The doorbell should not have been ringing. There was no cause for it. Unless…
Bellatrix flew to the door and threw it open, expecting the best”the arrival of”
“DADDY!” A whirlwind of blue satin dress robes shot through the entrance hall and engulfed Mr. Greengrass completely, almost knocking him over. “I’M HOME!” Bellatrix smiled wickedly.
“What have we here?” She began circling the girl, who looked nervous. “A visitor without an invitation…you know what we get to do with those…”
“She had an invitation, Aunt Bella.” Draco Malfoy strode confidently into the hall, looking particularly authoritative. “Miss Greengrass has just returned from school, where she has no doubt learned to entertain company well. She is here to practice doing just that.” He nodded to a room just off of the foyer, where a baby grand piano sat waiting to be touched. A slightly astonished Astoria gave the young Malfoy a small smile and daintily sat on the piano bench, positioning her hands on the keys. Draco observed her as she played, noting that her face showed boredom through the entire piece. He wondered how she could be so indifferent as her hands ran across the keys. Her lack of caring intrigued him; it contrasted so sharply from the passion she had displayed upon running into his home.
From behind her son, Narcissa watched intently as the scene unfolded, pleased that her son appeared to be taking an interest in something. He himself had seemed rather indifferent lately, and she knew that his indifference only concealed unhappiness.
As the spell of Astoria’s song wore off, the reality of the situation sank in. Draco was going to have to find a place for her, and he was going to have to get to know her quickly since he had pretended to know her already. He hoped she would trust him and go along with it. She stood up slowly and stepped from behind the piano bench as Draco strode carefully toward her.
“I will show Miss Greengrass to her room, where she will stay as long as she wishes. If at any point she wishes to return home to visit her mother and sister, she will be allowed to do so, and she will be allowed to return to visit her father.” He nodded to her, and she looked to her father, who gave his consent. She followed him out of the hall and up the stairs to the guest wing, remaining silent. At the end of the hallway, he turned to face her.
“I’m sorry about Aunt Bella. You are as far from her as I could get you. You played well.” He watched her practiced smile appear and held out his hand. “I’m Draco. Thanks for playing along. I’ll come and check on you later”around dinner, so you don’t get lost trying to find it.” She shook his hand delicately.
“I’m Astoria. It’s a pleasure to meet you, and I’ll await your return. Thank you.” She turned to open her door, and he realized he had not helped himself in the slightest.
“Wait!” She turned to face him again. “I don’t really know much about you, and incase Aunt Bella”“
“I’m two years younger than you, and I don’t go to Hogwarts. Sirius Black escaped during what would have been my first year, and my mum was scared to send me. I go to boarding school for wizards and witches in America. My parents found that the southern region of the country raises young women to be very refined, which suited their interests. I’ve been trained to sing, play piano, dance, entertain a party as a good hostess should, and all sorts of other things in addition to magical training. Do you need to know anything else?” He was almost thrown by her formality, as he had expected her to relax a bit.
“What can I call you?” She smiled, but this time, the smile was more genuine.
“My friends at school call me Tori.” She walked into her room, and Draco prepared himself for his family’s questioning. He met Narcissa at the top of the stairs.
“Draco, I’m glad to see you’ve taken an interest in something lately. I’ll be serving dinner at 7:30, so I’d check on her around 7. I’m proud of you for taking an initiative.” She hugged her son, who allowed his face to form an embarrassed grimace behind her back. His mother knew him better than anyone else, but she was too eager for him to find a future wife. The war of his lifetime was in progress. He had bigger things to worry about than a girl.
Seven o’clock came quickly for Draco, and he headed quietly to Astoria’s room, attempting to stay out of everyone’s way. He knocked, but did not get any answer, so he opened the door slowly.
Astoria had shed her formal blue dress robes and was dancing barefooted in what looked like a light, flowing nightdress, hair falling freely down her back. She looked as though she’d been trained well, but she was abandoning some of her training to add a raw, emotional aspect to the dancing. The music consumed her, and she was more beautiful than anything Draco had ever seen. He was enthralled, and he realized that her eyes were closed as she danced, spinning and jumping as if she were trying to fly. She was magic at its best, and he felt her struggle: she wanted to fly, but had no wings. He made his choice deliberately and stalked silently into her room, like a tiger hunting a bird. She leapt into the air with her music, but her feet never returned to the floor beneath her. Instead, she was suspended in the air, twirling and flying, and her eyes snapped open. She cast them down to meet Draco’s as he slowed the spin and lowered her body gently so that she could stand. A faint blush crept into her cheeks as the music faded and the two young adults separated slowly.
“You dance beautifully. Forgive me for intruding, but it looked as though you needed a partner.”
“Thank you. You dance well yourself.”
“Is there anything you aren’t good at, Astoria?” She gave him a small smile, blushed, and looked down bashfully.
“Being who I’m supposed to be.” She looked back up, vulnerability written on her face. He already knew. He had known the second she burst through the door, and he had known even more when he watched her dance. He met her eyes, relaxing his shield for a moment. Something about how real she was made him trust her.
“We have that in common, Astoria.” Her eyes widened, and she smiled softly.
“Tori. I hate the name Astoria…it’s too elegant. It’s who I’m supposed to be…”
“It’s who you are. Astoria, when you think you’re being refined, you’re too forced. That’s Tori. That’s who your friends know, but when you dance…that’s Astoria…refined, but free, and…beautiful.” The word fell far too easily from his lips, but it didn’t phase him. He was simply using the best word to describe her. “Dinner will be served at 7:30. We should probably head down in a couple of minutes. I’ll step outside and let you change.”
“It’s alright! My dress robes go over these anyway,” she said, throwing the midnight blue robes on quickly. She twisted her hair up with ease and used her wand to conjure up an elegant comb.
“Are you ready?” She nodded. “I’ll warn you ahead of time”some things might happen here. There’s a lot going on in our world, and I don’t want you to think badly of me”“
“It’s okay, Draco. I know,” she gave him a meaningful glance. “Just put on a strong face and play your part as best you can. The most important thing is to survive it and do what’s best.”
He took her hand in silence, trusting that nothing more needed to be said. As he led her down to the dining hall, he pondered over her words. Did he even have the right to decide what was best anymore? He didn’t know.
As chaos broke out in the Manor the following day, he knew he no longer had time to think on the matter. Aunt Bella was dying to call the Dark Lord, his parents were eagerly awaiting his verdict, and his classmates were praying for him to be merciful, no doubt”if they even thought it was worth it. It did not matter. He could be like Astoria. He’d play his part while he had to.
Faces by lilyofseafoam
Story Notes:
Thank you to my wonderful beta, Alice!
Everything familiar belongs to JK Rowling :-)
Chapter Notes: Thank you to my wonderful beta, Alice!
Everything familiar belongs to JK Rowling