❝ Why can't we be more than friends, Draco?
-Why can't we be more than friends? Merlin Astoria, figure it out. I am fucking social pariah. Your friends, your family, your fucking parents who adore you, would never approve. ❞
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I T H A D B E E N F I V E Y E A R S
since Draco Malfoy slept with no nightmares.
And when he awoke that next morning, free from the clutches of those horrors, he kept his eyes shut for a few moments, trying to desperately memorize the feeling of peacefulness he felt, for he knew, it wouldn't always be like this.
But when he finally opened his eyes, he was slightly saddened to see the absence of Astoria beside him on the cot. It was as though her presence had been completely erased from the room. If he tried hard enough though, he could still smell her eucalyptus perfume.
He tried to not get so disappointed in Astoria's absence because truthfully, it was a good thing. His weakness of last night, the curse of his nightmare, pushed him into the position of actually needing her, relying on her to provide some sort of comfort— some sort of safety.
He arose from his bed and grabbed his wand from his bedside table, waving it messily. In doing so, the sheets of his bed folded themselves in a lump of color atop his mattress. With a groan of annoyance, Draco waved his wand once more, and the sheets flattened against the bed neatly, the duvet sliding over it easily.
He exited his room and clambered down the staircase into the kitchen, his stomach still twisting from the disappointment of not waking up next to Astoria— and there she was, standing by the kettle, waiting for the water to heat up. Several candles were already lit, burning a familiar scent into the air. His eyebrow quirked in her direction.
"Morning," Astoria muttered tiredly.
"I thought you left," he said flatly.
"I'm an early riser."
Draco frowned. "You look fucking exhausted for an early riser."
He spotted an empty potion bottle on the surface of the bare wooden kitchen table.
"Did my mum need some more potion? Is that why you're awake?"
Color crept sneakily into Astoria's cheeks and she broke eye contact with him, pulling several teacups from the cabinets.
"No. The potion went bad, so I had to throw it away."
Astoria wasn't a particularly good liar, but this passed through her lips as though it were second nature.
But as an avid liar, Draco noticed it immediately. He didn't press the subject, however. Astoria had never given him a reason to mistrust her, and if she was keeping something from him... he wasn't sure he wanted to know why.
She pushed a hot mug of tea in his direction, which he accepted without comment, wondering what last night meant for their friendship.
"I'm going to go home and freshen up... But did you have any nightmares last night?"
