Chapter Three: Astoria
"Good morning, Darling."
Someone was running their fingers through my hair. I forced my eyes open to see Malfoy leaning over me. I quickly sat up.
"What are you—?"
He cut me off with a kiss. When he pulled back I stared at him, speechless.
"You've been asleep for almost twenty-four hours," he said nonchalantly, as if he hadn't just kissed one of his greatest enemies. "We were all starting to worry. Your mother and father are downstairs."
He shot me a knowing look.
"Are they?" I said quietly.
He nodded, seemingly both in answer to my question and as a sign for me to continue.
"Well, they shouldn't have come. I'm sure I'll be back to perfect health in no time."
My voice—it did sound different.
But if I'd been asleep for almost a full day—
"And I have every intention of making sure you are." He stood up from the bed and crossed the room, retrieving a breakfast tray from the desk. "Chocolate éclairs, chocolate milk, a chocolate crepe, and a few candy bars thrown in for good measure." He set the tray on my lap.
I glanced at the food, then back to him. "Doesn't seem like the healthiest meal."
"For someone who just got back from Azkaban, it is. Especially the milk—why don't you try it?"
Cautiously, I picked up the cup and put it to my lips. As I drank, warmth seemed to spread through my entire body, reinvigorating my muscles. The more I drank, the more energy I regained.
"Do you like it? I made it myself, just for you."
"Thank you," I said quietly.
A small smile appeared on his lips. "Don't mention it, my love. Now, I'll leave you in peace to finish your meal, but first I need to put this back where it belongs."
He reached into his pocket and withdrew a diamond ring. I raised my eyebrows as he took my left hand and slipped it onto my ring finger.
"I spoke to Mother, and she approves wholeheartedly. Now we can finally move forward."
"Finally," I muttered.
"When you've finished, just ring the bell and someone will take care of the tray and help you dress. I'll see you downstairs."
He kissed my forehead, turned, and paused at the door just as he was about to leave.
"I love you, Astoria," he said with a smile, then walked out.
I stared at the now closed door, frozen.
What in the world was that?
Still slightly catatonic, I picked up an éclair and popped it into my mouth. For a moment, I forgot everything else that was going on and simply relished the taste. Before I knew it, all of the food on my tray was gone, including the candy bars.
Last night I'd slept in a real bed, and now I was eating chocolate for breakfast.
I can't believe this is real.
But what was this? I climbed out of the bed, surprised to find it was no longer a struggle to stand, and pulled on the nearby rope. As I waited for a servant to enter, I wandered around the room, stopping in front of a large mirror.
The person staring back at me wasn't Hermione Granger. She had straight brown hair that fell just past her shoulders and a long face. Her eyes were blue and narrow, and her lips thin. She was shorter than I was, but not by much. She was thin, with hardly any muscle. Apparently, her name was Astoria Greengrass. And apparently she was engaged to Draco Malfoy.
But why did I still look like her? The Polyjuice potion should have worn off by now.
There was a knock on the door, and I jumped.
"Come in."
The door opened to reveal a maid. She curtsied deeply as she entered.
"You rang, Miss?"
"Yes. I—er—finished my meal and would like help—um—dressing for the day."
"Of course, Miss."
The young lady crossed the room and opened a door. I followed her and entered a huge walk-in closet. The entire right side of the room was covered in designer jeans, shirts, and dresses, as well as the most elaborate robes I'd ever seen—clothes so expensive I'd be nervous to wear them at all. The left side of the closet, however, was filled with upscale men's clothing. I raised my eyebrows again. Not only was Astoria engaged to Malfoy, she was living with him.
But where was she?
Still slightly in shock, I chose a shirt/skirt combination that didn't look too flashy and dismissed the maid. Once I was dressed, I looked at myself—or rather Astoria—in the mirror once again. I took a very deep breath and walked out of the room.
It took me a few minutes to find my way out of the maze of halls and to the grand staircase. I looked around the entryway. I had no idea where anything was in this mansion, least of all where to find Malfoy.
After a short round of eenie-meenie-minie-mo, I turned to the right and walked into what seemed to be a study. A blonde woman immediately stood from the couch and hurried toward me.
"Astoria, Dear! So glad to see you up and about!"
She embraced me. I returned the hug, desperately trying to appear natural.
"Your father and I have been so worried," she said as she pulled away.
"There was no need. As you can see, I'm perfectly fine." I flashed a smile.
Over her shoulder a man stepped into view, and I felt a surge of panic. He was one of the death eaters who'd grabbed me, pulled me away from Ron—
"We're just happy to see our little angel out of bed," he said in his gruff voice. I planted my feet in the ground, resisting the urge to run away.
"It's good to see you too, Father," I managed to say.
"Is that Stori?" A young woman with blonde hair bounded around the corner into the room. I narrowed my eyes slightly.
"Daphne?"
She laughed. "Surprised to see me?"
"A little," I said as she drew me into a hug. Daphne Greengrass—now I realized why that last name sounded familiar. We'd been in the same year at Hogwarts. Not that we'd socialized much—she was a Slytherin, after all.
"Well, you shouldn't be." She released me, a huge smile on her face. "You didn't think I'd miss your engagement party, did you?"
I forced a small smile. "I guess not."
"We're all so looking forward to the celebration," Lady Greengrass added. "The Emperor sends his congratulations, and says he'll do his best to attend."
I stared at her a moment. "I'm speechless," I muttered. It was true.
There was an awkward moment of silence before I cleared my throat. "Um, I'm looking for Ma—for Draco. Have any of you seen him?"
"I believe he's across the hall in the dining room." Daphne piped up. "We were all about to sit down for lunch, but I don't expect you're hungry after dining upstairs."
"On the contrary, I'm famished. Shall we?"
Daphne smiled at me again and turned. I let her lead the way, so I wouldn't appear lost. When we entered the dining room, the table was already set with an array of delicious appetizers. I felt my mouth start to water.
Control yourself, Hermione. You may not have had a decent meal in years, but Astoria certainly has.
Malfoy sat at the head of the table. He smiled and stood as we entered. I walked over to him, and he pulled me close for a short kiss.
"I see you found your family. Will you be joining us?"
"Of course."
We all sat. Malfoy squeezed my hand under the table. I searched his face for answers, but found none. I wanted to scream at him, to demand an explanation for all of this, but I was smarter than that.
As we all nibbled at the appetizers (me with much self-restraint), a servant entered with a copy of the Daily Prophet on a plate. Lady Greengrass took it without a word and began scanning the articles. After a few minutes, she let out a small gasp.
"What is it, Mother?" Daphne asked.
She shook her head. "You remember Hermione Granger, don't you Dear?"
"Of course, she was the girl always hanging around Potter."
"Must we discuss such people in my house?" Draco said, disdain in his voice. "That mudblood gave me enough grief while at Hogwarts. I thought she was safely locked up in Azkaban."
He caught my eye and winked.
"Well, she was. Still is, technically. She died in her cell last night."
A/N: Hope you're still intrigued! I promise more answers in the next chapter! Looking forward to your reviews :)
