CHAPTER THIRTEEN - Same Again, Tomorrow

Late the next afternoon the potions class were dismissed early due to Slughorn having a meeting with professor McGonagall. Draco hadn't been able to concentrate on his lessons all day. All he could think about was Astoria and how he was going to make sure that every day for the rest of his life began how this one had - waking up next to her. He had to tell her how he feels about her and last night had given him the courage to come clean. Or so he hoped. He hadn't got a chance to talk to her yet.

As soon as Slughorn dismissed everyone, Draco packed his stuff into his satchel as fast as he could and swiftly made his way out of the room. It was reminiscent of the days when, had he actually turned up to class, he would always be the first out of the door and heading in the direction of the room of requirement. The thought that he was now keen to leave for something positive made him smile to himself. Behind him, Blaise called his name. He looked round but didn't stop to wait.

"Got to go, mate! Stuff to do!" and he carried on striding down the corridor in the direction of the Slytherin common room. He made his way to his dormitory at once, depositing his satchel, and grabbing two heavy winter cloaks from his wardrobe he left the room. He bumped into Theodore on his way out of the common room.

"Why are you in such a hurry?" Theodore demanded. He couldn't get to Draco now.

"I'll tell you later, maybe," came Draco's reply. He found himself incapable of keeping the cheeriness out of his voice. He didn't sound like him. He didn't stop to engage in any further conversation with Theo and he strode away, heading for the charms corridor up on the third floor. Astoria was currently there, in the last ten minutes of her class.

Draco arrived outside of Astoria's classroom moments before the bell rang to signal the end of the day's classes. He heard the usual scraping of chairs as the students stood to leave, noticing his heart beating slightly harder than usual at the prospect of seeing Astoria. He leaned casually against the wall of the corridor opposite the classroom door, the cloaks slung over his shoulder. The door to the room opened and the sixth years filed out, barely noticing Draco lurking outside. The last people to make their way towards the door were Astoria and her friends Albany and Xanthe, who were deep in girly chat. Draco couldn't help but wonder whether she'd told them anything about last night. As they reached the door, Astoria noticed Draco straight away. She stopped dead in her tracks.

"Hey," Draco said. Astoria beamed, giving a "Hey," back. Her two friends were watching inquisitively, waiting to see what was going to be said. They seemed a bit confused so Draco assumed Astoria mustn't have mentioned last night to anyone, as he hadn't. Draco cleared his throat.

"I was wondering whether you wanted to come for a walk with me before dinner...?" he asked her. Astoria's smile returned, as she nodded, trying not to appear as enthusiastic as she felt inside.

"Ri, I thought we were going to the library?" Xanthe said scathingly, giving Draco a bit of a dirty look.

"You guys go," Astoria said, so happy that she hadn't notice that her friend seemed annoyed. "I'll catch you later, okay?"

"Fine, see you later," Xanthe said, and her and Albany left arm in arm, looking back at Draco, annoyed, as they turned the corner at the end of the corridor. Draco and Astoria started to make their way down the several flights of stairs, towards the school grounds, engaged in usual conversation about their days. As they reached the entrance hall, Draco held out a cloak to her.

"I brought you this," he said. "It's guna be cold out there now."

Astoria smiled and took the cloak from him. For someone so many people thought was a bastard, he was incredibly thoughtful sometimes. She slipped her bag off of her shoulder to throw the cloak around her. It was way too big for her but she didn't care. She pulled it tight around her, breathing in his manly scent which was on it. Draco pulled his on, too, fastening it tight for extra warmth. There was no longer snow, but it was still mighty cold. Colder, in fact, than any January Draco could remember.

As they made their way across the grounds, Draco watched Astoria's arm swinging loosely as she walked. He wanted so much just to hold her hand but he thought he'd better wait until the chat was over with. He still wasn't one hundred percent sure how she felt. They kept walking until they reached the lake, which was glinting, reflecting the moonlight. A lot of work had been done at Hogwarts over the summer to restore it to the way it was, and the lake was now surrounded by hundreds of little fairy lights, illuminating the pathways around it. The romantic side of Draco (yes, there is one in there somewhere) had known it would be the perfect place for an evening stroll, even if it was chilly.

It didn't take too long for the conversation to move swiftly onto the topic of last night. Draco was pleased as he had been apprehensive about bringing it up. He was relieved that Astoria made the step before he did.

"How are you feeling after last night?" Astoria asked him, as they walked the length of the lake. She was peering up at him, hoping to finally find out whether he had feelings for her or not.

Draco exhaled deeply. "Do you want an honest answer?" he asked.

"Of course," Astoria responded, her heart practically leaping from her chest in anticipation.

"I feel better than I've felt in a long, long time," he told her truthfully, though he was watching his feet as he walked, a little embarrassed.

"Really?" Astoria asked. She couldn't help but smile.

Draco nodded, sincerely. "Astoria, do you think we need to talk about... about -"

"The kiss?" she offered. "Spending the night together?"

Again Draco nodded. Why was this girl two years his junior so much better at confronting things than he was? He admired her a lot. Astoria stopped walking and caught hold of Draco's wrist so he stopped too. Finally he looked up at her face, her eyes twinkling. As he looked at her, he felt something. Something strong. A feeling somewhere inside him. But he didn't know what it was.

