Pansies on the Mind
16th of December, 1996
There weren't many that noticed the second-born children in pureblood families. It was uncommon to have more than one child per generation amongst them, so when some took the incentive to have another, it was an attempt to birth a male heir. Astoria Greengrass was the result of this. As a second daughter, she meant very little and it was a painful reality to swallow.
Second-borns were at the complete mercy of their older sibling. If Astoria wanted friends, she better hope that Daphne's friends didn't mind her hanging around them. If she wanted that peach dress, she hoped it didn't fit Daphne after she bought it. Her family wasn't poor, but Astoria simply wasn't valued enough to have her wants heard.
Out of the several friends Daphne accumulated, all but one pretended she didn't exist. Pansy Parkinson always offered to include Astoria in whatever activities she had been invited over for. Pansy would fix her hair when she didn't do it just right, correct the skirt of her dress when it snagged on something, and even taught her expert ways to apply makeup charms.
Astoria was never allowed to accompany Daphne when she was invited to outings, and so when Pansy came over, she made the most of their time together. She wondered if the way Pansy's endearment toward her was how an older sister was supposed to treat their siblings. Daphne barely gave her the light of day at best – her parents followed the example – so there was little reference. Even the books she read had no sibling interaction, so Astoria was completely lost on the subject.
Pansy gave the attention she craved, so she willingly took the affection, appropriate or not. She liked the kisses on the cheek or warm, comforting hugs after being pushed into the dirt while playing tag. When she wasn't around the older witch, Astoria focused on her pre-Hogwarts studies and became well read. It made the transition to school life a little less frightening knowing an older student was watching her back. Still, the feeling of being overlooked by her peers and teachers haunted her.
When Astoria earned outstanding grades, her teachers offered house points and small words of encouragement to keep up the momentum, but not much else. So when Astoria received a formal invite to Professor Slughorn's Christmas Party during her fourth year, she panicked, thinking that the invite was given to her by mistake.
Putting on a brave face, the young witch approached the potions master after class. "Professor Slughorn, sir?"
Slughorn turned his attention away from the concoction he had started. His face split into a wide smile upon seeing who it was.
"Ah, Miss Greengrass. How may I help you?"
"Yes, sir." Astoria pulled the letter from her bag and held it out to a now confused professor. "You see, I received an invitation this morning to a Christmas party you are hosting and I believe it was intended for my sister, so I'm returning it to you."
Slughorn chuckled to himself at her concern, and it made Astoria feel uncomfortable and bewildered.
"I make no mistakes, Miss Greengrass," Slughorn finally responded. "I know talent when I see it. You, my dear, have quite the gift."
His explanation did not help her growing embarrassment. The compliments were beyond anything she heard from a teacher before. Astoria was at a loss for words. "Professor?"
The portly man picked up a book from his desk and showed it to her. "I saw you use this book during class on Friday when I assigned extra credit. I was surprised to see that you didn't immediately put it back when you discovered it wasn't translated."
Astoria flushed a light pink at the sight of the potions book. It was written in runes, but she managed to translate enough to find a potion she wanted to brew for the credit.
"I-I'm sorry. I wasn't aware that we weren't supposed to work from it," she rushed to explain.
He chuckled again, effectively dismissing her scrambled apology.
"You have nothing to be sorry for. That potion was nearly perfect by the way," Slughorn praised. "Miss Greengrass, this book is difficult to translate for even the older students, and yet you were able to copy a recipe from it like it was nothing. That is a talent, dear."
He gave Astoria a reassuring smile. "Don't lose that gift. Not many possess it, and there are a lot of books out there needing someone like you. Keep the invite. I'd be overjoyed if you were able to attend. I am sorry it is rather last minute."
Astoria was completely speechless. While she searched for something to say, Slughorn continued speaking with a jolly tone.
"You are more than welcome to invite someone special, if you'd like. Alas, Miss Greengrass, you better be off to your next lesson." He gently warned.
Astoria gave a nod. "Th-thank you, Professor."
As she weaved her way through the older students funneling in for their class, someone by the door tapped her on the shoulder. She reluctantly allowed a blond-haired wizard to pull her further down the corridor to be out of earshot.
"What is it, Draco?" Astoria knew he wasn't too keen with her using his first name. Naturally, it was the best way to bother him.
"You were invited to Slughorn's party?" He rushed out.
"Ye-"
"Would you like a date?"
The rest of her answer dissipated. She was going to be late to class if she was kept much longer, but his question had her entire body flooding with a worrisome fear that froze her on the spot. Draco was a loose acquaintance at best, and she knew her sister and Pansy definitely had a weird thing for him. Personally, Astoria thought he kept his head in the clouds most of the time and was bothersome. It was a bit off-putting that he eavesdropped on her private conversation to learn this in the first place. The situation was not good, regardless.
"I uh–mm," she stalled. Though the look on his face showed patience, it still unnerved her.
Looking around to avoid eye contact, Astoria spotted Pansy looking curiously at her. Feeling her face flush at being noticed, she bolted down the corridor without saying a word.
