Draco Malfoy is not a death eater, he told himself again and again as he pushed the doors to the Great Hall open. He couldn't sleep, he couldn't read and his sheets and pillow smelled like Astoria. Everything was irritating him.

He felt his face naturally morph into a snarl as he stepped into the Great Hall. It was better than he had anticipated, no teachers just a few Ravenclaws were eating breakfast at seven o'clock on a Sunday morning.

He sat down at the end of the Slytherin table and looked around properly for the first time this year. Everything looked the same as every other year but it all felt different. Draco shivered. He started buttering an ordinary slice of toast because it was an ordinary place on an ordinary day. He set down the knife. He overdid it, melted butter started flooding his plate, the toast had turned soggy. Under his dark artefacts book, Astoria's Transfiguration book stuck out. He pulled it out from under his book getting a good look at the cover, it was destroyed with ink.

In the right-hand corner was covered with lines from 'Magic Works'.

'Yeah, it's hard, you must be brave.

Don't let this moment slip away.'

'Don't let this magic die.'

There was a love heart drawn around it in red ink. There were a lot of hearts on her textbook and even a cat wearing a Slytherin scarf. Maybe it wasn't all as innocent and stupid as Draco had thought. Maybe like the Great Hall the textbook was some false illusion of what happened or didn't happen to Astoria Greengrass.

The inside of her textbook was destroyed too, only with notes on spells and diagrams. Draco pushed it off to the side and focused on his next piece of toast. He wasn't going to destroy this one.

The doors to the Great Hall creaked open again. Headmistress McGonagall appeared. Draco turned the other way, ready to sprint back to the dungeons once she was far away enough from the door.

The doors opened again, this time the girl he expected would never speak to him again popped her head into the hall. Astoria scanned the room hurriedly. When Draco's eyes locked with Astoria's, her blue ones widened. The doors quickly shut again.

Draco blinked and it reopened, this time Astoria stepped through smiling at him like they were old friends and yesterday didn't happen.

"Draco, darling." She said when she reached the Slytherin table. Her voice echoed through the Great Hall. The Ravenclaws turned to stare at them and Draco had no doubt McGonagall was eyeing them as well. Astoria didn't react, her smile only grew wider. Draco wanted to laugh.

Astoria walked directly over to him and sat down as gracefully as you can on an unsuspecting person's lap.

"Good morning." She greeted. Draco could smell toothpaste on her breath.

"Greengrass, get off. You can't scream at me-"

"Are we going to study today?" she asked innocently.

Draco finished. "And act like nothing happened."

She shrugged. "What happened? We studied Transfig. You now know how to make a feather disappear and reappear. Handy, right?"

Headmistress McGonagall cleared her throat. They both ignored her.

Draco rolled his eyes. His mother used to play this trick. If I don't mention it, it didn't happen, doesn't matter if I sound like an idiotic child.

"Not as handy as being able to talk in your dreams."

Astoria's face fell a fraction. "I don't talk in my dreams."

"You scream," Draco said, ready for her to start screaming again. "And you cry, that's a real party trick."

Astoria's breaths became shallow. She put her hands on his chest. "How many galleons will it take to make you forget about that?"

"What?"

"I can do your homework-"

Headmistress McGonagall called from the staff table. "Ms Greengrass, will you please control yourself. Five points from Slytherin for inappropriate behaviour."

Astoria was now gnawing on her lip.

"Astoria, it's okay-"

"Five points from Slytherin for every second Ms Greengrass continues to spend on top of Mr Malfoy."

"I didn't mean to fall asleep it just happened-"

"Twenty-five points!"

Draco huffed loudly. "Fine! Come on, Astoria. I don't care about bloody house points or a fake trophy." He nudged Astoria off him. Astoria stared at him, wide-eyed, as he grabbed her arm and led her from the Great Hall. "But I don't need wrinkled up old bitch-"

"Excuse me, Mr Malfoy-" the end of McGonagall's sentence was covered up by the sound of the Great Hall door slamming shut after Draco and Astoria.

