If I Lose Myself
by EMPG22HoPe

Chapter Seven: Astoria

November 1996

The Hogwarts Library had been some sort of third home to Astoria, Hogwarts itself being the second. It had everything, and it was far more extensive in histories than the Greengrass family library.

When she arrived at Hogwarts at the age of twelve, the library was the very first thing that she fell in love with. So when she was feeling sad or upset or just plain bored during her free times, one would constantly find her hiding there – just reading, sometimes browsing titles. It was her constant companion in her first year when she couldn't make any proper Slytherin friends due to her muggle-tolerant view. And it still was, even now, as she still didn't have her own set of friends in her year.

Astoria had been in there all week since the little Amortentia mishap during one tutoring session with Draco. Everything that had happened was still burned in the back of her mind, and whenever they caught each other's eye in the Great Hall – he would just grin at her mockingly as if she didn't need any more reminding of what had just happened. But they never spoke of the accident since; which was good on her end. She didn't exactly want to delve into what just happened that time despite her burning questions. Thankfully, they were both wise enough to save each other their embarrassment.

She tried to push these thoughts away, though, as she attempted to concentrate on one of the books she's managed to smuggle out of the Restricted Section with a permission slip from Professor Snape. It was odd how he hardly questioned about the book that she was trying to get from the section, but she decided perhaps that maybe luck was just on her side at that time.

The Dark Arts in the Pure-Blood Society was a book she had only discovered lately after one little Defense against the Dark Arts class. The only reason she even wanted to read it was to go back far into her family tree. It had been weeks since she last spoke to Professor Dumbledore about her uncommon illness and she hadn't had any luck since on the Greengrass family tree until now. Well, that is, until she opened the book and hardly found a trace of the Greengrasses in it – just as much of a dead end as the records in their own library at home. Though despite her frustration of finding little to nothing on her father's side of the family, she decided to read through her mother's; the Shafiq's.

The Shafiq's were a Pure-Blood wizarding family and one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight still extant to this day – the last male bloodline stopping in the 1930's and only a female line since then has existed. To keep the Shafiq's family name at large, the women gave birth to children with their significant others; though they did not bother to marry them so that their children would bear the family name. They had hoped they would be able to bear males to resurface their continuous bloodline, but in record since then, there was no living male Shafiq. The misfortune of only bearing daughters continued for quite some time now, until the tradition was ended by its most recent family members: Cressida Shafiq and Cassandra Greengrass (nee Shafiq).

Cressida and Cassandra were the daughters of Helen Shafiq and Oellius Selewn. Helen's daughter Cressida was born a barren, while her other daughter, Cassandra – after so many generations of unmarried Shafiq women – married Cepheus Greengrass (another Pure-blood line) and had two daughters with him, namely Daphne and Astoria Greengrass. It is now currently in record that Cassandra Greengrass's daughters are attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in Scotland.

"What an interesting book you're reading." A familiar dreamy-like voice of a girl said, and Astoria looked up to find, surprisingly, Luna Lovegood staring at her. The blonde wore her hair up in a braid and she was clad in an odd Witch Sisters t-shirt and a pair of luminous jeans, almost the color and sheen of a mermaid's tail.

"Luna!" Astoria yelped unfortunately louder than expected. Some of the students who sat on the table next to hers sent her glares before going back to their reading. She turned to the blonde girl with a look of bewilderment. "Luna, you've… You've been avoiding me for the past two months. You didn't even reply to my owl in August about joining me in Diagon Alley."

"Is that what you truly wanted to send me?" Luna asked curiously as she tilted her head to the side. "I suppose my late assumptions are correct then."

She shook her head in confusion, feeling her eyes suddenly burn as tears threatened to brim. "I don't understand. I sent you my family owl, Artemis. I… I thought maybe you didn't receive the letter on time and assumed it would have been unwise to send a reply. And then the start of the year… you barely looked at me."

Luna nodded calmly as she took the seat across Astoria and began to fiddle with her raddish ear rings. "I'm really sorry about that. You see, I did receive your letter, but it was extremely offensive. I didn't know you were even capable of such words, and I honestly didn't know what to tell you off since then. So I assumed that upon your letter, you didn't want to be friends anymore. I did find it a bit suspicious that you would attempt to get my attention when the school year came, though I tried to ignore it as much as possible. I feared you had turned into one of Pansy Parkinson's minions."

