Hello people… Hope all of you are doing good. It's been a very busy couple of weeks and I am back with the next chapter. I hope a lot of you are looking forward to it and I won't keep you long.
You all know how this works by now… you can read ahead in my patr3on page- patr3on(dot)com / hadrianpotterpeverell
Drop into the page and check it out if you are interested… With that being said, please jump into the chapter….
Chapter 16- Astoria's Rage
"You asked Jonathan Greengrass's daughter to go to the ball?" Narcissa scoffed in disbelief. "The younger one at that?"
"Why are you surprised?" Harry questioned, not knowing if he should be offended by her words.
"Not an insult to you, Harry. I am just shocked. The Greengrass family is very protective of their youngest and they don't tolerate any advances towards her. That she has agreed to go out with you is surprising."
Astoria met with him the very next day and agreed to be his date for the yule ball. They didn't get to talk much and she was busy with classes so they decided to speak later today. He was not surprised. Something told him that she would agree to it and he was right.
"This is a friendship I am seeking. I want a good friend and I have a strong feeling that she will be a great friend. Distancing herself from people just because of some poor luck which was not in her hands to control is not the right thing to do."
"Are you sure about that? What if the young woman expects a relationship rather than friendship? It would be cruel to lead a girl who is not left with many days to live. I think you must address that immediately." It was Sirius who came up with a logical response that left Harry by surprise and judging by the look on Narcissa's face, she was sharing similar sentiments.
"You don't have to act surprised." Sirius drawled, not impressed by their antics.
"And you know about women and their thoughts?" Harry questioned, laughing at the older man, only to pause at the pained expression that flashed across his face.
Sirius shook his head as he got up and left in silence. Harry watched him go, confused by the man's behaviour.
"Did I say something wrong?" Harry questioned, shooting a look towards the door where Sirius just left.
"You don't know about his fiance?" Harry didn't know if he heard the woman right.
"I am sorry, what?" He questioned, judging if he had heard correctly.
Narcissa glanced towards the door once again and sighed as she faced Harry who was staring at the woman with shock etched over his face.
"Sirius was engaged, Harry." He couldn't believe what he was hearing. His Godfather was engaged? Surely it was a joke, right?
"You are not joking?" Harry questioned, reading Narcissa's expression who shook her head in negative.
"Sirius was engaged a few months after leaving Hogwarts. It was a very big news. The entire wizarding world knew about it."
"Who?" Harry questioned. "Who was he engaged to?"
"Amelia Bones."
"The Amelia Bones? The head of Magical Law Enforcement, Amelia Bones?" Harry asked, surprised by the answer when Narcissa confirmed it. Sirius was engaged to the most powerful woman in magical Britain.
"Without her current title, she was still the most sought-after bride in our country. The vast influence her name carried was an attractive prospect and Grandfather was the first to make his move." Narcissa explained.
"He set up a marriage contract with the two of them as soon as they were out of school, but Grandfather knew Sirius better than most. He knew that Sirius would rather spend his time doing everything else than build himself a family and he set this up without both Sirius and Amelia Bones's knowledge."
"The Bones Lord was adamant that the contract held a loophole so that the two could end their relationship if necessary. It was not something that was considered traditional, but Grandfather wanted to secure his family and he went through with it."
"They got engaged just after your parents got married. I had no idea what happened after that, but Sirius ended up in Azkaban and Bones continued on her life like nothing happened."
"I had stayed away from bringing it up but your words probably brought up some memories. This is as much as I know. I don't know what happened between the two."
Harry got up and excused himself as he made his way towards Sirius's room. This was some big information that he was coming across and he hated to think what more he would learn if this was the reaction that he received from Sirius.
"Sirius?" He knocked on the door and pushed the door open when he received no reply. The man was seated facing away from him.
"Why are you standing over there? Come in. It's fine." He called when Harry stood waiting for a response for a few moments. He walked into the room and leaned against a wall staring at the man.
"Why am I hearing about this now?" Harry asked, giving the man his time to answer. He would only speak about this if Sirius were willing to talk about it. If not, he would walk away right this instant.
