AN: I didn't realise how long it's been until I checked the date when this was last updated. I am honestly sorry that it's taken me so long to finish this. The most tragic part is that most of this has been ready on my computer for months. But I hope that as an apology you will all accept this chapter which is a lot longer than the previous ones ( I hope no one minds ) and closes off the story I started years ago (I can't believe how long it's been). I still haven't decided whether there will be one more chapter, an epilogue. I'd like to hear your thoughts on that. But first, enjoy this extremely late piece. Also, I'm painfully aware that there might still be some spelling and grammar mistakes because I've written and re-written this too many times to read it over again. Have mercy on me.

I own none of the characters.

Astoria's hands were sweating and the muscles of her legs were tense with the desire to run but she managed to hide most of the signs of her anxiousness as she sat at the Three Broomsticks. Emma was late. Astoria knew this because after finishing the hot drink she had ordered to get rid of the ice that seemed to have settled in to her bones when she had walked through the half-frozen village of Hogsmeade, she had nothing else to do but stare at her watch impatiently. She couldn't help but to feel after each passing minute that coming here had been a mistake. She went over all kinds of details and scenarios in her mind, attempting to figure out whether this had all been some scheme she had not noticed.

"Astoria," was the only greeting Emma gave when she finally arrived. Astoria, too surprised by the fact that Emma was actually here, only nodded. Emma had not changed much physically. Her hair was the same as were her clothes but there was a small smile on Emma's face when she sat down opposite to Astoria and that was new. The certainly hadn't been a smile on Emma's face the last time the two girls had spoken.

"How have you been?" Astoria asked when the silence began to get awkward.

"I've been well. I've been studying mostly." Studying? Astoria raised her eyebrows in surprise at this. Some things had apparently changed after all. "And you?"

"I've been well too." It was not entirely a lie. At least not anymore. The past month had been better than Astoria had expected. Work had been great and Daphne's constant happiness over being engaged made the Greengrass house a much merrier place.

"It was nice of you to ask me here," said Emma after smiling at Astoria's answer. It seemed at first that Emma was on the brink of saying something more but decided against it. Astoria looked at her for a moment before gazing outside at the small and wet snowflakes that were falling from the dark grey clouds above the village. Why couldn't people ever just say what was on their mind?

"To be honest, I'm here because I want to know what sparked your apology. Why now?"

If Emma was surprised, she didn't show it. Instead she thought for a moment before saying, "I have really missed being friends with you and Grace. I know now...I mean to say that I understand... I know I made a mistake and I wanted you to know that I know that now."

"So I take it that things with John did not work out?" Astoria asked. It was an unnecessary and mean question but Astoria really couldn't help herself. She half expected Emma to yell and leave or perhaps just apparate away like Draco had, but instead Emma flashed her a smile as if she couldn't help but to laugh at the question.

"No. He was so boring. I don't understand how you could stand him for over six months without trying to murder him." A smile, unstoppable, broke out across Astoria's face as well. She had sometimes wondered the same thing.

"Well then," Astoria said, in a much friendlier mood, "would you like a butterbeer?"

At the Greengrass house, Daphne drank the last of her tea without removing her eyes from the clock ticking on the wall. Her guest was four minutes late. She kept her hands around the now empty mug simply to give herself something to hold on to. She could not believe she was doing this. This was either the most selfless or the most foolish act of her life. It amused her to think that to what she was doing could be even interpreted as an act of bravery.

Someone knocked on the door and Daphne rose from her seat, smoothed down her robes, put on her best blank look and went to open it. This had most certainly been a mistake.

"Good morning," she said evenly. Why was she doing this? For Astoria, she reminded herself. She was doing this for her sister.

"Morning," Draco Malfoy replied. Daphne directed him to the room she had been sitting in and offered him tea. Being the brat that everyone knew him to be, Draco declined and stared at one of the paintings on the wall instead. Perhaps he has an interest in art and that's why Astoria's been so smitten, Daphne thought hysterically.

