Once again, a big, massive THANK YOU to the wonderful guest reviews on the latest chapters :) That was a wonderful thing to read on my birthday last week and it still makes me super happy to know you're enjoying this story (cause I'm really proud of this one).

Chapter 19

It wasn't until Draco arrived at his flat that he realised he and Astoria had never even talked about the book. Well, it wasn't as if there actually was anything new to talk about. His little excursion to Flourish and Blotts hadn't yielded any useful results. Here and there, Draco had found a mention of A Secret History of Spells, but none had explained just what the book contained.

As he stepped deeper into his flat, Draco felt, for the first time, a sense of home in this new, still somewhat strange place and it welcomed him like a soft embrace after the events of this morning. It wasn't even noon yet and Draco felt as if the day had been stretching on for weeks. His trip to Flourish and Blotts, encountering Ron, the panic attack, Astoria's family - all of it seemed too unreal to be true. Regardless of it all, Draco didn't feel unhappy. At last, after years of hiding away in Malfoy Manor, he finally seemed to be moving somewhere - wherever that may be.

A sudden flash of light made Draco turn around and, as his eyes fell on the fireplace, he watched it light up before the small silhouette of a woman began to take shape inside of it. He never even considered drawing his wand because the shape was too familiar to him to confuse it with anyone else and a few moments later, Narcissa Malfoy emerged from the fireplace, brushing the soot off her travelling cloak. Draco had expected many things, but certainly not this. Then again, this day appeared to be full of surprises.

"Hello, Mother," Draco greeted her calmly, granting her a reluctant smile.

His mother's eyes remained on him for an agonisingly long moment, watching him carefully before she allowed herself to smile at him in return. "Hello, Draco."

He didn't dare say anything else, instead, he watched as his mother's eyes wandered across the room, examining the kitchen, the pillows in front of her feet, his bed. Eventually, they came to rest on him once more while Draco was awaiting her verdict. He was sure that she was going to ask him to come home.

"You could have bought yourself a house, you know? Our family name has lost its value, but our money still buys whatever you need."

Draco stared back at her, not entirely sure what she was saying. "I don't want a house," he said simply. "I just don't want to hide anymore."

Slowly, Narcissa nodded. She nodded as if she understood.

"You did the right thing," she said eventually, surprising not only Draco, but herself as well. At least, she seemed surprised by her own statement. "I'm sorry if I failed to show my support. The last thing I want is to lose you and for a moment, I believed I would if you left your home. I thought you might never come back."

"That was never my intention," Draco replied immediately. "I was never going to leave forever, but I can't be like Father. I can't keep hiding within your walls and wait out my days until I die. You said so yourself. You told me to go out and live. I'm trying to do that."

She nodded once again. "I worry about your father, too," Narcissa admitted. "He-"

Whatever Narcissa Malfoy meant to say, the words got stuck in her throat.

"I know he's not well," Draco finished his sentence. "But he brought it upon himself and only he can find his way to deal with it. I have to find mine."

His mother opened her mouth, but she closed it again as if she had changed her mind about whatever it was she was going to say. Instead, she began to smile again. "I see you've settled in quite nicely," Narcissa remarked, nodding towards the kitchen. "You even got a plant."

Draco followed her eyes towards the little patch of green on the kitchen table and once he realised that a small, white blossom had begun to bloom among the leaves, he smiled, too. "The plant was a gift from Astoria," he explained. Then, before he could stop himself, the smile turned into a broad grin. "I met her family this morning, over breakfast. Her mother Eudora said to give you her best. And her father invited me to see a Quidditch match with him in two weeks."

When his mother exhaled sharply, her breath was audible in the otherwise quiet room. "You seem very fond of this girl," she noted.

Draco nodded. There was no point in denying it, he had no reason to deny it. "Wherever I go, when people look at me, they see a former Death Eater. Astoria was the first person who only saw me. She doesn't give a damn about what I did or who my family is, she just wanted to help. I think she's the first real friend I ever made. I don't care if you tell me she's cursed or whatever, I won't give up the only friend I ever had because of that."

"I never said Astoria Greengrass was cursed," Narcissa replied immediately. "I said it was a rumour about her family. I just want you to be careful. Not everyone has good intentions."

"Not everyone has bad intentions, either."

When his mother smiled again, it seemed a little forced. "I just want you to be happy, that's all. Maybe-" she broke off and then somehow found the courage to continue. "Maybe we can repay the Greengrass's kindness and have Astoria over for dinner some time."

For a moment, Draco wasn't entirely sure he had understood her correctly. Gawking at his mother, he just needed to be sure. "You're inviting Astoria over for dinner? Even though Father tried to attack her and she practically kicked his butt for it?"

Narcissa Malfoy cleared her throat. "Maybe he did deserve that just a little," she said.

When Draco began to chuckle, it didn't take his mother long to join in. It was the first time he had seen her laugh in a very, very long time. Maybe, Astoria's presence wasn't just helping him, maybe, her presence could lift his mother's spirits, too. As for his father, Draco didn't think that anything or anyone could accomplish that.

"I'll suggest it to Astoria. I'll let you know what she says," Draco said.

For once, things seemed to be actually going well for him.

Her father sat in the library when Astoria peered around the corner, a book in front of his nose and a steaming mug of tea in his right hand. For a moment, she wasn't entirely sure if she had picked the right moment to talk to him, but it was obvious that he had heard her enter when he lowered the volume and smiled at her.

