Aster's POV

"First things first, you cannot tell a soul about what I'm doing. I also need you to promise me you will stay away from your Uncle. I don't want them knowing you're helping me."

I picked myself up from his chest and sat crossed legged next to him, pulling the blanket to cover myself.

"Ok but is what you're doing dangerous?" I asked, now suddenly anxious.

"Well yes but I only need your help with one thing, I'll do the rest" he looked up to the canopy of his bed above him, his eyebrows now furrowed.

"Will you just tell me already?" I said impatiently.

He stayed quiet for a few seconds, still staring upwards. Then suddenly, he pushed himself upwards and leant against his bedhead, crossing his bare arms across his chest. I couldn't help but stare at his flexed biceps, he was lean but his arms always drew my attention. I felt my mouth dry up at the sight.

"I have to repair a vanishing cabinet...." his silver eyes refused to meet mine.

"Ok?"

"To smuggle Death Eaters into Hogwarts..."

I felt my heart rate steadily increase, but I kept my face impartial.

"Why?" I almost whispered.

He snapped his eyes at my whisper, a flash of weariness echoed in his irises.

"...Um, I don't know, my mission is to just repair the cabinet," he hurriedly answered.

I watched as he absent-mindedly clenched his fists.

"Why did you join them, Draco?"

His face quickly goes pale from my question, but it quickly turns back to his usual colour.

"I had to," he says sharply.

I frown at him.

"Why?" I press.

He sighs heavily and I watch as he takes in a deep breath, closing his eyes in the process.

"Flint, it's done. There's no going back, I'm a death eater" he says before he opens up his eyes again. This time, his silver eyes are blank, void of feeling. The sight makes my stomach drop.

Instead of the natural instinct to back off, I crawl forward and onto his lap. He watches me as I lower myself onto his thighs, his eyes still blank. His hands lay impassively by his side.

"What are you doing?" he asks.

"I'm helping you" I reply softly.

"I don't need your help, I'm only doing this so you don't go get yourself killed". This time I see something flicker in his eyes, something real.

My thoughts race. I could ask him why he cares so much that he's willing to involve me in his task to keep me out of my Uncle's grasp but from the way he's acting so still and cold, my heart tells me now's not the time.

An intrusive thought pops into my head.

"Are you using me?"

His eyes go wide.

"What?" He spits out.

"You said my dad is helping you with this vanishing cabinet, are you using me to find out what my dad knows so you can please your own father?" I tried to keep my voice neutral, but from the look of his face, I could tell he was displeased with the accusation.

"Fuck Flint, its quite the fucking opposite...Sure you can help because your father knows more about this stuff then anyone, but surely if you find out, that way I can keep your father out of all this while also keeping my father happy and you from sticking your big nose in everyone elses business?"

"Oh" was all I could manage to say.

My thoughts were trying to order themselves in my brain.

If I was to help Draco fix the cabinet with the information my father knows, I could keep my father safe and out of Lucius hand's.

Keeping my family safe was the priority.

Also helping Draco was a plus.

"So you want me to see what my dad knows about this vanishing cabinet?"

His hands finally found my hips, and I couldn't help but shiver under his touch.

"That would be helpful, yes," he said.

"Ok I can do that" I pondered.

"So you promise to stay away from your Uncle?"

I nodded, still slightly distracted from the whirl of thoughts circling my head.

"Do you think anyone saw you tonight?"

His question startled me.

"Why?" I said defensively.

"Well I don't want anyone to know you're helping me, he can't find out, my father can't find out either"

I brushed his hands off my hips annoyed, his eyes narrowed confused.

"Fucking hell" he murmured, "I'm not ashamed of being seen with you Flint, its not about you being a half-blood anymore, thats the least of my worries. It's about him finding out about you," he grabbed my thighs possessively, pulling my legs closer to his waist.

My hands instantly landed on his chest, I was inches away from his face now.

"I am not ashamed of you Flint, I think we are way past that now, don't you?" he whispered low, his tone domineering.

I gulped loudly but nodded.

"If someone saw you tonight and told the Dark Lord, he could easily demand you join him. And someone like you...well I already told you, you have this way with people that he could easily use" he told me, his silver eyes serious.

"I would never let someone use me".

"He would use everything in his power to use your influence" he murmured.

A sense of dread washed over me as I realised what he was saying, he would use my father, he could hurt my mother.