"How are you?" Draco asked although it was fairly clear he didn't care. Daphne could see him turning to discreetly look around to see if someone else was home.

"Astoria isn't here," she said, sitting down after pouring more tea into her mug, "and I'm splendid, thank you."

"I didn't ask if - "

"I believe she's off somewhere having tea with someone. I'm not sure if it's a date. There has been this one boy from work..." Daphne trailed off after she saw that she'd made Draco uncomfortable enough. What she had said wasn't a lie. She didn't know where Astoria was exactly, because Astoria had refused to tell her but Daphne had once seen Astoria talking rather closely with a male healer just outside St. Mungo's. But it wouldn't have mattered even if it had been a lie. It had brought out a reaction from Draco which gave Daphne all the convincing she needed to know she was doing the right thing. At least so she hoped.

"Might I ask why you've invited me here? Other than to apparently update me on Astoria's personal life?" asked Draco. Daphne wanted to smile at how difficult it seemed for Draco to get the words out.

"You're here because I'm giving you a second chance." She picked up an envelope that she had hidden next to her chair and handed it to Draco. Draco stared at it as if it was the first time he was encountering a piece of paper. For what seemed like the 100th time, Daphne wondered what Astoria had seen in him.

"An invitation to your wedding?" Draco asked incredulously, "But why?"

"Because," said Daphne after a pause, "my sister is miserable, even though she claims otherwise. But for whatever unimaginable reason, she doesn't seem to be so miserable when she gets to spend time with you."

"I don't know if that's - "

"I haven't finished!" Daphne snapped. Draco sat back in his chair and raised his eyebrow, as if telling her to continue.

"I don't particularly like you," Daphne said, "You've been given so many chances by the world and most likely too many second chances by my sister and you've managed to ruin all of them. But as much as I dislike you, I do love my sister and I don't want her to be miserable and I certainly don't want her to end up with some Ravenclaw half-blood. So I'm giving you your second and last chance to fix what you've broken." Draco sat still and silent. It almost amused him that even at a time like this, the thing that really had his mind spinning was the question of whether or not Astoria knew Daphne had such a problem with the possibility of Astoria dating a half-blood. But to be honest, Draco himself couldn't really judge. The thought bothered him too. Immensely.

"But if you mess up now," Daphne continued, "That's it. I doubt she'll even look at you again and I certainly won't waster my time on you." Daphne put her mug on the table next to her and Draco took this as a sign that their conversation was finished. He loathed the fact that Daphne had had the last word in this and that she was right. He hated the smug smile on her face and there was a tiny voice in the back of his head screaming that there was no way Astoria knew about any of this.

"Thanks for the tea," he said even though he had drank none, "I'll think about your offer."

And just like that he was gone and Daphne, having been robbed of having the last word, was left fuming.

On February 23rd the Greengrass and Montague families were ready to celebrate. Daphne was inside the Greengrass house, screaming at people to finish any unfinished decorations and to help her with her dress. Astoria stood back, laughing at everyone and refusing to be the one to help Daphne.

"You're my sister! You have to help me!" Daphne yelled. Astoria nodded.

"You know what? I will. I'm going to go find Grace and we'll check that everything is in order outside." This answer seemed to please Daphne a little bit, at least until one of Graham's sisters nearly stepped on her dress.

Emma and Astoria had begun the uneasy job of mending their friendship. It was neither an easy nor a slow process but Astoria was confident that in time everything would be alright. She doubted things would ever be the same as they had been but that was hardly an issue. Many things had changed since the time Emma and Astoria had last been friends. One of them was Theodore's apparent coldness towards Emma. Astoria knew that Theodore disliked the idea of re-befriending someone who had, at least figuratively, attempted to stab Astoria in the back, but Astoria had thought that he would warm up to the idea. It had not yet happened. But Astoria wasn't an idiot and had for some time already entertained the idea that there was something else in play there. She could remember that Emma and Theodore had been close once and on more than one occasion after her meeting with Emma wondered just how close they had once been.

