Astoria

I was standing by the side of the wall, mentally listing the things I need to do when Ernie approached me.

"Are you enjoying the party?" asked Ernie.

"Yes," I said.

Ernie gave me a half smile. When he has that smile on his face I can tell Daphne sent him to talk to me. He cleared his throat in preparation. "Are you attracted to anyone here?"

No long winded speech. He was cutting to the chase. That's what I always liked about him.

"No."

"That's not what I heard."

I'm going to kill Daphne if she told him.

"What have you heard?"

"You fancy a certain Gryffindor."

At least she didn't tell him it was Harry. Ernie was a direct person. If he knew about Harry, he might go to him to talk about me. That would be awkward and embarrassing.

"What else have your heard?" I probed.

"You're too shy to talk to him?"

Daphne was keeping her promise to leave me alone but she was using Ernie in her place. He's a protective older brother to me even before he got together with Daphne. Daphne probably told him things to make him feel sympathetic towards me.

"Thanks for your concern. I used to like him when I was a teenager. It hurts but I accepted that he doesn't feel the same about me."

"He must be mental if he doesn't like you."

"Everyone is a bit mental."

Ernie laughed. We hugged and then let each other go. He went back to Daphne and Amiee, who were with Hannah and Neville.

Hermione came up to me. "Astoria, are you busy?"

"No,"

"Good," Hermione took out a book from her pocket and showed it to me. There was a design of a unicorn with a rainbow around it. How cute! I flipped through the blank pages.

"I got this as a gift for Amiee." said Hermione.

"She can use this to practice her writing."

Amiee's just started learning to write her name. Her handwriting was sloppy but it'll improve over time.

"And maybe a diary when she gets older?" said Hermione.

"Brilliant idea. This is a lovely gift. You know, I have a diary too."

I used to write all of my thoughts and feelings inside. It was a good outlet for me.

Hermione gasped in surprised and said in a high pitched tone. "Really?"

"Yes. I started one when I was a teenager and still keep one now."

"I'd never keep a diary. I'd be worry if ever it were to fall in the wrong hands."

"I'm not worried about that. I keep my dairy with me."

A strange sound erupted from the back of Hermione's throat.

"Are you getting hiccups?"

"Yes! I have to go - um - to stop them." Hermione said and dashed off.

"Wait!" I called after her. I was going to ask about her thoughts on the contract I wrote. I went after her. I found her with Harry, Ron, and Draco. They were huddled in a corner in silence. I could feel tension surrounding them. What was going on?

"Hermione," I said and they snapped their heads to me.

Harry was the first to speak. "Astoria, we need to talk."

"All right," I said.

"In private." he added.

I lead him to a guest bedroom and closed the door.

"By the way, have you signed the contract yet?" I asked.

We were standing arm's length apart and then he came closer to me. I saw a flash of color that was followed by pain. My eye! I screamed and pulled off my glasses. I cupped my right eye with my other hand.

"I'm sorry!" said Harry.

The door swung open and blurs of people filled the room.

"Auntie ouchies!" I heard cried Amiee as small blurry figure ran to hug my leg.

I picked her up. "No, no ouchies." I said to stop her cries.

She sniffed while I kissed her head. Ernie appeared beside me to take of her off my hands.

"It's okay, love. Auntie is fine." he said rocking her in his arms.

I recognized a blurry Daphne coming toward me. She took my glasses from my hand. "Oculus Reparo!" she said and handed them back to me. She gently moved my hand out of the way to see the damage. "What happened?"

"Harry's face hit mines." I held my repaired glasses hovered over my eyes to see Harry. Hermione was repairing his slightly broken glasses. I could make out a bruise forming around Harry's left eye. "Did you trip, Harry?"

He lowered his eyes. "Yes,"

"First Neville and Hannah, now you two." lamented Erine.

"What are you doing in here anyways?" asked Daphne.

"Talking." I and Harry said at the same time.

I can imagine Daphne giving me a 'yeah-right' look. I winced as I slid my glasses back on my face.

"I have to go." said Harry. He kept his head low and pushed through the crowd.

"Me too." said Hermione.

"Yeah," said Ron.

They followed Harry out.

"There is nothing to see there. Just another clumsy couple. Out." Ernie ushered everyone out of the room.

Amiee intimated her father. "Out, out."

"Come with me, Astoria." said Daphne and then she whispered. "We've got to stop the bleeding."

I'm bleeding? I touched my face and felt the cut. I winched and looked at my hand. There was blood. No wonder Amiee was crying. She didn't cry when she saw Neville and Hannah earlier because although they were bandaged, they were not bleeding.

Daphne pulled me to the bathroom and shut the door. She rolled a cloth and ran it through warm water. I took my glasses off as she patted the cut with the cloth.

"What were you doing alone with, Potter?" she asked me.

"Talking."

"Why couldn't you talk out there, in front of other people?"

"He asked for privacy. Stop badgering me. He's not even attracted to me. I. AM. OVER. HIM. How many times do I have to tell you this? Please stop bringing it up ever chance you get. I'm tired of hearing it. I'll do this myself." I snatched the cloth from her and pressed it over the cut. The burning pain was distracting me from my anger toward her.

Daphne froze. My outburst must have startled her. What did she expect? I have truly outgrown him but she refuses to let me forgot my stupid teenage crush. This is what makes it difficult for me to tell her anything personal again.

"I'm sorry."

Were my ears broken? Did she apologize to me?

"You can close your mouth." she said.

"You apologized? Has another war approached us?"

Daphne was in love with Ernie since they were toddlers. She denied her feelings because he was friends with Muggle-borns, a blood traitor in our circles. She feared her friends would tease her for fancying him. She was extremely awful to him for seven years. It took Death Eaters attacking Hogwarts, and her fears for Ernie's life for her forget her Slytherin pride and apologize to him and his friends. She hates being reminded of it too.

She gasped. "Hey!"

"Understand how I feel now?"

"All right, I'm sorry." She said.

I'm going to torture her.

I cupped my ear. "What was that?"

"I'm sorry." she repeated forcefully.

I'm going to bask in this for a long time.

"You'll finally leave me alone? And please don't bring Ernie into this again. It was awkward talking to him about my lack of a romantic life."

"I didn't tell him anything about, Potter."

"Don't lie. He told me, he knew about my crush on a certain Gryffindor."

"He must have heard it from someone else because I didn't tell him."

"If you didn't tell him who did?"

"I don't know."

"Well, it doesn't matter. I don't care."

I was embarrassed at one point but I was never ashamed of my feelings. I am mature enough to admit that I once liked Harry Potter and I don't care who knows.