The majority of the guests had already left, leaving behind only a few families. Narcissa, a talented people person, was engaged in a lively conversation with Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, though Ron was only standing near Harry because he was unfamiliar with most everyone else. The Greengrass family was still at Malfoy Manor, for they were discussing new Ministry policy with Hermione, and somewhere in the corner Ginny Weasley sat waiting eagerly to leave.

And while he presence had once been enough to drive Draco insane, he hardly noticed her as he and Astoria shared their third dance for the night in the center of the almost empty ball room. More than once, he had found his lips coming dangerously close to hers, and as he moved away before they brushed, he had seen the instantaneous flash in her eyes which faded as soon as it had come. It wasn't that he didn't desire her, for it would take a fool not to want Astoria Greengrass, but he saw life in a very different way than he once had.

To him, Astoria had been lucky to escape the many horrors strung together that made up the war. As such, she should enjoy the simplistic outlook on life which she carried. Draco felt as though Astoria, a bright Ravenclaw witch, had much more to offer the world than her services at a bookstore and a bar. He wanted her to experience life the way he feared he never would, for he had been too scared to ever look at life's possibilities the way she did.

"I had a wonderful time." Astoria spoke softly as their dance came to an end, though Draco had yet to release her from his grasp.

"So did I," he responded softly, slowly moving his hands from the small of her back to her waist.

"Did you?" She asked as she looked up at him and he nodded softly. "And you didn't even want to come." She teased as she let out a soft laugh. He smiled at her as he let her slowly walk out of his arms, though he followed her to the table along one of the walls were the food was sitting.

"Well, I'm glad I did." Astoria glanced over her shoulder at him, but only smiled at him for a moment before she turned her attention to what little amounts of food were left.

"You seem different to me, though." She commented without looking at him. Instead, she was keeping her hands busy as she collected bits of food that looked appealing on her plate, Draco trailing behind her as she walked along the table.

"How's that?"

"I-" Astoria started but stopped and rose a small piece of chocolate to her lips. Draco could tell, though, that she had stopped herself from saying something. "I don't really know, I suppose."

Silence fell around them, once more, and for the first time Astoria felt awkward about the silence between them. As she found a seat, Draco sat across from her, his shining grey eyes watching her carefully, doing their best not to take note of the fading shine in her blue eyes.

"Are you still working at the bookstore and the bar?" Draco asked and Astoria eyed him before taking a bite of her food.

"You know I am, Draco." She told him.

"Right." He nodded softly but didn't remove his gaze from her.

"Why do you ask?"

"Only curious why someone like you would want to be working in Diagon Alley." He answered and Astoria paused as she raised her eyes to him. Where her eyes had once shone with innocence he did not understand, they now held a kind of anger he had never seen in her before.

"You sound like my father." She accused simply. Astoria was never one to elaborate on her feelings and at times that quality, Draco found, had its setbacks.

"Well, I'm sure you could get a high position within the Ministry. You're talented, Astoria."

"And you, Draco?" She replied. "Could you not as well?"

"That's different." His voice carried the edge he seemed to be unable to control.

"Really?" Astoria's doubt was evident in her voice, but Draco knew she was not one to use sarcasm, especially in an argument. "How is it different, Draco?"

"I could never work for the Ministry, Astoria. They nearly destroyed us."

"Under a different Minister. During a different life time, Draco. Things are like that anymore, and I hate it when you pretend you're the only one who was affected by everything that happened."

"And how do I do that?" Draco replied.

"What you're doing now. Telling me that I should go work for the Ministry you won't even set foot in."

"I can't work for the Ministry at all, Astoria. It's my choice. I'm a-" He started but stopped, not because he didn't want to tell her, but because he had spent the last year convincing himself it wasn't true. To admit it, even to Astoria, would make it very true all over again. "They wouldn't have me, Astoria." He told her simply before he rose from his chair and started to walk towards the back entrance of the ball room, which was a quicker way to reach his bedroom on the floor above.

"So that's it, then?" Astoria called out across the ballroom and as he turned back, found her standing a few feet away from the table. Just because Astoria was generally a gentle and sweet girl, Draco knew all women could stand up for themselves and the things they loved when pushed to a certain point. Ginny had been that way as well, but he couldn't imagine what had pushed Astoria to reprimand him in a ballroom filled with his acquaintances and her family.

"That's it for what?" Draco replied, his voice becoming defensive in response to the audience to their conversation.

"Apparently nothing since you can't even say it." She answered simply. "You have, after all, decided how things were to work out, and therefore there is no need to consider anybody else."

He knew the implication of her words, but he could not fathom how she could say them. Yes, he'd wanted her to the extent where he doubted he could hold back any longer, but he had also spent time convincing himself that it was only him. Astoria could never want a man as damaged as he was.

"That's not it at all."

"Well, that's how it seems when you tell me how things are, then walk away completely sure of yourself. As I recall, your father had that very same problem."

Even from across the room, Astoria could see the thin line she had crossed as his grey eyes seemed to darken enough to chill the entire room. He did not, however, respond to her. Instead, he turned away from her once more, and continued to walk out of the ballroom as he tried to understand how it was possible for a heart to take so many blows before it finally gave up. But, Draco realized as he hurried up the back staircase, her words only seemed hurtful at first. What had really stung, was their truth, and Astoria's keen eye for the truth had always been one of the things he admired her for. He had just never anticipated that one day he would force her to use it against him.