Disclaimer: In this AU, Draco and Astoria never got married because Astoria and Blaise fell in love during Drastoria's "courtship", so Scorpius doesn't exist in this story. This is set some ten-odd years after the epilogue (so it does follow HP canon besides the aforementioned bit) but doesn't follow Cursed Child canon. Please be aware that characters may seem OOC due to this, but their motives and thought processes make sense (I hope) within the storyline of this fanfic.

All information about the lesser-known pseudo pyramid at Meidum and archaeological digs are from the internet. I have no personal knowledge or experience regarding either.

This is a two-shot (the next chapter will be posted shortly).

Amongst the stars, I found you (you found me)

"Find the place inside where there's joy, and the joy will burn out the pain." - Joseph Campbell

He stood by the far window of the study, peering through a narrow slit between the drapes, watching as Blaise and Astoria had an animated conversation in the garden. Blaise leaned over and said something, which caused Astoria to throw her head back and laugh in such an inelegant manner that Draco couldn't help but scoff at the unabashed display of happiness. It was something he had never been privy to during their brief courtship.

With an irritated sigh, he moved away and proceeded to make himself comfortable on the plush lounge by the fireplace, wondering how long it would take for a house-elf to alert Blaise of his arrival. While he waited, he let his eyes wander around the dimly lit study, feeling another wave of irritation sweep over him as he took in the innumerous framed pictures of the couple at various historic locations across the world.

He no longer expected Blaise to be mindful of him when it came to Astoria—he had told the other wizard as much himself when Blaise had first come to him about their relationship—but Draco couldn't quell the surges of annoyance that overcame him when he saw how foolishly happy and utterly in love the two were, even now, so many years later.

Resentment? Bitterness? Self-loathing? Those were commonplace emotions in the monochromatic life of Draco Malfoy. He no longer deigned it necessary to put on a facade and pretend to be anything besides the emotionally dysfunctional cynic he had finally conceded to being.

"Draco!" Blaise exclaimed as he entered the room with such a burst of energy and vibrancy that it made Draco grimace. "Forgive me for making you wait; I didn't expect you to be so early!"

"Are you accusing me of being anything but punctual?" Draco questioned as he allowed Blaise to embrace him.

"Never," Blaise said, his grin so wide that it only furthered Draco's irritation. "It's been so long since I last saw you. How have you been?"

"Peachy." Draco crossed his legs and flicked his wrist. "Shall we refrain from making small talk and move on to why you practically coerced me into coming here?"

Blaise chuckled. "I see you haven't changed one bit."

"I disagree," Draco said. "I personally think I've reached the pinnacle of surliness."

Blaise laughed as he brought over a folder and handed it to Draco. "As you requested, here are the details of why I asked you down here."

Draco flipped through what looked like a project proposal for an archeological excavation in one of the lesser known pyramids of Egypt. He looked up with a raised eyebrow.

"Egypt again? What is this newfound obsession with Egyptian artefacts that has you going back time and again?"

Blaise looked chagrined as he said, "Do you really have to ask a world renowned historian such a redundant question?"

"You're more a history buff than you are a historian," Draco remarked, skimming through the details of the project. "Nobody would pour as much time, energy or money into digging up rotting corpses if it were a mere professional venture. Especially this kind of money."

"It's worth the effort," Blaise argued. "The world deserves to know of its history."

Draco scoffed and shook his head. "How great is the world's demand for this knowledge that you're willing to invest this much money into what seems like a futile endeavour?"

Blaise shifted, his demeanour changing, and Draco immediately understood the reason for his presence there. He held up the folder and stared the other wizard down. "You want me to be the investor."

"Only a partial investor," Blaise said quickly, leaning forward in his seat. "I know it may not look like much—"

"It looks like nothing I would be willing to invest this much money into."

"—but, if there's even the slightest chance that our presumptions are accurate, this could become a life-changing discovery that takes the world by storm," Blaise finished, looking like he was trying to convince himself that his very expensive hobby was something more than that than being confident in the actual project's success.

Draco scoffed, shaking his head, feeling a mixture of mild amusement and moderate irritation. "Blaise, do you even have any money left to fund this?"

