the blood curse: a drastoria fanfiction

the icicle ball

"numbing the pain for a while will make it worse when you finally feel it."
                                   - albus percival wulfric brian dumbledore

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Astoria linked arms with Daphne as they walked through the doors to the Great Hall, gasping in surprise. Instead of the crowded dining area the sisters knew well, a completely decorated ballroom greeted them. Icicle spikes six feet tall formed the corners of the dance floor, where some couples were already waltzing incorrectly. Small circular tables were scattered around the edges of the room, and a buffet table had replaced the one the professors had usually sat at. Before she could stop herself, Astoria looked around the room for Draco. He was deep in conversation with Blaise, his arm slung around Pansy. Like the last few weeks had never happened. She watched him until he excused himself, then her eyes snapped back to Daphne. 

Astoria felt nauseous. "I need to get a drink," she told her sister, who nodded in understanding. She started to walk towards the buffet table and was looking at the non-alcoholic drinks section when - 

"Going to drown your sorrows already?" a cool voice said from behind her. Malfoy. 

"So what if I am?" Astoria said challengingly, turning around to face him. 

He eyed her dress. "Don't vomit on your dress. It's a pretty one. And you listened when I told you not to get one that would match my tie." 

The girl snorted. "Only because I bought it before you started tonguing someone else."

The boy appeared unfazed. "Well, it'd be a shame to waste it."

"Who says I will?" Astoria said. "I never said I wasn't going to dance in it." 

"What do you mean?" For a second, something like panic had crossed Draco's face. 

"I'm saying that there are boys that exist other than you. I think Nott has always liked me. Why don't I go test my luck?" 

Draco regained his composure. "Have fun."

For some reason, him saying those two words made Astoria feel as if he'd taken an icicle off a nearby ice sculpture and stabbed her through the heart with it. She hid her reaction, though, instead saying, "The same to you," before getting her drink and leaving. 

This ball had managed to crawl under even her lowest expectations. What have I gotten myself into? 

Deciding to make good on her promise to Malfoy, she started scanning the room for Nott. She found him at a nearby table, chatting up an obviously uninterested Ravenclaw. Feeling Draco's eyes burning into her back, she walked over to the table and put a hand on the boy's arm. "What to dance?" she said sweetly, cocking her head slightly through the almost-full dance floor, not sure whether she hated herself or Malfoy more. 

Nott looked at the Ravenclaw, who was now talking to someone else with her back turned to him. "Yeah," he muttered. Astoria waited patiently for him to realize it was her standing before him. He did, and his tone became much more excited. "Yeah, let's dance." 

Stopping herself from rolling her eyes, the girl allowed herself to be led onto the dance floor. She cast a nervous look around the room to see Malfoy staring right at her. She gave him a smug smile before facing Nott again. He'd started rambling about something, only to stop and look at her to make sure she was still listening. Then, he'd continue. It was almost like listening to one of Professor Binns' lectures. 

The dance came to an end, and Astoria stayed by Nott's side. She watched from the other side of the room as Draco kissed Pansy and talked to Blaise and Daphne. He'd completely shut her out of the circle. 

The next dance started. And then the next one. Astoria didn't absorb one word of what Nott was saying to her as they waltzed around the room. She didn't even notice that the next dance was the kind that required the dancer to be constantly changing partners until Nott was whisked off and she found herself facing Malfoy. 

"Curse my luck," she muttered as she grudgingly clasped hands with the boy. 

"And your blood," he added innocently. She gave him her best death stare and scanned the room, looking for Daphne, who'd been forced to dance with Seamus and hadn't missed a single opportunity to stomp on his foot. "What's so funny?" 

Astoria forced her face to return to a neutral expression. "Nothing." 

He tried to look over his shoulder. Astoria stomped on his foot. He barely winced. Does he get antagonized by anything? she marveled, looking at his pale neck and the side of his head. Suddenly, he returned his gaze to her, and she quickly averted her eyes. No way would she give him the satisfaction of knowing that she'd been staring at him. 

Astoria hadn't been paying attention to where they were heading, but she soon realized that they were near the corner of the dance floor. Over Draco's shoulder, she could see the intricately detailed ice tower looming over them. Her gaze slipped to the right, and she saw someone - she didn't recognize the face - tapping the base of the tower with their wand three times... 

A non-verbal spell. But doing what? 

Time seemed to slow down as she realized what was about to happen. The ice started to slowly crack, starting from the base and moving upwards silently. Draco was standing right underneath the heavy sculpture. If it fell on him... 

Despite her hatred for the boy, she shivered a little thinking about him lying in a hospital bed, a thousand deep cuts on his body from shards of ice. Eyes wide, she watched as the cracks spread, getting wider and looking more lethal...

She felt as if she was unable to move. Then, suddenly, time sped up again. She only had time to push the boy to the side before the tower collapsed. 

Only too late did she realize that she, too, was under the breaking sculpture.