Astoria had spent the past few days avoiding Draco. He noticed, oh he noticed, but for some reason, he didn't test her on it. She took it as her sign that she was doing the right thing. If he couldn't even miss her—if he didn't even attempt to fight for her—then clearly it wasn't meant to be.

Why did she always have to be the one going to his room? Why did she have to keep a secret from her sister and her roommate while Blaise and Theo got to know all willy-nilly? Why should she have to sacrifice her family to be with him while he sacrificed nothing, not even his own bedroom? Astoria couldn't remember the last time she spent the night in her own dormitory before she began avoiding him and she was reluctant to admit that those first few days felt cold and lonely.

She huffed. She was annoyed with boys. No. She was annoyed with Draco.

Mean, stupidly handsome, bully Draco. It was like she had a list of pros and cons going back and forth in her mind constantly about him. Buys me things. Bullies first years. Calls me beautiful. Calls muggle-borns mudbloods. Mean attitude. Sweet disposition towards her.

"Ugh!" she said, running her hands through her hair with frustration. She was already ready for this night to be over.

To top it all off? She had just witnessed the most romantic thing she had possibly ever seen: Theo caring for Aria with the deepest parts of his soul.

(AN: some of the following text comes from the Smoke & Stars chapter "The People Who Love Ariana Berkshire" but there has been stuff added/removed so I still recommend reading it so you don't miss things)

If Astoria had any doubts about Theo's love for her best friend, they were squashed that evening in her dormitory. She was still dreamily thinking about the way he held Aria, cooing to her softly while comforting her in a way only a true lover could. Astoria's love life had been lackluster, to say the least. Especially the past few days as she avoided Draco. She didn't trust whether she would kiss him or slap him upon sight and, to be honest, she didn't really want to do either. Distance was best when it came to him, not that he seemed to care anyway.

Seeing Theo act that way with Aria really put things in perspective for her so as she sat in the common room alone, she couldn't help but think of her own, barely existent relationship. She had an hour to kill since Theo asked her to wait before going to find Aria's brother, Enzo. The couple probably wanted a little alone time to recover from her bullying ideal.

Bullying. Ugh! Why did Draco have to be a bully? Why couldn't he be nice like Theo? Well, Theo wasn't always nice but at least he changed. At least he became a nicer lad. Astoria just frowned and gripped the romance book that she was desperately struggling to pay attention to. It didn't work. Her mind either strayed to being angry and annoyed with Draco or jealous of Aria and Theo's relationship.

The bell of the nearby clock began to chime. One... two... three... They echoed throughout the empty common room. Draco would be wondering where she was. Let him wonder, she thought with a huff. I've seen now what love looks like. I'm not settling for anything else. She wanted someone to pursue her, someone who actually cared whether she ignored them or not. Draco hardly seemed to have noticed her absence. He passed by her in the hallways without saying a word. He didn't show up to her dormitory looking for her the first night she didn't come to his. Did he even really love her? Her mind flooded with insecurities and doubts. She didn't know who he was, who they were.

Perhaps they truly were nothing. A girl and her sister's fiance. Nothing more.

The bells continued to ring.

Four... Five... Six... Her heart raced when she thought she saw a flash of blonde hair in the stairwell but it sank when she saw that it was only Tilly Turnblatt. So much for swearing off Draco. She knew she wouldn't be able to resist him... it was as if her heart was drawn to him and only him. The fact that she had gone this long without seeking him was a miracle. Well, miracles have happened before and they can happen again, she thought. She gripped her book even tighter.

Seven... Eight... Nine... The hour was up. Astoria hurriedly set down her book and ran out to the hallway to find Enzo. She had a sinking suspicion she knew where he would be. But when she would later return to the common room, Astoria wouldn't notice the fact that her book—the one she was sitting on the couch attempting to read—was missing, just like she wouldn't realize it was sitting in a certain blonde's dorm, grabbed by a man who had always been watching her, letting her have the space she desired before coming back to him.

. . .

Astoria wanted to slap Lorenzo Berkshire. What is it with men acting completely clueless and horrible? Must be an inherited trait only on the Y chromosome, she grumbled to herself. Yes, she knew muggle science. Being locked in a library for an entire childhood would do that to a person.

"Enzo! Enzo!" She had called when she saw him wandering the gardens with a stupid smile on his face. Idiocy must be blissful, she thought as she caught up to him. It had been a long day and her thoughts would only get meaner the more tired she got.

"Hi, Tori!" She scowled. She hated being called Tori. Her sister did it all the time despite Astoria asking her several times not to. It just didn't fit her. It never had. She wasn't a cool, trendy girl, at least she didn't feel like one and she was perfectly fine with that. Enzo gaze her a look before smiling again. "Isn't it a beautiful day?"

She looked up at the sky, which was almost pitch-black with thunderclouds. Yup, he's definitely an idiot, she thought. Blinded by happiness. It wasn't a beautiful day at all; only love could have given him glasses so rose-colored that he thought the sky was pink. "It's about to rain, Enzo." He hummed in response and resumed his happy stroll. "And anyway, I don't think you'll find it's a beautiful day for much longer."

