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To Steal Time	By : stacygalore Category: Harry Potter > General > General Views: 2119 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, nor do I benefit financially from the complete desecration of J.K. Rowling's characters.

Chapter List
- 4
- 5
�To Steal Time�

By Stacy Galore

Disclaimer: I don�t own the characters. Jo Rowling does. I just play
with them.

Warnings: (may not apply to all chapters) This story is
suitable only for mature readers and contains strong language and explicit
sexual situations including, but not limited to, non-con and slash.

Chapter 5: Watch

Astoria was shaking and on the verge of tears yet again
after she lifted her face out of the pensieve. Theodore moved swiftly to her
side and whined, �I�m so sorry, Tori,� and opened his arms to engulf her with
his embrace.

But Astoria put her hand out and stopped him. �Don�t.
Fucking. Touch. Me. You knew this was going on and you did nothing to stop
it from happening again.� Theodore backed off as she stood up slowly. She was
dizzy, in shock, and sickened by the thought of being violated in such a
disgusting manner. . . and absolutely appalled that part of her secretly
enjoyed it. She shuffled towards the door in a daze and put her hand on the
knob.

Draco moved swiftly towards Astoria, extended his arm from
behind her, and put his hand on the door, trapping her in place. �You want to
see the next one, don�t you?� he asked in an enticing whisper as he stood
centimeters behind her.

She could not bring herself to meet his cruel eyes again.
Astoria spat, �You�re a sick, perverted maniac, Malfoy.�

With his hand still on the door, he leaned forward to drawl
conceitedly in her ear, �You know you love it, Greengrass.� She closed her
eyes tightly and trembled as she fought the desperate urges welling up inside
her. Anger and arousal played tug-of-war in Astoria�s mind as the close
proximity of Draco�s lips to her face made her want to bruise them with her
fists as well as with her kiss.

�Let her go, Malfoy,� said Theodore with a sad, dejected
voice.

Draco lifted his hand off the door and gave a low, grumbling
laugh, �You�ll be back.�

Astoria left the room and shut the door quickly behind her.
She let her grasp linger on the doorknob as she listened to the melee that
ensued upon her exit. There was muffled shouting, mostly Theodore, and
probably a physical altercation along with some hexes exchanged. Let the boys
fight. Let them kill each other. She didn�t care anymore.
Needless to say, things were not the same after that day.
Astoria and Theodore, of course, broke up without even having to exchange
words. She wondered if he ever really loved her – maybe he did a long
time ago, but Draco changed everything. If Theodore truly did care for her, he
would have done everything in his power to protect her and would have severed
his ties with Draco the moment he realized he had been abusing her. Why didn�t
Theodore just break up with her a long time ago? Why bother pretending and
lying for Merlin knows how long, perhaps years? There was never any question that she loved Theodore, and probably
would continue to do so for a while despite everything. But she could not be
with him if she couldn�t trust him and if he didn�t feel the same way about
her. He didn�t even try to make amends with her – this made her feel
utterly foolish. She felt stupid for believing that he wanted to spend the
rest of his life with her.
Astoria just wanted to erase him from her memory – it
was ironic, considering what caused their rift.

