"Shit."
Draco pushed his fist against his mouth, preventing himself from cursing further as pain shot through his foot.
He stole a quick glance back at the bed and inwardly sighed with relief when it was clear that the figure hadn't been disturbed.
Having no idea what caused the pain on the bottom of his foot given the amount of crap strewn over the floor, he quickly grabbed the remainder of his clothes, making sure his wand was still in his pocket and hobbled out of the room, quietly closing the door behind him.
He glanced around at his surroundings, trying to remember the way out. But the previous night was a blur and all he could remember was snippets of a girl giggling and whisky... lots of whisky.
She was bottle blonde, he suddenly recalled, and had big lips and a voluptuous cleavage which practically spilled out of her very tight dress. She had tasted of vinegar and cheap perfume when they kissed, and sounded like a chimpanzee on Valium when they fucked.
He remembered all of that, he remembered most things, except for her name.
And the way out of this fucking place.
The hallway he found himself in was dark, and he quickly used the opportunity to hurriedly throw his shirt on, but before he could start with his trousers, the door opposite him suddenly opened.
Draco froze, readying himself to be faced with an angry overprotective big brother or a raging father. It wouldn't be the first time...
But to his relief, a girl of around his age slipped out. A girl dressed in shorts and vest, presumably her pyjamas, with long dark wavy hair that fell around her shoulders and eyes that even in the dark he could tell were beautiful.
At first, she appeared naturally startled by the presence of a half-dressed man standing outside her bedroom, but then she quickly managed to recover herself and a small smile crept to her lips as she inquisitively cocked an eyebrow.
"Nina?"
Draco just blinked at her. For a second, he thought she was calling him that, and he was about to correct her and explain that his name was in fact Draco, when he remembered the girl whose bed he had just snuck out of.
Nina. Of course. That was her name.
His lips tugged into an awkward smile as his hand pulled at the back of his neck. Suddenly, for the first time in his life, he felt deeply ashamed of his cowardly behaviour.
He never usually let himself fall asleep afterwards, instead preferring the dip and quit approach. It was less messy that way. The last thing he wanted to do was wake up and have that awkward conversation where a hangover and the dying need to get out of there would drive him to promise the girl that he'd call her back, even though he never had any intention of doing so.
But the sex with this Nina girl had been exhausting, and she had been so... enthusiastic, riding him like she was on a bucking bull. It had taken him ages to orgasm, to the point where he didn't actually think it was going to happen. But luckily, she eventually (after getting her fill) clambered off him and began to suck him off. That seemed to do the trick.
And then he must have passed out.
So, here he was at god knows what time, standing in an unknown hallway with this beautiful girl whose name he suddenly so desperately wanted to know.
He certainly didn't recall her from the previous night. Besides, he'd know if he had seen her before because she had a face he didn't want to ever forget.
A noise from behind him made him startle. Fuck. He needed to get out, fast. But the stairs at the end of the hallway were too far away and that Nina would easily catch him before he reached them.
The girl, obviously sensing his panic, quickly stepped aside, and motioned for him to go into the room she'd just come out of.
Draco didn't hesitate, deeply grateful to her as he leapt in past her, hearing the click of the door opening behind him just as he slipped inside out of view.
He found himself in a what he'd call a studious room, lit up in soft light by a single lamp on the bedside table. Everything was neat and in its place which gave Draco an immediate sense of calmness. It was a small space, but filled well with books lined up on shelves along the cream-coloured walls and a desk in the corner with writing parchment set out, blank and ready to be used next to a tidy stocked with quills and ink.
He could tell straight away that this girl was clever, hard working and quite possibly sensible. He doubted she brought men back here for drunken one-night fumbles at any rate.
Holding his breath, he pressed his back against the wall, trying to ignore the pain in his foot as the girl remained out in the hallway where a conversation had begun to take place.
"Oh." Nina's voice. "What are you doing out here?"
"I couldn't sleep," the girl explained, "so I went to get a glass of water."
"You didn't happen to see a tall skinny bloke on your travels? Sexy white-blond hair, stunningly tight butt and dazzling silver eyes?"