Astoria found Grace, surprisingly, with Theodore. They were sitting next to each other, looking a little out of place and not even talking but Astoria supposed that there weren't that many people at the party for them to talk to. Grace's boyfriend was arriving later.

"We need to check that everything alright outside. The guests will be coming soon," Astoria said, "Perhaps you'd like to join us, Theodore?"

"I'd rather not. I doubt the wedding guests would appreciate seeing me," Theodore replied before making an escape towards the kitchen with some lie about needing something to drink.

Outside, a huge and overly extravagant pavilion had been set out. There were spells in place the keep the inside warm enough, since Daphne had insisted on having a winter wedding. There were seats to check and flowers to arrange but everything seemed to be in order. Theodore appeared from wherever he'd been hiding right after Astoria and Grace had finished their work. He sat at the back of the pavilion and insisted that he wanted to stay there even though Astoria had arranged for him to be seated with herself, Grace and Astoria's father. Astoria was just arguing with him, ignoring the slow trickle of arriving guests when a flash of something eerily familiar appeared right at the corner of her vision. She turned, slightly, telling herself she was mistaken but no. There he stood in what had to be ridiculously expensive clothes. Here. At Daphne's wedding where she sure as hell hadn't invited him.

"What are you doing here?" Astoria demanded as she marched, as discreetly as she could, to him.

"I believe I'm attending a wedding?"

"I believe you haven't been invited," Astoria countered. Draco flashed her a smile and produced an envelope from the pocket of his coat. Astoria took it with shaky hands and stared at it in disbelief. There was an invitation with Draco's name written on it in Daphne's handwriting.

"I don't...how did you...why...?"

"You look rather busy," Draco said while offering Astoria a surprisingly warm smile, "Maybe I should just go sit down?" Astoria nodded and did her best to gather herself and seem professional.

"Theodore should already be there. Go sit somewhere near him," Astoria said as Draco brushed pass her. He nodded and she was left staring after him, confused and furious.

The door of Daphne's room flew open as Astoria stormed in.

"Get out!" she spat at Graham's sister and some other relatives who were helping Daphne with her veil. They stared at her for a moment, obviously doubting her mental state before she shouted, "GET OUT!"

They scrambled out but Daphne didn't flinch. She only kept staring at herself in the mirror. The wedding dress was very beautiful, Astoria had to admit that but she was too angry to say it out loud.

"He's here," she said instead. Daphne played dumb.

"Who's here?"

"Our grandfather. Back from the dead. WHO DO YOU THINK? Why is Malfoy here?"

"Calm down, won't you," Daphne said before turning slightly so she could look at Astoria, "Did he have an invitation?"

"Yes," Astoria said through her teeth.

"Then I don't see what the problem is," Daphne shrugged before turning to look at herself again. Astoria closed her eyes in an attempt to calm down but it didn't work.

"The problem is that I specifically told you not to invite him."

"No, you didn't," Daphne insisted although she didn't remove her eyes from her reflection. Astoria was close to losing her mind right then and there.

"Yes, I did!"

"No. You told me not to invite him to the engagement party. You never said that you didn't want him at the wedding. You should've told me." Astoria stared at her sister as if Daphne had turned in to some strange creature right in front of her.

"Well I'm telling you now!" Astoria snapped, "I want him gone!"

"Don't be ridiculous," said Daphne, turning to face Astoria again, "Asking him to leave now would only create a scene. You don't want to ruin my wedding, do you?"

Astoria opened and closed her mouth like a fish on dry land before grunting and leaving the room, slamming the door after her. Graham's sister and the others jumped back as Astoria strode through the hallway to the pavilion outside. Astoria marched to the front row, like an angered child and sat there quietly until the wedding actually started.

The wedding was beautiful and many cried. Astoria was not among those people, even though seeing her sister smile and cry as she said her vows made Astoria's anger subside. It even made her forget that Draco was there. At least until the seats had been replaced with tables and people began to dance and walk around. In the commotion Astoria failed to notice that Draco was walking towards her. If she had seen him she would've run away or perhaps, out of spite, apparated away. But as it was, he managed to get to her without her noticing it until he stood right in front of her.

