Aurora jerked awake to her kitten nuzzling her chin.

"Heeeyy.." She whispered while rubbing her neck lovingly. "I haven't seen you in a while." She brushed her hair out of her face and looked around. She was in a large room with several beds. Candles cast a soft glow across them. They were all empty.

Aurora gave her kitten a little more attention, kissing her and stroking her black fur from head to tail, before she got up to find out where everyone was. She slid out from under her covers, noticing she was still wearing her clothes from earlier today. Thinking back quickly, she recalled her last few hours. She was being shown around the castle… she remembered the tower… but she couldn't remember anything else.

She slid on her shoes and set out to explore some more… or find Draco.

….::::::….

Draco sighed as Pansy went on about another witch whom she decided was her arch enemy. Apparantly, she styled her hair the exact same way Pansy's been wearing hers for a millenia, and Pansy was viciously upset that it looked better on her, which Draco naturally insisted was incorrect. That was his job afterall. Being her boyfriend. Draco sighed at the word 'boyfriend' and played with the food on his plate.

"Draco, are you listening" Pansy snapped her fingers in front of his face. Draco stared her down and gave her a look that told her never to do that again. "What's the matter with you? You haven't listened to a single word I've said, have you?"

"Of course I have."

"What was the last thing I said?"

"Pansy…" He cleared his throat and turned his body toward her. He recalled the vow he made to himself earlier tonight; reigniting the animal spark he was so sorely missing. He looked into her eyes and put his hand on her leg, stroking it gently. "Let's go somewhere." He gazed as deeply into her depthless eyes as he could. She blinked and pushed his hand off.

"And why exactly would I do that when you don't pay any attention to me?" She flicked her hair back and waited, armoured for another one of their daily arguments. Normally, Draco would duel with her, since he figured that's what a relationship is, essentially, but he suddenly found himself exhausted. She folded her arms across her chest and waited, as if fighting with him were some sort of tournament.

This had transpired in the Great Hall, where dinner was being served, and behind Pansy's head, something caught Draco's eye. He was very far away from the doors, but he saw someone poking their head inside. He squinted past Pansy to see who it was, and with a burst of excitement he realized it was Aurora. Without a moment's hesitation, he got up from his seat at the Slytherin table and stalked over to the door, letting a tiny smile brighten his face.

Since he wasn't in uniform, the other students were already staring, but the speed with which he walked was also something unusual for the devil-may-care Draco. His eyes stayed glued to her head. Her hair spilled into view while her body still hid behind the door, but she ducked away. Draco frowned. Hadn't she seen him approaching?

In a few long seconds he made it to the door, sprinting the last few steps out of the Great Hall. He looked around wildly for her and saw her turn a corner. He jogged to catch up to her, calling out her name with a smile. How very unlike him, he thought.

"Aurora!" She spun around and waved when she saw him.

"Hey! I was looking for you!" She was? Draco smiled smiled carelessly now. He didn't care how uncool it was. It felt natural when he was with the new girl.

"You were?" Draco asked, before he saw her pretty smile flicker. She looked down and amended her words.

"I mean, yeah. I was exploring and wondering where you were."

"Oh." Draco noticed her invisible wall appear out of nowhere. Why did she have to be so shy with him? He much preferred how she was in the tower. Blunt and rather shameless. Sure, she was drugged by his magic… but still.

"Draco!" shrieked a voice out of nowhere. Draco groaned internally and turned around to his fuming Pansy stalking towards them. She, of course, would never be seen running; she was far too posh for that, so Draco and Aurora patiently waited for the small girl to march over to them.

"Who is that?" asked Aurora.

"No one." Draco muttered. "Just my girlfriend."

"Just your girlfriend?"

'Who is this!" demanded a furious-looking Pansy. She gave Aurora the dirtiest look.

"This is Aurora King. She's the exchange student Dumbledore set me up with. Aurora, meet Pansy Parkinson." Draco ran his hands through his hair with a tired expression and Aurora couldn't help but stare. He wasn't wearing his jacket, so the form-fitting black sweater he was wearing was giving both the girls an eyeful. Or atleast giving Aurora an eyeful. Pansy hardly noticed. What she did notice, though, was the fact that Aurora couldn't take her eyes off her boyfriend, and she was hot with anger.

