It was a completely dreadful day.

Rain was diligently pouring down from dark, menacing storm clouds; they covered the sky to the furthest extent, forming a smothering, crushing blanket of absolute dreariness. At any rate, they had thoroughly quenched the prospect of the happy, carefree afternoon that Draco Malfoy had longed for. He raised his umbrella slightly, doing his best to keep the raindrops from splashing onto his haggard face. A small sigh escaped his lips. He would rather be anywhere but here. Anywhere but this stupid graveyard. Pansy was clutching his arm in a in a viselike grasp, sobbing uncontrollably into an embroidered handkerchief that was very rapidly becoming soaked by means of her unceasing tears and the relentless rain. From time to time, Draco would pat her on the back awkwardly, quite unsure of how to go about consoling his weeping girlfriend.

Daphne Greengrass had been a fellow Slytherin, true, but he had never really been close to her. Neither had Pansy, for that matter, but she was taking the loss as if it was her own mother that had perished. Thus, Draco, much to his dismay, had been dragged along to the funeral.

"We have all gathered today to observe the death of my sister, Daphne Greengrass," a quiet voice spoke suddenly, magnified by magic.

Draco looked around the small crowd for the speaker, whom which he found in a tiny, demure little girl. She looked barely older than fifteen, but her brilliant blue eyes shone with a wisdom and sadness that far outmatched her age. Without really knowing why, Draco felt an unfamiliar stab of pity sear through his chest. She looked so small and helpless. The loss of her sister must have truly upset her. What was her name again? Ashley, Amber, maybe Arianna...?

The girl continued. "My name is Astoria Greengrass, and I would like to share a few things about my sister."

Ah, yes. Astoria. Nice name. Had a bit of a ring to it.

The crowd thinned out and made room for her to come to the front, which she did carefully, stepping around the quickly gathering puddles with a gentle sort of grace. She reached a spot where everyone could see her, and then she bowed her head slowly, as if praying.

"There are no words," she began her speech suddenly. "There are no words to describe my pain, and there are no words to describe Daphne. I will try and do justice to her remarkable character, strength, beauty, love, and passion for life, because my sister ultimately enjoyed life. She thrived on life. The littlest things brought her such great joy."

At this point she smiled, seeming to remember something. "When Daphne was happy, which was usually the case, her smile and laugh would light up the world. She had the unique ability to make everyone around her more loving, more caring, more patient, and more controlled. Her fierce thirst for life made me want to live each day with an optimistic attitude and embrace everything with an open, ready heart."

She took a shaky breath, and gestured to Daphne's tombstone. "Her beautiful young life ended much too soon, whether it was by a bad twist of luck or by predetermined destiny. She was taking a walk in a suburban Muggle neighborhood, enjoying the day, when suddenly, a car drove by. She was shot in the chest, and she died almost instantaneously. I have no idea why that Muggle choose to shoot my sister of all people, and I have no idea why he was meant to shoot someone in the first place. But what I do know is that tragic event was the end of my sister's story and the beginning of a horrible new chapter in mine. When Daphne died, I felt like a part of me had died, too. She had been my role model for all of my life; I had always adored her and looked up to her. The first few days after she was gone, I felt so lost. I didn't know what to do without her there, guiding me."

At this statement, Pansy, if possible, bawled harder.

"But life goes on," Astoria continued, staring off into the distance, a faraway look on her face, ignoring Pansy's renewed stream of sobs. "Even when it seems impossible, life goes on. I find myself missing Daphne less and less, and wanting more and more to keep her spirit alive in my heart, instead of my life, because even if she isn't with me right now, she's still inside of me. And she always will be."

With that, she raised her eyes skyward. "Daphne, I love you more than life itself. Everything you are and everything you have done will help not only me, but also everyone here to get through this time. I cannot say goodbye to you, but I'll see you in my dreams, and whenever I look up, I know you'll be there, smiling down at me and guiding me. I will call your name forever, and you will always answer forever. I love you and miss you so much. So for now, this is farewell. But one day, I promise, I'll join you up there in the sky. One day. And we'll be together again, forever. Goodbye, Daphne. I love you."

She lowered her eyes and said, "Thank you, everyone. That's all I have to say."

The small crowd scattered quickly, and soon, Draco and Pansy were the only ones left.

Pansy, overcome by apparent grief and heartbreak, managed to release her hold on Draco's arm: upon doing so, she flung herself at Astoria and wrapped her in a tight, bone-crushing hug that Draco knew to be a death-grip. "I'm so sorry," she whispered mournfully, the tears in her eyes threatening to spill over once more. "I had no idea about how close you two were. I can't believe this happened. I'm so, so, extremely sorry for your loss. Is there anything I can do?"

