Astoria → Draco Malfoy

CHAPTER TEN

"i think he did it, but i just can't prove it"

In the moments that followed, Astoria found her newfound sense of self crumbling around her. She could barely hear what the students around her, but she could certainly feel the eyes of all the other students around her.

"I-I need to go," Draco called out, rushing out of the Great Hall at once.

Blaise stood up, "someone needs to go after him, he shouldn't be alone. His father is out there right now, and Draco needs distracting."

"I'll go," Astoria volunteered herself, seeing that nobody else seemed to have the capacity to do so at that moment in time. She ran out of the room, avoiding the eye of all of the other students as she did. "Draco?" She called out to him, "Draco where are you?"

Astoria had no idea where Draco had gone, but he couldn't have got too far. "Draco?" She said as she passed the library, "Draco, please?" And then it hit her where he was, the one place she knew he had used to be vulnerable, the bathroom of Moaning Myrtle.

"Draco, it's okay." She wasn't even sure if he could hear her yet, but he needed to know she was there, somebody was there for him. She swung open the bathroom door and at once, she saw him. Draco stood leaning over the sink, his shoulders hunched and his face wet with tears.

"I'm here for you," she made her way closer, lifting her arm to his shoulder.

"Stop," he shook his shoulder away, "go away."

"I'm just here to help, you shouldn't be alone."

"Astoria," he lifted his hand to wipe away his tears, "leave me alone!" His voice was quivering, "you shouldn't be here."

She took another step forward, "no I shouldn't, but you shouldn't either, let's go back and be with the others, neither of us should be alone right now."

"No!" His harshness scared Astoria, and for the first time in many months, she flinched, hard. "You just don't want to be alone," he began taking steps towards her, every step he took, pushing Astoria backward, "I don't need you here."

"Draco, it's okay."

"No. We aren't friends Astoria; we never have been and never will be."

Astoria took a step back, "oh. I-I'll just go now."

"Please."

As Astoria left the bathroom, she could hear the ghost of Myrtle Warren going over to comfort him, at least he has someone, she thought.

Instead of heading back to the Great Hall, Astoria decided to go for a stroll around the grounds, to take her mind off of everything that had happened, and everything that would unfold. It was only a few months ago that her father had been locked away in Azkaban for his crimes, for his loyalty to Lord Voldemort. It seemed impossible that he was out again, that somehow her biggest fear had come true.

Astoria made her way into the forbidden forest, the only place she seemed truly able to breathe. In the forest, the world felt silent. Astoria could sit alone and simply just exist, she didn't need to think, she just had to be.

Her worries melted away like icicles. She wasn't sure where her father was, or if he would even try and contact her, but when she was sat with the ground beneath her, it didn't matter. Feeling her hands in the undergrowth made her feel at one with the world.

And as soon as she finally felt at peace, it was as though an invisible string pulled her away.

Astoria

Her heart sunk as she heard her name being called, it was a voice she recognised, a voice that was familiar to her.

Astoria.