Draco smirked to himself.
"No, sorry. Friend of yours?"
"Something like that." Another pause. "You missed a good night last night. Perhaps if you'd stop hanging around with that dull little group of yours, then you might find yourself actually having fun once in a while."
Draco felt oddly defensive on the girl's behalf and suddenly understood why she had been keen to help him. Nina was a bitch.
"I think, Nina, that your idea of having fun differs quite vastly from mine. I don't judge you, so please don't judge me. Not when you're the one whose 'friends' can't get away from you quick enough."
And without waiting for a response, she swiftly stepped back inside the room, firmly shutting the door.
Draco watched as she bowed her head, taking a moment to steady her heated breaths, her hands still on the door as her shoulders rose and fell.
"Uh- thank you," he said quietly, trying not to startle her. "You didn't have to do that."
Slowly, she turned around, the beauty of her face making his heart quite literally skip a beat. A faint smile flickered at her lips, causing her eyes to shine.
"It's no problem, really." She bit her lower lip which Draco found quite unexpectedly adorable. "Er, the fire escape is right there. You'll be able to Apparate once you reach the ground."
She motioned to a door that he hadn't noticed on first glance. Through the glass window, he could just about make out the black metal stairs running down the side of the building.
He realised this must be some kind of student housing accommodation. It would explain the mismatched combination of her and the Nina girl.
Draco hesitated. He didn't want to leave like this. He really wanted to know her name, but he didn't think it appropriate to ask considering he was still in a state of undress after fucking her housemate.
As though reading his mind, her eyes trailed down to his boxer shorts, her face flushing slightly as though suddenly realising she'd been staring slightly longer than was necessary.
Draco didn't mind though, on the contrary, he never wanted her eyes to leave him. He liked her looking at him. A lot.
Fuck. What was he doing? He suddenly gave himself a quick mental shake, hurriedly pulling on his trousers.
"Sorry for the intrusion," he muttered, noticing the clock on her bedside table. It was twenty past five in the morning. "I hadn't meant to stay, you see."
Glancing at the lamp which had already been switched on when he entered the room, he wondered what she was doing awake so early on a Sunday morning.
"As I said," she said lightly, "it's no problem. I was awake anyway."
He went to put his socks on but the sharp pain beneath his left foot reminded him of the injury he'd somehow obtained whilst crossing Nina's bedroom floor. He lifted it up to inspect the underside.
"Shit," he hissed as he realised a large shard of glass was piercing deep into the flesh.
He tried not to wince as he pulled it out, the pain making him feel actually nauseous. Blood spattered onto the cream carpet.
"Fuck, I'm sorry," he apologised, realising too late that he should have just done this outside.
"That looks deep," the girl said, frowning. "Would you like me to see if I can fix it? Don't worry," she added, upon seeing his alarmed expression. "I'm studying medicine so it'll be good practice for me."
She motioned for him to sit on her bed as she grabbed her wand off the desk, and he did so, positioning himself awkwardly on the edge. He swallowed. Normally when a girl got him to do this, he was about to receive head.
And as she knelt down before him, he found he had to stop himself from emitting a longing moan as her fingers delicately brushed against his bare foot, her touch feeling cool against his skin as she carefully lifted it onto her lap.
"I'm just going to clean it first," she explained as she pointed the tip of her wand towards the wound, a not unpleasant sensation almost tickling the cut, "and then seal it - sorry, it might hurt a bit."
Before Draco could scoff that he'd handled a lot worse, he found himself suddenly throwing his head back and sucking in a sharp hiss through his teeth as the underside of his foot felt as though it was being attacked by a thousand tiny needles.
Fuck, that did hurt. But he found himself feeling oddly disappointed when she released his foot and declared it all fixed.
Thanking her and finding that he was unable to meet her eye, Draco quickly pulled on his socks and slipped on his shoes.
Gingerly, he crossed the room over to the fire escape, hovering hesitantly as his hand fell on the door.
He turned back to look at her, and she gave him a tentative smile.
"What's your name?" He asked, boldly.