"So this is who you left me for?" asked Pansy with a huff. That caught Aurora's attention. She quickly glanced back and forth between the charming couple.

"You broke up with her?" There was a hint of excitement in her eyes, but Draco was too embarrassed by Pansy's behaviour to notice and Pansy was too engrossed in her own rant.

"No." Draco rubbed his face. He didn't want this right now. "I saw you by the doors to the Great Hall and left Pansy and my dinner." He didn't want to make excuses to Pansy. He was a bigger man than that. But slowly and slowly, Pansy had taken control of the relationship and bullied him into a lower form of himself whenever he was around her. "Pansy, she's new. This castle is huge. It's my job to make sure she doesn't get lost wandering around." Aurora hung her head at his explanation. She felt silly, once again, for reading too much into his behaviour. He was just doing his job. He wasn't interested in her. Pansy turned her beady eyes to Aurora.

"Why are you walking around alone anyway? I thought you were asleep."

"Don't talk to her like that." Draco snapped. Pansy glared.

"I'm sorry I interrupted your evening." Aurora spoke up, trying to calm the tiny girl down. "I was sneaking around and heard mad noise coming from that room, so I looked inside. I didn't even know Draco was in there. Really." She smiled warmly, with her hands in the pockets of her jeans. "You have a great guy right here. I don't know many guys who would choose helping a stranger over food." She chuckled. Pansy cocked her head to the side, smiling fakely at the girl.

"That's because guys don't do that, cupcake."

Draco waved his hands, hating the fact that Aurora was defending him against the likes of Pansy. And the fact that she was trying to make friends with Pansy, for Draco's sake, made him want to vomit.

"I asked you if you wanted to spend some time alone Pansy. You denied me. That's it, our night is over." He grabbed Aurora by the arm and began to walk away. "Goodnight."

"Draco! Draco Malfoy!" He struggled to keep his anger in check as he turned the corner, holding onto Aurora. He had really spoiled her something rotten in the past few months out of their 2 year relationship. Two years ago she wouldn't have dared to talk to him in this manner. He'd teach her a lesson soon enough about Malfoy men. The echo of Pansy's voice was almost as annoying as the real thing; high-pitched and nasaly. He shook his head to forget the last few moments and only slowed down when her voice stopped invading his the air around him.

"Draco." He paid no attention. Aurora spoke louder. "Draco." With horror, he realized he was gripping her arm with unnecessary strength. She winced when he let go, and rubbed the angry red mark to sooth it. "Aurora, I'm sorry." He reach out to touch it but stopped himself. What could he do? Rub it with her? That was hardly appropriate.

She looked up at him, guarded.

"It's okay. What was that all about?" He cursed Pansy for showing up when she did. Aurora liked him a lot, a monkey could see that, but Draco feared she might turn her fancy to another bloke, since he was suddenly unavailable romantically.

"I'm sorry for her behaviour. It's inexcusable." She shook her head.

"No, if I hadn't broken the rules on the first day and gone wandering around the halls alone, you wouldn't have been forced to ditch her to make sure I was okay." She looked up at him sheepishly. "I'm sorry."

"That's not why I came out."

"No?"

"Not at all."

"Then why?"

"She was being like that before you showed up. It seems to be her general demeanor nowadays. I was acutally grateful for an excuse to leave." He looked at her hopefully, wondering if she was getting the gist of all this. He didn't want to say that he was considering breaking up with her, out-right. That was too obvious. He might as well shout, "Be my girlfriend Aurora King!"

"Why is she so mean?"

"I don't know. To be frank, I couldn't care less."

"Maybe you should talk to her about it. I mean, if she's being hostile like this all the time, that's not healthy for either of you." They were walking as they spoke, now. "She's probably not getting enough attention from you."

"Or maybe she's just a bitch." Draco muttered. He didn't like that Aurora cared about his relationship with Pansy. If she was suggesting ways to fix it, could that have meant that she wasn't interested in him afterall? The thought made his rage burn ever hotter.

"Draco, are you okay?" She stopped and turned him around by his forearms. "You're all tense."