"Why's that?" His voice was upbeat and cheery. It wouldn't last long, not when he heard that Aria had been bullied in the bathroom so much that she was sobbing uncontrollably when Astoria left her with Theo. Astoria wasn't worried, necessarily—Aria was in very good hands with Theo—but it didn't mean she liked seeing her friend like that.

"Because your sister is currently hysterically crying."

The cheesy grin was immediately wiped from Enzo's face. "Where is she?" His voice was much harder and more serious. Finally, lovestruck Enzo has left the building. She was already annoyed by one man "in love". She only had so much patience for another.

"Our dorm room." He took off at a run towards the castle, forcing Astoria to have to practically sprint to keep up with him. She wasn't sure when the last time she ran was. Before her diagnosis maybe? But one thing was clear: Astoria couldn't keep this up for long. Still, she forced herself to push through. You're strong. You can do this. Even though a rising pain in her chest said otherwise.

"And you left her alone?"

"No." What kind of friend would I be if I did? "Theo's there."

He paused for a moment. Thank Merlin. She was beginning to feel out of breath, which, with her condition, wasn't ideal. "Theo? What's he doing there?" He resumed running, giving her little reprieve during their break.

"Umm," Astoria mumbled. "Aria came back crying and I went to find you but I could only find him. I figured he could serve as a makeshift older brother until I could find you."

"I didn't realize she and Theo were close." That's one way of putting it.

"They aren't!" Pain rising, heart rate increasing. Push, Astoria, push. When she spoke, she was out of breath, exhausted both from the run and trying to keep herself together. "Slughorn made Theo tutor her in potions so they've spent a little bit of time together. Plus, you did ask him to keep an eye on her."

"Thanks, To— Astoria." If she wasn't beginning to feel lightheaded from their run, she would have smiled. But the dizziness was overcoming her bit by bit. "I can handle it from here."

"Phew," Astoria huffed and immediately stopped. She bent over to the ground and clutched her arm to the chest. Her heart was beating rapidly, faster than she had ever felt it. Black spots began to circle her vision and Astoria teetered until she finally sat on the floor. Vaguely, she could see Enzo's silhouette on the edge of her vision but she hardly noticed it. She was tired, oh so tired...

"Berkshire? What's going on here?" His sharp voice cut through some of her dizzying exhaustion.

Draco was there. Of course he was there, he was a prefect and they were breaking curfew. But why did he have to be the prefect that caught them? Right now, she would have much rather face Filch's detention than whatever charming remarks he had to say.

Enzo clearly didn't feel the same way.

"Malfoy!" He exclaimed happily. "Perfect timing. Something's wrong with Astoria but I need to get to my sister. Do you mind taking care of her?"

She could feel his gaze on her. It made her feel warm allover, though that could have been from the rising arrhythmia attack.

"Yeah, I've got her," he whispered in a voice that made her want to melt and apologize for ever trying to avoid him. She didn't even try to dissect the double meaning in his words. She didn't need to. I've got her. I've always got her. That's what he would have said if he could.

Astoria took a few shaky breaths while Enzo ran off again. Soon, Draco's blond hair and concerned face appeared before her. It was the only thing she could see now. He was bent down on the floor, looking into her eyes with grey ones that made her want to scream in a million different ways. "My love? Are you alright?"

"A- am I alright?" she hissed with shaky breaths. "You're a git, Draco Malfoy! A right prick!"

He smirked. "Well, I'm glad to see you are well enough to rip into me. I've been looking for you ever since I saw your book in the common room."

"W-what?" she whispered, still clutching her racing heart as black dots swirledaround her vision. Astoria willed herself to calm down, lower her heartbeat, and listen to Draco even through all the pain inside. "You've been looking for me?"

The ghost of an eye roll appeared on his expression. Or maybe he really did roll his eyes but her mind was too foggy to catch the quick reaction. "You don't really think I've let you be on your own for a few days, did you?"

"Y-you m-mean—" The pain was bad, it was almost unbearable. She struggled to breathe through the weight on her chest.

"That I've been watching you from afar, giving you the space you've desired while waiting for that little ticking time bomb in your head to go off and finally tell me what was wrong? Yes."

So he really did care. He really did notice her absence. He was just also being respectful and letting her have what she needed. Oh, Merlin... He really did that for me? He's perfect, he's bloody perfect. He loves me. He loves me! And... And I think I lo—

Then, the world went dark.

Ahhh little cliffhanger again! But I've been ready to write this chapter for a while, like before the Smoke and Stars version. I don't see arrhythmia in literature a lot so this feels like a bit of representation for what I go through when I'm pushed too hard, something that unfortunately happened last week. But don't worry, dear readers, I'm fine and so is Astoria. Next chapter is going to be from Draco's POV. Hope you enjoyed! Please review and follow if you feel so inclined 3