"I have had years to move on, from it. No point in bringing it up again right?" Sirius chuckled, his voice devoid of any emotion.
"Are you fine with talking about this? I have a lot of questions, Sirius. A lot of questions, but I won't force you." Harry returned.
"There is nothing to ask." Sirius sighed. "She had other priorities and marriage was the last thing she wanted."
"Why get engaged?" Harry questioned. "The contract was drawn up by the Lords, but Narcissa told me that there was a loophole that could be exercised. Why did she even agree to get engaged if she wanted out of this relationship?"
"I don't know." Sirius shrugged. "It was good. She was accepting of the marriage though she made it very clear that her career was very important to her. I was fine with it. I had no intention of taking away her freedom."
"It started well. We were happy. She seemed interested in me and we could spend very little time together considering everything happening outside. We got very busy, but we made time for each other. We also decided to put off the wedding further so that we could understand each other better with time."
"She was brilliant." Sirius smiled. "Powerful, headstrong and very intelligent. It didn't take long to fall in love with the woman. I fell in love within a year of our contract signing.
"I don't know if Amelia shared similar feelings towards me, but neither of us could convey our thoughts. Things escalated quickly and we had to spend a lot of time away from each other. We went months without seeing or talking to each other. I was being watched intensely and I had to keep away from her and getting caught would have been dangerous for our side."
Harry could understand what the man was telling him. He had been learning as much as possible from the last war against Voldemort and Sirius getting captured would have been problematic for Dumbledore's side.
He had learnt by now that Sirius was one of the best fighters on Dumledore's side according to Narcissa. The man was a nightmare. A demon with the wand and barring Bellatrix Lestrange and Voldemort himself, none would face him alone. Losing a major fighter like Sirius would be a blow to any side, be it good or bad.
"Everything else happened quickly." The man's eyes gained a haunted look as he remembered what he called the day which destroyed his life.
"Anyway," Sirius continued gathering himself quickly. "After that, I was shipped off to Azkaban. She was there when I was chucked into a cell. She watched me go and I saw nothing. No emotion, no reaction. She looked me in the eye, watched me plead and walked away."
Harry noticed the man's shoulder shivering and to his immense surprise, he was crying. He approached him and placed a hand on the man's shoulder.
"Hey now. Come on, Sirius. It is fine. There is no need to talk about it. I am sorry I asked in the first place." Harry soothed the man. He had no idea that this would be a subject of such pain to the man. He had not expected him to break down badly.
'The woman must have meant a lot to him.' He thought as the man composed himself.
"I pleaded with her. I begged her to listen to me. I screamed my throat out to listen to me. I knew of the danger you were in after Lily and James died. I knew what Pettigrew was and I knew how much power the bastard held by becoming invisible to the naked eye of the Wizarding World."
He wiped his eyes in anger as he looked back up at Harry. "I begged her, Harry and she walked away. I only wanted her to check my words out. I wanted her to get Pettigrew out of the way, but she walked away."
"I still don't know why she did that. I don't know why she has stayed away so far, but I came to terms with it long ago." He smirked sadly. "Nothing good ever happens to me, Harry. It all comes down tumbling when things go nicely."
He stood up and shook his head vigorously, smiling genuinely at Harry.
"I don't care anymore. You are my priority. Once upon a time, I dreamt of a family with Amelia. I dreamt of having what James and Lily had. It was not meant to be."
"Maybe I moved very fast. Maybe I was not supposed to fall in love at that pace. Maybe there was more to a relationship than what we had or maybe she was just different. There are several reasons for my relationship to fail and I cannot think of one answer to save my life."
"But it did fail. I failed to think right with Amelia. I don't want you to do the same. Ensure you are absolutely sure about where you stand and convey the same to the young woman."
"I promise you that I am not looking for a romantic relationship with Astoria. I am not cruel Sirius." Harry explained.
"Knowing Astoria from the little bit of information I have, she will not want a romantic relationship, not when she knows that her future is moot."
"But don't worry. I will talk to her about this immediately. I will make sure that I convey my side to her and clear up this confusion."
