I think this chapter really begins to move things along. I hope you're enjoying this so far! Thank you very much for your feedback!
Several weeks of having Astoria shut away in one of the guest rooms at Malfoy Manor passed by, all the while bringing her and Draco closer and closer. He talked to her every day for sometimes longer than a few hours. They'd grown a liking for each other, although neither expressed it because Astoria was rather shy and Draco knew his father simply would not have it—this girl was a Hufflepuff; for generations, Malfoys courted Slytherins only. He hadn't kissed her yet, nor told her about his thoughts and feelings. But that never stopped them from just enjoying each other's company.
Draco sat at his desk in his room, head in his hands. From downstairs, all he could hear was fighting—his parents were arguing once again. He was over crying, over feeling sad. He was just devoid of emotion every time he heard Lucius accusing Narcissa of being 'up to something' or when she would attempt to bring down his upstanding rules….it was just all the same now. A knock at the bedroom door pulled Draco out of his reverie. "Come in," he said, having to clear his throat because his voice had become hoarse. He felt a little under-the-weather that day. Kirry the house-elf stepped in nervously. "Master Draco, sir." She bowed low. "Kirry and the other house-elves is almost finished preparing lunches, sir. Kirry has been being sended to tells Master Draco that lunches will be being served in the dining room in time short." she informed. Draco nodded. His throat was a bit sore. "Thank you," he croaked. Kirry turned towards the door again. "Is there anything else Kirry can get for Master Draco? Perhaps something to maybe being cure the ouch in Master Draco's neck maybe?" she asked. Draco paused for a moment—he'd just gotten an idea. "Actually Kirry," he said. "Do you think you could bring my plate of lunch to Astoria's room? I'll be eating it there with her."
"Kirry will be do whatever it is Master Draco asks of her. But will Kirry should bring something for girl as well? Mistress informed Kirry not to be give her big meals—only soup. Is Kirry to be bringing soup too, Master Draco?"
"Yes, of course. I don't want to make her hungry. Bring her some soup, that's a good idea."
"And what should Kirry be to tell Master and Mistress about Master Draco's absence from lunches?"
Draco cringed when he heard his father shouting a rather crude set of swears. "…You won't need to tell them anything. I'm not sure they'd notice." he said a little sadly. Kirry bowed again. "Yeses, Master Draco sir." she softly replied, bowing before leaving the room. Draco waited for a bit to be sure she'd already made her way downstairs. He then slipped out of his room and hurried down the hall a short ways to get to his new friend's chambers.
Upon entering, Draco felt a stunning weight placed upon him at the darkness of the room. Narcissa always kept the curtains drawn for Astoria because she feared the sunlight would strain her eyes or make her too warm. As for Draco, who'd taken a liking now to natural light, he wondered if this darkness was actually helping (or preserving) Astoria. The dark-haired girl pushed herself up onto her pillows weakly. "Draco," she whispered hoarsely. He smiled at the mere sight of her. She'd clearly just woken from a nap, yet her hair still slipped off her shoulders silkily as if undisturbed. Narcissa had taken the time to just order Astoria a set of her own nightgowns so that she didn't have to feel uncomfortable using another woman's all the time. The one she was currently wearing was pastel pink, with ruffles on the sleeves and collar. "Hello," he greeted, his mouth suddenly feeling very dry. She only gave her characteristic weak smile. Draco paused for a few seconds, walking slowly towards the bed and thinking of how to explain his plans to her. "I had an idea that maybe we could—" but before he could speak another word, Kirry opened the door—balancing a plate of food on her head, silverware and napkins in one hand, a pitcher dangling off her pinky, a bowl of soup in the other hand, and two empty cups rattling on the tip of her long pointy nose. Astoria let out a little gasp at the sight, but ended up coughing harshly at the shar intake of air into her fragile lungs. The elf arranged everything on the bedside table as Draco hurried to Astoria and rubbed her back to ease the cough. Once lunch was arranged and the girl's pneumatic attack subsided, Kirry bowed low to them and left the room wordlessly.
Astoria looked over everything that was set on the bedside table, asking Draco with her eyes what this was for. He sighed. "Well, I wasn't going to surprise you, but apparently Kirry did so anyway. I thought that maybe we could have lunch together today. Usually I'm required to dine with my parents, but I find your company to be more…comfortable. Will you have me?" he explained. Astoria's weak smile grew, supported by some new internal strength of possibly renewed hope or…love? No, Draco couldn't think that yet. No. She nodded, taking in a slow and careful breath. "I'd adore that," she whispered. Draco smiled, seating himself in a chair and pulling it nearer to her bedside. He helped her prop up the pillows so she could lean as she ate. Astoria couldn't seem to stop smiling. She let Draco talk most of the time, mainly due to the fact that she had very little stamina (and vocal ability), but contributed to their conversations.