"I do have a considerable amount of profits left from the previous few auctions—"

"So now you're spending your hard-earned money on this crap after emptying your inheritance?"

Blaise's expression grew dark, his jaw set. "Look. While I would greatly appreciate your help, I don't want it if you're going to be a condescending git about it."

"If being a realist and stating facts makes me a condescending git, then so be it," Draco snapped, tossing the folder beside him. "But I'd rather be that than a starry-eyed teenager spending every knut he has on some limited-edition toys that he's going to leave in its packaging for the rest of his life, then one day regret spending his life's savings on worthless rubbish but being too invested to do anything about it."

Blaise had risen to his feet by that point, his anger palpable, and pointed at the door. "Get out."

Draco shrugged and stood, nonplussed by his friend's outrage, well aware of the harshness of his words. He walked over to the fireplace as he pulled on his coat and said, "I Floo-d here. And," he reached over to dust imaginary dirt from the lapel of Blaise's coat, "it's not about whether or not you want my help because we both know you need it."

Blaise inhaled sharply, looking offended beyond measure, and slapped Draco's hand away. "You were right when you said you'd reached the pinnacle of surliness. I have to admit that even I no longer have the patience for your ill temper."

Draco smirked and motioned to the folder lying rejected on the lounge. "Draft up a more convincing proposal on why I should give you my money and send it to me by owl." When Blaise frowned in confusion, still looking outraged, Draco ran a hand through his hair and said, "Because right now, it sounds like you yourself are unsure of whether or not this project will be a success, and I'm not too keen on trusting my gold to someone who can't look me in the eye and tell me that I'm wrong and will regret not partaking in this."

Blaise placed a hand on his hip and pinched the bridge of his nose, clearly agitated by Draco's hot-and-cold personality, but the latter didn't pay it any mind. He had spoken nothing but the truth, even if it was bitter. Besides, a dark, brooding expression was a more attractive look on a historian than a foolish grin, in his opinion.

Draco threw down the Floo powder and ducked under the fireplace, turning to make eye contact with the other man. Blaise sighed and shook his head, looking too disgruntled to even offer Draco a smile and a few words in farewell, so the latter did it on his behalf.

"I can expect an owl from you by the end of the week, yes?"

Blaise crossed his arms. "Expect one in two days."

Draco smiled. "Perfect."

"And so, if you were to invest in this, the recognition you would receive from its success would be beyond measure."

Draco waved a hand, the corners of his mouth tugging upwards as he finished reading the re-designed proposal. "Now I can't help but wonder why you didn't come to me with this sort of vigour in the first place."

Blaise pulled a face. "Because I trusted your unconditional friendship to such an extent that I forgot your miserliness."

"You call it being miserly, but I consider it intelligent financial management—something you ought to look up, if you intend to leave any money behind for your unborn child."

Blaise sighed. "I'm genuinely debating if having to deal with your snark is worth having you as a partial investor."

Draco tapped the list of members that would be involved in the process, one in particular piquing his interest. "It may just be worth putting up with it if I'm going to be not just a partial investor but your anonymous sponsor."

Blaise's eyes were so wide that Draco couldn't help but smirk smugly.

"Y-You what? Sponsor? You want to? The-The entire expedition?"

Draco shrugged. "I'm intrigued by this 'collapsed pyramid' of Meidum. I did a bit of research on it myself, and some parts of it are believed to be missing or unfinished, yes?"

Blaise's face lit up at Draco's question, and the latter was reminded of a child given sweets. "As you saw from the proposal, that's what we're going to be researching," Blaise began, the excitement clear in his voice. "We believe that the missing valley temple as well as the unfinished mortuary temple actually exist but have been hidden away using magic. Which led us to wonder: why would anyone go out of their way to hide common architectural portions of a tomb unless there was something worthwhile in them?"

Draco nodded slowly, Blaise's enthusiasm infectious, his own heart racing at the thought of discovering hidden locations in an ancient pyramid that were thought to be nonexistent. "It says in your proposal that previous excavators and archeologists felt a strange energy when they excavated the mortuary temple, and every time they tried to dig up the far walls, they ended up exhausting their energy without getting anywhere. That's as good a sign of magic as any."

"Exactly!" Blaise exclaimed, practically trembling with excitement.

