when they became villains [draco malfoy] {book 2}

Year 7 - 201

It was still pitch black when she awoke. Her legs dangled over the side of the beige couch that was entirely too short for her. Astrid shivered under the single blanket she had taken to the shack, and the bone in her neck cracked once she tilted her head and sat up. Eyes half-opened, Astrid sat in the middle of the couch, a blanket secured tightly around her shoulders as she stared blankly at the bookcase in front of her.

After transfiguring a book into radio, and putting on some quiet hip hop music, she was finally able to get up. A piece of pie she had taken with her the previous dinner still stood untouched on the table by the windows. Deep shadows fell behind it, the room illuminated by nothing but a single ceiling candle, and Astrid contemplated whether she even wanted the thing. Whether she was hungry.

Lately, Astrid felt little of anything at all. That included a sense of appetite as well.

The clock on the floor by the couch told her it was still very early. Three hours before classes even started, but just like all the other days she had stayed there, Astrid knew she had to get back to school before everyone began waking up or else she would be caught. Often she had come close to it. Though even the threat of punishment didn't motivate her to get ready any quicker. The dark of the forest behind the curtain-less windows, behind the unlocked door - it still scared her, and against she wished she would have a secret room of her own in the castle, not outside of it.

After putting on her school uniform, Astrid went over it with an ironing spell she had picked up from Draco and made sure her clothes had no wrinkles or creases. Watching her reflection in the tiny handheld mirror, she tried to reflect the candlelight in a way that wouldn't blind her but would help her see her face and apply eyeliner easier. It was a challenge, but she managed. 

Somehow, Astrid always managed. It was the people around her who didn't...

Again her eyes caught sight of the pie and with a slight roll of her eyes she thought, why not. Grabbing the plate and a fork she walked over toward the exit and set them on the arm of the couch by the door. Without a rush, Astrid pulled on her winter coat and slipped her feet into her boots, not tying them. She would have to change into her inside shoes in school anyway. Grabbing the plate and the fork again, she set her foot outside into the dark.

It was freezing. Fat snowflakes were slowly floating toward the ground and the cold crept through her open coat, under her large knitted scarf. It was literally a breath of fresh air, and Astrid inhaled deeply, before exhaling and watching her breath leave her mouth and disappear in thin air. With a sigh, she broke apart and ate a piece of the pie. It didn't seem to hold much flavour. Nothing did anymore.

The pines all around looked impossibly high, the school ahead just a wee speck on a hill. Mostly it was dark, though a few windows seemed to hold light. The world felt too grand. She - too little.

By the time Astrid reached one of the side entrances, the top of her head had been coated white. The pie was half-devoured and the cold was only making her continue eating it, in an attempt to occupy her mind with something else.

The hallways were silent and empty. Not a sound. Not a light. Not even the tiny scatter of a mouse or a bug. Nothing. 

Astrid loved mornings.

With one hand she pried her coat open, with the other raised the plate up to her face to bite off a piece of the pie. The school was much warmer than the outside, or even her hut. As she chewed and walked, Astrid traced her hand alongside the wall, to find her broom closet in the dark. When she did, she stopped and placed the plate of food on the ground. In the closet, Astrid hid her coat and boots and pulled out a pair of shiny black platform shoes. Again she went over her clothes with an ironing spell. She ruffled her hair with her hands and stretched her back and neck, before closing the door and picking up her plate of pie again.