Astoria

How long was I in this... state, I do not know. What seemed like days could have been seconds or maybe years. But it does not matter to me. Not at all. For I am learning the most important lesson of all - Revenge.

I have taken a particular interest in revenge. Where to get it, what's the best type, and whom. Those are the three key points that Bellatrix has taught me. I know two so far, where and whom. Where to get revenge? Well, revenge is inside of you. It is what fuels your anger and your will to fight back. That is where revenge is, it's in all of us. Some of us though, know how to use it in the right way.

That's what Bellatrix says.

Now 'whom' is the one that I struggle with. Deciding who to take your revenge out on is a very, very precise task. They must deserve it of course (but who doesn't?), but then you also have to get something out of the deal. Now when I say deal, I mean that when exactly you kill them- oops, I mean taking your revenge on them- you have to get something out of it. Such as money, land, etcetera.

Now who would be the poor unfortunate soul that I, Astoria Malfoy, would take my revenge out on? Who has wronged me so greatly that these measures must be taken to ensure the better welfare of my life?

That is that Bellatrix has enlightened me on.

I have now just realized how… oblivious…I have been to all the people and deeds that have screwed me over in my waking life. People have walked all over me, in my past and in my present.

At Hogwarts they thought it was a mistake that I was in Slytherin, but oh how they were wrong. I heard what they said behind my back, whispering to each other in hushed voices and determined to gossip about me as much as possible. All those girls who pretended to be my friends, with those plastered on smiles and fake interest in what I was saying, they didn't like me. They stuck around because I had money, and a Pureblood name. They told kids from other houses lies about me, how I was a squib and they felt sorry for me. Sorry, indeed. They did not think I heard those… then, I just shrugged it off, thinking to myself, my friends wouldn't say that.

Oh, how naïve I was.

At my job in the Ministry they all thought I was a dumb blonde bitch with more money than I knew how to use. They all smiled those vicious smiles I'm surprised they didn't grow fangs and try to suck out my life. The fake compliments they paid me with saccharine sweetness that I foolishly thought was real. All those "Your hair looks so nice Astoria!" and "I just love those clothes, Astoria! Where ever did you get them?!" they were all fake. The girls' eyes flashes with envy and hatred as Draco came to get me for lunch and as they saw what I was wearing to work (only the most expensive and beautiful designer clothes of course), the men looked upon me with lust that makes me wish to gorge out the eyes from their sockets.

Lies, my life has been full of lies.

That ends now.

And it is all because of the mudblood, Hermione.

Bellatrix has made me aware of this many times over.

"You see dearie," she cackled at me in one of our lessons, "she is the biggest faker of them all! Pretending to like you and be your friend. All to manipulate you." She stalked in circles around me whispering in my ear all the lies I had been fed, all the lies that had started with… Hermione. "Poor, poor Astoria. So weak, so fragile."

"I am not weak!" I yelled at her, whipping my head around trying to find her face.

"So easily controlled." She said venomously to me, stalking her way in the other direction.

"I will never be controlled." I said, though it sounded like I was trying to convince myself, not Bellatrix.

Suddenly, out of the darkness of my subconscious, her face came to be directly in front of mine, "Then prove it! Prove that you are not weak! Prove that you are not breakable or easily controlled…" She grabbed my face in between her hands and held our heads close together as if she was going to kiss me. "Prove. Them. Wrong." She whispered over me in her hot, stinking breath.

I wrenched out of her grip, disgusted that she would touch me. "I will. They will regret the days when they thought I was an idiot and oblivious."

"And who is 'they '", she taunted me.

"Hermione." I spat her name out like it left a wretched taste in my mouth.

She cackled again, and the sound sent shivers down my spine. But these weren't scared shivers, this was a shiver of anticipation. Oh how I am looking forward to this…I thought to myself in the black of my mind. But she is your friend, a voice of reason and kindness said in the back of my mind, you wouldn't listen to a dead Death-Eater would you? Can you really trust what Bellatrix says?

Bellatrix laughed again, "No you can't."

I glared at her, "I can't what?" I said to her, feigning confusion.

"You can't trust me, but you have no choice. I control you now." She said evilly to me. "With your body I will be able to become whole again… yes, bring back my love…" the last part she muttered to herself.

I wrinkled my nose at her and said to her snidely, "Your love?! I did not think a creature like you was capable of such an emotion."

I felt the pain on my cheek as I landed on the ground. Bellatrix stood over me, looking furious and even more ugly than usual. I raised my hand to my left cheek, feeling heat rising from where she had hit me. It stung, but not enough to make me cry. "You pathetic worm, you'll never scorn me again. Or you will be punished." She grinned maliciously, "And I can be very creative."

