edit: I didn't like the fact that they were swearing, (what was I thinking?) so I went back and changed it. Sorry people! Anyway, I hope you like it!

This is basically going to be a collection of chronological one shots in the life of Astoria (my interpretation).

Poor Astoria. She goes through so much.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

First Year (PoA)

Astoria watched, standing behind her parents, as they hugged Daphne goodbye.

"Goodbye, darling! Write to me, won't you?" Her mother asked her. Her father even unbent himself enough to rap an arm around his older daughter.

"Of course, mother. I love you, father!" Daphne said with a smile and a wave.

Then Astoria's parents turned to her. Waiting for her to say something.

"Goodbye, then!" Astoria said, trying to sound chipper. "I'll owl you once I'm sorted then?" She was trying to make this less awkward. She didn't realize what a social gaffe she had just committed.

"Sorted?" Her father rumbled warningly.

Astoria was confused. What did she say now?

"YOU will be in Slytherin. Like your sister. Like us. Like all of your ancestors!" Her mother said dangerously.

"Oh. But…" Her mother cut Astoria off.

"No. no Buts. You are not a Black, there is no question." Her mother eyed Astoria, making sure the girl understood the double meaning. The Black family had had some mishaps recently, and if Astoria wasn't careful, she would end up like them.

"Yes Mother." Astoria said meekly, head bowed. She didn't want her parents any madder at her.

"Good. Now get on the train, and be a good girl. Don't bother your sister too much. She doesn't want a first year tagalong. Don't talk to anyone that isn't….satisfactory. Always behave like a Greengrass. Do nothing to shame our name. Do you understand?" Her mother listed off a bunch of rules for Astoria to follow.

"Yes Mother." Astoria turned away, toward the train. "Oh. Uh, I…" She wanted to tell them something, but she wasn't sure of their reaction.

"What?" Her mother said warningly.

"I, I will try to make you proud. And, I, I love you." She stammered; trying to get out the feelings she felt pressuring her heart.

Her mother's face softened. It wasn't that she hated her daughter, it was just that her daughter was… difficult. "I know you will. And remember, we love you as well."

Astoria's heart leaped. She rarely heard that sentiment directed towards her anymore. She would do anything to hear it again!

Before Astoria could start crying, or display some other "non-Greengrass" emotion, she nodded, and walked to the train. She boarded it, and never looked back.

0o0o0o0o0o0o

There weren't any empty compartments, but there was one with only one person in it. The girl had a strange necklace on, which looked like butterbeer caps, but she was also reading a book, so Astoria didn't think she would mind.

Pausing to ensure her Pureblood Mask of Indifference was in place, she opened the sliding glass door, and walked in.

The girl didn't look up; she just tossed her dirty blonde hair to the side, and continued reading the magazine. It was the Quibbler, she saw. Her family thought it was a load of rubbish, but when she had gotten a hold of one, she had decided it was just a bit odd.

She pulled out her own book; this one about a muggle philosopher named Plato, and started reading.

After a few minutes of comfortable silence, the girl spoke.

"They think Daddy is mad, you know. Because he believes in Crumple Horned Snorkacks. He is going to go looking for them this year. He hopes to find one, and prove them wrong."

Astoria looked up in well-hidden shock. Then she back towards the floor.

She hadn't thought the girl was going to speak to her! If her father believed in the Snorkacks, then he must be the editor of the Quibbler, Xenophilius Lovegood. That made this Luna Lovegood, his daughter, who was rumoured to be as mad as he was.

"You are Luna Lovegood." She said aloud. Luna nodded. "My parents also think he is mad. I don't. All of the most important discoverers were considered mad, until they found the creature which made them famous."

"So you think the Snorkacks are real?" Luna asked, in excitement.

"I wouldn't say that. I believe that they may exist. However, I have not done sufficient research on them to be sure. Your father and you are, I presume, the experts?"

Luna nodded fervently.

Astoria continued the conversation, enjoying talking to an intelligent person for once. Granted, Luna was a bit odd, but Astoria liked her well enough. Not enough to be anything more than one time acquaintances, her family wouldn't allow it, but she might as well make the best of the time she had.

