word count: 440
"If you love me, you'll do it," Astoria says.
She's joking, of course. There has never been any doubt in her mind that Draco loves her. Even in the early days, when people had insisted he was using her and her good name to redeem his own, she had refused to listen. Draco loves her; he always has, and he always will.
"That's not fair," Draco says, scowling.
She grins. There's something adorable about being able to make him scowl like that. Sometimes she can see the little pieces of that angry boy coming through, and it amazes her how much he has grown, how he's become a good man. So many had doubted him, but she never had. She had always seen something good in him, even when he couldn't see it himself.
"Do you want the house to burn down?" he asks, folding his arms over his chest and standing tall and defiant. "That's how houses burn down."
"Draco, we have wands," she reminds him. "We can charm ourselves against dragon fire. I don't think a little cooking adventure will hurt us."
He huffs, clearly not amused, but unable to come up with an argument. Astoria tries not to look terribly pleased; for all his confidence and eloquence, Draco almost always loses when it comes to her. "Fine. You win."
"Of course I do."
…
Draco is a terrible cook. It's a universal truth that Astoria knows very well. She also happens to know that the only thing he can make without ruining is butternut and apple soup. The smell fills the air, a hint of cinnamon and pepper making her mouth water.
"The best time for soup is all the time," she says, preparing the bowls. "But even more true in autumn."
Her husband snorts. "We could have gone out to eat," he tells her. "You know, there's that little place we like that has the best vegetable soup."
"But I want your soup," she says simply, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "But you can definitely take me out for dessert after this."
"Why don't you make dessert?"
"Because you love me," she reminds him, leading him to the table.
"I do," he agrees. "More than I ever thought I could love anyone."
There are still those who don't trust that their love is real, who still think Draco is the same person he was when they were teenagers. But there are moments like this, when things are so perfect and easy between them, and she knows, without a doubt in her mind, that people can change, and Draco has changed in the best possible way.
