Rivals | D.M

60. A Hogsmeade 'date'

Aster's POV

After Nott's attempt to out Draco and I, I removed myself from Draco's lap and hurriedly agreed to go to Hogsmeade with him. I avoided Draco and Blaise's eyes as I agreed and then awkwardly, I dismissed myself from the party and went to bed.

If Draco so badly wanted to keep us a secret, he gave me no choice but to pretend to be interested in other people.

The only rule I had with Nott was that our trip to Hogsmeade was not classified as a date. Just like Blaise firmly stated, Aster Flint does not date.

The next day was spent holed up in the stuffy library with Blaise. We already had multiple assignments to work on, and I wasn't going to get behind in my schoolwork just because I had told Malfoy I would help him with his task from the Dark Lord.

I didn't see Malfoy all day. I was slightly glad. I didn't want to suffer the backlash of what happened with Nott. I knew Malfoy got jealous and protective, and I just didn't have the energy to fight with him about it.

Blaise was however, quiet interested in the semantics of this 'date' with Nott.

"So you actually like Theo?" he asked that Saturday night as we sat in our usual spot in the common room.

"No" I shortly replied.

"But you're going on a date with him?"

"I am not going on a date with him, I'm just going to accompany him to Hogsmeade" I explained tiredly.

"It's still a date"

I gripped my wand between my fingers and sighed.

"If I pretend to see Nott, people won't think twice about Draco and I" I whispered.

Blaise nodded slowly but hesitantly.

"So you're dating Draco?" He asked, a slight hint of humour in his voice.

"For fuck sake Blaise" I slouched back into the chair I was sitting on and sighed loudly.

"That's a yes?" he prodded, his dark eyes twinkling.

"I don't know" I shuffle awkwardly in my chair and fiddle with my wand in my hand.

"How do you not know?" he asks, flipping his book closed and placing it on the table in front of him.

"He doesn't want to label it yet"

"But you've been hooking up for months now, a lot longer than you usually go for..." I shoot him a deadly stare at this observation, "and he gave you that necklace. You don't do that for hook ups" he explains, his eyes growing rather cross.

"How would you know what hook ups do" I spit back.

"I hook up...with people" he stammers, his eyes still narrowed at me.  There's a thoughtful silence as I search his face for an explanation.

"Who?" I press, now suddenly curious.

"No one here" he says before turning his back on me and bending down to tie his shoe.

"Why don't you ever talk about this stuff with me?"

He pulls himself back up and fiddles with his tie, pulling it back and forth.

"You had Harper to talk about this sort of stuff with"

"Doesn't mean you can't talk to me about it" I explain.

"It was just a muggle girl at home, nothing to brag about. I was...just trying to forget...about Harper" he explains, his eyes darting to his fingers wrapped around his tie.