sleepwalking. It would be very difficult to explain that I change clothes in my dreams."

"And what will I do?"

"I'm afraid you'll have to hide," she apologized.

She was very nervous, but she hid the trembling of her hands by covering herself with a robe. She went to the door and rapped it gently with her knuckles, signaling to Kali that they were leaving, and went down the secret staircase with Draco.

"Are you ok?" he asked, observing that she was going down the stairs with difficulty.

"I think so. This is something you never forget," she smiled. She struggled to keep up with him, but Draco slowed down, offering his arm for her to lean on. "I should practice more often," Astoria joked, apologetically, but Draco squeezed her hand.