If I Lose Myself

Chapter One: Astoria

"I am aware of the first war, having gone through a traumatic phase myself at the time." Cepheus said calmly as Astoria and her sister took their respective seats on the table. "I'm merely expressing the fact that while not everything has gone to hell yet, it would be unwise not to have our daughters educated given the opportunity. We are not some pretentious pure-blood family."

"We are part of the Sacred Twenty-Eight and that's as pure-blooded as we are!" Cassandra shrieked, matching the sound of a screeching Banshee as she slammed the envelopes onto the table. "What if he comes for them at the dead of night?! Forces them to join his bloody Death Eaters? You know he wants nothing but the finest pure-bloods in his army, and I refuse to have my daughters be one of them!"

"Oh, calm your knickers mum. It's not like Tori and I are going to be Death Eaters." Daphne waved off their mother shortly after commanding their house-elf, Briseis, to fetch their breakfast. "Besides, have you seen their robes? It's ghastly. I can't imagine myself looking gorgeous in those. And that tattoo of theirs is a laughing matter in modern fashion."

"Mum, it's going to be fine." Astoria said softly before gracing her mother a smile. Unlike her sister, she didn't quite enjoy joking around during serious conversations, especially one that involves the life and death of their family. "I got an owl from Luna saying that Professor Dumbledore will be putting loads of protection spells on the castle. It's not likely a Death Eater would be daft enough to walk through the front gates without being burned to smithereens."

"You're still friends with Loony Lovegood? How can you stand her? She's mental!" Daphne asked her, completely aghast. Astoria ignored her.

"We'll owl you twice a day; if it helps you sleep at night." Astoria bargained before her mother could say anything. "And if the dark mark shows up at the castle, we'll be the first to be on the train back to London."

Cepheus smirked at his wife, causing Cassandra to glare at him before sighing with sheer relents and finally settling down on her seat.

"I suppose that settles it, then." Cepheus said rather cheerfully, closing his copy of the Daily Prophet before taking a sip of his own tea. "We'll be off to Diagon Alley this afternoon to buy your books."

"Oh, thank you, thank you, daddy!" Daphne squealed in delight as she threw herself at their father, giving him a bone-crushing hug. "I promise I'll do better this year. I passed six of my O.W.L.S. Surely I'm well off to getting into some pretty good N.E.W.T. subjects!"

"You'll do well to work hard on those subjects, then, Daphne." Cassandra told her eldest daughter harshly before gracing Astoria with a lovely smile. "And you too, dear."

"Mum, I don't take O.W.L.S till' next year." Astoria said just as Briseis the house-elf arrived with their breakfast, the smell of freshly cooked sausages and bacons wafting through the air.

"I know, but if you want to be Prefect, I expect Outstandings from all of your subjects. Not a single Acceptable, you hear?" Cassandra said, raising her brows as she plucked a sausage with her silver fork.

"Yes, mother." Astoria sighed tiredly as she too began to devour her meal.

That was the certain problem, apart from the Dark Lord's return and all, in the Greengrass manor. Her parents had expected Daphne to be above and beyond everyone else in Slytherin, wanting her to become a Prefect when she had reached her fifth year last year; as did her parents when they were in Hogwarts. But a few failed classes during Daphne's fourth year lead the Prefect role to be given to Pansy Parkinson, a snarky, pug-faced friend of her sister's that Astoria didn't particularly fancy befriending. Since then, the disappointment of their parents, though rarely shown, reflected onto her – and now the expectations they've wished for Daphne were all on her shoulders. It wasn't exactly fair and the nicest thing to weigh at the time being.