BREATHE -draco malfoy

six.

Ana sat on the edge of the elegant four poster bed in the Malfoy's guest bedroom. It was a beautiful but empty room and Ana got the feeling that no one had stayed in here in years. Draco and Ana had said goodnight hours ago, when Ana was suddenly so tired she was nodding off on Draco's sofa. But Ana didn't feel tired anymore. She felt restless, staring at the dull grey walls in the room that belonged to her for the week. The house elf had brought up Ana's trunk when he led her to the bedroom, but it remained untouched in the corner. What was bothering her so much? Ana took an inventory of her thoughts, as she usually did when she was anxious. It helped Ana to make lists of all of the negative things going on in her head. During restless nights at her own home, she made long lists of the things that kept her from going to sleep.

Was that it? Did Ana miss home? She pondered this a moment before deciding that this was definitely not the problem. When she thought of home, she thought of dark, barely decorated rooms in the apartment she shared with Severus. She thought of silent dinners, the tinkling of her fork on the plate being her only conversation as her uncle tended to resort to silence. She thought of reading, too, though, which was about the only thing she enjoyed during her holidays. Severus had an extensive library filled with potions and defense against the dark arts textbooks, fictional stories from the wizarding world, and also a collection of muggle novels which Ana enjoyed the most. But being away from home was not what was bothering Ana. She was having the time of her life at Malfoy Manor, and she'd only been there a day. Draco was being lovely and she felt excited about the coming week, as it felt there were many surprises to come.

Draco. Ana sat rigidly as the thought entered her head. Draco was bothering her. Not in a bad way, though. He was just on her mind. Ana had never had a crush on anyone before, besides maybe Dean Thomas her second year, and she longed to see Draco again and listen to his hypnotic voice as he spoke to her. Teenage anticipation ran through her at the thought of Draco, with his silky touch and silver eyes. She craved more of his attention, as it made her feel special to have won it from him. Draco being her friend, and maybe even more than a friend, felt like such a victory to her. The impossible had suddenly become possible.

Ana stood up from the bed, having made up her mind about what might help her sleep. She walked, sock-footed, out of the door of the guest bedroom and into the hall. There were so many doors in here. The Manor was extensive and Ana didn't even know which way to go to get back to the sitting room, let alone where she wanted to go. She closed the bedroom door slowly behind her and gripped the ends of her sweatshirt sleeves in her hands, feeling the cold metal of Draco's ring press up against her palm. It was cold as ice in the hall but Ana knew, if she found what she was looking for, she would warm up quickly. She walked carefully down the empty corridor; the only illumination being the moon shining through a tall window.

Soon, Ana was completely lost. She knew it was rude of her to wonder around someone else's house at night. But even if she wanted to return to the solitary guest room, she wouldn't know how to get back. Her eyes had adjusted to the darkness now, but there was a grey haze in the house and all she could see were shadows. She turned another corner, starting to breathe heavier with nervousness at getting lost in Draco's home, when she saw a small line of amber light on the hard wood floor. She peeked around the wall and saw that the bottom crack of a door on the left was glowing. Ana walked up to it, silently praying that it wasn't the house elf's staying room, and knocked on it with a sleeve-covered fist. She heard some shuffling inside, but within moments the door had opened.

"You've found my bedroom," Draco said with a smirk, as if he had expected her to come. It seemed he had just showered because his white hair was wet and slicked back, a few short bits spiking up by his ears. Ana stared in awe at his rosy cheeks, warmed by the heat of his shower, and his grey cotton pants and white shirt. This is what Draco looked like going to bed. Ana swallowed and willed herself to say something witty.