For anybody that hasn't heard the song Truth by Seether, I highly recommend turning it on and listening while you read. The moment I heard this song it screamed Draco, and I hope you agree. Because of the length of this songfic, I have broken it into three chapters.

(This takes place during the sixth book, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.)

Please review :)

~Jackie//xxArtemisxFowlxx

Truth (pt.1)
Draco Malfoy Songfic
'Truth' - Seether

Astoria was standing with her back against a cold stone wall, one hand entwined with another's while her other hand rested on their cheek. She leaned forward slightly on her tip toes and pressed her lips against his, both of them hidden in the shadows of a statue on the second floor. His watch dinged, warning that it was only a few minutes before he needed to be in Potions and she in Transfiguration, both classes on opposite floors.
Astoria sank back down onto her heels, her lips sliding off his. She wrapped her arms around him and gave him a hug, a warm smile playing about her mouth. He attempted a smile in return, but it didn't quite come out, turning more into an odd version of a smirk. Draco let go of her hand and quickly went down the stairs, heading for the dungeons, knowing Professor Slughorn wasn't as forgiving as Snape. She stood there transfixed and alone by the statue, her smile gone too.

At eleven that night, Astoria sat in the Slytherin common room staring with glazed eyes at the small fire that still crackled in the fireplace. Everything else was quiet, her classmates asleep in their beds. She had been made to finish her homework down in the common room since her roommates had obnoxiously complained about the light from her wand earlier. Her body was very tired, and she didn't much fancy moving from her comfortable spot on the black leather couch. She bent her neck backwards and relaxed, closing her eyes.
She heard footsteps coming from the boys' dorms and opened her eyes out of curiosity. She saw Draco slip out of the shadows and into the rich glow of the common room's fire, pausing when he noticed her.
"What are you doing up so late?" His tone was condescending, as if he'd forgotten that he was talking to his girl.

"I could ask you the same thing," Astoria replied, turning to face him with her arms crossed.

Draco ignored her question and walked over behind the couch, crossing his own arms. "You should go to bed, Astoria. It's past eleven." She frowned and stood up, both of them looking at the other with their arms folded. "I don't have time to put up with this," he muttered under this breath, turning for the door that led out into the dungeons.
"Why can't you tell me where you're going?" Draco turned and saw her, eyes untrusting and hurt. He looked at her for a long time, but only turned his back on her.

If I gave you the truth, would it keep you alive?
Though I'm closer to wrong
I'm no further from right
And now I'm convinced on the inside, something's wrong with me
Convinced on the inside, you're so much more than me, yeah

Once he was outside the common room, Draco started to feel a tinge of guilt for walking out on her without an explanation. He pushed it out of his mind, numbing himself against his emotions. He had to focus. He didn't have time for feelings, not anymore. Why he'd asked her out in the first place still confused him whenever he looked back. He hadn't been thinking then—and now he had yet another problem on his hands, all because he hadn't thought before he spoke a few months back. He had let his emotions control him.

His feet started down the path he'd been walking for months now, every night he could. Sometimes he'd fallen asleep before his other roommates, not waking up until it was time for school the next day. And now because of those mistakes he was behind schedule—by this point in the year, he should have been almost done. He was grabbing for time so badly now that he wasn't eating like he should; skipping breakfast had become an everyday occurrence.

As his feet led him up flights of stairs, his mind kept flashing back to her face—sullen, betrayed, and hurt—and it was all because of his neglect. He let out a small groan and once again pushed it out of his mind, for now at least. It was yet another thing to deal with once he was done with his task.

After walking back and forth outside the wall on the seventh floor, Draco grasped the door knob with his fingertips and went in. Piles of junk were stacked everywhere, and at the top he saw his cabinet. He pulled out his hawthorn wand, pointing it at the top and thinking 'accio Vanishing Cabinet'. It landed gently at his feet where he picked it up and carried it off to a semi-clean portion of the room.