He hadn't expected her face to fall quite like it did, her smile flickering and dying. He hadn't expected the look of hurt to shoot through her eyes, making him wish he'd just kept his mouth shut and left it exactly how it was.
Fuck, so he did know her. But he couldn't place her at all and he began to panic that maybe he'd slept with her in the past and not called her back. But no, no way could he have done so, because if he ever had her in his bed then he already knew that he would never ever let her leave.
"Typical Draco Malfoy," she laughed derisively, her demeanour completely changed from the sweet girl who just healed his foot. "Just go, would you."
"Please, tell me," he implored, hating that he couldn't remember this beautiful girl. "I'm sorry, I- I drink a lot and don't remember a lot of people-"
"Don't worry," she scoffed, folding her arms across her chest. "I'm not one of the women you've pulled a moonlight flit on. I have a type and you're certainly not it."
Draco couldn't help but flinch at her harsh words. And he found himself wanting to stay, to desperately prove to her that he could be her type if only she'd just let him try.
"Your name?" He pressed, a little more demanding this time. He knew he should just go, that he was crossing a line by not leaving this girl's room when she had first asked him to.
Yes, he may use women for sex, but he knew when no meant no and leave meant leave, no matter how intoxicated he got.
She hesitated, and he thought she was going to ask him to leave again, and this time, he told himself, he would.
But then she opened her mouth and a name finally fell from her lips.
"Astoria."
Shit. The name wasn't ringing any bells at all. And it obviously showed because she gave another loud bark of laughter.
"You really don't remember me, do you, Draco?" He hated how disappointed she sounded. "My sister was in your year, Daphne Greengrass. I trust you remember her?"
Draco scratched his head. Daphne's little sister - it sounded vaguely familiar, but Hogwarts was a busy school and if they weren't even in the same year... He was beginning to feel a prickle of irritation. Merlin, was he seriously expected to remember everyone?
"You were in Slytherin...?" He chanced.
"Yes," she nodded, "two years below you and Daph. I remember you quite well."
Well, that wasn't unusual. People tended not to forget the student who tried to murder their headteacher.
She would have only been in fourth year when that happened, and Draco had spent that entire year in a numb daze.
Sighing heavily, he turned back to the door pushing it open. He was hit by a rush of cold air causing him to shiver.
"You called my best friend a Mudblood. And, when I told you that you were nothing but a coward and a bully, you called me a pathetic blood traitor who shouldn't be allowed to wear the Slytherin robes."
Draco froze, closing his eyes in shame.
When he opened them again, he turned to look at her, studying her face more carefully this time, trying to picture her younger self.
Yes, he remembered her now, remembered how that had not been the only time he'd sneered at her and threw insults at her friends. Even to the point where Daphne had had to pull him aside for a 'word' about his treatment of her little sister.
He literally hadn't thought about any of that since Hogwarts until now. And now he wished he was standing anywhere but there.
"Why-" he swallowed, his voice strangled with shame. "Why did you help me tonight?"
"For the same reason I want to become a Healer," she said simply. "Because I want to help people no matter what."
Draco nodded, understanding, trying to ignore the painful stirring in his chest. He'd misinterpreted her kindness for something else.
"Well, thank you," he said again, with sincerity as his eyes met hers, "Astoria."
A small smile twitched at her lips as she held his gaze, her beauty seeming to light up the room.
"Goodnight, Draco."
He nodded again, turning to leave.
"Oh, and Draco?"
He paused, his heart giving a hopeful flutter as he looked over his shoulder questioningly. "Yes?"
"She wasn't wrong, you know. Nina's description of you."
"Oh?" A smirk played at his lips, expecting her to compliment him on his eyes, like all the girls did.
"Mmm hmm." A coy smile and a spark of amusement in her eyes. "You do have a stunningly tight butt."
And Draco Malfoy knew even then, as he flew down the fire escape with his heart lighter than it had ever been, that she was the girl he was one day going to marry.
*****
A/N: Thought I'd try something out after doing Astoria so dirty in my other fanfics! I was also inspired by a conversation with LyraBlack_Malfoy215, so thank you for that.
Also, thank you to the talented Jaye_Rose0000 creating my wonderful cover!