Sticker Challenge, dungeons: dungeons
Insane House Competition: Slytherin common room
Liza's Loves: (title) The Wicked and the Divine
For the lovely anon who asked for something Drastoria. I hope you enjoy!
Word Count: 575
The war is over. The words echo in his head as he makes his way through the ruined castle. No one spares spares him a second glance, and he is grateful. After everything they've been through, he doesn't need more fighting.
He doesn't even think about where he's going. His feet carry him along until he's in the dungeons. Draco lingers outside the common room entrance before giving the password in a grudging sigh.
He doesn't expect anyone to be in the common room, and he's surprised to find Astoria sitting on the sofa. Her eyes are closed, but her body is too tense for him to believe that she's Draco steps closer, he can see cuts and bruises over her face, illuminated by the dim light of the fireplace.
"I thought all Slytherins were evacuated."
Astoria opens her eyes, wincing slightly. She stretches before shaking her head, her dark hair whipping against her face. "Some of us stayed," she answers.
There's almost an accusation in her voice. By now, everyone knows the truth about him. He had been a coward, blindly clinging to anyone who could keep him alive. Astoria, like her older sister, had been a saint. Over the past year, he's done everything in his limited power to steer the Carrows away from the Greengrass sisters. Maybe it's paid off.
"Should you go to the hospital wing?" he asks. "That's a terrible cut on your cheek."
Astoria reaches up and presses her fingertips carefully to her cheek. With a wince, she hisses as her fingers make contact with the swollen skin. "I'll be fine," she decides. "I don't want to be around people right now anyway."
"I'll just go then."
The younger girl snorts. "You aren't people," she says. "I like you. Come sit."
Draco finds himself obeying. He had wanted to get away, to avoid the whispers and stares the corridors would hold. Now, he finds himself drawn to her.
"You made a right mess of things," Astoria notes.
Her words make him flinch. No one has managed to make him feel completely ashamed of himself. Maybe he regrets it all, but he'd done what he'd had to do. But sitting with Astoria makes him feel like a failure. In the face of adversity, she had shown the world nothing but kindness and a good heart. Compared to her, Draco is scum.
"But it's okay," she continues, resting a hand on his thigh. Her touch is strangely comforting. "We all lose our way sometimes. The trick is to not let it get to you and to never give up. If you lose your way, I'll help."
His eyes find hers, and he feels something stirring inside him. His stomach feels as though someone has unleashed a hundred butterflies, and their wings are tickling his insides.
"Thank you," he whispers.
Astoria leans in, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "Maybe I'll give you a proper kiss once I've been healed up," she chuckles.
He raises a brow, a grin on his lips. "Maybe I'll be waiting for it," he says. "Not that I'm the type to just wait around for people."
And as they laugh, he feels his lips forming his first genuine smile in years. The aftermath of the warm seem to melt away. There is no one and nothing in this world but him and Astoria Greengrass, and he finally thinks the future might be okay after all.