The only solution was to exile herself from the Slytherin
royal court. Interestingly, the royal court changed very little otherwise and
it hurt her to know she wasn�t missed. Pansy, as to be expected, stayed with
Draco, forever loyal and willing to take all of his shit just to remain his
girlfriend. For a few days, Theodore moped ostentatiously away from the group
in plain view of all the female vultures ready to descend upon Astoria�s
discarded boyfriend. Soon, he returned to his position as official Malfoy
worshiper. And the Slytherin royal court carried on as if nothing happened, as
though she had always been a useless appendage – completely expendable
and easily replaced. She was just waiting for the next girl to fall into her
position.
On Astoria�s part, days of brooding and being anti-social
turned to weeks. Astoria plunged into her studies like a dedicated Ravenclaw,
spending as much time in the library as she could, partially to avoid being in
the Slytherin dormitories. Since she cut herself off from all her friends,
there was never anybody to walk with (well, nobody she wanted to walk with), as Professor Snape had suggested.
But she never feared walking around the school alone at night. The mystery was
solved. She doubted Malfoy would bother accosting her again. But a secret
part of her, lurking in the very darkest depths of her mind, longed for an
unexpected encounter in a deserted corridor. Because as much as Astoria
loathed him, and as disgusted as she was with what he had done to her, nobody
ever aroused such animalistic desires in her like Draco did. Though she went
out of her way not to see him, it
was unavoidable – they lived under the same roof, after all. But in
trying so hard to avoid him, she was inadvertently seeking him out, because how
can one avert their eyes if they are not aware of what they are looking at?
This was her logic. Though if one really studied Astoria�s behavior lately,
they�d see that she was becoming obsessed with Draco. Everywhere she went she
kept an eye out for that blond head in the crowd just to make sure he wasn�t
paying attention to her. And of course, he wasn�t. Who the hell was she to
him but a toy he�d quickly became bored of? So on the rare occasions when he
looked up and met her silver-blue glare with his own scorching glance, it
elicited a surge of heat within. Astoria told herself that what she burned
with was rage, but in reality it was an all-consuming flame of desire; a
yearning that plagued her like a persistent ailment. It made her sick with
want and with the guilt and humiliation that these cravings imposed.
Several times she awoke in her bed, panting and sweaty in
the quiet, predawn stillness, roused by her own tortuous dreams; dreams of him. In these nocturnal encounters, he�d do nothing but
stare at her with those penetrating grey eyes the way he did in the Quidditch
changing room. Though he was unbearably close to her, so close that his hot
breath on her skin made her shiver, he wouldn�t touch her. And even though she
was not bound by physical restraints, she couldn�t touch him. She would reach
out, aching to make contact, but he�d withdraw with an amused smirk, just
barely out of her grasp. Astoria would wake up from these dreams so aroused
and frustrated that it was painfully necessary to pleasure herself in order to
relieve the tension. Each time she climaxed just by visualizing Draco�s eyes
ravaging her, and each time she wept out of shame. Because it was terribly
wrong to want somebody so forbidden. Not to mention how disturbing it was that
she actually wanted somebody who took her hostage to do sexually deviant things
in her presence; somebody who broke up a relationship for sport; somebody with
whom Theodore had cheated on her for years. That was the proverbial nail in
the coffin. It killed her to know that she didn�t want to reconcile with her
boyfriend, rather she wanted his �mistress.�
Astoria pondered, on a daily basis, the motivations behind
Draco�s actions. Why would he have his way with her and then erase her memory
only to reveal the truth later? He did the same peculiar thing to Theodore.
And why would Draco keep doing it to Theodore even after his victim was aware
of his twisted technique of initiating a sexual encounter? It was apparent that
Theodore was a willing participant, so there was no need for pretenses –
a lewd, whispered solicitation would have sufficed. The explanation lay in
some strange fetish that Astoria couldn�t even begin to name or understand.
Draco could have easily kept Astoria and Theodore blissfully
unaware of anything that had transpired, leaving their Slytherin circle in
tact. Obviously he wanted to create an irreparable rift between Astoria and
his closest devotees and to utterly destroy her relationship with Theodore.
But there were easier ways to achieve the same ends. Why would he go out of
his way unless Malfoy harbored such an intense, cruel, hatred for Astoria?
That explanation was too simple and left out one glaring
fact: In that one unlocked memory, Draco looked at Astoria ravenously like she
was utterly delectable. There was unmistakable desire glowing in his pale
eyes. How can you hate something you want so badly? And the reverse question,
posed to herself, was: how can you want something that you hate so much?
The mystery of what actually transpired the other two times
Draco held her captive was also distressing and played on her curiosity. Had
he ever touched her? Did he inflict those wounds around her wrists and ankles,
or were they from her own fervent struggle against her bindings? She was so
angry with herself for not taking her stolen memories before storming out of
Theodore and Draco�s room. They were rightfully hers. Asking for them was out
of the question. Stealing them back was her only option, and it seemed
ridiculously easy. It would have to be a weekend, when the rules of the
dormitories were unofficially relaxed. She�d have to wait around in the common
room until the boys congregated around their usual spot before making the
attempt. Then she�d simply enter the vacated dorm room and take what she was
after – she knew exactly where Draco kept the box and the pensieve. She
considered taking the pensieve too, but it would be harder to inconspicuously
carry it back to her own room.
It was Saturday night. Astoria returned early from dinner
and sat waiting in the common room at the far end, opposite the black leather
couch and the fireplace. Milicent and Vincent strolled in, arm-in-arm, making
eyes at each other. They didn�t bother to stop in the common room and went
straight for the girls� dormitories. Then the rest of them arrived: Draco
sauntered in like he owned the place, closely followed by Pansy, Theodore,
Gregory, and Blaise, all merry and carefree. She watched them settle into
their positions. Draco sat first on the sofa. Then Pansy sprawled out
lengthwise with her legs extended over the cushions, propped her head up on her
boyfriend�s lap, and flipped open a copy of Witch Weekly. There was a small
space between Draco and the armrest, just wide enough for Theodore to squeeze
into. Draco protested teasingly by elbowing Theodore in the gut. Theodore
followed suit by smacking Draco on the back of the head, setting off a full-on
play-fight. Gregory sat on the floor and devoured the rest of his chocolate
cupcake, then wiped his hands on the white rug upon which he was sitting (the
house elves would clean it later). Blaise, elegant as ever, leaned on the
armrest beside Theodore, posed like an advertisement for designer robes. As
she watched them, Astoria realized that she dearly missed her friends and
wished they missed her too. After a few minutes, their evening revelry was in
full swing. Gregory was chatting up a precocious fourth-year girl who seemed
so delighted that a seventh-year boy was actually talking to her. Blaise�s
flavor-of-the-month, an inhumanly gorgeous Ravenclaw boy Astoria vaguely knew,
came by to collect his lover for the evening. Draco and Theodore were still
play fighting, and Pansy had grown bored of them, retreating to a gaggle of
girls in another part of the room to gossip. It was time.
Astoria casually walked over to the entrance of the boys�
dormitories and went in, never raising the attention of anybody in the common
room. Once inside the dark, deserted seventh-year boys� room, she moved
quickly, kneeling on the floor at the side of Draco�s bed as she groped beneath
it for the box. She slid it out and began rifling through it by wand light,
searching for the vials labeled with her name. It was startling how many vials
had Theodore�s name. She found the
three vials containing her memories and placed them in an inside pocket of her
