Draco's POV: Summer break of 1996 before 6th year
Astoria Greengrass, despite being under her sister's popular shadow for most of her life and the brunt of most of her father's abuse, caught my eye the moment we met when we were five years old. We grew up being a part of the 'Sacred Twenty-eight' Pure-blood families and our mothers always had us in the same social group. As children before Hogwarts, we spoke quite often and were good friends that is until I went off to school a year before Astoria with her sister, Daphne. Despite my promise to send her a letter each week via my owl, I was too caught up with my new life at school and wanted to gain friends that my mother didn't hand pick. The following year when Astoria was sorted into the Slytherin house, I gave her a quick peck on the cheek on the way to the dungeons and I could see what had happened was all but forgotten in her eyes. Two years later during the Triwizard Tournament, I finally got the courage to ask her out on a date to one of the restaurant in Hogsmeade which lead to a solid relationship for the next year. A few days ago and just a month before I begin my sixth year when I have forced to get the Dark Mark branded into my arm. I have yet to send the letter that I wrote to her saying that we had to break up due to my own selfish reasons to keep her as mine for a little while longer.
Oh just do it! I tell myself and fold the letter up sealing it in an envelope to write her name on the front with a sigh. I take it with me downstairs to Father's office—practically abandoned since he's been in Azkaban—where my owl, Zeus likes to stay and stroke his head holding the letter out for him to take in his beak. "Take it straight to Tori and don't let her send anything back."
I watch as the eagle owl flies out of the open window into the rainy night and when I no longer can see him, I turn to head straight back up to my room. I flop down on the green coverings of my bed and groan into the mattress knowing deep down that I am giving up the best relationship I probably will ever have. Astoria, with her golden blonde hair that catches in the sunlight on our dates to Hogsmeade, bright green eyes that was the first thing I noticed about her, her odd interests for certain Muggle ways that surprisingly doesn't repulse me, her love for art…
I groan again pointing my wand the fireplace to start a fire and get up from my bed to sit down at my desk that overlooks the grounds of the Malfoy estate. I flip open one of the books that I recently bought for the upcoming school year I am dreading and try to let the words distract me from my girlfriend well, ex-girlfriend. After rereading the first three pages a few times, I slam the book shut and rub my eyes tiredly from not sleeping well for the past week. I hold in a groan as I see the fires flames turn emerald green from Floo powder and turn to see a very angry looking Astoria stepping out of my fireplace.
"You break up with me in a bloody letter?" She exclaims shaking the letter in one hand and her wand in the other staring at me.
"You don't understand, Tori." I mutter and stand up from the chair at my desk running a hand through my normally smooth hair.
"Enlighten me then!" She hisses at me and tosses her wand on my bed crossing her arms over her chest.
I take a deep breath and walk over to close the door to my bedroom locking before leading Astoria to sit at the end of my bed. "What I am about to show you doesn't leave this house, understood?"
"Yes, Draco." She says her bright green eyes showing her fear and I hate myself for what I had to show her. I slowly start to roll up my left shirtsleeve and keep my eyes down when I hear her gasp shocked when she reaches to brush her fingers along the black lines of the Mark. "Oh Merlin…"
"Astoria, we can't be together anymore…" I say bitterly and pull my arm back out of her grasp hating to see the the tears formed in her eyes. "I wouldn't be able to bear it if something was to happen to you, love."
"Don't 'love' me, Draco Lucius Malfoy!" Astoria shouts at me suddenly and stands from my bed giving me a look so much like my mother I shudder. "We are in a relationship and it will end when and if we decide that together!"
"But this relationship could be destroyed if we stay together and the Dark Lord could hurt you or worse." I say grabbing her arms and look her in the eyes. "Get out while you can!"
"I don't want out, Draco! I am not frightened of getting hurt, I get hurt at home!" She says and steps closer to me taking my face in her hands, which are always cool. "Please don't do this to us, Draco! I-I don't care about your bloody mark, I care about you!"
"This bloody mark endangers not only me you as well if we stay together! This bloody mark turns me into the enemy, into a killer if I do the task I've been ordered to complete within the year!" I exclaim backing away from her gentle touch and turn toward the fireplace. I rest my hand on the mantle and lean into it wishing deep down that Astoria would just leave but in the next moment, I feel her arms wrap around me from behind. I heave a sigh and rest my free hand on hers lacing our fingers together to lift her palm to my lips.
"W-What do you mean a killer?" She asks her voice trembling slightly and I glare into the flames as my mind goes to the task that the Dark Lord has assigned to me.
"I can't tell you, Astoria." I say tensely and remember those cold red eyes as he swore me to silence making me feel that this relationship with Tori had to end but here she is convincing me otherwise.
"Draco, I know you…that mark doesn't make you a bad person." She says in a much calmer voice than before and I turn to face her seeing the sadness in her normally bright eyes. "Even if it does, I can't be without you…"
"Oh, Tori…" I mutter and turn to pull her into my arms pressing a kiss to her forehead.
"Please, love…without you I have nowhere to run to when my father goes on one of his tirades." She says with a shudder and buries her face in my neck hugging to me tightly.
I frown knowing that on multiple occasions through the years during our school holidays she'd seek shelter here with me when her father would get too drunk and hurt her terribly. I run my fingers through her silky hair and hold her close to me unsure what to do in this moment. I sigh and lean back a bit gently cupping her face in my hands to make her look me in the eyes. "You have to make me a few promises and you have to keep them no matter what, Astoria Catherine Greengrass."
"Of course, Draco. Anything to be with you." She says and I can see the trail of tears on her cheeks that I fear I caused.