"But, if I were to fund the entire expedition, I have some terms and conditions I need adhered to."

Blaised nodded, although he looked sceptical. "Like what?"

"I'll compile a list and send it to you. You don't have to look so worried; they're nothing extreme. But, for starters, I want to be a part of this."

Blaise frowned, looking unsure. "How do you mean?"

"I mean, I want to go down there with you and watch as you do...whatever it is you'll be doing," Draco said, waving a hand.

Blaise didn't look too happy about that, but nodded undertainly. "I suppose it can be arranged."

"Good." Draco stood and held a hand out. "Here's to a successful partnership."

Blaise shook his hand, looking less sure of the so-called partnership by the minute, which only furthered Draco's decision to be involved in it. It wasn't like he had anything going on anyway. It couldn't hurt to explore an ancient tomb.

"This is Dr Damien Carter, our head archeologist and site supervisor." Blaise motioned to a well-built man wearing a safari shirt and shorts, a fisherman's hat with dark sunglasses underneath them, and knee-high socks with dusty shoes. If his outfit wasn't distracting enough, the big, bushy mustache that covered his mouth and his bulging biceps and hairy, tattooed forearms made him someone Draco decided he didn't want to get on the wrong side of.

"Thank you for your patronage, Mr Malfoy," he said in a gravelly voice as he shook Draco's hand. "I truly appreciate you funding what has been a long-sought-after dream of mine."

"My pleasure," Draco said, trying to be as pleasant as possible. He decided based on the difference in their physiques that he would be the one at a disadvantage if he didn't make an attempt to be pleasant.

"This is Katya Kuznetsov, our youngest archeologist and the assistant supervisor," Blaise said, motioning to an attractive blonde woman who seemed a little too young and a little too good looking to be the only woman amongst a bunch of rowdy older men. Not to mention the fact that the rather small top she was wearing did nothing to prevent her ample bosom from spilling out of its low-cut neck. And was it safe to be wearing a belly button piercing at a dig site?

"Please, call me Katya," she began with a telltale hint of a Russian accent. "If you have any questions at all, feel free to ask me." She was a little too flirtatious for Draco's taste, but he accepted her offer of a handshake anyway. "I am at your service."

"I shall keep you in mind, then," Draco replied, his intentions being far less unscrupulous than hers, smiling tightly as she giggled and tucked her hair behind her ear.

Blaise cleared his throat and moved onto the next member. "This is Andreas Romanos. He and his brother, Nicolaus, who will be meeting us directly at the site, will be the other diggers participating in this expedition."

"It is an honour to be a part of such a revolutionary experience," the dark-haired, chiseled-jawed man said, as though he had scripted a speech for that very moment. "I hope we make incredible discoveries together."

"Incredible discoveries, yes," Draco said, wincing at how tightly the man gripped his hand. "I wish you the very best of luck."

"Efcharistó," he said in what Draco presumed was Greek. "Thank you."

"And, ah, our final member…" Blaise trailed off, looking around in annoyance. "Is late, apparently."

Draco shifted, disappointed, as he had been looking forward to meeting the final member of their little party the most. His disappointment was short-lived, however, because someone came jogging up to them just then, his auburn locks pulled up in a bun atop his head, his dark, almost tattered clothes with gory designs on them just as out-of-place and uncommon as his companions' outfits, and the hefty rucksack on his back bounced along as he came to a stop.

He greeted everyone familiarly before turning to Draco with a smile. "Hi. Bill Weasley. I'm the Curse-Breaker," he said, holding a hand out to Draco, who took it and shook it as enthusiastically as he could whilst trying not to stare at the fang-shaped earring in his left ear and the deep lacerations on his face. "And you are…?"

"Draco Malfoy," he said, a little breathless as he pushed back memories of werewolves. "I'm your anonymous sponsor."

Weasley's eyes bugged out and his mouth formed a long O. "Oh, man, wow! It's so great to meet you—I mean, I had no idea that our anonymous sponsor would be seeing us off at the airport in person."

Draco raised an eyebrow, pocketing his hands, having had enough physical contact for the day. "I'm not here to see you off."

"Pardon?"

