So we could still use Harry Potter. If you want him feel free to give me a bio but... WE ARE STARTING NOW!!!!!

[To the moderators, sorry for double posting]

Astoria Greengrass surveyed the destroyed Hogwarts. This mess was going to take forever it seemed to clean up. She turned her back and started down to Hogsmeade. Tears slipped down her cheeks. Her dad was in Azkaban and one of her friends had been killed. The Ministry had offered her a position to talk to former death eaters though. She gave good advice so the acceptance was easy. As she walked, she came to a halt. There was Theodore Nott. Slytherin. It was time to forget the past though so she walked up to him. "Hello Theo. What are you doing here in Hogsmeade?" she asked, wiping a tear from her eye and sniffling.

OOC: Yay for starting!

Daphne walked a few hundred feet behind Astoria, her sister not having known that she was being followed. Daphne knew, being a loyal Slytherin, that she was in no real danger. But Astoria, on the other hand, was now considered a blood traitor. No way was Daphne going to let her little sister get hurt. She came up behind Astoria and up to Theodore, "Hey," She smiled at them both, not sure if Astoria would welcome the presence of her overprotective sibling.

"What are you doing here?" Astoria asked in a dangerously low tone. "We don't talk anymore remember. That's the first time in what? Three years?" Astoria stalked past Theo. "Maybe we can continue this conversation later," she muttered to him. Astoria hoped Daphne would not follow. But knowing her, she most likely would.

OOC: I'm confused. In your first post, I thought it was right after the battle. In your second post, it's 3 years later?

Daphne frowned and looked after her kid sister. "What the bloody hell," She muttered. She thought she heard Theodore snigger; maybe it was just her imagination.

OOC: Sorry, I was talking about three years before. This is right after the battle, but Daphne hasn't spoke to her since second year.

Astoria found the first big rock and sat down, crying. Maybe dissing her sister wasn't suppose to happen. Oh she didn't know. The world was messed up. She was confused and hurt all at the same time.

"Astoria?" Blaise asked. "Are you alright?"

Hermione:

I was walking through the ministry trying to find Ron or Harry. I'd rather find Ron because I lov..because I need to talk to him more. I nodded my head for reassurance. I finally saw Ron but not Harry at the end of the hallway.

"Hello Ron." I said smiling brightly.

Melanie:

I walked through Hogsmeade looking around for a place to shop. I needed some new robes. I had to buy new robes every other week. So it was that time again. It helped to know you were very rich from your powerful Slytherin father, although I'd rather be a Gryffindor, oh well.

I looked left and right. Then I heard crying and people talking in front of me. I looked closer and saw it was Astoria and Blaise.

"Hey guys. I haven't seen you in a while Blaise." I said grinning.

He had gotten very erm...handsome since the last time I saw him.

Then there was another sob. "What's the matter Astoria?" I asked concerned.

Blaise smirked mischeviously as Melanie came over. She'd grown up a bi--a LOT!! "Hey," he said nonchalantly, while boring into her with his eyes.

"I'm not sure. Been trying to figure that out myself," he said.
"So how was your summer?"

Melanie:

"Oh" I muttered looking at Astoria.

I then looked back up at Blaise. "My summer was alright. Nothing special." I said. "How about yours?"

"Oh," Astoria moaned. "I don't know! I exploded up at Daphne and I'm as confused and sad inside as ever. Do you mind Blaise if I chat with Melanie a little bit?" she asked.

"Hey Hermione," Ron replied, his ears turning faintly pink. He took her hand and started leading her into the town. "Fancy a butterbeer at all?"

Draco Malfoy sighed as he shook his hair, droplets of water falling from his drenched hair, colouring it more brown.

"Mum? Mum!" He called down the stairs and let out a yelp as his slick feet slid on the cold wood, making me slide down, his head crashing on the floor.

"Ouch..." He groaned and got up, his fingers combing through his hair and feeling something sticky and...Oh no.

Right after his shower? Now this wasn't fair.

Moaning, he got up and took another one, with cold water cascading. Toweling himself furiously, he shivered and wrapped his robes around his figure, and went out.

Cold. Cold, cold, freezing.

He got into the Hogsmeade and saw people give glares and hisses at his direction. Some even spat on his feet or road. But he knew it was going to happen, anyway.

Getting further in, he saw...Astoria? His footsteps slowly died down and his eyes widened. It couldn't be...could it?

