Hello Peeps! I thought I'd treat you to a Halloween FanFic special and it's staring one of my favourite couples (I know your thinking 'This girl has more favourite couples than there is candles in the Great Hall' and yes I do) Asteria and Draco! You've probably observed that I say Asteria instead of Astoria? Well yes I do because unlike many others I actually pay attention to how J.K spells her name 'cos I really like the character so yeah that's why... I absolutely love Halloween (I'm going as a Witch this year btw) so I thought I'd write this so enjoy...J.P...Xx
"Excuse me."
When one has their O. coming up and they are trying to study intently one does not want someone disturbing them during this study period but unfortunately this happened to me. The fifth year was probably the most stressful years out of all of them so it was no surprise that I, Asteria Greengrass, was as stressed as anybody else in my year. The stress wasn't just because of the upcoming exams it was also because of the rein of the horrific Carrow siblings that ran the school now. We didn't see much of the once admired Headmaster, Severus Snape, anymore so the brother and sister practically ran the school. Sure us Slytherins didn't receive the punishments the rest of the houses did in fact we often dished out the punishments but being thought of as nothing more than a tool to carry on the pureblood line was a horrible way to live and when everyone in the school sans the Slytherins spat on you and thought you were evil and supported the Dark Lord just because of your house the stress piled and piled up.
"Yes?" I asked irritably and looked up to see the infamous Slytherin Draco Malfoy staring down at me with a scowl on his pale face. His once handsome face was marred with worry lines and purple bags, his hair had receded slightly and what was once a light blonde colour seemed to be an off-white tone and looked dirty and mixed with grease. He possessed none of the grace he used to and lacked that well-looked after heir anymore and looked tatty and dirty. He was a mess.
"I said excuse me," Draco said gesturing angrily to the bench I was sitting on. It was in a shady corner of the library that didn't receive much attention besides the odd couple attempting to...
Anyway most Slytherins if not in the common room they preferred to hide around the school in places where Gryffindors, Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs couldn't look down their noses at us. You would have thought that when the Dark Lord took over the school things would be better for us but it had quite the opposite effect. The other houses pulled together whereas we became isolated and alone.
I had no time for the boy who once ran the school and I wouldn't give my spot of tranquillity up especially when I was studying. I only had around twenty minutes left of lunch break and I needed that time for studying. Studying seemed to be the only thing I did these days and I needed the grades to get a good job away from the world as it was nowadays.
"Er okay you are excused," I said to the seventeen year old whose eyes flashed with anger at my comment and I went back to my book feeling his breath down my front.
"Get up," Draco ordered but I did no such thing and didn't lift my eyes from my book. There was nothing he could do to me anymore. If it was a few years ago it would have been different I would have moved or I would have like to have thought I would have done so but I just carried on reading despite his presence being distracting but I was good at ignoring my surroundings it was one of the things us Slytherins did best.
"Please go away I'm trying to read," I dismissed him and he took a step back to rest on the bookcase I was facing.
"You obviously don't know who I am," Draco concluded, "So I'll introduce myself then maybe you'll be smart enough to-"
"You are Draco Malfoy," I stated and the skin around his misty grey eyes creased in confusion and anger and he leaned slightly forward.
"Then why won't you move? I want to-" He didn't seem to grasp the fact that I would not move for him despite who he was. I wondered if he knew that he had lost the respect he once had from his fellow Slytherins or not.
"Because I am sitting here," I pointed out tapping the bench lightly with my palm.
"You're a Slytherin?" Draco stated but it was more of a question.
"Hence the green and silver tie, scarf and badge," I said with a slight smirk. I had always had wit and I had tried to ignore it but this was one of the occasions I couldn't.
"Funny," Draco summarized, "you don't act like one." This made me lash out in anger. I had always been proud of a Slytherin and that was the house I belonged in and I didn't need some arrogant prick telling me I didn't.
"Oh so the normal Slytherins would have run away in terror the moment you approached?" I snapped and he smirked slightly as he answered.
"Yes," I came to my senses and took some calming breaths and returned to my book.
"Please go away I'm trying to read," I repeated unable to keep the frustration out of my voice "Why are you in the library anyway?" I snapped and looked up from my book unable to restrain my anger. If he wanted to steal the bench I was sitting on he must have a reason. "From what I've heard you aren't much of a reader".
"I want to think," Draco said simply and my eyes rose in disbelief before I returned to my book.