"Could we talk?" he said without greeting her in any other way. Astoria stared at him without knowing what to say.

"Yes, you could," Theodore said, suddenly appearing between his friends, "in fact I think it's a -"

"Go away," Astoria snapped and Theodore, pretending to take offence, walked off.

"What do you want to talk about?" Astoria asked, crossing her arms over her chest. For a moment Draco was distracted by the way Astoria's dark grey dress flowed and the way an expensive looking necklace hung from her throat. Gathering his thoughts he managed to say,

"This isn't the best place to talk. Could we go outside?" Astoria gave him a calculative look before glancing outside.

"It's cold out there," she pointed out.

"You can have my coat if you want," said Draco. Astoria shook her head. She had clearly figured out a better option.

"Follow me," she said. Astoria led Draco from the pavilion to outside and then inside the Greengrass house. Eventually she opened the door to a comfortable looking room. At least it seemed comfortable to Draco until he saw that there was a bed in the room.

"Where are we?" he asked, unwilling to enter before he knew what room this was. He could see clearly enough that it was a bedroom but whose? And why were they there?

"This is my room," Astoria said while sitting down on chair next to a writing desk, her writing desk. Draco looked around the room while swallowing. Astoria had brought him in to a place that could not more clearly be her territory. Draco found it difficult to remember what he'd been meaning to say.

"Is there something wrong with my room?" Astoria asked. Draco shook his head immediately. He headed to a couch that was placed near one of the windows, avoiding Astoria's bed.

"You wanted to talk?" Astoria asked and Draco noted that the cold tone of her voice was back. Bringing him here had amused her but now that he was here the amusement was gone.

"I heard you made up with Emma," Draco started, "I hadn't realised that was something you wanted to do."

"Yes. Well. She apologized."

"I'm sorry too," Draco said and Astoria was visibly surprised, "I'm sorry that every time you've given me a second chance I've failed. I've been rude, even though you haven't deserved it and...and I'm sorry." This speech was rehearsed and Astoria could tell it. But that didn't make it any less impressive. Astoria couldn't think of a time when Draco had apologized to her before. She wasn't sure she'd ever heard him say 'sorry'. Just as she was about to reply, Draco continued.

"I know that a lot of things have changed and some things haven't but I'd like it if we could at least be friends," he said.

"Just friends?" was Astoria's first question and her haste in asking this made both of them blush a little. After a moment, Draco smiled. For his whole little speech he had been avoiding eye contact but now he looked straight at her.

"For starters," he said. Astoria could feel herself blushing even further.

"I don't think we've ever been friends," she finally admitted. Draco nodded and let his eyes wonder around Astoria's room.

"I know. Which is why I think it would be a good place to start. I don't even know your favourite quidditch team," he added the last phrase as an afterthought that he hadn't meant to say out loud.

"Holyhead Harpies."

"What?"

"My favourite quidditch team is the Holyhead Harpies." For reasons Draco himself couldn't explain, that made him smile. But Astoria suddenly got very serious.

"Don't disappear when I'm talking to you, even if you don't like what I say. And don't call people mudbloods or anything like that. And don't yell at me when you're really angry at something or someone else," she said, "Those are my conditions."

"Your conditions for...?" Draco leaned forward in his seat even though Astoria was several feet away.

"My conditions for being...friends." Astoria's heart nearly stopped when Draco lowered his head to think about it. He looked up at her again after a moment and for the briefest of seconds, Astoria was sure it was all over. He was going to say no and they would never speak again. She could live with that. She had lived with that. But then...

"Alright," Draco said. He got up from where he was sitting, walked over to Astoria and extended his hand. Astoria stared at it. Unhelpfully, a voice that horrifyingly resembled Ginny Weasley's whispered, look, the hand of a Death Eater. The mark was there, she knew. Somewhere under the layers of his sleeve.

"Can I convince you to dance?"

"You dance?" Astoria asked, mortified. Draco nodded seriously.

