✓ WE NEVER SLEEP, draco malfoy

E L E V E N

"Love does not make me gentle or kind."
—  Anne Carson, from Autobiography of Red.

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Rowan woke in a bed she didn't recognize with silken sheets wrapped tightly around her body.

She was still clothed, thank god. 

She found that the bed was empty but she could hear the shower running in the small bathroom once she realized where she was. 

Draco Malfoy's bed was soft and she hated it. And she hated that she wanted him to exit the bathroom in nothing but a towel, to kiss her again, to hold her-

She shook her head, throwing the sheets off her and swinging her legs to rest on the edge of the bed. Her shoes were somewhere near his desk on the other side of the room, along with her robes and invisibility cloak. She could sneak off, she thought, just grab her things and tip toe out before he even saw her. 

The shower turned off and she edged off the bed slowly, pushing onto her feet and creeping towards the desk. She had just gotten her robes on when the bathroom door opened and she froze.

"Leaving so soon?" 

His voice was the same as always, deep, demanding, angry. She ignored the way his words had so much influence over her and smiled, "Better to get back now so no one sees me."

"They won't see you anyways with that cloak from Potter," he sneered and she finally got a glimpse of him.

He wore only a pair of black slacks that hung loosely on his hips, his belt in one hand and his shirt in the other. It was a simple look that made her hands tremble as she reached for the cloak. 

"It's not like you'll be late," he murmured, pulling his shirt on over his head and she almost wished he hadn't. He hadn't given her nearly enough time to admire him by the time he was fully clothed again. "Let me walk you?"

"Why would you want to do that?" she asked, furrowing her brows. 

He rolled his eyes, scoffing, "Was trying to be fucking nice, Greer, now come on. I'll walk you to the Great Hall for breakfast."

She slid into her robes, folding the invisibility cloak and tucking it inside her robes so she wouldn't forget it. She was thankful it didn't conceal any part of her as she looked back at him. There was so much she needed to think about and one of them was whether or not she should tell her friends about him, or even allow them to think about the idea of it. Would he tell his friends about her? Her sister?

Florence drew her wand and Rowan stiffened in her small bedroom. She never liked when Florence would play games, would use her magic when she knew it was against the rules. It was wrong, Rowan knew this, she always knew this, but Florence wouldn't stop once she started.

Where was her familiar sister? 

Rowan knew she had deeper allegiances within the Death Eater community because of her ties with prominent families at Hogwarts. She was sure their mother and father knew too, it was the only thing keeping them relatively safe. At least safe for now.

The objects in the room flew and Rowan ducked her head, her eleven year old heart racing. "Florence, stop it! Mother won't be happy-"

"Don't be such a brat," she laughed, she was becoming so much unlike a sister it was terrifying. "I'm just teaching you a lesson before we head off to your first year. There's an important boy in your class, one that will be good to our family if it plays out right."