"If anything happens to me you have to promise that you'll get away from the war, from your monster of a father and move on from me." I say and my own heart breaks as I watch more tears fall down her face using my thumbs to brush them away.
"What? N-No, I can't…" She starts to say but when I give her a look, she sighs closing her eyes for a moment and opens them with a nod. "Okay, I promise."
"If we are ever in a dangerous situation together and I tell you to run, promise that you will." I say and lead her over to my bed again to sit down with her taking her hands in mine. "We could come up with a safe word."
She slowly nods and I watch as she gazes at the patch of her knee showing through the rip of her Muggle blue jeans that she swears are very comfortable. I let go of one of her hands and rub my thumb along the patch of her warm skin chuckling when she squirms.
"Ripped jeans?" I suggest and she laughs laying back across my bed.
"No." She says using her free hand to push her hair back and sighs. "What about dragon? It's what your names means in Latin."
"And you just happen to know that?" I ask and lean over her sitting up on my elbow to rest one hand on her stomach.
"I happen to know a lot, my dragon boy." Astoria says with a playful grin and turns to sit up on her elbow as well turning to face me more. "Or how about Chai tea?"
"Merlin, you're never going to let me live that down, are you?" I ask and remember one of our first dates to the tea place in Hogsmeade, where she convinced me to try Chai tea that tasted awful.
"Never." Astoria says and reaches to stroke my cheek making me sigh softly.
"Alright, Chai tea it is." I say and turn my head to kiss her palm pulling her closer to me with a sigh. "Promise me one more thing, love."
"What else, Dray?" She asks cuddling into my chest and I smile a bit knowing that she is the only one that I'll let call me that nickname.
"Promise that you'll never intervene with Death Eaters or do anything to get yourself hurt." I say and rub her arm gently kissing her head.
"I don't know if I can promise that." She says and leans back to look at me sighing softly as she grabs my hand when I frown. "Wait, don't get upset!"
"Astoria, this is serious!" I say frustrated and get up from the bed pacing in front of my fireplace. "I can hardly stand that you get hurt by your maniac of a father and I think I'll go mental if I have to hear that another Death Eater hurt you! I hate seeing you in any kind of pain and the Death Eaters, well they like torture…
"The moment I was forced to get this mark, all I could think about was you." I say and turn my head to see her sitting up on my bed with her hair over one bare shoulder that the neck of her shirt is showing. "I keep having nightmares of you being hurt by your bloody father, other deranged Death Eaters or even by the Dark Lord himself…The thought alone terrifies me, Tor."
I shake my head and rub my hands over my face unable to shake the sight of her beautiful face being tortured by monstrous people with red eyes. I groan softly and squeeze my eyes shut trying to expel these images from my mind. The red-eyed people cackle Astoria's cries of pain and my attempts to break free of their body-binding curse forcing me to watch my love's agony. I shudder and rake my hands through my hair turning away from Astoria too proud to let her see the fear I know is on my face. I grip the back of my neck to keep my hands from shaking and flinch when I suddenly feel her hand on my back.
"I never realized that my pain made you so upset..." Astoria says softly on my bed and I turn to see her sitting on her knees the sadness evident in her eyes making me immediately feel guilty.
"Of course it does, Tori." I say with a sigh and step closer to her cupping her face in my hands. "I love you and you being in pain makes me feel like my heart is being torn to pieces and then I feel like I could kill someone…"
I look at her and raise a brow when I notice that she is staring at me with a slightly shocked expression on her face. "What? What is it?"
"T-That's the first time you've said I love you." She says and I feel her hands on my sides watching her chew on her bottom lip, which she does when she's nervous. "Did you mean it or was it just a slip of the tongue?"
"Of course I meant it." I say and stroke her cheek looking at her. "Although it was a bit of a slip but I-I swear I meant it. Are you sure that I haven't told you before? I mean I know that I have been thinking it for quite a while and—"
Suddenly, my girlfriend's soft lips cut off my words and I catch myself on my elbows when she pulls me over her on the bed. I grin as I pull my lips away from hers and play with a piece of her hair as I look down at her sighing as she rubs her nose along mine. I stroke her cheek and kiss down her face making her laugh as I feel her leg against thigh but when the door to my bedroom opens suddenly, I push up from the bed. I quickly draw my wand from my pocket and sigh seeing it is my mother with my aunt Bellatrix.
"Seems that we are interrupting, Cissy." Bella says with a cackle and draws back the hood off her wet cloak looking at Astoria with a raised brow. "Pure-blood?"
"Yes, Madam Lestrange." Astoria says as she gets up from my bed and I reach to take her hand lacing our fingers. "It's nice to finally meet you."
I look at her and squeeze her fingers seeing that she looks nervous. "Astoria was just leaving actually. I'll walk you to the study to use that Floo."
"Hurry back, we need to talk." Mother says as I lead Astoria toward my door and stop when she grabs my girlfriend's arm to whisper in her ear.
I raise a brow and pull Tori with me down the staircase looking to her. "What was that about?"
"She was just happy to see me." She says and smiles as we walk into the study turning to me in front of the fireplace. "Hey…"
"What?" I ask and sigh as she steps close to hug me tightly burying her face in my neck.
"I love you too." She says muffled by the collar off my shirt and I close my eyes squeezing her tighter to me kissing her head.
"Hopefully, I'll see you soon and I promise to write." I say and take her face in my hands kissing her softly. "Go home and get some sleep, you look tired."
"Stay safe, please." She says pecking my lips and I nod grabbing some Floo powder to toss into the fireplace for her.
I watch as she steps into the emerald flames and sigh when she leaves turning to go back upstairs the darkness filling me up now that she is gone.