From then on, Draco would mysteriously vanish after classes and after dinner. He would disappear longer and longer each day and Ashley was suspicious.
One night, she got fed up with it and he came into the common room at midnight.
"Where have you been?" Ashley snapped like an impatient mother. "We haven't had a date since the Christmas dance. You've been gone longer and longer each day. What's up?" she asked sternly.
"What are you talking about? You're tired, you shou-"
"I'm not the least bit drowsy. I want to know where you've been the past two months, and I'm not leaving until I get an ans-you've been cheating on me, haven't you?!" she yelled, wildly hypothesizing.
"Ash, I'm not doing anything like that behind your back. Just calm down," Draco said.
"Calm down? Calm down!? How do you expect me to calm down?!"
"You are such a drama queen!"
"-
and why should I believe you? No man would ever
tell a girl that they're cheating on her. They want their fun and
they feel the need to act all macho and manly and-"
She was
cut off by his lips crashing on hers.
"You should know that I love you with all my heart and that if I can't tell you something, it's because of something very important to me," he explained.
"If you love me that much you should know that we shouldn't keep secrets from each other," Ashley whispered.
"I'm leaving. I'm not going to stay much longer this school year," he confessed.
"Oh, but you'll be back next year, right?" she asked in a worried tone.
"I can't promise you that."
Tears of deepest love and concern welled up in her eyes making them burn. Ashley closed her eyes and laid her head on his chest. She listened to his soft, steady heartbeat as hot tears rolled down her cheeks and onto his robe. They sat down and eventually fell asleep on the couch.