"Where are we going?"

I was blindfolded. I put all my trust in Draco as he led me on foot to our destination. Every now and then I could hear car noises to the side of us and I wondered where on earth we could possibly be going in walking distance from Draco's home.

"I keep telling you - it's a surprise."

Eventually he sat me down on a seat that felt unstable. But an extremely familiar seat.

"Draco-"

As he pulled the blindfold from my eyes I was not surprised to see we were in the playground that I had spent many, many hours of my childhood in.

And not only that - I was sat on a swing. The very swing I had wiled away long stretches of time on, whilst I desperately avoided going back home. I swallowed, feeling nauseous. Being at Malfoy Manor with Draco, even though it was just up the road - it felt like a whole other world a way from this. Sitting on this swing, however, brought me crashing back to the horrific life I once had.

I looked up at Draco who was watching me expectantly.

"Why have you brought me here?" I asked, my chest heaving - feeling nothing but panic at the thought of how close I was to him. To the other father.

Draco's face dropped instantly, and I could tell I wasn't reacting the way he had expected.

"It was where I first saw you - sat on this swing. I was drawn to you the moment I clapped eyes on you, Astrid. I never had another friend like you - you made me happy. Those summers were the best times of my life. I just thought we could relive a part of it."

My heart immediately went out to him.

I stood up taking his hand, pulling him towards me as I drew my lips up so that my breath tickled his ear. "Last one to the river is a stinky loser."

His silver grey eyes twinkled in mine, before dropping my hand as we both pelted at full rate towards the woods, laughing breathlessly as we tried to outrun the other, ignoring the curious looks of the Muggle children as they watched my black dress billowing around me like some kind of gothic bride and Draco in his funeral black suit despite the heat; running, just like we did back when we were eleven years old.

...

Draco watched as Astrid gathered the skirt of her dress up in both hands and waded bare footed into the river. Her long black hair had flown across her face, obscuring her vision. She laughed as she tried shaking it away, but failing hopelessly as it just whipped in every direction.

Her beauty choked him. Not just the outside, but inside, too - her heart was so full of love and compassion despite all the shit she had endured through her life, despite all the loss and disappointments her childhood had suffered.

Astrid Williams was beautiful in every way. And Draco Malfoy loved her with everything he had and everything he was.

Bringing her back here seemed, to him, the only way to spend their last day together. It was the place where their whole friendship was set. The place he had been happiest. The place he grew to love her.

But he had been foolish not to think about how it may affect her. For him, this place was all about Astrid, and Astrid only. For Astrid, however, there would always be the dark shadows of her childhood lurking over her.

His eyes trailed down to her left forearm, where he knew underneath her long sleeve lay the faint, cruel cigarette scars left by the man she had thought was her father. Draco hadn't been able to stop that.

But he could stop what was to come. He could stop Astrid having to endure another father scarring and terrorising her.

Which was why he had to do what he was going to do.

But first, he thought as he went to join her - tenderly brushing her hair aside so that her bright beautiful blue eyes sparkled into his, making his heart surge with love - he was going to enjoy the last few precious hours he had left with her.

...

"Do you remember when we used to climb that tree?" I asked, pointing up at the thickset giant oak from where we lay on the grass next to the river, soaking up the sun.

"I remember being surprised you could climb," Draco drawled, chuckling as he turned his head to face me, his twinkling eyes creasing up in amusement.

"I remember being surprised you could climb! An eleven year old wearing a suit to a park?!"

"Oh come on," he grinned, "you know the Malfoy's by now."

"Draco, if we ever have children, I will not force the Malfoy dress code upon them!"

We both froze at my words. I couldn't believe they had left my mouth. It had felt like such a natural thing to say.

"Astrid," he breathed, and the sorrow that suddenly filled his face made my heart plummet.

He reached out a hand touching my cheek lightly, closing his eyes, but not before I noticed the pain swirling around in them.

"We should go," he said hoarsely, opening his eyes again. And to my dismay, the pain in them was still rife.

"Draco?" I said, panic grappling at my chest, my eyes searching his desperately for answers. "What's wrong?"

But he didn't say anything. Instead, he slowly got to his feet, helping me up with him.

"We've just one last place," he said quietly, not quite meeting my eyes as he took my hands firmly in his.

One second we were in the woods by the river, the next we were on some kind of tiny rocky island in the middle of the ocean, the wind whipping my hair and dress wildly around me.

"Draco?" I asked, looking around confusedly. There was nothing but sea all around us. "What is this place? Why are we here?"

"I'm saving you, Astrid," he murmured, looking fiercely into my eyes, still holding my hands tightly.

My heart stopped. I felt my windpipe constricting in my throat.

"He's going to mark you tonight if you go back, there will be no escape from him after that. This is your last chance to be free, Astrid!"

"I'm not leaving you! I love you!" I started crying, realising that Draco was saying goodbye.

"Don't you see, Astrid? We're all prisoners back there! He just doesn't need to lock us up once he's got the Dark Mark on us! You go back and he'll end up killing you. I can't watch that happen." He let go of my hands and took a step back.

"You go back without me and he'll kill you!" I cried desperately, not believing what Draco was doing.

"I know. But if it means you're safe..." he trailed off, the wind continuing to whip violently around us.

"I won't let you! Take me back Draco, take me back now!"

"I'm sorry, Astrid. But I can't let another father hurt you. Not again."

"I'm a witch! I'll magic my way back!" I cried, not willing to let him go without a fight.

Draco shook his head sadly. "Not without your wand."

Panicked, I groped inside my dress pocket, where I had stowed it this morning.

It was gone.

"I took it when you weren't looking. This is the only way, Astrid. Snape will be here shortly to take you into hiding."

"NO! Don't do this, Draco - I love you!"

"I'm sorry."

He took another step back, removing his wand. Panicked, I lunged forwards, grappling desperately at him, trying to clutch my fingers around any part of him.

"He'll kill you," I cried, my heart tearing into pieces. "Please, Draco - take me back with you!"

"I'm not going to do that, Astrid. This is the only way to keep you safe."

"But I don't want to live if you're not alive!"

"You will live, Astrid!" Draco said fiercely, "You will live a happy long life! You will have children and they will have the childhood that was stolen from you. But it can't be with me, not with this world I'm stuck in - and it's not for you, Astrid. It will destroy you. I'm doing this for you, because I love you!"

"Please, Draco," I sobbed, sinking to my knees in despair as I felt everything inside of me breaking. "Please."

But with one last heart wrenching look, one second Draco was there, and the next... he was gone.