OOC: If I am bad at this, let me know, I'll just stop.

"Nothing special," he said, quoting her nonchalantly.


"Umm, sure, I guess. See you later Melanie, Astoria," Blaise said, lifting a hand in a farewell gesture. Walking along the streets, he looked inside a few shops, wondering where Draco could be, or Pansy...

[It looks good Clips. No worries]

Astoria continued to cry as Melanie comforted her. She soon saw a tall figure standing nearby. She glanced around Melanie's arm and saw... Draco Malfoy? What was he doing in Hogsmeade? If she were him, she would be too shamed to show her face.

Daphne finally caught up to her sister and saw the whole gang there. "Lovely," She spoke sardonically, "Back together again. Just like old times." Even though Astoria was crying, it was hard for Daphne to keep the hiss out of her voice. Astoria could be such a duffer, she should have been in Hufflepuff.

[oh, she was in Hufflepuff]

Astoria took a deep breath and stood up, pushing through her non fellow Slytherins. Well Melanie she could deal with. She was and still remained a loyal Hufflepuff. She walked up to Malfoy. "Draco, I was asked to speak with you. It has to do with your trial in two weeks time." She could feel the stares of disbelief from people nearby.

"You...Want to help me?" He asked, his grey eyes stormy with the background of the clouds. "What made you think that I would let you?" He hissed, his fingers going to his wand holster.

Oh. News flash- no wand in there.

His finger fell to his sides but his eyes still was fixed on hers, boring a hole through her.

"That trial is none of your business, Greengrass." He murmured, his eyes going up to the clouds above.

"Look Malfoy, I was asked to talk to you about this like civil people. You see, my job is to make sure you are fully equipped with knowledge so you can avoid going to Azkaban. That is of course if you want to. To that I would not object. I do care Draco," she said, taking hold of his hand in hers. "You shouldn't dwell about the past. You have the future to start new."

Draco looked down at the warm hand on his cold ones. He couldn't help but to shiver at the warm touch. Draco's dark, stormy eyes focused on sweet ones, and his heart melted.

"Why do you even care?" He whispered, his breath on the cold air, making misty swirls in the air. He couldn't believe that she wanted to help him, someone who was considered a criminal, someone who had hurt many of people because he was the son of Lucius Malfoy.

No one had bothered to look into his heart. Like Astoria.

"Because I like to associate with people who are outcasts. I'm not a Slytherin remember Drake. I'm a loyal Hufflepuff. So I guess you'll be stuck with me to the end right?" she smirked. Wait! Not literally of course.

"Ah..." Draco sighed, some colour coming back to his usually cold eyes and cheeks. "And you have that smirk." He complained, like a little child. "How am I supposed to trust you- without that whole Hufflepuff thing?" Draco asked, his finger doing swirls around her face.

Her breath caught in her throat as he touched her face. She seized hold of his wrist and lowered it. "Draco Malfoy, I know you can be charming and you were but do not touch me," she said in a dangerously low tone. "You can trust me because I was asked to do this job. Do you think I want to talk to Death Eaters everyday of my life? No. But i do it cause I want to offer them help. Especially you, I don't want to see you in Azkaban."

Draco couldn't help but double over, laughing. "Don't worry, I wouldn't touch anything like you." He grinned, his Slytherin traits coming back into his system.

"Your threats are boring, Greengrass. I swear, you make up the worst ones yourself." He taunted.

"Once again, there is no reason to even help me. You just want the fame, I know." Draco smirked boredly, his fingers now resting on his arms, his eyes back to the annoyed grey.

"You shouldn't want fame like that Malfoy!" Astoria yelled, throwing her arms in the air, frustrated. "Fine!" she cried, "But I want to help you so take this into consideration," and she kissed him. When she pulled apart, she turned around, flipping her hair at him, and started down the street, back to her friend angrily. When she was at least twenty feet away from him, she smiled. Hopefully that changed his mind at least a little bit. He liked girls right?

What the?!

Draco blinked slowly, his eyes stinging from the hair that she had hit him with. So she wanted to help with a kiss? What a weird one.

Chuckling, he slowly walked down the street, shaking his head and smiling for once in his year. The sun began shining, making him look upward. Hmm.

Astoria just giggled, watching Malfoy walk away dumbstruck. That was a funny sight. She looked up as the sun came out. He would be back and she knew it.