"Draco, uh, will be coming with us," Blaise said, not just to Weasley, but everyone else as well, whose reactions ranged from surprise to annoyance to excitement (in Katya's case).

"I beg your pardon?" Carter exclaimed, his moustache twitching. "How many unsolicited outsiders have you invited to this dig, Mr Zabini?"

"Just the two, I promise," Blaise said quickly as he ushered them inside.

"Wait, who's the second one?" Draco asked, but his question was lost in the commotion as they made their way into the airport and tried to figure out where to go next.

Draco sighed as he flipped through the book about Meidum that Blaise had given him, annoyed at having to sit still in a cramped space for several hours at a stretch. After they had disembarked, and Draco had finally sighed in relief at the chance to stretch his legs, he had been forced to squeeze into a rickety little tour bus that would take them to their accommodation.

"What are we waiting for?" Draco groused as Carter, who was doubled over in the small bus, passed by.

The older man, who was clearly just as unhappy with the delay as Draco, scoffed and said, "We're waiting on our other unsolicited outsider. Apparently his plane's been delayed."

"Who is this other person?" Draco demanded as the archeologist squeezed into the seat across from him.

"You'll meet him soon enough."

Just then, the Greek and Katya climbed back on, Blaise ushering them in before shutting the door and coming to take the seat in front of Draco's.

"Well?"

Blaise shot him an apologetic smile. "Change of plans. Bill said he'd meet us enroute to Meidum because that would make more sense than us waiting here for Salazar knows how long."

Draco sighed. "Fine. And what is up with this bus? I would think I gave you enough money to hire something bigger than a matchbox."

Carter snorted at that and Katya giggled. Blaise sighed, looking too exhausted to deal with Draco's snark.

"I'm trying to maximise usage of funds."

"That's for me to decide. You better show me a list of expenses once we're there."

Blaise sighed again. "Yes, sir."

After a long bath—he had expanded the bathroom and Conjured a bathtub because Merlin help him if he had to stand under a trickling showerhead and hope to be satisfactorily cleansed after what had been a dusty, uncomfortable journey—he felt a bit more like himself. Which wasn't saying much, since his general mood ranged from mildly annoyed to extremely irritated anyway. But it was something.

A towel wrapped around his waist, he stepped out, another towel draped over his head as he dried his hair, when he heard movement within the room. Draco froze, cursing the fact that his wand was on the dresser by the bed, wondering if the other occupant was one from their group or a trespasser.

He slowly raised his head, the towel slipping down to his shoulders, and watched as a red-haired, bare-chested man rummaged around in a suitcase on the floor, the muscles of his broad back flexing with every movement, making the scars on them look alive, like little snakes.

Draco cleared his throat, still on edge but having deduced that whoever it was had clearly mistaken it to be his room. The man stood and turned around, and Draco faltered for a moment, not having expected him to be so good looking—and so tall.

"Oh, hi there," the man said, walking over to Draco with an outstretched arm. "Sorry for intruding while you were in the shower; I was dying to get out of my sweaty clothes."

"I'm sorry, but who might you be?" Draco questioned, eyeing his outstretched hand with some contempt.

"Wow, where are my manners," the other man said. With a grin so wide, Draco could practically see his molars, he said, "I'm Charlie. Charlie Weasley."

Draco frowned, wondering why he hadn't made the connection to the other Weasley he had met—they did, after all, look quite alike, being tall, broad-shouldered and fairly good looking, with similar facial features and, the biggest giveaway of all, the flaming red hair.

"And you?" Weasley asked, when Draco had silently glared at him for long enough without offering an introduction.

"Draco Malfoy. I'm sponsoring the dig."

Weasley raised an eyebrow. "What's the sponsor doing at the site of the dig?"

Draco crossed his arms. "And what about you? What role do you play, exactly?"

"Well, I'm Bill's younger brother." He grinned so wide, making Draco feel like he was the foolish one for not being convinced by that answer. "Just kidding; there have been dragon sightings around the pyramid of Meidum before—dragons find its collapsed structure convenient for nesting—so Bill asked me to tag along just in case because it is mating season now."

"Right," Draco said, not too convinced, when there was a knock on the door.

Katya poked her head in without waiting for an answer—Draco made a mental note to always lock the door behind him—and giggled. "Oh, my, did I interrupt something?"

