The Beauty of Grey: The Bitterness Inside

Chapter 9 – Climbing Closer

“I know that I'll never be alone
you will never let me go
you are my anchor
hold my hand
while I'm sinking in the sand
no one else could understand
you are my anchor”
- ‘Anchor’ - Lifehouse


The day of the Quidditch matched dawned brightly. Draco had a good feeling when he was putting on his Quidditch robes.

Despite Draco’s good feeling, Hufflepuff was getting ahead in the score pretty quickly. Draco was convinced that it was because of the new Fourth Year. The team didn’t blend like they always did. Draco started to get agitated, but somehow Quidditch and flying around looking for the Snitch was a lot more enjoyable if Potter wasn’t there. He kept his focus, and soon spotted the golden glitter in the distance near the Hufflepuff rings. He leaned forwards on his broom and sped up, shooting towards it. The caught the Snitch without contest – the Hufflepuff Seeker was drifting aimlessly on the opposite side of the pitch.

Slytherin won by forty points. Draco was rewarded by an overenthusiastic Pansy clinging to his sleeve the rest of the day.

Draco went to visit Montague that evening in the Hospital Wing, and told him that they had won the match while Montague was counting something that was stuck to the ceiling that Draco couldn’t see. He gave up soon after and went back to Slytherin common room. He sat in front of the fire with the two pamphlets that Snape had given him until everyone had long gone to bed. It was well after two in the morning before Blaise came to fetch him.

The next Quidditch match on the roster was Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw. Draco went to watch along with the rest of the school. He saw Astoria walking to the stands along with a group of Ravenclaws all waving blue flags. Luna Lovegood, the girl whose father was the editor of the Quibbler walked behind them with a huge stuffed eagle on her head.

Draco watched in pain as the Weasel actually kept the Quaffle from going through the ring. He made some pretty spectacular saves. Soon the Gryffindors had changed his masterpiece into a song that stated that Weasley was their king, because he will make sure that they win. Draco saw the Slytherins all had faces like rainclouds, and was shooting daggers through their eyes at the Gryffindor crowd. But Gryffindor won regardless, when the Ginny girl caught the Snitch before Chang could.

Weasley was handed the Quidditch Cup and then he was promptly hoisted onto some shoulders, and he was carried back to the castle while being serenaded by his House. Draco couldn’t immediately figure out how Gryffindor had gotten in the position to win the Cup, and at that moment, he couldn’t care enough to try.


By the time June arrived, summer was in full swing. Draco appreciated the fact that he did not have to wear layer upon layer of clothes just not to freeze in the corridors. He enjoyed only having to throw on a shirt and be done with it.

The teachers had stopped overflowing them with homework and took to revising everything that might be in the OWL exam, which was one week away. The stress levels were up, Fifth and Seventh Years were carted to the Hospital Wing quite often, and their symptoms were not suspicious, even Umbridge couldn’t deny it.

Draco had a moment of panic when he couldn’t find his Arithmancy notes anywhere. He had looked everywhere, every possible place they could be but couldn’t find them. A whole year’s notes. He was about to beg Astoria for her notes, but when Pansy found him hyperventilating at the foot of his bed, his trunk open with its contents spilled over the floor, she admitted to taking them for Daphne.

‘Why?’ he practically screamed at her.

‘She said she didn’t have all the notes she was supposed to and I knew where you kept yours, and I didn’t see the harm in lending them to her.’

‘Didn’t see the harm in...’ Draco took a deep breath to calm himself. ‘Daphne Greengrass?’

‘Do you know any other Daphne?’ she asked, tipping her head to one side.

He shot her a look of pure loathing, and stormed past her and went on a search for Daphne. He sometimes wondered what was going on in Pansy’s little head that she managed to justify half the things she does.

He found Daphne sitting with her legs crossed on a chair by the table next to the fire, in the Library, where was lovingly handling his notes, and copying them. As he came closer he noticed that she had made scribbles on his notes, they were scratched on, not to mention that they were no longer in order...

Draco stood next to the table, his hands were raised in a gesture but he couldn’t find the words that he needed to say.

‘Draco?’ Daphne said nervously.

‘What did you do to my notes?’ he said his voice sounding hysterical.

She giggled. ‘I just borrowed them, I’ll give them back,’ she said with a wink.

‘Why,’ he said, picking them up and seeing the mess she had made, ‘are they covered in hearts? What’s the matter with you?’

