If I Lose Myself

Chapter One: Astoria

But despite such, she loves her parents and she didn't exactly want to end up disappointing them any more than she already has. What, with her tolerance for muggles and muggle-borns, it isn't quite prim and proper for a pure-blood and it wasn't what they expected out of her.

It's certainly a bloody lot to take in for a fifteen year-old girl.

Astoria spent most of her afternoon in Diagon Alley alone. After breakfast, she sent an owl to Luna asking if she wanted to join them that afternoon. She had hoped to get a reply within the hour, the usual interval in which Luna would reply. But upon the strike of two, she had already side-apparated with her parents.

She suspected Daphne and her mother had something to do with not getting an owl back from her dear friend. They never did like how Astoria associated with the Ravenclaw girl. While not a lot of people befriended Luna Lovegood (or as most like to call her Loony Lovegood), she didn't mind being friends with the quintessential witch. She's a sore better lot to befriend than any of the other Slytherin girls who were downright nasty and just plain unfriendly, save for the exception of the Carrow twin sisters, who tolerated and were friendly with Astoria considering how they were roommates.

Before Astoria could head off alone into Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour for a bit of cookies and cream, she felt someone tug at her arms. Once she turned to find that it was only Daphne, she pursed her lips and dragged her sister right into the parlour.

"What are you doing?! You've got to come with me, Tori, oh please." Daphne begged as she tugged at her sister's arm relentlessly. "I'm in need of new robes, and I trust no one else in the sense of my robe fashion except you!"

"Why can't you just bring Pansy? Or Millicent? I bet they'd be thrilled to help you out with that." Astoria asked inquiringly as she tried to weave her arm off of her sister's.

"Well, they're not here now, are they?" Daphne rolled her eyes at her playfully. "You've got to! I'll buy you some ice cream after. I promise. I swear it on Gran Cassiopeia's grave!"

"Oh, for goodness' sake, fine. But you owe me two cones of cookies and cream, you hear?" Astoria gave in as she was quickly dragged out of the parlour and straight down the cobblestone steps towards Twilfitt and Tatting's.

"Bit excessive, don't you think?" Astoria asked, blowing a strand of her black hair out of the way as she and Daphne entered the up market clothing shop. "You're willing to waste half of your savings for a new set of robes?"

"Come now, Tori. You act as if we're not rich enough to buy the entire shop! Or have you completely forgotten that we're well off?" Daphne gasped at her before finally pulling away to head for the front desk where a heavily make-upped witch was conversing with a blonde woman wearing a dark silk coat. The latter seemed awfully familiar, though Astoria could hardly put her finger to it.

Her eyes wandered around the shop and she couldn't help but admire the well-sewn dresses and robes hanging around in silver hangers. Though she wasn't like Daphne who spends half her savings on clothes and extra pairs of shoes, she did fancy a lovely emerald dress, pairing it with white pumps occasionally. Just as she was about to head for the second floor where some of the boas and floppy hats were, she heard her sister's high-pitched squeal.

"Mrs. Tatting!" Daphne greeted the witch before turning to the blonde one. "Oh, and Mrs. Malfoy! A pleasure to see you here!"

Astoria nearly jumped at the second name that her sister mentioned. She turned her attention towards the front desk, now realizing the familiarity of the blonde woman. A cold shiver ran down her spine, mostly out of nervousness than fear. Everyone knew of the Malfoys. Certainly not a single wizard lived without having to encounter that family name somewhere. They were practically the wealthiest British wizarding family known, a family of the Sacred Twenty-Eight and a well-respected one at that. Well, that is, until Lucius Malfoy himself was caught with a bunch of other Death Eaters in the Department of Mysteries in the Ministry of Magic. The family had fallen from grace after the occurrence; however, Astoria still found it odd that her parents are still in allegiance with the family. She had assumed her mother would be ashamed to have been associated with the Malfoys after that fiasco, but perhaps there's more loyalty there than what meets the eye.