Chapter Nine

Draco had disapparated home. Gone back to that huge, cold, empty place where his mother was frightened and inclusive, and his father was bitter and abusive. But maybe it was better than here where the people were hateful and unforgiving, and even she herself could never fully understand him.

She sighed. She was waxing poetic again.

Astoria turned to go back to Madame Malkin's, but stopped, remembering that she hated Lindy now, more than ever. Of course, Lindy was merely an old, uneducated woman, who had suffered from the War, and was looking to pin that on somebody. But still. She embodied the hatred that Draco felt every time he went out in public, and she couldn't- she wouldn't make him feel that every time he came to see her. She would have to move.

But where?

Honestly, where would she go? Olivia was at Madame Malkin's. Her new furniture was at Madame Malkin's. Her sister, for god's sake, was at Madame Malkin's.

But she would have to find a new flat. There had to be someplace in Diagon Alley. It didn't have to be expensive, yet she wondered how she could afford it. Madame Malkin's was free. And she didn't have a lot of money of her own. Only her meager salary from WWW. But she would make due. Actually, that was a good place to start. Maybe George would know someplace.

She turned around, and headed towards Weasley's Wizards Wheezes, ignoring the staring people around her. Draco would hate this. That they judged her for him, but she could care less. They were beneath her. She held her chin up, and kept her eyes forward.

As she pushed open the hardwood door of Weasley's Wizards Wheezes, a cloud of confetti surrounded her, but instead of just floating peaceably to the ground, it stuck to her jumper, no matter how many times she tried to pick them out.

" Weasley!" She screamed. Really. Honestly. He was like a child sometimes.

A red-headed man skidded around the corner on a pair of roller skates. Except he was going backwards. And coming at her fast.

Astoria squeaked and dove out of the way, into a pile of soft pillows. A pile of soft, soft pillows. Wait a second . . . she was the keeper of the books, and when did they order a pile of soft pillows? Oh, Merlin, no. The man-eating ones?! Astoria lept to her feet, and heard faint hissing behind her, as the pillows tried to snatch at her legs.

George had slammed into the door, and slumped to the floor, a dazed grin on his freckled face. " Yeah, Tor?"

She sighed. " Confetti, boss. Lots and lots of confetti. All over me. Man-eating pillows. Boss. Please."

George was trying to pull the skates off his feet with much difficulty. They appeared to be glued on. " It's a bloody joke shop, Tor!"

" You're a bloody grown-up!"

" You're a bloody buzzkill . . ." George mumbled. " What do you want anyway? It's your day off. Unless you want some pranking advice-"

" No thank you. I was just wondering . . . are there any places in Diagon Alley for rent? Someplace cheap, mind."

" Aren't you living at Malkin's?" He had managed to pry the skates off, and was hastily trying to cram them back into a box before they flew back onto his feet. One snapped at him in indignation.

" Yeah, but . . . I needed to leave. The landlady was being a complete idiot." Astoria threw her hands in the air in mock outrage. " But yeah, I have to leave, and if the flat had room enough for Daph too?"

George nodded absently, trying to think. The War had hit him and his family hard, Astoria knew. Not financially, in that they were doing better than they had ever been, but their family . . . Astoria knew that George's twin brother had been killed at the Battle of Hogwarts, and honestly, the first time she had seen George she hadn't known what to say. There were crow's feet around his eyes, and grey hairs in his ginger mop, even though he couldn't have been more than twenty-five.

" I can't think of anywhere here that would be cheap . . . This is Diagon Alley. But I just might- Let me make a few Floos, and I'll get back to you. I might just have a spot for you." He was grinning again, and she smiled back.

He disappeared into the back, and she looked around her. The joke shop really was amazing. Right now, the activity was a little dead, so she walked over to see Abigail, one of the other shop girls.

" Hey, Abs!"

The blonde looked up at her cheerfully. " What are you doing here today, Tor? I thought this was one of your days off!"

" Just needed some advice from George about something, nothing serious. Which, by the way, do you know any places to rent? A flat?"

She shook her head- " I wouldn't know where to even begin looking! My boyfriend found me the one I'm in now!"

Astoria groaned. " Just my luck. I wish I had your boyfriend."

" Hey! Hands off!"

" Joking."

" Though, if you must know, I have to confess. I saw you with a certain somebody a few days ago? Walking out of Diagon Alley! Together!"

Astoria's face flushed. " Hmm? Who?" She knew. She already knew.

" Draco Malfoy!"

Just then the door flew open, and the confetti went off again. Now that she wasn't in the cloud of swirling sticky paper, Astoria roared with laughter at the sight of the man walking in covered in a paper-mache-like rainbow.

" How can we help you?" Abi called over the cursing.

" Bloody Hell, how do you get this stuff off?"

" You'll have to ask George, but he's in the back now. He still hasn't gotten me!" Astoria said, before abruptly stopping. The man who had just walked in.

He was tall and lanky, with big hands and big feet, a nice face with a rather bashful smile, and a mop of Weasley-red hair. And she had seen his face a million times in the papers.

" Ron Weasley?" She gasped.

" Yeah, and who are you?"

" Astoria Greengrass. I work here!"

Ron shook himself off like a wet dog, though it didn't do much good, and walked to the counter. " Did you guys say Draco Malfoy?"

" Oh-" Abi said, looking abashed. " I was just asking Tor here why she was walking around Diagon Alley with him."

Astoria wanted to slap her forehead. Merlin, could that girl not keep anything a secret?! Ron was looking at her with more interest. " You're Draco's girlfriend?! I never thought I'd see the day- And you work here?! Does George know?"

" Does George know what?" Oh, Merlin. There was her boss. She was going to kill Abi."