‘I’m sorry,’ she said, as she stood up and came a little closer.

‘Gods,’ Draco said, running his hand through his hair. ‘I... you... my notes,’ he said.

‘I didn’t have all the notes I needed,’ she said, and then she pouted like Pansy, and Draco’s temper exploded.

‘What the hell gives you the right to take my notes just because you were too lazy to take your own?’ he screamed.

‘I said I was sorry,’ she said, and she came closer to Draco very quickly, and placed her arms around him.

As Draco was wondering about what was happening he saw that Astoria was sitting in her usual spot staring at the two of them with a surprised frown on her face. When she saw that he saw her, she lifted her hands as a question. Draco just shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. Astoria then stood up from her table and came towards them, while Draco tried to disentangle himself from Daphne.

‘Hello, Draco,’ Astoria said rather loudly.

Daphne’s head snapped around to look at the new arrival. ‘Astoria,’ she said curtly.

‘Daphne,’ Astoria replied. ‘Draco, I was wondering if you could maybe come help me, I’m having difficulty with my Potions revision?’

‘Yes,’ he said thankfully. ‘Of course I’ll help you. Just let me get all my notes,’ he said as he grabbed them all from Daphne’s hands and the rest on the table she was working at. ‘I’m sure you can find someone else to lend you their notes,’ he said at Daphne, and then walked away with Astoria by his side.

As they were walking, Astoria placed her hand over her mouth, clearly trying not to laugh.

‘What’s so funny?’ he asked.

‘You,’ she said.

‘Why?’ he asked, his voice rising a little in indignation.

‘You better watch out for my sister,’ she said not answering his question.

‘No kidding,’ he said staring in dismay at his ruined notes. ‘She couldn’t have had these notes for longer than an hour and they look like they’ve been...’

‘With Daphne for an hour?’ Astoria said smiling. ‘You know that she’s got the hugest crush on you, right?’
‘What?’ Draco said. ‘Daphne?’

‘Yes Daphne,’ she said. ‘I hear her talking to her friends through the fire over holidays, and see all the little pieces of parchment left around the house on which she doodles your name.’

A chill ran down Draco’s spine. ‘But,’ he said and then couldn’t think any further. ‘Did you see the dirty look she gave you?’

‘She’ll get over it. Don’t worry about it,’ she said, still laughing at him.

They reached the table and she sat down in front of her Potions books, Draco sat next to her. ‘Thanks for saving me,’ he said.

‘No problem,’ she said as she dove into her bag to look for something. ‘Here you go,’ she said, placing her Arithmancy notes in front of him. ‘You can copy them if you like, or if you know a spell...’

‘Thank you,’ he said and took the notes, taking out his wand, and casting a copy spell on them, and there appeared a neat pile of notes next to hers. ‘Do you really need help with your Potions?’

‘No, I’m fine. I’m actually very calm about the exam. I feel like everything is going to be alright.’

‘Well, I was calm the whole year, but now it’s getting to me a little,’ he admitted. As Draco was sitting there with her, watching as she still had a relaxed smile on her face, he felt himself calm down too, forgetting about Daphne. When he realised that the exam was so very close, and that the end of the exam meant that the holiday was upon them again, and that he then wouldn’t see her for the rest of the Summer, Draco thought of an excuse to meet her again, alone. ‘I was wondering if I could ask you to help me with Astronomy?’

‘Yeah, sure,’ she said. ‘What’s the problem?’

Draco thought quickly. ‘Well, there are some stars that I can’t remember the exact position of, no matter how much I study. But the constellations you taught me that one night, is stuck in my head.’

‘Really?’ she said, looking flattered. ‘Kim says I can’t explain anything.’

Draco laughed. ‘Well, I think she’s wrong.’

‘When do you want to meet?’ she asked.

‘How about tonight?’ he proposed.

‘You want to go outside?’ she said. ‘It would be lovely now that it’s summer.’

‘Yes, that sounds nice,’ he said.

‘Okay, meet me at the broom closet in the Entrance Hall fifteen minutes after curfew,’ she said.

‘I’ll be there,’ he said. ‘Um, I’m going to stay a little longer, because Daphne still hasn’t left.’

‘You’re welcome to,’ she said, smiling and shaking her head.

Draco was at the broom closet before she was, looking around suspiciously for someone that might find him standing awkwardly in the Entrance Hall, fifteen minutes after curfew.

