Word Count: 2841/3000

Warning: one f-bomb

WRITTEN FOR QLFC, SEASON 9

Puddlemere United

Chaser 1: The Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde: Write about someone whose beauty is only skin-deep.

Prompts:

(season) winter

(plot point) a wedding

(setting) night time

WRITTEN FOR IWSC, SEASON 3

Beauxbatons: Unmerited Accomplishments

Year 6

Mandatory Prompt: (genre) drama

Additional Prompt: (dialogue) I cannot begin to express the extent of my disapproval.

There was something about Daphne that rubbed people the wrong way. It might have been her aloofness, or maybe it was the way she looked at the world solely as her personal playground. Maybe it was Daphne's intense greed for compliments about her beauty. Whatever it was, not many people could say that they truly liked Daphne.

Astoria Greengrass, Daphne's younger sister, was one of those people who both admired yet despised Daphne. She knew her sister was practically perfect in every way, which was why she admired her. But all her life, everyone around her commented on her sister's beauty, and it never failed to light a fire of envy in Astoria's heart. Of course, she never expressed her feelings, aware that everyone would side with Daphne rather than with her. Her older sister had a way of keeping people hooked despite her personality.

Throughout their childhood, Astoria was Daphne's personal lackey—although it wasn't said explicitly. Just because she was the elder and more beautiful sister, Daphne had believed that Astoria was only there for her.

When Astoria had finally turned eleven and went off to Hogwarts, she had hoped that she would finally be able to step out of her sister's overwhelming shadow and be herself. But it wasn't meant to be.

Daphne had already won over everyone in Slytherin House, and when Astoria had tried to befriend her housemates, all they could do was gush about how beautiful Astoria's sister was, how lucky Astoria was to be related to her, and so on. But their praise and compliments were just as devastating as their snide comments about Astoria's appearance.

Astoria wasn't blind to the fact that she was less than perfect. Her brown hair was lacklustre and thin—unlike Daphne's perfect, blonde waves. Her brown eyes were just as dull, and no matter how much makeup she tried to put on, they just couldn't shine as brightly as Daphne's. Her figure wasn't perfect, either. The little paunch she had around her middle was visible through her uniform, and she had done everything she could to get rid of it.

It just wasn't enough. It just wasn't good enough for people. For Daphne.

At night, when no one was around to overhear them, Daphne often mocked Astoria for her chubby appearance, less than perfect wandwork, and unwomanly gait. She had problems with everything Astoria did, and she often barged in on her, uninvited, just to ridicule Astoria's fashion sense or hairstyling skills.

Not a day went by when Astoria didn't wish she could be far, far away from her sister's narcissistic personality. She dreamed of a Prince Charming who would save her from her sister, unaware that she would have to save herself.

Years later, when Draco Malfoy proposed to her under a beautiful floral arch covered with snowflakes, Astoria was simply over the moon. She recognized the opportunity as a way of finally being free of Daphne, and she knew she couldn't let it pass. Of course, she loved Draco with all her heart, but the need for freedom was greater.

Astoria immediately began thinking of what kind of wedding she'd like to have. She was in the middle of one of her daydreams, in which she was walking down the aisle to Draco while snowflakes fell prettily from the sky, when everything came crashing down around her once again.

"I'll help you plan your wedding," Daphne said as she walked into Astoria's bedroom. "Merlin knows you'll need it with your atrocious sense of style."

Astoria's heart clenched at Daphne's callous words, but she didn't let her feelings show on her face. She calmly turned to look at Daphne, who was sneering as she inspected the bedroom. "No, thank you, Daphne. This is my wedding, and I'll plan it as I see fit."

Daphne let out an unladylike snort, shaking her head in disbelief. "But I'm your maid of honour, Astoria. Of course, I'll help you plan your wedding."

"Who said you're my maid of honour?" Astoria couldn't help but ask. She hadn't chosen a maid of honour yet.

"Oh, silly, me! Did I forget to mention Mother appointed me to be your maid of honour already?" Daphne batted her eyelashes at her innocently, but Astoria knew it was just a farce.

Astoria's blood boiled at the thought of Daphne being her maid of honour, and she immediately knew she had to speak up against the decision. Regardless, Daphne was sure to take advantage of her. Again.

She remembered what her friend, Ginny Potter née Weasley, had told her to do in these situations. She had taught Astoria a few tricks to be more assertive with her opinion. Although Ginny was a Gryffindor, she and Astoria were good friends as they could relate to each other's problems. Both of them were expected to reach their siblings' level of greatness, a fact that played a large role in their friendship.

Astoria cleared her throat and said politely, "Daphne. I'm the one getting married—not Mother. Therefore, I'll decide who'll be my maid of honour—not her. And I'm not choosing you."

With that declaration, Astoria walked out of the room, holding her head high, leaving Daphne to gape at her back.

