Getting By


Author's Note: Sorry it has taken me so long to update! School has been insanely busy, unfortunately. One more week and I'm on break, thank heavens! Anyways, sorry for the short chapter, but I figured it was better than nothing.


Astoria smiled as she laid on her stomach on a thick oriental rug that was infront of a fire in the Room of Requirement. The room had become a sanctuary for Draco; and Astoria found herself frequenting the place with him anytime they didn't have classes. After the first couple of weeks of rude comments, nasty hexes, and unsaid threats Draco had retreated to the Room of Requirement, a fact that partially bothered Astoria but that she could understand none-the-less. At some point she'd make him go back to the Slytherin Common Room; and stand up to their peers...but she'd let him have time. Besides, she had grown fond of all the alone time they spent together.

Draco smiled as he let his long fingers glide across the ivory of the Grand Piano in front of him. He'd learned how to play the instrument as a child; and he found himself playing on a regular basis just to see Astoria smile. In fact, sometimes she'd join him at the instrument and he'd teach her more complex pieces of the compositions he'd play. He liked the fact that they didn't need mindless chatter to fill their time together. They could be doing different things in companionable silence. He smiled as he thought about how the past few weeks had been going for them, the only occassional downfall was Grandfall spending time with them when Kenton was busy with his nose in a book.

Astoria looked up from her Potions essay as Draco cutoff the music suddenly with a clatter. She watched as his back stiffened and his eyes stared blankly at the wall across from him. "Draco?" She slid into the seat beside him, silelntly and slowly taking his hand in her's. "What's wrong?"

Draco felt the muscles in his back clench ever so slightly as he stared forward before addressing Astoria's question. "Do you think I'm a...coward?" His eyes fliskered over to her face briefly before he went back to staring at the wall.

"Why would you ask me that?" Astoria cocked her head to the side as she stared at Draco's angular profile.

"Because my Father is. I always worked so hard to be just like him - to be a son he'd be proud to call his. And I don't want to be like him in that way, or in a lot of ways really..." Draco trailed off as Astoria wrapped her thin arms around his waist, laying her head against his shoulder as she did so.

"No Draco, I don't think you're a coward." Astoria smiled slightly as Draco's body seemed to become less rigid. "I just think you need time to rebuild. Time to figure out that you are a good guy for yourself so that you can walk through the halls here and the world outside with your head held high. And that day may not be today, but it will come." She kissed the fabric against his shoulder softly before intertwining their fingers. "So..." She said after a few minutes of silence. "You said there were a lot of ways in which you don't want to be like your father. But in what ways do you want to be like him?" Interest was written across her face as she turned so that she was facing him.

Draco swung one leg over the piano bench so that he was straddling it and facing Astoria. A flicker of a smile passed over his face as he caught her expression and met her eager eyes. "Well, when I was younger...before Hogwarts." His expression took on a far-away look as he recalled his childhood. "My Father was a really good one. He taught me quidditch, took me on cool outings, and when I was really little, he played pretend dragons with me." He chuckled deeply as she giggled.

"I can't imagine your father sitting on the floor in his designer dress robes playing with stuffed dragons..." Astoria's eyes were bright as she somehow found herself leaning against Draco on the sofa.

He nodded with a smirk. "Yes well, he did quite a lot of things that might intrigue you when I was younger. And, he's always been a good husband to my Mother." There was a kind of reverence in his voice as he spoke of his mother, a woman that he reguarded highly. "Despite what some people think, they do love eachother. In their own way, I suppose. But that's how everything is." He shrugged as he watched the fire crackle.

"I know. I remember once back at my coming-out ball how your parents danced with eachother; and they seemed so blissfully unaware of anyone but eachother. It was...sweet." She smiled as she decided on the last word with a little shock and interest.

"They were always like that when no one was around but us." His voice was softly detached as Astoria snuggled up to him farther. She didn't need him to say anything, his wording already let her know that like most everything else his parents weren't the same.

"I'm going to miss this." She sighed as he scrunched his face up into a look of confusion.

"Miss what?" His hands ran along her arms softly, soothingly.

"Miss having you all to myself." She smiled. "Soon enough you'll be back in thick with our housemates; and I'll have to share you. And once that happens you're bound to get back that cocky self-assuming air you're so good at; and be busy doing all the things you used to." She smirked as he rolled his eyes.

"You're ridiculous..." He smiled as he buried his head in her hair. "Besides, you're so much more interesting to me than any of them ever could be..."

"Oh really, and why is that!" She grinned with a mischevious glint in her eyes.

"Because of this..." He sneered with a smrik as he tickled her sides softly, his fingers barely brushing against her, causing her to squeal with laughter.

"Draco!" She laughed as he started to laugh along with her. "Stop!" She squirmed squealing with laughter as his hands stilled; and he swopped down sealing her lips with his.

"I love you..." He smiled, his voice barely audible. A grin spread across her face as she very nearly jumped him and pulled him into a full on snogging session.