robes. Her curiosity got the best of her. She continued sifting through the
box, quickly scanning the labels, wondering if there were any other names. It
gave her some sort of comfort, though she didn�t know why, that she only found
Theodore�s name written in red ink on the white ribbons tied delicately around
the glass vials. She started paying attention to the dates on the labels and
found one that really struck her – it was from Theodore�s fourth year,
before he started seeing her – he was fourteen. Astoria hesitated only a
moment before slipping the vial into her pocket. Then a sound from just
outside the door made her jump out of her skin. It was Theodore�s unmistakable
haughty, booming laughter, intermingled with Draco�s condescending chortle.
She pushed the case under the bed and dove under with it, wedging herself
face-down beneath the low box spring and the floor in what little space
remained amongst old books and a large wooden bin. The door creaked open, the
gas lamps burst on, and the muffled laughter entered the room at full volume.
�Ouch! You�re such a fucking twat, Malfoy!� Theodore
chuckled. Draco giggled. There was a scuffle amongst more playful laughter.
�Fucking, hell, Draco! That was uncalled for!� he said, not sounding offended
in the least.
�Pussy,� Draco provoked lightheartedly.
�Cock sucker,� Theodore returned in the same joking manner.
�Can I?� Draco asked, still playfully but with a mischievous
inflection.
�Fuck you, Malfoy,� Theodore laughed.
�Promise?� Draco asked, this time it sounded like a come-on.
�Malfoy,� Theodore giggled.
Draco wasn�t laughing anymore. �Come here,� he said softly.
Astoria saw Theodore�s impeccably polished shoes move slowly
towards Draco�s equally shiny ones. They were both standing very close to the
bed, and too close to each other for Astoria�s comfort. She heard the soft
smacking sounds of lips meeting lips and the escalation of their breathing to a
passionate pant. She held her own breath and bit her bottom lip fighting the
sob that was growing in her throat. Astoria didn�t understand why it hurt so
much to hear Theodore and Draco kissing. The box spring pushed on her back,
forcing out the breath she was holding, as the two boys fell onto the bed.
�Lock the door,� Theodore whispered. Draco uttered locking
and security charms.
Astoria listened to the rustle of sheets and clothing and
the sickeningly wet sound of deep, hungry snogging. Sweaters and ties were
cast down to the floor, soon followed by oxford shirts and then, oh god no, trousers and skivvies.
�Are you really going to let me fuck you this time?�
Theodore asked hopefully. Astoria�s stomach lurched, as if she were punched in
the abdomen.
�Of course not. I was only joking,� said Draco with an
offended tinge to his voice. If Astoria could breathe easily in the cramped
space, she would have let out a deep sigh of relief. �You know I�m always on top, Theodore,� he asserted, and Astoria�s
stomach threatened to leap out of her mouth again. �Now be a good boy and get
my cock nice and wet.�
Theodore gave a growling moan, �You�re such a fucking prat.�
�You know you love it, Theodore,� said Malfoy in the same
smoldering, self-confident drawl he had once said the same words to Astoria.
She could picture his piercing stare, flaming with desire, and soon the
discomfort in her stomach was quelled by her own arousal. Now she understood
why it hurt so much. Not because her first true love was with another man, but
because she was insanely jealous of them both. Draco was just inches above
her, lying gloriously naked with his cock in Theodore�s mouth, and she
desperately wanted to trade places with Theo. Theodore was making Draco groan
with pleasure, driving a rusty nail into her heart for each ecstatic sigh and
blissful gasp. It was ridiculous. She shouldn�t feel this way – not
about Malfoy.
There was a shifting of bodies above, making the bed creak and
press against the girl beneath. Astoria knew what was coming and her heart
began to race, pounding so loudly in her ears she could have sworn the boys
could hear it through the mattress. This time Theodore was moaning. Draco
asked provocatively, almost reprimanding him, �You like the way my cock feels
against your tight arse, don�t you?� Theodore groaned his approval. Then came
the smacking sound of a palm against bare skin as Draco asked more forcefully,
�Don�t you, slut?�
�Yes,� Theodore sighed. �Oh god, yes.�
�Do you want me inside you?� Draco drawled so seductively
and persuasively Astoria imagined that even a nun wouldn�t turn him down.
�Yes.� Theodore�s answer was more of a shivering exhalation
than a spoken word.
�Tell me.� Draco demanded.
�Yes, I want you,� Theodore answered exasperatedly, clearly
losing patience with the other boy.
There was another slap. �Say it.�
Theodore spoke with that aristocratic assertiveness that
used to drive Astoria wild, rekindling her lust for him so sharply, it was like
striking a match. �Fuck me. Fuck me, Draco,� he said. She was going to lose
it. Between Theodore�s dead sexy dirty mouth and the thought of Malfoy staring
him down with those smoldering eyes of his, she could have had an orgasm right
then and there. Suddenly the notion of them fucking wasn�t so disgusting after
all. The fact that she was so close to them, listening, without them knowing,
raised it to a whole unexplored level of sexiness. And she dare say it was kinky. Merlin�s beard, call the Daily Prophet, Astoria
Greengrass had a kink!
Theodore grunted as the bed lurched. �Ow, fuck, take it
easy,� he hissed. �I�m not wet enough.� She heard the sound of a drawer
opening then several seconds of silence before Theodore was sighing again.
�Better?� Draco didn�t sound that concerned.
�Mmm. Much better,� Theodore hummed.
Draco teased, �You�re such a pussy.�
Theodore scoffed, �I�d like to see you take a cock up your
ass without lube. See how you like it.�
�I bet you would. But it will never happen,� Draco
asserted, �Now say it again.�
Theodore mused with a chuckle. �You and that word. You�re
just like Tori.� Hearing him say her name so casually made Astoria feel a pang
of loss.
�There�s just something about the way you say it. You�re
the only one I know who can make profanity sound so . . . so dignified. I
can�t explain it.� Astoria knew exactly what Draco meant. It was funny that
she wasn�t the only one who found this quirk of Theodore�s so appealing.
�OK then. You have to make me want to say it,� Theodore challenged.
Draco said confidently in a sensual growl, �You know I can.�
There were more wet smacking noises and little moans that
grew to a feverish sound of two animals devouring each other. The bed was
squeaking in long, slow intervals matching Draco�s motions.
�Oh, god, Draco. Fuck me. For Merlin�s sake, FUCK ME.�
Theodore�s cry was just over a whisper but desperate and urgent.
A part of Astoria felt greatly betrayed. She realized that
the whole notion of Theodore wanting to save himself for marriage was a huge
ruse. And in relation to this, she now felt jealous of Draco. She could never elicit such reckless abandon
within Theodore. Maybe it was an excuse. Perhaps he never intended to have
sex with her ever. Forget
Pansy�s claim that Theodore was bisexual! He was completely gay, and being
fucked (brilliantly, by the sound of it) by Draco Malfoy. The realization was
such an epiphany that a chorus of angels would have sang just then. All this
bollocks about not being interested in sex with her, other than blowjobs, was
because he just wasn�t attracted to women. All these years, he could never
admit to anybody, not even to himself, that he was gay and he used Astoria to
try to smite those feelings. It took a sick pervert like Draco Malfoy to get
him to come to terms with it – if indeed he had. Then again, knowing how
stubborn Theodore was, he probably thought he was still just experimenting. It
all made sense now. The way Theodore worshiped Draco, the way he hung onto
every word he said, the way he leaped at every opportunity to get into a
physical altercation with him, and the way he allowed Draco to abuse him - his
feelings went beyond friendship.
Astoria wondered if Draco felt the same way, but something
told her he just didn�t. There was no love behind his carnal grunts, no
emotion except primal hunger. Even his words held no affection. �Tell me how
much you love it.� He said condescendingly. Draco didn�t care how Theodore
felt, he just delighted in the fact that he could make Theodore feel this way.
�I love the way you fuck me, Draco. I love your cock deep
inside me.� On the other hand, Theodore sounded like he would absolutely die
if Draco stopped riding him right now. �Oh, Sweet Merlin, don�t fucking stop.
I�m going to come.�

