A/N: Hey, guys! This is from a new blog I'm writing for on tumblr. It's called harrypotter-fanfiction. you should go check it out!

Draco hurries through the streets of Diagon Alley while the rain falls down on him. Thankfully, he had brought a cloak with him. It also serves another purpose. To hide his hair from the occupants of Diagon Alley.

People hadn't been to friendly with him after the war, even if he did help Potter with the other Death Eaters. Death threats had been sent to his home more than once, prompting the Aurors to send him a guard every now and then. (Once Weasley had been sent to guard him, it had been a disaster.) As time went on, the death threats stopped, but people still gave him dirty looks wherever he went.

As he enters the Leaky Cauldron, he heads toward the back of the pub. Blaise leans back in his chair as he watches him, a smirk on his face. Blaise is one of the lucky ones. He never took the mark and therefore there was nothing to convict of him, except being a bully. He isn't looked down upon like Draco is.

"Draco," he draws.

"Don't," Draco growls, yanking his cloak off. "I don't want to hear about how I'm late. Things happen and we all can't have free time like you."

Blaise scoffs, his chair snapping to the ground. "What I don't understand is why you work when you're set for life. It doesn't make sense."

"To you," he replies, sitting down. "I like my work."

Blaise rolls his eyes. "Well, that's not vague at all."

"Where's Parkinson?" Draco asks.

"Dunno," he answers, looking away.

Blaise and Pansy had an. . .attraction, if that's what you could call it. Draco knew that they were sleeping together at the least. At first, he thought that it might bother him, but actually, he was happy for Blaise and Pansy. His own attraction for Pansy had died years before anyway. Now, though, Draco is just annoyed at his friends. Either they're together or they're not. Their indecisiveness annoys him.

"Yes, you do," Draco tells him. "You always do.

Blaise glares at him. "I don't always know where she is. Besides, why should I care?"

Draco rolls his eyes and is about to retort when something catches his eye. There's a young woman walking through the door. Her brown hair falls down her back in waves as she strips off her coat, hanging it on one of the racks near the door. (Odd that she's not wearing a cloak, Draco thinks.) Her brown eyes glance over the room with disinterest before she takes her seat. Draco feels like he should know her.

"Why are you staring at Greengrass?" Blaise snaps him out of his trance.

"Greengrass?" Draco questions. He didn't remember Daphne looking like that.

"Yeah," Blaise answers. "That's Astoria, Daphne's little sister."

The rest of lunch passes by with Draco barely paying attention to what Blaise is saying. His attention is still focused on the girl across the room, who is now reading. Draco can't get his mind to stay trained to Blaise for more than five minutes. Finally, they're finished. Draco turns to find the girl, but she seems to have disappeared. Sighing, he turns to leaving, only to bump into the object of his thoughts.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," she exclaims. "I didn't see you there."

"No, it's alright," he replies. "Astoria, right?"

"Yes," she smiles. "I didn't think you noticed me in school." Draco shrugs, not knowing how to reply to that. "Anyway, I should be on my way."

"I'll walk you," he offers. "You never know what kind of people are out there."

Astoria smiles at him again and they head out. For the first time in a long time, Draco feels happy—not judged. He and Astoria talk easily as they walk to her apartment, which is just down the street. Once they reach her door they stop.

"Thank you, Draco," she says. "I'll see you?"

It sounds like a question and for one moment, Draco entertains the idea of asking her out, but then dismisses it. After all, they just met and surely she doesn't want to be brought into a world of chaos.

So he just nods his head. "Until we meet again."

For two months, Draco doesn't see any sign of Astoria. He figures that it is for the best. She's far too sweet and innocent for him. The only thing he would end up doing is hurting her. So when he sees her sitting in front of Flourish and Blotts, he can't stop himself from going over.

"Hello," Astoria replies when he greets her. "Long time, no see."

"Yes, well, life is a bit complicated," Draco says, tugging at his collar.

She puts her book down. "Are you talking about the threats that you've been receiving? It's all over the newspaper, you know."

"That's one of things, yes," he mutters. He was really hoping that she hadn't heard about that, even though has been plastered across almost every newspaper. It isn't uncommon for him to receive those threats around the anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts. People need someone to blame; he understands that.

"It's really horrible," she tells him. "I'm sorry you have to go through that."

He shrugs. "Someone has to take the blame."

"You didn't kill anyone," she says, venom in her voice. "It's not your fault."

"Well, it's not something I like to dwell," Draco mumbles, as he rubs his neck.

"Who would?" she sighs. "Please sit. I shouldn't have brought this up."

He doesn't correct her, but he takes the seat she offers him. She smiles when she sees this. After marking her book and setting it aside, she turns all her attention to him.

"I hope that you don't find me invasive, but how do you put up with all of this?" she inquires. "If it were me, I would have bitten someone's head off by now. You handle it with such grace."

Draco shrugs rather embarrassed. "I don't really think about it, to be honest. They're just words. If they had wanted to do something, they would have done it by now."

Astoria nods. "Well, it's still awful. If you ever need a bodyguard, I'm available."

