Chapter II: I Decided to Never Cry Again
"Well, good morning my lovely party animal of a sister!"
Astoria rubbed her eyes as she sat down at the breakfast nook, opposite Daphne Greengrass, Astoria's only sibling.
"Oh, good morning, Daphne," she yawned as she pulled up the newspaper.
Daphne eyed her sister intently as she began thumbing through the pages. When no attention was afforded to her, she sighed exaggeratedly. When Astoria still paid her no mind, she furrowed her brow and spat, "Well, I suppose I know how much you care about the situation."
Astoria furrowed her brow in return, peering incredulously over a fidgeting photo of the Minister of Magic.
"What situation?"
Daphne opened her mouth as though about to utter something in anger, but then decided against it and instead curled her lips upward into a catlike grin.
"Oh, that's right!" she teased. "You weren't there when the announcement was made. You thought it wiser to spend your time . . . elsewhere."
Astoria, already privy to the significance of her sister's tone, buried her face back inside the pages of The Daily Prophet. But it was all for naught, as she soon felt her hair being roughly tousled and her head being violently rocked side-to-side.
"Awww! Wittle Astoria finally redeems herself by spending the night in the boudoir of a pureblood prince—and even before she's graduated from Hogwarts."
She released Astoria's cranium from her grip of death with a final nudge.
"I am so proud of you, Sis. Tell me: Is he as good as they say he is? I've heard he can be quite rough, but that just means he really wants you."
"Quit it, Daphne!" Astoria warned.
But Daphne did not take the hint as she whispered her next words at her sister's ear.
"I do hope he didn't hurt you too badly when he spread those prudish legs of yours—"
"SHUT UP! HE'S NOT LIKE THAT!"
The newspaper flittered to the floor, the minister's smiling face still beaming from the front page.
The air between the two sisters became so thick it would have been a wonder if either could speak loudly enough to be heard by the other.
Daphne stood appearing emotionless but rather impressed by her sister's fury. Astoria, who had leapt from her chair, appeared disgruntled but was greatly confused by her own outburst. Her blood pumped in her ears as though coaxing her to calm down.
"Well," Daphne hinted an ending to the conversation as she began to walk away, "I just thought you should know that Adrien proposed last night."
Astoria sighed, numb to the whole idea of her sister's engagement.
"Congratulations."
"Oh, and by the way, Astoria," Daphne advised, looking back one final time before rounding the corner.
"Yes?"
"Because you are my sister and I care about you very much, I think it would be wise not to get too close to Draco. He's already betrothed to Pansy Parkinson."
Finally, as Daphne's footsteps thudded dimly away, Astoria was alone.
She did not sit back down. She did not blink. She did not move at all.
Her heart stopped beating, and she knew not the reason.
All she knew was that she felt like screaming.
Astoria, however, did not scream.
She did not cry . . .