She was so unbelievably
turned on right now and her hand slid across the floor, down between her legs,
ever so slowly as to not make any noise.

�What are you doing? Did I
say you could touch yourself?� Draco reprimanded. Astoria jumped, even though
she knew he couldn�t possibly be talking to her.

�Fuck, Draco. I can�t help
it. You feel so good inside me,� Theodore sighed.

Smack!

�Ow! Fucking hell, Malfoy!
�

�You do NOT touch yourself
unless I say so.� Draco�s voice was cool, steady, and commanding without
sounding bratty. �You do not touch me
unless I say so. You do not come until I give you explicit permission to do
so.�

�Shit. Are we playing this
game again? Why can�t we just fuck?� Theodore complained.

�Game? You think this is a game, Theodore?� Draco gave a low, condescending chuckle
and then spoke with a confident, slow drawl, �You are nothing without me. Nobody can ever make you feel the way I
can make you feel, or do the things I can make you do, or come as hard as I
make you come. And you know it. So you�ll do as I say.� Astoria knew his
eyes must have been burning silver right now.

�Why do you always have to
get so fucking serious?� Theodore griped, and Astoria could imagine his eyes
rolling.

�Do I have to tie you up,
you insolent, little bitch?� Draco spat.

�Whatever gets you off,
Malfoy. So long as you fuck me.�

Wet snogging noises ensued,
punctuated by pleasure-filled moans.

�Fetch me the rope. I�m
going to fuck you so hard, slut,� Draco threatened.

The box spring lifted off
Astoria�s back as Theodore slipped down to the floor, went to reach under the
bed, and then froze with horror from what he saw. She stared back at him with
wide eyes, equally immobile.

