Astoria came out from Draco's bathroom freshly bathed. She found him already in his bed, curiously working on a magic puzzle box. He paused to look at her, his grey eyes studying her own carefully before falling to her neck. He set his box down, getting up from the bed and going to her. She stilled reflexively, watching his eyes when he reached up and brushed his fingers lightly over her neck. His hands were oddly smooth for a man's hands, and he knew how to touch so incredibly lightly that it seemed only the very top layer of his skin skimmed hers. The bruises on her neck had nearly cleared completely, but there were still light traces of color left on her throat. "Does it still hurt you?" he asked her, his eyes unreadable as he went over the bruises slowly.
Always unreadable.
"No, not really. It's only slightly uncomfortable. Your healing potions are very good," she told him, still frozen under his touch, barely breathing.
"Obviously they aren't good enough as it's been days," he said, his eyebrows twitching with agitation.
"You're very strong," she told him quietly, remembering just how hard he had squeezed her. His potions were good considering the damage.
"Maybe it is you who is weak," he said, but his voice was gentle and his eyes that had moved back up to watch hers were thawed from the usual iciness they held. He dropped his hand, handing her the nightgown she had laid out for herself before returning to the bed and picking his puzzle box back up.
"I believe it's both," she breathed, slipping into the nightgown quickly in an attempt at modesty. She slowed her movements when she realized Draco wasn't actually watching her, but instead focusing on the little puzzle box. She turned from him to look in the mirror as she brushed her wet hair, studying her faintly marked neck, her thoughts wandering. She braided her hair after applying her moisturizer to her face and went to get into the bed, shyness and uncertainty falling over as she got into it next to him, having not had the chance to actually go to bed with him in the past nights. He didn't look up from his box when she joined him and she watched his long fingers move over it thoughtfully, his eyes focused. She admired how sure and deliberate his movements always were. "My grandmother loved those," she murmured after watching his elegant hands work over the object for a few minutes, the same way she had watched her grandmother.
"Funny."
"I wasn't meaning to tease you for enjoying puzzles like an elderly person," Astoria said, smiling slightly. "I just haven't seen one since I used to see her play with them all of the time."
He made a sound of acknowledgment as his grey eyes flicked quickly back and forth as he concentrated. She didn't mind his silence at that moment. She enjoyed the sound of his hands slipping over his toy and the calmness in the room, finding it all too easy to drift off.
Draco looked down after a while of shutting off his loud thoughts to his puzzle box to look at his sleeping wife. She was facing toward him, her small body curled comfortably at his side with her braid of long hair draped over the side of her neck, hiding the evidence of his cruelty. He thought of how when he had touched her there, in the same place he had hurt her, she hadn't flinched. She hadn't pulled away from him.
It was wrong.
It was the wrong reaction. It should be natural to recoil from something that had previously caused harm. She was just so trained, trained to allow him to touch her when he wanted to, no matter what the circumstances or how she felt.
Draco set the box down on his bedside table and slowly sank down to lay next to Astoria who was oddly close to him, facing her so he could study her. Selfishly, he hadn't only been avoiding her the past few days just out of mercy to give her space from him. He had avoided her so he wouldn't have to see her lay tense and facing away from him when he joined her in bed or flinched when he raised a hand near her.
Now he wasn't sure which reaction unnerved him more.
The fact that she wasn't shrinking away from him and the fact that she wasn't lying on the edge of the bed, but instead close to the middle and close to him, wasn't because she loved him or cared for him - it was because of acceptance. The *normalcy* of it.
Draco shook his head, attempting to clear his thoughts so he could rest. The rest that his wife somehow allowed him to have.
He woke up before she did, as he usually did. He had noticed that she was both a heavy sleeper and a late riser. Quite the opposite of him, and quite the opposite of what a wife should be, but he liked it that way. He wasn't considerate enough to be quiet when coming to bed to not wake a light sleeper and he preferred to not be bothered with as soon as he woke up. He examined her pretty face, noting how her mouth was slightly open and her braid was messy on top of his pillow from her stirring in the night. Draco got up from the bed to dress himself, instantly growing irritated for what was to come in the next few hours. He was sure there would at least be one of his beloved trio there to poke and prod at him as well as his home and wife.
Draco checked the time and cursed. It had been much later in the morning than he had expected.
"Astoria," he snapped loudly, causing her to stir. "Up!"
He left the room to send the house-elf to open the Manor entrance and allow the Aurors in.
Astoria woke to Draco's agitated voice and rose slowly, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She yawned and stared off for a few moments before checking the time tiredly, blinking to see more clearly in surprise.
How was she meant to get ready in that amount of time?
