A/N: Whew, it's been a while since I've done anything here! This is a fic I wrote ages ago during commutes to and from work on the train, but never got around to typing up. For a number of reasons, I finally had the time and motivation. Feedback is not only welcome but most appreciated and loved!

Chapter 1-

Her feet were killing her.

She was going to kill Daphne.

She loved her sister, she really did, but worried about the older Greengrass' sanity sometimes. The shoes had looked painful, the first time Astoria had laid eyes on them. Strapping them on only confirmed all suspicions she had about comfort or lack thereof.

"Well you should have broken them in!" Pansy argued after yet another one of Astoria's complaints.
"And just when was I supposed to do that?" Astoria demanded to know.
"I dunno; after work? On weekends? Dates?"

The younger girl made a scoffing sound that threw off the elder. The Astoria she'd known (that pretty much everyone had known) was quiet, almost meek, and as polite as just about anyone could be. This Astoria was some sort of... wild thing.

"Dates, right," Astoria said as she examined herself in a mirror, adjusting the straps of the pale pink dress and the ridiculous tulle flower that was right over her right breast. Was there honestly no such thing as a pretty bridesmaid dress? Was it a universal rule that they all had to be hideous?
"Surely you've been on some?"
"Nope," she said matter-of-factly as she lightly brushed a finger over her eyelids, toning down the silver eye shadow her sister had put on her. Astoria was about as opposite to her sister in looks as she could get, but Daphne always seemed to forget that. With Daphne's creamy skin, silver eye shadow had to be applied rather liberally to show up. Astoria, on the other hand, had darker, more olive skin. Things showed up easily on her complexion.
"It's been two years," Olivia Bulstrode (Millicent's much prettier, slightly younger sister) said.
"Not one?" asked Pansy.
"Nope, nada, zip," Astoria confirmed. "Besides, I've been too busy."

And she had been. After the breakup, she'd spent about three weeks at her parents' manse, moping. Then, she'd quit her pencil-pushing job at the Ministry and applied to Gringotts, using her Outstandings and Excellents from her Ancient Runes and Arithmancy NEWTs. She'd been practically hired on the spot as a curse breaker and sent not to any specific location, but on a journey. She was one of the "lucky" few selected to be part of a newly-formed group following the tracks of ancient Norsemen following the discovery that the Vikings may not have been quite so savage (or muggle) as previously believed.

So far, most of her time had been spent along the western coast of Norway, but there were rumours that she may be getting to go to Iceland within the next six months or so. There was no point in lying - Astoria rather liked the sound of that.

"Well, there will certainly be plenty of blokes here to help make up for that," said Millicent as she walked in from the adjacent room.

Astoria simply laughed. She'd earned the nickname "Ice Queen" long before arriving in Norway.

O~o~O~o~O~o~O~o

The pre-ceremony photos were long and torturous. As the minutes ticked by, her smile only became more pained and more forced. When - if - she ever got married, she would be in flats.

Maybe trainers.

O~o~O~o~O~o~O~o

"Can you believe his nerve?" huffed a dishwater blonde as she dropped heavily into the seat beside Astoria.

Trust Daphne to follow all of the usual wedding clichés: ugly bridesmaid dresses, uncomfortable shoes, and an outdoor reception in a series of large white tents, with floating lights and lanterns. Cooling spells and fans kept the temperatures down and dress robes from being ruined by perspiration. Thanks to the bank vaults of Mister and Misses Greengrass, the alcohol kept flowing, making sure that spirits stayed high. Tables were everywhere, and mostly empty as most people crowded onto a makeshift dance floor in front of a band that played almost too loud. As long as Astoria had a seat for herself and an additional seat for her feet and a full glass of wine in front of her, she was content.