�Erm, what are you doing
with Astoria under your bed, Malfoy?�

�What?� Draco asked with
only mild surprise. He hopped off the bed and crouched on the floor. When he
saw Astoria under his bed, a self-satisfied grin spread across his pale face.
�My, my. I never pegged you as a voyeuristic perv.� She inched out from
beneath the bed. Theodore immediately began summoning his clothing and dressed
himself, while Draco stood smirking at Astoria with his arms crossed over his
chest, disregarding his nudity entirely. She dusted off her robes and did her
best not to meet Draco�s eyes, but didn�t want to look at his fully erect penis
either, and shifted her gaze about the room nervously. �So Greengrass. Like
to watch, huh?�

�I didn�t see anything,� she said and moved quickly towards the
door.

�Hold on, Greengrass.
Aren�t you going to tell us what you�re doing, hiding in our room?�

�No,� she snorted.

Draco stood between Astoria
and the door. �I think you owe me an explanation. What were you doing under
my bed?�

�Fuck off, Malfoy. I don�t
owe you anything.�

He summoned his wand and
pointed it at her. �Show me what�s in your pocket.�

She reached into the outside
pocket of her robes and said, �Certainly,� then pulled out her wand. Draco and
Astoria stood glaring at each other with wands pointing threateningly, which
looked positively ridiculous, since the boy was stark naked.

�Calm down. Both of you.
Put your wands away,� commanded Theodore as he buttoned his shirt, still trying
to make himself decent.

�Malfoy drew first. I�m not
putting my wand down until he does,� Astoria said, still scowling at the boy.

�Fine. I know what�s in
your pocket anyway,� said Draco haughtily. �Took you long enough to come back
for them, though. I expected you to be crawling back for more, weeks ago.�

�They�re my memories. You
have no right keeping them,� said Astoria.

�Of course. Be my guest,�
he drawled. �I know how much you love
to watch.�

�Fuck you,� she spat and
pushed Draco aside as she headed for the door again.

�Astoria, wait,� called
Theodore just as she reached the door. She stopped. He spoke softly to her,
�I know what this looked like, or sounded like, or whatever. But it isn�t what
you think.�

Astoria scoffed, �What is it
then, if it isn�t what I think it is? You�re sleeping with Malfoy.�

�Please don�t tell anybody,�
he sighed gloomily.

�Why should I keep your
dirty secrets? You lied to me. You said you were saving yourself for me.
Bollocks. I bet you and Malfoy have been fucking behind my back for years.�

�Tori, it�s complicated,�
Theodore said gravely.

�Well, I think I deserve an
explanation.�

Theodore exhaled slowly as
his dark eyes fell upon hers, full of regret. �You�re right. I�m sorry.�

�This should be
interesting,� Draco said, hopping onto the bed and laying back against the
headboard.

Theodore turned his head and
spoke civilly, �No, I think Tori and I need to be alone. Could you please?�

Draco gave an offended
snort, �Fine,� then put on a bathrobe that was hanging from the bedpost.

Astoria sat down on top of
Theodore�s desk and pulled two cigarettes from her pocket while he took a seat
at the chair in front of her. Before leaving, Draco leaned down over Theodore
and spoke sensually into his neck. �Don�t take too long, Theodore. I still need to fuck you.� He
smirked up at Astoria, who bristled visibly.

�Malfoy, get out,� Theodore
said in annoyance, shirking away from Draco, who was unaffected.

Astoria lit the cigarettes
with her wand as Draco strutted out the room. She handed one to Theodore, who
flicked his wand to open the windows, letting in a cold breeze. The smoke and
the crisp winter air soothed her. She leaned back on the desk, resting on one
hand, and crossed her legs. �Thanks, Tori. I needed a fag like you wouldn�t believe.�
Theodore lounged back in his chair with his shoes resting on the desktop beside
her, letting out a long stream of smoke. He looked so at ease and elegant
holding the fag gracefully between his slender fingers. For a fleeting moment,
it was like things were back to the way they were.

�So . . .� said Astoria,
then puffed on the cigarette.

�So . . .� reiterated
Theodore.

�He�s not stealing your
memories anymore, I take it.�

�No. Not since, well, he
last did it to you,� he said with a sympathetic drop in his tone of voice, �and
that time was a long after the time before.�

�Pansy. Does she know?�
Astoria asked.

�She knows enough.�

�Meaning?�

�She knows Draco has it off
with boys from time to time. You know as well as I do that they have an open
relationship.�

�But does she know that he�s
having it off with you?�

�She must.�

�But you never explicitly
told her?�

�Why talk about it if it
will just make things awkward, you know? I think Pans understands that. She
doesn�t ask about things she doesn�t really want to know about.� He took
another drag off the cigarette and blew it out as if dismissing a thought.
�Besides, it doesn�t really matter. It isn�t serious. It�s not like we do it
that often.�

Astoria sighed and sat
silently smoking for a while. There was so much she wanted to know and so much
she wanted to express. It was overwhelming, and she didn�t want it all to come
out in a fit of tears. But it was hard hearing the truth and even harder not
to let her anger get the best of her. She fished around her pocket for a
certain vial and took it out, fingering it thoughtfully. �You really don�t
know, do you?� she said softly.

�What do you mean?�

�Have you any idea how long
Draco had been kidnapping you and stealing your memories? Or how often he�d
done it?�

�I don�t know, I can�t
really remember,� he said, shying away from the truth with a shrug of his
shoulders.

