(Rather long Author's Note; feel free to skip down if uninterested)
These past few weeks I have been struggling to find any writing inspiration. I can't tell you how many hours I've sat on my bed with a blank piece of paper and nothing comes to mind. No spark, no storyline, nothing. Yesterday though, I was determined. I made myself come up with a prompt that would hopefully trigger some sparks. To my luck, it did :]

My prompt is this (and I'm sure it's been done before, but it came to my mind as an original prompt, so bear with me if you've heard of this before):
In no particular order, write down five pairings from the Harry Potter series. Then put your mp3 player on shuffle and write down the first five songs that show up. Then you write a short songfic (I've decided to call them Drabble-Shots; not quite full length one-shots in my opinion, but much more than a drabble) for each pairing based on the corresponding song number.

As far as the style goes, this songfic is different compared to how I usually structure them; only used two verses of the song this time, decided to shoot for just getting across the general idea of the song being used :]

So without further author-noteness-ado, here is part one of my 5 part drabble-shots series!

Please leave your thoughts in a wonderful review :]

-Jackie//xxArtemisxFowlxx

#1: 'Follow Me' by Uncle Kracker

Straight Answers
An Astoria/Draco Drabble-Shot

I'm not worried 'bout the ring you wear, 'cause as long as no one knows then nobody can care

Astoria Nott sat at her desk on the Daily Prophet's floor at the Ministry, a large brass placard bearing her name with the title 'Reporter' sitting atop the edges of various in-progress articles. The end of her pointed quill rest in her mouth as she once more scanned the final copy of a piece she hoped would make the prestigious front page spot.

"Am I early?"

Astoria nearly jumped out of her skin when her thoughts were interrupted by a smooth, drawling voice from the doorway. In her excitement she spilled a pot of ink, its oozing blackness spreading over her work. She began feeling around for her wand but the visitor easily withdrew his own and pointed it at the mess.

"Scrillo."

At his words the ink leaped from the parchment and filled the inkpot once again, leaving no trace that it had ever spilled.

"Thank-you," said Astoria as she cleared away her old articles and withdrew a fresh sheet of parchment. "I assume you are Mr. Draco Malfoy?"

"You assume correctly," he drawled once more, taking the chair she offered with a wave of her hand.

"My name is Astoria Nott, a reporter for the Daily Prophet," she recited.

"Obviously," replied Draco as he regarded her name plate with an air of amusement. She scribbled down his basic information as a tingle of red showed on her cheeks, hoping he wouldn't notice her embarrassment.

"Today I only want to ask you a few simple questions about your current involvement with—"

"Excuse me, but by chance are you related to the Greengrass family?" Astoria was caught off guard by his question, her quill pausing in its tracks.

"Why yes, it's my maiden name." She saw something twinkle in his eye, but wasn't sure what he could possibly be playing at. She waited, wondering if he would go on.

"Continue," Draco said when he noted her pause, waving his hand and settling back into the armchair comfortably.

"So as I was saying, could you tell me any thoughts you have on the new Muggle Co-operation Act that Mrs. Hermione Weasley has brought before the Wizengamot? I've heard her side, but I'd like a contrasting opinion as well."

"And what about your views?" Astoria shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

"As a reporter it's not my place, Mr. Malfoy."

"But as an ordinary witch?" He seemed greatly entertained by the way she blushed and squirmed whenever he questioned her, his grey eyes glinting mischievously. Astoria was feeling very uncomfortable by it all; she was unsure as to who was really running this interview, but she thought it definitely was not her.

"Seeing as how I was raised a Greengrass, I'm fairly sure that disqualifies me to be an 'ordinary' witch, Mr. Malfoy," she replied smartly, biting the inside of her cheek.

"That it does," Draco answered, a smirk twisting the left corner of his mouth. Noticing that she was now leaning forward heavily on her desk, Astoria straightened up and squared away the blank pieces of parchment before her.

"Now," she said hoping to regain control over the interview, "your thoughts on Mrs. Weasley's proposed act?"

Draco looked out the window, perhaps deciding whether or not he was going to answer. Astoria waited, her quill resting patiently on the parchment. She was not ready, however, when he suddenly began to speak.

"The history of acts such as Mrs. Weasley's date back years to even my father and grandfather's time. As always, such proposed pieces of legality…" Astoria scribbled as fast as she could, quickly dipping the tip of her quill in the inkpot when necessary. He gave her no reprieve, her hand still scribbling long after he had finished his unexpected monologue.

