Quick sad oneshot about the lovely Malfoy mistress. Named for the Smash Mouth song "Ain't No Mysteries," which I was listening to when I thought up the idea for this story. I wouldn't say the song inspired it, since there's absolutely no connection, but…whatever.
Five things that Astoria Greengrass never does.
First, Astoria never wears black. Black is a blend-in, stay-hidden kind of color. Astoria doesn't like to blend in, so she wears attention-grabbing colors, favoring glossy reds and greens in expensive materials. If she ever wears black, it is either so exposing that she will be noticed for it, or it is adorned with light-catching diamonds. Astoria never wears black, but today she does, and there are no low-cut necklines or eye-catching jewels because she doesn't want to be noticed.
Second, Astoria never prays. She doesn't hold much stock with religion, and she is a strong believer that one chooses her own fate. She does not believe in God. She does not believe in destiny. She believes in hard work and she believes in success, though they don't always hold the same company. She thinks that ministers are quacks and that religion is false hope, but today Astoria needs hope, even if it's false, so she presses her hands together against her chest and prays.
Third, Astoria never holds Draco's hand. For as long as they have been married, they have never held hands. Not on the day of their marriage did he grip her hand with love and conviction of promise, and not during the birth of their son did he offer her his hand to squeeze. This is too gentle a gesture, and their relationship is anything but that. There is passion and there is excitement, but there has never been a tender moment between them. So Astoria finds it odd when Draco reaches out and grabs her hand and squeezes it, but she has to admit it is comforting, and she squeezes back.
Fourth, Astoria never feels guilty. It's not that she's never had a reason to; there have been things in life that she would have regretted, but she has been raised to never apologize. She knows that middle children are supposed to be insecure, but Astoria knows (though she keeps it a secret) that her parents favor her above her brother and sister. Even as a child, when she did horrid things not at all by accident, her parents never blamed her. She has been carefully taught never to feel guilty, so even after a particularly catty remark, even after verbally abusing her brother to tears, Astoria never feels guilty. Today, though, the weight of her guilt seems able to crush her, and it feels even more painful because she has never felt it before. It is a new sensation, but Astoria feels guilty. Immensely so.
Fifth, Astoria never cries. She has never had a need to. Yes, when she was little she shed a few tears over a skinned knee or a burnt finger, and tears of rage often spring to her eyes after a particularly nasty argument with her brother, but she has never really cried out of sheer sadness of power of emotion. Every tear she ever shed was quickly cured with a shiny new toy or a praise of her beauty. Today, though, she knows neither of those things will do the trick. Today, she stands on the dew-wet grass, surrounded by the cold gray stones adorned with crosses, and she cries.
She stares into the hole in the ground, just big enough to fit the smooth black coffin. She feels Draco squeezing her hand. She tastes blood in her mouth as she bites her tongue. She smells freshly dug dirt and mothballs from her Aunt Dinah's holey veil. She listens to the minister praise her sister.
And Astoria stands, doing these five things that she has never done before, her sister, Daphne, her beautiful and smart and yet stupid sister, lies cold in the ground.
I wrote this in about fifteen minutes, so I'm not sure about the quality of the prose, but I like it. Astoria is my new favorite briefly-mentioned character, because first, anyone who married Draco Malfoy must have a very interesting reason for it (at least in my mind), and because of that her personality has so much left to be cracked open. My Astoria is selfish, catty, and spoiled, but she's also very interesting to write about. Anyway, I'd love some concrit. I don't know what it is about me and sister-to-sister relationships (see my mother oneshot about Pansy) seeing as I don't have a sister, but…review anyway. :)