"Nice to see you too, Flora dear."
"That'd be easier to believe if you wrote more often," Flora Carrow said with an ever-so-slightly softer tone.
"Owls fly both ways, dear," Astoria said with a small toast to her friend. "But to the subject at hand, just whose nerve am I supposed to be believing?"
"Malfoy's." The only creature to have more venom than Flora right then was possibly a Basilisk, though it was hard to believe right then. The blonde also seemed to have the creature beat in the category of "death stares".
"What has he done to bring about your ire this time?"
"You're drunk."
"No."
"Well, you're certainly on your way then," Flora said, once more looking out to the rest of the reception. "You're beginning to speak far too formally."
"I don't see what that has to do with Malfoy, hun."
"He brought that... that wench here."

Astoria couldn't help but laugh quietly as she raised her glass to her lips once more.

"Now who's using formal and archaic lexicon?"

Flora shot her friend a silent glare and Astoria sighed. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes, but only just. She had a feeling that should their roles be reversed, she might've been in a similar mood as her friend.

"He's allowed to bring who he wants. He's here as Daphne's friend and at her invitation. It's got nothing to do with me."
"But don't you think it's just a little classless and rude to bring the woman you cheated with to the wedding of the sister you cheated on?"
Astoria blinked hard and then held up a hand as if getting ready to ask someone to back off. "Hold on, I'm processing," she said. "That was way too convoluted and nebulous for me right now."
"Not drunk my arse," Flora grumbled. "He cheated on you with Granger and now he brings her to Daphne's wedding as a date. He knew you would be here!"
The brunette witch shrugged. "Flo, come on -"

She was cut off with the strongest glare from the blonde yet. Under no circumstances did the younger of the Carrow twins tolerate being called "Flo". It just wasn't something that she would ever get used to or condone. Naturally, Astoria did it from time to time simply for the reactions she would get. Her friend had yet to disappoint her.

"It's been two years," she said sagely. "Besides, aren't they married now?"
"Engaged."

Astoria murmured and finished her glass with one last long sip. She'd been aware of Draco and Granger's presence for months. It wasn't like Daphne had invited Malfoy without first warning and seeking approval from her little sister. The elder Greengrass knew all too well what had gone down between her school friend and Astoria. She'd been livid, and had certainly threatened the life and well-being of the Malfoy heir from time to time, but they were friends all the same, and Daphne was a classic Slytherin - she wasn't going to let any sort of relationship or connection with a Malfoy slip through her fingers.

"Callie, dear," Astoria said at last, using a common nickname for the Carrow girl, "get me another glass please, will you?"
"I'm not a House Elf," snapped the other.
"Which is why I said please. Besides," she said, nodding down to her feet, "did you see these death traps I'm supposed to be wearing? I'll be lucky to be able to walk more than three steps in a row when I return to work, and that's in a week."

The other girl sighed, but got to her feet nonetheless. "Fine."

As soon as she was gone, Astoria placed her hands on her face and slumped into her seat with a sigh. She knew someone would be bringing it up - her and Draco. In all honesty, it had gone a bit better than she had been expecting. She didn't feel quite so murderous or sad as one might've thought. Perhaps leaving had been a good idea. Her family had called it running away, and maybe she had been, but it was what she needed. It hadn't just been Draco, though, that had driven her away and then kept her away for two years. It had been everything.

Astoria probably had more emotional baggage than physical, and that was saying something.

"Greengrass, right?"

Astoria removed her hands from her face and immediately sat up as her eyes landed on the man standing before her, who happened to be holding a glass of wine and another of firewhiskey.

"One of them," she replied with a smile.
"Right, well, I was supposed to bring you this," he said, setting the wine in front of her.
"Really?" she asked, looking back towards the bar where Flora was chatting with Pansy and Millicent. Of course her wine would be brought to her by a bloke. "Ah yes, I see. Well, thank-you..."
"Theo. Nott, that is."
"Astoria," she said, extending a hand to shake. "I'd get up to do this properly, but my feet are a bit worse for wear. Forgive me."
"Well maybe I'll just go to your level," he said with a handsome smile as he took Flora's recently vacated chair. His handshake was only so-so, but the general feel of his hand was quite nice, Astoria thought. A bit rough... she wondered what he did for a living.
"You don't have to do that," she replied, though she certainly didn't mind.
Theo shrugged. "No, but you seemed a little overwhelmed by tittering birds."
"Who just happen to be my mates," she said pointedly with raised eyebrows as she sipped from her wineglass.
"Right," he nodded, "insulting a girl's mates. Probably not the best way to make an impression."
"Probably not," she agreed. "But I can easily return the favour."
"Oh really?"
"Your mate Malfoy is a cold, heartless, bastard."
"Ah yes, you're that Astoria Greengrass."

