Pansy looked down at the yellow parchment in her hands. Tears cascaded down her cheeks as she read and re-read the letter. She had lost him, and that was not meant to happen. She rubbed her eyes as she tried to stifle a sob. She couldn't figure out how he managed to slip from her grasp.
Pansy had managed to convince Draco to meet up with some friends from Hogwarts at the Three Broomsticks. The night was warm, and the stars glittered in the July sky. Pansy gave Draco's hand a tight squeeze as they walked into the pub. Theodore Nott, Blaise Zabini, Daphne Greengrass and her younger sister were sitting in a booth in the back corner of the room. Daphne's bright green eyes lit up and her golden blonde hair bounced as she sprung out of her seat.
"Pansy!" she shrieked, "It's so great to see you!"
Draco rolled his eyes as he slid into the booth. He greeted the two males, but he couldn't help noticing the girl with bright green eyes and dark brown hair seated between Theodore Nott and Blaise Zabini. She didn't possess the same obnoxious quality as the two girls, wearing pink sundresses, that were gossipping and shrieking. "You must be Pansy's toy," the girl said with a smirk, "I'm Astoria."
"I'm not her toy," he responded indignately as Theodore and Blaise snickered. He realized he was still dating Pansy; however, he was never truly in love with Pansy. Now, he wasn't even physically attracted to her anymore. "You look vaguely familiar."
"I should. I was in Slytherin," she answered coolly.
Pansy slid into the seat beside Draco as Daphne took her seat beside Blaise. Pansy placed a forceful kiss on Draco's cheek and failed to notice him cringing as her lips touched his skin. She wrapped her arm tightly around his and placed her head on his shoulder. "So Daphne, how are you and Blaise?" Pansy asked as if searching for a reason to brag about her sham of her relationship.
"We're great," Daphne gushed pushing her hair off her shoulder. "He just proposed." She pulled out her hand. A diamond surrounded by three emeralds on each side glistened in the light. She kissed Blaised gently, and a gentle smile formed on his features.
Pansy's jaw dropped. Daphne and Blaise had started dating during their sixth year, but Pansy started dating Draco Malfoy during their fourth year. Even though she had loyally stood by side during the war and his recovery, he had never mentioned marriage or a future with her. He stopped saying "I love you" during the end of their sixth year, but she had high hopes for their relationship.
Bored by the females' conversation, Draco turned his attention towards the silent Astoria. She was mindlessly drinking her firewhisky, and he admired her calm demeanor. "So Astoria, what do you plan on doing with your life?"
"I just got a job at the Ministry of Magic," she responded with some pride in her voice.
"Doing what?"
"I work in the Department of Magical Equipment Control," she responded as Daphne rolled her eyes.
She went on to explain that she liked to fix old magical objects. Draco never imagined that he would have something in common with her; however, he would never be able to mention the vanishing cabinet in front of Pansy. The more he conversed with Astoria, the more he wanted to discover what was under the sarcastic, smirking exterior. He wished Pansy hadn't latched onto his arm so he could leave with Astoria.
The two escaped from the table to get some more firewhisky. "So why did you decide to come here?" Astoria asked as she leaned against the bar. "You can be honest."
Draco merely held up his bottle and replied, "This," before taking a sip of the liquid. "What about you?"
She took a drink of her firewhisky and answered, "Daphne has the compulsive need to pry me away from my work." She released a hollow laugh. "I, apparently, need to live a little."
"So are you having a dreadful time living?" he asked with a sultry smirk that belonged only to Draco Malfoy.
She shrugged and responded,"I suppose it could be worse, but I'd to stay to long. I'm pretty sure Pansy's shrieking can lead to permanent hearing loss." She moved closer to him as she took in his scent and felt the sparks of electricity between them.
"Oh merlin, I'm doomed," he joked as Astoria released a soft laugh. He looked over at the table, which they had been sitting at, and noticed Pansy glaring at them and Daphne trying to summon them over.
"You know, we don't have to go back," Astoria said slyly before taking a gulp of firewhisky. "I have my own place if you want to escape...that."
Pansy noticed Astoria leave as Draco approached the table. "Astoria has work to do. I am unable to stay. I have business to take care of tommorow so I must leave as well," he said without any trace of guilt or regret in his voice. His cold grey eyes did not reveal that he was lying nor did anyone suspect otherwise.
"Oh darling, please don't go?" Pansy asked pouting.
He walked away without a word. He met Astoria outside. She grabbed his hand and they apparated into her flat. He looked around the flat. The white walls were bare. Only a coffee table and a black couch were in the living room. "I have to get some more furniture, but I have the essentials," Astoria said.
"How did you get this place?" Draco asked as he recalled that she recently graduated and just got a job at the Ministry of Magic.
"My father bought it for me as a graduation present. It seemed a bit more practical than dress robes," she explained casually. She refused to stay in the same house as Daphne, who needed constant praise and attention. Her father happily consented to giving Astoria her own place, because he understood her need for space.
A few hours later, Astoria and Draco found themselves laying on her bed. She didn't have much furniture in her living room so they sat on her bed and talked, but quickly found themselves laying on her full-sized bed. "So why are you still with Parkinson?" Astoria asked as she slipped into a white comforter. "She hardly seems like your type."
Truthfully, he didn't have an answer for her. Although Pansy was annoying, he had not found a reason to leave her until he met Astoria. He lacked a connection to Pansy so he didn't feel guilty about being in Astoria's bed. "It wouldn't be very difficult to leave, but I hadnt found a reason yet," he answered.
"I see. Would you like a reason?" she asked as she turned on her side to face Draco. Her bright green eyes met his grey, and he felt as if he didn't need to answer her. He rested a had on her slender waist and pushed back her dark brown wavy hair.
"I'd be eternally grateful," he responded.
Astoria gently kissed his lips and was surprised when she felt his lips press against hers in return. He deepened the kiss and pulled her closer. When she pulled away, she nervously bit her lip. He smirked and said, "That's a very valid reason."
"I thought so."
A week after, Pansy hadn't heard from Draco Malfoy whatsoever. She saw his owl in his room and eagerly ripped open the envelope. Perhaps, he wanted to meet for lunch. Perhaps, he was going to apologize for not showing how much he loved her; however, when she read the short letter, she knew none of that was ever going to happen. He had managed to slip away, and she would never had that fairytale.