Astoria looking as though she might collapse at any moment from suffocation, Draco rushed forward.

"Here, Pansy, why don't you go inside the pavilion?" he suggested, much to Astoria's immense relief. "It'll be nice and warm; out of the rain."

Pansy looked at him through her tears and released Astoria. "Of course, Draco, darling," she said, hiccupping slightly. "Anything for you. Can I have the umbrella, please? I'll have to walk through the rain, and I don't want my new dress to get wet."

Draco grudgingly handed over the umbrella; without it, he would be drenched, but knowing Pansy's argumentative nature, he consented without a word. She took the umbrella from him and trotted away unsteadily, still crying, though the tears were not as fast and numerous as they had been during the course of Astoria's speech.

"She's very interesting, isn't she?" Astoria asked Draco, looking faintly amused. "Quite emotional."

Draco chuckled. "You hit the nail on the head with that one." Seeing that Astoria was shivering, he immediately cursed himself for being ungentlemanly. "I'm sorry for keeping you out in the rain," he said apologetically. "Care to join me in the pavilion?"

"Yes, thank you," said Astoria, smiling. It was a very nice smile, Draco noted. Full of life and energy, even though she was suffering so much.

"So, how old are you?" he asked inquisitively as they started picking their way through the puddles toward the pavilion.

Astoria laughed sadly; it reminded Draco of the sound of tinkling bells. "I get that question a lot," she explained. "I'm seventeen."

Well that was unexpected. She was only two years younger than him.

"I'm very sorry about your sister," he said sincerely. "Truly I am." The way she had described Daphne had been so poignant and beautiful, he couldn't help but feeling a twinge of remorse that she had died, even though he hadn't known her.

Astoria bit her lip. "Thank you," she said quietly, her voice barely audible. "That means a lot to me. It really does."

The two took a seat on a bench near the outer edges of the pavilion, making sure to stay far away from the depressed Pansy.

"May I ask what your name is?" Astoria asked.

"Draco Malfoy," he introduced himself. "And you're Astoria Greengrass, of course."

"That would be correct. Did you know Daphne very well? Were you two friends?"

"No," Draco admitted reluctantly. "We barely knew each other. Pansy was the only reason I came here."

"Hmm, that explains it." Her brow creased in concentration for a moment before she said, "You were in Slytherin, weren't you? I remember seeing you around."

"Yes. I think you were in Slytherin too…?" He could faintly recollect memories of this pretty, coy girl as she sat in the shadows of the Slytherin Common Room, nose in a book.

"Yes, I was in Slytherin," she sighed, staring down at her hands.

"You don't sound happy about that."

"No, definitely not. I wanted to be in Ravenclaw, but my whole family is Slytherin, so I suppose the Sorting Hat just placed me with my sister. I'm sort of glad it did, because that meant I could spend more time with Daphne. But I think Slytherins are just so jaunty and full of themselves sometimes."

Draco feigned shock. "You're calling me jaunty and full of myself?"

Astoria giggled. "Of course not. You're not like the others; you're different – smart, funny, polite. It's a nice change."

"Well, thank you, Miss Greengrass."

"You're very welcome, Mr. Malfoy."

They looked at each other for a moment, then broke into laughter.

Astoria shook her head wonderingly, a strange light in her eyes. "This is the first time I've felt happy since Daphne's death. You can't imagine how nice it feels to laugh again."

Draco scrutinized her. The poor thing had been truly broken when her sister had died; traces of the sadness still remained in her face, even though she was doing a wonderful job of putting on a bright, cheerful mask for the world.

"How are your parents dealing with this?" he asked suddenly, wanting to turn the conversation around. "Are they coping as well as you are?"

Astoria gasped; tears readily sprung into her eyes. "You don't know, do you?" she asked in a strained voice.

"Don't know what?" Draco asked, bewildered, wondering what in the world Astoria could possibly be talking about.

"Oh, Draco, you really don't know," she said miserably, shaking her head in dismay. "My parents died in a fire last year. They're not alive anymore."

Draco looked stricken. "Merlin, Astoria, I'm so sorry! God, you've been through so much! I had no idea, I sorry, I mean it – "

Astoria placed a finger over his lips; he was silenced instantly.

"You didn't know, it's okay," she said dully, wiping her eyes. "It's not your fault."

"Astoria, I'm sorry – "

"Don't blame yourself, Draco. I'm fine. Perfectly fine. See?" She smiled wearily, trying to reassure him that she was alright. But Draco knew better. He could see right through her facade.