He stared at her, confused. He was well-practiced in putting on a cool exterior no matter what emotion he was feeling. A talent he learned from his father. Rarely did anyone ever see through his efforts.

"What do you mean?" He asked, wanting to know what gave him away.

"Your face is sort of pink and your jaw is taught. You're hunched over a little, too. Don't be so angry, Draco. She probably just misses you." He stared down at her, his 6 feet towering over her mere 5'6. He was amazed that she had picked up on the red flags of his emotions, just hours after meeting him. She must have been monitoring him very carefully to notice any of the markers she mentioned.

For a moment, he felt himself revel in the fact that someone cared.

She didn't care to climb into bed with him, she didn't care to gain the highest level of popularity by superficially being on his arm, she just… cared. About his feelings.

How odd was it that he actually liked it? He was a Malfoy, which meant he was to be a man with an iron fist. No meakness or vulnerability of any sort. He felt unnerved that he was taking a liking to the unconditional kindness that Aurora was showing him. He noticed her hands were still on his arms, and she was trying to lock onto his eyes.

"Don't worry. I'm sure everything will work out just fine Draco." Oh, how he loved the sound of his name coming from her lips. He wished he could hear her say it again and again. His thoughts wandered to impure places, and he pictured her screaming his name repeatedly while he fuc- "Dude, I'm so hungry."

He frowned.

"Supper's almost over. You slept through it." She looked towards the Great Hall longingly. "If you'd like, I could hurry back in and get something for you."

"What time is breakfast?"

"Six am."

"That's not bad." She shrugged. "I can wait. Wanna go explore?" She flashed her beautiful smile at him and he was mesmerized. He just nodded.

"K, let's go." She grabbed his arm tried to pull him towards the courtyard. It was night-time and she wanted to feel the moist night air again, but he realized he had agreed without thinking.

"No, let's feed you first." The thought of her going hungry when he had just eaten was upsetting.

"I'm fine. My belly's not even talking to me." At his questioning brow, she shook her head, getting impatient. "Means I'm not even that hungry. Now, let's go." She tugged his arm again. If she were any other girl, he would have shoved her off, but he rather liked the change in title that her behaviour gave him. He was a friend now; no longer a fellow-student, or escort. He loved the feeling; the sudden shift of loyalty, but, frustratingly enough, he was still very much unsatisfied. He wanted more. Much more.

"No, I'm going to feed you."

"Draco… I sai-"

"Aurora." He said firmly. He held her by the shoulders and gave her a long, fixed stare. He went soft on Pansy's disregard for what he said, but he would not allow that to happen with Aurora.

His mind froze at his last thought.

He was thinking about her in terms of a relationship.

…

He had not seen this coming.

"We are finding you something to eat. Don't talk back to me, okay?" Aurora felt light-headed when she breathed in his cologne, but this darker, more dominant side of Draco was intoxicating, as well.

"Kay." She said quietly. Draco viewed the effect he had on the poor girl, and felt a faint glow. He recognized the feeling. He had gotten it before whenever he found a prospective girlfriend. But Aurora's obedience, yet strength in the face of it, was a paradox that made this specific future-union far more exciting than any other time he claimed a girl. He smiled to himself, thanking his lucky stars for throwing such a captivating and mesmerising creature his way. His mind was set. She was to be his. At the revelation of this decision, he stepped closer to her, and felt dizzy with excitement. Not only was she unusually beautiful, but she cared for him, as well as admired him, and valued his dominance. Draco wanted to kiss her right then and there. She was already on the verge of passing out. Why not push her all the way?

Before he could react at the thought, she stood on her tippy-toes and planted a soft kiss on his cheek. She held onto his shirt for balance and leaned against his tall frame. She smiled to herself as she realized all of her self-doubts were silly. She saw the way he looked at her. She knew that he wanted her as much as she wanted him. But she didn't want to help Draco cheat. She kissed him innocently on the cheek before he could lock lips with her and betray his girlfriend physically, which was the most painful kind of betrayal. She knew from experience.

"What was that for?" asked Draco, trying to remain cool. Aurora didn't lift her head off of his chest, but she opened her eyes in excitement at this new game; the game where both of them teasingly refuse to acknowledge the relationship until one of them can't take it anymore.

