The Golden Snitch
Word Prompts (25pts):
Run, Bride, Mother, Hatred, Husband
Colour Prompts (10pts):
Crimson, Cream
Alternate Universe (15pts):
Arranged Marriage AU
Writing Tasks (30pts):
Write about someone meeting the love of their life for the first time.
Write about a tragedy.
AJ, Kasai; Mahoutokoro.
The Golden Snitch Second Anniversary Event
Word count: 1222
Run.
The bride tried to ignore the voice in her head as she moved towards her mother, anxiety creeping into her chest. She had her hair tied back into a simple bun, as to keep it from getting in her face, the cream colored wedding dress she wore brushed softly against the floor, the clicking of her high heels the only sound in the vast stone hallway.
Run.
This should have been the happiest day of her life, the day she married the person she loved. Sadly, she didn't love this person, this man whom she'd only met a week ago. The bride's gaze turned towards her mother again, her mother who had tears in her eyes and a watery smile on her lips. A sigh escaped from the bride's own mouth, before she attempted to return the smile. Her mother raised her hands and placed them on both sides of the bride's face, smile growing even larger.
Run.
"Oh Pansy darling, you look so beautiful," it came out cracking and full of a joyful sort of sorrow. Pansy could only bow her head and look away, looking at the windows and wondering if falling to her death would be better than marrying someone she didn't love - if it would be better than having a husband who she was sure would absolutely despise her.
Run.
He'd had so much hatred in his eyes when they'd first met a week ago, not caring much for Pansy's sharp wit and sarcastic tongue. Though that was a common outcome of an arranged marriage, where the couples hope for love to grow in all the places hatred used to fester. Another sigh escaped from her lips, surely there would be no love in this matrimony - after all, she could never love a man who sneered down at her whenever she began to speak her mind.
Run.
Her mother handed her the bouquet, one full of white roses, wrapped in an ebony ribbon. The dark ribbon almost mirrored the color of her soon to be husband's soul. She startled slightly when her mother linked their arms, though she could only move forward as the music started. She couldn't help but notice that the music seemed closer to that of a funeral march rather than a wedding tune. Perhaps it was just her ears, mishearing things as to only increase the anxiety.
Run.
It worked. The warning bells inside of her head grew louder and louder, anxiety clawing at the poor bride's chest as she walked down the aisle. Her eyes searched through the crowd, finding the familiar head of blonde hair that she'd grown so fond of. Draco. Their eyes met, and she could see his worry from where he sat, his knowing gaze turning back to the front after giving her a pained smile. He was just as trapped as she was, trapped by the woman who hung off of his arm. He's starting to love her, she tried to remind herself, perhaps I'll be able to do the same.
Run.
Her gaze continued to scan through the crowd, landing on the person she truly loved, seeing the pained look in their eyes. Pansy's heart dropped. There sat Hermione Granger, alone in a crowd of purebloods. How Pansy wished to comfort her. Yet, she still moved forwards, towards a man she was soon to wed. One who looked at her hatefully even now, on their wedding day. She felt like crying as she spared another glance in Hermione's direction - the bushy haired woman's eyes had never left her.
Run.
She made it up to the altar, where her hands were grasped by the cold ones of her fiance. His eyes were icy, a sneer on his face. Pansy dared another glance in her past lover's direction, looking at the hesitance and misery in those dark brown eyes. The priest began to recite the vows, and she felt doomed, as she would soon be resigned to this marriage, this fate she felt was worse than death.
Run.
The sound of loud pops filled the wedding hall, echoing off of the walls and causing panic to well up in the bride. It wasn't the fireworks, she knew that much - she was sure it was those muggle weapons that Hermione had talked about. A gun. Wizards had begun to carry them around too, finding them useful in times of emergency. Gunshot wounds were hard to heal with magic, since the bullet would still be lodged inside the flesh. It was terrifying to Pansy, her ears were ringing.
Run.
She watched as crimson spewed out from her fiance, another gunshot going off. It was only then that she heeded the voice's advice. Pansy picked up the bottom of her cream colored wedding dress, and she ran. Faster than she ever had in her life, faster than during the war, she moved out of the building and into the grassy expanse. She couldn't apparate, her mind was too much of a frenzy. She stopped for a moment, trying to calm herself so she could apparate to safety. The alarm still run through her mind, the warning still ever so present. She couldn't grasp why.
Run.
Another gunshot rang out, louder than those she'd heard in the distance. Shock made its way onto her face as a sharp pain bloomed in her abdomen. She looked down at her cream colored dress to find it being stained in the horrid crimson color. Her legs gave out from underneath her and she collapsed into the tall grass.
Run.
All she could think about was Hermione, her beautiful Hermione who shone like the sun. Pansy could still remember the day they'd first met, the day she'd met the love of her life. It was at a muggle coffee shop that Pansy had grown quite fond of. It was the best day of her life, and she'd found herself wishing it had never ended. It pained her to think that it was all ruined now. That she was going to die here, in the grass, as the crimson blood stained the ground.
Run.
She hated that she hadn't listened to the warnings, that she'd still tried to go through with this to make her parents happy. Merlin, what had she been thinking? Rustling footsteps moved closer to where she was, though she couldn't quite see who was approaching as her vision grew more and more blurry. Getting shot had felt like a hot pinch, though now she was growing colder - presumably from the extensive blood loss. Bushy brown hair and a worried shadow of an expression fell on top of her. Hands gripped Pansy's arms, and the scenery changed to a bright cream color.
"Hush now my love," came the sweet voice, "everything will be okay."
Pansy could only smile up at the figure, tears blurring her vision. It was too late now, she'd ruined everything. She'd lost too much blood. It was awful, the feeling of guilt and sadness that flooded through her chest. The bright room kept getting darker and darker, and as her vision blacked out she couldn't help but feel like it would be the last time she ever saw anything. Tears dripped off her face, only one thing on her mind as she slipped into unconsciousness.
She would really miss Hermione.