Despite how bogus I thought Potter's claim about raiding the tavern was, I stayed away from it for the two day time period. If I was even connected to a crime that was bad enough for Auror's to be involved with, I would lose my job quicker than Fudge when the Dark Lord was sighted at the Ministry my third year. To substitute for my normal drinking spot, my flat filled with bottle quickly, not that I cared.

I was sitting in my living room one night, watching as the moonlight coming in through my window reflected off of the brown bottles. I counted them repeatedly: eleven. I had a problem, and had known about it for a while; I just didn't want to deal with it. There was a swift knock on my door and I rose, flicking my wand to make the evidence of my addiction disappear.

"Malfoy?" I looked at the wizard, confused. The bloke stood in his dark cloak with a pensive face. "How did you"-

"Your grandparents are well acquainted with my parents." He told me, his tone somewhat hallow. He held up a book with an old cover. "I found these and wondered if you would like to look at them? They're from my fifth year, your third. Your sister is in a lot of them."

"Sure." I bit my lip, knowing that I had to keep a front of my Gran and Grandpa. They had threatened to admit me because of my "ongoing mourning" already and didn't have time to take personal leave from work. Draco walked over to my couch and sat down, looking around my busy apartment. "If you had sent me notice, I would have cleaned up more. I've been working overtime for the past three weeks."

"That's ironic." He told me as I walked to the kitchen. I grabbed two bottles of Butterbeer and sat next to him on the couch, a brow raised. The bloke's intense expression focused on me, his eyes burning holes into me. "Your sister used to complain about how you had no tolerance for going above the call. She said you had this idea that you were going to be swept away by some charming bloke that would cherish you as a house wife."

"That was the plan when I was thirteen." I admitted with a joking tone, popping the tops on the bottles. He laughed as I turned to the book and motioned for him to open it. Malfoy did so, first landing on a picture from my first day of school. Pansy had forced one of the other first years to take a picture of me in their crew, as I was the 'new protégée'. I laughed at my nervous expression as I kept glancing at the pug-faced girl, making Draco smirk. "Pansy was wearing all white since we were done with classes for the day and started her monthly five minutes after the picture was taken. We didn't hear the end of how much we were at fault for it for a week."

I took the book from him as he removed his cloak to get more comfortable and turned the page to a picture of Daphne with the young Malfoy and Zabini. Her long, blonde hair had been in a braid and the seedy black wizard kept playing with it. The bloke next to me chuckled, commenting on as my sister looked skeptically between her two classmates. "Bloody hell, that was the day we dared your sister to kiss Zabini. She did it too, and it made his bloody week."

The next three hours were spent picking through the old memories that came with the book. It was the first day I had laughed, really laughed, in ages; especially when talking about Daphne. I had morbid memories about the recollections, naturally, but the stories that seemed to come with them seemed to spill out. Especially with Draco, who seemed to be trying to avert some issues of his own. Not willing to give up my cover in case he reported to the Beaumont's, I continued with my pattern for the rest of the night. Around midnight, we had gotten three-fourths of the way through the book. I noticed the time when I started to yawn, apologizing to him.

"I would hate to end this, but I have brunch tomorrow with my grandparents and then I get to do a few house calls. We should do this again, Malfoy."

"Indeed." He agreed, rising as he himself began yawning. He pulled his cloak on while looking down at me, smirking the trademark Slytherin expression. "My parents are having a lunch on Sunday and afterward I'm going to a Harpies game. I happen to have an extra ticket. I know its short notice, but you are a fan and if you can make it, I would be glad to have you along."

I smirked at him, looking at him. "And how would you know I'm a Harpies fan?"

Malfoy chuckled, continuing the flirtation. "Have you looked around your flat lately, Greengrass?"

Two days later, I arrived at the gate of Malfoy Manor. Draco was there to meet me and opened the gate, looking me up and down. "The Healer robes totally fooled me, Greeengrass. It's no wonder Glenn acted as he did."

I rolled my eyes at his informal compliment, walking with him to his parent's manor. The building was magnificent, with elaborate shrubs and gardens. Two albino peacocks walked elegantly across the path. I whistled as their white feathers glistened in the sunlight. The animals turned and glanced at us, acting as if they could care less about their observers.