Draco spluttered in indignation, his face growing hot, picked up his shirt and pulled it on. Weasley, on the other hand, seemed unfazed.

"You have to stop dropping in on me, hoping to catch me in an awkward situation, Katya," Weasley said with familiarity, and the witch walked up to hug him with a giggle.

"It's good to see you again, Charlie." She pulled away and—Draco almost gagged—pouted. "But why do you never reply to any of my letters?"

"You know I'm really bad at keeping in touch," Weasley said so easily that it made Draco realise he must encounter girls like Katya often enough. "Anyway, get outta here. Carter's going to kick up a fuss if he finds out you barged into one of the men's rooms again."

"Pooh, that old man's no fun," Katya said childishly but left nevertheless, leaving Draco rubbing his arms from having broken out in gooseflesh.

"Don't let her get to you," Weasley said as he pulled on a shirt. "She can be a bit much, but she's a good kid."

Draco continued to button his shirt without replying, and after bustling about for some time, Weasley said, "Well, I'm going to go catch up with the others, if you want to join us at the picnic table outside. Don't forget to lock up after yourself!"

Draco stared at the closed door, feeling a mixture of emotions, before realising that he hadn't asked why Weasley had been in his room.

"Share a room?" Draco hissed to Blaise as they stood some way away from the others. "Me? With a Weasley?"

Blaise raised an eyebrow, clearly having already gotten used to Draco's ill temper. "I don't know what you have a problem with more: having to share a room or having to share it with a Weasley."

"Both, obviously!"

"And here I was under the impression that you had grown to look beyond your adolescent prejudices."

Draco rolled his eyes. "I don't care what your impression of me is, Zabini, just make him leave."

Blaise raised an eyebrow. "And go where, exactly?"

"To another room!"

Blaise motioned around them. "Do you happen to see any other rooms here, Draco?"

Draco sighed, massaging his temple. "It really isn't that complicated to make another one, is it?"

"It is, actually." Blaise crossed his arms. "We could only afford this small six-bedroom complex with three bathrooms and a kitchenette because the previous renters complained of a Skrewt infestation." Ignoring Draco's aghast expression, Blaise continued. "It took quite a bit of magic to get it all set up to begin with. Why would we be foolish enough to expend even more magic, and energy, trying to get past the spells put on the complex to prevent external tampering when we could all just share rooms and it would work out perfectly? Besides, you even have the biggest room, with the attached bathroom!"

"Is this also part of your scheme to maximise fund usage?" Draco snapped, his irritation at its peak. "Because I'm fairly certain I gave you enough money to rent an eight-bedroom complex that didn't come with a previous Skrewt infestation!"

Blaise's jaw was set, his eyes blazing. "Didn't you say the terms on which you would join us wouldn't be extreme?"

Draco crossed his arms. "I hardly think wanting a room to myself, considering I'm paying for this entire bloody expedition, is extreme!"

"You really don't know how expensive anything is, do you?"

"Which is why," Draco said, at the end of his patience, "I asked you to give me a proper list of expenses!"

"Which I will do first thing in the morning," Blaise said, stepping closer and lowering his voice. "But, for the time being, how about you stop being a total arse making a fool of yourself and attempt to join the rest of us for a pleasant dinner?"

Draco scoffed in disbelief. "Maybe I never should've come along on this godforsaken expedition."

Blaise shrugged. "Would've done us all a world of good, I daresay."

Dinner had hardly been pleasant—for him, that is; the others seemed to have had a ball of a time, especially Nicolaus, the Greek brother, who seemed to be the male version of Katya. So Draco was currently on the roof, with a glass of Carter's good whiskey—the only good thing about the trip so far—trying to drown away his irritation with some alcohol.

There was some scuttling beside him, and he glanced sideways to see the short-haired Weasley brother scramble up. "Oh," he said, apparently surprised to see Draco there. "I didn't think anybody else knew about this spot."

Draco motioned to the ledge he was sitting on. "The architectural error when connecting both roofs that created the perfect vantage point to indulge in one's preferred choice of poison while ignoring the cacophony and pretending to be the sole person under the stars? How could I not know."

"That's one way of putting it," Weasley said with a laugh, coming up beside him. "Do you mind if I join you?"