Astoria didn't know what to say. "Wait, so, what letter are we talking about here?"

"I thought you might ask that." Her friend said rather softly before taking out a folded piece of parchment from her jeans and handing it to her. "Here."

She unfolded the parchment hastily and read through it once.

August 14, 1996

Dear Luna,

I no longer see the point of our odd connection. I've been friends with you for long, but I believe that it's time for us to part ways as… uncommon acquaintances, if you will. See, as a pure-blood, I have certain expectations to uphold – and despite your half-blood status – I see no reason why I should continue a certain friendship with the daughter of a rather ranging lunatic for a father, not to mention your high tolerance for mudbloods and blood traitors such as Granger and the Weasleys. I fear this may be the last time we'll ever speak, as I do not wish to continue any more of what friendship had transpired between us.

Yours,

Astoria Greengrass

It was the most awful thing Astoria has ever read. And what's worst, it was written in her perfect cursive. She could never imagine herself writing such a foul letter to a seemingly loyal friend such as Luna. At this point, she couldn't blame Luna for her sudden distance – even she would stop talking to someone who would send her this kind of message.

"Oh, Luna," Astoria finally said after what felt like hours. "I would never. You know I would never. You're one of my dearest friends. Quite possibly the only true friend I have in this school. Well, if you count Daphne and Blaise, that is. But that's completely out of the question, though. I know it looks bad, considering how it's literally in my handwriting but… oh, Merlin, Luna. I would rather die than to send you something as foul as this."

"I realized that a lot later than I had intended." Luna sighed apologetically before meeting her gaze. "It was like trying to solve a puzzle for many months and only ever having the answer when you least expect it. You see, earlier today, your sister Daphne boasted quite a bit when she saw me. She asked me what it was like losing a pure-blood friend like you. I gave her nothing of the sort, but when she suspected that I was no longer listening – I overheard her tell Pansy about writing that letter herself. And I knew I had to find you."

This was news that took a while for Astoria to process, but when she finally did; anger resurfaced above her confusion. How dare Daphne? Given, she understood why Daphne – even her mother – didn't want her to be friends with Luna. They've been through those kinds of conversations a thousand times already, and yet, she refused to listen to them barrage about her friend's weirdness and association with people unworthy of a pure-blood's attention. But for Daphne, and no doubt had probably conspired with their mother, to actually counterfeit her writing and signature and send something as vile as that to Luna was just too far.

"I'm so sorry, Astoria." Her friend said in a small voice as she looked down at her fidgeting her nails. "I should have confronted you about it the minute we got to Hogwarts. Truthfully, I was a bit surprised. At first, I refused to believe you would send me anything so awful. You're a wonderful friend and a very well-humored one at that. But then it sort of made sense, you see? Now that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is back, I suspected you pure-bloods to stick around in your own circle. I really am sorry – my prejudice is as baffling as the letter your sister sent."

"Oh, Luna, I'm sorry." Astoria couldn't help the tears now as they slipped down her cheeks, her hands wringing the parchment she was holding before ripping it into tiny shreds. "I'm so sorry Daphne did this. This is just extremely low… absolutely below the belt… I… I really am. You really shouldn't even be sorry to begin with. It's my fault. I should have tried harder… I should have done something when you didn't send a letter back. I…"

"It's alright." Luna said a little cheerfully as she reached a hand out and placed it on top hers that had the ripped up letter balled in her fist. "People make mistakes, even if we didn't really do it to begin with. Although I know your sister would never say sorry, I forgive her. But I forgive you most of all. You're a really good friend, Astoria. I couldn't possibly imagine having a better one than you."

Astoria sniffed as she tried to wipe off her tears with her free hand, smudging it onto her hanky cleanly before placing it on top of Luna's. "Merlin's pants, I've missed you so much. I have loads to tell you. And I certainly mean loads."

The blonde smiled up at her excitedly. "How about you start with that very striking book you're reading?"

So Astoria explained about her uncommon illness, which Luna knew much about; having to be one of the people that sent her Honeydukes sweets whenever she ended up in the hospital wing. She told her about her conversation with Professor Dumbledore and how she needed to find any background on the Greengrass family name, but none so far have popped up since the First Wizarding War. Apparently, official and new records of the Sacred Twenty-Eight families hadn't occurred until after the war, right when they no longer had the faintest record of the long Greengrass family tree.