Astoria gave him a glance over her glass that very plainly asked 'really?' but she said nothing, instead opting to slouch in her seat once more, manners be damned.

"Well," he said, breaking the silence after a few moments, "that's not entirely true. I'm pretty sure that his parents were married before they had him."

She couldn't help but laugh, had hand coming up to cover her mouth. It wasn't even that terribly funny or clever of a joke, but all the same, she sat in her chair, on her third glass of wine and giggled. After all, she couldn't remember the last time someone hadn't treated her like a fragile doll already cracked down the middle or like a naive fool. It was... it was rather refreshing.

"So what do you do, Astoria?" he asked. She decided that she liked the way he said her name.
"I trek across icy wastelands, looking for signs of Viking wizards."
"Really?"
"Yes, why?" she asked, waiting for the inevitable answer.
Instead, he simply smiled, and she became aware of the dimples in his cheeks. It forced a smile onto her own face and with that smile came a small wave of warmth to her cheeks. "Forgive me," he said, "you just don't strike me as an outdoors type of girl."
"I'm adaptable."
"I see."
"Do you?" she asked.

And so went the rest of the night. There was cake, of course. They each had far more than they should have and laughed at each other for it. Multiple times he left for refills from the bar and eventually she switched to firewhiskey herself. Partly for convenience, but mostly to prove that she could keep up with just about anyone, despite her size.

Unfortunately, that proved to be quite untrue when she was sick in the gardens on the way back to the hotel.

It definitely proved untrue when she woke up with that being her last memory of the night.

It proved even more untrue when the door to her suite opened and closed and she realised that it wasn't her suite at all.

With a very self-pitying and anxious moan, she rolled onto her side, pulling a pillow on top of her head.

"Are you awake, then?" came as gentle whisper.

Astoria simply groaned in response. She was ashamed, angry, annoyed, and possibly had the worst headache of all headaches possible.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'," said the voice. "I made you a potion and brought you some breakfast."
Astoria finally moved the pillow slightly and saw Theo kneeling on the floor by her head. "Potion?"
He smiled then, and the feeling (though pleasant) in her stomach, mixed with her headache made her think she might be sick again. "'Thought that might get your attention. It's in the next room. I'll give you a mo' to collect yourself and wash up as desired."

And then like that, he was gone.

Astoria spent a few moments bracing herself for upcoming reality. But she (very unfortunately) had to get up sometime. And she definitely had to get back to her own room. And then she had to make sure that she never saw Theo Nott again. Getting drunk was one thing, but drunken sex? No thank-you. That was not something she had EVER desired or even thought about doing.

But when she finally sat up, the first thing she noticed was the pristine condition of the other side of the bed. The second thing she noticed was that the couch from the other room had been moved in and there was a pillow and blanket on it. The third thing she noticed was that she was still in her bridesmaid's dress from the day before.

One tooth-brushing and one shower later, Astoria walked into the front room of the suite wearing a fluffy bathrobe and with her wet hair hanging around her shoulders.

"Feeling better yet?" Theo asked, giving her another smile.
"A little," she replied.
"This'll help."

Astoria took the potion bottle from him and inspected it carefully. It had a pleasant, citrus smell, but she wasn't familiar with it.

"Hangover potion. Well, of a sorts. Strictly speaking, they don't exist, but if you really think about it, a hangover is primarily dehydration-caused, so there's a sort of pain-relieving, hydrating potion."
"Yeah, okay," she said, hardly paying attention once he'd finished the words 'hangover potion'. She didn't much care for extraneous details or specifics of healing and physiology.
"If I was going to try anything funny, I would've last night," he shrugged.
"Right," was all she said for the time being. Astoria didn't want to begin to think about all of the ways she probably humiliated herself to him last night in the state she'd been in. Regardless, she took the free seat by him at the small table and hesitantly sipped from the bottle. At once, she felt a pleasant warmth trickle down her throat that was at once cooling and soothing where it needed to be and a bit of the harsh brightness of the room was diminished. "Merlin," she breathed, her eyes sliding closed as she brought the bottle to her lips once more.
"Sounds a lot like during the sex last night."