She had leaned forward over her desk once again as she worked, resting her left arm on the upper left corner of the parchment while she finished copying down was she could remember of Draco's speech. She nearly knocked over her inkpot once more when cool fingers wrapped around her left hand.

"Astoria," Malfoy said smoothly, his thumb running over her fingertips as she snapped her dark head up from her notes.

"Astoria," he said again, almost purring with his drawl. She froze, her heart pausing in place as she waited tensely. What was he playing at?

"Are you…happy with Theodore?"

Astoria wasn't sure what to say. Who was this man, who obviously knew her husband, and what business of his was it if she was happy or not with Theodore? Anger boiled at her cheeks, but when she looked up into his face and saw his two cunning grey eyes, his mouth that was drawn back into a charming yet deceitful smirk, and felt the fingers that toyed with her marriage band, Astoria was at a loss for words. He grinned widely at her apprehension, only the tips of his teeth showing so that he gave the impression of a wolf. Ruffled, Astoria slightly regained her thoughts, but still didn't withdraw from his smooth, manicured hands as he brushed his thumb over her knuckles.

"Y-yes, of course; I love Theo," she breathed.

"Theodore doesn't have to know," Draco whispered in reply. "In fact, it's better that way…"

"What?" Astoria mouthed, but her stunned heart had choked her throat so that no words could escape. He wouldn't have noticed anyways; within a matter of moments he had his lips pressed against hers.

Now Astoria really was at a loss for words. She definitely couldn't say she enjoyed it; after all, an unknown man was sliding his mouth all over her, a married woman's lips. But then if she didn't like it, why was she simply sitting there allowing it to happen?

Astoria couldn't do anything; her mind had completely frozen her body. For a second she wondered if Draco had somehow cast a freezing charm on her, but no—now that she mentally reached out, she could wiggle her fingers in his grasp. Regaining her bearings she pulled away from him, completely at a loss for how long their ordeal had been going on.

As she stared at him afterwards she could practically feel the curse words she wanted to yell at him, with or without a wand. Yet she just couldn't. She knew it sounded absurd, crazy, and a flat out lie, but truth was Astoria couldn't bring it inside herself to scream at this handsome, wolfish, devilishly charming man. Taking advantage of her silence Malfoy grabbed the quill that she still had clutched in her right hand and dipped it in the inkpot, scratching out a few words on her notes. Then rising from his seat and releasing her left hand, Draco simply said,

"I prefer to eat around seven,"

Then walked out without another word.

Astoria stared at his empty seat for a few moments, still blindsided by what had just occurred. She then scrambled up from her seat and rushed to the door, arriving to see his black traveler's cloak swishing behind him as Draco made his way towards the Ministry elevator. She had every right in the world to hex him. For a brief second, the idea legitimately passed through her mind; then another thought occurred, striking her curiosity—what had he written on her notes?

Dashing back to her desk she picked up the piece of parchment, tucking a strand of black hair behind her ear apprehensively as she read.

An address. He had written down his address for her in a fluid script that was much more elegant than her chicken-scratch notes. Now feeling the anger from before return she crumpled the parchment into a ball, throwing it madly at her office wall where it hit with a very unsatisfying soft thump before sliding to the ground. Once her mood had passed, Astoria picked the crumpled sheet off the ground and unfurled it, smoothing out the wrinkles. As she looked it over, Astoria noticed something that made her want to rip the sheet into little shreds.

Even after all that, she still hadn't been able to get his straight opinion on the Muggle Co-Operation Act.

Astoria never went to Draco Malfoy's manor. A wild part of her had considered it, even wanted it in some dark corner of her heart, but when she returned from work and settled into her home, her and Theodore Nott's wonderful house, Astoria decided to never think of or mention the ordeal again. When Theodore came home and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her into a kiss that was much warmer than Draco's, she felt that in his hold was where she truly belonged.

But yet when she saw a marriage announcement in the Daily Prophetonly a few weeks later telling of Draco Malfoy's engagement to Pansy Parkinson, something deep down inside Astoria ached. And as she lay in bed that night next to Theodore, she wondered, just for a minute, what could have been between them had she gone over to his house that night after all.

…I can guarantee you won't find nobody else like me

Not my typical Astoria/Draco-romance and happiness story, but I felt like a change of pace would be good.

More to come! (And not only on this story...)

Review? :] You know you want to.

-Jackie//xxArtemisxFowlxx