Draco fixed the tie around his neck. Then, he undid it and did it again. It still didn't look right so his long, deft fingers worked at the satin until finally Draco accepted that the tie had looked fine this whole time and that it wasn't going to get any better. Still, he did it again just one more time for good measure.

"Bloody hell, Draco," he muttered to himself as his eyes focused in on his hair. Did it look right? Did he need to bathe again and redo it? Everything seemed in place so why did he not like how it looked? Because you're nervous about seeing Astoria again and you want to make a good impression on the woman that may be your soon-to-be wife at the end of the night.

His wife. Holy shit, Astoria could be his fiancee if everything went according to plan. His fiancee. The next Mrs. Malfoy. His mind still couldn't wrap around that fact, not yet at least. It was amazing to think of, of course, but it didn't quite seem real.

Because it's not real. You have to hope that her lingering love for you outweighs her anger. Fuck. He was fucked. Astoria was so kindhearted and generous but when it came to grudges? She could hold them for a lifetime. And Draco had pissed her off and heart her far more than she had ever experienced. Yup. He was definitely fucked.

So Draco tied his tie a few more times before ultimately deciding that his hair did need another bath, which then resulted in him changing his outfit entirely from a green suit to black because he knew Astoria liked it when he wore all black.

He sighed. "She's not even mine yet and she's got me wrapped around her little fingers," he grumbled underneath his break. Then, with a small clench in his jaw, Draco looked at himself in the mirror. "No. She is mine. She will be."

Because he couldn't let himself believe otherwise.

The plan was simple: Draco convinced his parents to set up a meeting with the Greengrasses at their estate, where he would explain the very basic details of the situation—he's in love with Astoria, Daphne is in love with someone else—before proposing to Astoria by the end of the night. Having the dinner at the Greengrass home ensured that Astoria would be there and Draco knew that Astoria's proper manners would make her come even if she didn't want to. Well, he hoped they would at least. After their last conversation, he wasn't sure proper manners would be enough to get her there but he had to have hope. Without it, he was just a boy stupidly obsessing over a suit for a girl he desperately wanted but couldn't have.

Yet. There's still hope. Draco was afraid to have hope—which was unbecoming of a Malfoy. They always got what they wanted and yet there he was, wanting a girl so badly, not sure if she wanted him back. But while they were planning the dinner ten days ago, Daphne reassured him many times that Astoria was still in love with him.

"You should have seen her, Malfoy," Daphne said as she smoked a cigarette they'd nicked off of Theo. The bloke went through so many that he wouldn't notice one missing and both of them had agreed that they would need something to get through planning this damn dinner. Just because they were both in love with other people didn't mean that fighting for said love against hard, pureblood idealists would be pleasant. "She was distraught."

Draco had snatched the cigarette away with a scowl before taking a long drag of it. Before, he had always thought smoking was a dirty habit. But after losing Astoria and spending an evening planning to get her back, he'd (temporarily) changed his mind. "Way to make me feel better."

Daphne had rolled her eyes at that. "You won't feel better anyway until you can be with her again. I know you both well enough to know that."

He took another drag. "You really think she'll take me back?"

"I think she's in love with you but is so hurt that she's not thinking about anything but her heartbreak. And I think that if you show her you love her more than anything—including your duties to your family—then she'll remember that love again."

Draco felt his eyes sting. He'd been tearing up a lot since he lost Astoria. Since he lost the best damn thing he'd ever had simply because he'd been too much of a coward to fight for her like he should. "I'm afraid she won't remember. I'm afraid she's forgotten."

"Oh, Draco." Daphne smiled softly. She'd never looked more like her sister. "No one forgets love no matter how much they try. Trust me. I would know."

And now he was standing there ten days later, walking down the steps of Malfoy Manor so he could join his family in flooing to Greengrass Estate. "Are you ready, darling?" his mother asked with a soft smile. Draco nodded.