She scrambled out of bed quickly, grabbing a dress from the small stock she had brought to Draco's room in one hand while trying to take off her nightgown with the other. She threw on the first pieces jewelry she saw and went to the bathroom to wash her face and put her hair up, quickly adding the light amount of makeup she wore daily to her face. She left the bathroom before stumbling into her heels and leaving the bedroom, swiftly walking down the manor steps. She began to make the sitting room presentable, flustered. She had always had Daphne to wake her when she needed to be up at a reasonable time.
She ordered the house-elf to go to the bakery she frequented to get some cakes and pastries to set up tea in the gardens, figuring she would be interviewed by a woman as that was usually the route they took when it came to similar things.
Draco stalked angrily into the sitting room as she was preparing coffee. "No. I don't want to accommodate them as if they are guests," he spat, looking disgusted at her efforts.
Astoria gave him a measured look. "I hate to disagree with you, but they are our guests. It is in our best interests to treat them as such."
"How horribly political of you. Yes, I know how politics work, and I am choosing to not act as if I respect them. I cannot stomach it," he said flatly and Astoria pressed her lips together, considering how to argue with him without angering him.
"My mother does that when my father is saying something foolish," Draco said coolly, nodding to her mouth.
"Well. Good thing I am not your mother then," she said, unsure of how to respond to the comment and unsure if he was implying that she thought him foolish and was giving her some sort of test.
"Mmm."
"I believe this is the best route to take, especially if we don't want them sticking their noses too far into our lives," she insisted. "No offense intended, Draco, but your father was never very good in that aspect. He was incredibly transparent of his distaste for most of the Ministry. Fortunately, your poker face is not as terrible as his." She was pushing it, but it was necessary.
Draco's face was cold and unreadable again as he said nothing.
"Yes. Just like that."
Draco scoffed at her and sat in the armchair, allowing her to finish what she was doing, his eyes unfocusing as he thought. Draco didn't move when the knocker sounded and she left him to open the door to the Aurors, plastering her best fake welcoming smile on her face as she ushered them in and sent their coats to the coat closet with her wand as she led them to the sitting room. She introduced herself and Draco, who still hadn't moved nor did he attempt to when she introduced him. He was going to make this difficult indeed.
Astoria sat in the armchair next to her husband after sitting them in the chairs in front of them, studying the Aurors. There were four Aurors including Hermione Granger who was the only woman, and Astoria only recognized one of the three men from Hogwarts.
"We are going to speak to both of you separately," the dark skinned man stated as Astoria prepared each of the men a cup of coffee. The other two men grumbled their thanks when she gave them theirs. "Mr. Malfoy, you will talk with us. Your wife will speak with Ms. Granger outside of this room. Or, we can speak to you outside of this room. Your choice."
Draco said nothing as he stared back at them and Astoria smiled at Granger who was looking slightly uncomfortable at her surroundings. She was surprised she had come at all. Surely there were other female Aurors that didn't have such a history with Draco and Malfoy Manor specifically. She cleared her throat, glancing at Draco before she stood, waiting for Granger to stand as well. She led her out to the gardens where the prepared tea awaited, the teapot steaming. She motioned to the chair at the small table before sitting in the one across from it, waiting for the girl patiently.
"Thank you..." Granger checked the file she was holding as she sat down. "Astoria."
Astoria tilted her head thoughtfully. "My pleasure, Hermione."
Granger looked surprised but guarded at her and she looked back down at the file. "Congratulations on your recent marriage. I trust all is going… well." Ah, she was horrible at acting like she wasn't completely uninterested in making small talk.
"It is going as well as it can be."
"Well… Aren't you happy?"
"Happy," Astoria repeated slowly, considering the idea. "I achieved my goal."
Granger's brow furrowed at her reply, looking confused on how to respond. A terribly awkward thing she was. "Good then. Your new home is lovely," she told her unconvincingly, nodding.
"Thank you, but I don't think you like it," she replied, looking up at the large, intimidating manor.
"No. I don't," Hermione said, her voice sounding more sure than before. "But I can appreciate the architecture."
Astoria kept her polite smile, watching her expectantly as she waited for her first question. No need to torture this uncomfortable woman with more small talk.
"Mrs. Malfoy, are you aware of the new uprising of Death Eaters?" Granger started, reading from the file she was holding.
"Yes."
"Mrs. Malfoy, are you or your husband involved with these new Death Eaters?"
"No."
"Mrs. Malfoy, are you aware that your husband, in the past, was a Death Eater?"
"Yes." Astoria fought to roll her eyes at the silly question. Even if it wasn't a plainly known fact that the Malfoy men had been Death Eaters, she had seen Draco naked for Merlin's sake. The Dark Mark was not something that disappeared with the Dark Lord's death - it only lightened under the skin.
