The first thing Draco really noticed about Astoria Greengrass was how unbearably loud the girl could be. Slytherins in general preferred to be quietly assertive, shouting and talking over each other was really quite middle-class behavior, something to be expected from Gryffindors but rarely a Slytherin. From the second the Sorting Hat declared her a Slytherin, Astoria Greengrass seemed unconsciously determined to defy stereotypes. Draco really only remembered her Sorting because Pansy had clutched his arm and hissed that the little girl with the chestnut plaits was Daphne Greengrass's baby sister. Astoria had plopped herself down at the Slytherin table with the other first years and brightly introduced herself. Her new classmates responded in noticeably quieter tones. After that the youngest Greengrass fell off of Draco's radar for the most part. He was too busy swaggering about Hogwarts and taunting Potter to take notice of another eleven year old girl. But as years passed Draco, along with the rest of the Hogwarts students, often heard the loud laughter that came from Astoria. The sound was ridiculously merry for a Slytherin pure-blood who slept in the dungeons every night. Draco would later learn that she had quite a wide circle of friends; Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws, it was rumored that she was even civil with Ginny Weasley who respected Astoria's knack for casting jinxes. She also grew to be one of the prettier girls in her year; but Draco's last few years at Hogwarts didn't leave him much time to notice anything, much less girls.

Unsurprisingly the war took its toll on the Malfoy family and though Harry Potter made sure Narcissa and her family were spared from Azkaban, the Malfoys retreated to their manor with their tails firmly between their legs. Draco wasn't sure which he hated more; being stuck in the manor that seemed haunted by the Dark Lord's occupation, or being out in the Wizarding world subjected to nasty glares, muttered insults, and trip jinxes. Either way, wherever he went, his guilt accompanied him.

Meanwhile Astoria Greengrass had gone to Hogsmeade the night of the Battle of Hogwarts with the rest of the Slytherins. As open-minded as she was, her family was still one of the oldest pure-blood families left in Britain true to Slytherin form, Astoria really didn't want to die that night. Besides, the other students had made it perfectly clear that any Slytherin assistance was unwelcome. As the Wizarding world healed from the marks left by the Dark Lord, Astoria excelled in her classes, graduating Hogwarts near the top of her class, much to the pride of her parents who had been disappointed in Daphne's lack of academic ambition. The friends she had made in Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw as well as the handful of Gryffindor acquaintances helped to establish her reputation as a "nice" Slytherin making her post-war life much easier than Draco's.

Two years after Harry Potter defeated Voldemort, the Malfoys began slowly creeping timidly back into Wizarding society. Those of their elite and wealthy friends that had escaped Azkaban were cautious when inviting the Malfoys to events but soon became more confident about including them once they weren't instantly ostracized for extending an invitation to an ex-Death Eater. However, over the next two years the Malfoy family had tentatively eased themselves back into the exclusive circle of Wizarding society. Draco tagged along with his parents to an increasing number of events. He knew his mother was hoping, as mothers do, that he would meet some girl who would make a future Mrs. Draco Malfoy. But he barely had his own life figured out, how was he supposed to mix a girl up in all that?

It was at a gala in June that he heard the almost-forgotten laughter of Astoria Greengrass. When the boisterous sound reached his ears he was making small talk with Blaise Zabini, a former classmate whom he was actually rather fond of. Blaise heard it too, "Merlin, that Greengrass girl was always so loud," he remarked sipping champagne and eyeing a blonde nearby. Draco nodded and craned his head around to spot the source of the boisterous laughter. A part of him wondered if she ever wore her hair in plaits or if it was the same luxurious chocolate that it had been when the Sorting Hat had been placed on it all those years ago. And there she was, standing in front of the tall windows, illuminated by the extravagant chandelier hanging from the ceiling. She was in a glimmering silver evening gown that fell to the floor. It clung to her slender form like the most graceful piece of jewelry he had ever seen. Her hair was the same color as it had been when she was eleven though it was now piled in an elegant mess on top of her head. She certainly looked far older than eleven standing there in that dress. Astoria laughed again, merrily as before and the young people that were circled around her laughed as well, looking delighted by her. They seemed to orbit her, gravitating towards her charming smile.

A part of Draco that he liked to ignore wanted to be as enchanted of her as they were. He kept chatting with Blaise about inane things like the weather and the latest Ministry decree, all the while keeping one eye turned to the youngest Greengrass. But he dropped his gaze when Blaise left to dance with some girl and when he looked up again she was gone. Draco proceeded to stand by himself, pretending to admire a nearby ice sculpture and feeling incredibly stupid in doing so. Spotting a door that led to a balcony, he saw his chance and took it, feeling his mother's eyes on him all the while. Outside the night air was cool, blowing a refreshing breeze on his pale cheek.

"You're not supposed to be out here," a voice said from the shadows to his left. Draco whirled around only to see a familiar figure leaning against the stone wall in a glimmering silver dress. "Oh really," he replied in a tone which implied that he really didn't care what he was supposed to do or not do. "Yeah, the doors were locked," she said, sitting down carefully on the wide stone balcony. Draco shoved his hands into his pockets, "so how did you end up out here?" he asked casually, trying to sound amused and realizing just how long it had been since he had talked to a girl. Astoria shrugged, "its so damn stuffy in there, I needed some air and since I'm capable of performing alohamora I decided that locked doors really weren't that big of a challenge." Draco decided that he liked the faint traces of biting wit in her tone. "I'm Astoria by the way," she added, seeming to remember her etiquette and offering her hand to be shaken, smiling brightly up at him. Feeling slightly dazed, Draco took her hand and shook it firmly, "I'm Draco, Malfoy, Draco Malfoy," he said, fumbling to be smooth. She grinned, "I figured it was Malfoy, the last time I checked there weren't many other Dracos running around." He huffed out a laugh, secretly pleased that she wasn't treating him like the scumbag he felt like.

"Well, I'd better go back inside," Astoria said standing, reaching up and patting her hair. Draco wanted to touch her hair too. But she brushed past him and back into the ballroom. He stood there and let out a long sigh. "Hey, Draco," Astoria's voice piped from the doorway behind him. He turned to face her and raised an eyebrow. "Would you accompany me for a dance or two?" she asked, biting her lip. Suddenly Draco wanted to bite her lip too. And maybe leave a trail of kisses down her creamy neck. Then he realized that she was waiting for answer, it was ridiculous to think he would say anything but yes to eyes as big and sparkling as hers. "I'd love to," he said, flashing a smile, a kinder brighter version of the trademark Malfoy smirk. She beamed and he led her to the dance floor.

They wove in and out of the other dancers, spinning around awkwardly at first but then synchronizing as they whirled around. On the edge of the dance floor, Narcissa Malfoy nudged her husband and smiled happily into her champagne flute. She watched Draco relax the stiff pose she had become so used to seeing and smile at whatever the girl was talking about. Narcissa kept an eye on her son, watching him listen to his partner, soaking in whatever she was saying. Hardly anyone took notice of the scorned Malfoy heir who was gliding around the floor carefully holding the younger Greengrass daughter in his arms.

** Feel free to review with thoughts or suggestions. I imagine Draco to be about 22-23 and Astoria to be 20-21.