Who: Asteria Greengrass and Draco Malfoy When: February 2, 2003. Late at night. Where: Asteria's flat What: A severely traumatic nightmare gives Asteria a glimpse into a side of Draco he's kept buried from her Rating: PG-13 Status: Complete
The hour was late. Draco had made good on his promise to arrive in a timely fashion to Asteria's home. Most of his day was spent meeting with officials at the Ministry about the possibility of obtaining a position in the International Cooperation department. All of the schmoozing had left him quite tired, but he had promised his lady love that he would see her that night. And upon arriving, she too made good on her promise to show him how much she wanted to see him. Draco was pleased with that, and spent much of their evening showing her so.
Ordinarily he would've left hours before to sleep at his own flat. Unless of course, she requested he stay or they'd made plans for him to do so. When planned, Draco made sure to obtain and consume a dreamless sleep potion. There was a reason he often left her at night. She never asked, and Draco was not certain if this was because she did not mind or if she was fearful of the answer. He hoped it did not hurt her, but since she never questioned it he did not give reason. Though he felt guilty for it, he was thankful she never inquired his reasons.
This night, time had gotten away from him. After their prolonged display of showing just how glad they were to see each other, they'd settled comfortably into her bed, sharing a book and reading it together. It was a relaxing way to end an otherwise somewhat tense day. He had one arm around her, keeping her close, while the other held the book propped open for them both to be able to see. There was an enchantment cast on the pages, to turn once they both were ready. Every now and then when he'd finish a page before her, Draco would turn to kiss her temple both as a sign of affection, and to hurry her along as he was quite impatient by nature.
As they finished another chapter, he suddenly became aware of the hour. "I think it's past your bedtime, pet," he said softly, laying the book down.