they were just kids [draco malfoy]

Year 4 - 67

Astrid's father had been in Azkaban.

All because Lucius Malfoy was a coward who was under the impression his best friend was just as cowardly as he was.

Although three years were much less than many other deatheaters got. Eric had explained he himself wasn't exactly sure how it had come to that. Possibly the lack of records of dark magic being performed with the man's wand being the main reason. But however much it was, it didn't change the fact that it had been horrible.

Just a few months in and every next day became the same as the one before. A few months in and it didn't matter if it was three, five or twenty years you had to spend there. Once in Azkaban, a part of you would always stay in Azkaban, a part of your soul painfully sucked away by a bored dementor or two. Once in Azkaban, others would always see you as the one who had been to Azkaban. In it or out of it, it didn't matter. The world despised you. You despised you.

Astrid had found out the reason her father had fled. The reason her father had suffered.

The girl just like Eric Evuflyn held one very important quality - loyalty. She didn't care if it could have been her father's fault. She didn't care if he had deserved it. All she cared was that Lucius Malfoy had betrayed him. All she cared for was to hate the family with the same passion her dad did.

And she didn't hold herself back from showing her obvious distaste.

Draco Malfoy had come back from the Easter holidays equally bitter. The boy had gotten to hear the other side of the story and was now determined to hate the Evulfyn-Ninomaes the same as he should've hated them from the very beginning.

Eric Evulfyn had talked about Lucius in his hearing, obviously attempting to undermine him. The platinum-blonde man had only gotten lucky to have been able to tell his story to the court first. He still believed that had he not spoken, his ex-friend would've been the one to send him to prison.

Draco held back nothing from showing how disgusted he was by the other family.

Any companionship or mutual understanding the two might've begun to develop was thrown out the window, pushed into a burning dumpster fire and hit by a highspeed-train. They were as good as back to Year 1 - fighting and insulting one another every chance they got, staying as distant as possible, scowling and glaring.

It wasn't a pleasant time for neither either of them nor anyone in their friend group.

The third task was approaching rapidly with it approaching an aura of dark gloom and angry despair. 

Astrid had never been able to stay angry for as long amount of time as she did then. Her anger being so constant that it, as she had figured, kept initiating angered dreams and headaches. 

The approach of their exams hadn't made it easier on anybody either.

The end of their fourth year was just overall a mess and the resurfaced rivalry of Draco and Astrid had only been the beginning of it.

* * *

Astrid sauntered her way down the first-floor corridors of Hogwarts. The girl had spent the afternoon lounging in the library and not one had dared to approach her now with that permanent glare nestled on her face. As Daphne had claimed with a small laugh, Astrid's resting face had become loads scarier than it had been before.

She had stormed to the library after a rather intense brawl between her and Draco while the Slytherin fourth-years had spent their time chatting and playing Wizard's chess in the common room. Astrid had spent as much time as she could in the library. The girl didn't want to return for she wished to not see nor hear of the platinum-blonde that evening anymore.