Strengthen - perfect - refine, in that order. Of Uncle Altair's many -isms that he taught during his class, this was the one many of the students carried with them. Strengthen your magic, perfect your casting, then refine your strategy. If you don't have to, you shouldn't. When the situation calls for it, use up as little energy as possible. But most importantly, if it's not worth your energy, exert only what is needed.
Many horrid ideas came and went through Aster's mind in the final seconds during the duel against Pansy. She was cornered, and no one was on her side. Her plan to sabotage everything had failed - she looked like she was about to cry.
Aster twisted her wrist like she was opening a door with a key, and with a little spark, Pansy's wand shot out of her hand and up into one of the rafters, wedging itself perfectly in between two of the planks.
The now-defeated bully's eyes were wide with shock. Of all the spells Aster could've chosen, she decided to disarm her, and nothing else.
After a brief silence, everyone looking to see where the wand ended up, the courtyard filled with a roar of cheers and applause. Theo raised Aster's arm followed by Io's to the ceiling in victory.
Io winced. Her fresh wounds were now swollen and bleeding, still hidden beneath her denim jacket.
As the crowd dispersed so as not to get caught by a professor wandering around on a Friday night - though it was a miracle they hadn't been caught already - Pansy was sniffling, unable to breathe easily after the spectacle. Goyle summoned her wand down, and Adalinda ushered her towards the southside bridge.
"Wait -" Aster rushed over.
Pansy's anger had dissipated. Nothing hurt more to a Slytherin than embarrassment, and nothing could have been more embarrassing than this. Her eyes were red and puffy, and she had no energy to pay any mind to how astray her hair was.
Aster stopped just short of the two, taking a breath before pushing her pride to the side. She held out her hand. "Good job. You did really well."
Pansy blinked a couple of times, unsure if this was a joke.
"I'm serious, Parkinson." Aster sighed. "I mean - Pansy. Just… Can we just be cordial? At least?"
Adalinda looked just as shocked and the surprise worsened as Pansy accepted the handshake. This wasn't out of reluctance, but it looked as if she was almost relieved. This was one less person in Slytherin to think poorly of her. The Visage twins had done the absolute minimum to raise such a positive reputation that she'd be foolish not to accept this metaphorical truce.
Once the handshake was done and the two - now acquaintances - had taken a walk to the grounds just outside of the castle, Io patted her sister on the back with pride.
"That was kind of you." She rested her head on Aster's shoulder. "Maybe you should share one of your licorice wands -"
"I said cordial, and last time I checked, you're not going around handing out those caramels."
Io sneered. "Fine. But regardless, that really was kind of you. Maybe she'll even wish you 'Happy Christmas' before we leave for holiday."
"Hey," Aster lowered her voice, backing away to meet her sister's eyes. "Thank you for saving me back there. I want to… I want to tell you why I was upset by Pansy's comment. I've been wanting to tell you for a while, but I wasn't ready just yet."
The former smiled softly. "You're welcome. And are you ready now?"
"I think I am." She nodded with new confidence. "Maybe we can talk tonight after all this fuss has died down? I'd… I'd like some privacy."
"Of course." Io nodded.
"And I do hope that," Aster continued. "You could tell me more about your talk with Draco. I've heard some things - from Blaise - and I assumed that perhaps you weren't comfortable telling me everything that happened that night."
Io reached up to her wound as it was still burning. Of course Aster knew she'd hid something. It was never her intention to lie, but it was such a heavy conversation that sharing everything just seemed like too much. "Okay. I'll tell you everything."
"Aster!" Blaise ran over, Draco at his side.
"We'll talk later?" Aster walked with Blaise to the outside courtyard, now completely bright with moonlight.
Io waved her off, groaning quietly. That fucking cat really managed to sink its claws into her with absolutely no mercy. She should've gotten a revenge shot in at least, but the sudden attack was not in any plan.
Draco sauntered up next to her, resting his hand on her shoulder so as not to scare her. Unfortunately this had a very different effect as Io nearly leapt away from him. He'd pressed her jacket further into the wound, and it burned even more furiously.
"Hi, Draco." She recoiled, trying to control her face without success.
His eyes narrowed with another scowl. "What's wrong with you?"
"Nothing!" She answered too quickly.
"You're lying." He responded sternly. "Parkinson didn't land anything on you, and Adalinda is too stupid to try and cast anything that would cause actual damage. What -" Draco reached for Io's collar.
