Summary: Weddings can bring out the worst in people, and sometimes even the best.

Rated: T

Genre: Family, Drama

Author's Note: I headcanon the Greengrass' to be Greek.

Language Notes: Because I am awful for doing this...

Selinofoto - Surname; means "Moonlight." Astoria's maternal grandfather's last name, her mother's maiden name.

Floros - Surname; means "Greenfinch."

Kóri - Daughter

Patéras - Father

Nothing Like Family Drama at a Wedding

"Please, Patéras," Astoria pleaded, eyeing the reception room they were in. "It's Draco's wedding, too. He and his family can have some say on the decorations and flowers."

Morpheus Greengrass scoffed. "It's not his or his family's concern. They need to stay out of the arrangements. They're only getting in the way and slowing things down."

"Father, you're being unreasonable," Astoria scolded.

"Your grandmother has been arranging weddings here for decades, and they're undermining everything!"

Astoria shook her head and let out an aggravated sigh. She was getting married to Draco Malfoy in three days at the Kalokairi Hotel her grandparents owned on the Greek island of Skopelos. She'd attended several family weddings here before and knew that her father's objections to the Malfoys' opinions on the decor weren't based on tradition. Her cousins' families always worked with her grandmother on their own respective setup and style. He simply didn't like his in-laws to-be, and he made sure to make that very clear.

"I know it isn't about the planning," Astoria said condescendingly.

"I know you can do better is all, my kóri," Morpheus said, calmer this time. "I want what is best for you, and I truly wish you'd reconsider that Malfoy boy..."

That was the last straw for Astoria. "If you really wanted what is best for me then you'd be happy for me and talk dirty about us behind our backs like the political man you are, Father!" she snarled, turning to leave before deciding to look back at Morpheus. "And you can forget walking me down the aisle! I'll find someone more appreciative who will do the honors!"

She stormed out of the reception room, tears in her eyes.

Astoria sought out her mother, feeling hurt and angry at her father's poor opinion. It was hard enough already to come to terms with her mortality, which stained the special event, but she overcame that and accepted it with Draco by her side knowing the price of their shared happiness. It was the type of gamble all females in the Selinofoto bloodline had to take when marrying; it was simply how their blood curse worked.

It was the epitome of a silver lining, a bittersweet ending, a Romeo and Juliet story.

Finding her mother's suite, Astoria pulled a handkerchief from her handbag to dab at her face, catching the stray tears from her cheeks before knocking gently. "Mother?"

She knocked again before trying the handle. The door was oddly unlocked—she'd have to let the staff know the charms needed checking—and slowly peered in.

"Mother?"

Helen Greengrass was nowhere in the immediate vicinity, but Astoria entered the room and closed the door anyway, wishing for privacy. Why not wait for her mother here as well? She checked the ensuite—no Mother—fixed her makeup, and then sat in the corner chair. Noticing a book laying on the end table, Astoria picked it up to return it to the bookshelf when a photograph partially slid out of it. She paused and looked at the name written on the photo and saw the tailend of her mother's name and another below it that wasn't anyone she recognized.

Opening to the page that stowed the picture, she got a good look at a much younger version of her mother, who looked at her and gave a wave before cuddling up to a young man that was definitely not Morpheus. Below, in Greek, the photo bore the name of a beach, a date, and two names: Helen Greengrass née Selinofoto and Silas Floros.

Astoria fell back into the chair, engrossed in the diary entries that went with the photograph. There were several of them that spanned about a year, and the last entry she read mentioned that the two had to part ways, giving no reasoning. The following entry marked about a month later said that Helen was pregnant, but there was no other mention of Silas, only of Astoria's father and her sister Daphne.

That wasn't right. The date coincided with her own gestation period… That was when it hit her. Her mother cheated on her father and conceived Astoria with this man.

Morpheus Greengrass was not her father.

She quickly wrote the man's name down on a scrap of parchment before putting the diary and photograph back on the end table where she'd found it and darted out of the room. This needed to be investigated.

"Why don't you just ask your mother?" Luna questioned, looking over the Greek letters that made up Silas' name.

Astoria paused in her pacing to laugh at the suggestion. "You know that would mean she'd have to either admit or deny that she was unfaithful, Luna. And I would have to explain how I found out."

"Exactly," Luna replied, "Your mother isn't the sort to do that. So I am sure you misinterpreted the entries. Women can have male friends and the relationship can remain platonic, you know. Maybe even a sibling?"

Astoria sat down next to Luna. "My mother is an only child, but I'm sure you're right. Yet after the horrible exchange between my father and I, I suppose a small part of me wishes he wasn't my real father, especially after finding this."

"He berated you about Draco again," Luna guessed.

"Of course. But this time he tried to justify his unreasonable attitude," Astoria said through gritted teeth, getting heated over the situation again. "I mean, if you are able to forgive Draco and what he did as a boy—while having every reason under the sun to not forgive—I would think that my own father could at least be happy for me and move on."

