Rivals | D.M

64. Yours

Aster's POV

He told me everything.

It was the most I have ever heard him speak in one sitting.

At first it was like the words got stuck between his teeth but after he had calmed down, his words started to tumble out of his mouth. All I could do was listen.

Every now and then he would stop and a look of disgust would shadow his eyes, like he was mad at the way he was talking so freely. I knew enough about pure blood families and their ideals and idiosyncrasies that it was frowned upon to talk so openly. I kept my distance by sitting cross legged on his bed, as he paced and ranted.

I wasn't entirely surprised at his task. It was common knowledge that the person the dark lord was afraid of the most was Professor Dumbledore. The one thing I was surprised of however, was the fact Draco had actually contemplated killing him.

"I had to Ast. I couldn't say no. The way he looked at my mother..."

"You had no choice" I completed his sentence.

He paused at this and looked at me properly, stopping his pacing and dropping his hands from clenched fists.

"I had a choice, I just didn't have great ones. What was I supposed to do? Say no?" I watched as his eyes grew glassy. My own eyes pricking with tears at the sight.

"You could have told me Draco. After all, I've been helping you with the cabinet. You don't think I knew that there was more to that? I knew it had something to do with bringing others into Hogwarts." I confessed.

"Why would you help me do that?" He spoke quietly.

"You know why. I couldn't let him bring my father into this. I was doing that same thing as you, the dark lord just doesn't know. Not that I didn't have faith in you completing this task by yourself, but I couldn't just stand by and watch all of it unfold. You're important to the dark lord, you have your fathers protection. Who does my father have?"

His eyes were staring at his hands, he had started to fiddle with his ring again.

"I wouldn't have blamed my failures on your father"

"I know that, but you're just a teenager. No matter how barbaric and evil he is, he wouldn't punish you if there was a responsible adult nearby." The words seemed to sink into me, and I felt my tears slide down my face.

"I'm sorry Ast. For everything. For saying that you were only good- for your body..I didn't mean that." His voice cracked and I looked up to find his own eyes wet with tears.

I stood up from the bed and walked over to him. Standing in front of him, my head tilted slightly up, I looked into his eyes.

"Just don't say anything like that to me ever again otherwise I will literally hex your balls off" I smiled shyly, my tears dripping onto my lips.

"I'm just so conflicted. My heart is begging me to keep you away from all this but I know deep down I need you."

He said this so quietly I almost thought I dreamt it.

My tongue felt heavy and thick but before I could unstick it from the roof of my mouth, his hand made its way to my jaw and he began to trace soft circles on my cheeks.

His eyes suddenly felt all too consuming and a part of me wanted to run, run from this intense emotion I was feeling.

"I can't let myself be the reason you end up in his clutches or even worse dead. At first I was doing this to keep my father happy and my mother safe. Now...I have you." His eyes searched between my eyes and my mouth.