"I can give you a tour if you'd like?" The Malfoy offered. "We have time before lunch."

"I'd love that." The first thing I noticed once we walked to the backside of the garden was the giant willow tree. As we arrived closer, I noticed a small swimming hole underneath it. I crept through the wispy branches and looked around the pond, watching the diversity of fish swimming in the water. "The Malfoy family defiantly shows its wealth. Seahorses?"

"It's a lifestyle we enjoy." I turned to the wizard as he looked down at me, his hands in his pockets. His eyes bored into mine, making my knees go weak. I remember Daphne telling me that was one charm about Draco Malfoy. He seemed so confident that everything was his when he wanted it that it could be as attractive as it was annoying. I shivered lightly and turned back to the water, watching as a fish swam up after a leaf that had fallen into its pond. "If you're cold we can go inside."

"I'm fine, Malfoy." I assured him. He grabbed my left hand and caused me to looking back at it. His thumb caressed my fingers, catching my eye again. The wizard pulled me closer to him, looking down at me gently. I knew my eyes were as wide as saucers by his gesture, and was unsure of what to expect from this bloke. Malfoy ran his left hand through my hair and put his forehead on mine, his breath warm on my face. The Dark Mark caught the corner of my eye and I spoke, my voice hallow. "What are you doing?"

"Something that has been on my mind awhile." I pulled away quickly as a witch's voice called his name. A mixed whirlwind of anger and breathlessness filled me as he lightly swore. Malfoy sighed and grabbed my hand, leading me back towards the manor. His Dark Mark started at me the entire time.

"So Draco tells us you're a Healer, Astoria?" Lucius told me as he sipped his wine. I tasted mine lightly; annoyed it wasn't as strong as the fix I was dying for after the incident under the willow tree.

"Yes Sir; this if my first year interning in the Emergency Injury Ward." I set my glass down and took a bite of my Cornish hen. "Thank you for inviting me to lunch. It was very enjoyable."

"We were glad to hear Draco's found someone as well respected as you to spend time with, Astoria." Narcissa told me, smiling gently. "Many of us expected you to become the opposite when we heard the Beaumont's allowed you such independence after you parents' deaths. I must say I am impressed by you."

"I'm speechless." I told her, catching a look with her son who appeared confused by my glance. So this is why I was brought, to allow his parents to poke at me like some rare specimen? Bloody prat. Lunch ended and Draco and I walked to the gate of the manor and he sighed.

"Thank Merlin that's over. The game is at Morgana Field in Budapest, do you want to Side-Along Apparate or have you been there before?"

"I'm not feeling well, Malfoy." I told him once we were outside the gate. "Forgive me, but I'm going to go home and rest."

"What? Are you sure?" He sounded disappointed at the change in plan. "Do you want me to take you home"-

"I think you've grouped us together enough tonight, thank you."

I ended up working triples every night for the next week, including he weekend, because three of our top Healers were sick. On Sunday, I had just finished healing a melanoma diagnosis and was filing the paperwork in Chang's office when there was a knock on the door. I looked up and Malfoy stood there, in all black again.

"Long day, Astoria?"

"Nothing I can't handle. Yourself?" I stated in a cold voice. I doubted he would work an honest day in his life.

"Rumford is expanding, which means longer hours for me." I stilled, somewhat surprised. Rumford was a rather successful trading and Shipment Company that was picky on hiring. The owner, Karter Rumford, wasn't a very political wizard, though competitive as hell. My Dad's company had been their key opponents for years. This meant that Draco had to have actually earned the job without Lucius buying him a spot. Well, no one had ever accused the Malfoy of being stupid, just that he acted so. His eyes bore into me again, his voice low. "Did I upset you the other night?"

"No, I always appreciate being used as political capital towards somebodies parents."

He looked at me, the comment causing his face to tense. "I didn't intend for it to be like that, Astoria. I apologize if it hurt you."