"Mrs. Malfoy, did you approve of Voldemort and his Death Eaters before his death?"
"No."
Granger stopped, giving her a look of reproach. "I understand that you are attempting to put on a show of civility, Mrs. Malfoy, but please answer the questions honestly. Yes, I am a muggle-born, but I am a big girl and can handle not getting in a quarrel with you if you tell me you supported Voldemort."
"Alright," Astoria said, nodding. "My answer still remains the same."
"Well if that is true then why are you married to Malfoy?"
She laughed gently. "We do not marry one another over morals."
Granger shook her head and looked back down at the file, her eyes already looking fed up with their conversation. "Fine. Mrs. Malfoy, are you aware of anyone besides you or your husband involved in the new forming group of Death Eaters.?"
"No. Must you read off of that paper like that? We can speak as normal acquaintances, I hope you realize," she said, pouring them both a cup of tea.
Granger considered her for a moment before resting the file in her lap, taking the tea. "Alright. If not morals, then why do you marry? Money?"
"No, not money. We all have money. I suppose there are a few families who care to have more money, but my family has quite a bit of money as it is. The men for some reason can't seem to grasp this either, as the women in our circle are often called gold diggers. Why would I have to dig for gold if I already have it? Silly. I suppose the simple explanation to the question would be status," she explained after looking out at the sky as she thought of a simple enough answer for the Auror.
"Status from whose point of view exactly?"
"Ours. The pure-bloods. The pure-bloods expanding to other countries as well. You see, you and your people may see the Malfoys as a family that has fallen, but-"
"My people?" She interrupted, searching Astoria's face.
"Like-minded people," she replied, nodding. "You may see the Malfoys as fallen, but to our people they are still quite high in ranks when it comes to pure-blood status. We do not care what you view us as, as we see your people as inferior and somewhat outside of our world."
Granger shifted, her expression hardening. "You advised me to be truthful, and that is the truth. Just as you see us as inferior, do you not? You believe us morally below you. You look down on us, just as we look down on you."
Granger shook her head. "It is not the same."
"It's not the same, no, as both sides have completely different views of the world and practices which make the circumstances different. However, it doesn't change the fact that both sides look down on the other."
She considered this for a moment, a slight scowl on her face. "I… pity you. I don't believe you to be inferior."
"And pity is one of the furthest things from respect I can think of."
"Well, it isn't as if you respect me."
"I do. I believe you're very intelligent, and I think you've made the best of what you were given in life, which is all anyone can do," Astoria told her honestly, watching her eyes.
Granger watched her back, a frown on her face as she seemed to be deciding whether or not she believed her. Astoria noted her posture in the meantime. It was much better than most of the girls she had seen at Hogwarts that hung around Harry Potter's circle, but it was still poor. She could hardly imagine the puffing and fussing of her mother if she had even half as poor of posture.
"The Malfoys failed Voldemort. Voldemort mocked them openly," she said, going back to their previous subject.
"Yes, but not all pure-bloods were Death Eaters or agreed with the war. I'm sure families of other Death Eaters have their opinions about that, but that doesn't affect status. It's only slightly embarrassing."
"Your family didn't agree with the war?"
"No. My father always scoffed at the idea that the Dark Lord was a half-blood demanding pure-bloods to follow him."
"Ah. So the disagreement was about blood status. Not about the fact that Voldemort was responsible for the slaughter and ruin of so many innocents," Granger said flatly.
"Well, slightly that too. We find importance in blood, but many families aren't interested in getting their hands dirty or bothering themselves with putting the work in to rid the world of all who are inferior. That would take far too much time, and given the abundance of you - impossible. We stay in our world, and you stay in yours."
"So I'm sure people like me bother you because of my relationship with a Weasley."
"A Weasley?" Astoria asked, snorting slightly in her amusement, covering her mouth. "The Weasleys are blood traitors. On top of that, they are poor and classless. There are so many appearances, mannerisms, requirements, rules that have to be kept in order to remain in decent status. There is a system in place that the Weasleys simply would never be able to work in. The Weasleys are a part of the you side, and still would be even if you did not exist."
Hermione shook her head. "Why?" She asked her broadly, wanting her to answer the same question that had been asked so many times by herself to herself.
What was the point?
"It is just how it is and has been for a very long time and will be that way for a very long time."
Granger was quiet for a while before she picked up her file again, writing down some notes as Astoria waited patiently. She was sure it was much more difficult for Granger to sit and speak with her than the other way around.
"You're so young," she said softly after a while, staring at the file, pity in her voice. "Only at the end of seventeen."
"I'm well aware of my age," Astoria replied stiffly, her polite tone strained. She did not need this woman's pity.