"That's really unfortunate." Luna's face fell.

"It's like the Greengrass's have disappeared from record out of nowhere. Like… like magic!" Astoria said miserably, glaring at the book before her.

Luna looked over the open book before asking, "Have you tried talking to your Aunt Cressida?"

"Aunt Cress?" Astoria asked curiously.

"Well, you never quite mention her a lot." The blonde said plainly as she pointed at her aunt's name written on the book.

"That's because I'm no longer allowed to speak to her, and neither was Daphne." She said slowly. "The last time I did, I was twelve. Mum and Aunt Cress haven't spoken in years, not since that little family mishap. Though mum never mentioned why they truly fought, only that she never wanted us to speak to her again."

"Suspect, really." Luna trailed off dreamily. "Perhaps you should talk to her. Your mum may not want you to talk to her, but if I had nieces that weren't allowed to talk to me, I'd surely miss them. Have you tried writing to her since then?"

"I have, but mum and even dad keep intercepting my letters. And even if I did, I hardly doubt my letter's going to her anyway. Aunt Cress herself likely would have ripped it to shreds." Astoria clicked her tongue irritably, remembering how she wanted to at least send one teensy note to Aunt Cress only to have it burned to nothing but ashes by her mum. "She moved out of the country since the family squabble. I couldn't possibly know her address."

"Where do you suspect she's gone off to?" Luna asked.

Astoria shrugged. "I can't say for sure, although I wouldn't put it past her to leave Great Britain. Also, Aunt Cress's very picky with her living situation. She would want to live in a well-off flat, somewhere where there's hot water and fancy restaurants."

"Do you want me to help you, then?" Luna said, her eyes twinkling with delight. "Dad has a lot of connections with real estate agents in the lot of Great Britain. If what you say is true and that she'd probably want an expensive flat of her own – then we may be able to find her. Though it might take a while, I'm sure it's certainly possible."

"Luna, that would probably the best thing that will ever happen to me. Among other things, that is." She beamed at her friend excitedly. "Oh, what in the world would I do without you?"

"Probably many things," Luna smiled brightly. "You are very talented, Astoria. I don't doubt your abilities and I certainly believe you'll rise up to all of this. You are kinder than most people suspect out of a Slytherin."

"Nothing. I'd probably lose my mind to insanity without you." Astoria answered her own question as she bolted up from her seat and went around the table to pull Luna into a hug. "Don't ever ignore me again, alright?"

Luna laughed melodiously as she stood up and hugged her back. "Never again, Tori."

Astoria spent the rest of her morning and lunch with Luna, catching up to what she's been going through for the past two months. She was rather surprised to find that her sister, Daphne, wasn't around for lunch – though she was glad for it for she wasn't in her right mind to yell at anybody right now. Perhaps she would once she sees her in the common room.

She had found out, despite her premonition to murder her sister, that Luna's father's publication of The Quibbler, to which Astoria read supportively for the past few years, had gone all the rage since their release of a non-sugar coated interview with Harry Potter on the return of The Dark Lord. While her mother and sister still found it hard to believe, she and her father already knew that what Harry was trying to claim was true – even before his interview on the odd magazine. Other than that, Luna merely spoke about the Rotfang Conspiracy, which she found rather entertaining.

Overall, she simply missed every bit of Luna's company and truly wished at this point that she had really taken her chances and believed that she was worth getting into Ravenclaw so that she could spend more time with quite possibly the only true friend she had.

"Where are you off to after this, Tori?" Luna asked dreamily as she took a bite of her pumpkin pasty. "Mind if I walk you to it? I could use a bit of fresh air. I hear the snow's not that bad."

They walked a few steps out of the Great Hall before Astoria answered, "I'm actually off to… er…"

"Are you off to see Draco Malfoy?" Luna continued to ask as her eyes wandered aimlessly up towards the paintings on the walls. "I've overheard that you were tutoring him. Well, have been tutoring him for the past few weeks lately. I assume you're enjoying yourself?"

Astoria felt her cheeks burn. "Well, it's not that bad… I mean, he's terrible. A menace at potions and I don't doubt he'll blow up the school at one point. But he's… exceptionally tolerable."

Luna smiled at her wistfully. "I know you used to be quite fond of him. And I'm not surprised that you're trying to see his good side. You always did see the best in people, Tori, no matter how unfriendly or awful they are. Though I suspect most people misjudge Draco Malfoy. I also try to think he might be a good person deep down; although he's certainly got a number to prove before people can fully believe that."