The older man nodded his agreement, relieved by his words. Harry noticed the strain the man was in and decided to leave him be and give him some time to rest. He excused himself and closed the door behind him, still in shock by the information he had found out today.
He would do what Sirius expected of him. He would go straight to Astoria and tell her what he had in mind. He returned to the living room, and Narcissa was still present. She was waiting with an expectant look on her face.
"He is alright," Harry assured her as he sat down. "It was just memories from the past."
The woman nodded in understanding, though she seemed to have many questions judging by her expression.
"I think you should save those questions for him. I don't think talking about his life without his yes is right. On the other hand, you talking to him will get more out of him than I could." He added.
"I don't know what to say." Harry continued. "The fact that he was engaged to be married and his fiancee never bothered to check up on what happened with him is surprising. Was she so quick to judge him guilty?"
It was ridiculous and Harry felt his ire rise at the woman. He had never met her and had no idea about her, but he was in his right to display his anger until he knew more from the woman itself.
"I better get some answers. I will go to her and find all the answers I want and she better have a good answer to defend herself." He said, glaring at the fireplace.
"When will you be back?" The woman questioned and Harry shrugged. "I don't know. Am I good enough to open a ball?" He asked.
"Yes." She agreed. "You are ready to dance. Far from being perfect, but it is good enough. Passable, I would say." The woman teased, smirking at Harry.
"Of course, you would say so," Harry muttered, shaking his head. The woman had enjoyed these sessions far more than necessary. She was a tough taskmaster and she was vicious to boot when it came to her lessons.
Harry had been hit with a stinging hex numerous times with every mistake and that was something he had been fed up with. The amount of times he walked out of her lessons with bruises was extraordinary. How dancing was giving him so much pain compared to dueling he will never understand.
The woman on the other hand was certainly not shy in throwing those stinging hexes. A wrong turn will be met with a hex. A wrong foot movement will be met with a hex. Harry had no interest in dancing and ever since he decided to take lessons with Narcissa, he decided to hate them for the rest of his life.
"I hate you and I hate dancing." He grumbled, glaring at the woman who smirked once again.
"You don't hate me." Narcissa returned as she stood up and approached Harry. "You don't have the balls to hate me, Potter." She leaned forward and kissed the young man on his cheek.
"Good luck with your date, Harry. Do try not to step on her toes, will you?"
The woman had left before Harry could retort, and he got up, deciding to get back to Hogwarts. He had to do what Sirius asked of him, and he would do it right away. There was no point in waiting for it.
BREAK—--
"Hello." Astoria did not see the young man arrive and was surprised to see him standing in front of her. She looked around and could see that there was nobody nearby. She had just left her charms class and was about to go to Transfiguration.
"What are you doing here?" She questioned. "I have to get to transfiguration. Is there anything you wanted to talk to me about?"
"Yes." Harry nodded. "It is important. I needed to talk to you immediately and it couldn't wait." He added knowing that she was about to ask of him.
The girl frowned but nodded reluctantly. "What is it?" She questioned, wondering what it was that was urgent enough to interrupt her classes.
"Walk with me will you?" The two began walking away from the charms classroom and Harry continued. "I had to make certain things clear, Astoria. I wanted there to be no doubts about everything before this goes forward."
"I am not looking for a relationship, Astoria." He explained. "I am looking for a wonderful friendship. I know about your situation." He felt a twinge in his heart as he watched her jaw twitch slightly.
"I don't plan to lead you on. I don't plan on taking advantage of your misfortune." He assured. "It takes a special soul to smile every day despite knowing what our future entails. It takes a brave heart to get up every day knowing what awaits you."
"I am sorry." He added hastily. "I know how much you hate to hear it, but it had to be said. I want to build a beautiful relationship with you. A relationship entailing two wonderful friends."
"I want to know about the powerful personality that is Astoria Greengrass." He continued.
The young woman had put up an expression of indifference as she heard what he had to say. Harry didn't know if he had overstepped his bounds, but it had to be said. He knew that he might be left without a date after this conversation, but what he said was the truth and she needed to know that.
