This is my response to shadows and sunshine's "Alphabet Challenge". My prompts were Astoria, anguish and apparition.
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The ring on Astoria's finger glittered with hope- hope that she was wrong. It was the most precious thing she had ever owned in her twenty years of life, and it symbolised everything that she could ever want; the love of Draco Malfoy. When they had first met she had been so young, wide eyed and innocent: plain little Astoria Greengrass. He had seemed so debonair, glorious and worldly: attractive, powerful Draco Malfoy. It had all seemed good to be true.
Now, Astoria knew, it was too good to be true. She had seen the bite marks under his cravat and smelled the heady floral perfume on his robes, and for almost a year now she had looked the other way. No more. Stepping into the fireplace, Astoria took the floo network into the Ministry of Magic. She walked quickly through the deserted atrium, the click of her heels chasing her through the ecclesiastical cloisters of the building.
None of the few employees scattered in the lower levels would meet her eyes. Astoria swallowed. She did not allow herself to pause before pushing open the mahogany door to Draco's office. It seemed that he was indeed working late. His tongue was working furiously at her neck. His hands were working furiously, one stroking the sleek chestnut locks of her hair from her sweating face and the other frantically trying to remove her bra.
Astoria wailed. She was in pain. As she inhaled between sobs, the cloying scent of flowers filled her mouth. She was choking on it.
"Astoria, I'm so sorry." Draco's hair was dishevelled and his voice wavered. He looked frantic. He looked like a small child. Weak. She could think of no words.
A sudden motion caught her eye, breaking Astoria's line of thought. Astoria reached out and caught her, recognising Pansy Parkinson for the first time. When Astoria had arrived at, Hogwarts Pansy had been tall, elegant and witty: a woman. Her lipstick was smeared like blood across her face, and her eyes were filled with animal panic.
With strength she had not known herself to possess, Astoria struck Pansy relentlessly with both hands. She heard screaming. Astoria didn't know if it was her own anguish that pierced the air, or Pansy's cries of humiliation. A restraining hand wrapped around her right wrist, and Astoria whirled to face Draco. Behind her, Pansy scuttled out of the door. For a moment, all was still.
She slapped him as hard as she could. Angry red marks appeared on his already flushed cheeks. The sparkle of her engagement ring fuelled her anger. The ring on Astoria's fingers glittered with broken promises. Between her sobs, Astoria recited every promise of love, fidelity and kindness to her husband. His face fell, and although Draco blocked her feeble blows, her words chipped at his composure.
"Please don't leave me, darling." Astoria said nothing in response. "It won't happen again. I'm sorry." Draco sounded like a child, realising for the first time he could not take a curse back. It was too much. Astoria disapparated.
Looking up at the mansion, silhouetted in the twilight, Astoria felt that what had once been her pride and joy was nothing more than a mausoleum. Draco's love was gone. Astoria's trust was gone. Her marriage was dead.
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Thanks for reading. Please review.