She came sneaking down the stairs, a few books under her arm. ‘Hey,’ she whispered.

‘Hi,’ he whispered back.

‘Let’s go,’ she said, as she looked back towards the stairs to make sure no one was seeing them.

She led the way to the front doors, where she opened them soundlessly, and slipped outside, and Draco followed. Astoria stood there on the steps, her arms at her sides staring up the sky in awe. There wasn’t a single cloud in the dark sky and the stars seemed to be so much brighter. The evening air was comfortable against Draco’s bare arms.

Astoria took an extra deep breath, smiled, and then she started walking towards the spot where she always went, just out of reach of the Whomping Willow. ‘Isn’t this just the perfect night?’ she asked.

‘Yes,’ Draco said not able to think of anything more poetic.

She sat down, her legs more or less straight out in front of her, and she placed the books she had with her along with her wand between them on the grass, and she leaned back on her arms. Draco sat down next to her in the same fashion.

They sat in silence for a while as Draco watched her watching the stars. After a few minutes it was like she broke away from the trance she was in. ‘So what was it that you needed help with?’

‘Um,’ Draco said, not really having thought of something to fake a problem with. ‘Just some positions,’ he said. ‘Just, I don’t know, point some stars out to me again?’

‘Okay,’ she said. Then she shuffled herself closer to Draco, and Draco held his breath. ‘Let’s start with Sirius,’ she said, as the pointed it out with her finger, and then Draco realised why she had moved closer – to make the pointing thing easier. ‘Sirius is the brightest, so it’s a good place to start.’

From there she pointed out most of the stars she knew off by heart, noting how this one had moved over the last couple of months and that one was actually a planet. Draco often feigned not being able to understand which one she meant, because when he did that she would lean closer so that her pointing finger was in his line of sight, and in that moment of closeness, Draco paid little or no attention to the star, but just made appropriate understanding sounds.

Later on she opened her books, lit her wand with a whispered, ‘lumos’ and then pointing out the less obvious stars. Even though Draco had a pretty good idea of exactly where all these stars were, he found her voice, patiently explaining it to him with reverence in her voice, extremely relaxing. He forgot about everything that was bothering him, and lived completely in that moment, there with her. His mind did wander, though. He thought about her in many different ways, imagining her at home with her psychopathic sister, in the Ravenclaw common room talking with Kim, lying out here on her own, taking a walk with him down the cobbled street of Hogsmeade while they were holding hands...

‘Draco,’ she said finally. ‘I think that’s all you need to know. Professor Sinistra said there wouldn’t be more on the star chart in the OWL.’

‘Thanks,’ he said, sighing lightly.

She closed the books and leaned back on her arms again, not having moved away from Draco. Their legs were touching.

‘Have you given any more thought to what you want to do when you leave Hogwarts?’ she asked conversationally.
‘Yes,’ he said.

‘And?’

‘Still haven’t decided,’ he said. ‘I don’t really know if my life is going to be that... normal.’

She turned her head to look at him, but didn’t say anything, leaving it open for Draco to carry on if he wanted. He wanted to, but didn’t know if he should.

‘My father might have other plans for me,’ he compromised.

She nodded and looked away again. ‘Like you said, things might change before that time comes. You should still think of what you want. You never know what is going to happen. Life has surprised me so many times. Nothing really works out the way you think it might.’

‘You’re right,’ he said. ‘I’m having difficulty looking past these possibilities though.’

‘Of course you are,’ she said. ‘On the other hand,’ she said, swallowing. ‘My father doesn’t really care at all. He doesn’t ask about school work or anything else for that matter. I wish sometimes he would just ask me how it went with an exam or, I don’t know, show any interest.’

Draco thought about that for a moment. Weird how people’s situations can be so different, and yet everyone’s got the same problems, insecurity, frustration, craving acknowledgment from their parents even though they don’t know why.

‘I’m not looking forward to the holidays,’ he said simply.

‘Merlin, neither am I,’ she sighed. ‘I’ll ask Mr. Blott if I could work again.’ She sat up straight and curled her legs in front of her. ‘How do you feel about Gryffindor getting the Quidditch Cup?’

‘Urgh,’ he said. ‘Angry. I thought with Potter off the team, some other team would get it for sure.’

‘The Ravenclaws were quite upset. Everyone was going on about how Ron Weasley had chosen a really crappy time to become good at Quidditch,’ she giggled. ‘Luckily I don’t have a lot of emotion invested in the outcomes of Quidditch matches.’