"Is that it?" Harry nodded at her question. "And this couldn't have waited till later?" He shook his head replying in negative.
"Don't worry." She said, a small smirk forming on her face. "You are just not my type. Potter. I wanted a friendship to begin with, not a relationship. It's a good thing you had no different thoughts before asking me. I would be more than happy to be an acquaintance."
"Friend, Ms Greengrass." Harry returned smirking slightly. "Not merely an acquaintance, but a friend."
"Why?" She asked, frowning. "You know that I don't have long to live. Why do you need my friendship?"
"Why?" He questioned as he walked past her, a smile on his face. "Why not, Ms Greengrass? Why not?"
The young woman watched him go, his final words ringing in her ear. Astoria had given up all forms of emotions that go with being human. What was its purpose when she knew she wouldn't live to see a future?
Ever since she learned of her fate, her parents and sister were all she wanted. She had never shied away from anything, but her condition was public knowledge, and with the circles the Grenngrasses traversed, she was a liability.
She and her sister were supposed to be the most sought-after females in the society of magical Britain, but after learning about her condition, she was of no use to any family. Dead people don't bring any influence or power, do they?
Out of nowhere, this boy steps forward and asks her out to the ball. It was Harry Potter. She was shocked. This was new to her. She didn't know what to do. Her sister was very much against her doing this, but for the first time in her life, she wanted to defy her words. She wanted to go to this ball.
As she just made clear, she had no interest nor wish to pursue a romantic relationship. She wanted a friend. Nothing else. And what better personality than the mysterious Harry Potter?
He was different. Why he decided to make her acquaintance, she didn't know, but she sincerely hoped that her decision would not lead her wrong.
She had reached her common room, having decided to skip Transfiguration. She knew her sister would be inside and she would ask questions. No sooner had she entered the Slytherin common room and she heard Daphne's voice.
"What are you doing here?" Her elder sister questioned, voice laced with worry. She approached Astoria and held her hand and led her to a nearby couch.
"Are you alright? Should we go to Madam Pomfrey?" Astoria couldn't help but feel annoyed at her coddling. She hated when her parents or sister did that, but she calmed herself every time, knowing they truly meant well.
"Would you calm down?" She said as she sat down, glaring at her sister. "I am perfectly alright. I didn't feel like going to classes. Do I have that freedom or are you going to rant about that as well?"
Daphne immediately backed away, knowing her sister was about to get angry. She raised her hands in surrender, smiling uncertainly.
"No need to get mad, sister," Daphne assured. "I just wanted to know what happened. It is very unlikely of you to skip classes. It is natural for me to get worried isn't it?"
"I just met with Potter." Daphne's face took up a frown that didn't go unnoticed by her sister.
"What did he want?" Daphne questioned, her voice filled with bitterness.
"What is your problem with him?" Astoria questioned. "You have been acting weird ever since he came up to ask me to the ball. What are you bitter about?"
"You know what my opinion about all of this is, Astoria. I don't like this one bit. I don't care what you feel about this, but I don't trust him and I don't trust your decision regarding this matter."
"You don't need to worry about him." Astoria bit back, angered by everything said. "He has no other motives that you need to think much about. Just leave me be."
Daphne had enough as she stood up, her face red with anger as she glared back at her sister. A small amount of audience had gathered in the common room, watching their commotion.
"That is enough, Astoria." Daphne shot back. "Stop making a scene out of this."
Astoria couldn't hold back her tears as she stood up from the couch, her fists clenched in anger.
"A scene? I am making a scene?" Astoria whispered stepping up close to her sister.
"I know I will be dead, Daphne. I know that I will be gone in no time. I know that I must not be looking for a relationship and I haven't. The boy wants nothing more than an honest friendship."
"I have had enough of everything in life and look forward to closing my eyes and leaving this world permanently. I am not supposed to talk to anybody barring you, befriend anybody apart from you. I know you mean well, and that you are looking out for me, but it is suffocating."