As he scanned pages of the magical repair book he'd also stashed in the Room of Hidden Things, Draco allowed his mind to wonder about what Astoria's reaction would have been had he answered her question about where he was going and why. Afraid? Most likely. Untrusting? Definitely. Mad? At first, yes, but if she gave him the chance to explain. . .?

But he wouldn't explain—he couldn't. Draco knew that even though he hadn't treated her very nicely this past year, she would offer to help. Another Snape trying to butt into his plans. But Snape knew what he was getting into—Astoria wouldn't know, wouldn't really care. She'd just be there, worrying and pleading, wanting him to share his. . . emotions with her so that she could comfort him. And if she ran her mouth too much, bad things could happen. Horrible things--and not necessarily to just him.

She'd go on telling him that it was wrong what he was doing, helping the Dark Lord. Just like Potter, she'd be able to look past the fact that his parents' lives were at risk, and that their fate along with his weighed on his shoulders right now. He couldn't tell her the truth; this had to be kept only within the Death Eaters.

No there's nothing you say that can salvage the lie
But I'm trying to keep my intentions disguised
And now I'm deprived of my conscience, something's got to give
Deprived of my conscience
This all belongs to me, yeah

The next morning, Draco walked out of his dorm and to the Great Hall; he'd gotten a lot done the night before considering how much the thought of Astoria had been nagging him, and was allowing himself to eat a much needed breakfast instead of running back to work on the cabinet some more.

Astoria was in the Great Hall sitting next to her older sister Daphne, a sixth year like him. She was smiling until she saw him walk over, her mouth starting to droop. "You're eating breakfast?" Her tone was unbelieving.

"Well why else would I be here?" He replied smartly, sitting next to her. Inside he regretted his words, feeling the same pain that showed in her eyes. They didn't say a word to each other, didn't hug, didn't kiss, nothing the other couples around them did in the morning.

"Are you two still dating? Or did I miss the breakup?" Daphne asked incredulously, her eyebrows rising as she looked at the two, both of their expressions sulky.

"Don't worry about it, Daphne," Astoria muttered, taking a sip from her cup, not looking in her sister's eyes.

"If you say so," she replied, shrugging her shoulders. "Angsty much?" She whispered to herself before turning to talk to a sullen Pansy whose greedy eyes were set on Draco.

"What classes do you have today?" Astoria asked, wanting to break the tense mood. Malfoy shrugged his shoulders half heartedly and began to untie a small package from his eagle owl's leg, which had just landed.

"What I always have on Thursdays." She grit her teeth and fought the urge to roll her eyes and snap back, Draco trying to push down his want to wrap his arms around her and give her a real kiss instead of the nonsense they'd been playing around with lately. An inaudible groan escaped his lips. Merlin, he hated hormones.

"Occlumency," He thought, "Focus on using occlumency." He was barely aware of Blaise Zabini sitting down next to him, nudging him with his elbow before reaching for the eggs. Crabbe and Goyle watched his hand enviously.

"So where were you last night, Malfoy? Don't think I haven't noticed you sneaking off," Blaise gave him a sly grin, watching his roommate's face closely. He always did love an opportunity to blackmail somebody.

"He had things he needed to take care of," Astoria covered, looking to Draco for approval, "er, with Snape." She wanted to smack her palm to her forehead the instant the words left her lips.

"At eleven o'clock at night?" Blaise snorted in disbelief. "What'd they need to do? Give each other a bedtime kiss?" He snickered while spreading butter over a piece of toast.

"Keep out of it Zabini. Don't go sticking your crooked nose where it doesn't belong," Draco snarled. Blaise gave him a fleeting glance out of the corner of his eye which just screamed 'try me'. "You too," Malfoy added, rounding on Astoria. Her face fell again and she let out a small sigh, poking at the yolk of her eggs until they bled yellow. Why did he always have to beat her down?