"My mother made me learn how to dance when I was nine or ten." Astoria grabbed his arm and in a second they appeared not far from the dance floor.

For the rest of the evening, Astoria and Draco danced, talked and laughed. It was a strange evening that Astoria would remember for the rest of her life.

When it was pitch black and colder than Astoria imagined it would be, Draco said he had to leave. Astoria had to admit she was surprised he had stayed this long. Some of looks Draco had been getting from the other guests were, to put it mildly, unkind. Yet when he said the words, Astoria felt like it was all too soon. She felt drunk and happy even though she'd barely had anything to drink and she could barely feel her feet anymore.

Standing outside the pavilion, in the cold darkness, Astoria and Draco just stared at each other, not quite knowing what to say. Draco knew he had to say something. He couldn't just apparate away like he had done before. But he had no idea what he could, let alone should say.

"Should I have congratulated Daphne on my parents' behalf as well?" Draco asked when he couldn't think of anything else to say. Astoria laughed, which always meant he'd said the right thing.

"You can go tell her. If you want her to hit you," Astoria laughed. Astoria's laugh was a strange sound. It always sounded slightly different and Draco always wondered which one of her laughs were real and which ones were fake. But if someone had asked him about this laugh, he would have put most his money down on it being real. Considering how much money he head, that was quite a bet to make.

They fell in to silence once again. Draco put his hands in the pockets of his coat to shield them from the wind. Looking around at the enchanted lights that had been lit when the sun had began to set, he failed to notice how intently Astoria was watching him. He'd seen her take that long look at his arm before he'd asked her to dance. It had been his left arm and it wasn't difficult to decipher what she might have been thinking. He wondered if that was what Astoria was going to talk to him about now. What questions would she have of his past as a Death Eater? She knew some things, that was sure, but there were other things as well. Things Draco had not told, things he did not want to tell but knew he would have to if he ever wanted anything to become of their...friendship.

"Kiss me." At first Draco thought he'd imagined her saying it, so even though he turned to look at her, he didn't say or do anything. But Astoria stared straight at him and said again,

"Kiss me."

Draco smiled and glanced at the enchanted lights again. There weren't that many people outside the pavilion anymore. It was too cold.

"I thought we were supposed to be friends. I didn't realise friends are allowed to kiss," he said. It was the dumbest thing he could've said and he realised it the second the words left his mouth. He wanted to hex himself. But Astoria smiled.

"We can call it a drunken mistake, caused by too much drinking and dancing in a romantic setting," Astoria suggested. Draco smiled, glad that she hadn't slapped him for his comment but unsure if she was being serious about wanting to be kissed. When another moment passed and Draco did nothing, Astoria shook her head.

"You're unbelievably difficult," she laughed. Then she kissed him. If hearing Astoria laugh was like being under some incantation that prevented Draco from focusing on anything else, then kissing Astoria was surely a poison strong enough to kill him. At least Draco felt like his heart had stopped beating.

It took Draco too long to react and Astoria pulled back a little, afraid she'd made a mistake in kissing him. But Draco only smiled and pulled her back against his lips. They stood there, pressed against each other, until Astoria shivered against the cold air.

"You should go," she said with her arms still wrapped around Draco's neck. He kissed her, lightly, one more time before tugging on her hands and letting go of her.

"Do I have your permission to apparate?" Draco asked as a joke. Astoria pretended to consider this very seriously.

"Yes," she finally said, "so long as you remember to come back." Draco was sure he was dreaming.

"Tomorrow?" he asked. Astoria looked around at the lights and garden around them before folding her arms over her chest and facing him again.

"Today. It's already the 24th." Draco nodded and with a slight 'pop' he was gone.

Astoria woke up several hours later with hair that looked more like a foreign species of animal than human hair. She put on the robe Daphne had given her and did her best to fix her hair but gave up soon in favour of getting tea from the kitchen. She noted that it looked like her father was still asleep. Michael Greengrass had been visibly moved at Daphne's wedding and Astoria thought she'd seen him shed a tear or two, even though everyone knew Michael had never liked Graham that much.

