Title: Arrangement in A or How the Sorting Hat Became a Matchmaker

Author: Razorbackgal0225

Rating: K+, just in case for some language down the road

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, places or situations from Harry Potter, and can only thank JK Rowling for introducing me to them. Anything you recognize doesn't belong to me, everything new is mine.

Author's Note: A special thanks to the readers who either favorited or followed this; it's nice to know that people are interested. I welcome any and all comments.

Chapter 3

"Mrs. Greta Winickus, Mr. Nathanial Greengrass and Ms. Astoria Greengrass," the ancient-looking house-elf announced the Malfoy's dinner guests as they entered the formal dining room. Lucius and Narcissa moved to the door to meet the new arrivals, but Draco stayed back. He wouldn't greet his 'fiancé' any sooner than necessary. He recognized her father Nathanial from his few visits to the Manor to discuss business with his father. The aunt he had met a once or twice and disliked her immensely, as she was loud and obnoxious. The youngest of party walked into the large room hesitantly and Draco wondered briefly if she was any more inclined to want this marriage than he was.

When he had been informed of his intended bride, Draco tried to remember any contact he had with Astoria Greengrass. She had been two years younger and in a different house, so interaction with her had been minimal in school. They didn't run in the same social circle; because of that, the only time they had been in the same place at the same time had been Daphne's wedding two years earlier. Draco had been too busy dodging a still persistent Pansy Parkinson to take much notice of the younger sister, who had served as a bridesmaid. When he had discussed his situation with him, Blaise Zabini had been impressed, mentioning that Astoria was decidedly attractive and that Draco was almost lucky.

With all this information, Draco was expecting a younger, prettier version of Daphne. He couldn't have been more surprised. Where Daphne had been curvy with blondish hair, her sister was rail thin, almost sickly looking, with dark brown hair. Her skin was paler than his and had a definite greenish-grey tint to it, and her eyes were a flat, dull green. If seen in a crowd, he wouldn't have given her a second look, much less through her 'rather pretty,' as his father had described her. In fact, she was borderline unhealthy-looking and Draco knew he would have trouble making it through dinner, much less pretend to want to be engaged to this girl.

Before she took more than three steps into the dining room, Ria was sure that that glamour had worked. Draco couldn't hide the look of revulsion that had passed across his face when he saw her. While Ria wasn't particularly vain about her looks, she didn't think her normal appearance would cause that reaction. She hid a smile, happy that the enchantment had succeeded. Now she only had to make her personality unattractive and Operation Breakup would be a success.

"Ah, welcome Nathanial, Greta," Lucius greeted the elders in the party. "And this must be Astoria," he moved to stand in front of the girl promised to his son. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Thank you, Mr. Malfoy," Ria answered, not bothering to correct him on her preferred name. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Draco flinch. Apparently the glamour worked on her voice as well, if his reaction meant anything.

"And this is my wife, Narcissa," the Malfoy matriarch floated towards her with her hand extended.

"Hello dear," Narcissa took Ria's hand in her own, covering it in a friendly gesture. "If you don't mind me saying, you are as lovely as your mother."

Ria blinked in surprise. She hadn't been compared to her mother in years and she certainly hadn't expected it from a Malfoy. "Thank you, ma'am." She paused a moment, trying to think of something nice to say in return. She glanced around and replied, "You have a very interesting home."

Draco stared at his parents in shock. He knew they were invested in this evening going well; he had been basically threatened by his father to be on his best behavior. But for his mother and father to act as though the girl in front of them was anything but unattractive was too much to understand. As such, he still had a look of confusion on his face when his mother brought the girl over to him.

"And of course, this is Draco," Narcissa said, "I believe you two have met."

Ria faced Draco for the first time since her years at Hogwarts. She had forgotten that he was handsome, albeit coldly. He was taller than she remembered, towering over her by several inches. He was dressed in his customary black, which made his blonde hair stand out. She cursed herself mentally for even noticing his looks and wished he had used the Glamour Negativa on himself. She forced a smile had said, "Hello Draco."

"Astoria," he nodded in her direction. "It's…nice to see you again." He offered her a stiff arm, "May I escort you to dinner?"

Ria started to take his arm out of habit, but remembered she needed to show that she wasn't fit to be a Malfoy. "That's alright. I can walk myself to the table. Being escorted is a bit old-fashioned, don't you think?" She walked towards the large table, hoping her aunt and father hadn't been close enough to hear her response.

Draco stood watching Astoria walk away, stunned by her refusal of his arm. It was as if the girl didn't understand the social niceties expected at a house such as his. He was even more surprised when his mother walked by, patting his arm as she did. "She does have a point, dear. We are all going to be family anyway, so no need to stand on formality." Since he was still staring at Astoria, he thought for a moment that her expression changed into one of irritation, but when she turned to face his mother, she was smiling. Or at least her version of a smile.

"I'm glad you feel that way Mrs. Malfoy," she commented. "Formality isn't something I really enjoy."