He took her hands in his gently; she gasped, but didn't pull away.

"You're not perfectly fine, I know it," he said firmly. "And don't – don't – try to pretend that you are. It will only make things worse."

"I'm not sure what else to do," she murmured helplessly, giving in. "If I don't pretend that everything is okay, my life will fall apart, Draco."

"You don't have to try so hard, you know," he whispered softly. "Sometimes it's better to just accept the inevitable and move on with your life."

"But how can I move on when I've lost everything?" she countered, a hysterical edge to her voice. "First, my parents died. I thought I'd lost everything then, but no, no, fate had to intervene again and take away my sister, the only person I had left in the world!"

Her voice became slightly muffled. "Now I don't have anyone. There's nobody left in the universe who loves me."

Draco put a finger under Astoria's chin and raised her head, so that she was looking straight at him.

"Don't say that," he said quietly. "Please don't say that. That means that you've given up hope. Never give up hope, Astoria. Never. Even when it feels like everything is crashing down on you, don't give up. You'll find a way out."

"There's no way out of this."

"Yes, there is." Draco sighed; he rubbed his forehead. "Three years ago, I felt the same way you're feeling right now – helpless, lost, like I just didn't want to go on anymore. The Dark Lord had given me a job to do, and he threatened that if I didn't do it right, he would kill both me and my family. Of course, I was terrified. Death had always been a menacing, mysterious thing to me. I tried my best to complete the task he had assigned me, but day after day, week after week, I failed. I was growing scared, scared that I might not make it out alive. But everything worked out. Then the Dark Lord died, and well, life went on. I don't know what it's like to lose a family member, but I do know what it's like to lose your faith that happiness exists."

"Do you believe in destiny?" Astoria asked suddenly, dabbing at her eyes.

"Destin – wait, what?"

"Destiny. Do you believe that everything happens for a reason, whether it be good or bad?"

"Well, I dunno, I suppose…"

She stared at him straight in the eye. "Do you? It's a yes or no question."

Draco hesitated. "Yes," he said finally.

"Do you think that there's a reason we met each other today?"

"Well, seeing as you're going off on a spiel about destiny, I'd have to say yes again."

"Please, be serious."

Once again, Draco hesitated. He stared into Astoria's brilliant, beseeching blue eyes, and suddenly, the answer became clear. He didn't know exactly why she had come into his life at this moment, and he didn't know what would happen after this day. But what he did know was that he had met her for a purpose. There was no other explanation.

"I do believe we met for a reason," he said at last. "I really do."

Astoria beamed at him; her eyes were sparkling and a faint flush was eminent on her cheeks.

"I'm glad," she whispered. "Because that's what I think, too."

A sudden urge flew through Draco. He leaned in closer, a passionate glint in his eyes; Astoria leaned in as well. Their lips had almost met when –

"Oh, DRACO, darling!" came an unexpected shriek. "I'm getting wet; the umbrella ripped

!"

"Do you think that was destiny, too?" Draco asked Astoria grudgingly as he pulled away.

"Of course it was. Everything is destiny," she said, breaking into laughter.

"If you insist. I'm sorry, but I must see to Pansy now."

"Okay," she said sadly. "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too. But don't worry," he said, grinning. "If destiny wishes it, we'll see each other again."

"I have a very good feeling about that. So…goodbye, Draco."

"Goodbye, Astoria."

He turned around and started walking towards Pansy; the minute he reached her side, she hurled herself at him. "Draco, fix the umbrella," she ordered whiningly. "I'm too wet to do magic right now."

Draco barely suppressed a roll of his eyes, but he took out his wand anyway and tapped it smartly on the tip of the umbrella. Instantly, the hole weaved itself back together. "There, happy now?" he asked Pansy, doing his best to keep the sarcasm from entering his voice.

"Oh, yes. This is much better." She raised the umbrella over her head. "Shall we go home now? It's too wet out here for my taste, and there's no reason for being out in the rain now that the funeral is over."

"Okay then. Let's go home."

But as Draco left the graveyard, he couldn't help but stealing a last glance at the beautiful, sorrowful Astoria. She was still sitting on the bench, legs crossed, staring off into the distance, a dreamy expression residing on her sweet features. He felt the strangest sensation that he should be sitting right there next to her, sharing in her grief, but he brushed the thought away immediately, shaking his head. He was with Pansy now, he shouldn't leave her. It was rather bothersome having to put up with her incessant whining and constant need for adoration, but still, Draco resigned himself to the task.

After all – there was always destiny.

He couldn't give up hope yet.

Thanks for reading my story! I'd really appreciate it if you'd review; reviews really make my day. :)