Summary: It was unusual for a soul mark to be the way Draco's was; unidentifiable. He wondered if it was defective until he found the person who bore his mark. - — Soul Mark!AU
Rated: K
Genre: General
Warnings: N/A
Starstruck
Draco didn't expect anyone to be up in the Astronomy Tower in the late hour. Her presence hit him like the cold winter chill that bit the air on clear nights like this; sudden, but refreshing. The soft silver light from the rising moon had her silhouette glowing like the depictions of angels he'd seen in muggle paintings he'd admired in the Room of Hidden Things what felt like so long ago.
She peered up at the midnight-blue sky, quill in hand, a star map spread out over the table in front of her, and a telescope strategically placed and angled at a steep degree facing East. Not wanting to disturb her, Draco turned to leave only to stall when he noticed the dull glimmer of spots speckling across her bare left shoulder.
His hand touched his own left shoulder where a similar mark was splattered across his skin. It glowed in the moonlight, too, but not as vibrant as others he'd seen. Most of his friends' soul-marks were distinct and clear, like Theo's vines that shimmer green in sunlight, or Pansy's flower petals that sparkled in the shade.
It was difficult to figure out his own mark. Some said it looked like paint splatters, but his mother insisted it appeared to look more like stars given that it only dimly glowed when the moon was visible. Hers looked no different, and he wondered if she might have figured out what it was supposed to be.
He hadn't realized he was staring until she turned and met his gaze. She smiled at him and inclined her head enough to offer a silent invitation to join her and her exploration of space.
"You're—"
"Astoria," she said, looking to her map and pointing at a constellation on the chart. "And you're Draco."
He gave a nod in confirmation. They knew each other only in passing, so this sudden encounter felt strange, almost intimate, but comforting at the same time.
Draco approached and tore his gaze from Astoria to the star map in front of her. It was an impressive piece of work, never before had he seen such detail and precision in something intended to be so complex. She must have been working on it for years, and here she stood, enchanted ink and quill in hand, still mapping out the sky on an already immaculate chart.
"Couldn't sleep, either?" she asked, turning her attention back up to the sky.
"No."
He looked back at her shoulder, having a better picture of his own mark to pick apart was convenient, and he shamelessly took advantage of it. Draco knew it was rude to stare and inspect one's mark, but he simply couldn't help himself.
"It's a constellation, I just know it is," Astoria said suddenly, pulling his attention back to her. "I just haven't found it yet."
She looked at him again, seeming to know exactly what he was thinking. "Do you mind if I look at yours? I might not have drawn mine out correctly."
Draco felt the color drain from his face. Revealing his soul-mark meant revealing something else, and he wasn't sure if he was ready to accept that fate brought them together this way.
Originally Written For:
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (Challenges & Assignments)
Monthly Challenges for All
Word Count: (Per Google Docs) 536
Originally Written: August 2019