Astoria:

"Where are we?" They stood on a sweeping hill, overlooking a dramatic set of cliffs. Below them, the ocean crashed and the wind howled into the rugged rocks. Astoria turned around and saw trees arching like curled arms into the sky, creating a tunnel. Moss covered the ground like a moist sponge.

"Ireland." Draco let go over her waist, coughing lightly as he stepped away from her. Over the horizon, the sun had just begun to set. "We should hide in the trees. We can't stay here long, but I've stayed here before. It's hard to find anything in that grove."

The grove was nearly pitch black, and the noises that had hounded them on the cliffs were absent. Astoria lit her wand up as they trudged along. Draco stopped occasionally to look around intently, as if he could remember the spot. Eventually, they came across a small clearing. Draco kicked aside a log, and Astoria watched as he uncovered a small fire pit, hidden under expertly placed leaves.

"When were you here?" Astoria asked, bending down to start a fire in the pit. Draco settled down on the log and buried his face in his hands. He looked suddenly exhausted.

"With my parents a month or so ago." He shook his head. "We were caught almost as soon as we came back into England."

"How long were you hiding?"

"You ask a lot of questions." Draco smiled, half-heartedly, but his eyes were dead. Astoria didn't smile back. She stretched as the fire began to build up, crackling and twisting around the pile of twigs she had thrown in the pit. "A couple months. Probably as long as you were in prison. I don't really know, I couldn't even tell you what day it is."

"It's September 27," Astoria replied.

"I thought it was September." Draco looked up suddenly at the sky. "Don't you think it's strange that there's people at Hogwarts right now? I'm sure people are rebuilding the school."

Astoria thought of the Quidditch Pitch, the Astronomy Tower, and the Slytherin Common room. She thought of all the time she had spent in the Hogwarts hallways with her friends, all those hours she had spent crushing on Draco Malfoy. And she thought of the Battle of Hogwarts, the night her parents had ceased to exist, the night that had ruined her life.

"I suppose."

"Do you think you'll go back?" Draco asked.

"No. Do you?"

"No. I mean, we can't."

"But if you could?"

Draco rubbed the inside of his left arm. The dark gray jumpsuit he was wearing was long sleeved, but Astoria suspected that he was sporting a rather unbecoming tattoo on the inside of that arm.

"Maybe. Probably not. Too many bad memories, not enough good ones."

"Same."

Astoria shivered. The night had grown bitter, and the heat from their small fire was hardly enough to keep both of them warm. Their prison garb was thin and scratchy, and their shoes were stiff and uncomfortable. Astoria thought longingly of a bed, an actual bed covered in blankets and pillows, and nearly passed out from the thought of it. She looked at Draco and felt a sudden urge of annoyance. If it hadn't been for him, for his stupid actions, she would have been just fine sitting in a jail cell. She would have gotten out, eventually. But now, here she was, sitting in the middle of a forest in Ireland, with no money, just the clothes on her back, and a boy as clueless as she was.

"What are you thinking about?"

Astoria rounded quickly on Draco. "This was stupid. This was a mistake."

"Sorry?"

"Escaping. Leaving. How stupid was that plan? You should have said something, you should have refused."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Draco asked tiredly. "Are you saying you wanted to stay there?"

"I don't know," Astoria said, flapping her hands. "But think of it this way. We're out, right? We can't go home. We can't contact anyone. We can't go in public, for risk of being caught. We are on the run and will be for as long as we live. Maybe you're used to it, but I'm not."

"I'm not used to it. But it's certainly better than being locked up in a cell until I'm executed, isn't it?" Draco exploded.

"Maybe for you!"

"This was your idea!"

"I would have never had to do this if it weren't for you!"

"What are you talking about?"

Astoria snatched up her stolen wand and rolled her eyes. "Forget I said anything. Forget it. I'm going to go find somewhere to sleep, and I'm going to try to conjure up some sort of shelter for myself, but we'll see how that goes."

"Fine." Draco turned away from her, fuming. Astoria lingered for a moment, caught between apologizing and aparating away. In the end, she quietly walked deeper into the woods without looking back. She settled down between a cluster of brambles and waved her wand. The brambles shot upwards and formed a sort of roof over her head, binding tightly together to keep out moonlight. Astoria curled up on her side and held her wand against her chest, determined not to cry.

Draco:

He had been to this forest before, but now he could not remember it. He had left the small site where he and Astoria had originally settled, intent on finding her. She had stalked away into the woods after screaming non-sensical bits of information at him. He had let her go too, stinging over her sudden lash of anger. But eventually, as the night had begun to cast shadows on the ground, Draco had put out the small fire she had made and set out to find her.