Astoria nodded her head in the direction of a large tree and the pair made their way over. Before they sat down on the ground Astoria produced a blanket from her bag and laid it down on the floor. Draco couldn't help but laugh.

"Do you always carry a blanket around with you?" he asked.

"Oh, no," Astoria said, suddenly realising how weird it must look for her to randomly have a blanket in her school bag. "Me and Albany and Xanthe always come to sit outside on our breaks so I bring this," she told him. Draco smiled as the pair sat down, both leaning against the tree.

"Well I brought this," Draco said, producing a glass jar from his trouser pockets, which were more spacious than they looked. He took out his wand and lit a fire inside the jar, placing it in front of them to keep them warm. It was Astoria's turn to smile.

"Genius," she said, softly. A long pause and then she said "So... last night we kind of, got close, I mean... closer than we were before."

"Yeah," Draco said, dumbly. Oh god, he could not screw things up now. Not now. He decided to go in for the plunge. "Astoria, I've, umm... Yesterday was... I've liked you for a long time now and - and I don't want us to be just friends any more." There, he'd said it. It was done. He turned he head to face her, and she to face him.

"When you say you've liked me for a long time..." she pondered.

"Since... since the end of summer, I think," Draco admitted. "But the more I got to know you the more I... couldn't stop thinking about you." Astoria's heart rose inside her chest. She had liked Draco for so long, and although she'd always dreamt of a moment like this, she never thought it would actually happen.

"Shall I let you in on a secret?" she asked him. He nodded. "I've liked you for a little bit longer than you've liked me..."

He looked at her inquisitively. They'd only really started speaking to each other since September, how can she have liked him longer?

"It's been three years, Draco," she confessed. He raised his eyebrows at her, completely shocked. "Three years I've had these feelings for you. Three years I've wanted to kiss you."

"Wha- what?" Draco mumbled, shaking his head in confusion. He wouldn't ever admit it but he'd never really noticed her before that afternoon in Diagon Alley. He'd said hi to her on occasion before then, but never more than that. He'd never spared her a thought.

"You know yesterday morning, you mentioned that time you came over to our house?" Draco nodded, still looking dumbfounded. "It was the summer between your fifth and sixth year. You came to collect Daphne to take her to yours and you had Blaise with you... You were going for a night out with them and a couple of other Slytherins because you were down about - about your dad being put in Azkaban."

"Yeah! How do you know that?!"

"Well," Astoria blushed slightly. "Promise you won't think I'm a complete weirdo?" she said to Draco.

"Promise," he said, holding out his little finger. Astoria giggled and linked his with hers. As she went to pull her arm back, Draco caught hold of her hand and kept it in his, not taking his eyes off her.

"Okay, well... I was sat at the top of the stairs watching you. And listening. I couldn't believe you were in my house. But I was too shy to come down." Draco laughed.

"So why didn't I ever find out about this? About you liking me? It's not like Daphne to keep her trap shut..."

"She didn't know," said Astoria quickly. "Nobody did... Come on, pretty much every girl in our house fell for you at one point! Loads of girls were jealous of Daphne because she got to be friends with you, like actual friends, like you hung out together..."

Draco was still laughing and shaking his head incredulously. "That's ridiculous," he said. Astoria shrugged.

"Well, that's the way it was." Draco sighed at her words.

"Why didn't I ever notice you until this year?" he said, genuinely wondering how he hadn't.

"Draco, I'm two years below you. You could've had your pick of anyone your year or older, why would you have noticed me?"

"Because you're the most beautiful girl I've ever laid eyes on," Draco told her. His words caught Astoria off guard. She hadn't been expecting him to say something like that. She looked up at him, her eyes darting across his face, trying to read his expression. Draco released her hand, bringing his up to her face. He leaned in, his heart beating fast as though they hadn't already kissed. They considered each other for a moment and then their lips crashed together. Draco traced his tongue along Astoria's bottom lip, and she parted it from her top one, granting him entry. Their tongues collided as he pulled her body in closer to his. This was nothing like last night. Last night had been gentle, comforting, understanding. This was passionate. This was a kiss that said 'I want you.'

When they broke apart, Draco looked back towards the castle. There was light coming from the windows of the great hall. Dinner was just about to begin, meaning the dorms would be empty. Draco would never have suggested anything but he didn't have to. Astoria seemed to read his mind.

"Let's go to your room," she whispered in his ear, sending a chill up his spine. He wanted her so badly. He would have waited a lifetime for her, but if she wanted him now he wasn't about to say no. He nodded in response eagerly, clambering up and offering his hand out to her. She took it and he pulled her up, then the pair began making their way back towards the castle, neither of them bothering to hide how keen they were to get to it. Draco definitely wasn't inexperienced when it came to sex but he couldn't recall a moment he'd ever felt like this, so desperate. Astoria wasn't inexperienced either, she'd slept with a couple of guys, but Draco had always been the one she'd really wanted.