‘Unfortunately I do,’ he said.

‘You can try again next year,’ she said, sweetly.

‘I guess,’ he shrugged.

‘All we have to worry about for now is to get through this exam alive,’ she said. ‘Which I’m sure we will.’
Draco nodded. ‘Let’s hope so.’

‘Don’t you think it’s a little odd that the two top students in our year aren’t in Ravenclaw?’ she said.
‘Not really,’ he said.

‘Really, how do you figure?’

‘Maybe cleverness and wit isn’t our most stand-out quality,’ he suggested.

‘So your most stand-out quality is cunningness?’ she asked, smiling daringly at him.

‘Could be,’ he said with lifted eyebrows.

In that moment, while they were both looking at each other, Draco felt like he did when he side-Apparated - an odd pull at his bellybutton. He swallowed. They were having a moment, and Draco wasn’t sure what to do. They suddenly seemed very close together. She wasn’t making eye contact, but didn’t turn her head away from him. Draco placed his hand on the far side of hers, giving him leverage and he leaned forwards, his intentions became obvious rather quickly. She had a moment of fear or panic when she looked him in the eye as if to make sure what she was seeing was real. But she didn’t move away, she stayed still. Draco felt like that was a good sign, and leaned even closer. His eyes kept darting between her eyes, that was wide but focused, and her mouth where her lips were slightly parted. When he was close enough, he slowly tilted his head slightly, and kissed her soundly and gently. He let his lips stay on hers for a few counts, and then he leaned back again a little.

Astoria’s eyes were darting back at forth between his eyes. She was searching for something, and he didn’t know what. She seemed completely shocked by the kiss, although Draco’s progress to her lips felt like it dragged on forever. When she looked down at his lips, unsurely, Draco smiled and went closer again. This time he kissed her with more surety. He kissed her lips like he did that night in the Hospital Wing, yet this time was so different, because she was kissing him back.

When she opened her mouth a little wider, and Draco could get a bit more access, he sighed in pleasure. He lifted his hand off the grass and placed it over ear, where her hair tangled in his fingers. When their tongues touched for the first time, it was such a peculiar feeling that she let out a small gasp. When Draco felt her arms coming around his body, one over his shoulder and the other on his arm that was reaching out to her, to pull him closer and not to push him away, he almost laughed in relief.

To Draco it felt like the moment was happening in a bubble where time and place didn’t matter. Not once did he think of where they were or how long he was kissing her. He took his time, feeling the rough texture of her tongue, the silky inside of her lip, even the smoothness of her teeth, feeling her breath on his face, the sighs gently coming from her lips.

They broke apart with a lingering kiss, and Draco leaned his forehead against hers. They were breathing a little heavier than normal. Draco’s hand went from the side of her head to the back of her neck, almost like he was trying to keep her close, even though she made no move to leave. It was almost like they were having a silent conversation, saying so much, yet saying so little. He saw on the expression on her face that she had many questions, and he tried to answer them without saying anything. He kissed her right beside her nose, and soon he found her lips again, yet this kiss was slow, careful, more telling.

‘Astoria,’ he mumbled in moments when they were apart.

‘Mmm,’ she hummed back into his mouth.

But he didn’t have anything to say, he just wanted to make sure that she was really there. He was so startled when her small hand slipped into his where it was lying passively on his knee that he pulled away from her to look.

There their hands were tangled together on his knee, his large pale hand holding on to her smaller, slightly darker hand. He felt a swelling feeling in his chest. So many feelings were running through his head in that moment, that it felt a little too much. The way that he felt about her for over a year was such a part of him that he couldn’t understand how it didn’t radiate from him and let her know. How could she not know? But then she smiled at him, a small smile that was more in her eyes than on her mouth and Draco felt at peace.

The moment after the kiss was over was a little awkward and at the same time strangely comfortable. It seemed like neither one of them wanted to break the silence.

‘You’re right,’ he said quietly.

‘About what?’

‘This is just a perfect night.’

When Draco entered the Slytherin common room, he saw that there were still a few students there, most was Fifth Years and Seventh Years doing revision. Among them was Blaise, sitting opposite Crabbe and Goyle, trying to explain the wrist movement in the Cheering Charm to them. Draco sat down in the group, and watched as Blaise showed them time and time again.

‘Draco, what’s with the dreamy look?’ Blaise asked.

‘Huh? Nothing,’ he said quickly.