"Then why the hell would you invite me to lunch at your parents to prove you had 'good company'?" I snapped, glaring at him. I had a right to be angry. He was a spoiled brat and wore that bloody mark on his arm. His kind was the reason my family was six feet under.

"Because," He walked in, closing Chang's door behind him as he looked at me levelly. "When I invited you to lunch, I was talking out of my arse to get you to spend as much time with me as possible. And I thought everything was going fine until you skipped the game. I must have really upset you if you gave up the last game regional game of the bloody season."

"You should have just asked me to the game." I informed him. The night we spent at my flat had been pleasant enough and additional time with the wizard would keep my grandparents off my arse for a while. "No offense, but I'm not particularly fond of your parents. They're too uprightly social."

He nodded, his face sincere. "Can you let me apologize by taking you out for dinner tonight? I'm starving and I'm sure you are too."

I stared at him for a while with a gentle "no" on my tongue, but changed course. It would pay off in the long run to go for it, so I agreed. "Give me ten minutes to finish up and I'll go to my flat and change."

The restaurant we went to was a quiet yet relaxing one. The light was dim but the dress was casual and the patio outdoors was mostly empty. We took a seat outside since the early October weather was bearable. The sun was setting and once I sat down, the relaxing setting made me realize how tired I was. I coughed, trying a hide a yawn hitting me as the waiter came.

"Coffee, Firewhisky and chicken noodle soup please." The waiter took our orders and left as Malfoy turned to me with a raised brow. "What? I've had a long week."

He chuckled, as our order appeared. "It looks like Chang's been putting you through the ringer for a first year intern."

"Not necessarily. I just work faster and more efficiently than most interns do with paperwork." I told him, trying to talk to keep myself awake. I drained my glass of Firewhisky quickly and took a spoonful of my soup, relaxing with my familiar buzz. "My Dad used to have me file at his office when his secretaries were out on summer vacation."

"Your father's company is a main competitor for ours, even with his death." I refilled my glass of Firewhisky but grabbed my coffee to make it seem more nonchalant. I was tired enough to be emotionally incapable of taking the conversation to heart, but the liquid bravery would ensure I wouldn't lose it over the mention of my family. "You get shares, correct?"

"I own half of the business but have considered selling." Greengrass and Oleander was a good business, but I didn't work there and Alicia Oleander deserved complete ownership for the hoops she went through to keep it alive. "Would Rumford be willing to face Oleander on completely?"

Malfoy laughed, shaking his head. "She's a tough one for sure, though Rumford constantly reminds us that no one could compare to your Dad."

"Dad defiantly wasn't the easiest wizard in the world to." Nor was Mum; I could count twenty times when they both threatened divorce against the other and concluded they would ship Daphne and I to a year round boarding school. Sometimes I wished they had. I drained my second glass and caught Draco's eye. "Yes?"

"If you want to go somewhere to drink, we can." I shrugged, unsure of his tone. He chuckled, rubbing his face. "I've pulled eighty hours this week and have the next two days off. The only thing keeping me from not ordering an entire bottle of rum is the fact that my mother's least favorite witch in the world is inside, waiting for me to screw-up so that she can gossip about it."

"I have a couple of days off too." I looked up and saw Qualia Zabini watching Draco and I with a straight face. "Let's go."

We both rose and Draco pulled out money, insisting that he pay. I watched Zabini look at me as if trying to figure out who I was. The blonde wizard turned to speak to me and I put my hands on his neck and pulled him down so I could kiss him. The bloke stood still, tensed with confusion as I kissed him. After a few seconds, he started kissing me back and followed my lead for quite a show. I pulled back after a few seconds, my face red.

"Let's see how your Mum enjoys hearing about that." I knew by the look of shock on Zabini's face that I shouldn't have had anything else to drink that night, but didn't care. I needed a stronger buzz, and Malfoy was buying.

I woke up the next day with pressure on my naval. I looked over at my alarm clock to see that it was three in the afternoon. I swore into my dark bedroom, moving to sit up. I felt another body move atop of me and reached around on my nightstand to find my wand as my heartbeat quickened, muttering 'Lumos'. Draco was asleep on me, his arms folded tightly around my waist. I looked at my dress and saw that my knickers and bloomers were still on, and his pants on him. Sighing with relief, I leaned back and distinguished the wand light, opening my blinds slightly but not enough to trigger hangover symptoms.

