A/N: Hi there guys! I'm currently working on a multi-chapter story (Harry Potter of course), and I'm almost done, so here's something to tide you over :) I will post Chapter 1 as soon as my laptop is fixed... Although I think it's dead, so I may just get a new one. I'm using my sister's computer to post this

It was eight months after the Battle of Hogwarts, and Draco Malfoy was feeling quite unpleasant. His good-for-nothing father was as well as insane, for obvious reasons, his now practically helpless mother was trying to help Lucius but failing rather miserably, and Goyle, Pansy, and rest of his so-called "friends" had deserted him. The only joy in his life was work, where he could talk to Goblins and immerse himself in being promoted to Head of the Liaison Office, all while not feeling anything, and going to Quidditch games, which had resumed almost immediately after the War was over; people needed cheering up in times like these. Right now, he was sitting completely alone in the nosebleed section at a small Quidditch game somewhere south of London. It was quite a good seat actually, if you had Omnioculars; he had a spectacular view of the players, and he watched the match closely, his hair whipped around by the brisk wind. It felt nice, sitting here, surrounded by the frosted countryside and cheering fans below him. He almost never sat alone at a game, preferring to be around people who didn't care who he was as long as he supported their team, but today he felt different. It was a change...

"Hello? Is anybody sitting here?" A voice called from near his ear, interrupting his thoughts and making him jump. He turned around and saw a girl around seventeen or eighteen, his age. She looked familiar, and was extremely pretty, with long raven curls, ivory skin, and clear, deep blue eyes. He stared for a few seconds until he mentally shook himself and said no, gesturing to the seat beside him. She smiled gratefully and took it, holding out her hand as she did so.

"I'm Astoria Greengrass, Heidelberg Harriers Seeker." Ah... that was why she looked so familiar.

"Draco Malfoy, Deputy Head of the Goblin Liaison Office at the Ministry of Magic." He returned the handshake and saw a flutter of something sweep across her face that he was very familiar with by now. Frowning, he turned away from her and answered the unasked question. "Yes, that Malfoy. The one with the family that chose the wrong side in the War and took their son down with them. The son that now has an insane father and a helpless mother. The son that has to work trice as hard in everything he does to make up for the idiocy that was the previous generation. That Malfoy." His voice was bitter with regret and longing. Resolutely, he put his Omnioculars up to his eyes, staring down at the game below. Nobody could ever stand him, who was he kidding? Potter and the Granger girl may have somewhat forgiven him, but Weasel-bee and the rest of the world never would. He was still just Draco Malfoy, Lucius Malfoy's son; never just Draco, the boy who used to be beaten by his father when he did something wrong and was never consoled, never Draco, the boy who needed love so badly he used to do anything to get it... Never himself. Just a Malfoy. He felt a soft hand on his shoulder and looked up in surprise. Astoria.

"I'm sorry," she said simply, a sort of sadness filling her eyes. He nodded, blinking a little. She was... Sorry? Nobody was ever sorry... But who was he to judge? He should take all the sympathy he could get. He nodded again distractedly, glancing down at the pitch. Someone had just scored. They sat like that for the rest of the game, his eyes glued to the players, her hand placed on his shoulder. Astoria stood when the match ended, pulling Draco with her.

"Do you want to go to dinner at the Leaky Cauldron?" she asked, having noticed the empty look in his eyes. He needed someone to talk to, she thought. Someone to understand. He looked faintly shocked, but agreed, walking with her in silence down to a street corner, where they caught the Knight Bus. The witch and wizard spent a fair few hours at the popular pub, talking about various nonthreatening things. During even the first few minutes, Draco had decided that he quite liked this girl's character. She didn't judge people immediately it seemed, which was a relief for him, as he hadn't been able to talk to anyone since the Battle who hadn't judged him quickly after hearing his name. Astoria had also decided that she liked his personality within the first hour of conversation. He was funny, in a dry, witty sort of way, and he seemed to be very smart. He was also, as she tried hard not to notice, very handsome, with pale skin, silvery gray eyes, and fine, white-blonde hair.

The two people both told themselves different reasons to go out with each other again after that; she was just there to help him with his issues every time, and he was just there because he had no one else, but anyone could see there was more than that to them. Even they couldn't deny it any more, and on an impulse, Astoria had reached out and kissed Draco, right on the lips, and they had ended up snogging for an hour behind the Leaky Cauldron.

About two weeks after that first kiss, the couple sat on Draco's couch in his flat in London, having a rather intense snogging session after a very nice dinner Astoria whipped up because Draco tried to make chicken and failed. Miserably. Happy he had at least tried, she drew him to her. She trailed her hand up his left arm, pushing his sleeve up. Her eyes opened, glancing down. What were those raised marks on his arm...?