"There was something on your cheek."

"So, you kissed it off?"

"Yeah."

Silence.

"What was it?"

"A bug." She giggled to herself. The feel of her laughing against his chest made him wrap his arms around her body.

"A bug?"

"A big bug. Surprised you didn't feel it on you."

"You kissing a bug is… not a pretty image."

"I told you I was hungry." Draco laughed, despite himself. Aurora felt a shiver go down her spine at the reverberating sound of it. Draco felt it, and his grip on her tightened. One hand stroked the small of her back while the other travelled up to hold her face close to his. They both gazed at each other, knowing exactly what the other wanted, but not able to follow through.

Pansy.

"Draco, we can't."

"I know."

"When will you-?"

"Right now." He kissed her forehead. "Do you remember the way to the tower?" She nodded, her body tense with anticipation. It was actually going to happen. She was actually going to be the girlfriend of this God of a man. "I want you to go there right now," he spoke, trying not to kiss her, "and wait for me."

"No, I want to come with you." She shook her head, partly because she was saying no, and partly because she was trying to shake away the image of Pansy convincing him to stay.

"Aurora." He gave her the same fixed stare, and she understood there was no negotiating on this matter. He nodded stiffly and walked off in the direction that they came. Aurora stood there, not believing the radical turn of events in the last five minutes. She didn't even remember how this all started. All she could do was watch him run his fingers through his hair while his tall, statuesque figure walked away from her. Her heart was beating a mile-a-minute and her cheek was burning where his hands touched. She hadn't felt this way for a long time. Too long, she decided. She only hoped Pansy wouldn't reset everything to the way it was 3 hours ago.

….::::::….

Pansy was lounging on the sofa with a hateful expression when Draco walked in. His sleeves were rolled up, and his hair was dishevelled as he paced rather quickly to find her. He was a sight that would have made any girl weak in the knees, but the affect seemed to be lost on Pansy.

She didn't move from her position, except to pull her skirt to the side to reveal a little bit of her upper thigh to him. Draco noticed, but it only served to make him angrier.

"Are you serious?" he questioned, half-laughing. She brushed her skirt up a little higher and glared at him; something which used to turn Draco on. But it did nothing for him now, even though it had been more than a week since they'd last fucked. "Pansy, this would have worked earlier tonight. I asked you for some, and you turned me down. Since when did that become acceptable?"

"What do you mean Drakie?" she asked too innocently. He walked closer to where she lay.

"When we became exclusive, it was understood that you would provide yourself to me whenever I wanted you." She stood up now, trying to intimidate him like she did outside the Great Hall. He wanted to laugh. "Tell me when that changed to me having to put up with your bullshit for hours before I grovelled for permission to have you?"

"My bullshit?" She cried. Draco ignored her.

"You disrespected me today in front of Aurora. Come to think of it, you embarrass me any chance you get, no matter who we're around. It was a mistake to let you get away with the little things before. All it's done is spoil you into an entitled bitch." Pansy looked like she had been punched in the gut. The shock was evident on her pixie-like features as she tried to absorb this new information.

"Draco…" She breathed, not being able to articulate much more.

"I'm sorry Pansy. But we're through." He looked into her eyes one last time. They were wet with unshed tears. The fact that he didn't even feel the need to reach out and comfort her, only assured him that he was making the right choice.

She fell back onto the sofa with her hands buried in her face and Draco took that as his cue to leave. He was torn. He had been with Pansy for 2 years; a very large portion of his life, especially for him, considering the longest serious relationship before this only lasted 3 months.

He knew he had made the right decision, but he was torn because he disliked change. The comfort of familiarity with Pansy was gone. He was now venturing into uncharted territory; starting a relationship with a woman of his own choosing. His past flames were forced onto him by his father, who looked at Draco as an opportunity to further secure their position in magical high society. Draco just learned to love them.

He felt nervous as he walked to the tower. He hurried as much as he could without looking suspicious. He was pretty sure they'd be out past curfew, and didn't want to tip anyone off. There were many at Hogwarts who would take any opportunity to land him in trouble.

