I signed up for the 100 Different Pairings Competition in which I have to write 100 different pairings using 100 different prompts. Due February 15! What have I gotten myself into?! I'll be combining with the various Boot Camps on HPFC and we'll see how this goes.
As always, feel free to request a pairing and I will do my best. I will not write Dramione, but pretty much anything else goes. Just leave a review ;)
Pairing: Draco/Astoria
Prompt: music
Pairing Diversity Boot Camp Prompt: piano
Draco's favorite part of Astoria's anatomy were her hands. They were small and plain; she never wore any jewelry and they were not manicured to perfection. But they held a strength that belied their appearance, and as soon as Draco took notice of them, he had in inexplicable urge to hold them forever.
It seemed a bit of an odd thing to notice. It's not as though she didn't have other amiable qualities. But the day she came over with her family for tea, she did something that made it impossible for Draco not to notice them.
As soon as she walked into the parlor, she commented on the baby grand piano sitting in the corner. It had always been there, though Draco never understood why; no one in the house knew how to play. Narcissa had tried and failed several years ago, and since that time, it had sat in the corner untouched.
"Do you play, dear?" Narcissa asked.
Astoria's face flushed pink in embarrassment. "A little," she said sheepishly, not taking her eyes off the instrument.
Mrs. Greengrass laughed at this response. "She's being modest, Narcissa. She's quite accomplished at it. Plays for hours at home."
"Really? I would love to hear you play, Astoria. Honestly, it's been ages since that thing has been used. It would be a shame if you didn't."
Astoria shook her head and opened her mouth to protest, but then Draco spoke up from his corner of the couch where up until then, he'd been silently observing the exchange. "Please," he said before he could stop himself. "I would also like to hear you." He earnestly met her eyes and she blushed even more, but it seemed he had convinced her. She got up and seated herself before the instrument and her face lit up at the prospect. There was no music to read, but she didn't need any and soon she was making beautiful sounds come out of that old piano.
It was slightly out of tune from lack of use, but Draco didn't care in the least. His gaze shifted from the blissful expression on her face to the tiny fingers dancing across the keys and he couldn't look away. Even when she'd finished, he was still staring at her fingers which she rested on the white keys, as if itching to continue. He wished she would.
In his trance, he hadn't noticed that his mother was speaking until he heard his name. "Wasn't that lovely, Draco?"
He looked up startled to see his mother giving him a shrewd look. "Oh…Yes, it was. Thank you, Astoria."
Astoria. The name just rolled off his tongue. And it tasted good.
The first time Draco kissed her, he'd been uncharacteristically shy about it. It wasn't anything like kissing other girls. She was small and delicate and he thought that if he touched her she might break.
But when he backed away, she smiled widely and grabbed his face in her hands, pulling him back in for more. And he realized that she wasn't as fragile as he'd thought. It was the first of many lessons she taught him about grabbing life with both hands. And when she'd snogged him properly she looked down at his forearm, tracing the faded tattoo with her fingers.
He winced, waiting for the blow to fall. She'd do it kindly and that would make it even worse. The offensive mark on his arm would always be the deal breaker, the unforgivable piece of his past that couldn't be erased. It would always be there to remind him that he was weak.
But instead of letting him down easy, she surprised him, which in itself was not a surprise at all; she was always doing that. She held up his hand and pressed her lips to his forearm as well. She kissed the little skull right on the mouth, and he stared at her in disbelief.
"What?" she asked innocently.
He considered pointing out the obvious, but the knowing look on her face told him that he should just drop the subject. He shook his head. "Nothing."
She'd played him like the piano. And he was all right with that.
When Scorpius was born, only Astoria could stop him from crying. She said it was just a thing that mother's do, but Draco knew better. There was a magic in her hands that wands knew nothing about.
They would rock their son to sleep and they never seemed to grow weary even when it was three in the morning. She would balance the baby in one hand and hold her wand in the other; not only that, but she did it gracefully. It was unnatural.
One night, Draco woke up to hear Scorpius crying in the next room. He got up and crept out of the room as quickly as possible before Astoria heard the noise. He went into the nursery and picked up his son and held him, trying his best to comfort the child. He found a pacifier and stuck it in Scorpius' mouth and breathed a sigh of relief when, the baby began to quiet down.
He sat in the rocking chair in the corner and settled himself with the baby in his arms and together they must have dozed off because before he knew it, he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder, shaking him awake. He looked up to see Astoria smiling down at him.
"I didn't want to wake you," he whispered.
She nodded appreciatively and gingerly put Scorpius back in his crib, where he continued to sleep like a rock. She took his hand and led him back to their room and while both of them were very tired, they don't go to sleep right away. Draco entwined his fingers with hers and he thought about when it first occurred to him that he wanted to hold her hand like this forever. And it seemed so surreal that he actually could and that she would ever let him, even now.
She rested her head on his chest and he brought her hand to his lips and kissed her fingers. "I love you," he whispered.
Astoria smiled and settled into his embrace. "I love you too."