Draco felt much more at ease relaxing in the soft chair, crossing one leg over the other, laughing while eating, and not having to wait to speak until spoken to—he knew that if he dined downstairs with his parents, he'd have to sit straight-backed with perfect posture, take small bites, listen to boring silence as his parents refused to speak to each other, or accept scathing glances from his father. Astoria was a much better audience. He got to tell stories. He giggled joyfully instead of offering a polite laugh. And she seemed to feel more alert than she had in days due to this release of happy emotions and company. He completely forgot about his sore throat and drowsiness - it felt like this one event had cured him of all pain. Draco finished the salad that was on his plate, leaning back against the armchair in satisfaction. Astoria put her bowl onto the bedside table as well. Feeling a little like his old cocky, flirty self, Draco smirked and bent towards her. "Now now," he teased. "Let me see if you've finished all of your soup like a good girl." Astoria blushed and looked away, smiling the whole time. Draco took the bowl into his hands. It wasn't entirely empty.
He switched over to sit on the bed right beside her. Astoria was blushing like mad, but seemed to be enjoying this. He used the spoon to scoop up some of the broth, holding it up to those petal-pink lips. She opened her big eyes to look up at him innocently. Were they always that sparkly? Draco had to prevent his confidence from faltering, so he had to move hastily. He pressed the metal of the spoon towards her. "Be a good girl," he murmured. Astoria opened her mouth and allowed for Draco to put the spoon in, feeding her like a child. When he removed it, his head practically swooned from all the anticipation and adrenaline that had pushed him to do something so bold. She looked up at him adoringly, a small smile playing delicately on her cheeks. That was it. He couldn't resist it anymore. This one simple flirtation had inflationary effects on his confidence—he felt like a young boy courting his first girl, Parkinson, back at Hogwarts in the common room, when there was no Father there to stress the dangers of inter-House relationships or remind him that every Malfoy had always been attracted to those in their own House. He felt like it was just simply easy again…
So Draco Malfoy, a Slytherin, leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on the lips of Astoria Greengrass, a Hufflepuff.
He intended to make it last longer, but after about six seconds, his confidence cracked when his analytical brain registered his actions, and he forced himself to break the kiss. Hovering near her face for just a few more moments, he took in her stunning beauty on a nearer-proximity scale. Not a single flaw. His heart pounded against his ribcage as he pulled back so that he was sitting on the bed again and she was lying back against the pillows. Draco felt his hands shaking, so he looked away from the beautiful girl in order to stall the impending conversation about most recent events between them. Several minutes of silence passed.
Draco decided that he regretted his act-on-impulse maneuver to kiss Astoria Greengrass. He'd done something so irrational, so…Gryffindor…without even asking permission first or thinking about the consequences. What was he thinking? Maybe his father was right—maybe he was letting all of these inter-House relationship ideas corrupt him. How could he have been so stupid? And how was he going to explain this if Astoria ever decided to tell? "Draco…" a faint whisper breathed. He sighed deeply. "I'm sorry, Astoria. I wasn't thinking and it was wrong of me to do without your permission. If you never want—"
"I feel alive,"
Freezing instantly, he thought he'd beard her wrong. He slowly turned to look at her. "W-What?" he asked, realizing that this was an improper and rather informal way of asking her to repeat—what was wrong with him? But she was smiling slightly. "I feel alive." she said. "All this time, I didn't…really know how lonely I-I was. But when I'm with you…when you…kiss me…I see how it feels to be f-free."
"Free?"
"In a way I d-don't have to think about this…disease. Or my family and why they won't come looking for me. Or that we come from totally different Houses and backgrounds. Y-You just make me feel like…none of that even matters."
"I-I…I'm glad I can…you…er…"
"My sister was right about you. You are very…romantic."
"Your sister said that?"
"She w-was friends with Pansy. And Pansy told her all about you and your endeavors with her."
"Oh God no…."
"No, not all that deep stuff. Just about your ideas for dates and t-the notes you'd leave her in her schoolbooks using vanishing ink." Astoria laughed.
"So Pansy told her, and she told you? My, my. How girls talk." he teased with a wink.
"Don't worry, Draco." Astoria murmured as she pushed herself off the pillows so that she was fully sitting up beside him (which was quite an accomplishment for the frail girl). She put her hands on his shoulder and leaned towards him. "I'm a good girl," she finished.
Draco felt all the blood rush to his cheeks. Astoria giggled playfully, instantly lightening the mood. He felt a little better after hearing her become less strained and a bit more, as she said, alive. The happy mood was broken shortly though, because Narcissa stormed down the hallway on the other side of the door, shouting, "You are powerless! And how does it feel to have someone finally tell you that?!" She slammed another door somewhere in the east wing, presumably locking herself inside to cool her temper towards her husband. Draco bit his lip. He prayed that Astoria wouldn't ask too many questions about it. She tugged his sleeve weakly. "A-Are…are your parents happy together?" she whispered. Draco turned to face her, hoping that no tears or signs of shame would cross his expression. "No." he answered. "But if you're willing to stick with me, I can promise that you and I will be."
He wished that Astoria would understand his underlying meaning—that if she was patient during the times that his father's side would show in him, they could work things out unlike his actual parents. He also hoped she could gather his hint towards starting a relationship with her. Being the intelligent and understanding girl she was though, she gave him a gentle nod. "Of course," she whispered. "You're the only one that's truly here for me." Draco felt an overwhelming sense of relief. He pulled her into a hug (being wary of her brittle bone structure) and held her like that for a long time. "Thank you," he breathed. Again, he wasn't even sure why.