He could feel his heart stutter when he imagined the way she held onto his arms and looked longingly into his eyes. He had seen those eyes before on hundreds of girls, but it was different with Aurora. She had just met him, so she had no clue about his popularity or wealth or the name she'd be making for herself by being on his arm. She just wanted him. As an average man. He stifled his smile. This entire thought process elated him, but he kept his cool, hard exterior.

He made it to the stairs and felt light on his feet as he bounded up them. He hardly noticed how out of breath he was, or how his legs ached. He just wanted to see if she was there, like he had told her to be. He passed the tiny stone window which meant he was almost at the top. He hurled himself, grinning when he pictured how her jaw would drop when she saw him emerge, with his hair dishevelled, chest heaving.

He approached the final steps and slowed down. As he walked up and out into the terrace of the tower, he looked around. His face fell.

She wasn't there. With a flick of his wand, he lit all the candles at once and cursed. Where was she?

"That was so cool." Draco spun around to see Aurora staring at the candles in amazement. For a moment, he was caught in awe. She looked even more beautiful in the candlelight. The breeze played with her locks and flew a few into her face. Before Aurora could move to brush them away, Draco was already there. He tucked the silky curls behind her ear. Aurora's gaze riveted to Draco's and her cheeks turned a faint pink.

"Where were you?" He asked, brows furrowed.

"I was right behind you up the whole tower." She breathed out.

"I didn't hear you."

"Cuz I took my heels off." She held up her black sandals. Draco inspected her top to bottom, not noticing the inch of difference.

"How did you get up here so fast? Before, when you raced me." He took a step closer to her, wanting to wrap his arms around her waist.

"I do track."

"What?" He asked.

"Track." He gave her a blank stare. "… and Field?" Silence. "Oooh yeah, you're British." She smiled. "Track and Field is a sport back home. It's basically just running."

"You run?"

"Yup, been running since the 7th grade."

"Why?" He gave her a weird look.

"I dunno. Why do you do weights?" She gestured to his torso. Draco smirked.

"So I can woo girls like you." He stepped even closer to her, and gently traced her jaw. "Charm and money can only get a bloke so far. We are animals afterall. Sometimes you need brute strength to drag a girl back to your hut." He expected her to laugh. But he watched with that familiar glow of happiness as he noticed she was completely entranced by him.

Aurora watched his lips as he talked, and felt an unfamiliar tingle. She shivered unconsciously at his stare and felt herself break out in goosebumps. Draco noticed and ran his hands up her arms slowly. "Cold?" he asked gently. She shook her head and shivered again at his touch. Draco sighed at her stubbornness. He pulled his wand out of his pocket and said, "Liarta envelo." A cloak materialized, swirling onto her shoulders. Again, Aurora stared in shock. "You look like you've never seen magic before." He teased. He had been on his feet for most of the night and his formal shoes were bothering him. He took her hand and walked her over to the inner wall of the terrace. He sat down and motioned for her to do the same. To his immense pleasure, she leaned right into his shoulder, and he happily wrapped his arm around her. They sat in silence for a few minutes, Draco assessing the strength of his attraction to her, and Aurora thinking about Pansy.

"So, how'd it go with your girlfriend?"

"Ex." She watched his face as he spoke. He stared forward, replaying the incident in his head. "Went as well as it could go, considering. I'm worried about you though." She squirmed closer into his chest and Draco held her tighter.

"Why?"

"You don't know her, Rora. Once she sees us together, she'll rip you to shreds.".

"I like that." He gave her a questioning look. "What you called me. Rora." He had been playing with her name since he ended things with Pansy. Rora rolled off the tongue. It felt right. "What do you mean she'll rip me to shreds? She's half my size."

"She'll rip to shreds mentally. She'll poison all the other girls in Slytherin against you. She'll torment you whenever she gets the chance." Draco panicked in his mind. He hadn't thought this through. Shit.

"Draco, relax." She felt his posture tense. Wanting to comfort him, she crawled inbetween his legs and rested her entire body against his chest. Draco froze, wondering what she was doing. Did she want to have sex already? He hadn't pinned her for the loose type.

He waited. She didn't make a move to unbutton his shirt or feel him up. She just sat there, hugging him.

