Draco knocked loudly on Astoria's door, shaking his hair out of his eyes. He could hear music playing from within her apartment, but she didn't answer the door.

Gently, he tried the knob – it turned in his hand. He shook his head to himself: she hadn't even locked the door – no Muggle lock, no protective charm, nothing.

Her apartment was filled with light. Moving pictures were adhered to the wall, Astoria and her grinning friends and family waving wildly from the crazy collage of photographs. A pile of what looked like newly bought sheet music was placed on the counter, along with another two piles of paperwork. Bookshelves lined the walls, floor to ceiling, and still all the books did not fit. They were precariously stacked on the floor.

The music swelled from the next room, and Draco walked on. Suddenly, the music paused, and Draco heard Astoria mutter something. It started again, slow and sad.

He pushed open the door and leaned against the doorjamb. "Hello, Astoria."

She physically jumped in her seat and gasped. Carefully, she put her violin on the floor and looked at him, eyes wide. "What are you doing?"

"Having a serious case of déjà vu."

She looked irritated. "What I mean is, how did you get into my house?"

Draco raised an eyebrow. "Your door was open. I was meaning to talk to you about that. You really should lock your door. A girl living alone in the middle of England with her door unlocked is a seriously stupid move."

She scowled and began putting her violin back into the case. "I'm a witch, you prat. If any Muggle tried to break in, I could just petrify them and drag them out onto the street, couldn't I?"

"It wasn't the Muggles I'm worried about."

"Come to think about it," she said loudly, crouching and loosening her bow, "maybe I should lock my door. It might leave unwanted visitors out, you know what I mean?"

"That's low."

"You're low. You broke into my flat!"

"Did not."

"Did too."

"Did – I'm not playing this game with you! I came here to talk to you about what happened the last time we, er, talked."

Astoria stood up and blushed. "I want to go first."

"Fine, then. Go ahead."

She crossed her arms across her chest and tossed her hair over her shoulder. "I just want you to know that I am not a toy, Draco Malfoy. I am a human being and a woman and I will not be treated like some type of – some type of, um –"

"Object?"

"Yes! Object! I will not! You violated my body and my mind last week, and I am not happy! You can't just – just go around kissing girls, kissing me! It cannot and will not occur, in any way, shape or form! You can't just toy with my mind like that, Malfoy, it's rude and unnecessary. Because I've seen you at Hogwarts and how you treat girls and how you treated that awful Pansy Parkinson, and I will not be treated as such!"

Draco's brow furrowed. How was he toying with her mind? Kissing wasn't toying with someone's mind. It was just kissing.

Her face softened, and her eyes looked sad and desperate. "I love you like a brother, Draco," she whispered, looking down at the floor. "Like a brother. That's all."

Draco studied her face. Her eyes were focused on the floor, and the corners of her mouth were twitching. Her shoulders were hunched, arms were crossed over her chest, and her feet were so close together they were almost on top of the other.

"You are the worst liar I've ever met."

Her neck snapped up, and a tight smile didn't touch her eyes. "Excuse me?"

Draco sighed. "Must I explain everything to you? First – not meeting my eyes. Sign of a mediocre liar, though I prefer liars who make forced, uncomfortable eye contact. Second – twitching lips. I haven't seen that as much, so it might be a personal thing. Third –"

"My lips were twitching?" she asked thoughtfully. "That's strange. I didn't feel them twitching." Astoria paused. "Well, go on. Third."

"Hunched shoulders, crossed arms, feet close together: those are all signs of not being comfortable, and you, as an unpracticed liar, are uncomfortable. And just then, when I said a blunt truth about you – the fact that you suck at lying – you looked up too quickly and you smiled, but your eyes didn't get wider and your nose didn't crinkle like it does when you smile for real."

Astoria uncrossed her arms and her eyes narrowed. "You know all that from a couple things I did without thinking?"

"Now you think I'm spewing rubbish. Your eyes are narrowed."

She scowled. "It's because you are spewing rubbish. Quit messing with me."

"I'm not messing with you."

Her eyebrows shot up. "See, you just did it! Trying to make me thing you're not messing with me so you can sneakily manipulate me and make me do weird things!"

"That actually wasn't my ulterior motive, believe it or not. Despite popular belief, even though I am a Slytherin, I'm not as evil as everyone says."

"Lay off the sarcasm."

"Lay off the cynicism."

She moved her face towards mine and squinted up at me, holding her thumb and forefinger a millimeter apart. "I'm this close to kicking you out and never seeing your face again."

Draco's face softened – a rare occurrence – and his eyes turned dangerous. "Be careful what you wish for," he said in a low voice.

And he stooped to kiss her gently, barely brushing his lips against hers.

And he broke it off, turned around, and walked out of the room.

His pace was slower than normal, and he pleaded that his plan would work. Just as he was about to open the apartment door, a voice from behind him spoke.

"Get back here, Draco!"

Draco turned slowly and walked into the living room, where Astoria was now standing. She glared at him. "You're not walking out on me again, Malfoy," she said sternly.

"I believe it was you who did the walking-out last time, Greengrass."

Astoria gave him a look that probably made trolls cry and said, "Don't be smart with me. You have to be nice to me now."

"I don't have to do anything."

"Do too."

Draco didn't even bother to reply. A rare grin was slowly unfolding on his face. (Astoria noted how lovely it looked. She hadn't thought his lips were that big; she'd practically always seen them scowling.)

"Well?" she demanded. "Are you going to kiss me or not?"

Draco kept smiling like a bloody idiot, and then he said, "No. I'm going to go home." She looked disappointed, so he continued. "I'm going to change, and you are, too. And then I'm taking you out."

She looked confused. "As in, a date? You're asking me out?"

"Or we could be friends-with-benefits, if you'd prefer. But you're a little too intelligent for that, if you asked for my opinion."

"Pick me up in half an hour."