"You were never particularly good at sneaking up on people," Aldrich Greengrass said with a chuckle. "Sorry to burst your bubble, but you never actually managed to scare me as a kid."

Astoria smiled and stepped inside. Despite the strange family breakfast, her father was in a good mood, so she was determined to use the opportunity to ask her question.

"What can I do for you?" he asked as if he had already read her thoughts. "Are you bored already? You've only been at home a few days."

Still smiling, she shook her head. "No, I'm quite happy to be on leave," Astoria replied truthfully and sank into the large wicker chair on the opposite end of the coffee table. "I just have a question."

Astoria took a deep breath and let her gaze wander around the room for a while. As a child, the library had been her favourite room in the whole house. While the large windows allowed the place to be flooded with light and the sitting area had a marvellous view over the garden, the shelves had always provided her and Daphne with dark and dusty corners to play hide and seek in. And, of course, the large volumes had fascinated her even before she could read. Later on, Astoria had spent her holidays right there at the coffee table, pondering her Potions homework and secretly practising spells with her sister until their mother had caught up with them and scolded them for using magic outside of school. Yet the Trace had never quite stopped them from doing it, and no one had ever found out. It had been easy to get away with in a wizarding household.

"Well?" her father asked eventually and his voice brought her back from her trip to her childhood days. "Ask away."

Astoria breathed in deeply. "There is a book which likely contains Dark Magic," he explained. "I need to figure out what it contains, roughly. I don't need the exact contents, just to get an idea of what it's about. Have you ever heard of A Secret History of Spells?"

Aldrich Greengrass considered it for a moment. Her father worked for the Ministry, but the Dark Arts weren't exactly his area of expertise and he had never been involved in the Ministry purge at all. It was a stretch, but it was her only way of helping Draco right now until they could come up with a plan to get his book back.

Eventually, her father shook his head. "I've never heard of it. We've got a couple of history books on the shelves, though, you might find a mention of it somewhere," he said and nodded towards the back of the library.

Her heart sank. Astoria had feared as much, but she had hoped to avoid going through their extensive collection, especially since she had no idea where to start.

"Thanks, I'll have a look."

Yet her father's eyes remained on her, watching her curiously. "Did Draco Malfoy get himself into trouble with the Dark Arts again?" he wanted to know. There was no accusation in his voice which came as a relief to her.

"It wasn't his fault," Astoria explained. "And it wasn't his fault the last time, either."

Aldrich Greengrass scoffed. "Never assumed it was. I know Lucius Malfoy and he's always been a damn coward. Ruined his life and that of his family along with it," he spat. "If anything, I feel sorry for the boy. Just don't get yourself into trouble because of him. The Ministry is still watching that family and if they put even a toe out of line, they'll be sent to Azkaban before they can say Wingardium Leviosa.

"That's exactly what Draco is trying to avoid. He wants to do the right thing."

Slowly, her father nodded. "Well, I can't help you. I don't know these books by heart, so you'll have to look by yourself."

"Still, thank you," Astoria said earnestly. "And thank you for inviting him to the game with you. He doesn't show it, but I think it means a lot to him. Most people won't even look at him because of his family's past."

Finally, her father's features softened. "Well, if my daughter is bringing home a boy for the first time, I'm hardly going to chase him away, am I?"

Astoria laughed. "It's not like that," she replied, chuckling. "Draco was my patient and now he's my friend. That's all."

"You haven't exactly brought home many friends, either, so I'm trying to be nice regardless," her father determined. "And I agree with you. He looked like he could do with some normality. And what's more normal that a nice, thrilling Quidditch match that might well decide the future of my favourite team?"

In response, Astoria rolled her eyes. Her father had passed on a lot of things to her, but his passion for Quidditch had never been one of those things. Nevertheless, she was still grateful that her father had decided to help Draco out.

Happy with the outcome of their conversation, Astoria began to make her way back to her room a short while later, determined to find a better moment to go through her family's library in peace than right now. She had already made it halfway up the stairs when a yawning Daphne stepped into her path.

"Oi!" her sister called out. "Where are you running off to so early?"

"My room." Astoria shrugged, then eyed her sister with a raised eyebrow. Daphne was still in her pyjamas, a robe carelessly thrown over her body. "Looks like you came home late last night. Did your date with Zabini go that well?"

Daphne scoffed. "As if," she replied, rolling her eyes. "He completely lost it when he realised I was still in contact with some of my old friends from school. He left and I went to hang out with my friends instead."

Another yawn came over her sister and Astoria watched, reserved, unsure of whether she actually wanted to know. "What kind of friends are you talking about?" she asked despite her better judgement.

Daphne shrugged. "Theo Nott was the name that pissed Zabini off the most. They got along at school, but something must have happened after."

"Theodore Nott?!" Astoria blurted out. "How can you still be friends with Nott when-"

"When his father was a Death Eater?!" Daphne retorted, suddenly sounding angry. "That's rich, coming from you. I heard about our breakfast guest, so don't pretend to be shocked about Theo's father."

Astoria opened her mouth, but closed it again immediately because she knew Daphne was right. Without saying another word, she watched her sister descend the stairs and walk off towards the dining room where the breakfast leftovers were waiting for her. She knew she had no right to judge her sister on her friendship with Nott, but that didn't mean she had to like it. Even at school, there had always been something about the boy that made Astoria shiver. The mere thought about Nott still did.