"I mean, he's a bit difficult at times," Astoria admitted with a laugh as they made their way towards the entrance of the school and down the foyer where small patches of white snow lay. But it would seem that the snowing had stopped and the sun gleamed over the thick gray clouds. "He's a bully and he was really awful the first time I tried to tutor him. But he… he hasn't been very active in the pissing people off department lately. In fact, he's been looking very sunken and paler by the days."

"You must really love him, then." Luna speculated as she finished her pumpkin pasty. "I bet you'd be the most wondrous lover. You're sweet and loving, and just absolutely kind. Draco would be very lucky to have you."

"Love is a very strong word." Astoria accused her friend playfully, suddenly remembering that one lesson involving Amortentia and a near kiss that might have possibly changed things had it not been for Professor Slughorn bursting in out of nowhere. "No, I think… I'm certainly attracted to him. You know, physically. He's not hard on the eye. I'm pretty sure my attraction fell off for the first few weeks of the tutoring. And then it just…"

"Poof," Luna said dreamily. "It just came back, out of nowhere. Why is that, by the way?"

Astoria told her fleetingly about the Amortentia incident, blushing and doing major hand movements. She hadn't realized that she'd been holding back her reaction towards it for quite some time. As much as she loved Daphne – though that may have decreased since then – she didn't have the heart to gossip to her sister about it. And she really didn't have the many lot of friends to talk to about it either. So her outburst on the matter all went on her unsuspecting friend, and she felt the need to apologize for it.

By the time that she's finished with her story, they had arrived at the top of a small hill and before them was the slope that led to the elder tree where she first tutored Draco. Even from this distance, she could see his figure leaning against the birch tree and to her excitement, his Nimbus 2001.

"Well, dad always says," Luna began as she too eyed the figure down the slope near the Black Lake. "If a man does strange, extraordinary and above and beyond things for a certain someone out of nowhere – they're either bound to already have great attraction towards you or is interested in having to. I don't know about Draco, but I do hope it's the former. I suspect a grand wedding between you two in the future. You'd make lovely children, actually."

"Oh, Luna," Astoria shook her head, her cheeks now probably the color of tomatoes before patting her friend's shoulder. "I'd thank you for your sentiments, but this is Draco Malfoy we're talking about. Trust me; I sincerely doubt I'll be bearing his children someday."

"Don't jinx it, then." Luna grinned brightly as she rose on her tiptoes a bit. "Perhaps I should go. I wouldn't want to ruin what could possibly be a perfectly wonderful date between you two."

"It's not a date!" Astoria found herself shrieking, and she hadn't realized how loud it was till' she saw a few Hufflepuffs eye her suspiciously. The witch cleared her throat before going on. "It really isn't."

"Whatever way you see it, then." Her friend tilted her head to the side teasingly before turning her back on her. "See you at dinner, Tori!"

Astoria merely gaped at her friend that had just disappeared. Well, she'd take Luna's reaction and teasing any day against Daphne's. If she had told Daphne, she'd probably lose a right arm and break several bones from being tossed around in sheer delight by her bumbling sister. The very thought distracted her as she went down the slope of the hill towards the Black Lake.

No, she wouldn't tell her sister even if that little git begged for it. She didn't know if she even had the heart to forgive Daphne for what she did to Luna.

It was only when her temper rose to what felt like Celsius' high at the thought of her sister did she realize that she had nearly tripped on a stray tree stump. At the sound of her clumsiness, the figure that was Draco Malfoy leaning against the elder tree looked at her. Merlin's pants, did the man own a closet full of black clothes or what?

Draco was dressed in what seemed to be the same suit he wore the day she saw him at Diagon Alley shopping at Twilfitt and Tatting's. Where his hair was usually gelled, it was all over the place, like it's been ruffled from having hands wound through its locks.

"Where have you been?" Draco asked her with a grin, the little bags under his eyes lifting slightly. "1 o'clock, Saturday, don't be late? Honestly, we're going round in circles at this, little Greengrass."

Astoria rolled her eyes at him as she stood up a little straighter before ironing her black skirt with her hands. "I was in a bit of a row with myself. I'm not exactly feeling good."

At this, she saw his brows furrow in worry. "Are you sick again?"

