they were just kids [draco malfoy]

Year 5 - 112

Astrid awoke excited the following morning. From the very second she stepped out of bed, she knew it would be a good day. Perhaps that's why the whole girl side of the Slytherin house could hear the music blasted through the bathrooms while she showered that morning. And while at first her loud singing and awkward dance moves in just her towel while brushing her teeth were followed by nothing but conspicuous sneers and whispers, after some time even the girls who usually chose evening showers instead of morning ones, found themselves in the shared bathrooms to absorb some of the positive party energy. 

Because at the end of the day, it didn't matter what the girl did if she wanted to do it. Embarrassment was a social construct and nobody could make another feel embarrassed if they didn't want to be so. Mean whispers always ceased to be if the person being whispered about truly didn't care, even more so if they were genuinely having fun. Because at the end of the day, everyone simply wanted to enjoy their life. 

Not only that but Astrid Ninomae had always been a little conceited. Despite what she had insisted just the previous winter, the more the girl herself thought about it, she realised she might just be a little cocky. But then again, even if it was so, she found little fault in that. Astrid had always liked confident people better anyway. No wonder her best friend was Daphne Greengrass and for a boyfriend she had somebody like Draco Malfoy.

It was a rather long day of classes, but Astrid hadn't allowed that to ruin her mood. She had just refused to pay attention at all, her full attention being on the inviting April sunshine outside. 

Such excitement had been the main reason Astrid had slipped away from everyone as quickly as she had so she could go outside and enjoy the warm air before the crucial task of having to prove she could see an invisible house to the most suspicious person she knew.

Astrid quickly changed out of her school uniform. While her friends still sat chatting in the common room, finishing up on some homework for the following day, Astrid was in the dorm and opening the dark wooden chest of drawers, searching for something more comfortable to wear. Her hand first went to grab a pair of pants, but another look at the light water of the Great Lake convinced her otherwise. She moved her hand to the side and to a pile she didn't touch often and grabbed a brown tennis skirt. Astrid pushed her hair up in a loose updo before rolling up the sleeves of her white school shirt and going to dig through her clothes to find a jumper to finish up her look. 

The girl had almost grabbed a beige sweatshirt she hadn't worn in a while when at the very bottom of the drawer she saw a jumper she had totally forgotten about. One she had carefully hidden so her roommates wouldn't find it, yet in doing so had forgotten about it herself. The very black knitted jumper Malfoy had lent her one of the first nights he had called on her in order for them to discuss You-Know-Who's daughter's business.

The familiar scent of Malfoy filled her nostrils before she had fully even pressed the jumper to her nose and not for the first time she wondered about how on earth boy's colognes always lasted that long. She pulled it back in front of her to look it over and seeing as it wasn't anything special, she decided she might just be able to pass it as her own in the eyes of other students, without them suspecting it belonging to the blonde.

Astrid pulled it over her head and went to check her appearance in the mirror. She suppoossed she looked rather good. After all, she had just washed her hair earlier that day and it always looked very soft and voluminous on the first day after wash. But seeing herself she also realized she looked rather dark. Her outfit lacked colour. Therefore Astrid found herself going through Daphne's enormous pile of jewellery. It wasn't often that she wore any earrings at all, but Astrid felt she needed a pop of colour. The hanging cherry earrings Daphne had but never wore were just the thing she was looking for.