A/N: Okay. So, I am going to be going on vacation to Puerto Rico! I will be bringing my computer, but there is no guarantee that I will write. I want to get the next chapter out by the 14th, but I will be getting back on the 6th and then leaving again on the 12th. SO I will say for sure Chapter 7 will be posted by the 18th but I can't guarantee any sooner until I've finished writing Chapter 13 and at least started Chapter 14. Anyways, enjoy this one! Trust me.


Astoria was nearly packed for Bulgaria and was taking a break from matching cloaks and accessories etc. when a frowning Daphne stumbled into her room. Although she and her cousin were somewhat close, Astoria was not used to being one of the people Daphne relied on for gossip. But, she wouldn't offend her cousin by turning her out to finish packing.

"It's so unfair, all of my friends live in London" Daphne sighed, throwing herself across Astoria's bed. Her hair fanned around her like a curtain, and she pretended not to see Astoria frown. Astoria rolled her eyes at the wall before addressing her cousin with a rather tight smile.

"Well, when I asked you if you wanted to come along, you turned me down." Sure Astoria had only asked to be polite, but Daphne's rather rude response was a bit more hurtful and a bit less dignified than she would have liked.

"Oh, please can I come Astoria?" Daphne perked up, missing the brisk tone in Astoria's voice.

"I'll be good I swear. I won't even fight Chloe, and Nicole likes me." Astoria had to concede that the last time the two girls had been in a room together they had bonded over mocking other people. She knew Chloe would kill her, but she couldn't hurt her cousin either.

"Of course you can come, but you only have a week to pack" Astoria said, hoping that would dissuade her cousin. Daphne was a notorious over-packer, she could pack 2 trunks full of things for a weekend trip, and the two girls would be spending two weeks hidden away in the heart of Bulgaria.

"I'm already packed; I started packing after you invited me the first time, when I realized how boring things are in London if you leave. The only thing I don't have packed is your birthday present." Astoria had almost forgotten that her birthday was approaching, now that school was over. July 3rd, the same as every other year. She wondered if the date had anything to do with Chloe's sudden need to vacation, and fervently hoped not.

"That's great! Now all you have to do is write a letter to Chloe telling her you're coming. Well, and to Anya." If it was Astoria in Daphne's position, she would have given up. Although she'd never admit it, she hated writing to people she didn't know. It felt impersonal, and creepy. Daphne, on the other hand, grinned.

"We'll have so much fun!" she said, before leaving Astoria's room as quickly as she came. Privately, Astoria penned her own letters to all three of her friends, explaining why Daphne was coming. As usual, Anya sent a short letter saying it was fine, Chloe sent one berating Astoria for being a pushover, and Nicole sent 5 sheets of parchment on why she was excited, how fun America was, what she was packing, and other small details.

As soon as she was sure her cousin had left, Astoria flopped back onto her bed frowning. She could only think of getting away from her cousin, even just for a moment. So when she got a letter from Engel inviting her out for a day at his small workplace, she readily agreed.

~~~~Delicate~~~~

A day later, Engel was helping Astoria take her cloak off as she surveyed the strange place where he claimed to work. Of course she knew that he worked for fun not money, but the wizard daycare was absolutely adorable. Children in matching miniature robes pranced about flying on miniature broomsticks and waving sticks enchanted to make sparkles like wands.

He surveyed her apprehensively, but she couldn't contain her smile. She loved children; they were who she eventually wanted to heal.

"This is adorable!" she cooed, a small smile growing on her face as she surveyed the room. As soon as she spoke, they all turned to look at her. Some toddled over immediately: one brave boy hugging her legs, while another girl tugged her hands.

Others shied away from her, one surprising Engel by hiding behind his legs and peering out at her.

"I like your hair" one little boy said, earning a smile from Astoria. Others complimented her on her looks too. It was sweet, and by the time Astoria went home, she felt happier than she had in a while. In spite of that, she still eagerly anticipated going out with Draco.

