they were just kids [draco malfoy]

Year 5 - 76

Time had always run way too quickly.

One moment you were there, the other it was just a memory.

Astrid had always felt she had too little time, therefore she always hated indulging herself in activities that took too much of it away; or let it pass by unnoticed. Astrid had always hated doing things she considered a pointless waste of time.

That's why the girl had never liked reading.

No matter how entertaining the read, if it wouldn't directly benefit her in the future, she didn't want to read it. Because while reading, time tended to pass by way too quickly.

Sitting in a secluded corner of the library, reading up on the history of the Wizarding World and the events of the First Wizarding War, Astrid didn't hear the clock strike nine. Then ten. Eleven. By the time she had realised it would be time to return to bed clock had already struck midnight.

Time had passed and she hadn't noticed.

Time had passed and Astrid felt despondent.

Time had passed and she had not moved an inch forward in discovering if a daughter truly existed and if she did then who that person might be.

Time had been wasted and she was tired, not only from the excessive studying she had done and the late hour she found herself up at, but also because of how useless all the time she had spent felt.

Astrid quickly trekked her way down the dark empty corridors, hoping not to get caught. Though she was fairly certain she would not, it never hurt to be cautious.

Over the years of sneaking out, Astrid had acquired a certain form of movement she had named the midnight walk. Her feet moved fast, yet made no sound, as every step she took was gentle enough to absorb her steps. At this point in time, she had become a professional. But even professionals had their moments of failure.

Rounding a corner, just nearly having reached the common room, Astrid's heart nearly left her body when she came face to face with another person. Though when she realised it was only Theo, with her hand over her chest, Astrid leant against the wall, letting out a breathy laugh. The boy himself hadn't been startled to such extent so he simply chuckled at his friend's certainly overdramatic reaction.

"Geesh," the girl finally spoke as they wordlessly agreed to continue their way back to the Slytherin dungeon, "what are you doing wandering the corridors?"

"Take a guess."

Astrid turned her head to eye the boy up and down. There wasn't much the girl could make out in the dark, but she took note of his quite dishevelled wavy brown hair, his slightly wrinkled shirt and that silly giveaway of a grin.

"The Hufflepuff?" She asked and Theo shook his head. "The redhead?" Another shake of the head.

Ever since the Yule Ball night, Theodore Nott had become quite the womanizer. He wasn't an utter knob, his intentions were never to harm a girl or pressure her into anything,  but that didn't mean the lad didn't have his fair share of sneaky tricks up his sleeve.

Astrid had always known Theo would be a good salesman. At this moment in time, he was selling the idea of being a 'saddened boy having grown up without proper female influence'.

Theo's mum had passed away from Dragon Pox when he had been just three. Astrid had never been the person others came to talk to about serious matters as such, so she wasn't very sure of how the boy truly felt on the topic and how much of the 'dead mum' sob story he was selling to get girls was true. But from what she had gathered from the times Pansy had scolded Theo for it, the death of the parents (because it had happened so early on in life) didn't affect him all that much at all. At least certainly not as heavily as he made it out to look.