"I want to be normal, Daphne. I just want to enjoy what I can with as many days I have left. For the first time, I have got a friend. Let me enjoy it as much as I can. Don't worry, I won't bring any trouble to you or your prestigious family." She added the last with sarcasm dripping from her voice as she turned away and left the common room.
BREAK—--
Once again, like she always had, she cursed her fate. She cried just like she had always done. She was used to these emotions. Crying, cursing and wishing she was dead was something that she did every day.
Astoria hated waking up daily, unable to put herself through these emotions regularly. A new day must bring hope, but all it got for her was despair. There was nothing more depressing than knowing that she would die soon.
It would have been very nice if she never knew what she was suffering with. She would have managed to lead a life that could be considered normal and would have ultimately passed on one day without much to worry about. But her bad luck was not so forgiving.
"Astoria?" She had come out of the school and was walking towards the Black Lake and she heard the voice of the person who she didn't want to see right now.
"What happened?" Harry noticed the state the young woman was in. He could see the tears staining her face and he was concerned.
"Are you crying?" He asked and Astoria couldn't control herself from crying. She didn't care that the boy was a relative stranger, but now, she felt that she didn't care.
"Hey…hey…" Harry backtracked immediately sensing the mood. "It's fine. You don't have to say anything."
"You want me to stay?" Harry asked after a few seconds of silence. "I can go away if you are in a bad mood."
Astoria had nothing against him staying. He didn't do anything wrong, did he?
"I just had an argument with my sister." Harry understood that the girl was willing to share something and he decided to listen to what she had to say.
The girl explained everything that happened a few minutes ago back in her common room. She didn't leave anything out and Harry listened in silence, paying complete attention to what she was sharing.
"I know it was all meant well, but they can get off my back for a little, can't they?"
"Your decisions are your own, Astoria. Whatever they might be, I am sure your sister respects it." Harry added to which she shook her head.
"I don't think so." The girl smirked sadly. "They make it very clear that they don't want me taking certain decisions and even today, they make most of my choices for me. That is not respecting my decision, Potter."
"You would think so, but it is not so difficult to understand." Harry returned.
"You are free to make whatever decisions you make, but you must understand that we are always supposed to live on with our decisions irrespective of the result. Your decisions will affect you."
"From what little I know about your unfortunate circumstance is that…" He hesitated, not knowing if it was right to be talking about this. How can he talk about her problem just like that?
"You don't have to worry," Astoria replied watching his struggle. "It doesn't bother me anymore. Talk about what you have in mind. It doesn't change a thing about my life does it?"
"Your condition will worsen with time, doesn't it?" The girl nodded. "Do you think any of your family would bear to see you like that?"
"Tell me Astoria. Do your family love you?" Astoria nodded without hesitation. She knew that they loved her. She knew how much they were suffering along with her in her situation. She knew about the sleepless nights they spent thinking about her, watching over her.
"Now let's talk about you," Harry added. "Tell me, if I had been looking for more than a simple friendship from you and had broken your heart after leading you on, would you be okay with it? I certainly won't and I am sure that you won't as well."
"Adding more pain to your already painful life is a crime, Astoria. You put on a brave face and smile at everything. You get up every day, despite knowing everything that awaits you. Imagine seeing you in more pain." He explained watching as she nodded softly.
"You think they would like to see you in any more pain than they already are seeing?"
The weight of his words hit her hard and Harry observed her eyes widen in shock and realization.
Her house had stopped being a home long back. It was just four painful souls living and passing each day. Everybody was worried about her and nothing she would say would convince them otherwise.
There were no guests in their house for almost a decade. There were no celebrations in her house to mark a birthday or a wedding anniversary. All because she was suffering. Her family had forgotten to live their lives and her heart sank as she realized the weight of her sister's words.
"I don't know how it is back at home for you, Astoria. I don't know how your family is with you, but if we do go by your word, they love you with everything they have. If that was the case with my family, I would personally tear down anybody who dares to hurt one of mine." Harry continued.
"Your sister is very much right in hating me for doing what I did. It was fair on her part to question your judgment. She wants you to not feel cheated of what little innocence you hold. I would do the same. Anybody would do the same."