~~~~Delicate~~~~

Two days later, Astoria sat in a café waiting for him. She had agonized over her hair before leaving it down, and she was dressed classily in high waist pants and a peach blouse. However, her nerves had caused her to arrive early, and therefore, she was bored.

The door opened, but instead of being Draco she noticed a mother with two babies and a toddler. One of the babies was being levitated through the air by a clearly frazzled mother, so without thinking about it, Astoria plucked it out of the air. The girl had short light brown curls, making her young age very obvious.

"Oh petite precieuse" she cooed, ignoring the mother, who seemed floored.

"What's her name" Astoria asked, hating that the French snuck back into her voice. Somehow the accent had stuck, she imagined from years of learning magic in French.

"Her name is Angeline" her mother said,

"This is Angelus, her twin, and this little spitfire is Natalie."

The three year old giggled at being addressed before darting between her mother's legs, while the infant huffed, before turning a large green eye so similar to his sister's to face Astoria. Immediately, he started crying and reached out to where she was already holding his sister. The woman smiled, but before she could say anything, Astoria felt two familiar arms work their way around her waist, and an even more familiar voice whispered

"Seems like you charm men of all ages." The woman's smile grew tight upon seeing Draco, and despite the wailing cries and reaching arms of Angelus, she led her two children away.

"Bring Angeline back when you're leaving" she said, a bit coldly, before steering a wailing Angelus and a confused looking Natalie away. Astoria turned away from the woman to face Draco, who was staring at her with a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Sorry, for that, I mean" he said, gesturing with his head towards where, even then, the woman was watching Astoria cradling Angeline over the top of her menu.

"People are judgmental. If Harry Potter, of all people, is able to look you in the eye and say that your family deserved pardon, then it should be good enough for them."

"If we were all as good as Potter the war wouldn't have started in the first place. As is, there's a lot of things the general public doesn't know about the war, and what they do know is bad enough for them to hate me for quite some time."

Astoria sighed. She hadn't wanted to bring the issue up, and she was curious to hear not the public's side, but Draco's. But something was telling her now was not the time to ask, so she drew in a deep breath, and with it pulled all her questions into the back of her mind.

"Okay." was all she said out loud, before diverting her attention to wave at a still crying Angelus, who giggled.

Draco seemed troubled, his brows furrowed in confusion, and Astoria tried not to dwell on how sweet and almost innocent he looked, when his face was consumed by real emotions.

"You don't care?" Somehow, it was both a statement and a question, as if he dared not believe it. Astoria simply smiled, before glancing back down to her menu.

"You know, I've been here a few times. I always consider getting a quiche, and then settle for soup. This time though, I think I might try the quiche." She looked up, only to catch another glimpse of a smirk she was coming to appreciate.

"Quiche? Guess Beauxbatons really did a number on you, huh?" She recognized that he was poking fun at her, and shot him a smirk of her own, arching an eyebrow.

"There is nothing wrong with quiche, it is delicious and a favorite of many people, Mr. Malfoy." Draco laughed, but his eyes focused on hers as he said

"Call me Draco. Honestly, Mr. Malfoy is so like my father, and I'm still not sure whether that's something I need to be."

Astoria smiled, a genuine smile, and looked into Draco's eyes. She knew that there were things he needed to tell her, for his sake, not hers. And she promised herself that she wouldn't give up on him. It was obvious to her that the public disapproval bothered him more than he'd admit, and she was going to make sure that he got back to a healthier place. Besides, she had a feeling she couldn't rest until she'd at least seen him truly happy.

"Fine then Draco, I'd like to know what you have against my quiche?" She smiled, feeling bolder than she had in a while.

"Hmmm, maybe I should taste it?" he said. She smiled, and he waived the waitress over.

"I'll have a steak and a fire whiskey, and Astoria will have a quiche and a…" he trailed off, but Astoria didn't notice, too busy being mildly amused by the way the waitress seemed to think that shoving her bust towards Draco's face would make her middle-aged frame more attractive.

"Oh!" she said when she finally realized, a bit of pink rising to her cheeks. Draco raised an eyebrow in amusement, and the corner of his mouth hinted at a smirk.

