As the weeks flew by Astoria found herself sneaking out of her dormitory late at night just to enjoy the loneliness calmness the quiet halls presented her. She would make sure that every student and professor were already tucked into their rightful beds before using her wand to change into her normal, comfortable clothes, and just walking out the Slytherin common room.

As usual, no prefect was around at that time so she started towards the halls exit before walking towards her secret hiding place. It was a tree just high enough for her not to be seen by anyone once she has climbed its' branches. She wearily leaned her straining back against the trunk while she tilted her head backwards, allowing herself to gaze up at the glistening stars.

The tired teen allowed herself to get lost into that divine and faithful night as a familiar song began to flow beautifully from her slightly parted lips. The sweet melody rang through her mind as if she was listening to it from a nearby radio.

"Look at the stars, look how they shine for you, and everything you do, yeah they were all yellow…"

A few slow minutes passed and her favorite song was beginning to come to its end.

"Oh yeah your skin and bones turn into something beautiful. D'you know for you I bleed myself dry. For you I bleed myself dry. It's true look how they shine for you, look how they shine for you… Look at the stars, look how they shine for you."

She didn't know this but she was silently shedding a few tears as a dark cloud covered the bright light full of life that was named the Moon – completely. A stray and lifeless tear collided against her limp arms, which she immediately collected with her pale finger before laying her hand on her knee once again. She was very tired but it seemed like she could just stay up here for the rest of her sleepless nights. She simply didn't bother with it.

Days before that night, Headmaster Dumbledore commented about the competitions that were going to be held there in Hogwarts. The Triwizard Tournament. He had made sure to let his many students know that two other schools were going to be staying as guests as long as those competitions held life and were up and running.

The Triwizard Tournament was a magical contest held between the three largest wizarding schools of Europe: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Durmstrang Institute, and the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic. Selected Champions compete in three tasks designed to test magical ability, intelligence and courage, traditionally judged by the Headmasters or Headmistresses of the competing schools. However, the tournament is extremely dangerous, and Champions have died while competing.

Astoria perfectly remembered Dumbledore's simple but precise words.

"Eternal glory! That's what awaits the student who wins The Triwizard Tournament, but to do this, that student must survive three tasks. Three extremely dangerous tasks"

Every single student had become silent after his spoken words. It was clear that they all wanted a chance of proving themselves, but unfortunately only the students who were already seventeen years old could participate in such contest.

As for Astoria, she was only glad that the headmaster had allowed them to head back to their houses for bed time. She was eager to go to her special tree.

(. . .)

Everyone has been bustling about the Tournament ever since that special announcement and it was starting to annoy Astoria. The tough Durmstrang boys and the delicate Beauxbaton girls arrived early that afternoon and every Hogwarts student seemed to be fawning over their new arrivals.

Pathetic, that thought passed through her mind in a simple blink of an eye.

It seems as though everyone was obsessed with their newest guests and the oh so glorious tournament, that it suddenly became idiotic and plain stupid for her.

Even her dearest twin sister – note her sarcasm – was fancying some Durmstrang boy who did not give her the time of day and chose to avoid her every shot he got, but of course, her sister never gave up on a hard challenge.

Such a hag, again Astoria's thoughts played in her mind as she happily smirked to herself.

Her eyes wandered about her surroundings and became wide once gliding towards the Potter boy. She cocked a brow upwards as she silently watched him. He seemed very nervous and cautious as he paced back and forth up the path towards Hagrid's place.

"Why on Merlin's sake…" Astoria mumbled to herself as she gave a small push from the branch, leaping through the air before landing safely on the ground with a quiet grunt. She took small, lingering steps as she found herself following him about.

She began to jog quietly into the dark and mysterious forest as Potter had disappeared from her struggling sight. Grumble after grumble, she crossed her arms over her heaving chest. This was a tiring walk.

After a few more stomps of her foot, she started to hear voices up ahead so she hurried up her pace.

She noticed Hagrid near some bushes along with the Beauxbaton Headmistress staring at a few cages from afar. Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open when Harry poked his head out from under an invisibility cloak.

"Dragons!", he whispered at Hagrid once the Headmistress looked away from the big fellow, "We have to go against bloody dragons?"

Hagrid gave him a firm nod trying to look calm but Astoria could see passed it. He was scared for the Potter boy.

"I'm 'fraid so, Harry." He slightly bowed his head confused, "Didn't Ron tell you 'bout it?

Harry only shook his head, deep in thought.

"Oh… how odd, 'nyway, be careful, Harry."

The potter boy was about to reply when Headmistress walked back to Hagrid.

"Darling, to whom do you speak?" She cocked a delicate brow upwards as she gazed into his eyes lovingly.

"Uh… Nobody."

She quietly giggled and slowly leaned into his touch. "I must say, I truly enjoy your company."

Hagrid laughed throatily before giving her a crooked smiled, followed by a cheeky reply.