His cool aloofness broke
Astoria�s calm. �Come off it, Theo. You share a room with him. You know
exactly where he keeps the memories. Don�t tell me you�ve never looked.�

�Honestly, I haven�t,� he
said evenly.

She jumped off the desk,
flicked the cigarette out the open window, and took the box from beneath
Draco�s bed. �This entire box is filled with your memories.� She lifted the lid towards Theodore and
the vials glimmered in the flickering lamplight. �There are dozens, Theodore.
The earliest I�ve found is from fourth year.�

He took his feet off the
desk and shrank back slightly. He stubbed his fag out on the floor and then
whisked away the debris with his wand. �Well, its irrelevant now,� he said
dismissively, if not a little defensively.

�Irrelevant?� Astoria shrieked indignantly. �Fucking hell,
Theodore. You must be in love with the prat to over-look something so
blatantly wrong.� She unceremoniously plopped the box on the desk and got up
in the boy�s face, which remained stone-like, save for a slight nervous twitch
of his lip. She annunciated each sentence as if it were a stab in the gut.
�Malfoy had been sexually
molesting you since you were fourteen. At least. And even when it became
reciprocal, he kept abducting you. Because he�s a sick, perverted
mother-fucker.�

Theodore pouted silently and
crossed his arms over his chest, furrowing his brow with a look of resentment
in his dark, sparkling eyes. With her face so close to his, she couldn�t help
but feel a tug of affection – she�d always found him incredibly sexy when
he was angry. He averted his eyes crossly when her silver-blue ones met his.
Of course, Theodore knew. Maybe he tried to deny it to himself however he
could. But from the way he was acting, Astoria was certain that the truth was
always buried deep within him, suppressed and locked away. That affectionate
tug turned to a painful yank on her heartstrings.

Astoria backed off but
continued her onslaught through the immense upwelling of hurt she felt. �Tell
me this, Theo. When I told you I was losing time, you knew why. Maybe he
never told you directly, but you knew Malfoy was doing to me what he had done
to you so many times before. Why didn�t you explain it to me? Why didn�t you
try to stop him? He did it three times, Theo. Three times!� She remembered the night Theodore snuggled up in
bed with her and vowed not to let anything hurt her – the lie stung her
as tears began to streak her distressed face.

Theodore�s angry countenance
softened as soon as she put on the water-works. He never could stand to see
her crying. He stood up and put his arms around her. This time, she didn�t
force him away. She sobbed into his chest heartily, realizing she needed to
cry like this – she�d been holding it in for weeks – and she needed
him to hold her. �I�m sorry, Astoria.�

�Just tell me why,� she
sniffed. But as the tears flowed, so did her comprehension of the situation,
pouring into the cracks of the story and filling in the giant gaps. She knew
the answer. Theodore was completely in love with Draco.

�I don�t know, Tori. I just
don�t know. I was stupid.� Theodore was never going to admit what his
motivations were.

Astoria realized the
question she really wanted him to answer
was not the one she had asked. She cried for a good long minute, finding
comfort in his lanky arms encircling her and in his familiar smell. Then she
pulled away. He took her face in his hands and wiped the tears with his thumb.
�Forgive me. I swear I never wanted to hurt you.� He placed a kiss on her
forehead and then let his cheek rest on top of her hair. She could feel the
moisture from his tears on her head.

�Did you ever truly love me,
Theodore?� she asked, still crying.

�What do you mean, did I?� he asked, sounding like he was affronted.

Astoria backed away entirely
and wiped her face on her sleeve. �Stop deluding yourself, Theo. You can�t possibly tell me that you still love me.�

Theodore took her hand and
looked down at her with sincerity in his eyes. �Astoria, we�ve been through so
much together. It�s you who have always been there for me. Not anyone else.
I will always love you.� Astoria cupped his beautiful face with her hands and
saw that he was really was crying. It wasn�t unsettling for her at all to
watch a pillar of Slytherin stability fall to pieces. It was comforting to
know that this affected him as much as it did her. �You were there for me when
mum was killed. Not Malfoy. Not even Pansy. And you were there for me
through dad�s trial, when everyone else backed off. It�s your love that got me
through those dark times. Nothing can change that. But,� Astoria knew there
had to be a catch, �but the thing is . . .� he searched uselessly for words.

�But you�re not in love with me anymore,� Astoria said, surprising
herself with her own wisdom and clarity of mind.

�Erm . . . yeah,� Theodore
admitted meekly. Then astonished her with what he said next. �But I want to
make it work with you. I really do. I think if we just hash out a few things
we can be great again.�

If Astoria was the same
person she�d been just weeks earlier, she�d have jumped on Theodore�s offer
immediately. But she wasn�t as na�ve and delusional as she was before. And
she understood that she wasn�t in love
with Theodore either. �I don�t know, Theodore. I think we were both in love
with an idea more than we were in love with each other. You know, the whole
get married, create pureblood heirs, please our ancestors, live decadently off
our inheritance idea?�

�You may be right. But is
the idea such a horrible one? I mean, how many purebloods of our stature
really marry for love nowadays anyway? And what�s wrong with marrying your
best friend?� As Theodore rationalized with Astoria they slowly started
leaning forward into an embrace. Finally, they had broken through the bullshit
and were coming to an understanding.