Io grabbed his arm hastily and he pulled it back with a wince similar to hers. She released his arm with little effort, suspicious as to why he also looked like he was in pain. After a few seconds, their eyes met, Draco's now a little softer and sympathetic than before.
He reached up again, and she let him see the distinct drags of a cat's paw just where her neck met her shoulder. "Io, what the hell -"
"Draco, it's nothing." She hastily covered up. "I just -"
Not willing to hear any excuses, Draco grabbed her wrist and pulled her out of the courtyard. He rushed her past Aster and Blaise who were still giddy over how the duel ended, and they continued past the footbridge. As soon as he knew no one else was around, Draco reached up again to see her wound better in the moonlight.
"If you tell me this happened because you were reckless with your Animagus, I swear -" He pulled out his wand swiftly and began. Little wisps of silver emerged from the tip of his wand, meeting the open gashes and mending them.
Draco stared intently at her injury, almost looking disappointed that this happened.
This was a rare moment. Io was finally able to see Draco's face, even with just the moon illuminating his skin. His eyes were sunken and his cheeks shallow. The scowl that he constantly wore put a wrinkle above his brow. But his eyes - those eyes - Io could swear she's never seen anything so blue. As he concentrated, his expression softened. The wound was mending without any issue.
As he did this, his hand rested on her bare shoulder, and she was too shocked to feel exposed. He held onto her so firmly but it was noticeably with care.
She rested her back against the wooden gazebo, waiting patiently. "I didn't know you knew how to mend wounds." Io said, her voice just above a whisper.
"No one is here." Draco responded. "You don't have to speak so softly." He looked up at her, straightening his back once he finished. "My father - he had a walking stick that he never left behind."
Io listened, not wanting to interrupt.
"Let's just say there were many times I had to use this on myself, so my mother didn't know how bad some of my well-deserved punishments were." Draco carefully pulled her jacket to its original place, only now realizing he'd been touching her bare skin this entire time. He slid his hand into his pocket, ignoring the tingle on his fingers. He rolled his shoulders back, closing his eyes as he did.
He was so close now. There was a faint aroma of apples and cedar emitting from his black coat. Io's fingers twitched, fighting a very strong temptation to grab the bottom of his collar.
They looked at each other in silence, neither wanting to disturb the serenity of the moment.
Io was the first to speak. "Thank you, Draco."
He merely nodded in recognition. "We should go. Your sister might be suspicious that I've brought you here to hex you or something."
"Wait -" Io managed to grab a fistful of his jacket as he started to brush past her.
He was too close now, his shoulder practically touching her chin.
"I…" Io's words were caught in her throat. "I just wanted… to…"
"You already thanked me." Draco looked down at her, and flitters of what smelled like peppermint met her nose.
"Draco, I -"
It was sudden.
Unable to finish a sentence that really had no end, Draco's hand met her throat, grabbing her forcefully. There was a flicker of fear in her face, his looking frustrated. She couldn't tell if his intent was to hurt her for getting too close to him, but his expression didn't change. Her eyes softened. Hard as he tried to scare her, she had a feeling he was fighting an urge because she shared that same tempting thought.
He dragged his thumb across her jaw pushing her chin up so that she couldn't look elsewhere, his fingers were still locked on the back of her neck.
Without another second of silence, the vibrant sting of peppermint began to dance on her tongue.
Draco's lips were desperate, hungry for her. The craving he tried to suppress for months was finally satisfied, but this just made the desire burn more furiously than before. He pushed her against the wall with such force, she could feel her ankles buckle underneath her.
Kissing him set her chest on fire. All was silent save for the sound of his heavy breaths against her cheek. His free hand gripped the spot just above her hip, pushing her shirt up just enough that he could feel the warmth of her skin. That tingling on his palm from touching her bare shoulder was nothing compared to this.
She tugged him forward, her fingers teasing just beneath his waistband as his lips trailed down her neck.
"Stop -" Draco pulled himself away, releasing her hip and throat at once. His chest was heaving, and his cheeks had more color than ever before. "I can't - I -" His words tripped over each other, trying to find a way to explain his need for her touch conflicting with his resistance to be near anyone.
Io's hands were pressed against the wall, the chill from the wood now warm with her body heat. She couldn't control her breaths, rapid and erratic.
Draco was pacing now. Shaking his head towards the ground, he began to quietly scold himself for doing something so stupid. The last person he kissed was some girl who kissed him first. Never had he wanted someone so badly that he'd let his urges overcome his self-control. Without another word, he walked off back towards the castle, leaving Io in the dark.
Unbeknownst to either of them, she wasn't alone.
