First, I would like to thank my beautiful SkyiMello, for putting up with my needy, sloppy writing, and proof-reading this beforehand so I don't embarrass myself in front of my readers. Go check her out! She's awesome!
Second, it is extremely necessary to listen to the song When the Day Met the Night by Panic! At the Disco. I've put the lyrics at the bottom of the chapter, but it doesn't give one the same feel as listening to the actual song. So, without further ado…
It was a Sunday afternoon when he first saw her again. The war heroes and heroines were celebrating the fifth annual year of peace after the defeat of Voldemort. It was held at Hogwarts, ironically enough, and it was an event to behold. After the war had finally taken the last of its victims, the survivors stole any chance at all to forget the loss and heartbreak that Voldemort had left behind.
Not like Draco had much to celebrate. His father had been executed the moment he was caught; Lucius didn't even get a trial. Draco, however, had demanded a trial for his mother, and they had won the case. That didn't mean that she got off without result. Cissa was forced to live a life without her love, and no matter how twisted and demented he appeared to be to others, Mrs. Malfoy could not stand to be without him.
Eventually she died of heartbreak, and Draco was left alone. The only reason he had come was because of Astoria. They had not wed after their schooling, as their parents had hoped. Instead, she became his rock. She would fix him his much-needed pepper-up potion after he consumed just a touch too much of alcohol (which was more often than not). She made sure that he ate, and bathed, and at least attempted to make friends.
Despite all this, Draco couldn't bring himself to see her in a romantic light. Don't misunderstand, Astoria Greengrass was beautiful. She was smart, and caring, (with only a slight attitude problem), and she could most definitely hold her own in a battle of wits. Something wasn't there, though. As cliché as it seemed, Draco knew that though she was perfect, she wasn't right for him.
It was the first post war celebration he had attended, simply because he couldn't be bothered to celebrate before then. To be perfectly honest, he didn't ever feel like celebrating, but apparently Astoria figured that that wasn't an proper way to live.
"You need to move on, Draco, honestly! It's been five years! You need to stop blaming yourself." On and on she would rattle off these meaningless sentiments, and in return, he would slur that he had no idea what she was talking about, and then take another sip of his drink.
Eight hours later he found himself him shiny black shoes and a crisp button down shirt. If Astoria had had her way then he would have shaved as well, but he could only be pushed so far before he put his foot down.
He glanced around the smiling faces, and Draco could faintly hear light, happy music wafting from the castle. He had made the decision to ditch Astoria before they had even arrived, and soon enough he found himself strolling down to the lake, a place he had often found solace in during his school years. But, to Draco's great disappointment, the coordinators had thought it to be a good idea to set up tables and have a tea party of sorts. How charming, Draco thought with a frown, Leave it to the Bloody Bringers of Light to have something as trivial as a tea party.
Despite his sarcastic tone, it really was a sight to behold. There were flowers and vines all around the tables and chairs, and the sun illuminated the small clearing in a way that reminded him of a dreamy paradise.
Draco stopped short in his descent, however, when his eyes were met with glowing brown orbs. They were not the color of honey, nor did they have flecks of gold hidden in them. They were just a laughing brown, with shadows and sadness, but they also had an unmistakable joy to them, which seemed to make the pain look not so bad.
Hermione was drinking tea by the lake with Luna Lovegood. The light sound of the piano-flute duet, combined with the warm sunshine on her shoulders eased away her worries. Luna was telling Hermione about her growing romantic feelings for Harry.
While Hermione loved Ginny dearly, she knew that Harry wasn't happy with her. On the rare occasions that he confined in Hermione, he often complained on how similar they were. Hermione gleefully noticed that that Luna possessed none of Harry's rash anger or his boy-next-door demeanor.
While Luna rattled away on how handsome Harry was, how funny and smart and brave he was, Hermione found her eyes wandering; she smiled as she saw how content things seemed to be.
A wistful sigh escaped her lips and she caught sight of a pair of grey eyes. They weren't cold or sharp, nor did they have swirls of icy blue in them, but she did sense a feeling of dull longing in their depths…
Draco blinked and moved his eyes to focus on the woman's hair. It was frazzled and coarse-looking, but so unusual. Her features were plain and regular, but in a pretty, convenient way. Her chapped lips spread into a friendly smile when she caught him looking.
His cheeks were tinted pink as he looked away.
Hermione's gaze shifted to the man's features. The first thing she noticed was his pale face and sunken cheeks. He had rough, uneven stubble, and dark, thick bags underneath his eyes. His hair was long and scraggly, but it was the most beautiful shade of blond. The stubborn frown ceased; not a smile, but no longer a scowl.
She met his eyes and gave a slow, welcoming smile.
When the moon fell in love with the sun
All was golden in the sky
All was golden when the day met the night
When the sun found the moon
She was drinking tea in a garden
Under the green umbrella trees
In the middle of summer
When the moon found the sun
He looked like he was barely hanging on
But her eyes saved his life
In the middle of summer (summer)
In the middle of summer
All was golden in the sky
All was golden when the day met the night
Summer (summer)
All was golden in the sky
All was golden when the day met the night
Summer, summer, summer, summer
All was golden when the day met the night
So he said, "Would it be all right
If we just sat and talked for a little while
If in exchange for your time
I give you this smile?"
So she said, "That's okay
As long as you can make a promise
Not to break my little heart
Or leave me all alone in the summer."
Well he was just hanging around
Then he fell in love
And he didn't know how
But he couldn't get out
Just hanging around
Then he fell in love
In the middle of summer
All was golden in the sky
All was golden when the day met the night
Summer
All was golden in the sky
All was golden when the day met the night
Summer, summer, summer, summer
When the moon fell in love with the sun
All was golden in the sky
All was golden when the day met the night
Summer, summer, summer, summer
In the middle of summer, summer, summer, summer
The middle of summer, summer, summer, summer
The middle of summer, summer, summer, summer
In the middle of…