Chapter 26

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Her collarbones like wings spread from the base of her throat to the ends of her shoulders. A bird held down by skin. 

- The God of Small Things

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Draco and Eden had remained beneath the starlit sky by the Willows until the sun began its ascent. They had spoken of their lives before meeting each other, and of everything else in between.                                                                                                                                                 

Draco learned that Eden had burnt the rosemary bread he had helped her make before storming out of the apartment that day during Summer--all because she had been so occupied by her thoughts due to his 'tantrum' as she called it, that she forgot to remove it from the oven. He also learned that after the incident with her father, she had been homeschooled until she was 10, where she then went to school for a year before Hogwarts. Then, Eden had spoken of Faye, Francesca, Luna and Levi. 

After Draco had spoken of Pansy, Theo and Blaise--Eden learned that Draco had always been very interested in the arts whilst Eden was more interested in Literature. He told her of the painting he created of the waterfall they had visited in the Forbidden forest. He did not mention the paintings of her, nor his studio in the room of requirements. When he was ready, he decided, he would.

"I don't know if I want to be an artist when I graduate. I wouldn't mind being an auror." He had told her. "It sounds like you already are an artist, Draco. You don't need to make it your career to call yourself one." She had responded, before the sun burst over the tree line and the pair realised they had been up for far too long. It was a good thing Eden had her secret passageways, or they might have been caught by Snape.

"I have detention today." He sighed as they began to part ways in the common room. "Is it with Blaise?" She had paused. "No. Thank god." He wanted to reach out and kiss her again. They had not kissed since that second one by the Willows, he had not felt that they'd reached a level of intimacy where he could kiss her whenever he liked--though it was almost unbearably tempting.

"Where will it be?" She asked, but he didn't know, and told her as much. "Maybe I'll escort you. I don't go to Hogsmeade anyway." Then she had smiled, placed a gentle kiss on his cheek, and hurried up the stairs to her dorm.

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Draco had joined Eden for breakfast in the Kitchens. She wasn't sure why, but she had almost expected him not to show. Perhaps it was his absence in the past few days. "Pie today?" Draco had said by way of greeting, dropping into the chair across from her. "It's apple and rhubarb." Eden balanced the plate on her knees while she struggled to read the pages of her book.

"What if I read it aloud to you while you eat?" Draco grinned, catching a glance at the cover. "Absolutely not." She snapped before tucking it away into her bag. Better safe than sorry. "Are you so embarrassed that I'll find out what it contains? Perhaps I'll buy myself a copy." He grinned as an elf offered up a slice of pie.

"Be my guest. I'd love to see your mothers reaction if you read it at the dinner table." She scoffed as Draco accepted the pie. "Are you suggesting my mother would read such an improper book?"

"You think my book is improper?" Eden raised her brows. "By the way you keep stuffing it away whenever I'm near--and considering the last book of yours that I read, I'd say it's a fair assumption." He had a point. "When is your detention again?" She coughed, and the look on Draco's face told her he knew exactly what she was trying to do.

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