When the couple reached Draco's room, they flung the door open and Draco closed it behind him, casting an extra strong locking charm so that they wouldn't be disturbed. When he turned round, Astoria was perched delicately on the edge of his bed. Draco made his way over to her, already struggling to contain his excitement. They were both still in their uniforms. The cloaks were the first to go, cast aside without a single thought. Astoria slowly pulled her jumper over her head and stood in front of Draco, her head just about reaching his chin. She tugged cheekily at his jumper and he immediately took the hint, disregarding it on the floor along with hers. Next were the ties. They kissed each other needily as they took them off. Astoria set to work on the buttons on Draco's shirt, and soon had it off, revealing his pale, perfect toned chest. At this point Draco became ever so slightly withdrawn. He still wasn't completely comfortable with the Mark, nor the scars. Astoria sensed something was wrong immediately.

"Draco," she whispered. "They don't matter. Nothing matters now, except me and you."

Draco knew she was right. He was being stupid. He shook his worries to the back of his head. Right now, he was going to make love to Astoria and he was going to do it properly.

He pulled her closer to him, and began slowly unbuttoning her shirt, revealing a lacy black bra with her breasts spilling over the cups slightly. Once her shirt was off completely, Draco pushed her gently back onto the bed before taking off his own trousers, to reveal the hardness in his boxers. Astoria smiled with delight, she couldn't help it. She wriggled out of her skirt and tights as Draco came to join her on the bed.

Draco ran his fingers through Astoria's hair and kissed her deeply. He wanted this moment to last forever. In Draco's opinion, he had never made love, but he knew that was what was about to happen. Astoria reached behind her to unhook her bra, but Draco stopped her.

"You look perfect," he told her, smiling. She smiled back. Draco's boxers were now extremely tight, he was so hard. He gently climbed on top of her, leaning towards her ear and whispering "Are you sure you want to do this now?" Astoria grabbed him by the neck and whispered back in his ear "I've never been so sure of anything in my life." That was all Draco needed to hear.

He gently ran a finger up Astoria's lace panties, which were already wet for him. He slipped a hand inside them, going straight to where he knew it felt best. She moaned softly as he touched her. His touch was so precise, Astoria knew that he knew exactly what he was doing. His finger was circling her, sending her crazy and she let her head fall back, her hand reaching out for his cock. She grasped it tightly through his boxers making him gasp slightly. It had been nearly a year since he'd been touched by someone other than himself. It felt amazing. Astoria slowly began to rub him up and down as he worked on her gently with his skilled fingers. Suddenly she pulled back his boxers, releasing his cock and she touched his bare hardness for the first time. She couldn't help but glance downwards, she was shocked by how big he was. Draco caught the look of surprise on her face and smirked. He couldn't help himself. For a guy he had quite small hands, girls were always shocked by how big he was, as many seemed to think there was a correlation between the size of a man's hands and the size of a man's penis.

He leaned in and he and Astoria kissed passionately. He couldn't wait any longer and neither could she. Draco slowly pulled down Astoria's knickers and eased her legs apart to give him room to maneuver. He pushed himself inside her as gently as he could and set to work, his hips grinding into hers. It was the most amazing thing he had ever felt. He hadn't felt this with any other girl. It just felt right. She clasped her hands around his neck as he slid in and out of her. Astoria had never been shown before how loving sex could be. Something about Draco, possibly the reputation as a womaniser he had unrightfully earned, had made her expect that he would be rough in bed, that he would totally take control, but he wasn't and he didn't. He was so gentle, so caring, his smooth hands running over her body as he made love to her. Astoria had never felt anything like it. She moaned softly, Draco's breath was coming in erratic pants. He hoped he was wrong, but he was sure it wouldn't be too long until he lost control.

He repositioned her legs slightly, so he could enter he from a better angle. He knew the moment he started getting it just right. Astoria stiffened up, her small firsts pounding the bed softly, moans of his name escaping her lips. Knowing he'd got it just right, Draco began to speed up a bit, his hips moving faster. Astoria could feel herself getting closer and closer to the edge, as could Draco. He gripped Astoria's hip in his hand, his body close to hers, though leaning on his spare arm so as not to crush her. Their faces were right next to each other. He was panting and groaning in her ear, feeling himself getting close to orgasm.

"Astoria, I never want to stop making love to you," he moaned, unable to stop the words escaping from his lips. It was too much for her. She'd liked this guy for so long, been attracted to him for so long, and now here they were on his bed, making love. He had said her name. It was her and Draco, now. She felt a wave of pleasure in her stomach as she tensed repeatedly around Draco's cock, moaning his name over and over again and shaking ever so slightly.

Draco watched her intently. Knowing he was making her come was too much for him to handle and one more thrust sent him over the edge, spilling inside her. He let out a low groan, as he collapsed on top of her, completely overcome. He was still panting, trying to steady his breathing pattern. After half a minute or so he lay down next to her on the bed, and they turned to face each other, their chests rising and falling heavily. There was a long silence and then both of them just started laughing. Neither of them knew why, but they were both so happy that they couldn't stop themselves. Draco linked his hand with Astoria's and rolled in closer to her. Stroking her face gently with his thumb and whispered "That was so beautiful." All he could do was hope for the same again tomorrow.