the blood curse: a drastoria fanfiction

pathetic

"mum always told me you were a better man than I could see, but this is what you really are, isn't it?"
                       - scorpius malfoy (the cursed child)

°

"Of course," Astoria said. "Bye, Hermione." Moving a little closer to the Gryffindor, she whispered, "Thank you so much."

Hermione smirked. "Anytime."

"Now, Astoria," Draco snapped, barely suppressed anger floating dangerously beneath his voice.

Astoria followed him out of the Hall, quite aware that most students' eyes were on her. As soon as the heavy oak doors closed, Draco rounded on her.

"What the bloody hell was that?" he hissed.

Astoria tried for innocence. Batting her eyes in what she hoped was a convincing display of ignorance she said, "I was just saying hi to a friend."

"Drop the act!" Draco snarled, his eyes narrowing. "You knew what you were doing."

"What does it matter if I did?" Astoria said, reverting back to her normal self. His reaction didn't surprise her in the slightest. She felt all of her feelings for this boy ebb away slowly as he spoke, all her hopes that he was maybe hiding a heart of gold hidden under the layers of utter obnoxiousness finally crushed.

"Honestly, you call yourself a pureblood? Allowing yourself to be seen with that filth, what will your parents say? And I was supposed to take care of you, they'll blame me for corrupting you! This is one step away from blood treachery. You don't deserve to be in Slytherin," Draco spat, pacing around Astoria.

"Have you ever considered that maybe I don't want to be in Slytherin?" Astoria yelled. "The most pretentious house, the one that everyone else hates, the one filled with bad people... people like... like you!" She felt tears coming to her eyes but didn't stop. "Everyone tells me it's such an honor! Like I should be proud to be Sorted into the only house with no definable skills! Gryffindors are brave, Hufflepuffs are kind, Ravenclaws are intelligent! Slytherins are what," she paused, hiccuping slightly and trying to stop the tremors from reaching her body, "Slytherins are... are good at lying! I guess that is true, because I've been lying the whole time - I don't want to be a pureblood, I don't want to be in Slytherin, I don't want -"

"Stop," Draco warned, voice dangerously low. But there was no stopping Astoria now.

"I don't want to be forced to be friends with you! You are inconsiderate, obnoxious, mean, vain, pretentious, and have no heart!" she finished. Feeling slightly better after having gotten all of her anger out of her system, she stopped hiccuping and slid down the wall to the ground, still shaking and crying slightly.

Draco stood over her, looking angrier than ever. "Take it back. Take it all back, or I will, I swear to God -"

"Do what?" Astoria asked, her lip curling up with a sneer, "Kill me, like all your little Death Eater friends? I'm not scared of you, you pathetic little swine. Leave me alone."

Draco took out his wand. Astoria barely even flinched; she didn't want to go a coward. However, instead of employing the Killing Curse, the blond boy cast a Silencing Charm on the sobbing girl.

"Listen to me," he said roughly. She deliberately looked away. "I said LISTEN TO ME!" he screamed, and her eyes snapped back up to his imposing form. Satisfied, he kneeled down in front of her. "I don't know what's going on with you lately, but whatever it is, you better find a way to resolve it and return to your normal self before I have to check you into the Hospital Wing again for insanity. Who do you think you are, muddying the Slytherin reputation by fraternizing with a Mudblood?" he said. Astoria looked at him.

Then she smacked him.

The blow hit him full in the face, sending him tumbling sideways and breaking the Silencing Charm. The girl produced her wand and shoved it at him.

"I would Obliviate you, but I want to you to remember how completely and utterly I defeated you," she spat, looking down on his writhing form. "Never call anyone a Mudblood again, do you hear me? Oh, stop whimpering, it's pathetic."

She walked off to Transfiguration, drying her tears as she went.

°

"What the hell happened there, Astoria?" Blaise asked, concern in his eyes, as soon as she entered the Slytherin common room that night. "Draco says you punched him, but I don't believe him."

"I didn't punch him, I slapped him," Astoria said cheerily, sitting down in her seat and stretching her legs.

"Astoria?" Pansy asked.

"Mm?"

"Are you feeling okay?"

"Never better."

"Because usually, you're in love with Draco Malfoy, not trying to slap him into a million pieces," Pansy said, eyes narrowing slightly at her own mention of Astoria being infatuated with her boyfriend. 

"I was never in love with Draco," Astoria said dismissively, waving the thought away. "You're his girlfriend, why would I be in love with him?"

Pansy eyed her suspiciously. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine. Oh, look, Quidditch season is starting," the raven-haired girl said cheerily, pointing to the announcement on the Slytherin bulletin. Blaise looked extremely worried and Pansy was biting her nails out of anxiety.

Suddenly, the door to the Slytherin common room burst open, causing the trio to jump. Draco stormed in, barely looking at Pansy and Blaise, whose mouths hung open with surprise. Before they could say anything, however, he'd gone, disappearing up the passage to the boys' dormitories. 

Other Slytherins had noticed, and soon barrage of whispered gossip filled the room. Astoria heard her name mentioned a couple of times but chose to ignore it. Blaise was still staring at the passage Draco had disappeared down into, his eyes almost glazed over. Pansy was staring at the fireplace, denial written all over her. 

Five minutes passed, and then the sound of a door slamming filled the common room. Everyone's heads immediately jerked up, and they watched the passage hungrily. Soon enough, Draco rounded the bend, followed this time by his trunk, which he was levitating behind him. He paused at the entrance to the common room, then walked quickly over to where Astoria, Pansy, and Blaise were sitting. 

"Draco, what are you-" Pansy began, but was cut off as he kissed her roughly. 

"Bye, Pansy. I expect I'll see you at the Christmas ball." He turned to Blaise, leaving a shocked Pansy in his wake. "Blaise, you're the closest thing I have to a best mate. See you around." 

"Draco," Astoria began, not believing her eyes. 

"I don't talk to filth," he spat, hardly sparing her a glance. With that, he left, his trunk still gliding behind him. The door slammed one more time, and then he was gone.