It was the first time Astoria had ever spit out a beverage. Theo, meanwhile, just burst out into a round of laughter that was so loud and obnoxious that it was, at once, both reassuring and aggravating (mostly to her headache).

"I could hurt you," she said resentfully as she dared to take a larger sip of the potion.
"I am absolutely sure of that," he replied, though the smile on his face when he spoke was still quite wide. "But I promise, nothing happened. My room was just the first one we would get to and you looked like you were about to be sick again. I got you some water and then when it appeared that you were in the clear for the night, I helped you to the bed and then moved the couch into the room."
"I'm sorry," she said quietly.
"Not at all," he replied with a smile. "You're quite entertaining in that state, and I don't mind helping out pretty girls."
"I see," she mumbled as she placed the empty potion bottle on the table. She supposed she was supposed to take that as a compliment, but it came off as slimy more than anything else. What if she hadn't been a pretty girl? Perhaps it didn't matter since she was, but that was beside the point.

Several minutes passed in silence. It wasn't wholly uncomfortable; in fact, Astoria thought it was rather nice being with someone in the morning after waking. She'd been on her own for two years - she hadn't realised just how lonely she'd really been.

"So, how long will you be in town?" Theo asked in what was obviously faux-nonchalant manner.
"A few days," she replied with a shrug as she helped herself to some tea.
"Have many plans?"

Astoria simply shrugged again. It was obvious what he was getting at. She hadn't a single memory of what they'd talked about or what things she might've said to him last night. She certainly didn't know what he meant by her being "entertaining in her state". Few people had ever showed any indication of the youngest Greengrass being approachable, let alone "entertaining". So to say that it left her a little worried, embarrassed, and unsure would have been a gross understatement.

Again - her nickname of "Ice Queen" had been earned long before going abroad. He probably had entirely the wrong idea of who she was or what she was like.

"They're... flexible," she said cautiously as she tested the tea.
"Because I'd really like to see you again."
Astoria sighed and set down her cup. "Theo," she said, "I don't remember much of last night, but apparently I seemed... likeable. And, well, I'm..."
"Not?" he finished for her.
She smiled a little to him. "I don't want to ruin the pleasant image you seem to have of me. Disappointment like that is just awful."
"How do you know I'd be disappointed?"
"I just do," she said.
"I see..." he already seemed disappointed. Brilliant.
"I'm sorry!" she said painfully. "You've been so kind to me these past... however many hours they've been, and I appreciate it - really, I do! I just... it'd be nice if there could just be one person out there who thinks well of me."
"You're not really accomplishing that by turning me down," he pointed out.
"I know."
"Astoria," he said, and there it was - the thrill that went down her spine whenever he said her name. "I did what I did last night not because I wanted... to get laid or anything like that. You needed help and I wanted to help. There were no ulterior motives. None."
"Okay, well -"
"Look, I'm not asking you to marry me, for Agrippa's sake! Just... maybe get some coffee or tea or ice cream, or to do something that has us sober," he said with a smile in the last part.

Astoria couldn't help the chuckle that bubbled out of her. He had a lingering boyish charm to him and a dimpled smile that was nothing short of infectious.

"Alright," she said.

O~o~O~o~O~o~O~o

Dear Theo,

I'm so terribly sorry to have to tell you this, but I've just been owled by my expedition crew. They need me to return immediately, no delays.

I'll make sure to look you up the next time I'm in town.

Again, so sorry,

Astoria Greengrass

It was the worst letter she had ever written - for several reasons. First, it was just awful to imagine his face when he received it. Second, it was just a badly written letter in general. And third, it was so obviously a lie.

Astoria had never claimed to be brave. She was as coward as they came.