DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter.
AN: The pairing for this will be DM/HP and AG/NL with mentioned DM/AG. I got this oneshot from a prompt by PKlovesDW. One of my prompts was book another was choose. I took a little inspiration from Sprout2012 and came up with this. So, this story is dedicated to PKlovesDW and Sprout! Enjoy!
THE BOOK
Draco growled and grumbled, stalking out to the Black Lake. The day was cool, a nice fall day. It wasn't the day that had him in a foul mood though, it was his life. Draco Malfoy was desperate for a suitable solution to his problems; none had yet been found. As a pureblood it was his responsibility as the sole Malfoy heir was to produce another Malfoy heir. He was to marry a nice pureblood witch, preferably Astoria Greengrass as she was his betrothed since they were born. She didn't want to get married either, as she was in love with Neville Longbottom. Yet, she was perfectly resigned to ending their secret relationship and marrying Draco as she should. She had encouraged Draco to do the same. Not only was Astoria desperately in love with Neville for two years, Draco had a six month relationship with Harry Potter. Not finding Astoria at the Lake, he huffed and let out a frustrated snarl. Thinking, he realized she'd told him she had a difficult Potions assignment that morning and would most likely be in the library. Turning on his heel, he went to find her.
Astoria was, indeed, in the library. She sat in the back corner as she always did, hair pulled up in an elegant and curling bun. She kept it back in a heavy silver clip made to look like snakes. Draco had gotten her that clip for Christmas and he loved that she wore it proudly. He was not happy at all to find that Neville Longbottom, Harry Potter and Hermione Granger occupied a table he had to pass to reach Astoria. Neville's lip curled, a look of pure hatred for Draco in his eyes but he seemed resigned to the fate of their relationship as well. Harry had his chin on his folded arms, book propped up in front of him and he appeared to have been crying. He met Draco's eyes and looked away as soon as he realized who he was looking at. Hermione made no move to look, carefully writing out an essay amongst the stack of books. Afterall, Draco had only told Harry about Astoria the night before when Harry had confessed to being in love with the blonde. Neville didn't know about Draco and Harry and Harry didn't know about Neville and Astoria. He happened to know that outside of the four of them, only he and Astoria knew it all and no one else knew anything at all.
Feeling his heart clench at Harry's heart break, Draco held his head high and went on by, aiming for his year younger would be wife. Astoria sensed him approaching and sent him a brilliant smile. He vaguely heard Neville snarl behind him, but he couldn't be sure.
"Alright, let's see it." Draco smirked, pulling the parchment toward him to review her work. Astoria closed her book and got out her red ink, ready for Draco's critique. He picked it up without a word, a common thing for him.
"Everything alright, Dray?" she asked quietly, ignoring the Gryffindors half way across the room. When he didn't immediately reply and marked a mistake instead, she reached out, pulling the parchment away and pulling his face around with a gentle touch to his jaw. At the look she seemed to be able to glean beneath the cold Malfoy mask, she sighed heavily, "oh, Draco."
"Don't."
"Draco, it's my life too." She said firmly, tilting her head so her blue eyes pierced through him. She didn't speak and neither did he, for a long time. She just stared. To the outsiders, it would appear that they were caught in each other's gaze but they weren't at all. No, Astoria was reading the story in his face and eyes. She pursed her lips, "well," she said a little tightly, sitting up straight, "yes, it is my life. However, I think we both desperately wish things would be different. There isn't… anything we can do…is there?" she cast him a look like a sister would cast an older brother, pleading with him; begging for help. Draco moaned and ran a hand through his hair.
"Tori, our parents. Our families would… we would…"
"What changed?"
"He loves me, Tori."
"Oh, Dray." She shivered, piling her things back into her bag. She sighed, taking his hand, "come on, you need to think somewhere better than this. Imagine that, a library suppressing the ability to think in anyone. The hypocrisy and satiric irony of our situation is breath taking. We will go to the Black Lake and see if we can get your troubled mind to come to a conclusion."
He smiled gratefully and took her bag as he usually did, slinging it onto his shoulder with hers. The library was full really, though he could only see the three Gryffindors. He held out an arm as was their custom and escorted her toward the door, trying to study her delicately painted fingernails. Neville was doing his best to ignore them and succeeding reasonably. Harry had long since pulled up his hood and hid his face completely. No one expected what happened next,
"Draco?" Astoria halted as he did and both looked back in unison, like twins. Harry lifted his head with raised eyebrows and a shocked expression. Neville nearly dropped his book and Astoria's poke to his ribs reminded him not to gape. Draco arched an eyebrow as he normally would in response to Hermione Granger. She smiled, holding out a book,
"There you are. You dropped that a while ago."
"Oh, well, then thank you, Granger." Draco replied, taking the book. Both Harry and Neville returned to their previous positions, uncaring. Her smile broadened enough to make Draco suspicious of her suddenly and she nodded,
"It's a good book, I've read my copy till it's dog eared. Hello," she turned to Astoria, holding out a hand, "I'm Hermione Granger."
