Inferno | Draco Malfoy

076 | Spin the Bottle

The Astronomy Tower offers an exceptionally beautiful panorama of the Black Lake, with its inky waters that shimmer under the moonlight, reflecting the stars above on cloudless nights. It also offers a view of the tall mountains, with their rugged peaks and greenery stretching beyond imagination. It is because of these reasons that I miss Astronomy lessons because generally, the tower is out-of-bounds. Nonetheless, rules aren't barriers for those who challenge them, they can be broken, and that's exactly what Theo's done.

The brunette has always been utterly enamoured by the tower, liking every inch of it, from its breathtaking views to the comfort it offers. Needless to say, it's easily become his favourite place to get high and drunk, simply because it is 'the best place to'. Though of course, Blaise calls it bluff; insisting that Theo is just in love with the inanimate object, even stating that he would like to marry it.

Despite the jokes, one cannot ignore the potential fear of losing one's footing and plummeting from such great heights.

Anyway, we all have our afterschool free period right now. Theo proposed that we should all gather by the Astronomy Tower to pack in a bit of fun. I agreed, only since I, too, like the tower.

Because it's a cold evening, I throw Malfoy's Quidditch jumper on top of my school one (since it's not enough to keep me warm). At this point in time, I couldn't care less about what people have to say, after all, it's none of their concern as to why I have got a Quidditch jumper. Besides, Malfoy isn't even a member of the current team, so there can't be possible rumours about me and him.

Yet, despite that, the girls in my dormitory found out about the jumper, long ago, on the first day back when we were unpacking after the holiday. They all knew it was Malfoy's jumper and instantly teased me throughout the whole entire night because of it.

I'll admit that I wear it quite frequently around in my dormitory, I mean, I even slept in it once. But, I cannot be held accountable when his jumper smells heavenly.

"Come on, stop smelling that jumper, everyone is already up there," Pansy yells as she forcefully swings the door open. I jump back, a sudden realisation dawning upon me that I am, indeed, smelling the delicate fragrance on his jumper, with my eyes shut. Second-hand embarrassment courses through me when Pansy chuckles, stepping out of the door to wait outside.

The moment I slip my shoes on and shut the door, Pansy does not hesitate to take me by my hand, hurrying me down the dormitory staircase as though her life depended on it.

After a journey of countless flights of stairs that seemed to have stretched on endlessly, we finally reached our desired destination. I try to catch my breath while taking in a lively atmosphere; everyone is sitting in a circle on the floor aside from Malfoy, who sits on the platform steps, though still close enough to be classified as a part of the circle. The ambience is further enhanced by alcohol and the unmistakable, distinctive smell of cannabis that lingers in the air.

"Ladies!" Theo calls out as Pansy sits adjacent to him. "Knock yourselves out to the best shit on the market."

I don't bother with anything Theo has to offer, the mere thought of being so reckless with abusive substances is the epitome of distaste to me. Perhaps that's why Daphne calls me the mother of my friends, due to my habit of constantly attending to their bloody needs when they engage in stupid things like this (getting high and drunk).

I feel a pair of eyes stick onto me like honey, and his gaze only follows my figure, even daring to glance up and down to capture every inch of me as I walk by the platform steps, en route to sit with Daphne. As I steal a fleeting glimpse of him, it's hard to differentiate whether he's smirking or smiling — for it appears he contemplates both. Does the sight of me in his jumper truly bring him this much pleasure?