Luna placed a gentle hand on Astoria's back. "I will turn your father away on your orders. He will not ruin your special day."

Astoria gave a weak smile. "Thank you, I really appreciate it."

"Now, let's look into who this mystery man is, shall we?" Luna suggested, getting to her feet and holding out her hand to Astoria.

Astoria stood outside on the gravel sidewalk the following day, comparing the address Luna found attached to the name. She was lucky it was still on Skopelos island, especially since her wedding was tomorrow. Taking a deep breath, she went to the door of the modest home and knocked firmly and waited on the porch.

The man who answered looked like the one from the photograph, except much older and weathered. He had the same hazel eyes as her and sandy-blond hair to match. Astoria didn't look much like Morpheus, who had darker brown hair and light brown eyes.

"Hello," she said in Greek. "Are you Silas Floros?"

"I am," he said, growing curious. "May I help you?"

"You knew my mother once, I believe," Astoria continued, pulling out the photograph she'd copied from the one in the diary. "Helen Greengrass Selinofoto?"

The look on the man's face changed immediately as he took the offered photo and looked at it. "Where did you get this?"

Astoria swallowed hard, mustering up the courage. "I think I might be your daughter."

Silas only laughed.

He invited her in to talk, and told her that Helen was in fact his half-sister—making him Astoria's uncle. They talked for some time, but he was vague as to what caused the fallout.

"I joined the First Wizarding War in the United Kingdom. Something happened to me, the details are fuzzy, but Helen's letters stopped coming. She probably thought I died," was all Silas revealed.

Though he wasn't her father, it was just as nice to know that she had a long-lost uncle to catch up with. As the hours escaped her, Astoria needed to get back to the hotel for final preparations.

"I wish I had known you sooner," she said as he escorted her to the door. "It's a shame my mother lost contact with you."

He gave a shrug. "I never managed to find her, either. So it's both our faults."

Chewing her lip nervously, Astoria stepped out onto the porch and turned to face Silas. "I know we just met but, would you like to come to my wedding tomorrow and, uh, have the honor to walk me down the aisle?"

The surprise on his face was replaced with a broad smile. "You can count on me."

The following day, Astoria was dressing and growing more nervous by the second for her big day. She was getting married to the love of her life, gambling with Fate, and revealing a long lost family member to the rest of the guests all in one fell swoop.

Everything was going so smoothly until an uproar was heard.

"What's going on?" She asked, heading for the door to listen.

"Why in Merlin's name is he here?" she heard her father bellow, followed by a cracking sound she was sure a spell.

Astoria went to investigate immediately. When she approached the foyer, she saw her father holding a wand over Silas, now on the floor with his hand raised in front of his face. A gash licked his arm and the side of his face from a whip spell.

"What are you doing?" she spat, pulling Morpheus' wand arm down. "Leave him alone!"

"He is not welcome on this property!"

"I invited him! He is Mother's family!"

The shock on her mother's face surprised Astoria. "How?"

"I came across his name in an old family album," Astoria lied.

Morpheus' face contorted into shocked anger. "Kóri, whatever this man has told you is false! He is nothing more than a lowly servant to a mad man!"

Astoria shook her head, tears welling in her eyes. She caught the Azkaban serial code tattoo on Silas' neck.

"Was," she whispered before seeing Draco approach. She turned and fled the foyer before he arrived.

Astoria found a stone bench in the gardens overlooking the sandy beach and coastline of the neighboring island and sat down, uncaring about damaging her dress now. She couldn't stop the tears from falling as she watched the gentle waves lick the sands in front of her and the yachts lazily drifting across the silk-like waters in the distance.

Morpheus showed up minutes later, no words were exchanged as she scooted over and allowed him to sit by her. "I am dearly sorry, Astoria."

"Are you?" she hissed, "You've ruined everything."

He let out a dejected sigh.

"Silas is the reason why you don't like Draco, isn't it?" Astoria continued, connecting the dots. "He was on the wrong side of war and he paid the price for it."

"Silas and your mother were very close," he clarified. "She didn't know he existed for a long time, but they instantly connected when one of her cousins helped them find each other. Until, of course, he decided to join that insane man reigning over England.

"After we moved to England," he continued, "your mother tried to find him after losing contact, but she learned that he had gone to Azkaban for his crimes. She had no idea he would be a turncoat and never bothered to reconnect after his sentence was paid."

"So you condemn him for it like you do with the Malfoys," Astoria said darkly. "That isn't fair."

"I only want to protect you and your mother from further harm," he reasoned. "But I ended up being the one to hurt you both in the end, and I am truly sorry."

Astoria stood up and faced her father. "You have to apologize to them. All of them. Not just me. Until then, I'm going to speak with Draco and postpone our wedding until all of this nonsense is resolved."

She turned and walked back to the hotel without another word.

Originally Written For:

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (Challenges & Assignments)

Monthly Challenges for All

The Houses Competition

Word Count: 1,954

Originally Written: May 2019