I stared at her coolly, waiting to see if the bitch had any more to say. Once there was a long enough pause I got to my feet. This is ridiculous, I have better things to do. Crossing my arms I said to her, "So are we going to begin to plan or something? Because if I remember right, I have a husband to get back to, a frie-girl to destroy, a job I have to go to. I do not have time for foolish Death-Eater games."

She grinned at me, her teeth black, brown, and crookedly cramped in her mouth. "All in good time. First I need to teach you more about Dark magic. There's so much I have to teach you, but so little time. I sense you'll be waking up soon. Let's start with the Cruciatus Curse."

And so my lessons began, once again I was in pain; but this time, I welcomed it.

Draco

I sat next to Astoria's bedside all the time. I lost sense of time, all the days seemed to rush together. I sent an owl to my boss telling him I wouldn't be in, for how long I didn't know. Until Astoria wakes up.

The healers were annoying, always coming in and checking her vitals with their wands. She obviously hadn't changed half an hour ago, do you really think she is going to change now?! They wore their fake smiles of patience and kindness. At the beginning they had the audacity to talk to me, but I put that notion quickly to rest.

I don't feel like talking.

My friend Blaise came by to check in on how I was doing earlier that week. "She isn't going anywhere Draco. You said yourself, she hasn't changed. I think you could probably go and get out of here for a while."

"But what if she does wake up while I'm gone?! I wouldn't be here, she needs me." I said taking her cold hand in mine.

"Draco," my friend paused looking down at me with concern in his eyes, "you haven't slept in days. You aren't helping Astoria by starving yourself and depriving yourself of sleep."

I groaned, rubbing my hands over my face and through my hair. "I can't leave her, Blaise."

"And you won't he leaving her!" my friend said exasperatedly, "At least not for long. C'mon. We can go grab lunch with Theo and Pansy."

That made me groan again, "Pansy!? You have got to be kidding me, I thought she and Theo broke it off months ago."

Blaise grinned at me and said mockingly, "But they are just so in love with each other! You know they will never actually 'break up' right? There's been a record total of…" Blaise counted the numbers off in his head, "…14 break ups and twice they have left one another at the altar. But you see, 'that was all just child's play.'"

I laughed along with him, Pansy and Theo were obviously in love, but they were too blockheaded to see it. But lunch with both of them?! That was asking for major drama. Something I didn't want to deal with right now. Not with all of this going on…

"We're all kind of worried about you. And when I say 'all' I mean everyone you're friends with. Not just Pansy, Theo, and I. You've been down lately," I shot daggers at him, he held his hands up defensively, "and not without good reason! It just isn't the same anymore… you're not the same anymore."

I rolled my eyes at him, he is talking nonsense. I thought to myself, until I saw his expression. It was an expression of a dog that had been kicked, he looked so uncomfortable and downtrodden at the same time I actually felt sympathy for him. "Blaise," I began, "I am the exact same person I was yesterday, last month, even a year ago. I do not believe I have changed and if I have I hope it is for the better."

"It just seems that since you met Astoria…" he said to me.

Anger flooded through me, "How da-" I started, until I stopped short. I began to think about what he had said, Have I really changed? I thought to myself disbelievingly. And if I have, is it good or bad?

Blaise paused, looking at me as if he was expecting me to hex him. Once he realized he was safe he began again, "Ever since you met Astoria, it has seemed as if you do not have time for your friends anymore. All you do is go to work, the same building I work in, but you don't bother so say 'hi', and then straight home to Astoria. We never hear from you and when we owl you to come hang out or go somewhere, you always say no because you're with Astoria. You've become a recluse from society without even knowing it."

I stared at him in shock, because he was right. I hadn't hung out with my friends it what seemed like… ages. I never did think about saying 'hello' to them, or going with them on a quick jaunt to somewhere exciting. All I thought about was getting home to Astoria, how to make Astoria happy, all I ever thought about was Astoria.

I shook my head, as if all my recent thoughts would be scattered around the room away from me. "You know what?" I said, clapping Blaise on the shoulder, "let's go catch up with one another. It seems as if I have been… indisposed… for quite some time now."

Blaise smiled at me, "Glad to have you back. Now, let's go! I'm starving!"

"You're always starving." I stated, laughing at Blaise while I followed him out the door of my hospital suite.

And just as the door clicked shut, Astoria's eyes fluttered open.