Secrets and Snakes - A Draco Malfoy Story

The Ring On The Chain

Astoria fiddled with the chain around her neck. The one that now held Draco's ring, the M branding her chest slightly. The heavy metal made the dragons push into her skin. She liked the sight of Draco's dark ring around her neck. But that didn't change the fact that there was another woman wearing a much more important, much more valid, much more real ring. And the fact that this other woman was her sister made it even worse.

"So, tell me about the flying," Aria said as she walked back into their dormitory. Though the two friends were going with separate people to the Quidditch match—Astoria with Daphne and Aria with Theo—they were getting ready for the match together. Astoria shoved the ring underneath the dark green Quidditch jersey. She didn't need to raise any questions, especially when she didn't know the answers to any. She was already confused enough about the fact that she adored the way her back said "Malfoy". You're going to be family, she told herself. It's normal. There is nothing wrong with it.

If Aria noticed Astoria's mental debate, she didn't let it on. Instead, she just continued talking quietly while getting dressed in a pretty, dark green sundress. "You said you fell? And Draco caught you?"

Astoria's adrenaline was so high by the time she returned to the dormitory. Aria was there, reading a book on astronomy, when Astoria walked in and couldn't contain herself. She told her about the flying lesson, saying Draco was teaching her to fly when he learned she had never flown herself, a fact that shocked even Aria, who had an even more sheltered childhood than Astoria. Aria gasped when she heard that Astoria fell but her shock was even more palpable when Astoria said Draco caught her. She left out the part about the most magical kiss she had ever had, of course, but the blush still rose to her cheeks when she thought about it so Aria probably knew something was going on anyway.

Astoria fixed her hair—down in large, black curls—and swiped on some of her signature strawberry lipgloss. "Yup. I don't think I've ever been so scared. Except, perhaps, during Tom's Dark Days."

"Dark Days?" Aria asked with confusion. 

"Right. I keep forgetting that you weren't here for things like this." Aria had just transferred from Beauxbatons and, therefore, did her first six years of schooling elsewhere. "Tom is Mattheo's brother. They're both the sons of Voldemort—you know him, of course. Most powerful wizard of all time until Tom came along. Now Tom can do much more but he's slightly less evil so I guess people just tend to leave him alone."

Aria nodded. "Got it."

"Well... back in my second year, something happened. No one really knows what—well, maybe Mattheo does—but the sky was black for weeks. It was constantly raining and the castle was surrounded by fog so thick that no one could go outside. Not that they would want to. The Black Lake had giant waves and the forest had these sporadic fires that could hardly be contained. And Tom walked around the castle like Salazar Slytherin himself. He was terrifying. Even Dumbledore seemed frightened."

"Wow," Aria said, her eyes wide. "So what happened? How did the Dark Days end?"

Astoria shrugged. She had her guesses, of course, but no one truly knew what happened back then. It would make for an interesting story though, she supposed. "One day, it just stopped. The waves calmed, the fires went out, the fog lifted, and the sky lightened."

"Woah."

"Woah is right. I told you... Tom is powerful. But you want to know what I think?" she asked as she stepped into a black skirt, pantyhose, and slingback black heels. Aria nodded. "I think Tom fell in love. Maybe something went wrong and righted itself again. Who knows? Love is hard."

Aria blew a piece of hair on top of her head and mumbled, "Love is hard."

Astoria smiled and grabbed the ring resting secretly on her collarbone. Yes, love was hard. But when she thought about the feeling of Draco's lips on hers as he passionately kissed her, she thought that perhaps it was worth it all.