"Think somewhere else," I muttered trying to concentrate on the ingredients needed for forgetfulness potion:
Lethe River Water,
Mistletoe Berries,
Va-
"But you're on my bench!" Draco shouted outraged stepping forward in anger.
"Your bench?" I asked in disbelief and my eyebrows rose sceptically. I almost laughed. This boy despite being two years older than me he was acting like a young child and it was quite hilarious.
"Er yes...?" Draco said but again it was more like a question than a statement and for the first time he seemed unsure of himself. This boy was unbelievable and if he was honestly that deluded into thinking he was still in charge of the school he was seriously wrong and I couldn't be bothered to deal with him anymore. I would go and read in the common room away from him like any other Slytherin. I closed my book, stood up and placed it back into the shelf and turned to leave.
"Wait where are you going?" Draco asked and grabbed my wrist and span me round to face him. He was strong there was no denying that fact. I flinched away from his touch but he still continued to grasp it.
"I'm leaving you to think on your stupid bench," I spat and tugged at his hold.
"Wait" Draco said but didn't let me go. He was a maniac; it was decided.
"Don't you want me to leave?" I asked warily "Are you being funny or something?" My grandma had told me what to do when faced with a mad person and that was to stay calm and try and get away as quick as possible without seeming to do so.
"Sit down," Draco ordered but his voice was pleasant. He didn't seem to be mad which meant he had no reason to keep grasping my wrist so my anger flared.
"Get off me," I muttered and instantly he realised he was still holding me and let go of my hand. I rubbed it as he had a hard grasp.
"Sorry," Draco muttered. It was apparent he didn't like apologizing but he felt like he should.
"On your bench?" I asked partly curious partly mocking him. I wasn't sure if he really wanted me to sit down or not.
"Shut up shortie," Typical a jab at my size-how mature.
"You seem familiar" Draco stated. He seemed happy that I was sitting next to him "I don't think I've talked to you before".
"You haven't talked to me but you've talked to my sister" I said looking into his grey eyes. They were truly beautiful and I understood why many girls Slytherins or not had dreamed about staring into them.
"Your sister?" Draco asked snapping me back into reality.
"Daphne-" I was about to share my surname with him but he cut me off and finished it for me.
"Greengrass?" he asked. He knew her then. They were in the same year after all and probably had lessons together it wasn't surprising.
"Greengrass" I confirmed to him and his pupils rose back as if he was remembering her.
"You look similar," he stated but I shook my head roughly. We didn't at all and I was surprised he recognized me from just knowing her rather well.
"We don't," I disagreed but his eyes narrowed as if he was analyzing me which was hard to do as I was sitting down next to him on the small bench.
"You do," Draco argued back but I was ready with my points. I'd always been good at standing my ground and I think he knew that even though this was the first time we had talked properly.
"She's tall; I'm small, I have brown hair; she has blonde, I'm skinny; she's-" I could have continued going past appearances into personality but he could me off as he realised he wouldn't win against me in this argument. I knew myself and my sister better than he did.
"Okay, okay you two are the most unlike sisters in the whole of the Wizarding world. Happy?" Draco called a truce and smiled slightly at my trait.
"Very," I nodded my head stiffly but smiled nevertheless.
"She's never mentioned you," Draco mused and looked to me for an answer.
"That doesn't surprise me," I said with no emotion in my voice as to not give anything away. My sister and I did not get on well.
"So what year are you in Greengrass?" Draco asked, he noticed my reluctance to talk about my sister and quickly changed the subject.
"I do have a name," I pointed out but he chuckled at me.
"Well you haven't told me it yet so I'll have to substitute it for your surname," Draco explained and I decided to play along if he didn't ask for a name I wouldn't give it and I decided to do the same for him even though he knew that I knew his full name.
"Well Malfoy,"I said and putting emphasis on the use of his surname which made him grin and I caught his happiness too"I am in fifth year"
"Really?" Draco asked, shocked. I was small. I was smaller than your average fifth year in fact I was probably the smallest in the year and smaller than a lot of fourth years as well.
"Bring on the 'small enough to be a first year jokes,'" I joked, expecting them from Draco.
"No I thought you were older actually," Draco said looking into my eyes to spot my reaction. I knew he was joking.
"Ha-bloody ha," I mocked the sarcasm clear, "And I killed Harry Potter," Draco seemed to flinch at this comment but I wasn't sure why.