"I like… "

Their voices became a distant blur as Astoria walked away from the love scene they were sharing without getting noticed. Or so she thought.

"I thought I heard some sneaking around."

Harry's voice filled her ears before feeling a firm hand grab onto her shoulder, pulling her to a complete halt.

"Why have you been following me?"

Astoria gave him a careless shrug. "That's for me to know, and for you to never find out."

He chuckled coldly, his eyes glaring at her calm face.
What do you want from me, Astoria? You seem very interested about my life a lot nowadays."

Once again, she simply shrugged as an answer before twirling about wanting to be far away from him. He wrapped his strong arms around her tiny waist making sure she wouldn't stomp away.

"Tell me", he demanded through his clenched teeth.

Sighing, she turned in his arms. Her eyes gazed up into his for an honest moment. She calmly said, "I have this strange crush on the boy who lived", then a smirk played with her luscious rosy lips.

He was silent, his mind going through every words she spoke before realization hit him. She was obviously lying through her mouth so he shoved away from her.

"So bloody hilarious. Now, tell me, really."

"I don't even know, Gryffindork." She decided to mock his house name.

He took a step back while openly rolling light blue eyes in annoyance.

"Merlin, you are mental!"

Shrugging to increase his frustration with her, she simply laughed then turned, and strolled away from him and the sleeping forest. She suddenly wanted to go back to bed.

(. . .)

Draco slammed the book he was recently fondling about with onto the useless pile on the desk, earning himself many scowls from the other students. He was trying to write an essay for his Defense Against the Dark Arts class and he had no luck with finding any information on the Unbreakable vow. Everyone seemed to have already been done with it and he was the only fool having problems writing it.

He groaned in frustration as he noticed yet another one of his classmates finish writing the bomb of a special assignment from across the room.

Where was his head in?

This isn't like him to have trouble with any of the school work. If his father heard about this slight academic problem, he would surely flip and be dead without a head by the end of this school year.

He rolled his eyes.

I bet Blaize is already done with this idiotic essay, he chuckled to himself as he stood up from his warm chair, finally giving up. He has been stuck inside the library since that morning and he was bloody wasting his Saturday in there.

Draco found himself strutting out of the room, turning to his left and heading towards his Slytherin house. He was hoping it was vacant for him to relax and enjoy what was left of his cruddy weekend. With all the commotion about The Triwizard Tournament, it was impossible for him just to lie down to rest his eyes and just be.

"Bloody Baron." He stated waiting for the portrait to open up for him.

With all his calm, he slid across the room and sat down on the green couch in the middle of the room.

Right before his gray eyes were going to close for a rest, Crabbe and Goyle stumbled into the quiet room while carrying a bunch of muffins and a turkey leg wrapped in a napkin.

Goyle began to laugh rather loudly as Crabbe's turkey leg slipped from his greasy fingers. Crabbe only shoved Goyle making all of his different types of muffins drop to the carpeted floor.

"Oi! You dropped my food, you goon." Goyle whined annoyingly.

"Well, you made me drop my leg!" Crabbe glared at his idiot of a best friend.

Goyle was about to reply back to him when Draco had enough of their foolishness. He jumped to his feet making his presence known to the two stupid fools.

"Bloody hell! Don't you two ever tire of eating?"

Draco yelled expressing how extremely irritated he felt about them.

"Both of you look and act like a pair of pigs! So barbaric", he exclaimed before jolting out of the house. His arms were crossed across his tight, muscular and his face held a hard scowl to it.

This is not how he planned to spend his Saturday night. His finely dressed feet stomped their way towards the halls before leading him to an enormous window that presented him with a view of the hollow night.

As his glistening eyes gazed up at the bright stars, his wandering thoughts went to his little Greengrass frenemy. He needed to quench the ferocious hunger that he strongly felt for her.

Something about that witch made his heart flutter about and his insides tighten whenever he locked eyes with her, or the need to be near her, to simply touch her. As cliché as that sounded, it was all true.

He had not seen her all day and he was beginning to get concerned about her well being. Maybe she was stuck inside the girls' dormitory writing that stupid essay he too had yet to write. Or maybe she was already in bed, where he's supposed to be.

Or was she somehow avoiding him? He hadn't seen her since that night they shared that passionate moment a few weeks ago and it was starting to worry him.
"Mhm…"

This was mental. Who said anything about love being easy? Especially when you are always being mean to the one you love. Wait. That is mental!

Who in their right minds would be mean to the woman they love?

"I would." Draco whispered into the loneliness of the night.

Why?

"Because I'm a bloody nincompoop."

"Draco", came the questioning voice of none other than: Astoria bloody Greengrass.

My love.

"Why are you talking on your own?"

He bit his lips nervously before composing his face back into his expressionless one. No smirk shown. He was somewhat a master in hiding his true feelings. When Draco decides to pulls his strong barriers up, there's not one single soul that can unravel them and know what he is truly feeling from the inside.