A/N: Any suggestions please let me know.

Draco brushed his hair away in annoyance, "don't look at me like that. Despite your desires, I'm not about to shag every girl in sight."

"That's not what my sister said." I muttered under my breath.

"What did Daphne tell you?" He asked me.

I quickly shook my head, "nothing."

"Very well. I recently just dismissed my house elf. So I need someone to clean my room." He said.

I stared at him, wondering if I misheard him.

"Yes, you are going to clean my house." He repeated.

"But your parents…"

"I live alone, Greengrass." He said crossly.

Then I objected, "Why don't you hire a maid?"

"It costs too much."

"Why don't you let someone else do it?"

"No one else owes me money." He said.

I fervently wished that he can just disappear and make my life easier.

When I was in my 4th year at Hogwarts, I don't notice many things.

Which is why I failed to notice Malfoy as a prefect. But I rarely get into trouble, so I rarely bump into him.

But I always notice someone else, another boy that my sister always hangs out with.

I actually don't know much about him. But somehow my eyes are always glued to him.

I don't even know his name… One day I woke up from the couch of my secret place, I saw him behind the pillars, staring into the bleak sky.

It's that when I started to notice him around.

It's always not difficult to see that he has his eyes on that other girl. The girl with fiery red hair.

It is years and years later when I bothered to remember their name.

The girl's name is Ginny. And the boy who often looks so fragile that it's heartbreaking is Blaise.

I wonder why they didn't get together.

Because I am almost absolutely positive that is she decided to stay with him, he would give everything for her.

She, on the other hand, has her eyes on someone else.

Of course, that is another story.

But to stay in this story, I need to continue with my school year life.

It's not that Malfoy is plain. It's just that he changed so much after school that it's hard to notice him. Besides, I haven't seen him in almost 4 years.

But that day, when I came to

work, I noticed Blaise right away.

I always remember, how he would hide by himself in a rather cold part of the castle, and let the rain soak him through.

There are two kinds of love in this world. Both loves are fit for lovers. The first is that respected love. When the two sides respect each other, have patience with each other, and is willing to love each other literally until death do them apart. This love is like water, flows on and on endlessly.

Another love is a desperate, passionate love, almost to the point of obsession.

Of course obsession is another story.

But this love, this love is like fire. It will not last long, because it burns and burns through the heart.

I think the latter resembles Blaise. Except his love for that red haired girl hasn't burnt up yet.

Even when it's already 5 or 6 years.

But after it's burnt, there will still be residuals. And the heart is left to be completely black.

"Astoria." Draco said.

I looked up.

"Are you listening?"

"No." I said honestly.

He sighed. "I said, I need you to come to Diagon alley with me. I need to get Potter a gift."

"Gift?" I asked once again stupidly.

"Yes, his wife is pregnant. Now there will be more Potters running around to save the day." He said in more of a resentful voice, "Wonderful."

"Does he cause you a lot of trouble?" I asked.

"Not necessarily." Draco said, "He's just annoying. He comes into Hades too often to inspect on me."

"You hide too well anyways." I said under my breath.

"Haha." This made him laugh.

I sighed. I'm not in the mood to shop with him.

"I also need to get your sister a gift." He said.

"Why?" I asked.

"It's her anniversary." He said simply, "She's having a party tonight."

I looked at the ground. Daphne is recently getting close with the Minister of Magical Transportation. It's likely that any negotiation and agreements that Draco makes under the table went through her.

"I don't like my sister." I said.

He looked at me, and then said, "You don't have to come then. Enjoy the rest of your day off."

"I need the next few days off too. I was asked by Hagrid to sub for him."

"Yes, yes, fine fine." He said.

I looked at him in surprise, before I could say thank you, I was shooed out of the office.

I held onto my small luggage, and boarded the train.

I walked through compartments, and was interested to find that almost empty compartments, Blaise Zabini was in one of them.

"Hi!" I said, "May I sit down?"

"Of course." He said. "You're going to Hogwarts too?"

"Yes." I said. "I'm filling in as a sub for Hagrid for a couple of days."

"Ah." He said, smiling warmly. "I'm going to stay there for a few days too. Business."

"I see." I said.

And now the silence.

Finally I couldn't take it, I said, "So, did you go to the party that Daphne hosted?"

"Oh? Yes. I went yesterday. It was very nice."

"Nice?"

"Yes. She loves throwing extravagant parties."

Yes she does.

"May I ask? How is it that you met my sister?"

He laughed, and said, "I met her when I was only 7. I saw you, too."

"I was 5?"

"Yes. But we only met a couple of times. After Mr. Greengrass disappeared, our families stopped communicating with one another."

I nodded.

"But Daphne became friends with Patsy. We all got to know each other after that."

I nodded.

"Would you like me to tell you stories of our Hogwarts days?" He offered, and his smile as gentle as ever.

"Yes, Please." I said happily, curled in a corner.

"Well…" He thought for a moment. "Alright, have you heard about the time when we all went to Hogsmeade and Crabbe lost Draco's broomstick, so we all had to search for it?"

"No... Tell me tell me!" I said excitedly.

So he began in telling the story.

It turns out that Malfoy was letting Crabbe holding his broom, and then Crabbe went to get a butter beer. By the time he got back, the broom stick was gone.

Everyone was quite worried about his broom, because it cost probably 500 gallons. Also because they have a pretty good feeling that Lucius Malfoy is probably going to kill Draco if he found out.

So the group of friends all swore to a pact to never, ever, tell anyone or any parent on that the broomstick is lost.

And so a month went by with no broomstick.

Until one time, when they were all went to the lake to swim, and Draco swam too far, and the tide came in.

Malfoy exhausted himself so he couldn't swim back, and the water looks like it's going to swallow him whole, when the broomstick that was lost for a month came and rescued him.

Then I asked Blaise on why they decided to take a swim.

I bugged him for more and more stories after that.

When we almost arrive, I stopped speaking.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"I was just wondering. Based on the stories you told me, Malfoy doesn't seem to be such a bad guy." I said bitterly.

"He's very compassionate." Blaise said, looking at me carefully, "Sometime he can be an asshole. But it's because he was born and raised in such a rich family. He can't help it. He is spoiled."

I sighed. "It's getting harder and harder to work with him."

"I'll talk to him." He said.

I smiled, "Thank you."

"It's ok." Blaise said, "I understand him… more than anyone."

I looked out the window, and the majestic Hogwarts stood above the lake and the forests.

"We're here." I said.

We got off the train, I looked around me. It's so empty that it's frightening. It's quiet, and the sky looks so dark. There wasn't a ray of sunshine coming through at all.

Blaise said. "Let's go to the Head Master's office first."