No.

No. It wasn't possible. She'd heard rumors, but never believed them. The sweet, charming man she was... No. NO.

"Astoria? What are you-" he cut off, seeing her staring down at the faintly raised mark on his left forearm.

"You're not..." she whispered, then abruptly glared up at him. "You can't! How could you?" She jumped away from him, hurt visible in her eyes and written across her face. "Why didn't you tell me? H- how could I not realize…" She was sobbing at this point, screaming and brandishing her wand to summon her coat towards her. "I heard rumors! My friends, they warned me, they said you were one of them, but I said no, I said you weren't, I trusted you! I trusted you'd have made the right choice! Because the kind, smart, funny man I know is NOT. One of them." On that note, she turned, crying, and ran from the flat, slamming the door violently after her and leaving an extremely distraught Draco in her wake.

Stupid, he told himself. How could he be so stupid? He then thought for a second, and a light in his head sparked, causing him to grab his jacket from the floor and hurry after Astoria, pausing outside the door to realize that she would have Apparated to her favorite thinking spot, a small garden near her own flat that was an oasis in the bustling city known as London. She was there all right, sitting on a bench, conjuring snowflakes out of her wand to match the ones already falling on her from above.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Her low voice greeted his ears, and he made his way over to the bench to sit beside her.

"Honestly, I thought you knew," he replied, getting out his own wand and creating a warm wind to melt the snowflakes off her boots. "Most people seem to."

"Of course I didn't know." Her voice seemed shaky. "And most people just guess; they don't know for sure. They think they see the real you, think that you're this horrible person that everyone is entitled to hate, but I thought I knew better. Thought I knew you better..."

"You know me better than anyone!" Draco gave out a humorless laugh. "You certainly know me better than my father did. Him and his Death Eater rubbish. I never wanted that, and neither did my mother, I think, but he gave it to me anyway, and my mother was too blinded by his supposedly 'loving' ways that she accepted it without question. I remember the day I got that damn Mark, the summer before 6th year... My father was so happy that morning; I was wondering what was going on. Then, we were eating lunch, and he sprung it on me. 'Draco,' he told me, 'you're going to celebrate this day for the rest of your life! Today is the day of the Marking!' I protested, I know, but he ignored me. As usual.

"It happened that night, and I had to be strapped down to a table, it hurt so horribly. He came himself, the Dark Lord, and he looked so dreadfully happy, like he was about to do something he'd never regret, and I realized he was there to punish my father. He'd failed, and therefore I was to take his place. Then I would fail, because I wouldn't have the guts to do it, and then he'd kill me. He'd kill me, and then he'd kill my mother, and then he'd leave my father to mourn over us until he'd had his fill of entertainment, and then he'd kill him too. And I watched the Dark Lord's face, as he was drawing on my arm, even though it burned and I ached to close my eyes. I watched him, and I swore I wouldn't follow him. Of course, I broke that promise. I was too much of a coward to do anything else. Too much of a coward to join Potter's side. I should have. I didn't. I was too afraid of my father, and too afraid of him..." By this time, Draco's eyes had gone dull and colorless, and the pain in them looked excruciating. Wetness blurred his vision and made him flashback to the past. Astoria saw, and she cried silently. Finally, she could see how damaged he was, how immensely his past had affected him, and she hated herself for how she'd screamed at him earlier. She whispered apologies as she placed a warm hand on his shoulder, and a tear rolled down her cheek. Abruptly, he stood up, shaking off the hand.

"Don't be sorry," he said gruffly. "You don't have to be. You're perfect, and I don't... I don't deserve you." The last part was muttered softly as he turned away from her. She shook her head, standing up.

"But you do deserve me- of course you do," her voice echoed forcefully as she reached out and turned him to face her. "I love you." Stunned and thoroughly shocked, Draco stared at her, gaping mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. She looked, amused, at his lips while he tried to regain the power of speech.

"Are... Are you sure?" he stuttered out, blinking rapidly.

"Yes I'm bloody well sure!" Astoria rolled her eyes and pulled him to her, planting a lingering kiss on his lips. "How could I not be sure that I love you?" Draco suddenly grinned widely, accepting the new, wonderful fact, and picked her up, swinging her around as she laughed. He drew her to him, pecking her on the nose before touching their foreheads together.

"I love you too," he whispered gently, closing his eyes. "Forever and always."

A/N: SQUEAL! I love that ending! (Though it is a bit cliché) 3 I'm a huge fan of Dracoria (Proper ship name please?) so I felt like writing one of those "first I love you" moments for them... I am so damn sappy. Anyways, tell me what you love, what you hate, and everything in between. Reviews = love! Thank you!