"Fuck" I wshipered.

"Did you not realise how serious this was?" Draco suddenly laughed menacingly.

My whole body tensed as his laugh reverberated through my bones.

"I mean I did...."

"If it was up to me, you wouldn't have anything to do with this...or even me!" he raised his voice slightly, making me flinch.

"So basically if I never came tonight, you would have just ignored me at Hogwarts? Ignored...this?" I say looking down at my hands still plastered on his chest.

"Yes" he said bluntly.

I started to move backwards off him, it was getting too much. I had gone full throttle into this situation without totally processing it all. I always fucking did this, I was too impulsive, too caught up in the now to process the consequences.

Blaise warned me of this.

"I should go" I said quietly, picking myself off his bed and searching the floor for my dress.

"So you go running straight into a dangerous plan to then just run away once you realise what the repercussions are?"

I look over to find Draco rising from the bed, wrapping the blanket around his waist. He strolls up to me, his confidence surprises me, I would have expected him to yell, to let me go.

"I would have ignored you because I would have wanted you to have nothing to do with this death eater business, I need you safe Aster. As much as I loved you being here tonight, I'm so fucking angry as well. You couldn't just stay away? You couldn't just be safe and ignorant?" his voice was still surprisingly level.

"Why do you care so much about what I do?" I yelled back, desperate for him to raise his voice at me, to be angry and show me. I needed someone to tell me off, to make me feel like my emotions right now were valid.

"Why do you fucking think I care?!" he stopped, hovering just inches away from me, his hands splayed out in defiance.

I stared at him, searching his face for the answer.

"What are we Draco?" I finally asked, my heart beating at a million miles an hour.

He laughed.

He chuckled.

His eyes glittered with a sarcastic humour.

"Are we seriously having this conversation now?" he spat out.

I grimaced.

"Ok fine, we don't have to talk about that right now." I concluded. He brushed his hands through his hair and looked down at his feet.

"Lets just work together with this and try not to get killed ok?" he said through gritted teeth.

The tension seemed thicker now, uncertain and odd.

I was currently standing in the middle of his room naked. Suddenly, I felt exposed and I wrapped my hands around my waist.

"Do you have to go now?" his voice broke the awkward silence.

I looked up to find him walking back towards his bed.

"I told my parents I was spending the night at Blaise's..." I answered.

Draco looked at me, running his eyes up and down my body, I shivered at his attention. He picked up his wand and flicked it. A white t-shirt came flying out of his opened wardrobe and he caught it expertly with one hand.

"Here, wear this and come back to bed" he ordered, his eyes serious with a glint of something else.

"You want me to stay?" I couldn't help but ask, after that conversation I was sure he wanted to keep things professional.

"Do I really need to answer that?" he rolled his eyes before climbing back into bed.

His abhorrent ego was currently on full show.

Lucky for him, his ego was something I actually admired.

I walked to the opposite side of the bed and grabbed the tshirt from him, throwing it over my body, the hem hitting my upper thigh.

It smelt like him, instantly calming my nerves.

"I need to let Blaise know Im staying" I muttered, not able to look at him in the eyes.

I felt awkward, unsure and to be completely honest quite stupid.

He knew what he was talking about when it came to this huge mess. He was right. I was naive and stupid to think I could help and not endanger myself or my family more. This was bigger than me and I needed to see it that way if I wanted to keep my family safe.

"I'll handle it," he said before climbing back off the bed and fetching a piece of parchment from a nearby oak desk. Surprisingly the desk was messy and unorganised, stacked with books and various quills.

He scribbled something down and slid the parchment into an envelope, heating a melting spoon with his wand and stamping his black wax seal on the back of the envelope. I watched almost dazingly as he strolled to his window and opened the large arched glass, whistling smoothly, a brown owl fluttered up. It was his owl, one I had seen drop off letters at school. He gave the letter to the owl and the owl was off in an instant.

"Who did you send that to?" I asked.

He strolled back around to his side of the bed before answering.

"Zabini, told him you were staying here" he muttered nonchalant.

I couldn't help but smile.

"What?" He said, noticing my smile.

"He's going to get a real kick out of the fact I'm staying here tonight, I wonder what he thinks we're up to" I teased, feeling my tension ease from my shoulders.

I watched as a small smile grew on his lips.

"I told him you were busy in my bed tonight Flint" he answered arrogantly.