"Umm, a butterbeer, please." The two were now both looking at her, Draco with that same amused curiosity and the waitress like she'd just noticed Astoria was there.

"Oh, right." The waitress clipped, suddenly seeming to decide that standing straight might be better for her posture after all. As she walked off, Astoria glanced again at the mother, who was now glancing at her son warily. She scanned the store, and Astoria noticed her leg bouncing as she glanced between the table and the bathroom. She locked eyes on Astoria, bit her lip, and then stood with an apologetic smile.

"I am so sorry to bother you, especially after I was so rude, I'm just a bit stressed. You're wonderful with children by the way. And, well, can you watch them for maybe just 5 minutes while I go to the loo?" The woman came over with her toddler and Angelus, who had given up his wailing now that his target was in sight.

"I'll take him" Astoria offered, shifting Angeline to one arm and scooping the now gurgling baby boy into the other. Then, after a bit of juggling, she shifted both babies into a surprised looking Draco's arms, and hoisted the smiling three-year old onto her lap.

"Go ahead, Draco and I will be just fine with them" Astoria smiled, glancing at Draco to see his reaction. His eyebrows were raised, but his smirk had come back out to play, and he was absentmindedly bouncing Angelus on his knee. He nodded at her, and she turned back to the frazzled mother.

"Thank you both so much, I promise I won't be gone long. Astoria waved her towards the door, and then she turned to face Draco.

"Do you always stop strange women with children and offer them time off their motherly duties?" Draco asked, tilting his head in amusement.

"No, trust me. Children don't do well in bathrooms, they make messes and make noise and it's simply unpleasant for everyone involved."

"How very noble of you" Draco nodded, attempting to stop Angelus from fussing. Natalie was staring at him, and then she stared at Astoria.

"Are you a mommy?" She asked bluntly. Despite the child's age, the statement still brought a blush across Astoria's face.

"No silly. I'm too young to be a mommy. I still need my own mommy." She smiled. The three year old then bounced off her lap, and scooted a chair closer to Draco.

"Then you're not a daddy." She said, standing on the chair and planting a three year old kiss on his cheek. Still smirking, he winked at Astoria before handing her Angelus, who immediately quieted down.

"Nope!" Draco replied, popping the p. The little girl giggled.

"You're pretty" she said, still staring at Draco. He had been taking a sip of water, and it sprayed out of his mouth at her comment, leaving a puddle on the table that he waved away with his wand.

"Men aren't pretty" he said somewhat disdainfully, and then looked up to where Astoria was barely holding in a laugh.

"Apparently you are." Astoria replied, smiling at him. There was no second guessing, and no over thought remarks. The more time Astoria spent with Draco, the more natural it really seemed. Draco sighed, and then shifted Angeline into Astoria's arms as well, before scooping Natalie onto his lap.

"Men are handsome. Women are pretty. Like Astoria, she's very pretty isn't she?" As Draco pointed her out to Natalie, Astoria felt herself blush. Natalie pouted, and crossed her arms.

"You know who else is very pretty Draco?" Astoria asked with a pointed stare towards Natalie. Draco got the hint, absentmindedly patting Natalie on the head.

"Oh Natalie isn't just pretty, she's beautiful. She looks like a princess." The girl giggled, and then surveyed Astoria with wide eyes.

"Why is he named dragon?" Astoria bit her lip to keep from laughing, and Draco looked significantly less charmed by the confused-looking Natalie.

"Draco, darling, not Dragon." Astoria reprimanded, unable to keep the smile from her face.

"I like Dragon better. Will you marry me Dragon? I love you a whole lot and I'm supposed to marry someone pre, umm, handsome." Draco was saved from having to respond by their mother, who caught Natalie's eye as she exited the restroom.

She immediately jumped off Draco's lap and ran to greet her mother, who eagerly scooped her up for a hug before setting her down. She then came back for the twins, picking them up just as the waitress arrived.