Although Astoria had made her decision known that Daphne wasn't going to be the maid of honour, her mother forced her to rethink her decision. After all, Daphne was her sister and was expected to be a part of the bridal party. Mrs Greengrass' words still rang in Astoria's ears.

What will people say?

Still, Astoria made sure to ask Ginny to be her matron of honour instead. It caused an uproar in the Greengrass family, but because it was Astoria's wedding and she was adamant that things go her way, her mother and Daphne had to accept her decisions.

Soon, the wedding preparations began, and Astoria had to put her foot down on several more occasions. Daphne did her best to complain about everything Astoria selected (including having a winter wedding), but Astoria tried not to let the whining get to her.

It was difficult, too. Their mother always sided with Daphne, claiming that Daphne had more knowledge about these things than Astoria. It was Ginny who said the one thing that finally shut Daphne up.

"If you know so much about this, use your knowledge at your own wedding. Oh, wait. No one asked you to marry them, did they?"

Astoria was amused by Ginny's cheeky taunt, and later, when the two friends were alone, she said, "That was such a Slytherin reply."

"I do hang out with you, so that was bound to happen," Ginny replied, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "Now, come on. We still have to decide on the colour scheme and cake flavours!"

As Ginny dragged her back into the chaos that was Astoria's house, the bride-to-be was glad that she had her friend by her side.

The sunshine and cold, the sparkle and the ice, were somehow warm even as the north wind bit at her skin. There were days when Astoria wished to stay in the warmth, to observe all her wedding planning from a duvet, fingers wrapped snugly around some cocoa. Other days, the winter took her hand and showed her its beauty, that in truth, it was but the dawn of spring and her new life with Draco.

Cold were the days when Astoria and Draco had first begun dating, and she loved remembering the times the two of them had huddled together for warmth in front of the fireplace, their fingers entwined and their hearts full of love. Therefore, it had been a no-brainer for her to choose a winter wedding theme.

Finally, the day of the wedding arrived, sunny but cold. Daphne's mood was still dark, but Astoria tried not to pay it no mind.

As the sun started to set over the horizon and night expanded like black raven wings, it was time for Astoria to get ready to walk down the aisle. Draco had proposed to her at night, and Astoria—feeling sentimental—had decided to get married at the same time.

'It's my wedding day!' she thought as she got dressed in front of the large mirror. 'I won't bother with Daphne's ridiculous demands.'

Astoria smoothed down the pleats in her champagne-coloured ball gown, smiling as she imagined Draco seeing her in it for the first time. She was relieved the dress came with a built-in Warming Charm; otherwise, her off-the-shoulder sleeves would have caused her to freeze to death in the biting cold.

There was a knock on the door, and Astoria called out, "Who is it?"

"It's me, Ginny," came the reply.

"Come in!" Astoria twirled and inspected the crystals embroidered on the waistline. She wanted to make sure everything was perfect.

When Ginny entered, she let out a soft gasp and covered her mouth. "Oh, you look beautiful. Malfoy's going to freak when he sees you."

"You think so?" Astoria asked, smiling as she turned to look at Ginny. The redhead wore a form-fitting, emerald-green dress that reached just above her knees. "You look great, too!"

"Thanks," Ginny said, walking over to Astoria. She placed her hands on Astoria's bare shoulders and said, "Okay, promise me you won't freak out?"

"What did Daphne do?" Astoria blurted out, terror rising in her chest at the thought of something going wrong. She knew if anything did go wrong, it would be her sister's fault.

Ginny bit her lower lip, and Astoria's heartbeat increased. She knew the news must be terrible if Ginny was this worried about telling her. "Just tell me," Astoria whispered, clutching the redhead's elbow.

Ginny took a deep breath in before she said, "Daphne's bragging to everyone that she's the one who helped you decorate… and she'swearingtheexactsamethingyou'rewearing."

"She's been telling people what? Why am I not surprised? She's got an insatiable urge to hound people for compliments. It's like she can't live without people piling her with heaps of praise." Astoria huffed, anger rising in her chest at her sister's behaviour. "And what did you say after that? I didn't understand you."

"She's" –Ginny wrung her hands as she looked at Astoria– "wearing the same dress you're wearing."

"What?" Astoria screamed, her heart falling into the pit of her stomach. "No, this can't be happening… Ginny, please tell me you're joking."

"Tori, it's too cold for me to be joking," Ginny said with a grimace. She pulled out her wand and recast a Warming Charm on herself. "I'd love to say that this is just a prank, but…"

Astoria stumbled over to the wooden chair near the dresser and plopped down gracelessly into it, her dress puffing out around her. Ginny was quick to smooth it down, but Astoria didn't notice. Her mind was awhirl with images of people laughing, mocking, and taunting her, for Daphne was sure to look more beautiful in the dress than her.