"No," Astoria shook her head exasperatedly as she started take out a packet-full of Jelly Slugs. She cut off the plastic and started ripping the heads off the slug-looking gummy angrily. "It's my sister. She just about did the stupidest, most horrendous, below-the-belt thing I have ever encountered in my entire life. Honestly, it's a miracle I'm actually here and not casting Bat-Bogey hexes at her this instant!"

At that point, she realized only later that she had ended up screaming her frustrations with little to no warning. Astoria told Draco about the letter she sent in August; how her mum and Daphne never quite encouraged her friendship with Luna and how Daphne deliberately counterfeited her handwriting and sent Luna the most outrageous letter of unfriending her.

Like the time she told Luna about the Amortentia incident, she was screaming and grunting and doing large hand movements. It took most of Astoria's self-control not to smack Draco in the face whenever he smirked or sniggered here and there at her constant tirade, though she was surprised to see that he looked solemn as she told him the sensitive parts that made her choke back tears.

When she just about finished her rant, she sat down on one of the stumps angrily – hissing and cursing in frustration finishing off the last of her Jelly Slugs, mumbling with her mouth full. She was heaving now, trying to calm her senses as she stared out at the Black Lake heatedly. What she'd give to be in the library right now. It was the only place that would really jest out all of this pent up frustration.

"Bloody hell, I didn't know you were capable of exploding. And, well, menacingly tear off heads from candied slugs." She heard Draco say as she felt him sit down next to her on the stump. Her eyes veered to her left, watching him stare out into the Black Lake. "Loony Lovegood—"

"It's Luna Lovegood!" Astoria voiced sharply as she sent him a menacing look, ignoring his comment about her way of relieving anger by shoving her face with Honeyduke's sweets. "For the love of Merlin! Is it so hard to see the good in other people no matter how odd most people claim them to be?!"

"Alright, alright! Luna Lovegood, then," Draco raised his hands in surrender, trying to suppress a smirk as he went on. "—is obviously one of the oddest people to grace the halls of Hogwarts, but I agree that your sister shouldn't have done that. That was a crock-pot of a move, and they say I'm evil."

She rolled her eyes at him, not having any of this. "I'll kill her! I swear, I'll have her head for this! It's outrageous! It's… it's… I'll kill her!"

"You wouldn't kill a Niffler if it attacked you out of nowhere, little Greengrass." Draco laughed this time, giving up on his attempts to suppress himself. "Honestly, I don't think you'd have the heart to."

This time, Astoria smacked his arm harshly before standing up indignantly. "Honestly, you're just as worst as her! Why do you all have to be so mean all the time?! Would it kill you people to be a little kinder, to be just… decent human beings?"

"Astoria," He said her name this time, his tone suddenly serious as he too stood up before holding one of her arms to stop her from leaving. "Alright, I'm sorry, okay? You're right, that was awful. Damn it, just… please don't leave."

She looked at him bewildered, but she swallowed her anger, softening up a bit. "I only meant to pace. I do that when I'm frustrated. I wasn't trying to leave you."

Now Draco was the one who looked as if he'd seen a ghost before his face turned a slight shade of pink. "Right, of course. That's what I was trying to tell you… don't pace." He cleared his throat this time to rid of his embarrassment, which made Astoria smile at him softly. "As much as I admire your ferocity, which I find alluring, I believe I still owe you a ride on my Nimbus 2001. It'd be a terrible shame if I took out the ol' broomstick for nothing."

Astoria tried to ignore his comment about him finding her alluring by looking at his black broomstick leaned against the birch tree. It really was a sight to behold, and she really did want to learn how to fly properly without looking like a bloody menace doing it. And really, she didn't mind being awfully close to Draco while riding it…

"You're right," Astoria sighed out her frustration, her shoulders slackening in relief just as Draco withdrew his hand from her arm. "I'm sorry. I really am. I'm not usually like this. It's just that… Daphne… gods that blasted little witch…"

Draco smiled at her briefly before walking over to the tree and taking his broom in his hand.

"Flying could take your mind off things, you know." He said as he beckoned her towards him. As she made her way to him, he went on. "I learnt from my father, actually. I was seven when he gave me my first child-size broom. Even I was a menace when I first tried it, and when I finally got the hang of it – mother had to confiscate it, scared that I might get far too used to it. She never did like how I rode my brooms, mostly because I tried to weave as fast as I possibly could with them."