‘Where were you? Prefect duty? I thought it was your night off,’ Blaise said.

‘It was,’ Draco said, his brain working feverishly to come up with an excuse. In the end he just gave Blaise a look, after which Blaise a nod of understanding. ‘I’m going to bed.’

Draco took a quick shower, and then climbed into bed, taking his book out from under the bed. He realised before he even began to read that he definitely wouldn’t be able to concentrate. He couldn’t believe what had happened just a few minutes ago. He felt like the news and his elation about it was trying to burst from him. He felt like shouting it out, but knew, of course, that he couldn’t. When the uneasy feeling of worry, guilt and trepidation settled on him, he felt the happy feelings being crushed. Suddenly, now that the situation was a little bit more real, and not just a crush that was bound to go nowhere, the idea that Pansy or his father might find out was much more formidable. So was the idea of what this could mean for Astoria. Also, he wondered what she was thinking about, what she was feeling about their kiss. Did he do it right? He had kissed Pansy before, but it wasn’t nearly the same. He never wanted to kiss Pansy, he felt duty-bound. With Astoria there was nothing that he wanted more. He pinched his arm, and was relieved when it hurt. He slept really well.


Draco’s weekend was spent studying like he’s never studied before. He went through heaps and heaps of Charms notes, and practiced every spell that Flitwick said might be in the OWL. While he was studying the characteristics and wand-movement of the Diffindo Spell, and he just couldn’t seem to concentrate, he thought that he should have waited for a more opportune moment to kiss Astoria. All he could think about the whole rest of the week, and almost every moment while he was doing revision, was that kiss and every detail he could remember about it. He hadn’t told anyone what happened, even though he so wanted someone to share his happiness. What made him a little nervous was that he hadn’t spoken to Astoria either. He had said goodnight to her that evening, kissed her on the cheek, and that was the last time he had seen her. He had spotted her during breakfast, and of course in Arithmancy, but Professor Vector was so busy with rigorous revision that they hardly had time to say hello.

But Draco knew the importance of this exam, and tried at least to concentrate. By Sunday night he felt like he never ever wanted to hear of another Charm in his life ever again. He was thankful that he slept without any difficulty that night.

On Monday morning, Draco had breakfast, although his stomach seemed to be too full of butterflies to have space for eggs and bacon too. At half past nine, they came back to the Great Hall, where the four House tables were gone, and replaced with small tables, placed in neat rows, big enough for one person to write at. Draco sat in front of Eloise Midgeon and behind Morag MacDougal. Astoria was sitting exactly seven seats in front of him. He could spot her black hair every now and again. He was pleased that she had given him a friendly smile this morning while they were lining up outside the Hall, waiting to be called in.

The paper went really good. Draco didn’t have one question where he had no idea about what was being asked.

He wouldn’t say that this was a hundred percent, but he should still get an ‘O’, he felt sure.

He had lunch, where he only ate a piece of cheese, listening to Crabbe and Goyle talk about how they had done in the test. When Draco confirmed that they had no idea what the Alohomora Spell did, he didn’t have high hopes for them.

When he was called in for the practical part of the examination, Draco took a deep breath and had entered a room just off the Great Hall, and saw the line of examiners waiting eagerly to test the students. He saw that Marchbanks was open and went to her. Draco thought back to the incident about a week before when Pansy was going on and on about how she wish she knew some of the examiners (thinking that might give her the opportunity to pass without studying), to which he said, just to get her angry, that this very Marchbanks had dinner at the Manor many times, even though there was no truth to that whatsoever.

‘Good afternoon, Mr. Malfoy,’ Griselda Marchbanks said kindly.

‘Good afternoon,’ Draco replied.

‘I would like you to start, please, by lighting the fireplace for me,’ she said, turning to indicate the fireplace where a neat stack of timber was lain.

Draco nodded, took his wand and said, ‘Incendio,’ after which a nice merry fire was crackling away.

‘Very good,’ she said. ‘Now then, I would like you to, please, move this hourglass from this side of the table to the other.’

Draco eyed the rather large hourglass that was perched on the right side of the table. ‘Mobilarbus,’ he said, and guided the hourglass to the left side of the table with his wand.

Marchbanks was writing something on the clipboard she had with her. ‘Good,’ she said, finally, looking up at him. ‘Lastly, could you, please, levitate the hourglass for me?’