He was protective of her, he realized. She could protect herself tenfold, but he felt, somehow, responsible for her being here. She had mentioned staying in that prison, if he had not come along. But here they were, out on a remote coast of Ireland, not even speaking. He hoped that she had found shelter for herself and was faring alright, and that she had not taken off and left him alone.

Draco cursed as a rabbit hopped out of a nearby brush, startling him. He had shot off a jinx instinctively, setting the bush ablaze. The rabbit sped away, and Draco extinguished the bush with a snarl. His stomach growled loudly, and he wished now that he had killed the rabbit. He hadn't eaten in nearly a day, and despite the meager portions served at the prison, it was better than nothing at all.

It wasn't long before Draco came upon a small clearing in the woods. The trees parted just slightly overhead to bear a small circle through which the moon shone down. The moon was large enough that evening to light the path ahead of him by a few meters. Draco looked around, hoping to see a sign that Astoria was nearby (maybe she too had been drawn to the source of light), when a loud rumble sounded out overhead. Draco glanced upwards with a frown. The moon that had just been visible disappeared beneath a cover of stormy clouds. A plop of rain shot down and splashed on Draco's forehead and nose. He swore audibly, and then began to run into the cover of the woods. A flash of lightening broke the sky overhead, and thunder boomed out into the night. Draco could hear rain falling around him, and he quickly cast an impervius charm upon himself.

"Lumos!" His wand lit up, and Draco turned on the spot. All he could see were masses of trees and bushes and heaps of dirt and twigs. There was no movement, no sound except for the sudden storm, and no sign of Astoria. "Astoria?"

When she answered him, it wasn't how he expected. He had called her name twice, hoping madly that she would suddenly emerge from behind a tree and call him some dumb nickname, indicating that she had forgiven him for whatever she had been cross about. He had hoped that she would just be alright. But instead, when he began to call her name a third time, he was interrupted by a sudden scream of terror that was overtaken by a shriek of lightening.

"Astoria!" Draco screamed, running along the path. He heard her scream again and again, and he followed her voice. He was sweating and clammy. He kept his wand aloft, ready to fight. But instead, he came across a small arch of brambles underneath which Astoria was sleeping. She was tossing about madly, scattering branches and dirt as she screamed in her sleep. Draco knelt by her side and quickly grabbed her hands, keeping her from floundering about. "Astoria, it's me. It's Draco. Please stop screaming. You're sleeping."

Astoria shot up, panting and whispering nonsense under her breath. She looked around, wide-eyed, and then closed her eyes. Draco let go of her hands, gently, and plucked bits of moss from her hair. Astoria quickly grabbed his hands again and held onto them tightly. Her skin sent shocks climbing up his arms.

"I'm sorry I ran," she mumbled. "I'm sorry."

"I'm just glad that you're unharmed," Draco replied. He turned over her hands, saw that they were covered in scratches and dirt. "For the most part."

"Nightmares."

"I guessed." Astoria turned her chin upwards, growing closer to Draco. He could see every freckle that crossed her petite nose.

"Most of my nightmares are about you," she gulped. She slid a hand away from Draco's and then placed it lightly on his cheek. "I am afraid that you will leave, that you will get taken away."

"I'm not leaving. I was afraid that you had."

"I can't leave you. I will not, not ever." Astoria pressed her forehead against Draco's. He could hear her quickening breath. Slowly, he brought his hands up to touch her face, cupping her chin in both his hands. Her perfect mouth fell slightly open, and he kissed her. Astoria gasped into his mouth as their lips shocked and then clutched him closer, pulling at the back of his shirt. Draco wrapped an arm around her, and Astoria rocked onto her knees, falling against Draco. They tumbled downwards, Astoria on top of him, her hair hanging in his face.

She paused before kissing him again, her trembling features marked with curiosity. She kissed him with fire this time, seizing the bottom of his shirt and yanking it above his head. She threw it onto the ground beside them without pause. Draco kept his hands on her hips, but Astoria grabbed her own shirt and pulled it off. She grasped his hands and put them on her skin. Draco could feel her heart beating in her chest, he traced the curve of her breasts with his thumb, ran his hands over her hip bones and the dip of her spine. Astoria reached suddenly for the band of his pants, scraping her teeth against his neck and licking his collarbone viciously. Draco froze.

"Don't say anything," Astoria whispered, locking her arms around his shoulders as she kissed him again. "Don't say anything, Draco."