Astoria couldn't help but beam at him at this as she saw him position the broom at length. "You've always wanted to be a Seeker, then? Presumably with the want for speed and all?"

Draco's lips curled into a lithe smile smile. "It's all I've ever wanted to be since my parents took me to Quidditch matches. Though admittedly, I was hardly ever good at it."

"Oh, please," Astoria snorted playfully at him. "Potter may be quick, but you're agile. He moves around like a wasp whilst you move more swiftly. But then again, what the ruddy hell do I know about Quidditch?"

A loud laugh escaped Draco's lips and she soon followed after him, their bright laughter resounding throughout the area down to the lake. Finally, one of his hands patted the handle of the broom before it moved up and hovered in midair, though just low enough to mount it.

"I suppose you already know where to sit." Draco said, nodding towards the handle. "Just move up a bit so I can sit behind you."

Astoria nodded before she mounted herself on the broom, moving just a few inches up to the tip as instructed. When she felt him sit just behind her, his body heat emanating on her back; goose bumps began to dot her skin. Thank Merlin she was wearing a sweater, otherwise her anxiety would have shown.

"Alright, little Greengrass," Draco said behind her and resisted the urge to yelp when she felt his arms snake its way around her waist, his hands splayed warm on her abdomen as he leaned into her a bit. "Just a kick off the ground should do the trick and—"

Just before he could finish, Astoria did just that. She kicked off the ground excitedly before they were both hurtled up into the air real fast. A sharp scream came from her as the broom moved uncontrollably, skidding off from left to right as they were already nearly ten feet off the ground.

"Bloody hell!" She could hear him heaving nervously behind her. "You'll get us killed, you know?"

"I'm sorry!" Astoria shrieked at him as they hobbled in the air dreadfully.

"Erecto!" Draco exclaimed, and thankfully the broom stopped wobbling and straightened itself. She could feel her heart racing still as she looked down to find how high they were. They're probably as high as the height of the Astronomy Tower by now.

"Right, just put your hands on the tip and hold on tightly and stay calm." He instructed her as well as demonstrated it by taking both of her hands in his and placing them on the handle half way up the tip. His warm hands lingered on her as he went on. "Don't let go, Astoria."

Astoria nodded as she tried to breathe in and out, containing her drumming heart and her nerves – mostly out of the closeness of Draco than the height of where they were at. She could distinctly smell his lavish cologne; vanilla with a hint of tart apples. The same smell that wafted out of the Amortentia she created only a few days ago. She swallowed at the memory, remembering just how remarkably close she was to being kissed for the first time…

Suddenly, she felt them move through the air. It was a little bumpy at first as they rode, bouncing up and down ridiculously but their laughter at the silliness made the agitation of falling off less frightful. They spent the next ten minutes trying to straighten out their flight, constantly bickering from time to time. Eventually, when they were finally swooping onto the air gracefully and Draco had let go of her hands, that's when Astoria began to feel the thrill of the ride.

Now being able to concentrate on their flight, she looked around and saw all of Hogwarts in its glory. They couldn't go as far as the barrier that had been placed at the start of the school year, but they swooped around and weaved through towers upon towers – seeing some people point at them from the grounds and windows.

"This is mad! But a good kind of mad!" Astoria yelled over the air as they swiftly moved around, passing by the Astronomy Tower.

"What did I tell you? Flying's good!" Draco cried after her as he tightened his grip around her waist, and she felt him pull her closer than necessary. "You're not as bad as I thought you were!"

"You wound me, Draco!" She cackled loudly, the air growing thicker with cold as their broom continued to round the grounds of Hogwarts. "I'm decent enough for a Nimbus 2001!"

"Not decent enough to ride alone!" He jabbed at her teasingly, his hot breath fanning her neck wondrously. She turned around and glared at him. "We're never doing this again, you hear?"

"That's not fair!" Astoria told him off playfully and her heart did a summersault when she saw him give her that rather annoying smirk of his.

They held each other's gaze for quite some time, and it honestly felt like they were the only two people on earth – as repulsively cheesy as it sounds. Only when she saw his eyes widen did that feeling dissolve as she felt the violent lurch of the broomstick heading straight for the barrier. Draco unhinged one of his hands from her waist and took hold of the end of the broom, and she had hoped that by that action that their broom would weave off. But it didn't, and Astoria let out a horrifying scream as the broom hit the barrier with a loud explosion. They rebounded against the invisible force and began hurtling down towards the Black Lake.

