Written for the…
Hogwarts
Ship Battles- (pairing) DracoAstoria, (word) reputation
Writing Club- Showtime: The Adams Administration- (word) reputation
Writing Club- Days of the Month: Quiet Day - Write a fic without dialogue.
Word Count: 799
For my dear Em, whose birthday is today. Happy birthday, my darling! Hope you have a wonderful day!
I. Draco
He has an immense weight burdening his shoulders.
The Dark Lord has bestowed a tremendous honor upon him, but why doesn't he feel jubilance? This is his chance to earn the Dark Lord's favor, to once more restore glory to the prestigious Malfoy name.
But why is it bothering him so much?
Draco buries his head into his hands, feeling as if the world is holding its breath and waiting for him to make a move, like a game of chess.
Except, he is not the master, the king. He is a pawn, ready to the king's bidding in order to start a war. And he is prepared. His reputation is on the line.
So why is he resisting?
The fire flickers ominously, encouraging him to make a decision. One which will affect his life in a negative way.
Astoria enters the room, casts her eyes around before gazing at Draco, her eyes clouded with a mixture of sympathy, pity, and defiance.
She pulls him into a tight embrace and whispers words of consolation. He catches a single word: together.
And he dares to believe.
II. Astoria
Draco Malfoy is a broken man.
She can see the way the weight of the world haunts his conscience, forcing him to choose. Either way, there will be consequences.
She cannot bear to see him this way.
She has been there for everything. His furious outbursts, his miserable wallowing, and now, when he is struggling to keep himself sane. She has been there to support him, to be his rock and stay strong for him. It pains her to watch him sink into a quagmire of melancholia, but she is there for him no matter what the circumstances.
She reassuringly strokes his silver hair and smiles gently as his body releases some of tension he's been withholding.
His soul so fragile, so innocent, so pure, yet it is being contaminated and sullied by unethical beliefs. Astoria has been exposed to these kind of so-called noble ideals, but she has chosen to remain neutral in spite of her sister's choices.
Astoria believes that everyone is born with a pure heart, everyone is born good, and evil is merely refusing to be good.
However, in world full of darkness, despair, and hopelessness, how is she going to fend for herself?
III. Ginny
Ginny gazes calmly at the Dark Lord, her brown eyes untroubled, but inside is a hurricane of isolation.
Her face is a carefully controlled mask of indifference, but a maelstrom rages within. A storm so strong it is begging for freedom.
Her family is dead, killed by their own foolishness. Ginny feels only a little remorse, because it was bound to happen.
She is the cloud on a sunny day, the seven sins all seeking refuge in her soul. She is powerful, she is dangerous, and she is indestructible.
Ginny is the Dark Lord's best lieutenant, even triumphing over Bellatrix. She is everything the Dark Lord expects in a servant: ruthless, fearless, and pureblooded.
However, despite her evident immunity, she does have one weakness: Luna Lovegood.
The girl gets under her skin and infuriates Ginny to no end, but she is fascinating and too intriguing for Ginny to kill.
She can sense the darkness behind those mysterious silver eyes; the desire to seek revenge for those who had wronged and doubted her, much like Ginny herself.
Luna is a strange, odd girl, but something lies beneath the silver depths. Anger perhaps, waiting to be exploited. Like a match waiting to be ignited.
And Ginny is that flame.
IV. Luna
Her father is dead.
Her body is numb with grief.
The last remaining guardian she has is gone forever.
Rage simmers inside her body. She wants to conquer Death, because he has no right to take away love.
And Ginny provides the chance at redemption.
She meets Ginny at the burning of Buckingham Palace. There is pandemonium, there is screaming, and Death is having a field day.
She sees a girl with hair as orange as the fire and eyes as fierce as the wind, spreading the fear with only a glare. A singed hood hangs limply on her back and her voice is hoarse from yelling out commands.
They lock eyes, molten silver against poison chocolate, and the girl nods brusquely as she tears away, her cloak whipping behind her.
Luna next sees the girl in a shadowy alley, secluded from the main street, her hair tied up in a messy ponytail and wearing posh clothing and talking with a shady man who looks just as refined.
She looks so different and unrecognizable, yet Luna identifies the hunger in her eyes. Not a need for food, but for revenge.
And Luna knows she's found her savior.