His father looked as bored as ever. "I don't understand why you insisted on this dinner at their home when our cooks are better than theirs."

His mother rolled her eyes. "Ignore him, darling. He's cranky because Arthur Weasley made his day terrible at work today."

"That blood traitor wouldn't know competency if it bit him on the—"

"Lucius!" his mother hissed. His father's lips thinned even more but he didn't dare argue against his wife. Draco had witnessed firsthand the meaning of the phrase, "Happy wife, happy life." He'd remember it every day for the rest of his life if tonight went well.

The three Malfoys took turns using the floo—which Draco never particularly loved but his mother insisted that apparating would be rude since apparently appearing in their home one way versus the other had a difference. He threw down the powder before mumbling the name of Greengrass Estate under his breath. Within moments, he was standing in the large marble foyer, being greeted by Mrs. Greengrass.

"Draco! It is such a pleasure to see you again." Mrs. Greengrass had the same eyes as Astoria but that was where most of their similarities ended. The older woman looked much more similar to Dahne. It was clear that Astoria had gotten her dark hair, pale skin, and rounded facial features from her father, who stood next to Mrs. Greengrass with a warm smile on his bearded face.

"The pleasure is mine," Draco crooned. Smooth. You have to be smooth tonight. He had to be a lot of things tonight, actually, but lucky was the one that mostly came to mind.

Draco looked over and saw Daphne standing near the fireplace with an indecipherable look on her face. When he looked around the room, he noticed that Astoria wasn't standing anywhere in sight. Draco felt his heart clench. She was supposed to be here. Why wasn't she here?

He smiled over at her parents before walking over to speak to Daphne. "Where's Astoria?" he asked under his breath.

Daphne gave him a sad smile that told him exactly where Astoria was. "She's not coming. She said she was feeling ill so Mother wanted her to rest before her ball on Saturday. I'm sorry, Draco."

It felt like a knife was twisting in his chest. Astoria. Every part of him longed to see her again and yet she wasn't coming. At that moment, Draco felt himself begin to spiral as his heart rate quickened as much as his breaths. What if he never saw her again? What if their last conversation was before she left? What if—

"Draco," Daphne whispered, rubbing a hand on his back in soothing circles. "Just breathe, Draco."

She led him to a study away from the eyes of their parents, speaking to him the whole time. "Draco, it's alright. She's just not feeling well."

He winced. He certainly wasn't feeling too great himself. "Is she actually?" Or is she just avoiding me?

"She's hardly eaten or slept so yeah, I'd say so." Fuck. Leave it to him to fuck up so badly that Astoria got physically ill. All of a sudden, every ounce of panic in Draco's body left and was exchanged for worry.

"I need to see her, Daph. I need to make sure she's alright. I need—"

"What you need is to go have dinner and get your engagement approved. Didn't you tell me that she didn't want to see you again unless we were no longer engaged?" He frowned but nodded. "Exactly. So then what you actually need to do is prove to her that you want her by standing up to your family."

"Fuck," he hissed, running a hand through his hair. Now that he wasn't going to see Astoria tonight, he didn't care nearly as much about how it looked. "You're right."

Daphne grinned. "Of course I'm right. I always am."

He just chuckled before following her lead into the dining room where their parents were already eating. "Oh, look at the young couple! Aren't they darling?" Mrs. Greengrass gushed.

His mother studied him with a sharp look in her eyes. She'd been acting odd toward him ever since Christmas, like she knew something he didn't. "Yes," she said coldly, still looking at him oddly. "Darling."

Narcissa Malfoy could be bloody terrifying sometimes.

Draco began to slowly eat the somewhat bland soup in front of him. Daphne was seated next to him, pushing the food around with her spoon. Despite her confident persona, he could definitely tell she was nervous. To be honest, he was too.

"So, Draco," Mrs. Greengrass began. "I'm so glad you asked for this dinner. Will you be taking more of an interest in the wedding planning?"