For the first time in years, Draco laughs. The thought of this petite girl hurting anyone is amazing to him. For a second, he regrets not asking her out the last time he saw her, almost wanting to know, but pushing the thoughts away. She doesn't want to be involved in his hectic life.

"I like your laugh," she states. "It's nice."

"Well don't get used to it," he replies. "It doesn't happen often."

"We'll have to change that," Astoria says as she sets her hand on top of hand.

It's late. Almost midnight, but Draco can't sleep after the dream he had. He can still feel the air leaving his lungs. Somehow, he finds himself at her door. He's pounding on it before he can stop himself.

"Draco?" Astoria says, as she opens the door. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry," are the first words out of his mouth.

"Sorry?" she shakes her head. "Come in. What's this all about?"

"I shouldn't have come," he says as he enters her house. "It was just a bad dream."

"What kind of dream?" she inquires.

"Nothing," he mumbles, looking down.

"Sit down," she commands, pointing to the couch. "I'll make you some tea."

As Astoria makes him tea, Draco takes in her home. Her living room is small, but cozy. There are pictures of her family resting on the mantle. She has a fire lit in her fireplace, which makes the room warm. The coffee table houses a vase of flowers. Draco takes a sit on the couch instead of the two other chairs. Astoria returns.

"Now tell me what this is about," she demands.

Draco sighs as he takes the tea. "It was just a dream, really." At her stern look, he continues. "Well, I was in this alley. I'm not sure where, but then there were people filing in from both ends. I had no where to run and I couldn't find my wand. Just as they were about to reach me, I appeared in a meadow. There was no one there, but I could feel myself being choked and his voice in my head, saying that I failed him."

"Oh, Draco," Astoria mutters as she puts her arms around him. "The Dark Lord has been gone for a while and he's not coming back. I promise you that. You're fine and nothing is going to happen to you. I won't let it."

Draco looks into her determined face and feels safe—at least for the moment.

"Thank you," he tells her. "No one has been as kind as you have."

"You don't have to ask for my kindness."

Not for the first time, Draco wonders what prevents him from asking her out on a date. He's not sure what it is, but he listens to it.

That night, he sleeps on Astoria's couch. When he wakes up panting, she's by his side, making sure that he's ok.

"So this is your house?" Astoria says as she stretches her arms wide so she can gesture to the whole house. "It's incredible. They make it look bigger in the papers though."

Draco laughs and shakes his head. "Come on."

He takes her through the doors and into the living room. Thankfully his parents aren't home and he doesn't have to explain why Astoria is here. Really, they're just friends and he wanted to have her over for a cup of tea. It's not a crime to invite someone over for a cup of tea.

"Everything's so cold," she mutters as she looks around.

"Yes, well, I didn't do the decorating," he sighs. "You've have to talk to my mother."

"Talk to me about what?"

Draco freezes as his mother enters the room. She's standing there looking pointedly between Draco and Astoria like she's caught them doing something they shouldn't be.

"Hello, Mrs. Malfoy," Astoria greets her brightly. "I'm Astoria Greengrass, a friend of your son's."

Narcissa sniffs. "Is that so? Draco hadn't mentioned it."

Astoria shrugs. "Boys. What are you going to do with them?"

"Mother, aren't you supposed to be with Father at some function or another?" Draco interrupts, hoping that he can get rid of his mother quickly. Narcissa raises an eyebrow, but doesn't argue. Instead, she turns on her heel and marches out of the room.

"Sorry about that," Draco mutters as he waves his wand and two cups of tea appear.

"About what?" Astoria replies. "I'm sure your mother is a lovely person."

The words are on the tip of his tongue this time and it's so hard to swallow them, but somehow he manages. Astoria isn't for him, he reminds himself. She's for some nice boy who can take care of her properly. That's not him.

Tucking at his collar, Draco looks around the room. Unfortunately, his parents had dragged him to this stupid party for them to look better in the public's eyes so everyone would see that the Malfoys hadn't lost their influence. Draco thinks it's more because they enjoy tutoring him.

"What are you doing here?" Blaise asks as he slips up next to Draco.

"I could ask you the same question," he retorts.

"I actually come to these things quite often," Blaise tells him. "Unlike you. You're a bit unsocial, did you know that?"

"So I've been told," Draco mutters as he slides away to the drinks table. He really hopes that the punch is spike, otherwise, he might not make it through this night.

"Draco!" someone shouts from behind him.

Spinning around, he finds Astoria coming toward him. She's wearing blue robes that hug her curves perfectly. The neckline is low, but nothing scandalous. Her hair is pulled up into a bun with little jewels that are sprinkled in her hair. A few pieces hang down in the front, falling in her face. Draco swears he's never seen anything more beautiful.

"There you are," she smiles. "Pansy told me you would be here, but I didn't know if I should believe her."

"You look beautiful," he mutters.

Astoria blushes. "Thank you. You don't look too bad yourself."

"Would you like to go out on a date with me?" he blurts out.

"What?"

"I mean. . .that's not-"

She cuts him off with a quick kiss. "I would love to."