"But she was raised to understand it and to know how to run a household. Don't let her attitude fool you," Greta said, obviously trying to steer the conversation. Draco was still studying Astoria, so he saw her roll her eyes at her aunt's comment. "Her mother and I made sure she would be ready to manage an elegant house such as this."

"Of course," Lucius Malfoy answered. "It is a full-time job, to which Narcissa can attest."

"Oh, I have a job already," Ria chimed in. "I work for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement."

"You work?" Narcissa asked, surprise evident in her voice.

"Yes ma'am. I have since I left Hogwarts. I enjoy my work very much. I work for Hermione Weasley." Ria decided to take another stab at pointing out her flaws.

"You work for Granger?" Draco spoke for the first time in a few minutes. "You must be joking."

"No, I'm not joking. She's an excellent boss; I've learned so much from her," Ria added.

"Well, Astoria," Greta interrupted before her niece could continue, "I'm sure your focus will change once you are married." Ria frowned and started to respond, but her aunt continued. "Lucius, did I hear that you were involved in the funding of the new Gringott's branch?" As the older people began discussing business, Ria took a moment to collect her thoughts. Obviously her aunt was doing her best to present Ria as a perfect candidate to be head of the Malfoy Manor, so this was going to require more work on her part.

Her next opportunity came as the house-elves began to serve dinner. Ria made sure to thank each tiny creature that placed food in front of her, even though she knew they would rather not have attention brought to them. A couple looked at her in horror when she spoke to them, but one female elf gave her a small smile as she refilled her water. Ria glanced out of the corner of her eye each time she interacted with the house-elves, glad to see an expression of confusion mixed with disdain on Lucius and Draco's faces. Narcissa though, didn't seem to be concerned.

As dinner progressed, Ria managed to make a few more comments to help her case. She again brought up her work at the Department, mentioning how smart her boss was without saying her name; she was worried her aunt would use the Silencing Charm on her if she went too far. When Narcissa asked her about her time at Hogwarts, she mentioned how excited she had been to be sorted Ravenclaw as they were thought to be the clever house. And lastly when her father, Lucius and Draco began discussing the Quidditch World Cup, she quietly but firmly stated her dislike for the sport. This was blatantly untrue; with Ginny playing for the Holyhead Harpies, she caught as many matches in person as she could. But the look she received from both Draco and his father was worth the little white lie.

All in all, she was fairly proud of her performance at dinner. With her successful glamour changing her looks for Draco and the statements she had made, she fully expected her father to receive an owl in the next couple of days canceling the engagement. She was even imagining the tantrum her aunt would throw, as her family made their way to the floo, when Narcissa caught her completely off-guard.

"Astoria, dear, since you and Draco haven't had much time to get to know each other, I was thinking you could stay at the Manor this weekend. You could spend some time together and we could also start discussing wedding plans."

So shocked was Ria by the offer that her aunt had a chance to answer for her. "Of course, she would love that," Greta replied enthusiastically. "What a charming idea, Narcissa, allowing the couple to start their lives together."

Ria frowned and clenched her teeth to keep from shouting an unconditional refusal. She obviously hadn't communicated her deficiencies clearly enough. Before she could say another word, her aunt had taken her arm and led her in the chimney. The last thing she saw before her father dropped the Floo Powder and said, "Greengrass Garden" was Draco, his eyes narrowed, still studying her.

"Well," Greta said as they arrived at her father's house. "Hopefully this weekend you can begin to repair some of the damage you did tonight. What were you thinking, bringing up that dreadful boss of yours? And refusing to take Draco's arm? It's almost as if you're trying to break this engagement." Ria knew when her aunt made this comment that she needed to do some damage control. Greta was many things, but stupid was not one of them.

"Please Aunt Greta, I was simply being myself. When I'm," she paused a moment touching her locket again for a boost of strength, her next words hard to stomach. "When I'm married to Draco, he would find these things out anyway. I'm only trying to get to know my future husband."

Her father barked a harsh laugh. "Oh Astoria, you're so naïve. Most people don't have any clue who they are truly marrying until years into a marriage. A little mystery goes a long way." He dropped a kiss on top of her head. "Good night dear."

Ria took out her wand to apparate back to her apartment, suddenly thankful that the invitation to stay at Malfoy Manor had been extended only to her. From her aunt's suspicious look, she wasn't sure her plan would stay a secret long with her family watching. At least she had a couple of days to plan more courses of action. She could use this time staying in the same house as Draco to shed light on her 'flaws.'

Draco watched the fire in his room die out as he finished his firewhiskey. He had seen the look on the girl's face when his mother invited her to stay. She had been unhappy to say the least, which led him to believe she didn't want this marriage to happen anymore than he did. As she had pointed out at least once, she had been a Ravenclaw, so she was clever. He wondered how much of her actions and statements had been an act and if the real Astoria Greengrass had even made an appearance. He swallowed the last of his drink, shaking his head. This coming weekend would be interesting, if his fiancée was as determined to break this engagement as he was. Maybe her being a Ravenclaw would end up being a good thing.