Music Box
Astoria Greengrass X Theodore Nott
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
A/N: For TayaCurragh's 'Your Favourite Pairing With A Twist' Competition. As my OTP is Draco/Astoria, my pairings were either Draco/Myrtle, or Astoria/Theodore. I chose the latter. Enjoy!
Astoria stared, wild eyed, at the destruction before her.
"Daphne?" she called out, tentatively.
There was a rummaging sound, but no reply was offered. Breathing deeply, Astoria stepped gingerly over the debris, careful not to break anything else. She saw glass ornaments and gold jewellery scattered on the floor, as well as the old music box that her mother had given to her sister. She picked her way towards it, and lifted it from underneath a shattered picture frame. She twisted the turnkey and watched sadly as a small dancer turned slowly inside, dancing to a pretty, tinkling tune. It had been a favourite toy of both Astoria and Daphne as children, and they loved to listen to it and pretend they were dancers too.
How different things were now.
Hearing a banging sound from the next room, Astoria closed the music box and tucked it under her arm. She stepped towards the doorframe, and gasped at the sight before her. A man was grabbing items off the shelves and table, and was throwing them violently against any surface he could find. He was furious, that much she could see. But he was sad, too. Tears flew from his eyes, and his face was contorted into a red, sobbing wreck. He lifted a glass bowl from the shelf and hurled it towards the door where Astoria stood. She flinched as it shattered on the wall next to her, and only then did the man notice her.
She frowned and touched her cheek, and felt liquid warmth there. A small shard of glass had cut her. Ignoring her pain, Astoria locked eyes with the man.
"Theodore." It was more of an acknowledgement than a greeting.
He just stared at her for a moment, before stumbling towards the table and tossing a plate angrily at the ground.
Theodore turned then, and spoke. "I told her."
Astoria nodded. "I assumed so."
"She won't talk to either of us ever again, you know."
"I know."
Theodore sighed. "Then why did you let me tell her?"
"Because it wasn't fair. We couldn't lie to her anymore. Daphne deserves more than that."
Theodore cringed at the sound of Daphne's name. "She deserves more than us, you mean."
Astoria's voice cracked. "Yes."
Theodore sighed again, this time with exhaustion, and he slumped onto the ground. Wood and ceramic broke beneath him, but he didn't seem to notice. Astoria weaved through the worst of the damage, and sat herself down next to Theodore. She put a hand on his shoulder, and he glanced up at her with teary eyes.
"I love her."
"Me too," Astoria assured, with an equally teary expression.
Theodore put his head in his hands. "Then what have we done? Why did we do it?"
"I don't know."
Astoria watched in silence as he sobbed achingly into his hands. She had never seen him like this. So lost, so vulnerable. It broke her heart.
After a few moments, Theodore calmed down a little. He lifted his head again, and looked at Astoria.
"Do you love me?"
Astoria remained silent.
"Tora, please. Do you?"
She nodded mutely, refusing to look into his eyes.
"I thought so. But, why?"
"I can't answer that," she said quietly.
Theodore shook his head slightly. "Was that night worth it? The kiss, and the rest? Was it worth losing your sister over?"
Astoria didn't want to think about it. She was too afraid of the answer.
She exhaled slowly, and whispered, "Maybe."
"Right."
Astoria took the music box from beneath her arm and opened it once again. It continued where it had left off and she couldn't help but smile as she watched the rhythmic movement of the dancer. The tune, which had always been happy and joyful to her, now seemed sad, and contained all the memories of her and her sister before this had happened. She knew there was no going back now. Her sister would never forgive her. Daphne had loved Theodore from her Hogwarts days, and though Astoria loved him now, she knew her love was not the same. She'd been selfish, and cruel, and she wished she could have gone back to that night and made sure it never happened.
But did she really wish that?
Of that, she wasn't so sure.
Daphne had loved Theodore, yes, but she did her own fair share of wrongs. She'd never told Theodore about the time she snogged Blaise Zabini the night before their first anniversary. And Astoria never told him either, remaining loyal to her sister despite how much it hurt her. She never told him about the night Daphne spent with one of her work colleagues at the Ministry. She never told him any of these things, all because she was doing her duty as a sister, and her duty as a girl in love who didn't want to see the man of her dreams sad.
But she'd gone and ruined that. One moment of weakness, and seven years of pretence were shattered. Why had she been so foolish? She loved him, but that gave her no right to make the move, even though the opportunity was there. He had wanted it too, in that moment of madness, but it was all regrets now.
She noticed that Theodore had gone deathly silent. She glanced at him, and saw his eyes were fixed on the doorway. Astoria followed his gaze, and her eyes landed on the defeated form of Daphne in the doorway. She was staring at Astoria's hand on Theodore's shoulder, and she slowly moved it away. Daphne's eyes then flickered towards the music box, which had stopped playing.
But Daphne's eyes were back on Theodore, and his were on her, and Astoria quickly knew her place.
She noiselessly stood up, and taking the box with her, stumbled out of the room. She could feel the tears threatening to spill once again, but she refused to let them fall. She took one glance at Theodore and Daphne, who looked to be reconciling, and she could look no more. It was sham, she knew it, and she felt that even they knew it too.
But deep down, they loved each other, and would let nothing come between them.
Astoria had no idea what the future held for her and Daphne, but she knew for sure that nothing would, or could, happen between her and Theodore.
She had to forget her love, to squash it down and lock it away forever.
Astoria twisted the turnkey of the music box one last time, and, with closed eyes, listened to the tune once through, thinking of everything she loved about both Daphne and Theodore.
Then she closed it, and opened her eyes with a steely determination.
That music box was never opened again.