A/N:I wanted to write something for Christmas and this just popped into my head… please enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
Draco's Christmas Wish
Astoria Greengrass always enjoyed the holidays. A chance to spend quality time with your loved ones. During the month of December it was not an uncommon sight to find her singing Christmas carols or giving out the type of candy the majority of the Wizarding world ate during the holidays. Astoria would give presents to all of her friends and loved ones and started preparing for the holidays much earlier and seemed much more obsessed with them than any normal person should. In short, she was something of a Christmas fanatic.
So it did not come as a surprise for Draco Malfoy when she asked him what he'd like this year. He and Astoria were not best friends, but he had known her since early childhood due to both of their families being Pureblooded wealthy Blood Purists and therefore visiting each other and partaking in activities together sometimes. There was also the fact that she was in the same House as him and the younger sibling of a girl in his year and House. One could say they were friends, but she did not spend as much time with him as, say, Crabbe or Goyle. One might say in addition to the previous statement he thought of her as something other than a friend, but one would be lucky to still be alive after saying such a thing, so no one ever did. Still, quite a few people silently theorized that Draco Malfoy was more than a little bit attracted to the younger Greengrass girl.
Today they were meeting at a spot he found himself spending more time at these days: The top of the Astronomy Tower. It was chilly enough being winter, but being at the top of the tower made the temperature drop even further. However, Draco liked coming up here occasionally; apart from the Room of Requirement, it was the only place he could actually think in peace. Although to say he was thinking peacefully would not be appropriate. Most of his thoughts these days were consumed about his current task for the Dark Lord: His mission to kill Albus Dumbledore. He was having trouble fixing that blasted Vanishing Cabinet, and he seemed to spend more time in that bloody room than anywhere else these days. Yet there were moments when between schoolwork and struggling with his task, when he was able to escape from it all and come up here.
Astoria sometimes visited him up here too, and even though as far as he knew she was completely in the dark about him taking the Mark, it still helped that she saw him. In fact, there were times when Draco thought he would pitch himself off of the Astronomy Tower if she weren't there with him. Astoria truly was one of the most kindhearted people he had ever met; there was a reason people actually referred to her as the Slytherin Sweetheart. She was nice to everyone, regardless of who they were, something Draco could not honestly admit to doing. He often marveled at how he could get along so well with someone so different from him. He didn't know if Astoria was a Blood Traitor, and he quite honestly didn't want to know; she was at the very least civil towards Mudbloods and Blood Traitors, but he did not know if her attitude towards them went any further than that. He hoped she wasn't one for a couple of reasons. The first being that he would be humiliated to be in the company of a Blood Traitor, and the second being she would be in danger once Voldemort came fully back to power.
Draco was convinced the Dark Lord would be in control shortly. Draco had once dreamed of it happening, but now that he was a Death Eater he realized the full extent of the horror that was currently happening and would continue to happen. Draco, though he would never admit it aloud, was in love with Astoria Greengrass. She was a ray of sunlight while he was a shot in the dark. He got the feeling that she was much more innocent than him; he didn't think he ever heard her say a bad word about anyone; he had complained about other people in front of her, but she had never joined in. That was Astoria for you; sweet and nonjudgmental, and he didn't want to corrupt her or have her think negatively of him.
He still bullied people, but not in front of her. He had no idea if she knew he did, but he suspected she probably did but had just never brought it up. He had no idea whether or not she suspected this or if she reciprocated his feelings, but he did not want for her to be put in harm's way. In answer to her question that she had asked moments ago, if he were to answer truthfully, he would have replied that what he wanted was her safety, her reciprocation of his feelings, and for the war to end.
"Draco?" Astoria's voice snapped him out of his train of thought.
"Hm?" His gray eyes met the emerald orbs staring back at him.
"Do you know what you want for Christmas yet?" Astoria repeated, tossing her golden blonde curls back a bit as she did so.
He shrugged absentmindedly. "You don't have to get me anything this year."
Astoria blinked at this. Draco Malfoy always wanted something every year. She usually wound up getting him something Quiddich related each year, although she had given him other items as well in the past. "Is something wrong Draco?"
"I don't want a Christmas present this year, what's wrong with that? "Draco responded nonchalantly.
"Ok… well, my next class starts in five minutes, so I suppose I better be going then…see you." Astoria gave him that beaming smile he loved so much; the combination of her freckles and dimples gave her a smile that could be described, in a word, as adorable. He gave a curt nod in response and she left. Once Astoria was out of earshot, she sighed. She had heard the rumors people were saying about Draco, that he was a Death Eater. She hoped and prayed that they weren't true, but she noticed his complexion was paler than usual these days, he seemed more tired, and some of his arrogance had decreased, and he was more unhappy than he used to be.
Regardless, Astoria knew he needed a friend, and that the best thing she could do for him this holiday was to be one.
A/N:I decided to leave the ending ambiguous as to how much Astoria knows / doesn't know and whether or not she returns Draco's feelings, so it's all up to the reader's interpretation. Happy Holidays and please review!:D