AN: So welcome to the sequel to "For Every Frozen Heart". Here's a small recap of what's happened before: Astoria is now a seventh year Slytherin who in her sixth year found out that Draco Malfoy had the Dark Mark. She kept the secret and Draco has shared a complicated relationship with the younger Greengrass ever since. At the midst of the war, however, Astoria met John Avery and accepted his offer of a date because Draco had failed to make his move. But then on her Christmas holiday while Astoria was at Theodore Nott's house with her friends she met Draco and they kissed. Now the holiday's over and it's time to return to Hogwarts.

Disclaimer: I (still) don't own Harry Potter

The Hogwarts Express was the home of many important memories to many of Hogwarts' students. One of those students was, of course, Astoria Greengrass. A girl who had many, many memories that involved the train in question. It was the place where she had first met one of her best friends, Emma Travers. It was the place where she had (many times) bonded with the infamous Death Eater Draco Malfoy. However, currently it was the last place where Astoria wanted to be.

Astoria stood in front of the train, next to her sister. Daphne had for some reason insisted on escorting Astoria to the station since their father was (once again) busy at work.

"Are you ready?" Daphne asked. Astoria raised an eyebrow at her. She and her sister had never been that close. But ever since the end of the war, Daphne had been acting as if they were very close. As if they had always been best friends with each other. As if Daphne hadn't done everything in her power to ignore Astoria when they had been young.

"Yes," replied Astoria. She took one last look around the station. She had agreed to meet her friends in the train but right now she didn't feel like talking to anyone. The Christmas holiday had not gone the way Astoria had planned. She had not planned to go to Theodore Nott's (who was a great friend of hers) house and meeting Draco Malfoy there. And she certainly hadn't planned on kissing Draco Malfoy and therefore cheating on her boyfriend.

John. The thought of John made Astoria feel a little sick to her stomach. She and her boyfriend John Avery had been together for quite some time (over six months in fact). Astoria wasn't sure how she felt about John. She wasn't madly in love with him like people thought but she did feel something for him. It was that something that had stopped her from leaving him. Unlike Malfoy, John was safe. She could quite easily predict his moves and he was (again, unlike Malfoy) kind and caring. John was a man every sane woman would want to be with. Astoria just wasn't sure if she was completely sane.

After she had gone to the Nott manor on Christmas Eve and kissed Draco, she had returned home in a good mood. Or actually she had returned to the small cottage that her sister had insisted they spent Christmas in. It had once belonged to their grandmother Dione, who had been the black sheep of their family. Dione's marriage to Astoria's mother's father had been a huge source of proud to the family, at least until someone found out that Dione was in fact a half-blood. Dione had died shortly after Daphne's birth and thefore Astoria had never met her.

But Dione's house still stood and Daphne and Astoria had renovated it during the summer after the war. Daphne enjoyed spending her time there which was why she had wanted to spend Christmas there with her sister. Daphne had also secretly hoped that it would give time for her and Astoria to bond.

But when Astoria had arrived to the house late on Christmas Eve, she had gone straight to her room. She had had so much to think about. What were her feelings towards Draco? And what about John? In the end Astoria had decided that she would just have to continue her life. She would not tell John about the kiss, and that would give her time to figure out what she felt for him.

But now, John was nowhere in sight. Astoria closed her eyes for a brief moment before hugging her sister and climbing in to the train. She headed right, trying to find an empty compartment or the compartment her friends were in. But of course she had no such luck.

"Hello Astoria," said a dreamy voice from behind her. Astoria turned around to face Luna Lovegood. She had always thought Luna was strange but one of Astoria's flaws (according to other Slytherins) was that she was too kind to members of other houses, including Gryffindors.

"Hello Luna," Astoria greeted, "How are you?"

"Oh I'm marvelous. Would you like a quibbler?" Astoria nodded and Luna handed her the paper. Astoria immediately laughed as she saw the title on the front page: The Quibbler reveals: the secrets of Lucius Malfoy.

"Wow. The Malfoys must be furious," Astoria said. Luna nodded.

"I know. They told father to stop printing these but he didn't. I don't really like the Malfoys." Astoria looked up at Luna with guilt all over her face. She had forgotten what Luna had gone through during the war. She had forgotten that Luna had been imprisoned in the basement of Malfoy manor. But not many people knew about that. Astoria knew because Theodore had told her.

"I'm so sorry Luna," Astoria whispered. Luna's eyes were dreamy but they held a look of understanding.

"It's not your fault," she said. Astoria felt like her heart was being crushed in to tiny bits but Luna's voice was completely care free. Astoria could only stare as Luna turned around and practically danced towards one of the compartments. Then suddenly she stopped and turned around.

"Be careful Astoria. He's not an honest man," Luna said. Astoria nodded slowly. There was no doubt about who they were talking about. But Astoria did wonder why Luna was warning her about Malfoy. Everyone knew that Astoria was in a relationship with John.

Luna turned around and stepped in to one of the compartments. Astoria sighed and continued her way to find a compartment for herself. She was just about to stop looking for her friends when someone placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Where have you been?" John's voice was soft but full of concern. Astoria smiled at him nervously.

"I was just talking to...to uh...Luna," she said. John frowned.

"Lovegood? What did she want?"

"She wanted to give me this," Astoria said and showed John the Quibbler in her hand. John let out a laugh.

"Brilliant," he said, "I can't wait to find out what secrets Lucius Malfoy has. I bet he secretly adores everything pink. Or maybe he has a dragon hidden in his backyard."

"I think it's probably the first one." Astoria smiled at John. John laughed and hugged her. As soon as John no longer saw her face, the smile vanished from Astoria's lips. She was tired. The nightmares refused to leave her while she slept and when she was awake her thoughts were plagued by guilt over kissing Draco, confusion because of the way Daphne behaved and worry over everything else that was going on in her life.

"Are you okay?" John asked while smoothing down Astoria's hair. Astoria nodded against his shoulder. She had never really hugged anyone like this but it felt good.

"Oi! You two. Over here!" Astoria jumped a little at the sound of her friend's voice. Emma stood at the door of a compartment and was waving at her.

"You go, I have to find Henry and go over a few Quidditch strategies," John said. Astoria nodded. John was a chaser in the Slytherin quidditch team and so far, they weren't doing so well, mainly because of one Ginny Weasley.

"Are you okay?" asked Grace Atwood, one of Astoria's closest friends once Emma had closed the compartment door behind Astoria. Astoria sat down and buried her head in to her hands.

"No," she said. Things were not going the way she had planned. She had thought that the choice between Draco Malfoy and John Avery would be obvious and easy but oh how wrong she had been. She already felt like her heart was being torn in to pieces and it was only January. This was going to be a very, very long year.

Thank you for reading, please take the time to tell me what you thought of it.