Granger watched her, shaking her head and drinking her tea. She looked at her again before staring at her neck as anger and alarm filled her eyes, saying nothing for a few moments as she stared in horror. "You can report him," she began coldly. "Report him to me now, press charges, and I can arrest him. He cannot assault you, husband or not."
She cursed herself in her head. This was why only having minutes to get ready was a terrible idea. She touched her neck, looking away from the Auror modestly to put on a show. "Oh, this. Well. We are newlyweds. A lot of new ways to… experiment," she implied.
"I don't believe you! That does not look as simple as rough sex!" Astoria cringed visibly at her wording. "Astoria, that is wrong," Granger stressed, leaning forward across the table and searching her eyes. More pity.
"Yes, I understand you have very strong opinions about what is wrong and what is right," Astoria said smoothly, keeping her polite expression.
Granger looked distraught as she added notes, seeming to scribble them out and write them again. Astoria studied her carefully.
She took a deep breath before starting again. "Can't you… Can't you go to your parents? Tell them? Marry a different oh so important pure-blood man of status?"
Astoria had to hold her breath to contain the laughter that stuck in her throat. This. This was how that girl would react. That girl she always thought of in her head. She simply shook her head, taking a drink of her tea, an amused expression on her face.
"He doesn't own you," Granger said slowly, looking at her even more intently, talking to her as if she was hard of hearing or a difficult child.
Again, Astoria simply looked at her.
Granger shook her leg, which was incredibly impolite, looking deep in thought as she seemed to decide where to take the conversation. "It doesn't have to be this way, Astoria. There are men, real men, who don't have to-"
"Real men? Who? Real men like the ones in your house at Hogwarts? Or perhaps any of the ones apart from mine? The ones who would call me a brainless doll? Pure-blood whore? Slytherin 'fuckmeat'? 'Oi, you reckon this one takes lessons on how to give head for when she marries one of those wealthy gits? Think she'll practice on us? Think she touches herself to the thought of money?' Believe me when I say that these quotes are exact as they let me hear every word as they spoke about me as if I weren't there because that's just how little they thought I was worth. That's how little they respected me. Or perhaps real men such as the ones who actually did put their hands on me - smacked my backside in the halls, pushed me up against walls, blocked me into corners or extra classrooms to harass and torment me because why not? Why respect me? I was just a stupid, mindless future trophy wife was I not? I wasn't a human being, and I'm especially not one now. Not to your people. Either it's belittling me with pity as if I'm some incapable weakling with no control over my own thoughts or actions or it's degrading me in other ways like how those real men of yours would degrade me. Not just me, I'm not special. All of the 'pure-blood sex holes' received the same gentlemanly treatment. Really, are you just completely unaware that not everyone on your 'light' side is perfect and good? Men are men."
Granger was silent, watching her with a slight taken aback expression on her face. "Of course I know that not everyone from my house or other people from... my side is good, but the majority are much better than-"
"The majority?" Astoria asked, cocking her head to the side slightly and smiling. "Alright, Hermione. Please, when you see Ron Weasley again. Mention me. My name. Well, of course not my name. Of course the gold digging trophy wife doesn't have a name. Try 'Malfoy's new wife', and see what he has to say."
"No matter what he would say - it doesn't change the fact that abuse is wrong, and you don't deserve it. You don't have to take it."
"There are many things I have done and many things that I think that would be wrong to you," Astoria said, watching Granger deal with her frustrations with an embarrassing lack of composure.
"That's different. You aren't beating women. You were raised to think the way you do. You were raised to think that what he did and will do is okay."
"And how do you think Draco was raised to think?"
"Again, it's not the same."
"Why? Because I'm a woman? Now Granger, I believed you to be a strong believer of gender equality. Please, don't pity me, and if you must - pity both of us. Do not excuse one of us without the other. Do not excuse me and what you see is wrong about me while not excusing what you think is wrong about Draco. His brain isn't any more capable than mine," she said softly. "I'm not stupid, Hermione."
Granger seemed to deflate slightly, her eyes looking tired. She probably thought of Astoria as a stubborn toddler; impossible to teach anything to. She took another drink of her tea and looked down at her file, staring at it for a while. "Do you know where your husband's parents are?"
"No, unfortunately I do not. I rather enjoy Narcissa's company," Astoria answered, frowning.
Granger nodded as she wrote in her file again, letting out a long breath and grabbing a cake from the display tray, taking a bite of it as she wrote. A small alarm in Astoria's head went off at the unusual sight and she stared, blinking dubiously. "I do envy you for this," Granger said, looking around at the set-up. "It would be quite nice to get together with friends once a week or so and have tea like this."
And with that, Astoria couldn't hold in her laughter.