Astoria braced for the impact of harsh cold waters, but was surprised to find that they had hovered just about it; though their broom wobbled and stirred abnormally as their feet glided ungraciously against the lake. It was only when they reached the shore that they were finally thrown off the broom together, hurtling them against the unforgiving ground as the broom rolled to the side – a bright green smoke emanating from the handle.

There was a load groan and few thuds as their bodies clashed painfully before finally settling their selves on the ground. Astoria had landed, for some reason, on a soft blow only to realize that she was lying right on top of Draco. Her cheeks flushed almost immediately and she tried to get off of him though her attempts were futile as he still had his arms wrapped around her protectively.

"I'm so sorry!" Astoria said in a small voice, her face nearly inches from his. "Oh, Draco, I'm sorry!"

Draco looked at her with what seemed like relief before he sighed and shook his head, now chuckling lowly. "Bloody hell, are you alright, Astoria?"

"I am." She told him breathlessly, feeling her heart race while also feeling Draco's heart thud under her hands. "Are you alright? Merlin, I must weigh a ton and have broken several of your bones!"

The wizard under her was laughing hysterically now, closing his eyes briefly before opening them again to stare at her. "You weigh little to nothing, little Greengrass. Don't flatter yourself."

"Oh, you're just a ridiculous now, are you?!" Astoria cried as she tried to push off of him, but his arms refused to let her go.

"Oi, you two!" Their tirade was interrupted by the familiar voice of Blaise Zabini.

Instinctively, Draco released his hold on her and she immediately shot off him. Her legs wobbled as her hand reached out for a tree branch; holding onto it for dear life. She saw Draco rise and pat a few patches of snow and stray leaves off his black suit which was now dotted here and there with a mixture of dirt and white powder.

Blaise stood a few feet from them with his arms crossed against his chest, a bright, teasing grin splayed on his lips as he went about to going near them. "Did I interrupt something? Merlin, I didn't know tutoring involved snogging. So you've dumped Pansy for little Greengrass, huh?"

"Rubbish," Draco said coldly as he straightened his suit. "What are you even doing here, Blaise?"

"What?" Blaise raised a brow challengingly. "Can't a man have a walk outside the grounds every once in a while? If I had known this place was reserved for a date, I never would have come here and ruined the moment. My apologies mate."

Then the dark wizard turned to look at Astoria. "You alright, there, Tori?"

"Oh, come off it, Blaise." Astoria told him, though she heaved out tiredly as she was still trying to catch her breath.

"No need to get feisty." Blaise shook his head merrily as he leaned his body against the elder tree. "Anyway, I didn't come here for just a stroll, really. I overheard the Luna girl talking to Cho about her friend being on a date at this very moment. And then I thought, Luna Lovegood surely didn't have any friends. Then I remembered she hung out with Potter and those muggle-loving friends of his. But then I realized; who would go on dates with those losers, anyway? And who else could possibly be Luna's friend than—"

"Get to the point, Blaise." Draco groaned his frustration, and Astoria nodded her approval.

"Well, point is; Snape's asking for you, mate." Blaise nodded towards Draco. "I don't know what he's bloody on about, but he needs you to come to his office now. Like now now, as much as I hate to break what could have possibly been a smashing snogging session—"

"Shut up, Blaise!" Astoria and Draco said at the same time, and her cheeks flushed when she saw Blaise laugh at this.

"Aw, bloody hell, you even talk at the same time now." Blaise chortled as he doubled over and held his sides. "Merlin help us – we're all doomed if you two end up together."

Draco snorted irritably and she saw him snatch his broom off the ground before making his way up the slope. But before he could, though, she was surprised to hear him whisper to her at a volume low enough for Blaise not to hear but just loud enough for her to understand.

"Till' the next one, little Greengrass."

The hair on her skin rose as his voice melted into her, like butter on warm scones. Astoria bit her bottom lip to suppress a yelp, and she looked up into his grey eyes elusively before nodding. Draco's lips curled playfully before he finally broke the spell by walking away from her, his arm swaying his Nimbus 2001 confidently in his stride as he made his way up the slope, looking every bit of the pompous man he was. Only this time, Astoria sought to see him in a different light.