In the kitchen Astoria struggled with the kettle. Her mind was still half asleep and the task of making tea was proving to be much too complicated. Just when Astoria thought she'd figured it out, someone knocked on the door. Surprised, Astoria let out a scream. She quickly covered her mouth, a little ashamed. Composing herself, she went to open the door only to find a very concerned looking Draco Malfoy standing behind it.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Are you okay? I heard you scream," Draco asked at the same time.

"Well I was - "

"You told me to - "

Astoria put her hand up as a sign for Draco to be quiet and let her speak. He shut up instantly.

"You scared me. It's still morning. I just woke up. What are you doing here?" Astoria asked. She didn't appreciate the fact that Draco looked amused.

"It's three o'clock and you told me to come over later today, so here I am," he said. Astoria turned around to look for the nearest clock and it turned out Draco was right. It was three o'clock. Just as Astoria was about to say something, the sound of someone cursing loudly echoed from the stairs. Astoria and Draco both stared in shock as Michael Greengrass appeared at the bottom of the stairs, rubbing his leg.

"Why is there so much stuff lying about? Did no one clean after they left? I - " he stopped when he noticed the two people standing by the door. His eyes glanced from Draco to Astoria and back before they widened in realisation.

"Are you just leaving?" he asked with a look that said he was just about ready to hex Draco in to oblivion.

"No, no, no, no..." Draco insisted, forzen from horror. He could duel well enough but with daughters like Astoria and Daphne, Michael Greengrass was not a man Draco ever wanted to face in a duel.

"He's come to make us tea," Astoria said while simultaneously pulling Draco inside and closing the door. Both of the men stared at her in utter confusion.

"Tea," Astoria repeated, pointing at the kitchen and looking at Draco.

"I am not your house elf," said Draco, sounding a little insulted. Astoria tightened the robe around herself and walked past him to the kitchen.

"I know, but considering how incredibly forgiving and graceful I've been towards you, I think you ought to make me tea," she called out. Draco and Michael were left to stare at each other. Draco with growing discomfort as he wondered if Michael knew of the kiss Draco had shared with Astoria. From the look on Michael Greengrass's face, Draco would deduce that the answer was yes. There was a small smile at the corner of Astoria's father's mouth as he moved to follow his daughter. He stopped next to Draco, though.

"Wait a couple of years before you make me arrange another one of those circus festivals, will you? Weddings are beautiful but far too troublesome," he said in a hushed voice so Astoria could not hear. Draco laughed dryly and stared at his feet. He hadn't expected this. Any of this. Not the kiss, not the tea, not the friendly tone in Michael's voice. None of it.

"What are you doing in there?" Astoria demanded from some other room, "Come make me my tea!"

Michael and Draco both laughed and entered the kitchen. There, sitting by an impressively old-looking table was Astoria in her fancy robe and her hair looking just the right kind of messy. There was nothing messy about Astoria's eyes though. They were as clear and sharp as sunlight on a clear day. Draco felt a little lightheaded. He offered Astoria a small smile before turning to look at the kettle and accepting that this was what is life had come to.

"So how much tea am I making?" he asked and received replies from both Astoria and Michael who looked equally surprised that he was actually rising up to the task. Draco knew that very moment that he would remember this picture for a long time. The feeling. The kitchen. Their faces. He didn't mind it at all. This was what his life had come to and he didn't mind at all. After the bitterness of his years at Hogwarts, the uncertainty of his life after his father's fall from the Dark Lord's inner circle, after the horrors of the war, he didn't mind that this was what he had. It was so much more than he had dared to hope.

If there are still some people who've somehow hung about ever since the beginning of "For Every Frozen Heart" then I truly want to thank them and also those who've caught up later on. Writing this has been one heck of a journey even though it's taken me far far longer than I originally wanted but, hey, what can you do. I thank you for all the feedback I've gotten. Like I said before, I'm probably writing an epilogue since I already have the outline ready, but still. Thank You.