"They keep a close eye on you and always worry about you and coddle you to an extent that might seem painful to you because the future is very painful for them. They know that you will go away from their lives soon and with what little I know about families, no parent would ever live normally after burying their child."
"The father and mother will die mentally with the child if the child leaves them before their time is up. A father burying his child is the worst punishment somebody can get."
The girl was crying by now and Harry let her have a moment for herself. He hated to do this to her, but he wanted her to understand what was going through her family's head.
"I don't have my parents Astoria. I don't know anything about them. If I could just meet them and hug them for ten minutes, I would do anything for it. But what I will also do is that I will never let them go despite only hoping for ten minutes with them. I will do all I can to never let them go."
"It is the same with your family. They don't want to let you go, but they have no choice in that matter. Their hands are tied. They would probably go to any extent possible if it meant solving this mess. All I ask is that, please don't take their actions in the wrong way and please don't think that they are doing this as a chore. They are doing what they are out of love."
She broke down completely as he finished speaking and Harry didn't know how he could console her but he knew enough to not interfere. She needed this and he would let her grieve as much as needed. He decided to remain silent until she was done grieving and till she spoke back.
His heart broke for the poor girl and everything that was happening to her. It was a cruel world that they lived in and if everything was supposed to be fair, the world would have been a very different place to live in.
BREAK—--
It had been a while since she left in anger and she had yet to return. Daphne was ashamed of herself for losing her composure. She tried hard to keep her calm, but Astoria was adamant and that was not something she was used to.
Why couldn't Astoria see what she was trying to convey? Why did she have to be so stubborn? Why did she have to listen to Potter?
She didn't know what Potter was thinking or what his intention was, but she would not let him take advantage of Astoria. She has enough on her plate already and Potter was the last thing Astoria needed.
The door to their dorm opened and Astoria walked in. Daphne noted immediately that she had been in tears and her heart broke seeing her like that. She got up and was about to walk towards her sister, but Astoria came running and crashed into Daphne grabbing her in a tight hug, and bawling her eyes out.
"I am sorry…" She heard her whisper again and again and again, clutching onto her not willing to let go and Daphne just held her making sure to soothe her gently.
"Don't apologize, Astoria. You did nothing wrong. It was insensitive of me to speak the way I did. Please forgive me."
She gently moved Astoria towards her bed, sat her down and knelt in front of her. She then proceeded to make her lay down and tucked her into bed, all the while, keeping her eyes on her sister.
"You don't have to apologise ever, Astoria. Not to me. I overstepped my bounds and I will make sure it doesn't happen again. I respect your choice. It was your choice and I will find a way to be okay with it. Don't worry."
She could make out her eyes drooping and she made to move away, letting her rest after a very trying few hours, but Astoria didn't release her hold on Daphne's hand.
"You were right," Astoria whispered. "You have every right to be worried and that was not a mistake. I was silly and I disrespected your words without thinking them through. How can you be so calm after the stupid tantrum I threw for no reason?"
"It took Potter speaking to me to open my eyes. It took a few minutes of his time to show how stupid I was and I hate what I did."
Daphne frowned at her response. She would have questioned further, but seeing Astoria in a frenzy, she decided to keep it to herself for now.
"Whatever it is, I am sure it meant nothing. Go to sleep sister. Rest." She assured patting her on her head.
"Don't worry." She said once again. "There is nothing much to think about. It was just a small fight between sisters. Go to sleep."
The girl nodded and it didn't take long for her to shut her eyes and drift off. The girl was tired both mentally and physically and sleep didn't elude her for long.
Daphne returned to her bed all the while keeping her eye on Astoria and sat down her mind returning to Astoria and her words about Potter. Just what did she mean? What was she trying to tell her and what did Harry Potter have to do with it?
She would have an answer soon enough, she decided and if it was anything hurtful, he had a lot of answering to do and she would go as far as to curse him if she deemed it fit.
Astoria might be okay with Potter or his antics, but she would not be convinced otherwise. She knew people and people just don't do things without any motive. She hoped that he put a foot wrong and she would just show him what she could do.
TBC—--