Pairing- Draco & Astoria

Prompt- Break

Rating- K+


"So then you take the bowtruckle legs and grind them like this," Draco said, throwing some twig-like objects into the mortar and maneuvering the pestle with a flourish, "when they have this consistency you're going to gently stir them in when your base mixture is about 23 de-"

Draco was cut off by an exasperated whine.

"Uggghhh! Can we please take a break!? You're killing me!" groaned Astoria dramatically.

Draco rolled his eyes and smirked, "Excuse me for trying to help you pass your O.W.L.s"

He put a freezing charm on the potion and glanced over at Astoria. She was slumped exaggeratedly over their worktable and he couldn't help but smirk at her defeated form.

"It isn't that bad, is it?" he asked, trying to keep the sarcasm out of his voice. Despite how irritating he found her older sister, he actually liked Astoria.

The young witch exhaled heavily from her nose, "No, I suppose not. I'm just so bloody rubbish at potions!" she shoved her potions book away and looked at him from under long, dark eyelashes with a protruding pout on her face. Draco felt a lump rise in his throat as a funny word came to his mind.

Adorable.

"You're not rubbish. You've been doing reasonably well with me. Um, I mean, you're fine," he finished lamely, closing his own potions book and pushing it towards the center of the table.

"Professor Slughorn says-"

"Professor Slughorn's a git," Draco cut across her, sounding harsh but then flashing a quick smile, causing Astoria to giggle.

Adorable.

They sat in silence for a moment until Astoria got up from her seat, stretched like a cat and hopped up on the table next to Draco's seated form. He looked at her, startled, both by her proximity and her boldness.

"What are you doing?" he asked nervously.

She shrugged, "Taking a break. My arse was falling asleep in that chair,"

She then pulled out her wand and conjured two glasses of pumpkin juice. She offered one to Draco, who took it apprehensively.

"That's really good charm work," he said, in lieu of a 'Thank you'.

She pretended to be shocked by the compliment but then snorted. "Yeah, Charms is my best subject. Flitwick said I'm nearly as good as Granger!"

This time it was Draco that snorted, "Like you should be happy to be compared with that insufferable Mudblood!"

"Honestly Draco, give it a rest," was her only response.

He looked at her scornfully, "Why should I?"

"Because," she slid off the table and crouched down in front of him so they were eye to eye, "it doesn't matter."

He gulped, "Um, what does matter, then?" Your eyes, your lips? Oh, bloody hell!

She looked at him seductively, biting her lip, "All that matters, Draco, is you, me," she slid her hand over his on the table, "and my awful bloody potions OWL!"

He turned red from embarrassment as she began laughing uproariously.

"Break over, then," he muttered, unfreezing their potion.