Draco stepped into Madam Puddifoots and saw that Pansy was already sat at a table with two coffees. He returned her smile and sat opposite her, hoping that his meeting up with her wasn't going to be a mistake. She had written to him constantly to which he rarely had the time to reply to each of her letters, in the end he got rather frustrated that he told her to meet him at Madam Puddifoots for a coffee.

"You look well." Pansy started.

"Thanks." Draco mumbled as he sipped his coffee.

"How are things?"

"Good thanks, yourself?"

"Lousy, Mum and Dad are getting divorced."

"My mother never said."

"My mum isn't really in touch with her old school friends Draco." Pansy replied.

"That's a pity, you know my mother has managed to maintain her friendships despite our lack of social standing these days?" Draco mused.

Pansy poured some sugar into her coffee and spent a while stirring the liquid in the cup. She didn't understand why it felt so awkward to have a conversation with the boy she loved, she wished that she and Draco had never gone their separate ways. She had tried to move on but had failed miserably.

"Do you ever miss it?"

Draco looked up at her, "Miss what, Pansy?"

"Us." Pansy answered.

Draco sighed and took a large gulp of coffee, not even wincing as it burned the back of his throat.

"Pansy, I like you a great deal. You know my reasons for ending our relationship so I won't have that conversation again." Draco stated.

"Do you think we could have a future?" asked Pansy, desperately.

He looked into her eyes and saw that she was still the schoolgirl who admired him and fawned over him. At the time he loved the attention and devotion she gave him, liked the fact that he was a bully. But now when he saw Potter walking through the halls at the Ministry, he didn't taunt his rival. They were never going to be friends but he always acknowledged Potter and Weasley with a nod of the head when he saw them. He wanted them to know that he was a changed man and was trying to be a better person than how he had been raised. He had been raised a spoiled brat whose father was strict about his education and his mother had always given him everything he had ever wanted. He had also seen how his father's cold manner had earned him the respect of those lesser people and he had admired Lucius for that, now he knew better. Draco wanted to earn respect, not bully or bribe people into it.

Draco saw that Pansy was desperate for them to be the couple that they were and he shook his head harshly; causing Pansy's eyes to well up into tears.

"I'm sorry but I can't be what you want me to be."

"But you are-

"No Pansy, I'm not. I deserve better than someone who wants me to pretend. Take care of yourself and I wish you the best for the future."

He put a galleon down on the table to pay for his coffee and left the shop, apparating back to the manor to carry on with his paperwork. The house elf Gilly took his cloak from him and told him that dinner would be ready for him at six o'clock. Draco thanked the elf and went into the study, waving his wand and sitting behind the desk as the papers put themselves in the order that he would need them.

It was as he was finishing off his paperwork from his recent trip to Shanghai when the family barn owl Jeeves flew through the open window. The owl dropped a letter onto the desk and sat on his perch in the corner of the room, dipping his beak into the water bowl. Draco opened the letter carefully, finding that he couldn't stop the smile forming on his lips when he realised who it was that had written to him.

Dear Draco,

I'm sorry if I'm interrupting you during your working hours but I was hoping that you could join me for dinner this evening? My father had booked reservations for him and my mother at the italian restaurant Oncini's in Saliunca Alley and cannot make it due to my mother being ill with a migraine. He doesn't want to miss the reservations so said I could go in their place with a friend. I hate to dine alone and you did suggest us going for lunch together whilst you were home, I know this is dinner but a meal is a meal!

If you agree to, reply to this letter. The reservations are for seven o'clock.

All my love,

Tori.

Draco dipped his quill into his ink bottle and got a fresh piece of parchment to write his reply.

Dear Tori,

You didn't interrupt me from work, I was just finishing off my paperwork when I received your letter so don't worry about it. I would love to join you for dinner, I shall meet you at the restaurant just before seven o'clock. I look forward to seeing you.

All my love,

Draco.

He crossed the room and tied the letter to Jeeve's leg and watched as the owl flew out into the bright sky. Hurrying to finish the last few sentences of his paperwork, he was rather glad to have plans with Astoria later. He informed the elves that he wouldn't be dining at the manor and went into the living room to see what his mother was up to.

At half past six he bade goodbye to his mother and left the manor; apparating to Saliunca Alley. He ended up at the other end of the high street and began walking along the cobbled road, knowing that Oncini's was at the other end of the street. He looked around at the amount of couples who were sitting on benches cuddled up or walking through the street holding hands and stopping every few feet to steal a kiss. He felt slightly guilty at how his meeting with Pansy had gone, but he believed he had made the right decision.

Draco walked into Oncini's and felt like his heart was going to stop at the sight of Astoria. Her brown hair tied into a fish tail plait, she wore a dark green floaty dress with ruffles that fell to her knees. She wore black stiletto heels and her smile was so wide that her eyes lit up. She walked over to him and kissed his cheek, the smell of her perfume making him lightheaded as he hugged her briefly. The waiter sat them at their table with some menus as Draco ordered them a bottle of wine.

"So how was your day?" asked Astoria.

"Up until now rather dull." Draco replied.

"What was so dull about it?"

"Went for a coffee with Pansy this morning, she wanted to start things up again."

Astoria looked rather surprised, like she was hoping that he hadn't agreed to Pansy's request of a relationship. He felt confused, why was she looking at him like that?

"So what was dull about that?" she questioned.

"She's still wants me to be the person I was at school. Nothing's changed, she can't love the person I am now." Draco answered.

Astoria smiled, "I never understood what you saw in her."

"Why's that?"

"Everyone at school knew who you were back then but what they didn't was that I grew up with you, I've always seen something good in you; something better than what they thought you could never be. The person you are now Draco, is what I've always seen. You were respected by all those in Slytherin and that's what Pansy thought being a Malfoy was all about and that's what she wanted; what she still wants. You deserve someone who can see the good in you."

The waiter took their menus as they ordered their meals, both settling for the lasagna. The conversation moved on from his meeting with Pansy that morning to where Astoria wanted to travel, and when she told him that the first place she wanted to go was to Rome, Draco smiled. His next business trip was to the city so he promised to speak to his boss the next day and arrange for her to accompany him on the trip. Astoria's eyes lit up and the two opened another bottle of wine as they finished their meals.

They ordered chocolate cake to share for dessert, Draco rarely ate any of it. Deciding to be the gentleman and let Daphne have the majority of the cake. After they had eaten dessert, Draco paid for their meals despite a protest from Astoria. The two stood and they walked out into the night air when Astoria shivered. Draco took off his cloak and wrapped it around her shoulders, she smiled gratefully. Draco apparated her home and walked up to the front door, both stopping to say goodbye to the other.

"Thanks for coming tonight." Astoria said quietly.

"It was my pleasure, it was rather nice seeing you again."

"Same here Draco, let me know what your boss says tomorrow."

"I will do." he promised.

Smiling at him for the last time that night, Astoria kissed his cheek once more and said goodbye; opening the front door and disappearing inside of it. Draco smiled to himself as he turned away, for the first time since he hadn't had one bottle of firewhiskey to help feel better about himself; his dinner with Tori had done that instead.