"It's a dare, you have to do it."
She should not have joined that game of truth and dare. She really shouldn't have. It was a typical Pansy-move, to make Tory do something she really might regret after.
"But... come on, it would be absolutely awkward!" Tory tried to argue.
"Merlin, Tory, where's your backbone? But I guess if you're too scared…" Pansy gave her a provoking look.
Tory couldn't stand seeing the other Slytherin girl get what she wanted, Tory showing the white feather in front of the whole common room, proving Pansy's point. Tory took a deep breath.
"You think I don't have the guts?! Fine, here's your proof!"
Tory got up and stumbled through the room to where the boys had taken their seats. Draco and Blaise were the only ones standing. Draco had turned his back to her, which, in her opinion, just made this whole thing more complicated. She actually had to get his attention first. Don't be a wimp Astoria. She stuck out her fingers to shove his shoulder lightly.
Draco seemed to be glad when he noticed it was Tory and not one of the clingy and surprisingly undaunted first years, which had tried to sneak him a love potion more than once.
"All right, Tory?" he acknowledged his best friend with a smirk.
She ignored his hello, got on her tiptoes, grabbed his neck softly and pressed her lips against his without second hesitations. Tory could feel that there was surprise written all over Draco's face. After a few seconds he relaxed and wined his arms around her waist. So they stood there, hugging tightly, their lips moving as if they hadn't a care in the world, with every eye in the common room staring at them disbelievingly. Tory had been wrong. She'd thought kissing his perfectly shaped lips would make her feel dizzy and drunken. That she'd faint if she'd ever got to taste his scent, the scent she'd smelled when she'd made Amortentia. Of course she'd never, ever admit that, to anyone. But this kiss, it was different to anything she'd ever experienced. It made her think absolutely clearly and forget everything else, nothing mattered except him, his lips, his kiss, his touch, his presence.
Maybe he had a special talent for kissing, or that he'd had enough practice to perfect his skills. Or maybe it was just the fact that he meant so much to her, that the kiss automatically seemed mind-blowing. Tory's legs were frozen, she couldn't move, and she didn't want to think about how she could possibly ever stop kissing Draco. She had wanted this for so long, and now never wanted it to end.
Suddenly there was a loud sneer coming from the door of the common room.
" 'We're just best friends, trust me there's nothing more between Draco and me than friendship, don't you worry. So can you stop acting jealous please?!' That doesn't bloody look like friendship! I can't believe you'd do this to me!"
It was Mortimer who had imitated Tory and quoted exactly what she had said to him the week before. Mortimer, who had always liked her in a certain way, though she had made it clear that she didn't feel the same way for him. Yet he always seemed on her case, acting possessive as if he was her boyfriend. But still, Mortimer had been a loyal friend to Tory more than once, so she'd never intend to hurt his feelings in any way.
"Shit" she murmured, licking her lips and, after a short glance at him, moving briskly away from Draco.
The common room, that had been so quiet before, or at least it had seemed that way to Tory, was erupting with laughter and hooting now.
"Meet me tonight. Usual time and place." Draco whispered so only Tory, who stood closest to him, could hear. She nodded and chased after Mortimer, to make sure he wasn't about to throw himself into the lake.
When Tory arrived by the Slytherin side of the Quidditch pitch a short while after half eleven, he was there already waiting for her with a smirk on his face.
"You know what? Let's go swimming."
"Excuse me?" She replied with a simple look of disbelieve on her face.
"Swimming. You. Me. Now" he repeated slowly with a big evil grin on his face.
"Drake, it's nearly midnight besides where do you want to go swimming? In the Hogwarts Lake?! Do you not want to scream at me for today?" The look of disbelieve on Tory's face had just grown to a you-cannot-be-serious-smile.
"Yeah, exactly. Come on you snail, even Weasel is less thick than you right now" He had already grabbed her arm and pulled her onto his broomstick.
Seconds later he dropped her to the ground close to the edge of the lakes black, silky surface. Draco himself landed neatly underneath a tree and jumped off the broom. A big grin flashed over his face when he looked at Tory's still dumbstruck face.
"Will you get up slowcoach, we're going for a swim." With a single move of his arm he had already yanked off his T-shirt baring his strong, gentle upper body. The moon shining down on him made him seem even more pale than he was, it highlighted his best side. This sight of Draco, halfnaked with a playingly-seductive smirk on his face, made Tory's breath stutter. The frick is going on? Is he gonna tease me like this now? This was not a good way to keep her mind clear. And she'd wanted to explain about this afternoon, the kiss… There it was, the memory of his lips on hers together with his naked torso ended any rational thought, making her thoughts go in one direction specifically, and that was a direction she could definitely not handle right now.
When she remembered how to breath properly, Draco had already taken two steps towards the water and opened his jeans. He looked back towards her once more, his eyes piercing her forcefully.
"Oh, What the Fuck..." Tory murmured and shrugged her shoulders. She pulled off her shirt as well and slipped out of her shorts. Draco had already waded into the water waste deep. Thank goodness she had at least worn proper underwear. She could just imagine herself in Babbity Rabbity pants right now, and had to concentrate not to sigh at the mere thought.
"It's not that cold, love." Draco's amused, teasing voice commented on Tory's raised eyebrows. She started pulling herself through the water.
Looking at Draco's peaceful silhouette, Tory was positive, having feelings like this for her best friend shouldn't be allowed, it was wrong and would probably just end in tears, a broken heart and a broken friendship. She decided, she'd leave her feelings behind, because that was obviously the only choice she had in keeping him around. Keeping him happy was more important than keeping herself happy. „I think wrong for a Slytherin..." She whispered under her breath.
When she had reached him she nervously and carefully picked her words: "Drake, listen, I'm sorry bout this afternoon. I just wanted to prove that I wouldn't be scared of kissing someone. I mean, you know Pansy, she loves you more than anything, she wouldn't have dreamed that I'd actually do it. She thinks I' a wimp, and I needed to use that opportunity to slap her across the face, you know? It really had nothing to do with you or me or us or.." She rambled on and stopped herself, letting out a nervous laugh.
Her laugh quickly broke off when she saw Draco didn't respond to her laugh in the tiniest movement. He just stood there and watched her.
"I mean, not that I didn't like kissing you but you see our friendship is just..." she trailed off again, not quite sure of what she wanted to say and what she should say. He looked at her with his, to her well-known, piercing look. His eyes were all she could see, all that mattered. Still no reaction.
She tried saving herself from figuratively drowning and started again with some bullocks about friendship, "You see, she just thinks she can control everyone and that you and her are like destined or something and.. Urgh, don't make this so difficult Drake, you know what I mean…"
He took one step towards her and pulled her towards her. He cupped one of her cheeks with his long fingers. "I have no idea what you mean" he stated softly as he closed the distance between them and kissed her lightly, skillfully making her knowledge on the art of breathing disappear yet again.
"Remind me to thank Pansy..." Draco mumbled before his mouth was occupied again.