Secrets and Snakes - A Draco Malfoy Story

Come Fly With Me

The air was cold. The air was cold and yet Draco's hot breath wrapped around her like a visceral warmth that could not be contained.

"Caught you," he whispered, wrapping his hand around her waist. "Were you trying to sneak off?"

Astoria gulped. To be honest, she was. After breakfast with Aria, she was beginning to realize how stupid it was to agree to fly with him. Tell me what's going on between you and Draco, Aria had said. Astoria blushed and a lie flew out of her far too easily for her own comfort. There's nothing between us. He's engaged to Daphne. We're just friends. That's all.

Well, perhaps nothing was going on between them. Perhaps that was true. But the fact that it even partly felt like a lie was the problem. 

Aria knew, of course, that Astoria was lying. The woman was too observant not to notice something as obvious as that. Still, Astoria was thankful when she didn't question her. She had enough inner turmoil about the situation on her own.

Astoria had never been one to break promises, not even stupid ones. Her word was sacred to her; she never broke it. So even though she knew it was a horrible idea to go flying with Draco, she found herself walking out to the chilly, foggy Quidditch pitch anyway. The clouds wrapped around her like a cold blanket. After waiting for him for a few minutes, she decided that it was best if she just left. She couldn't fly, not with her condition, and getting too close to Draco was a terrible idea. She tightened the cream-colored jumper that she wore and began to walk back.

The problem with that, though, is that Astoria didn't realize she was being watched. Draco leaned against one of the goalposts, seemingly admiring her while she walked away. Her light jeans and sweater made her stick out even amongst the fog and he had no trouble finding and confronting her.

When she heard his voice just behind her ear and his arm around her body, she froze. Caught you. That was what he said. What if she wasn't the one he should be catching? What if everything about this was wrong?

But what if she didn't want it to be? What if she spent every single night in her dormitory wishing it could be right? What if what she wanted more than anything was to hop on the broomstick with Draco and fly far, far away?

"Yes," Astoria whispered, not moving away. Again, she found herself unable to lie to him. "I was leaving. We shouldn't be out here."

"There are a lot of things we shouldn't be doing and a great many more we should," Draco replied smoothly. "But there is nothing wrong with going for a quick flight. It is innocent, completely so."

She frowned and subconsciously wrapped her sweater tighter around her body, shivering. Draco's presence always seemed to make her cold and warm all at the same time. He stepped closer to bring her more of his body heat. He was wearing a thick, dark green sweater and black trousers, looking devilishly charming even in clothes that he would probably consider casual. 

Draco held out a broom—a dark, smooth-looking thing with a golden Nimbus carved at the end—before offering her his hand. "Are you ready?" She couldn't help but notice how smooth his hand looked. When he held hers last week, it was warm and soft and so perfectly right against her own. Astoria began to get lost in the memory. It seemed to happen often, her mind drifting to Draco. He was all she could think about sometimes. He was beginning to be all she wanted to think about. He was so—

"Astoria?" he interrupted with a soft smirk.

"Hmm?" She blinked and tore herself away from memories. Even the memory of him doesn't belong to you anymore. It belongs to Daphne. Only Daphne. 

Draco reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling her to his body. "Come fly with me, my love," he whispered, tucking a piece of her dark hair behind her ear. His fingers left trails of warmth down her cheek as they passed.