"I know." Astoria nodded, shaking it with her free hand, "I'm Astoria Greengrass. A pleasure."
"Well, I'll let you leave." She glanced to the book in Draco's hand and met his gaze, "see you later." Then, she retook her seat and picked her book back up. Without a word, Draco turned and led Astoria back toward the entrance, releasing her arm.
"She's up to something." He frowned, "and this isn't my book, I've never read it."
He opened the thick cover, recognizing the author and title as making it a romance novel. Frowning even deeper, he turned to the first page.
She was beautiful. Not your ordinary Witch Weekly beautiful. No, she had a beauty that radiated from the inside out. Her very presence stole my breath, filled my lungs with her scent; with her smile. She had a wild heart, the essence of love. Many people tried to bring her down but none could. Her soul raged like a phoenix fire, like friendfyre burning me from the inside each time we touched or spoke. There were those people who insisted on snuffing out her wild flame, only causing it to rage higher and higher, consuming me. Where she stepped, there was trouble, where she walked there was danger. I always followed, trailing along behind her on a leash she didn't know she even held. It was a part of her barefoot, ragged trousers, wild haired beauty. This is our story, this is how I met my love and the events that surrounded it. I can look back fondly on them now, knowing that my little phoenix and I are made for each other.
Beside the first paragraph was a neatly drawn hook, he could only suppose it was Hermione's doing, in dark red ink. It led up to a note in girly handwriting, confirming his suspicions. Draco, does this not remind you of anyone? –H. Draco stopped. Astoria stopped with him, frowning. The pain he felt overtook him and she scowled,
"Draco?"
"Astoria, forgive me. I can't do this." He breathed, dropping the book as he grabbed his chest.
"Draco?"
"I will buy you a house," he purred, turning her away from the door, "I have the money. In my own vault. I will pay for your dowry, consider the house a wedding present."
"Dr…Draco?"
"Who needs Greengrass when you can be a Longbottom right?"
"Oh, Draco!" Her exclamation made heads snap around to stare. She'd been terribly loud and now had tears in her eyes, tearing free and leaping on him in a tight hug. "Oh, Draco! Are you sure?"
"I can't make you do this." He whispered against her hair, hugging her tightly, "I love you, Astoria, but not like that. Not like I love him. Come, let's get this over with."
"I love you too!" She sobbed, allowing him to hold her up as he approached the table again. Neville stood, harsh words on his tongue and hate in his eyes,
"Malfoy, what the fuck do you want?"
"To warn you, Longbottom." Draco sneered, wand flicking into his palm and aimed between Neville's eyes before he could move, before anyone could move, "you may be brave, have your connections, and be better at casting but you'll never trump me, Longbottom. I will always find you. I will hunt you down. I know spells no Black and no Death Eater would dream of having to use. Do not make me use them on you. That being said, you have my blessing." He pocketed his wand and sneered again, "close your mouth, Longbottom, it's unbecoming. Astoria, I hereby abolish any binding contract between you and I." He passed her to Neville and spat, one last time, "I mean it, Neville. You hurt her, you'll wish the Dark Lord survived."
"I- you-" Neville spluttered. He pulled a happily half sobbing half laughing Astoria into a hug. "Thank you, Draco, thank you." Draco nodded and stepped away. He looked mournfully at Harry, hands held out and empty.
"I don't know what to say or do…" he offered weakly. Harry was still gaping at the situation, mouth wide open. Hermione swiftly cuffed the back of his head and he snapped to attention, mouth closed and staring instead. She rolled her eyes. "I'll just go." Draco offered, the pain taking him over again. Harry leapt up and scrambled over the table with a shout, sending books and parchment flying as he lunged onto the blonde and into his arms. Draco stumbled, laughing, but managed to remain standing. He grinned down at Harry,
"You stupid prat!" the Gryffindor wailed, pulling Draco into a kiss and causing them to stumble again. Still, Draco managed to keep them upright while Astoria's silvery laugh tinkled around them. Draco grinned at her over Harry's shoulder and gestured to Hermione who was busily trying to right their table back to its former study session glory. Astoria nodded and freed herself from Neville as Draco freed himself from Harry. Hermione let out a startled squeak as two of the school's most pureblooded and Slytherin students hugged her.
"I always thought this would be rather cold." She blurted, eyes wide. Harry burst out laughing and picked up the fallen book Draco had dropped, bringing it over and handing it to him.
"I'll buy you everything he ever writes for this, Hermione." Draco told her, hand on her shoulder, "thank you. So much."
"Yes, thank you." Astoria smiled, hand on her other shoulder, "you are an amazing person."
"Draco, people are staring." Harry whispered. Astoria looked around and sneered, a look that was as cold and chilling as Draco's own. Then, she took the blonde's hand and he assisted her to stand on top of the table much to Hermione's displeasure.
"Draco and I are now officially announcing our courtship of one Neville Longbottom and one Harry Potter. I bloody dare you to say something!" Instantly, the eyes averted away; hurrying to pretend to be studying and not caught looking.
Madame Pince smiled and then shushed them.
MISHCHIEF MANAGED