It took a few seconds for him to realize that was as far as she was gonna take it, because she didn't want sex. She wanted to comfort him. She was hugging him to comfort him. He wrapped his arms around her immediately and buried his face in her hair. Again, the unfamiliar feeling of security washed through him. He wasn't used to being protected, not even by his parents. Sometimes his mother would shield him from his father's temper but that, too, was rare. And look at this stranger now, so quick to shoo his worries away.

"I'm sorry Rora. I didn't consider how this would affect you."

"Draco," she laughed, "I'll be fine. I was in high school before Hogwarts. I've dealt with girls like her before." She shrugged. "She doesn't even seem that threatening, to be honest. When she flipped out at you, I actually turned my face around to hide my laughter a few times."

"Really?"

"Yeah. The whole thing was hilarious."

"I didn't see that."

"… hence the 'turning around' part." She pulled her face out of his chest to meet his. For someone whom everyone said was brilliant, he was a little slow.

Before he knew what he was doing, he kissed her. He felt her body go rigid against his, but he didn't care. He didn't care about formalities or asking for her permission. Aurora was his now and her lips were his right.

Aurora kissed him back with caution. This was all happening too fast. She pulled back and met his gaze. His crystal grey eyes were staring at her intensly. She was breathing in quick, shallow breaths, nervous beyond hell, but he was stone faced, so assured. This time, Rora saw him leaning down for another kiss, so she kissed back gently. His hands trailed up her back to her face, holding her there so she couldn't break the kiss again. She opened her mouth for a gasp of breath and he took advantage of the lapse in caution. His tongue snaked in, kissing her more fiercly, running out of breath himself now. She felt dizzy as his scent compromised her grip on conciousness, so she moved to her knees, her face higher than his. She steadied herself by holding onto his hard shoulders and she kissed him hard, making Draco arch his neck to reach her. She buried her hands in her hair, a tiny moan escaping her lips when his long fingers traced her back. She arched her body into his when he continued teasing her and he shuddered, wanting to take her right there and then. They finally parted, Draco leaning his head against the wall, his chest heaving, and Rora leaning against Draco's body. Draco's arms held her tight against him, not wanting to let her out of his stone grip. He felt her shiver and he almost growled in response before he reached up to her face and crushed her lips against his. She molded her body against him, loving the feel of his hard, angular body against her soft, curved one. She quivered when she felt his hand snake under her shirt, up her back. In fear, she gripped his shirt, pulling away from his flushed face immediately. He looked at her, confused.

"Draco…" she breathed.

"What?" he whispered as he brushed her hair out of her face. She couldn't say anything. She didn't want to upset him. "What is it?" He had never in his life been turned down when kissing progressed to sex, so he didn't understand. She sat down as close to his chest as she could, holding her legs close. She couldn't look him in the eye.

Is this all he wanted her for? Just sex?

"This is too fast."

His eyes showed deep concern. "I thought you wanted this, too." His body was tense with need, but he tried to calm his heart-beat.

"I do want it. But… we just met." Again, it took Draco a moment to figure out what was wrong with that. He had taken girls back to his room within minutes of meeting them. He was hit with a whoosh of realization as he remembered she wasn't quite like other girls. Part of him was angry that she led him on, she should have stopped him earlier, but another part of him was excited about starting a traditional relationship for once. The challenge Rora posed intrigued him. They wouldn't become intimate for weeks or months, she would care for him whenever she saw that he was uneasy, and he would protect her against the world in return for her unconditional care. "Draco?" she said quietly. She only had one serious relationship before this, and the terms of their breakup were not pleasant. She didn't want to lose this one within hours of meeting him. He was the most handsome man she had ever kissed.

Draco flicked his wand, murmering a spell, which turned the corner they were huddled in laiden with pillows and some blankets. He went to lie down and pulled her along with him. She crawled next to him and squirmed around to get comfortable. Eventually, and much to Draco's satisfaction, she found a comfortable spot on his chest, with her arms sprawled across his body. She fell asleep within minutes. Draco stroked her hair and felt excited to be pursuing this new adventure. He fell asleep soon after to the thoughts of the the incredible few moments he shared with her on this tower. He promised himself there would be many, many more.

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Thanks cobra-princess ;) Glad you like it.