Oh fuck. This was the perfect setup and yet there he was, freezing in front of them all. He felt like the little boy terrified of his mummy and daddy becoming angry at him. Terrified of being a disappointment to the Malfoy family name.

But then there was another kind of terror. A stronger kind of terror. Because as fearful as he was of becoming a disappointment, Draco was terrified he would lose Astoria forever. Terrified that he would never hear her laugh or see her smile or hold her in his arms again. And that fear outweighed anything else in his body, even his nerves and apprehension.

Daphne elbowed him sharply in his side. He sucked in a breath partly in pain but mostly in preparation. You can do this. Think of Astoria. So he did. He thought of her raven hair, her bright eyes, her soft lips, her small body, the noises she made as he pleasured her, the feel of her wrapped around him, the thumping feeling in his heart every time she looked at him. The way he missed her, the way he couldn't bear to be apart from her, the way he was absolutely losing his mind without her. The way he loved her.

So Draco took another deep breath and he began to fight. For her. For them.

"Actually, that was why I called for this dinner," he began, looking over to Daphne. She nodded and smiled at him with encouragement. "Daphne and I won't be getting married..."

Shock reverberated from the table. A few spoons clattered to the ground as Mrs. Greengrass sucked in a horrified breath. One look at Lucius was enough to tell Draco that his father was furious. But one look at his mother told him that she was open enough to hear what he had to say. That and his memories of the woman he loved were enough to keep him going, even though he could feel his father attempting to mentally cruciate him.

"...Because I'd like to marry Astoria."

Silence. And then... laughter?

His mother clasped her hands to her mouth to stifle the sounds of her deep laugh. When Draco looked over at her, he could see tears in her eyes. "Draco! That's wonderful. You've found someone who your heart has loved. Oh, I'm so happy. I know it's not conventional to fall in love with someone who you aren't betrothed to—especially when it's your betrothed's sister—but this is still wonderful."

"Thank you, Mummy," he mumbled. His eyes flashed over to Lucius, whose face was unreadable now. "Father?"

His father sighed before fingering the top of his dark cane for a few agonizing moments. Then, he opened his mouth, and what he said shocked them all. "Our agreement was for you to marry a Greengrass to solidify both of our houses and businesses. If you would prefer one Greengrass over another, that is of no concern to me." Then, he added dryly, "Though you could have saved us the trouble of an awkward Christmas where even the house elves noticed how fond you were of her."

Draco was shocked at both his father's words and the look of approval in his eyes. The invisible grip on his heart seemed to loosen just a bit. Maybe things would be okay.

"Mum? Dad?" Daphne asked softly from beside him. It was the first time she'd spoken all dinner.

Mrs. Greengrass looked toward her husband, who nodded silently. "I think I speak for both of us," she began, "When I say that we are shocked by this news. We've only wanted our girls to be happy. Astoria has been told that she could pick her husband. If she accepts you, then we accept the change. As long, of course, as Daphne is okay with it."

"I'm more than okay with it, Mum!" Daphne beamed from beside him. She was already reaching behind her neck to unclasp the ring on its chain "Thank you!"

"Astoria isn't feeling well tonight so you won't be speaking to her," Mr. Greengrass said in the deep, stern voice of a father protecting his baby girls. "But you have already been granted invitations to her debut ball in a few days. I must insist that this be taken care of quickly so Astoria can return to school and we can begin the preparations for a new wedding."

"Of course, sir," Draco said quickly. "Thank you. Thank you all."

Mrs. Greengrass smiled for the first time since his revelation. "Thank you, Draco, for your honesty and your heart. Astoria will have a wonderful husband."

Narcissa smiled back. "I couldn't agree more."

I don't know why this chapter took me FOREVER to write but here it is! Aw, we are almost to the finish line with Secrets and Snakes. Only two more chapters (plus the occasional bonus here and there). Thank you all for your support. I appreciate it :)