Summary: Draco felt blessed having Astoria as a friend. He wondered if she would want more than that, though.
Rated: K
Genre: General, Friendship
Warning Tag: References Terminal Illness
Competition/Challenge Block:
Written For: Monthly Challenges for All (Year 3); Hogwarts (Term 14); Houses Competition (Year 7)
Hogwarts: Ravenclaw; A.7 - Cartography #2: Write about making something seem smaller than it is.
Houses: Slytherin - Transfiguration; Standard - [Animal] Swan
MC4A: Sp Bingo (2A-Flax/Reeds); Sh Bingo (1A-Puppy Love); Link; Chimera; FPC (Not a Lamp; Ladylike; White Dress); Star (Pocky Pockets); Fence (Machismo); ICs (Short Jog (Y); Bucket Listing (Y); Two Cakes (Y); Eating Cake (Y); Green Ribbon (Y); Rian-Russo Inversion; Ethnic & Present (Y); Setting Sail (Y); Lunar Era (Y); Slytherin MC; Ravenclaw MC; Magical MC; Old Shoes (Y)
Word Count: 1,624
Beta: Shy-n-great, Aurora, VanillaAshes
Author's Note: Astoria is Greek.
Sacred Cycnus
Draco had managed to convince his mother to convert his birthday festivities into a summer garden party. It gave her the proper excuse to invite everyone rather than a select few purebloods they wished to retain status with, which is what he wanted. This opportunity also allowed his mother to extend it to certain Ministry employees as well. They could use the excuse to rebuild their reputation by funding certain department projects now that the dust has settled more around them. It also meant that the school year would be over, giving him a chance to reconnect with friends who decided to repeat their seventh year.
He didn't care about turning his birthday into a political agenda as long as the Greengrasses accepted the invite. Mr. Greengrass was a respectable Unspeakable, and as the job entailed, meant that he did extensive research in the unknown, learning more about the world and magic as a whole. Since the disaster that happened in the Department of Mysteries a few years ago, they were still struggling to recover and revert the damages and that meant financing was crucial.
Mrs. Greengrass worked in specialized medicine at St. Mungo's. A lot of her projects were stifled or snuffed out due to lack of funding and approval on the new and innovative ways to improve the magical world's healthcare she presented or proposed, especially now since the recovery period post-war. Regardless, Draco knew they grabbed every opportunity to receive outside donations in order to keep their work afloat, and that was what he wanted the party to be about; presentations and potential funding opportunities.
But again, politics was the last thing he actually cared about.
Astoria had graduated from Hogwarts last week, and Draco was eager to see her. Their friendship had started in an unconventional way when they both were assigned to the same volunteer group during the community rebuilding projects a year ago. He was court ordered to amend his crimes during the War, and she was the kind spirit in the lot who willingly joined to help restore their world and make it a better place. They kept in touch through letters and occasional meetups at Hogsmeade once their assigned project was finished since he decided to not repeat his seventh year, and he grew fond of how he felt whenever he was around her down-to-earth personality. It was something he found himself wanting to feel all the time, and he soon realized that he had fallen for her.
Of course, taking that next step terrified him, but Draco decided that now would be a better time than ever to show her how he truly felt about her. The pair of swans he got for her drifted around elegantly in the pond on the Malfoy property, tucked away from the manor traffic and general public of the neighborhood. He watched them move toward the reeds that grew on the far side of the pond before heading back to see if anyone had arrived yet.
Mid-afternoon parties were rare, but it was a good time to take advantage of the generous shade from the heat without losing the natural light from the sun. Draco glanced around the garden patio at the guests there, not seeing who he wanted to see, he slipped through the large French doors that led from the back garden to the ballroom and scanned inside. Seeing the Greengrasses near the indoor bar, he made his way over.
"Afternoon, Mr. and Mrs. Greengrass," he greeted, regarding them both. "It is a pleasure seeing you here."
Draco offered his hand to them to shake.
"Ah, Mr. Malfoy," Mr. Greengrass said, accepting his handshake. "I honestly was surprised to hear that this event was your idea."
"Well, I like to think that they serve some good in the long run," Draco replied, sliding his attention over to Astoria and her sister Daphne, who stood nearby. "Please enjoy yourselves. I hope that some positive news will present itself during the speeches."
"Indeed, thank you."
He excused himself, giving Astoria a discreet head nod to ask her to follow before walking away. Draco slipped back outside onto the stone-paved patio and grabbed two frosted lemonades from the drink station placed there when Astoria joined him.