Ginny said something, but Astoria couldn't hear anything. Panic switched off her brain, filling her with the urge to run, escape, hide. She couldn't deal with the emotions coursing through her, and she burst into loud sobs that wracked through her frail body.

Ginny's arms came around her, and Astoria buried her face in her friend's neck. There were a few knocks on the door, but Astoria ignored them as she took in deep breaths to try to calm herself.

After Ginny called out to whoever was at the door that they'd be down in a few minutes, she rubbed her hands up and down Astoria's arms, attempting to relax her.

"Let it all out, Tori," Ginny murmured in her ear, and Astoria decided to take her advice to heart.

Astoria shot to her feet, her chest heaving with anger. She clenched her hands in the satin tulle of her dress and snarled, "I cannot begin to express the extent of my disapproval! This is just like Daphne! She never even listened to me when I asked her to do something! It's my wedding—can't she let me be happy for once?"

She began to pace through the room, holding her dress up, her shapely calves visible from under the heavy material. "Her greed for compliments and praise knows no bounds! She's the worst sister ever. All she cares about is looking good—she's never cared about me. How in Merlin's name am I supposed to go down there and face everyone's remarks about" –here, Astoria's voice turned high-pitched– "how good Daphne looks in the dress and how lucky I am to have her in my life? Do they believe that she's been helping me with the decor? All those people out there are going to talk about how good Daphne's taste is, and how I should learn something from her. For fuck's sake" –Astoria ignored the soft gasp that escaped Ginny's lips at the swear– "all I want—for once—is to have a day all to myself where I don't have to continuously compare myself to the oh-so-perfect Daphne! Is that too much to ask?"

Ginny shook her head in reply. "Her decisions shouldn't affect your life. And besides, people are bound to mock her for wearing a dress like yours on your wedding day."

"You think people will mock her? Ginny, I've spent the last twenty-three years living with my sister. I know what she's like and how people react to her." Astoria clenched her fists by her sides and barely resisted the urge to stomp her feet.

"Just think… You'll soon be free of her, so does it even matter at the moment? Isn't getting married to Malfoy more important than dealing with your sister?" Ginny looked at her pointedly, and Astoria sighed.

"You're right. But that doesn't mean I have to like any of this," she muttered as she picked up her bouquet and made her way to the door.

"That's my girl," Ginny said encouragingly, hurrying after her. "Now, let's go down there and show your sister exactly what you're made of."

The two women walked down the stairs and towards the door where they were accosted by Astoria's mother. She gave Astoria a once-over, nodding in approval and motioning for her to follow.

Outside, the snow-covered grounds were illuminated by thousands of twinkling fairy lights and candles, giving the impression of a winter wonderland. The lights were an arc of brilliant gold, mesmerising Astoria with their soft radiance.

She waited near the large, white floral arch, reminding herself that Daphne's actions shouldn't affect her mood. She had almost calmed down when the Devil herself appeared.

"You look… decent," Daphne said, looking Astoria up and down. She held a bouquet of pine needles and warm, pastel flowers in her hand.

Astoria's blood boiled as she looked at her sister all decked out in the exact same wedding dress. It cinched at Daphne's petite waist, highlighting her gentle curves, and flowed down to her feet.

"Couldn't you have worn something else?" she asked, tightening her grip on the flowers in her hands.

"Why should I? I look fabulous in this," Daphne said, flipping her blonde hair over her shoulder. "It's not my fault you don't look as good as I do. You don't have to be jealous."

Astoria watched Daphne fluff her hair under the twinkling lights, and she realised something that changed her view forever.

"You're jealous of me, aren't you?" Astoria voiced her thoughts out loud. It was only due to the light of the full moon in the sky that she noticed Daphne's shoulders stiffening. Astoria chuckled as she cocked her head to the right and smiled. "You are, aren't you?"

Daphne didn't meet her eyes as she said loudly, "Why would I be jealous of you? Don't be ridiculous."

But Astoria knew the truth. "You're jealous because I'm getting married before you. You're jealous because you don't have anyone who loves you as much as Draco loves me. You're jealous that he'd rather marry me than you."

"Shut up," Daphne hissed, an ugly scowl marring her face and reflecting her true self. "I'm clearly more beautiful than you, so why should I be jealous?"

Astoria was filled with an urge to laugh. "Because even though you're beautiful on the outside, your personality is uglier than a Blast-Ended Skrewt. You know what, Daphne?" She stood straighter and smiled. "You've always needed people to praise you, to compliment you. Even today, I know you've been telling people you're the one who decorated for my wedding. You'll never experience true happiness because you're always trying to one-up me. That's why you kept on flirting with Draco when we were dating. You wanted him to choose you, but he didn't. He hates you. And I… I pity you."

And with that final declaration, Astoria turned around and walked away to start her new life with Draco. A life that didn't include being hounded by her sister's jealousy from all sides. She could finally cut Daphne out of her life.

Freedom hadn't ever felt this good.