"Thank you so much, both of you, now I'll be on my way." Astoria saw the harried look the woman gave her kids, and offered

"If you ever need anyone to watch them, you can owl me. I'm Astoria Greengrass, I'll be training to be a Healer soon and I love children." Astoria handed the woman her address, written on a spare bit of parchment she was lucky enough to have in her pocket.

"There's a girl down the street who watches them for me dear, but I'll be sure to write if something comes up." With that and a smile the woman left, taking her brood with her. Then, suddenly, Astoria was alone with Draco, save the waitress.

"Here you are. One fire-whiskey and one butterbeer." She set their drinks down and marched off, and Astoria was left looking somewhat awkwardly at her drink.

"I'm sure it's not poisoned, but I can check if you'd like." Astoria looked up to meet his eyes, and saw that he was already reaching for her glass. She grabbed it before he could, and took a hearty, and very unladylike, gulp.

"Hmm, seems just fine to me." she grinned. He raised an eyebrow as if to say touché, before leaning in.

"How long am I supposed to pretend not to notice that every bloke in here is staring at you?" She could tell he was joking, but it still made her look around. She made eye contact with a weary-looking man, an old man, and a boy who looked like he was in the middle of his schooling. She turned back to face him with a frown.

"All these years and I never noticed" she pretended to be upset.

"Well, when you go off and marry Natalie I guess I know where to start looking." She sighed, but couldn't keep a teasing grin off of her face. Their banter continued until the waitress brought their food, throughout their meal, and right to the door. As he held the door for her, Astoria met his eyes again. Without thinking she said

"I was hoping, if you wouldn't mind, that you could," he cut her off, grinning.

"Why don't we go for a walk, since it is a nice day?" She knew she was caught, but rather than get upset she simply started walking. He caught up to her quickly and, seemingly without thinking, he put an arm around her. She reciprocated, and he pulled her closer. If she'd looked at his face, she would have seen a small, but very real, smile.

~~~~Delicate~~~~

When Astoria finally got home, she was literally humming with happiness. She almost missed Apollo, until he cleared his throat and raised an eyebrow at her. She quickly sat down at the table, quieting but unable to keep herself from smiling.

Astoria marveled at her brother, two years into his season with no plans of settling down. He still went to see every new girl being presented, and hadn't gone out with very many of them. She knew it wasn't a status thing on his part; he simply didn't like any of them. She faintly hoped he would at least show interest soon enough, before he earned himself a reputation. Still, she kind of admired her brother for it. Nobody could say he wasn't enjoying himself.

"Who is he?" Astoria was startled out of her thoughts, and then confused by the question.

"Who is who?" she asked. Had she been speaking aloud? Apollo gave her a knowing look, before shrugging.

"This bloke you're all hung up about?" Apollo smirked at her knowingly. Astoria shook her head at him, before standing.

"Well, whoever he is, he's certainly not a girl, which is who you should be worried about. Have you even met a girl you sort-of like yet? I know two years isn't that long, but you've only even had the one dinner, and that girl was a horror. Or whore, whichever you'd prefer." Apollo leaned back in his chair.

"All the girls in London are boring, they all tell the same story. I went to Hogwarts, I was in Slytherin, maybe Ravenclaw, I love money, and I'm so beautiful. Honestly, if I could meet one woman with a personality I might marry her on the spot."

"Penelope had plenty of, well, personality, and in that dress it was on display for you all night." Astoria giggled and stuck her tongue out, remembering how she teased Apollo as a child. He seemed to take it in stride, shaking his head at her.

"Ah, to be a child again" he jeered, causing her to roll her eyes. She stood then, kissing him on the cheek before going up to her room. She could admit that she was a bit hung up about Draco Malfoy. He hadn't complained about the interruption of Natalie and the babies, and he had to be the most charming person she'd ever met. When he'd kissed her good-bye, and it was certainly more of a kiss than she'd gotten from even Maggiore, she was kissing back before she even realized. No, she definitely was fond of Draco Malfoy, and it was all she could do to hope that he felt the same.