They continued chatting, Astoria never actually making eye contact with Luna, until a boy walked in.

"There you are, Luna! I thought I had lost you!" His name was Longbottom. She recognized him from a long ago newspaper article, where he had been a little boy.

He looked over at her curiously.

"Who's this, Luna? Friend of yours?"

"Oh, no. We just met! She believes in Daddy and I, and she almost believes in Nargals and Snorkacks. I enjoy her company."

Astoria blushed inside. This girl liked her! That was a first.

Luna continued. "I think she will be in Ravenclaw. She is very smart."

Astoria looked up at her, scared, forgetting to hide her eyes. She couldn't be in Ravenclaw! Her family would never forgive her!

Longbottom looked at her, recognizing her extremely green eyes, which automatically classified her as a Greengrass.

"Luna?" He said, coming to sit next her, across from Astoria. "I don't think so. Do you even know her name?" He didn't trust her, because of her name. Why didn't he trust her? What was wrong with being a Greengrass?

Astoria knew that the Lovegoods were supposedly quacks and blood traitors, and the Longbottoms, while not blood traitors, were rather close, but she didn't see what the problem with talking to them was!

In fact, Astoria didn't even care that they were blood traitors, but she knew her family would.

"Hmm. No. Is that a problem?" Luna's response to Longbottom cut across Astoria's reflections.

"She is a Greengrass, Luna. Up there with the Malfoys, and Blacks, and every other extreme pureblood family." Longbottom whispered, attempting to explain to Luna.

"I can hear you when you whisper!" Astoria said regally. How dare he insult her family like that! There was nothing wrong with being a Greengrass!

"And," Astoria continued, "I am perfectly aware who Luna is. And you are a Longbottom…" She thought hard. She remembered the death eaters talking about him once…what was his name? Ah, Neville. That was it.

"Neville, isn't it? I will have you know there is nothing wrong with being a Greengrass, I perfectly proud of it."

Then she turned to Luna "Thank you for your stimulating conversation. I understand you didn't realize it, but Greengrasses have been placed in Slytherin for centuries. Suggesting I could be placed in Ravenclaw is considered an insult."

She then gathered her bag, and swept out of the room.

As she left, she heard Luna remark, "I think you angered her, Neville."

Astoria sighed, and put the girl out her mind

She decided to wait until Neville had left the compartment with Luna, and then go back. She didn't want to talk to him, but she also didn't feel up to chatting with someone else.

Unfortunately, as she walked down the hall, towards the bathroom, she ran into someone, then started to fall. It was a boy, who caught her before she reached the floor, picked her back up. He stood her on her feet, and peered at her.

"There is no need to stare!" She said haughtily, glaring at him. Recognizing her green eyes, he turned to the compartment they were right outside of, and called to her sister.

"Daphne, I didn't know you had a sister! She's quite the cheeky little girl!" The boy crowed. She recognized him, not that it was hard.

He had silky whitish-blond hair, and pale skin. She supposed he could be attractive, but he was much too arrogant to appeal to her.

"I am not a little girl, neither am I 'cheeky', Draco Malfoy!" She raised her voice slightly, and pitched the words straight at his back, which was turned towards her.

He turned back to face her, eyebrow raised, slightly shocked. "How did you know my name?"

"It isn't that hard. I go to all of the Pureblood meetings as well. And besides, I make it a priority to learn the names of the people who are much too vain, so I can stay away from them."

He gaped at her, trying to understand what she meant. Then he got it, and anger crossed his face instead.

The Slytherins in the compartment behind him got it at the same time he did, because a roar of laughter accompanied his change in emotion.

"You think you are just so damn smart, don't you?" He asked angrily. An intake of breath came from behind him, but before anyone could object, she laughed scornfully.

"Careful, Malfoy. You might just ruin those 'little girl' ears of mine, and then what would your mummy say?"

"Only little girls call their mothers that." Malfoy snapped back.

"Really? Then the reason you do it is..." Astoria asked coyly. Malfoy looked at her puzzled. He wasn't smart enough to get it right away, but he would get it eventually!