"Draco-"

Draco cut her off, fast. He put his hands either side of her face. "Stop annoying me. I don't want or need to know."

Astoria exhaled heavily. "I don't want to tell you… ever."

Draco nodded. "Still not interested."

"Thank you, Draco." Astoria reached up and cupped his hands with hers.

There was a beat. Astoria kept scanning his face like she was for looking something.

Draco was about to drop his hands and call it a day when Astoria spoke up.

"Do you want to go for a walk?"

"No," Draco said bluntly. He dropped his hands now, his palms felt warm from her cheeks.

"Outside." Astoria pestered. "It's nice and warm. I was just out there, the leaves are browning and falling off the trees. I think I saw a hare sprinting by the Black Lake and…"

Apparently, Astoria had the power to persuade him to say yes. After a hefty description of the Black Lake, Draco finally gave in. He told himself it was just to shut her up, not to make sure she was okay.

"I suppose if your betrothed sees us you'll throw me under the knight bus." Draco announced, once they had crossed the bridge and there was a natural pause in her 'how illogical the NEWTs were' argument. It was a one-sided argument.

Astoria linked his arm. "Draco, darling, how you flatter me."

"Surely you have forced yourself onto someone else's lap."

Astoria pushed him playfully. "It's not my fault you're the only attractive wizard left."

Draco's thin lips smirked.

Astoria cleared her throat.

"What?"

"Now you're supposed to say the same thing back."

"It's not my fault you're the only attractive wizard left." He repeated and added. "I don't believe you. You have to be betrothed to some pumpkin from Dungstrang."

Astoria giggled. "I don't read my parents letters, that's my trick."

"That's not very productive. That's quite stupid."

Draco led her towards the Black Lake and the forestry that surrounded it. Thank Merlin it was away from the gamekeeper's hut and the quidditch pitch.

"Stop being unempathetic. You have more of a choice in who you'll marry than I ever will."

"I'm sorry did you expect me to start crying? Maybe offer my hand?"

"I wouldn't mind that." She looked up at him from under her eyelashes.

Draco swallowed. He didn't deserve that or even her joking with him about that. He suddenly wanted to shout at her. He had almost killed three people on his own and as part of the Death Eaters so many other-

"Draco?" she stopped walking.

"What's wrong now?" his tone was colder than he had intended.

She frowned at him. "What are you thinking about? You've got that glazed over look again."

"I didn't ask you what you were dreaming about, Astoria, did I?"

"No, you didn't." She nodded and walked ahead of him, to the shore of the Black Lake. "I won't be dreaming about it again for a while, thank Merlin." Draco caught up to her with his long strides easily.

"What do you mean?" Draco clasped and unclasped his hands in front of him.

Astoria gave him a tight smile. "That bit of sleep will last me the weekend. I've gotten quite good at it."

Draco shut his eyes, listening to the gentle sound of waves lapping against the shore of the Black Lake. Peaceful.

"It's colder than I thought." She said, pulling her cloak tighter around her. Astoria was wearing another dress today, all she seemed to own were low cut dresses.

"Astoria," Draco asked quietly. "Have you ever tried 'Pollycolly'?"

Astoria raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm not into drugs, Draco."

"It's a potion that knocks you right out, it stops you having dreams but it still allows you to sleep."

Astoria sniffed. "I know what it is. My mother says such potions age you faster."

"Not sleeping will age you a lot faster than any potion."

Astoria shrugged. "My parents would never let me anyway. They keep an eye on my money and they… check me."

Draco sighed, why was he doing this and why couldn't he stop himself from being so helpful?

"I can make you some."

Astoria's eyes widened then snapped back to their usual size. Now she was looking suspiciously at him.

"Just take the offer, Astoria, I won't be offering again."

There was a long beat. She was still looking at him.

Draco stated. "I'm not going to tell you what to do."

"I just want it to stop." She said timidly. "Is this fail-proof?"

"Yeah," Draco answered.

She glanced around like she expected to see someone watching from the trees.

"Can you make it for tonight?"

"I can make it right now," Draco said without hesitation.