"You couldn't at least say hello while preoccupied with my parents?" she asked curiosly, accepting the offered drink.
"I didn't want to be suspicious," he reasoned, looking out to the guests now gathering on the patio. "You looked busy talking to your sister, anyway. Interrupting would've been rude."
"Fair." She took a sip of the sweet drink, he could feel her examine his appearance. "You look better."
Draco didn't want to get into that conversation, instead he gave a dismissive shrug and moved on. "I wanted to show you something."
He gestured for her to follow him out into the garden, but she stalled on the steps. "You can't just leave. You're the host."
"Hardly. It was my idea, yes, but my mother is behind the rest. I am a mere guest of honor, she's the host." He reached for her free hand. "Shall we?"
She accepted his hand after a moment. He knew she wouldn't mind leaving once she knew he wasn't trying to dodge obligations. Some pureblood customs just couldn't be ignored no matter how much they were loathed. Draco led her through the manicured garden and past the vine-covered fence that separated it from the large untended fields. He carefully guided her through the overgrown vegetation on the animal-made path to the large oval-shaped pond that resided there. It was almost like a hidden enchanted place when Draco first came across it, and was glad to see Astoria's face light up at the sight of it, too.
"It's beautiful," she said, watching her scan over the still waters before seeing the swans emerge from the reeds to lazy drift on the pond.
He heard her breath hitch at the sight of the waterfowl. She knelt down at the bank of the pond, watching the birds roam around, casually snapping at the bugs they stirred from their murky home. Draco took the pocket square from his jacket, using his wand to expand it to make a respectably-lengthened blanket to lay over the damp grass for them and knelt down on it to join her, but shifted his attention from the swans back to her.
"You know, swans are a sacred bird in Greece," Astoria said, adjusting herself to get more comfortable. "Apollo loved them because of their song, and Aphrodite for their—"
"Beauty and grace," Draco finished, shifting his gaze to the birds when Astoria looked at him.
"Yes," she said, smiling. "The constellation Cygnus is also a favorite of mine. Their elegance alone is enough to be awed over, but the bird itself has a few significant stories attached to them in Greek mythology."
"Let me guess, Zeus is involved in every one?" Draco asked, looking at her when she laughed.
"Naturally," Astoria said. "You know your lore well."
Their eyes met for a long, quiet moment, and Draco felt that same feeling he always did when he was with her. Warmth, happiness, contentment, acceptance.
"They are gorgeous birds without the stories behind them, though," she continued, looking back at the swans who had come closer to the bank. "Their eggs are sometimes a spotted grey, and they mate for life once bonded. These two look to be a couple. I wonder if they nest here."
"Let's hope so," Draco said, drawing her attention. "I got them for you."
Astoria was taken back by this. "For me? Why?"
He waved a lazy hand in their direction, shrugging lightly. "I wanted to get you something to celebrate your graduation."
She waited for him to continue, but he didn't. "Why am I not convinced it is just for that?"
Letting out a sigh, Draco closed his eyes and gathered what little courage he had. "I was hoping you'd also accept them as a courtship gift, if you'll have me."
Astoria sucked in a breath at this, and Draco could tell she was taken by surprise by it. The two swans sang their song then, pulling the two's focus toward the white birds as they watched them settle near the middle of the water, circling each other while chirping. Draco pulled his wand out to conjure some bird feed and tossed it out into the water in front of them. It got their attention and they drifted toward the treats offered.
"You can keep them here. I know it isn't exactly a convenient gift," Draco added, trying to deflect his previous statement. "I'll make sure they're well cared for."
He felt her take his hand in his, squeezing it. His eyes met hers, and the sun hit them just so to have her hazel eyes appear to be glowing alongside her sandy-blonde hair.
"I love them, truly," Astoria said. Draco returned the squeeze, worried about what else she was going to say. "I honestly don't know what else to say."
The swans were really close to them now, gobbling up the seeds and watching the two in process. Astoria reached out to them, and Draco conjured more seed in her hand as he cupped it toward them. The smaller one, the female, came forward first, gently grabbing a mouthful. Draco watched as she tossed the rest of the seed out into the reeds nearby once the swans had their fill, flicking her hair over her shoulder to look back at him.
"I'd love to accept your courtship," Astoria said slowly, "but you need to know something first."
"Sure. Anything," he quickly replied, feeling nervous now that she was considering it.
"I am terminally ill…"