"I'm serious Greengrass you're different from other girls you-you..." He seemed to be struggling for words so I helped him out slightly whether it was what he wanted to say or not.
"-Don't let big, scary seventh years steal the bench I'm sitting on?" I supplied.
"Actually you did," He grinned and I huffed slightly. He was right. I did. Oh well I was still sitting on it now despite sharing it with the seventh year who tried to take it off me and it turned out he wasn't too bad.
"Okay I don't let big, scary seventh years steal my benches without a fight," I said grinning.
"Oh so it's your bench now?" Draco teased, grinning also which was a nice change from the scowl I usually saw him wear.
"Yeah it is," I grinned back. It was nice to have a laugh with someone. Laughing was a rarity and it didn't happen often in these times anymore.
"What have you got after lunch?" Draco asked out of the blue but the next lesson was approaching and I would have to leave soon but I realised I didn't want to. It was refreshing to talk to Draco; like breathing air for the first time in ages.
"Dark Arts," I answered with a scowl.
"You don't like it?" Draco summarised but his voice went up at the end like he was asking a question.
"Do you?" I asked and his expression gave his answer away despite him not saying it directly "Didn't think so."
"You're odd for Slytherin," Draco stated his eyebrows creasing in wonder almost as if he was intrigued.
"You mean I'm weird 'cos I don't like torturing people?" I translated from Draco. It was true I was unusual but I did belong in the house I was chosen to be in.
"Er-Yeah," Draco muttered, unsure once again of his answer.
"Right," I said awkwardly thinking of something to change the subject "Er-so are you going to the Halloween ball tonight?" It was the first thing that popped into my head.
"Yes Pansy Parkinson's making me go," Draco said but neither his expression nor his voice was giving away an opinion of his date. It was like he was used to hiding his opinion on her "You know her right?"
"My sister's friend" I said "She seems like a bitch," I said without thinking and regretted it. Stupid Asteria! She's his date!
"She is," Oh. That was unexpected. Curiosity took over me as I asked a question without realising I had spoken it until after I had.
"So you don't want to go with her?"
"Merlin no," Draco said and shook his head. It was apparent he didn't like her. He seemed disgusted at the thought.
"So who do you want to go with?" I asked "Say my sister and I'll kill you," I added darkly as an afterthought.
"Don't worry it's not your sister." Draco chuckled at my threat. I hadn't seen him this happy for a long time.
"So...?" I pressed wanting to know more. He intrigued me. He was different to all the other boys at this school. He was unusual.
"You sure are nosy," Draco noted and stared at me. I knew he was delaying his answer so I ignored his jab.
"I'm waiting..." I sung. He smiled but he didn't laugh instead he looked to the floor as he answered.
"I have my eye set on someone," Draco said but his eyes stayed focused on the library floor until he had finished and I could tell that it was all I was getting. He didn't know me very well so he didn't know that I wouldn't tell no matter who it was. I probably knew them.
"And that's all I'm getting isn't it?" I concluded.
"Yes Greengrass it is." He smiled at my disappointment and I huffed grumpily.
"Fine," I groaned, "Right, I've got to go so I'll see you tonight hopefully...?" I trailed off hoping I would see him. I liked him no matter what anybody said about him.
"Sure." Draco sighed and smiled sadly as I stood up. He seemed to enjoy speaking to me too strangely enough.
"Bye then," I said waving slightly I didn't really want to go but I knew I had to, "Enjoy the bench," I added and he chuckled.
"I will," Draco said solemnly back but his joking eyes gave him away.
"See you," I said before turning away going to Dark Arts class trying to remember the information I was revising at the start of lunch before...
"Er Greengrass...?" Draco called and I walked backwards a few paces so I could see him again. I peered round the shelf to see what he wanted.
"Yes Malfoy?" I asked, waiting for an answer. He looked like he was struggling on what to say as he paused, thinking, for a few seconds.
"...Happy Halloween," Draco said and I smiled at him happily glad we were some sort of friends.
"You too," I wished him a Happy Halloween also and waved happily before starting to walk out of the library with a smile on my face for the first time in months.
It really was a Happy Halloween...
Don't you just love Halloween? If you love Halloween: Review. If you love AstoriaxDraco: Review. If you love me (J.P): Review. Of you loved this fix: Review! So please make my Halloween and review and even if it's not Halloween review anyway. Basically review cos they make me ultra happy! Thank and hoped you like it...Review please...J.P xx