.oOo.
20th of December, 1996
It was difficult to elude Draco for the rest of the week. His attentiveness toward her was starting to freak her out. When Astoria was not able to dodge him, he'd ask to carry her things, apologized for being so rude, and made small talk while walking her to classes. Thank Merlin none of the older students noticed. She would be skinned alive by her sister if she found out through hearsay.
After the last class on the day of the party, Astoria managed to avoid Draco in the common room and went straight to Daphne. She couldn't take the strange attention he was giving her anymore. She only tolerated it because he was being polite. Stopping at the threshold, Astoria scanned the room; Pansy was on her bed painting her nails and her sister was brushing her hair in front of a mirror.
"Daphne, could I get your, um– help, please?" She didn't move from the entrance, not wanting to be more rude than she already was.
The older Greengrass huffed and turned to look at her sister, a sharp look in her eye. "What?"
"Could you tell Draco to leave me alone? He's been acting weird all week and-"
"What are you talking about?" she cut in, already irritated.
"He asked if I wanted him to be my date to Slughorn's party tonight," Astoria muttered, risking a glance at Pansy before settling her eyes on the floor. "I figured you'd take him instead?"
Pansy paused in her task to eye the younger witch but didn't say anything.
Daphne let out an unladylike snort while approaching her sister. "You're lying. Only the elite get invited to Slughorn's club, and you're hardly good at anything to be considered an elite. I wasn't invited, anyway. Are you trying to make me jealous? Because it is not funny!"
"I'm not-"
Astoria was pushed through the door. "Go play prankster with your own lot, Astoria."
The door promptly slammed in her face, and she retreated to her dorms. Shutting the curtains around her bed, Astoria threw the letter on her pillow and pulled her knees to her chest. Tears welled up, but she refused to release them. She was not going to be bullied into taking Draco. He never gave her the light of day until this week. What was so special about a dumb party hosted by a professor, anyway? Everyone was making a big deal about it, but she didn't know why.
A fleeting thought to invite Pansy crossed her mind, but she shook it off. Pansy wouldn't want to go to a party with a girl younger than her, and she didn't feel like going anymore. A hard sniff was made. The one time someone noticed her for something special and it had to be ruined by a stupid boy.
Astoria wasn't sure how long she sat there fighting the tears, but hearing someone approach her bed startled her.
"Stori'?"
She froze. It was Pansy.
"May I join you for a moment?" She asked, waiting for Astoria's quiet response before pulling back the curtain and climbing onto the bed.
"Are you okay?"
Astoria couldn't look at her. She felt so foolish and embarrassed about the entire thing. Not wanting to speak in the fear of her voice breaking, she shook her head.
"I'm sorry Draco was bothering you all week. You could have told me and I would have put a stop to it." Pansy comfored, gently rubbing her arm.
"Really?" Astoria whispered back, confused. "I was scared by how you'd react. I thought you'd be jealous because you like him."
Pansy snickered oddly at the comment, having Astoria look at her for the first time since she got there. "Draco is more like a brother to me - an obnoxious brother. Kind of how you are like a loving little sister."
The lump in Astoria's throat almost choked her now – a little sister. That's all she'd ever be seen as. Unable to stop the tears now, she buried her face in her knees to try and hide it, but she could never hide anything from Pansy.
Pansy was beside her in an instant, arms wrapped around the shaking ball Astoria curled herself into. She rested her forehead against the side of Astoria's and closed her eyes, soothingly stroking her soft hair.
"If I knew he was annoying you that much, I would've said something when I saw you in the corridor talking to him." She started to quietly hum the made-up song they created, feeling the young witch slowly calm down.
Pansy continued after several minutes. "I think you're the only girl in Slytherin that finds Draco's attention appalling."
Astoria let out a mix of a sob and laugh, wiping her eyes on the back of her hands. "Gee, thanks."
Pansy pulled back some and placed a hand under her chin so Astoria would look at her. "Are you going to be alright?"
"I think so," she said with a sniff, feeling her cheeks burn some from the touch. "I think I'll just go to bed."
Pansy put on her face of disapproval at the comment. Reaching for the letter, she skimmed it. "You've still got time. I can get you looking perfect in a pinch. You deserve to have fun, too."
Astoria's cheeks burned even more and she turned away to wipe at her eyes again. "Will you come with me?"
Pansy's face lit up like a candle. "I'd love to! But while we get ready, will you tell me how you landed the spot?"
Astoria felt relief and pride warm her chest. "Of course."
Written for Round 3, Year 2 of The Houses Competitions
Written for the 28 Days of Romance in February Challenge
Written for the Crayola Color Challenge from the HPFFC Forum
House: Hufflepuff
Category: Short (500-2000 Words)
Prompt(s): 2. [Pairing] Pansy/Astoria
28 Days of Romance: Day 5 - 1-Sided/Misguided Feelings
Color Prompt: Peach
Word count: (Per Google Docs) 1,996
Beta(s): Pix, Magi
Judge's Pick
The Houses Competition
Round 3, Year 2