It was a Saturday morning in August. There was a light breeze coming through the window. Even though this cooled him down, Draco was still sweating. He had decided it was best not to confide in Astoria, after all, she would blame the war for affecting his mind like this.

Quite recently he had been getting more paranoid than usual. Draco had always been known to have some kind of paranoia; even in his first year at Hogwarts it was apparent. But this was different. It wasn't like someone watching his every move, it was more like something. As he lived at Malfoy Manor, it wasn't going to be easy to find the source of his problems.

"Draco lovely," Astoria called, "your breakfast is waiting."

Hesitantly he replied, "I'll be there in a moment."

Astoria was pottering about the kitchen when Draco finally entered

"What have you been doing this early in the morning that was more important than having breakfast?" Draco just sat down and poured sugar on his pancakes.

"You know not to have sugar in the mornings." Astoria moaned snatching the sugar away.

"Will you stop nagging me? You're worse than my mother. It's my food, my body, I'll do whatever the hell I like." Astoria was taken aback by Draco's sudden outburst. She decided it was best to leave him be, and went to the gardens.

Draco felt guilty. He didn't want this anxiety to ruin his perfect relationship, the only good thing in his life. He needed to confide in someone, and fast. He just didn't know who to turn to.

Astoria had been gardening for 4 hours now, when she decided it was time to clean up. As she was doing so, she remembered the days when Draco would run her a warm bubble bath ready for her when she had finished. Quite recently, that had all changed. She knew something was up with him, but she was scared to ask him. His outburst had reminded her to be careful.

After his father's death, Draco had taken a turn for the worst. His mother had travelled to another country without informing him. What was worrying him was her well being. He'd also started to become more violent. Astoria knew this all too well.

"You know I'm here if you need to talk."

"I'm fine."

"Draco, anyone with half a brain cell can see you're not fine. I just wish you'd talk to me."

"I'm talking to you now, aren't I?" He replied bitterly.

"Please, I want to help." Draco stormed across the room and pushed Astoria to the floor. He leant over her and slapped her across the face.

"I've told you, I don't need your help. If you can't get it into your head, I'll have to beat it in." Astoria was still curled up on the floor shaking 10 minutes after Draco had left the manor.

Just thinking back scared her. What she didn't know is that Draco had been watching her out the window, and saw her break down in tears. He knew exactly what she was thinking.

As soon as he left the manor, he wanted to go back and apologize, but he knew he couldn't. She'd be too scared to want him near. Instead he went to The Hogs Head. Not the best place to go, he knew that, but the sound of people would soon become a blur after having too much firewhiskey. What happened next was unimaginable.

A/N So this is my first ever fanfiction. Please be nice to me. The plot will develop more as the story progresses. The italics are memories. Tell me what you think, it'll be greatly appreciated.