" I may, possibly be Betrothed to marry somebody-" She burst out all in one quiet, mumbled, mess.

George deciphered that for a moment. " Wait. What? You? Who?"

" Draco Malfoy." There that was over with. Not that it should make a difference anyway.

" That bleached-out, ferrety, son of a git!"

" Well, he's not that bad-" Astoria said.

" Are you being Betrothed against your will?" That was Abigail. Astoria glared at her.

" Why would you say that? Maybe I'm in love with him!"

" With Draco Malfoy?" Ron now. " That's impossible! That little prat is an ignorant, slimy, disgusting piece of work! He's a complete daddy's boy, who lives off the family fortune, and he supported You-Know-Who!"

" I know!" Astoria snapped. " But he's changed, and you don't have to date him, so just get over it, alright? And he's not slimy."

George whistled. " Merlin, Tor, you are completely and totally whipped!"

" Don't be ridiculous, only guys can be whipped."

" That's sexist."

" What? I don't think it-"

Just then the door cracked open again, and the confetti went off again to resounding howls from George and Astoria.

There was an unamused grimace on Angelina Johnson's face when she stepped out of the cloud. She marched up to George and slapped him round the face, then kissed him. " You're an idiot."

" Eugh-" Ron gagged. " Get a room!"

" Mate, I've walked in on you and Hermione doing much, much worse so-"

Ron's face turned bright red.

" Hello, Astoria!" Angelina said brightly. She had already met Astoria on several different occasions, because although she insisted she didn't work here, she stopped by way more than any of the part-time employees.

" So, do you have a room?" George asked her.

" Oh, yeah, so, Toria, George told me you needed a flat, yeah? Well, I was actually considering moving out of my own and into George's for a while now-"

Ron gagged again.

" Oh, shut up, Ronniekins-" George interjected, but Angelina only talked louder, over them.

" So, if you want to rent the flat, yeah? Of course, if you don't want to that's fine, you might want to see it first."

Astoria was about to offer her utmost gratitude, when the door blew open- again. But this time it wasn't a Weasley, or even a soon-to-be Weasley. It was Draco Malfoy.

" Astoria!" He blurted. " What are you-? I came back to say-"

Then Draco noticed Ron, George, and Angeline all looking at him with disgust, and he straightened, his face turning pink. " I . . . I'll owl you later. I've got to go."

" No!" Astoria said. " You can stay! I promise!" She shot a glare at the two Weasleys, who were still glaring at Draco.

" Get out," Ron hissed. " Get out of this shop-!" He reached for his wand, and Astoria stepped in front of Draco. She noticed she wasn't much help as a shield, because her head was below his chin.

" Don't be an idiot, Weasley-!" She warned him.

" Ron, put away your wand," George ordered. " It's fine." But his face was pale and strained, and Angelina was gripping his hand tightly.

" It's okay-" Draco whispered in her ear, sending warm shivers down her spine, " It wasn't anything important. I forgot myself. Trust me, I'm not worth it. I'll meet you outside."

" I'll come now!" She said, looking defiantly at Ron. " See you tomorrow, boss. Thanks for the offer, Ang." She gave them congenial nods.

They left the store, and the confetti fell away as they stepped outside the magical boundaries. " I'm so sorry about that-" Astoria blurted out.

" It's fine. I expected it. I mean, I was on the side that killed their brother. They were surprisingly cordial."

She hadn't looked at it that way. " Still, I'm sorry you have to deal with that. And I'm moving out of Malkin's."

Draco looked stunned. " You can't! That's the best place for you! It's free, and you've got Olivia, and you guys just re-decorated!"

She placed a hand against his cheek. " I know, I know, but I'm not staying someplace where you feel unwelcome. This job is different. I don't live here."

Draco nodded absently. " Do you need a place to stay?"

" Angelina says she might know of a place."

" But that will cost you guys, and you don't have any money!"

" Merlin, Draco, I know!" She threw her hands in the air, " I don't know what to do!"

" You can stay at my place."

She froze, hands still in the air, and stared at him. " At Malfoy Manor?" She felt disgust ripple through her body.

" No, at the muggle place in London. It's a nice apartment, and Daphne could stay there too. Please. It's safer than you are now anyway, this near Nocturne Alley."

She rolled his eyes at his characteristic paranoia. " I'm not stealing your apartment, Draco." Though it was nice to offer.

" I don't ever hardly use it!"

" Are you serious? I would feel like a charity case. And I don't want to-"

He groaned and ran a hand through his platinum blonde hair, which was very distracting. " Astoria, don't be an idiot." Well, that's not very charming, she thought. " Please. You're my Betrothed! Of course you can sleep in my apartment!"

Then his cheeks turned pink when he realized what he had said, and she laughed. " Only for a bit, okay? And only because I really, really liked your window."

He grinned, a look of prideful accomplishment on his face. " Brilliant! Do you need help moving?" Then he blanched. " Or would it be better if I didn't go near that place."

She smiled ruefully. " How about I meet you at the apartment?"

He nodded absentmindedly, and then leaned down, and kissed her sweetly on the lips. It was fast, and not the epitome of passion, but when he disapparated, she was left, blushing and grinning in the middle of Diagon Alley.

AN: Sorry for not updating yesterday! Tbh, I forgot that I hadn't. So, what do you think about this chapter? I know, I know, Astoria came to Draco's defense . . . again, and it doesn't make sense because they're not in love . . . at least not yet, right? I'm having a bit of trouble keeping them on the wall between enemies and lovers, without making them best mates.

Were the Weasleys OOC? Was Draco? I'm a little worried about the way I portrayed Ron. I know he hates Draco, but I don't want it to seem like I'm on Draco's side, because I hate Ron-bashing.

Thanks for reading!