Pansy emerged just at the top of the stone steps. Adalinda wasn't with her, and Io started to fear the worst. Io was tempted to just ignore her and head back, but Pansy spoke before she could, now only a few feet away.
"I've never seen him act the way he does around you," she said. This was the first time she'd been truly calm in front of Io. "I actually don't think I've ever seen him like this."
Io was too shocked to think of a response. She looked down at her feet, anything to not meet Pansy's gaze.
"What I mean is that, he looks serious about you." Pansy continued. "And if you ask anyone else, that's very unusual of him - to care about anyone like that."
"Is that what you call it?" Io almost laughed.
"I know you haven't known him very long, but I've known him for almost six years. I know as much as he'll allow me to know. He's different this year, and I don't know if it's because of you or something else. But he cares about you, that much is obvious."
This conversation was just as much of a surprise as that Russian Blue. This girl, who was a bully mere hours ago, was not providing words of comfort about a situation she knew little to nothing about. While there was not much to say in response, Pansy started to walk away, waiting for Io to join her.
"He kissed you! Oh, my God, I can't believe this." Aster was pacing back and forth in the Slytherin common room with her arms resting on her head in disbelief.
"It was, um -" Io cleared her throat as she sat in front of the fire.
"That's so attractive." The younger of the two almost groaned with exasperation. "Fuck, so he just grabbed your neck, and -"
"Yes, please, shut up now." Io rubbed her temples.
Aster jumped to the couch with glee, landing next to her sister. "Don't you lie to me! He was aggressive and forceful - but with care! He knew what he wanted, and he just took it - for Heaven's sake, if that isn't the most attractive thing ever -"
"Shut." Io clapped her hand over Aster's mouth. "Up. Now. Please. Before I hex you."
The twins finally divulged some of the occurrences they'd previously kept secret. From what happened that first night with Draco to Blaise embarrassing Cormac at Slughorn's dinner party. It wasn't until Io asked specifically about Pansy's comment that Aster managed to relax, still unsure of how to talk about the subject.
"You know how I kind of dated that one guy at Ilvermorny - Zachariah or whatever." Aster started her explanation.
Io unwrapped another caramel. "Yeah, you guys dated for a few months."
"Well, after he and I broke up, I almost dated… someone else."
The sloppy sound of chewing candy stopped. While she had an idea of where this conversation was heading, Io wanted to hear it clearly.
"You always knew I felt auras. Uncle always said it was like my 'special talent' or whatever." Aster's voice grew smaller. "Well, it's true, but it's not… I mean, it's not specific - to one kind of person."
Io reached out for her sister's hand, caressing it tenderly as she waited further.
"What I'm trying to say is that I can like anyone. As long as the aura calls to me."
"And Hermione Granger's aura is calling out to you?" Io finally spoke, understanding now why Aster was so perturbed by Pansy.
There was a glaze over Aster's eyes. The stress was coming out in the form of tears, and she absolutely hated that. Not that crying was weak; she just hated the feeling. "I don't know what to do. She's likes Ron, and we're friends, but I can't just -"
"- just sit by?"
"No." Aster's voice was a whisper now. "I've been avoiding having any casual conversation with her ever since, and I hate feeling like this."
"I think everyone hates that feeling - hiding the way you feel especially if you're feeling it so strongly."
"D'you think that's how Draco has been feeling about you all this time?"
Io never stopped to think about it. The dynamic between them was always so odd, not cold but lukewarm. He'd acknowledge her, but he wouldn't start conversations. He'd smile in amusement at her, but he wouldn't get too close. It honestly made more sense than she'd care to admit. The way he looked so frustrated with himself just before they kissed, the desperation in his touch - if he was hiding his feelings, that would explain everything.
She scooted closer, pulling her little sister into an embrace. She twirled Aster's long hair around her finger, letting her rest into Io's shoulder.
All Aster could do was sigh and let whatever emotions she'd been holding in free fall now that it was all out in the open. Keeping this secret was doing its damage the last few months, and she was happy to be rid of the burden. While it didn't necessarily help her situation, at least now there was someone else who knew.
The twins stayed in front of the fire until it settled into embers. Tomorrow was Saturday, and nothing could be more exciting.
Draco Malfoy avoided the common room all night. With the excitement of the duel now over, there was nothing to distract him from what he actually meant to do.
Standing in front of the stone wall, it slowly turned into a large wooden door with intricate metal detailing. He walked into the Room of Requirement, unaware that in Gryffindor house, Harry Potter was watching his figure disappear into nothing.