A/N: Written for Mew&Mor's Weird Pairings. Probably cheesy near the end, but I had a whole lot of fun writing it. Enjoy!
Astoria likes to believe that opposites attract, that romance is only as lasting and wonderful as the explosive spark that exists to bring two people together. Astoria also thinks that this spark brings people together for good reason: to open people's hearts to a wide range of possibilities that may have never crossed their minds had this burning electric spark the color of shimmering gold not ran through their veins.
She is young in heart, mind and soul; she's naive, too and forever willing to let her lack of romantic escapades dictate her intense desire to love someone in the most romantic of senses. Many described Astoria as a hopeless romantic, the type with too-high hopes and expectations that would become shattered if (and possibly when) she gets into a relationship. Truth lives in that statement, Astoria knows this. It would be a lie to deny it. Sometimes, Astoria wishes people understood her beyond the adorable yet hopeless romantic that seemingly defines her personality so heartily.
Astoria takes her time in realizing that love and happiness aren't synonymous. This revelation comes in bits and pieces. She first realizes this when she kissed Draco Malfoy for the first time at the age of fifteen. This kiss wasn't very warm or happy because it was rushed and brief, as if he didn't want to kiss her but did because he had to do to make her feel happy. His lips were cold and without the kind of softness that often came with kissing, and that broke her heart. Kisses were supposed to be something sacred and magical, they were supposed to make you feel like fireworks exploded in your veins and make the pit of your stomach bloom with a warmth that made you see the world with a tint of rose. That didn't happen. Instead, she felt as if a block of ice slithered down her throat and made a home within her belly.
She now accepts that love is wonderful and changes you for the better, even if you don't purposely seek it out. She also accepts that love comes once in a great while. It's not possible or realistic for Astoria to expect love to willingly drop to it's knees at her doorstep, begging for her to accept love as a vital and important part of her life. Time passed since her dreadful first kiss with Draco, and she's matured appropriately. Sometimes she still keeps fond memories of being a hopeless romantic, but now she keeps her overwhelming desire to romanticize the entirety of the world under wraps.
And then, one day, Astoria tries to find herself. She travels all throughout the United Kingdom, but settles back down in England because that's ultimately where her heart is and she can't change that. She visits Hogsmeade again, because it's somewhere she hasn't been since her Hogwarts years and that feels like it's been too long. Astoria stands in the middle of the street, just to make sure she's in the right place.
"Are you lost?" A deep, soothing male voice penetrates her reverie, and Astoria's taken off guard. She doesn't expect his voice, but she could listen to it forever. Astoria can't help but notice that his soothing voice seems to match his muscular body. He's definitely attractive, with a mop of brown hair and puppy-like brown eyes that seem to sit right in the center of an oval face.
"No, I'm not. Just...thinking," she says with some hesitation, although she's not sure why because she's telling the truth.
"What can you be thinking about in the middle of a busy street?" He asks, a grin spreading across his face. She lets out a laugh; she already feels so comfortable around him that it almost feels kind of uncomfortable. She rarely bonds with people this quickly, but she feels some sort of connection to him, as if they've met previously in a different life.
"I've been hit with a sense of nostalgia is all. I haven't been here," she opens her arms wide to indicate all of Hogsmeade, "since I went to Hogwarts."
"You went to Hogwarts? So did I! I'm Oliver Wood." He reaches his hand out to shake hers, and he has a strong, enthusiastic grip that Astoria can't match. She's so much tinier than he is and that shocks her. It wouldn't surprise Astoria if he was a whole head taller than she was, and he could probably lift her over his shoulder with ease.
"I can't believe we haven't met before, Oliver. I'm Astoria Greengrass, and I'm glad to make your acquaintance." He takes her hand and kisses it. She blushes a shade of magenta that makes Oliver smile. He's going a little overboard with the chivalry, but Astoria doesn't particularly mind it at all. It makes her heart race in anticipation as to what could come next. Could he be the man she's been looking for, the one who inspired all of her soppy dreams of romance?
"I think I'm a little bit older than you are. Regardless, I think we should get to know each other over a butterbeer. Would you be okay with that?" Oliver's offer sounds too good to be true, as if he's setting her up for some kind of trap.
"Why me?" Astoria blurts out, but she wishes she didn't say that because Oliver seems like a dream come true.
"If you want to say no, I'm fine with that."
"No I don't mean it like that. I'm just scared that this offer's just...too good to be true. Like I'm being set up or something."
"Aren't you quite the skeptic." She's never been called a skeptic, and she's not sure if Oliver's sarcastic comment was meant as a compliment or as an insult. Astoria takes it as a compliment, because she's usually mocked for being such a romantic.
"Not at all, just hesitant. I think you're nice, but I'm not sure what to think of this meeting."
"Think of it positively, and it'll go fine. I promise," he takes her hand and squeezes it gently, "can you trust me?"
Astoria looks into his kind eyes, and her heart melts after a few moments. She finds it impossible to say no.
"Of course I can," she says with ease, as if she's known him for her entire life. There's something charming about him when she studies him up close. For example, he has freckles but they're only on his nose. His nose looks broken and is the only feature of his that looks asymmetrical. His nose looks as if he's been in a fight on the Quidditch field and didn't bother letting it heal correctly. He has thin lips, but they don't look creepy because they seem to suit his face.
"Let's go," Oliver says, and so they did. Astoria and Oliver hit it off immediately, talking about everything and nothing: about how funny it is that they missed each other at Hogwarts. He swears up and down he should have encountered her once or twice, at least, because he occasionally talked to her older sister Daphne and she always attended Slytherin matches, especially if they were against Gryffindor. She talks about her interest in Quidditch but how she never pursued it because she's too small and thin to stay on a broom. The wind would probably blow her off the broom altogether, and then that topic of conversation lends itself to other unrelated conversations. Oliver's booming laugh at her silly jokes makes her feel as if she's the only girl in the room. He's genuine and charismatic, and she's absolutely positive that she's in love with him even though it may be too soon to say.
"Let me take you home," Oliver offers, and Astoria agrees to his offer with a sense of urgency she's not sure she could have mustered with anyone else. Before letting her leave, Oliver scoops her up in a tight hug. He unknowingly lifts her off the ground with this hug. She squeals in glee and hangs on with dear life, clinging to his muscular body with all of her might. Astoria rests her head on his shoulder, suddenly feeling at ease in his arms, as if she belongs there. She feels warm, welcome, and happy. Nothing else can compare. Oliver kisses the top of her head so softly that the sensation of his lips barely even registers. He finally sets her down, and Astoria feels as if she's in a haze of never ending joy.
"This is where I leave you," he says, as if he can't bring himself to leave. He then leans down for a kiss, and she is so excited for this she wants to cry. His lips fill her up with a sense of passion she's never felt of other men she's kissed. Draco's lips of ice could never compare to Oliver's lips of fire.
"Don't leave," Astoria blurts out for the second time, "come stay with me for the night." She blushes, afraid that she's taking this too far and too quickly.
"You sure?" It's Oliver's turn to be hesitant at Astoria's offer. She takes his large hands in her small ones, and squeezes them affectionately.
"I am!" He smiles, and then lifts her into his arms, holding her close to his chest. She giggles in delight, and kisses his cheek."Where's your room?" He asks with a devilish grin.
Love is patient, and love is kind, Astoria notes. It just takes a while to get there.