But it still seemed like a fairytale
that she didn�t much want. Not with Theodore anyway. She deserved more and
she knew it. She wanted to be with somebody who truly wanted her, somebody who
truly desired her, somebody like . . .

She pushed that tangent
thought out of her head immediately. It was utterly preposterous.

�How about we just stay
friends and see what happens from there? Keep our options open,� Astoria
suggested. �I mean there are other
girls out there.�

Theodore raised a nervous
eyebrow and cleared his throat. �Girls. Yeah. Erm, about that.� He wrung his hands together searching for words,
or courage, or both.

Astoria coaxed, �I can
accept it so long as you can finally admit it to yourself.�

He exhaled deeply. �OK.�

�Well, say it then.�

�What do you want me to
say?� he asked hesitantly.

�I�m not going to say it for
you. You need to say it.�

Theodore sat back down,
slumping hard into the chair. �I need a smoke first.�

�Fine.� Astoria always
seemed to be the official cigarette dispenser. She lit a couple of fags for
them both and they lounged on Theodore�s bed, resting their backs on the
headboard. Theodore had his arm around her and she snuggled into him. It hurt
slightly to be physically close to him again, since she knew he didn�t love her
romantically. Astoria realized that she�d missed him terribly.

�So. Let�s talk about
Malfoy,� she said.

Theodore closed his eyes and
sighed, still weary of tackling such a heavy subject. �Malfoy.�

�Do you care for him?� her
line of questioning was now calm, having already expelled the tears and the
pain that had built up over weeks.

�Next to you, he�s my best
mate. Of course I care for him.� Theodore idly smoothed Astoria�s straw-blond
hair.

She rolled her eyes and
clicked her tongue in her mouth. �No, Theodore. Do you care for him?�

He paused to take a drag,
blew it out pensively, and then admitted tentatively, �I think so.�

�I know so. So say it,� she instructed, �Repeat after me. I
am,�

�Oh, god, Astoria. Are we
really going to do this?� he sighed haughtily.

�Yes. It will be good for
us. Now, repeat after me. I am,�

�I am,� he said stiffly,
just humoring her.

�Homosexual,� Astoria said
clinically.

Theodore flicked his black
fringe out of his face and said indignantly, �Seriously, Astoria.�

Astoria kept going, even
though he wasn�t repeating her. �And I am . . . come on now, Theo, say it with
me.�

�You�re mad,� he scoffed
with a little smile creasing his pouty lips.

�In love with,�

�This is preposterous. I
won�t do this with you,� he laughed nervously.

�Draco Malfoy.�

He swallowed hard and cursed
as the slight smile grew to a full-on grin. �Fuck.�

�Say it,� she taunted in a
sing song voice.

He carded his hand through
his dark hair as an apprehensive gesture then shook his head. �I can�t.�

�Why not? It�s true. It�s
the reason why you let him get between us.�

�Are you sore about it?� he
asked guiltily.

�Not if you stop lying to me
and to yourself and fucking admit it already. Say it. I am in love with Draco
Malfoy.�

Just as she said the words,
the door swung open and Draco strut in with wet hair, apparently having just
come out of the bath. �Is that a fact, Greengrass?� he drawled scandalously as
he sauntered into the room. Astoria was mortified. She buried her face into Theodore�s
shoulder and groaned, hoping he would explain it away to Malfoy. �Then why the
hell are you snuggled up to that poofter?�

Astoria now understood why
Theodore could never and would never
admit to loving Malfoy. Draco was an unabashed asshole. He didn�t love
anybody but himself, and he would rake Theodore over the coals if he ever admit
something like that to his face. She didn�t quite understand how he could love
somebody so demeaning and abrasive.

�She was being facetious,�
Theodore said.

�Hmm. I see,� Draco said,
distant and bored as he sat on his bed and began to towel-dry his hair.

Astoria looked on at the
peculiar sight and just had to ask. �Why is he drying his hair like that?�

�Because he claims
quick-drying spells make his hair brittle.� Theodore shot a taunting look over
to the other boy. �And you call me a
poofter?�

�Oh, shut it, Theodore. You
spend more time on your hair than I do.� Draco stood up, tossed the towel
towards the other boy, and then let his robe fall to his ankles. His nakedness
startled Astoria just as much as it had an hour ago. He was thin and tall like
Theodore, but his subtle musculature was toned. His pale skin stood out
starkly against the dark green drapes and bedspreads in the room. He held his
shoulders back confidently, comfortable in his own skin.

�Do you mind, Malfoy?
There�s a lady in the room,� said Theodore sharply, but with a crack in his
deep voice, clearly just as flustered by Draco�s naked body as Astoria was.

Draco summoned black satin
pyjamas out of his wardrobe. �Are you two back together or something?� he
asked bitterly. �God, I leave you alone in the room for a second and the
scavengers descend,� he added with a nasty glare in Astoria�s direction as he
pulled on his pyjama bottoms.

�Not exactly. We�re, erm,
working through things. I guess,� answered Theodore, looking to Astoria for
confirmation.