He was beet red by now, and none of the hoots of laughter coming from the compartment were helping his anger. Then he got it.

"Screw you."

"Don't you wish you could!" She said wickedly. He curled his hands into fists, trying hard not to lose all of his composure, and hit her or something. Astoria knew she needed to end this soon, or she might end up hurt.

"Hmm. I think that 'little girl' you 'picked up' in the hall just beat you in an argument, Malfoy!" She turned on her heel and walked away, calm as can be.

When she reached the compartment that she had previously shared with Luna, she sighed, and slipped inside.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Astoria was just a little bit scared by now. After the dementors on the train looking for Sirius Black (who wasn't a Death Eater at all…) and the boat ride across a rain lashed lake, she didn't know what else she could take.

Her nerves were stretched to the breaking point.

All the first years were standing in a big group, soaking wet, waiting for Professor McGonagall (the teacher of transfiguration, and a registered Animagus, a cat) to bring them into the Great Hall.

Meanwhile, all of the first years were talking amongst themselves. Astoria stood to one side of the group, expecting all of them to ignore her, as per usual.

She was very surprised when a boy came over, and held out his hand for her to shake. She looked down at it.

She didn't like shaking hands, it seemed…dirty to her. Maybe they were passing germs. Either way, she didn't like it.

Why had the boy come and tried to talk to her? People didn't talk to her, she was a Greengrass, a pureblood. Everyone knew that.

But this boy didn't. Oh. He was a muggleborn. That was why!

"You are a mu…" She started to say, but was interrupted as another boy came rushing at her. What was it with annoying boys today?

"Don't!" The boy yelled, cutting her off.

Both she and the first boy looked very confused, then Astoria understood. This second boy thought she was going to say Mudblood. She wasn't! She didn't like to say it, it didn't seem right to her.

"Don't what? Call the boy a mu..."

"Don't!"

…ggleborn?" She finished, so that the boy would understand how stupid he was.

"Oh. I thought…" The second boy stammered.

"I know perfectly well what you thought. I don't need you to explain. You are an assumptive idiot. Now go explain to this poor boy," indicating the first boy "As to why you so rudely interrupted me, before someone insults him for real."

"Don't tell me what to do!" The boy demanded, petulantly "You can't do that!"

"Oh?" She asked archly, eyebrow raised. "Are you sure? Coming from a boy whose favorite word is don't, that's a bit rich, isn't it?" Before he could complain further, or make himself out to be even more of an jerk than he already had, she turned away.

Why was everyone else her age so stupid? She always felt older than the people her age, more mature. She fit in better with people 2 or 3 years older than her, unless they were her sister's friends. They always saw her as a little kid, as exemplified by Malfoy earlier.

"First Years?" McGonagall called. "We are ready for you now."

All of the first years followed her into an enormous room. It was filled with extremely long tables, filled with older students.

At the front of the room was another long table, filled with teachers. The enchanted sky overhead rumbled, copying the thunderstorm outside.

While Astoria gazed around the room, McGonagall had started the sorting process. She was almost through the A's. Astoria tuned her out until she reached:

"Gallagher, John?" He went into Hufflepuff. He was the first boy who had bothered her. Figures.

It seemed an eternity until McGonagall reached

"Greengrass, Astoria?"

Astoria gathered herself together (remember the Pureblood Mask of Indifference!) and walked to the stool. She perched herself on it, and felt the hat lowered down onto her head.

"Interesting." Astoria could tell it was a very powerful magical artifact, as every word was incantatory. "Where shall we put you?"

Slytherin. Slytherin. I want to go into Slytherin.

"Slytherin? You wouldn't do well there… You belong in RAVEN-"

"NO!" She yelled out loud.

Realizing it, she thought furiously NO! PLEASE! Not that, not that!

"-SLYTHERIN!"

Years later, she would swear that the hat chuckled at her as it changed its mind. She would also wonder how different her life would have been if she had just let the hat chose.

The entire Great Hall was quiet. -It didn't happen very often, that the hat changed its mind, half way through. If fact, it rarely happened. Once or twice in its history, actually.- Astoria's mind was babbling as she walked slowly to the Slytherin table.

