Rivals | D.M

67. Goodbyes

Draco's POV

The cabinet worked.

Leaving Aster in my bed, I anxiously made my way back to the Room of Requirement. A perfect green apple was sitting on the shelf inside the cabinet, but this time a large bite was taken out of it's smooth skin.

My forehead was slick with sweat. My heart raced incessantly in my chest.

I stared at the pop of green in the dreary cabinet and all I could think of was Aster.

What the fuck was I doing?

Was I really going to let a group of death eaters climb through this cabinet and take over the school?

The school I grew up in.

Shaking my head, I slammed the cabinet doors and raced towards the Great Hall. Breakfast was starting and the morning post was soon to be delivered. I was guaranteed a letter from either Aster's father or my own.

Either way, the letter's content was something I was dreading.

---

Breakfast was in full swing. I noticed Aster chatting animatedly with Blaise. I wasn't sure if it was the comfort of seeing her face but I found my legs pulling me towards her.

Before I knew it, I was sitting myself down next to her.

I looked up to find her eyes wide in shock. Even Blaise had stopped eating, his fork paused on its way to his mouth.

"What are you doing?" she hissed, her eyes whizzing around the table in panic.

"Eating breakfast" I grumbled.

Please just let me eat breakfast with you once. Who knew when I could do this again?

"You do realise you're sitting next to me?" she whispered. She stayed facing forward, reaching her hand towards her goblet. I had to pull my gaze from her face.

"Fancy that" I mumbled, picking up a piece of toast and slathering butter on the thick crust.

Aster huffed and I couldn't help the smirk that was rising on my face.

I felt a sudden yearning for something that could have been. A sense of normalcy that I could have had if things were different. The fact that soon, I would instead by sitting at my dining table at the Manor with a group of people very different to the group I was surrounded by now was making me feel almost mournful. Like I should take these moments now while I still can and make the most of them.

I casually gripped the bench beneath me with one hand, using my other to feed myself. Reaching my fingers across the bench I found Aster's thigh. Her warm skin was making me almost feverish myself. Her gasp at my sudden touch made her choke on the cornflakes she was eating. I smiled to myself as she shoved Blaise's concern away and instead gulped down her juice. She narrowed her eyes at me, careful to not seem as if she was actually looking at me.

I slid my palm to the inside of her thigh and pulled her closer to me so it didn't seem too obvious. She jumped at my force and made it look like she was pulling her skirt down. It didn't look so obvious being so close to each other as the table was now full, students from each side were shuffling onto benches, bunching up so others could join.

I just needed to touch her. To ground myself.

She was warm and smooth and it just felt so right.

A smile was growing on my lips, but not even a second later it vanished. The morning post was here.

My family owl swooped down in front of me, plopping a large envelope onto my plate. Ripping my hand from Aster's thigh, I felt an overwhelming snap in my chest.