When Astoria woke up, the sun was shining rather brightly through her window. She had forgotten to shut the curtains the night before, but she was too tired to do so anyway. Leaving her dress on and not bothering to pull back the bedsheets, she slumped onto her bed and fell asleep within a minute or so. She squinted beneath the unbelievable brightness and the clock melodically chimed nine o'clock. Perfect, she thought.

She wanted to get up, but her drowsiness refused her to even shift her legs. A loud knock on the door fluttered her eyes open and Astoria was glad for the noise. She leapt off her bed in a sudden loss of weariness and headed for the source of the sound. Turning the doorknob, a click was heard and an unexpected visitor was seen on the other side of the entrance.

"Hey!" Draco seemed more than out of character as he casually leaned his elbow on one side of the entrance in a cheerful smile.

"Draco," she said in surprise. "What brings you here-"

The question was immediately answered when he lifted up a pair of very familiar stiletto shoes. With a slight jerk to her head, Astoria looked down at her bare feet. It did not take long for her to remember that she had left her shoes at the base of the pine the evening before.

"Oh," was all she could manage within her embarrassment.

The shoes were then handed to her. As she reached to place them in the shoe cabinet, Draco stared at her clothes and chuckled.

"I couldn't help but notice that you're still wearing the same clothes from last night," he said.

"Yeah, I was...pretty exhausted when I got back," she said.

"And I'm guessing that you just woke up."

"Yep."

She was trying to hold back a laugh whilst she watched Draco, who was still leaning his arm on the door and his leg being placed behind the other. Seeing him in an obviously relaxed position made it hard for her to not stifle out a giggle, yet she somehow managed.

"Do you want to come in?" she asked in an attempt to take her mind off the comical view, only to suddenly realise what she had just said. Oh, crap, she thought.

"I'd love to," Draco replied.

He shifted out of his playful position and was led through the door. Before he could be blinded by the sheer brightness of the flat, Astoria drew the curtains in an instant.

"Make yourself at home," she said. "Would you like some tea?"

"Yes, please," came the reply.

As she slipped into the kitchen, Draco sat comfortably onto the nearby sofa. It felt odd for him to be at someone else's place rather than at Malfoy Manor, but for once he didn't mind being in a tiny space within a cheap flat. There was a warm feel to her place that seemed to whisper the word home. Whilst he stared around the room, Astoria brought out a tray of tea and biscuits and placed it onto the coffee table. As she sat down next to him, she looked into the direction of where he was staring at.

"Is that the family portrait?" Draco asked curiously. There on the wall was a large moving portrait, showing the Greengrass family happily posing for a photograph. He assumed that Astoria was no older than twelve years old at the time it was taken.

"Yeah," she replied. "It was taken ages ago at Diagon Alley."

"I quite like it. It brings out a lot of life to your home."

"Oh, no way! Not in this pig sty!" Astoria gestured to the messes that seemed to accumulate within the flat.

"If that's the case, then I bloody well love this pig sty. I mean, this flat feels like..." he paused. "...like how your home's meant to feel; relaxing, comfy and knowing that you don't want to live anywhere else in the world."

"But what about your manor?"

A sudden choke sent Draco spluttering on his tea. He set down the teacup in a swift move and coughed out the unreleased itch that lodged in his throat. Astoria raised her hand to pat him on the back only to drop it as he stopped as suddenly as he started.

"Are you alright, Draco?" she asked.

He gave a brief nod and deeply inhaled the soothing scent of his girlfriend's home. As he exhaled, he leaned forward and buried his face in his cold, pale hands.

"Draco..." Astoria began, knowing that he was not alright.

"I hate the Manor," he said, coldly. "I have to live there for the rest of my life, and it's hell. I haven't even slept properly in my own room since..."

Feeling the hesitation, Astoria asked, "Do you want to talk about it?"

He shook his head violently, looking though as if he were about to weep. His hands then moved to cover his mouth as he felt a wave of nausea washing over him. Anticipating the worst, Astoria quickly led him to the kitchen, then averting her eyes as he bent over the sink and erratically vomited into the silver basin. She turned to face him, only to jerk away as he poured more of his stomach's contents more violently than ever before.

He breathed heavily as he turned on the water that rushed out of the tap. The mess slowly washed away down the sink while he cupped the water in his hands to rinse the sour taste out of his mouth, then finally wiping his mouth dry.

Astoria slowly walked towards the back of him. She hesitantly but gently placed her hand on his shoulder which seemed to calm his shudders. He slightly rose his head and stared deeply into her eyes, in silence and in a still expression. The mystery between the two closed when his palm took her cheek and he softly placed his lips over hers in a gentle kiss. Astoria did not resist, yet she did not quite melt to this touch. He released her lips from his but still lovingly held her face in his hand.

He turned his body fully to face hers, slightly towering over Astoria's height. He continued to stare into her glistening eyes, not sure of what to do and wondering if she too, enjoyed the warmth of the moment.

"Astoria..." he wanted to say, but found that the words did not come as expected.

"Draco," Astoria finally whispered. "Are you alright?"

"I don't know."

"Do you want to tell me about it?"

Draco fell silent. He wanted to say "Not now," or "I'll tell you later," or repeat his "I don't know." Instead, he simply shrugged.

"It's fine if you don't want to talk about it," she said. "But I want you to know that if you need anyone to talk to or if you need any help, I'll always be here for you."

His heart warmed on the last sentence. He had been followed and even stalked by many of his once obsessive friends, but he could not remember anybody who had given him their love and true support. As his insides felt lighter, his eyes were welling up but he did not shed a tear.

"Thank you, Astoria," he whispered. "Thank you."

She placed her hands on either side of his shoulders and planted a soft kiss on his lips. Draco's breathing deepened as he wrapped his arms around her and flattened his hands on her back. Their smoothly shut eyes brought a temporary peace among them. Astoria slightly tensed while Draco sought refuge in her safe, soft yet passionate lips.

He was once asked a simple question of "If you could be anywhere, where would you be?". It was discovered that the question was more complicated than he had realised, so he did not bother to reply. Flashing back to that particular memory, he realised that the answer was right in front of him.

In his head he said the word safe, and then he said her name.

Astoria.

What did you think of this chapter? Weird? Cool? Sweet? Stupid? Say whatever you like while you're reviewing this as long as it's the truth. Thank you guys so much for reading!