the blood curse: a drastoria fanfiction

a broken deal

"she said that grandfather didn't like her very much - opposed the match - thought she was too muggle-loving - too weak - but that you defied him for her. she said it was the bravest thing she'd ever seen." 
                              - scorpius malfoy (the cursed child)

°

Astoria woke up suddenly enough to see the end of a black robe leave the door frame and her point of view.

Draco had been there.

As the realization washed over her, Astoria felt a strange urge to smile widely. Pinching herself, she exited the girls' dormitory and walked into the common room. Only twenty minutes had passed according to the clock on the wall. Astoria sighed as she remembered she had to do her homework for the following day. Grabbing her bag off a nearby table and taking out her partially completed Divination essay, she took a deep breath and started to write.

"That was a short nap," Draco said, sitting down next to her.

"Don't you have more important things to do than monitoring my sleep schedule?" Astoria asked irritably.

"If you weren't dreaming about me, you weren't dreaming, as I always say."

"I don't think that's how it works," Astoria said distractedly. It was easy not to blush when there were so many other things on her mind.

He cocked his head to the side. "You have a problem."

"That's offensive."

He rolled his eyes. "You're sick, Astoria."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Astoria said, flipping her hair and continuing to write.

Draco put his hand on her parchment and slid it away from her. Ignoring her protests, he rolled the essay up and stuffed it in her bag. "You keep running off to 'sleep'. You're paler than usual - which I didn't think was possible, by the way - and you keep visiting the hospital wing."

Astoria turned to face him, trying to hide her panic. She didn't know he was this perceptive. "I'm tired so I take miniature naps. As for me being pale, you know as well as I do that being pale is completely normal for me. I was at the hospital because Madam Pomfrey needed to check up on me after the fight a week ago. The one that you forced me to be in?"

Draco ignored her last bitter remarks and continued to stare at her. Finally, he said, "You're sick and you know it. And the sooner you admit it, the sooner I can help you."

"That's not needed," Astoria said. There's nothing you can do to help.

"I know you're lying."

"I need to finish my essay, Draco," Astoria said. "Can you please leave me alone?"

Draco's eyes narrowed. "Leave you alone now or forever?"

He was testing her. He knew she had feelings for him. He knew she'd want to spend as much time with him as possible. That was what the old Astoria would've wanted. To stray from that course of action would be a dead giveaway. So even though Astoria didn't want to see him for the rest of her life (or, at least, most of her didn't), Astoria said, "You're still my friend, Draco."

He smiled easily, but the suspicion was still there. "In that case, let's walk around the castle grounds tomorrow. Away from the hospital wing, since you don't need it."