I looked down as Malfoy's sleeping form shifted, moving his head to lay his right cheek on my naval. I made a promise to hex him if he said anything about how cushion-like that part of my body was. His hands slid up my back as he fell back into his slumber. I stared back at my ceiling, wondering how the hell we had gotten here. We had gone to a tavern, ordered drinks… everything past that was blank except a faint recollection of coming home and snogging on my bed. I looked back down at the bloke and pushed strands of his hair off his forehead, noticing how flaxen the light made it.

I spent the next few hours nodding on and off; deciding Draco must have drank way more than I had. This thought impressed and scared me. I knew I could consume a lot of alcohol, but some people just didn't know their limitations. There were so many school kids coming into St. Mugo's because they didn't know theirs and didn't have reasons to be drinking. Then again, mine wasn't necessarily called for either; especially when I could beat any seventh year at drinking games my sixth year of school. I sighed, deciding I had to be the biggest hypocrite in the world when it came to shutting parental figures up and drinking my problems away.

Draco moaned, breaking my thoughts. He turned his head and looked at me, opening his heavily laden eyes. He saw my face then let his eyes travel further south and swore.

"Bloody hell, did we…?"

"No." I told him gently, too hangover to speak louder. He moved the hand from behind my back up to my neck and rubbed it gently. "What?"

"We were defiantly in the process of it. It looks like I beat the bloody humanity out of you." The blonde sat up, wincing as light caught his eyes and turning his back to me. The light emphasized scars it hit on his pale skin. "Where's your loo, Astoria?"

While he was gone I rose and pulled on a pair of sweats and a tank top, deciding I needed to shower whenever Draco was gone. I walked through my house, trying to find discarded clothing. I found my shoes by my front door, my skirt and shirt by my couch and my scarf on my desk. Draco's shoes were in my kitchen with his shirt and two bottles of Ogden's finest on the counter. I grabbed a bottle and took a long swig, plugging it back up when I tasted that it wasn't flat yet. Malfoy came out seconds later, his eyes catching his clothes on my couch.

"Have you seen my wand and cloak?"

"Ah… check my room?" I asked, not sure why they would be in here if we had undressed out here. Sure enough, he found both items by my bed. "Don't ask me what happened last night. I seriously remember the snogging and that was it."

He smirked, rubbing his face as I pulled coffee from my cupboard. Draco walked over to my counter, leaning against it. "We were shooting shots, trying to outdo each other. Apparently we were there awhile because the bartender did last call when we left. You kept on kissing me the entire walk up here, and when we got in here you went for another drink… Merlin, I never knew anyone who could hold more liquor than me."

I shrugged, trying to stay playful with it. "You want a cup?"

"Thank you." I cast the spell to begin brewing when Draco walked behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist. He kissed my neck and made me shiver against his cool touch, playing with the drawstrings of my pants. "This hangover may kill me tonight. We're having a bloody baby shower for the receptionist at work."

"Skip it and say you have something else to do." I suggested, getting increasingly nervous as his hands massaged my stomach. I tried to focus on something else and flicked my wand when the coffee was finished, pouring it into separate mugs.

"Do I?" He asked, breathing in my ear and sliding a hand under my shirt.

"What you experienced last night may be as far as you'll get with me for at least two more dates, Malfoy." I stated with a humored tone, making him laugh as he hiked my shirt higher. "Your coffee's done."

Getting my drift, Draco pulled himself from my body and grabbed the cup from in front of me. I waited a few seconds for him to clear the kitchen before slipping some Firewhisky in my cup and drinking it, inhaling deeply with relief. We didn't talk much after that and Draco left my flat an hour later. I spent the rest of my time cleaning my apartment up from the good time I didn't remember and taking a shower. When I came out, I found a letter on my kitchen counter from Potter.

'Greengrass, I need your medical expertise. Meet me at Godric's Hallow at seven o'clock and keep it quiet. I'll pay for the house call.'