�I suppose you could call it
that,� she said to Theodore, stubbing her cigarette out in the ashtray and
getting up to leave.

Draco sat at the foot of
Theodore�s bed, shirtless and casual. �Well then, if you�re not going to have
make-up sex with Greengrass, I think I�d like to continue where we left off,
Theodore.� He gave Theo a lascivious grin and then looked to Astoria, raising a
pale eyebrow. �She can stay if she wants. I know how much she likes to
watch.�

Astoria would not be a third
wheel. She glared at Draco angrily as she snuffed-out her cigarette in the
ashtray and started for the door. He followed her stare as he placed a
domineering hand on his conquest�s shoulder and sneered triumphantly. Once in
the corridor, she felt incredibly alone. And knowing what would ensue after
her departure from the boys� room, she felt terribly jealous again.

Astoria returned to the common
room with her homework and took a seat in a vacant reading nook within the
mahogany paneled wall. It was much too noisy to do any work, it being the
weekend, but it didn�t matter that she couldn�t completely concentrate on her
Potions essay, so long as it took her mind off of everything else. Pansy was
still chattering away with a gaggle of girls across the room, fawning over
pictures of celebrity quidditch players in a magazine. She missed her and
their mindless girl-babble. She missed their frank conversations and inside
jokes. Astoria desperately missed her best friend. Even if she and Theodore
were working through things, she knew she still couldn�t make amends with
Pansy. It would mean facing things Astoria wasn�t prepared to face; things Pansy
probably wasn�t ready to face either. She sighed sadly and poured into her
work, managing to tone out the buzz around her.

It had been two whole hours
when Astoria looked up from her completed essay. The common room was beginning
to clear – probably a party somewhere. Pansy and the girls were gone.
She stood up and stretched, then began to work the knot out of her tight neck
muscles with her hand.

�Allow me,� came an
unexpected voice from behind her, followed by a warm, firm grasp on the back of
her neck, kneading away the knot. It was Draco. She didn�t particularly want
to allow him such casual access to her body, but it did feel good. �Did you
watch the memories yet?� he asked softly.

�No. I�d rather not,� she
spat.

He saw through her lie and
said, chuckling, �If you really didn�t want to see them, you would have
destroyed them.�

�I ought to turn them over
to the Headmaster,� she threatened.

He continued massaging her
neck, his grip loosening and becoming more of a caress. �Greengrass, I knew you
were a voyeur. I had no idea you were an exhibitionist too. Do you really
fancy letting Professor Snape see you like that.�

Of course, Astoria had no
idea what �like that� meant, but she could hazard a guess and the thought of it
was utterly humiliating. She swatted his hand away and turned around to face
him. �Where�s Theodore?�

�I left him tied to the
bedpost . . . after I fucked him senseless. I would have untied him, but he
passed out,� he drawled in a sensuous tone, with a self-satisfied smirk.
Astoria turned to pick up her books and parchment from the bench, dropping half
of her things in the process as Draco continued to recount his interlude with
Theodore in a hushed, lusty voice, �I made him come so hard. Twice. The
second time, he came in my mouth.� She was crouched on the floor, scrambling
to charm away the mess of a spilt inkbottle, pretending not to hear or see the
boy taunting her so closely. Draco joined her on the ground, whispering in her
ear, �He told me you never swallow. It�s a shame really. Theodore tastes so
fucking good. And his come is so saturated with magic, it makes me feel all
warm inside.� Astoria bit her bottom lip and shuddered – Draco�s voice
was so reflective of the provocative words he spoke that she knew what he said
was true. Her face was flushed with envy and arousal.

�Stop. Just, stop it,
Malfoy,� she growled, giving up and throwing her armful of parchment and books
on the floor. She gave him a seething glare as she said, �You won. He�s yours.
You don�t have to fucking rub it in like that.�

�What?� he asked feigning
innocence, �I just thought you�d like to know.�

That was it. The
smug-bastard-prick-son-of-a-bitch-asshole had riled her up to her breaking
point. She decked him in the face with her fist clenched around the inkbottle.
Her knuckles felt like they�d shattered between the glass and Draco�s jaw on
impact and she immediately regretted her impulse of violence. She should have
just transfigured him into a ferret – less painful for her.

He rubbed his chin and
laughed. �You hit just like him too. But you know, it�s bad form to hit a
fellow Slytherin in the face, especially one with such an appealing face.� The
smug grin never left his countenance.

�Fuck you, Malfoy,� she
hissed and turned to storm away.

He grabbed her by the arm.
She tugged at it to break free, but his grip was surprisingly strong. He spoke
with bitterness and spite this time. �One more thing you should know,
Greengrass. Especially since you�re trying to reconcile your farce of a
friendship. He wasn�t a virgin when I fucked him the first time. And he
didn�t lose his virginity to another bloke. It was Pansy. We had a three-way
last year.�

Astoria could have punched
him again for that. But she didn�t want to give him that satisfaction. She
yanked her arm out of his grasp and walked away, never looking back to reveal
the look of utter heartbreak on her face.
- 4
- 5
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To Steal Time

Disclaimer: I don�t own the characters. Jo Rowling does. I just playwith them.

Disclaimer: I don�t own the characters. Jo Rowling does. I just play
with them.