Draco had felt sick leaving Astrid for the remainder of the school year. Not even joining Umbridge's Inquisitorial Squad cheered him up.

So when the train departed once again to take him back to Kings Cross, Draco felt a sense of relief.

It had been another exhausting year. And to top it off, bloody Potter went and got Draco's father thrown in Azkaban. All because Potter's precious godfather had been killed.

And it wasn't even his father that did it - it was his flipping auntie!

Draco seethed about this all the way home.

"What's wrong, Drakie?" Pansy simpered in his ear constantly, making him twitch in irritation.

"I don't know Pansy, maybe I'm just a bit pissed off at my father's imprisonment!" He snarled at her, making her flinch away from him.

Good, he thought nastily - maybe it would shut the stupid bint up.

He parted with her by telling her not to bother visiting him during the summer. He had more important things to be getting on with now his father was incarcerated.

And he had to make sure Astrid was okay.

His stomach twisted uneasily whenever he thought about her. She hadn't used the mirror - at least not in the way he had intended her to use. He kept his one hidden in his trunk, which he checked constantly. But the only thing he saw was his own reflection.

He wanted to get straight to the playground as soon as he arrived home, but his mother was a depressed mess and kept crying on his shoulder all evening. She kept saying something about making it up to the Dark Lord and that she was so sorry about something. Draco could not get his head around what the woman was going on about.

He escaped straight after breakfast the next morning, much to his mother's anguish.

"But where are you going, Draco?" She implored, grabbing at his arm.

"Just out, mother!" he sniped, yanking his arm back. For crying out loud - he wasn't a little kid anymore.

"But it's too dangerous - and you are not yet able to use magic out of school!"

"I'll be fine, mother!" He growled before disappearing out of the front door.

When he reached the playground, he thought his heart would burst when he saw the familiar dark haired Muggle on the swing.

As he strode over to meet her, he looked around the playground and smiled remembering the first time he had come here five years ago. He had been intimidated by all the Muggle kids - but now they looked at him as if he was something to be feared.

His heart sank as he neared her, she looked so frail and broken. She was nothing but skin and bone, and he vowed the first thing he would do was take her somewhere to get a decent meal inside her. He had managed to procure some Muggle money - he wanted to be prepared this time to look after Astrid properly.

She looked up at him as he sat down on the swing next to her. What he really wanted to do was gather her in his arms, but he didn't want to alarm her. They hadn't seen each other in so long, after all.

"How was school?" She asked, as she always did, "lose anymore teachers?"

"Yes - just the one again though. She was traumatised by a bunch of violent centaurs who live in the forest next to the school."

Draco was delighted to see a big grin split across her face as she chuckled in amusement.

"Centaurs? You are funny Draco. I've missed your strange sense of humour." Her blue eyes twinkled in the sunlight making Draco's heart swell.

"How have you been, Astrid?" he asked, his tone serious as he looked at her earnestly.

He saw something flicker in her eyes and his stomach twisted. The hollowness had returned in them and he wondered what horrors were going through her mind. He itched to reach out and touch her hand, to let her know he was back and he was here for her. But something in her demeanour prevented him from doing so.

"I've missed you," was all she whispered, looking down at her feet which were dragging on the ground under the swing.

"Come on," Draco said, suddenly standing up, "I'm going to get you something to eat."

Her head shot up in surprise. "Why? You don't have to do that."

"I know I don't have to - I want to," he murmured silkily, rolling up the sleeves of his shirt. It was still early morning, but already the heat was beating down upon them.

He eyed her in her oversized hoodie, wondering sickeningly what she was hiding underneath.

He led them to a cafe he remembered seeing on one of their past jaunts through the town, ordered them both teas and her a huge English breakfast.

"I can't eat all of that!" she gasped as it was plonked on the table in front of her. "And what are you eating? Don't make me eat on my own!"

"I've already eaten, and yes you can. We've got all day, Astrid." He said with authority, looking at her pointedly across the table whilst picking up his tea. "And we're not leaving until I've seen you eat every last morsel."

Grumbling, she picked up her fork and angrily stabbed a sausage. Draco smirked behind his teacup as she scowled at him whilst taking an indignant bite.

"So, if I'm going to sit here eating this," she said, after swallowing her first mouthful, "then you can at least entertain me with stories about your weird yet wonderful school."

Draco smiled, feeling happier than he had done in a long while. And he sat and told Astrid all about their latest Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, and how he, Draco Malfoy, had heroically stopped Potter single handedly from creating an army of students to rebel against the school.

He decided to leave the part out about his father being sent to prison though. He wasn't sure how ever to explain that.

When she had eventually finished, he ordered them both another tea, and they sat there in a companionable silence.

"What would you like to do today?" he asked, trying not to think of his fretful mother at home. As far as he was concerned it was his own damned parent's fault that they had got themselves in such a mess. Astrid needed him more - and more than that, he wanted to be with her.

Astrid shook her head smiling, he loved seeing her smile. It made her look less... broken.

"I don't care, Draco - anything. I'm just happy you're back."

And then he couldn't resist moving his hand towards her across the table and gently placing it on top of hers. He was relieved when she didn't flinch away, but instead turned her hand over and let him intertwine his fingers with hers.

"I'll always come back to you, Astrid," he murmured intently, looking solemnly into her eyes, "please don't ever forget that."

She smiled a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes and nodded her head in acknowledgment. But something about the way she looked back at him terrified Draco.

She looked broken, as though she could never be fixed again.