A/N: Aaaaannnddd I'm back! So this takes place right after my other fanfic, A Difficult Endeavour. You don't need to read it to read this one (but you should read it anyway, because it would be great if you did!) but basically Draco was in therapy and Astoria came to observe, but it came out that she was sick near the end of the session. Then they end up here when the session ends. Enjoy!

Malediction

Summary: Astoria Malfoy starts to fall ill in 2008, right around the ten year anniversary of the Wizarding War. Watch Astoria as she navigates the land mines and pitfalls of her illness as well as being a wife, mother, and daughter during such a difficult situation.

Characters and events may be AU/OOC.

mal·e·dic·tion (maləˈdikSHən) noun.

A magical word or phrase uttered with the intention of bringing about evil or destruction; a curse.

Chapter One

Llewellyn Argon Greengrass - deceased age 110

Jorin Halcyon Greengrass - deceased age 37

Arabella Isabella Greengrass - deceased age 14

Stephen Victor Greengrass - deceased age 68

Tomlin Bacchus Greengrass - deceased age 25

Astoria looked at the list in front of her with a growing dread that latched itself onto her chest cavity and made breathing suddenly very difficult. After the fated therapy session where Astoria had told her husband she was ill, she'd headed to her family home instead of to Malfoy Manor, where she'd told Draco she'd be.

She needed some time. To do what, exactly, she didn't know, but her mind had been screaming for it. She crossed her legs and glanced down at her ankle, immediately spying the curse's progress. Darkened veins, spreading out along her foot like ribbon on gift wrap.

Except this wasn't a gift.

It was a death sentence with no clear end date.

Astoria was brought out of her maudlin musings by an anxious voice ringing out stridently from downstairs.

"Please tell me Astoria came here, Isabel!"

"What is wrong, dear Draco?" Her mother's voice called from a short distance away; her mother had clearly been in the study.

"Just please tell me. Is she here?"

"Why, yes darling. She's in her room. Are you sure there's-"

"It's fine. Really. I just need to speak with my wife." His voice was right outside her door as he attempted to reassure her mother. But when it came to her family, if something was wrong, Isabel was like a dog with a bone.

"My boy, you will tell me right this minute-"

"Mother, it's fine." Astoria opened her door and stuck her head out into the hallway. She'd said nothing to her mother yet about her 'illness', and she did not want to reveal it now. Isabel turned to her daughter, eyes narrowed; Astoria resisted the strong urge to squirm.

"You're sure?"

"Yes, Mother. Please leave us be. Draco, love, come in please." Astoria heard her mother's footsteps fade back into the study just as Draco shut the door, closing then in together. She faced her husband, and nearly winced at the sight in front of her. His hair was ruffled and stuck out in places, as though he'd run his hands through it in frustration; his eyes were still red from the tears he'd shed at the therapy session; his face was drawn and pale, like he hadn't had anything to eat or drink in days. She waved her wand and a silencing spell blanketed the room. Draco started pacing.

"I cannot believe - you tell me you're sick - with the same thing that's killed countless members of your family-"

"Well, actually, it's just been five." Astoria murmured. Draco stopped, gaped at her, then shook his head and resumed his pacing.

"Oh yes, like 'only five' is so bloody better - and then you say you're going to meet me at home and you're not there. Why?" Draco, obviously having run out of steam, slumped into the chair that sat before her desk. Astoria on the other hand, teetered on the edge of the bed, unwilling to relax whilst Draco was so volatile.

"All of the information on the curse is here. I wanted to look at it. Alone, for a little while. That's all, I really didn't mean to alarm you." Draco turned his head to look at the various pieces of parchment in different stages of wear strewn over the bed.

"Is that it?"

"Yes."

"May I see?"

"Go ahead." Draco hesitantly sat beside her and reached behind himself to grab a thick sheaf of parchment. His eyes flew across the page, quickly absorbing the information. Astoria rested her head on his shoulder and he tested his cheek on the top of her head as he read.

"There's no pattern to this: men, women, and children. The sick, the healthy. It doesn't discriminate." Draco murmured half to himself.

"Don't you think I know that, Draco? That's what I've been doing since I've came here. Look, Draco, I didn't mean to give you the run-around, I really didn't. But I just…." Astoria trailed off and flung her hands up to encompass her bed and all the parchment swamping it.

"You needed to do this first." Draco murmured, still reading.

"Yes."

"I overreacted. I was just worried. I didn't know where you'd go. We really haven't been separate from one another apart from the mandatory days whilst we were courting and engaged."

"I'm sorry."

"No, no, I wasn't telling you to get an apology. It's not necessary. I can't imagine what you're going through right now. I was just explaining. And you know what?" Draco moved so he knelt in front of her. He placed his hands on her knees and squeezed.

"What?"

"I'm going to find a cure."

"What? No, Draco there isn't-"

"The last death was over six decades ago. Things have changed since then. I am going to try. Let me do this for you." Astoria looked into the eyes of her husband and saw nothing but love and determination. A small smile tugged at her lips.

"Okay. We do this together."

A/N: What did you think? I won't be updating this one so regularly at the moment as I'm slowly but surely working on GTKTG. But I needed to get this out there because it was in my head.