cigarette burns

takeaway

Having taken a taxi from the station to the Leaky Cauldron in London, Asterin apparated them both to the front step of the Sheridan Residence.
Draco, somewhat curious as to what kind of protection spells were around for muggles to have not seen them suddenly appearing out of thin air, took in the sight before him: a six-floor mansion that was definitely bigger than his own family manor, though with all the curtains drawn so nothing could be seen from the outside. He wondered momentarily if Asterin had left it like that all summer when she was there by herself, but it was quickly forgotten once she beckoned him inside, sending their trunks up he assumed to where they'd be staying.

"So I can show you up to your room, we're on the same floor, and we can order takeaway? I really can't be bothered to cook tonight."
She noticed the surprise on his face, though he covered it quickly.

"You don't have a chef?"

Laughing, she replied, "we did. But with no one here to cook for while I was at Hogwarts, there was no reason for her to stay, so I gave her a year's wages along with the rest of the staff before leaving."

He nodded, following her up the staircase. "So, you cook?"

Asterin nodded, "I do. Did, rather, over summer she taught me everything. Back when I was still trying to figure out what to do with my life."

He laughed, the sound echoing down to the reception room thanks to the high ceilings. "Does that mean you know what you're doing with it now?"

She turned, a grin on her face. "No. I suppose I should have said 'when I was decided whether I should return to Hogwarts or not,' really." She pointed to a door behind her, "that's your room. Well, you can take any on this floor or the second, there aren't any on the first. I'll give you the tour in a bit, but you can explore wherever." She smiled, pushing open a door to her own room, the one she'd been staying in over the summer gone. 2I need a shower first though."

Draco nodded, disappearing into the room she'd pointed to, leaving her staring momentarily at where he'd been stood.

Closing the door behind her softly, Asterin sighed to herself, resting her forehead on the whitewashed door.
Don't be stupid, Asterin. He's not worth the trouble.

And yet... there was still some part of her that said yes he is. She shook the thoughts from her mind, kicking open her trunk and throwing her wand onto her bed, staring at the clothes in her trunk.
Shower, then change.

It took her less than ten minutes to shower, drying her hair with a spell she remembered her mother using on her when she was young and changed into a jumper and monochrome cargo pants. She'd have to take everything to the laundrette before they returned to Hogwarts; while she knew how to do her own laundry, she'd always hated ironing.
A simple flick of her wand sent the contents of her trunk to her wardrobe, arranging everything perfectly with another wave. She decided maybe she should show Draco around, help him get his bearings a little more around: she'd never physically been to Malfoy Manor, but her brother spoke of it often, and Asterin had been made aware of the differences between the two residences. Sorin had been very arrogant, especially when it came to materialistic things such as who had a bigger house, who had more staff or nicer gardens. In a way, she missed it. Not enough to actually miss him but enough.

"Hey," she knocked lightly on Draco's door, "are you decent?"

He opened the door with a smile, having changed into jeans and a pullover hoodie. "I guess. Tour time?"

"Tour time." She smiled. "Uh, so there are three floors over this one, fourth is - was - the family floor, parents rooms, mine and Sorin's, fifth a couple more bedrooms, a study and storage, and the top floor was for the staff, with bedrooms, bathrooms and living areas. I won't take you up but you can go up if you like." She smiled nervously, taking his nod as a cue to carry on.
"The only thing vaguely interesting on this floor is that it used to be a study but I've sort of turned it into an informal living room." Asterin smiled softly as he raised an eyebrow slightly, the ghost of a smile on his face. "Second floor," she led him down, "more bedrooms, we called it the guest floor, Sorin and I. If you like you can move down here from upstairs, or to the fifth floor. Whatever you like, all beds are made up." She smiled, not really knowing what she was doing. "First floor is more interesting though," She led him down the double flight of stairs. "That's a study, technically, though it's where my parents kept all the illegal and outlawed books and artefacts. Then the library, feel free to use that as much as you like, though it's mostly old books out of circulation for about thirty years. An actual study at the end of that hallway, this is the formal living area, and then the look over at the reception room and ballroom."

Draco raised an eyebrow, taking the time to look over the bannister at the ballroom. Even with the chandelier in the way, he could see how impressive it was. "I remember the balls we used to throw. Your parents came to a few of them, I think."

Asterin nodded. "They would have done. Sorin hated them though, so he wouldn't have, and I wasn't allowed until I was seventeen and by then the war was underway so... anyway." She shrugged, plastering a smile over her face. "Want to see it from the floor, rather than just the overlook?"

Nodding, he followed her down back to the reception room.

"Formal dining room, drawing room, with a door from the dining room too." She waved her hand to the right, leading him through the door to their left. "And this is the ballroom." She held her hands out, looking up at the ceilings, and taking a deep breath. "It's been a while since I've been in here. I avoided it all summer; I didn't want to be reminded of it all." Turning to him, Asterin saw an unfamiliar expression on his face, his eyes fixed on her. "But, um... Anyway, are you hungry? I noticed you didn't eat anything on the train. We can order anything you like, I'm really not picky."

He nodded, the smile unwavering. "Whatever's good. Always wondered why muggles are so obsessed with takeaway pizza?"

Asterin smiled. "Pizza it is."

x

"So, how come you're not staying in your old room? I'm assuming you moved out of it when you came back, after... well, after the war."

Asterin delayed replying by taking another bite of her slice of the meat feast pizza they were sharing. "If I'm honest... It's full of everything I don't want to be reminded about. I didn't move out so much as never returned to that room, summoned all the clothes I wanted from there, and locked the door. Never looked back inside."

Draco raised an eyebrow, "so it'd be like stepping back in time, going in."

She watched him cautiously, chewing slowly before swallowing hard. "I suppose. Not too far, I was seventeen when it was my room. I'm not even nineteen yet."

"Can I see it?"

Asterin nearly choked. "Wh- why would you want to see that?"

Shrugging, Draco watched her closely. "I didn't know you. You knew me, you knew what I was like. I have no idea what you were like, what you thought, how you behaved."

She sighed, not meeting his gaze. "I guess. You can go in, I mean. But it's just... All Slytherin merch and drawings, sketches. It's nothing dark, apart from maybe a few leftover books on my desk. But I can't look at Sorin, not like I drew him. I said... I don't know if you remember, but I said he used to think he was the centre of the universe, and for nearly seventeen years so did I. I suppose it's how I was taught to see him, as he raised me more than my parents, so I go his filtered version of himself rather than an objective one. I was proved so, so wrong in the end."

Draco nodded, staring down at the box on the table in front of them. "I'm sort of glad I'm an only child now."

"Maybe you should be," Asterin laughed, now meeting his eyes.

He shook his head, a smile on his face as he looked towards the fireplace. He waved his wand, barely whispering an incantation before a fire erupted in the grate, lighting up the room, warming them both up in minutes. The two had set up in the cellar, in the staff living area. There wasn't much there, as the staff had taken everything that was theirs with them and Asterin wasn't bothering to replace it considering she was still thinking of selling the place.

"I should maybe get to bed. I'm sort of exhausted from today. Um, I'll see you tomorrow." Asterin stood, a little awkwardly, waving.

Draco waved, a can of diet coke whizzing through from the kitchen with a slight wave of his wand as she left, and Asterin turned back, looking once more as he faced the fireplace.
"If you want a smoke, the backdoor is down the hall. I think there's an ashtray out there, I know Katie used to smoke, one of the housemaids, and James, he did too."

Draco half-turned, a smile on his face. "Thank you."
His voice was barely above a whisper, but Asterin heard him clearly.

"Goodnight, Draco." She smiled, disappearing up the stairs.