So, I always thought there were other people in my head. After reading the reviews for the last chapter, I know I'm right. And maybe a little bit crazy.

Chapter 16
Draco waited nervously for Astoria to arrive. It had been years since they had seen one another. Astoria was two years his junior, and because of that, he rarely associated with her at school. Why his parents had chosen her as his betrothed was a mystery. Maybe she was the only one willing to do it.

The front door of the Leaky Cauldron opened, and a pretty, young blonde entered. She shook the snow from her boots and surveyed the pub. Draco was sure that was Astoria, and waved to her from his table. With a smile on her lips, she joined him and awkwardly held out her hand to him. "Thanks for coming," she said, taking a seat across from him. Draco nodded. "So, um, the papers can't stop talking about you."

He rolled his eyes. "Damned vultures follow us everywhere," he groused. "It's what happens when a war heroine and a Death Eater live together. Probably waiting for one of us to kill the other one in their sleep."

"She's the mother of your child. I wouldn't recommend doing that," Astoria joked.

"She'll be the one who offs me," he replied, good naturedly. "We love each other, but the bigger she gets, the angrier at me she gets."

Astoria smiled. "Yeah, but it must be exciting," she said. "How far along is she?"

"Five and a half months," he answered. "I'm sorry. I'm sure this isn't what you wanted to talk about."

She shook her head. "Actually it was," she replied, her grin never faltering. "You have no idea how relieved I was when I found out about Granger...I mean, Hermione. She was my out and I didn't have to marry you. Please don't be offended by that. Sometimes things just come out, and-"

Draco interrupted with a chuckle. "None taken," he assured her. "I wasn't too keen on the idea of marrying you either. Out of curiosity, did you have someone else in mind? Someone you really wanted to be with."

Astoria glanced down, a curtain of blonde curls concealing the embarrassed blush that rose on her cheeks. "Yes," she mumbled. "But he's engaged or married now, so I don't stand much of a chance."

"Who is it?" he prodded.

Astoria shook her head, but Draco continued to ask. By the fifth time, she looked up and glared at him. "Merlin, I feel bad for your child. Is it your plan to wear people down until they give in just to shut you up?" she asked.

Leaning back in his chair, he shrugged. "That depends. Is it working?"

Rolling her blue eyes, Astoria sighed. "It's Harry Potter," she told him. "Are you happy now?"

A wide smile stretched his lips. "He's at my house right now," he said casually. "I could introduce you. Plus, last night, Hermione started crying about how she ruined your life by stealing me away from you. It might make her feel better if you tell her you want nothing to do with me."

Nodding in agreement, she followed him outside and allowed him to Apparate her to his flat. They had just arrived at his door when she stopped him. "What if this is a bad idea?" she asked.

Draco shrugged. "Maybe it is," he agreed, slipping his key into the lock. He stepped in first, and Hermione was soon by his side. "Hey. I didn't want to interrupt, but there's someone who wanted to meet you."

Hermione stood beside Draco as he stepped out of the way to allow Astoria Greengrass entrance to their flat. She eyed him nervously before cautiously greeting the woman her boyfriend was supposed to marry. "It's nice to meet you," she said politely.

"Actually, Astoria was hoping to meet Potter," he told her, amusement rich in his voice. He leaned in closer and whispered, "She's got a bit of a crush on him."

"He's single now," she shared conspiratorily. Hermione called to Harry, asking him to join them. Draco made the introductions and was soon pulled to the kitchen by Hermione. "Do you think this is a good idea?" she asked worriedly.

Draco shrugged. "Astoria seems really nice," he told her. "I remember her sister being the anti-Slytherin. Maybe she is too."

Hermione sighed as she left the kitchen. "I hope you're right," she muttered under her breath. They returned to the living room to find that Harry and Astoria had already made themselves comfortable. Astoria was giggling in a rather undignified way, a way that would make her parents cringe and disown her if they ever heard it. Hermione couldn't help but smile when she heard the girl snort, which only made Astoria laugh harder.

"Sorry," she said despite her continuing laughter.

"Who'd have guessed that Potter was so funny," Draco added with a smile as he took a seat across from them.

Harry turned an amused smile Draco's way. "Certainly not me," he replied.

Astoria stopped laughing and her cheeks brightened. "Sorry, it's a really bad habit," she mumbled. "Sometimes I get nervous when I meet new people, and I say silly things or snort when I laugh too hard. There's no controlling it."

"Hermione sweats profusely," Harry shared. "Ruined most of her school shirts. One time, she was so nervous about a test that she looked like she'd been caught in the rain, despite being in our common room."

"Harry shakes uncontrollably," Hermione replied, eyeing her friend. "Feels like an earthquake. Professor Sprout once chastised him for disrupting the soil in her pots."

Draco laughed. "I remember that."

All eyes turned on the blond. Harry, wearing a bemused smile, asked what his nervous habit was. Despite Draco's attempts to evade the question, Hermione was more than happy to supply an answer. "He braids things or twists them," she stated. "When I told him I was pregnant, he started fidgeting with his shirttail so much that it stayed in place when he stopped. I'm sort of afraid that he'll break my hand during labor."

"Won't have to worry about that with all the sweating you'll be doing," Draco teased. "Your hand'll just slip right out."

Astoria laughed at she marvelled at their playful banter. "Are they always like this?" she asked Harry.

He looked down at his lap, chagrined. "Um, I don't know," he replied. "This is the first time I've seen them together."

"It was my fault," Hermione said, coming to her friend's aid. "So many years of bad blood, I just decided it would be better to keep them apart."

Draco took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "You don't have to now," he murmured. "I think we'll be okay."