The entire Hall watched her as she walked. She reached the Slytherin table, and waited for someone to slide aside so she could sit somewhere. No one did. So she boosted herself up on the end of the table, and looked back at Professor McGonagall.

A couple people chuckled at the way she handled the situation, mostly from the Gryffindor table.

McGonagall regained her composure, and called the next name.

"Halen, Katie?"

0o0o0o0o0o0o

Later, after the feast, Astoria joined the small group of first years, trying to blend in. She didn't want anyone to bother her right now.

"Alright first years. The common room is this way." The Slytherin prefect called, and led the way.

They walked all the way down to the dungeons. Figures.

"The password is Salazar. If you don't know who he is, you're clearly dumb." The same prefect told the students. A couple people laughed.

But that wasn't fair! What if you were a muggleborn? How were you supposed to know?

She opened her mouth to ask, then shut it. This was Slytherin! No muggleborns allowed! Clearly, all of the horrible events of the day were wreaking havoc on her thought processes.

The rest of the first years began filling through the door. She made to follow them in, but a hand across the doorway stopped her.

What? She looked up at the perpetrator. Draco Malfoy. Oh dear.

"I don't think this is the right common room, Raven-Slytherin. Go find your own." He drawled, then pushed her back.

"You are just jealous." She stepped forward, challenging him.

"Jealous? What on earth do you mean? Why would I want to be a Raven-Slytherin?" He was confused, but he still drawled cockily. He thought he could win this argument. So she would prove him wrong.

"You are jealous, Malfoy, of me."

"Why would I be jealous of a tiny-little-thing-that-embarrassed-our-house like you?"

"Because I haven't been in this castle a day, and everyone knows my name. You however, had to pretend to be a peacock for several weeks, and insult the Boy-Who-Lived many times before even half of the population cared." It was all true.

Draco was completely surprised. He thought he would just embarrass her a little, to make up for earlier, then leave her alone. He didn't know she would bite back.

He turned bright red as his housemates jeered and laughed at him. He stepped closer to her, threateningly.

His mouth was working, trying to think of something to say. Finally he said "The Boy-Who-Lived? What are you, some kind of blood traitor?"

How dare he call her a blood traitor! She was a Greengrass! Greengrasses weren't blood traitors, that was a horrible insult!

So she reached up and slapped him. Before he could get over his shock and grab her, she tried to push past him into the common room.

She wasn't quick enough though, his hand shot out and grabbed her arm.

"What the fuck was that?" He yelled at her, right in his face.

Astoria was scared, but she didn't show it. She was trying to think of some way to get him to let go, when her sister sauntered over. Merlin, she hoped her sister didn't hate her too!

"Malfoy. Why are you touching my sister?" Daphne asked pointedly. Astoria sighed gratefully in her mind. Her sister didn't hate her!

Malfoy dropped Astoria's arm as if he had been burned, and glared at her.

Before he could start protesting his innocence, Astoria piped up "He called me a blood traitor, Daphne."

Daphne eyes widened, shocked. Then her hand reached up and slapped Malfoy, on the same cheek her sister had.

Malfoy clapped his hand to his cheek. "WHAT THE BLOODY HELL WAS THAT?" He yelled.

"You DON'T call her that. You don't think that about her. If fact, you don't think about her. You don't look at her, you don't talk to her. Hear me, Draco? Leave my sister ALONE!"

Wow. Daphne had never stood up for her before. Apparently, she had made Daphne proud of her,

"Stupid Women..." Draco muttered as he turned away. Astoria got mad.

Her sister had stood up for her for once, and Draco called them that? No. That wasn't okay.

She pulled her wand out, and said softly "Densaugeo. Fumunculus."Then, before Malfoy could do anything else to her, she ran up to the Girl's Dormitory.

0o0o0o0o0o0o

So, did you like it? If so, you should press that button down there. No, not the "favorite" one (though that is nice too, if you are the silent type) but the review button. It would mean a lot to me. But try to be nice.

(Densaugeo was the spell used against Hermione to make her teeth grow. Fumunculus afflicts the victim with large boils.)

~Rose