A/N: I'm trying my hand at the QLFC bootcamp. Every story must have a known Quidditch player as the main character. There are 50 prompts at three levels.

I'm in for: Hard: You must use the same character for all 50 prompts.

Character: Draco Malfoy

Prompt: 11. Board Game

Word count (before A/N): 1,248 words

It's a Draw

Thunder echoed loudly through the halls of Malfoy Manor. Beside him, Draco could feel Astoria tense.

"I thought you liked the rain," he teased.

"I do," she said, her eyes wandering upward toward the towering ceiling. "But not in this house."

Draco looked up, too, trying to better understand what she'd meant. Astoria was a welcome new fixture at the Manor, having just moved in eight months before. They were still in that wonderful newlywed stage where they'd spend every night curled up together in the drawing room, a fire raging in the enormous hearth. He quite liked these evenings.

Another thunderclap shook the rafters above.

"How did you stand it as a child?" Astoria asked, sitting up. He hated that she was pulling away, his side already chilled from the loss of her body against his. But Draco didn't let any disappointment show; instead, he turned toward her, his eyes taking in her inquisitive look.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"When it rained and you were little." She leaned forward on the stiff couch, her eyes once again looking up. Then, she was up, standing at the foot of the fireplace warming her hands. "When I was little," she said over her shoulder, "I loved the thunder, because it made me feel safe. I know that sounds ridiculous."

She turned to him fully, a far-off bemused look on her face. "I think it was the fact that I was surrounded by my family. No matter what the scary thunderstorm did outside, we were okay. And that made me feel safe. Secure."

Draco leaned forward now, watching his wife in front of the dancing flames. She looked like a precious gem nestled in the heart of a volcano. A glittery diamond dancing in sunlight. He wanted to whisk her away to their bedroom, hold her close, and whisper how much he loved her late into the night.

Instead, he settled for smiling at her and her stories.

"What about you?" she asked when Draco merely sat staring like a lovestruck guppy. "How can you stand thunder in this house?"

Draco licked his lips, willing his wild thoughts of kissing her senseless to take the back seat for a few moments. "When I was little, and the thunder was this loud, I'd use a Silencing Charm on my bedroom," he said. What a silly answer compared to hers, he thought. But it was the truth.

Astoria clicked her tongue. "That sounds lonely." She didn't mean it in any other way than fact, and Draco knew that, but it still stung to be reminded of his lackluster youth. Sure, his mother doted on him relentlessly as a child, sending him all the treats and presents he could ever possibly want. But there was always a certain lack of affection.

Draco sighed. "Story, love," he reached out a hand. She took it eagerly, and he pulled her back into him, the pair falling into the couch, "you're not wrong. But this isn't the first time you've said something like this."

"Like what?" She lifted her head from his chest, her perfect lips just inches away. He could drop the conversation. Kiss her now and never let go. It would be so easy—and quite honestly more fun—to sink into her, her vanilla-scented skin, her raven hair.

It thundered louder still. Astoria gripped him around the middle, burying her head into his chest. Despite himself, Draco laughed at her childlike antics.

"Don't make fun!" she whined, though he caught the smile on her face. "It's so loud and the whole place shakes. It's awful!"

Draco gave her a light squeeze. Then, deciding it really was time to have this conversation, he pulled away, forcing them both to sit up.

"You've mentioned a few times now how you're not quite fond of Malfoy Manor."

"Oh." Her smile dropped, replaced only with the rosy blush of embarrassment. "I didn't realize—"

"Story, please." He grabbed for her hands before she could continue. "Don't worry about it. We never really talked about where we'd go after the wedding. I just assumed—"

"That we'd live here. I know." She gave him a sad smile. "I didn't want to upset you."

He gently touched her cheek, guiding her to face him. He placed a sweet kiss against her lips, letting her know how little he cared about where they lived, so long as they were together. He hadn't thought about it much at all, and he realized quite literally in that moment how little he cared if he stayed in the place where his namesake stood. What had the Malfoy name done for him in recent years, anyway? It was less a surname and more a slur these days. The fact Astoria was willing to take it as her own was more than enough to compromise on where they lived.

He rested his forehead against hers. "Where do we go instead?" he whispered against her lips.

"I—" Astoria stood abruptly, and again Draco felt disappointment settling in. She had to stop doing that.

Before he could even ask what she was doing, though, Astoria was already out the drawing room door, the bare pads of her feet gently racing down the length of the Manor's hall. Thunder clapped, and he heard a faint yip escape her from somewhere in the dark.

"Story?" he called. Nothing.

After a few moments, however, the slapping of her feet grew loud again, and Draco watched as she bounded into the room with a checkerboard in hand.

"I have an idea." Mischievous glee danced behind her almond-shaped eyes, the flickering firelight only adding to the impish look she gave him. Settling again on the couch, Astoria laid the checkerboard between them, the gap annoyingly too far in Draco's mind. But he watched her set the red and black pieces on each side, meticulously lining them up in their respective squares.

"If I win," Astoria started explaining, "I get to pick the location of our house. And if you win—"

"We tuck in early for the night," he finished. Astoria paused in her set up, a red piece still dangling from her fingers. Draco winked, letting her know exactly what was on his mind, and was immediately gratified by the glowing blush that crept up the back of her neck and stained her cheeks pink.

He loved having that effect on her.

"Alright," she bit her lip, "if you win, we call it an early night."

She set down the last checker. Just as she did, however, Draco pounced. He leaned over the game, his one hand landing precariously on the board itself, his other tugging Astoria's waist toward him. Astoria responded quickly, her lips catching his before the checkers even scattered onto the floor.

He smiled against her lips.

"Looks like it's a draw." He deepened the kiss, letting his body hover over hers.

Astoria pulled back, resting her head against the arm of the couch. That same look from before, the mischievous glint, was back.

"I think that means we both win," she said. Draco felt her hands wrap firmly around his waist, the light pressure from her fingertips pressed against his bum. He smirked.

Astoria responded by pulling him close, their bodies crashing back together. He kissed her on the lips, the chin, along her jawline, until his lips brushed against her ear.

"And I intend to revel in my winnings all night," he whispered.