Draco shrugged, the warmth of the alcohol starting to melt his normally frigid demeanour in the slightest. "You've already invaded my personal space, so what does it matter if you devour what little privacy I have left?"

"Wow, you really are one helluva sourpuss, aren't you," Weasley commented, settling down beside Draco and pulling out a bottle of brandy. Draco eyed it, humming in appreciation at the name and date on the label. Weasley smiled. "Would you like some?"

Draco held up his nearly-empty-but-still-quite-full glass. Weasley tilted the bottle. "We've got all night."

"I'd have thought you would want to turn in early, considering what a big day tomorrow is," Draco remarked.

"Not for me. I'm the dragon-sitter."

"And I'm the sponsor."

"And together, we're the 'unsolicited outsiders'."

Draco snorted. "That we are."

Weasley poured himself a glass and held it up. "Cheers to that."

Draco clinked his glass with the other man's before lying back, the tiles of the roof creating an odd texture beneath his back, and he watched the stars, inhaling deeply as he took in their brilliance.

After a long moment of silence, Weasley murmured, "Draco."

Draco turned, surprised at hearing the other man say his name, but saw that he was pointing to the sky. He followed Weasley's finger and noticed the constellation that he had gotten his name from. Draco: the dragon.

"Magnificent," Weasley whispered, and Draco felt an odd sense of loneliness settle over him.

"We have the same name, yet only one of us has the majesty to live up to it," he said, feeling small.

"Isn't that what makes it amazing?" Weasley replied. Draco turned to eye him, unsure of whether or not he was making fun of him, but the serene expression on his face said otherwise. "You have a name that lets you literally reach for the stars. You were named for brilliance. You were already leaps and bounds ahead of us since the moment you were born, unlike the rest of us commoners, who have to strive our entire lives for our names to have any significant meaning at all."

Draco stared at the man beside him, his words far too profound and unexpected to fully digest, a lump forming in his throat. "How could you just say something like that?" he demanded, his voice trembling. "How could you just disregard the way in which I've been associating my existence with my name my entire life with one philosophical statement?"

Weasley turned to face him, his eyes glittering, a small smile on his face. "Draco," he said, the word sounding powerful in his voice, truly like an ancient dragon, magnificent, valorous, sublime. "It's a wonderful name."

Draco turned away, closing his eyes, belatedly acknowledging the trickle of warmth that trailed down from his eyes. How could someone he had met for the very first time that day, someone who had trespassed on his privacy with an unapologetic grin, have had such a resounding impact on him?

Perhaps it was the unexpected nature of it all—of where they were, of why they were there, of what they were there for, of how they had ended up meeting—that was causing him to romanticise it and turn it into something it wasn't. Perhaps it was his subconscious self yearning for an escape from his monochromatic reality by splashing him with a bucket of brilliant red. Perhaps…

Perhaps here, in the middle of nowhere, beside an ancient tomb teeming with unknown magic of old, he had a chance at redemption.

Perhaps tomorrow would be a new day.

The last scene was written in fond remembrance of a trip I took recently where I had a similar moment of profound realisation while lying on an air mattress on a sailboat in the middle of the ocean and staring up at the stars.

— Written for Hogwarts Assignment #3, Care of Magical Creatures, Task: Write about three unlikely people coming together for something.

— Also written for the Writing Club:

— Disney Challenge: George Banks - Alternatively, write about someone grumpy.

— Cookie's Crafty Corner: Cast On - Write about characters meeting for the first time.

— Showtime: You and Me (But Mostly Me) - (trait) Selfish

— Amber's Attic: General - Write about someone making a commitment.

— Count Your Buttons: (song) Lost Boy - Ruth B

— Lyric Alley: I've learned to be ashamed of all my scars

— Ami's Audio Admirations: Top 40 Singles — Write a fic where the main theme is not about romance.

— Em's Emporium: Laura (Someone aka Me): Alt — (pairing) Draco x Charlie.

— Lo's Lowdown: "Find the place inside where there's joy, and the joy will burn out the pain." - Joseph Campbell

— Film Festival: 57. (word) Brilliant

— Also written for The Insane House Challenge. Character: Bill Weasley