He did the swish and flick that Flitwick taught them in first year, while saying, ‘Wingardium Leviosa’. The hourglass took off nicely from the table. But then, Potter entered the examination room. He was told to go to Tufty that was free. When Tufty asked whether he was the ‘famous Harry Potter’, Draco threw a dirty look at Potter, while he was doing that, he didn’t concentrate, and heard as the hourglass fell to the floor with a loud crash.

‘Oh, dear,’ Marchbanks said. She wrote on her paper again. ‘Very well,’ she said. ‘Thank you Mr. Malfoy that concludes your practical Charms exam.’

Draco said goodbye, and left the examination room, feeling angry at himself. When is he going to stop letting Potter and what he did get to him.

There was a room on the other side of the room where he did the exam where they had to wait, not being allowed to go back to the students still waiting their turn in the Entrance Hall. Draco saw Astoria sitting on her own, but also was aware that Daphne and Pansy was there too. So he smiled at her discreetly, and sat with Crabbe and Goyle.


On Tuesday, they did Transfiguration that went down without a hitch. Draco didn’t get distracted by Potter again, and felt that he did well. Wednesday was Herbology, which Draco found quite easy, and tried to recite Thursday’s Defence Against the Dark Arts theory, while he was re-potting Venomous Tentaculas. Defence Against the Dark Arts went alright as well, while the practical was more difficult, he did practice the previous evening with Blaise, and thought that he might not reach an ‘O’, but would, at least, pass.
Friday was Ancient Runes, which Draco didn’t have, so he decided to take Friday off, and that he would continue studying on Saturday. He was also aware that Astoria was writing, so on Thursday night, he found her in the Library, alone at her table, with many books open in front of her, while was scribbling on three different pieces of parchment with her pencil.

He didn’t know if interrupting her would be a good idea, and decided that joining her might be better. He took his Potions books out and went to sit at her table.

She looked at when she heard someone, looking a little startled. ‘Oh, hey,’ she smiled.

‘Hey,’ he said. ‘Ancient Runes?’ he asked, completely without need.

‘Yes,’ she breathed. ‘It’s a lot of work.’

‘I can see,’ he said. ‘How was the exam so far?’

‘Pretty good,’ she said, smiling. ‘I think, so far, I might have four OWLs.’

‘Am I going to bother you if I study here too?’ he asked.

‘No,’ she smiled. At that moment, when the nice pleasantries were over, the fact that they kissed more than a week ago was hanging in the air. Not that either one knew what to say about it. Astoria, it seemed, acted like it didn’t happen, in the sense that she didn’t act weird, but might be smiling at him a little more than she usually did.

They sat and studied for a long time. Draco, who knew that he didn’t really have to study at that moment, got bored quickly. His eyes drifted to her busy hands, where she were flipping pages, running her finger down a long list of words, tapping her pencil on the parchment. He decided he had to do something, it could be small, to show her that he remembered the kiss. So he moved his one foot towards her under the table, where he placed his right next to hers, and made a little motion to show that it was deliberate. Her fidgeting stopped for a moment, but she didn’t look up, she just smiled a small smile, before she carried on again.

Draco was more than content to sit there with her, even if all he had to do was watch her. When she slammed her books shut loudly, while Madam Pince was blowing out candles all around the Library, she lifted her arms above her head, stretching out, tilting left and right.

She groaned. ‘Merlin,’ she sighed.

‘Let’s go have some tea,’ he suggested.

‘Yes, please,’ she said.

The house elves eagerly carried two cups of tea to them, while another offered them left-over pudding which was ice cream and chocolate sauce, which they gladly accepted.

‘How was Defence Against the Dark Arts for you?’ she asked.

‘A little difficult, but that was bound to happen,’ he said. ‘I practiced on Blaise, though, which helped.’

She laughed. ‘Well, Blaise must be a good friend. Kim wouldn’t let me try anything her.’

‘You can practice on me next time,’ he said helpfully.

She blushed. ‘Thank you.’

They finished rather quickly, and Draco walked her to the Fifth Floor. ‘Good luck for tomorrow,’ he said.
‘Thank you,’ she said again. ‘I’m sure it will be fine.’

He nodded. When he leaned in to kiss her cheek, like he did last time, she pulled back from him a tiny bit, and turned her head to make sure that the kiss landed on her mouth. Draco was lost in the surprise of her move, and smiled into the kiss, after which she smiled too.

‘Good night, Draco,’ she whispered, and then she disappeared up the stairs.