The Fireworks
Story had a grandmother who loved to mingle with rich people. She always dressed herself to look like she was never poor in her entire life. She would always try to please people. Lately, she had been telling her grandchildren to marry someone like Malfoy so she could elevate her social status.
Story almost choked on her drink. “I’m sorry?”
Grandmother glared at her. “Did you not hear what I said, you foolish girl? Put more make up on your face so at least one of the suitors will look at you! Why don’t young people want to listen nowadays?”
“Men currently prefer natural makeup, Grandmother,” Story tried to explain to her grandmother. She used her index finger to circle her face. “This is natural makeup.”
“I agree,” Daphne added.
“No. This is you without makeup! What did I do in my life to deserve an ungrateful brat like you?” Grandmother gritted her teeth. “I swear I will kick you out of the house if you don’t get a husband by the end of the year! I really mean it this time!”
“She keeps promising that but she always decides to keep us in the house by the end of each year,” Daphne snickered after dragging Story away from their grandmother. “Stupid old woman.”
They both arrived at the kitchen where their mother and other relatives were busy cooking and preparing a lot of food. They grabbed plates and silverwares to set the tables. Each of them was given a list of tables that they would be in charge of.
Story’s heart almost leaped out of her ribcage when she saw the last family name in the list. Suddenly, listening to her grandmother’s nonsense all day was more preferrable than anything else.
Guests began to fill into the space. Grandmother had invited a lot of prestigious people. Story knew because she was the one writing and sending the invitation card. Thanks to Grandmother’s fame as a people’s pleaser, lots of them attended the party.
“Once again, thank you for attending my lovely birthday party,” Grandmother said with a huge smile on her red lips while lifting her champagne glass. “I hope you enjoy the dinner!”
Story brought the appetizers out to serve on some tables. Taking a deep breath, she lifted the dish to the last table, the one that she had been avoiding for a while.
“Hi, lovely to meet you.” Story put on the brightest smile as she stood between Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy and served them the appetizer. There wasn’t a problem until she moved to the other side of the table and stood beside their only son, heir to the Malfoy’s family.
Her arm lightly brushed against his shoulders when she leaned down to put his appetizer right in front of him.
She put on a huge smile. “My name is Story and if you need anything, please raise your hand and I’ll be there for you.”
“Story?” Lucius Malfoy tilted his head. “I’ve never heard of you before.”
“Her actual name is Astoria,” his son replied before her. “Astoria Greengrass.”
She wondered why Malfoy made her name sounded like the best thing a parent could’ve ever come up with in a century.
“Do you know each other?” His father asked suspiciously. She could feel his glare on her, studying her like an angry parent to his bratty child.
“Of course we do,” Malfoy replied, unbothered by his father’s behaviour to her. “We met before.”
“Where?”
“I danced with her in the last ball,” Malfoy reminded them the last string of patience hanging on the thread. It dismissed the concern in his parents’ faces immediately. “You were also there, Father.”
She breathed in relief after they finally dismissed her.
After the dinner, Story slipped out of the party and ran into some wild trees behind the house. Daphne made an excellent host. Dad was showing his skill in mixing some drinks. Mum handled the cake and candles. Meanwhile, Story had to light up all the fireworks on the background after Grandmother blew all the candles.
She finally arrived at the tree not too far away from her house. The firework had been planted on the ground, ready to be launched.
She held her wand. “Lumos—”
“Greengrass!”
She screamed before she whirled around and aimed her wand towards whoever was approaching her. Everything was dark except for a small dot of light that moved around whoever was coming for her. Slowly, the light was getting closer, and she slowly lowered her wand when she noticed the blonde hair and his black attire from neck to toe on the approaching figure who was raising his hand and his bright wand.
She breathed in relief but then glared at him. “I’m sorry but you scared me, Malfoy.”
“You also scared me,” Malfoy gritted his teeth before lowering his hands. “Why did you suddenly run away from the party?”
“I was preparing a surprise,” she grumbled. “What are you doing here?”
“Following you because the birthday party bored me to death,” he scowled. He swung his wand around the dark field like a flashlight. “So? What’s the surprise? A news that you murdered someone and hid the body somewhere around here? Is that why you ran away from the party?”
“No and you should return to the party,” Story insisted because Grandmother hated when a guest found out her surprise plan. “Lumos.”
Light appeared on the tip of her wand just in time for Malfoy to aim his wand at one of the fireworks on the ground.
“Why is there a firework here?” Malfoy frowned. He swung his wand to another direction, the light landed on another firework. “Who planted these?”
She looked at the party. She could hear Daphne telling the guests that they were going to reveal the cake and the guests needed to sing happy birthday to Grandmother. She needed to prepare the fireworks right away.
“Greengrass? Do you know any of this?” Malfoy was still asking.
There was no time to get him away from her anymore.
“Yeah. This is for my grandmother’s party.” Story immediately stood behind the first row of the firework. “They will go off after Grandmother blows the candles. If you return now, you can watch the show.”
Malfoy stood beside her before looking around. “How many fireworks are there?”
“There are five rows. Each row has five fireworks. We light up the first row, then the second one and so on.” Story explained briefly, tightening her grip around her wand. She glanced at him. “Don’t you want to see my grandmother blowing the candles?”
“No, I’m not interested,” Malfoy muttered. “I told you that the party bores me to death.”
“Why?” She decided to ask.
He shrugged. “It’s not just your grandmother’s. Every party I go really bores me. I don’t understand it either.”
She tried to give it a thought. “Is it because you feel lonely?”
“Ladies and Gentlemen! Grandmother is going to blow the candles in three!” Daphne’s booming voice filled the quiet and cool evening air. “Two!”
She immediately crouched down before the firework. Her wand was ready.
“One!”
She muttered a spell. Fire came out from her wand. She sprayed it on the fuses, hoping that the fireworks would fly on time—
“Happy birthday!” All of the guests cheered.
And the fireworks on the first row took off successfully. Beautiful colours filled the night sky, disrupting the silence on the hill. Story was about to run to the second row when she saw Malfoy pointing his wand on the fireworks.
“Go to the third row!” He shouted through the loud booming sound in the sky. “I’ll handle this one!”
She watched him doing the same; casting fire and sprayed it on the fuses. When she noticed one of the fireworks flew off, she sprinted to the third row and lighted the fuses. On the corner of her eyes, she saw Malfoy sprinting to the fourth row.
Never in her life had she ever imagined having a teamwork with someone like Malfoy. She sprinted to the last row just after Malfoy lighted all of the fireworks on the row before her.
“Are we done?” Malfoy asked as he approached her. “This is the last row, isn’t it?”
Story watched the last firework went up to the sky, joining the other vibrant looking flowers blooming on the sky. She could hear people cheering and applauding on the backyard, probably enjoying the firework show.
“Yeah,” she muttered while catching her breath. She looked at him with a huge smile of relief hanging on her lips. Her family did not have to face Grandmother’s wrath for the next seven days because the firework show succeeded. She really, really wanted to hug him for that. “Thank you.”
Malfoy’s eyelid lifted up a bit before he turned away and cleared his throat.
“Your grandmother is really something,” He grumbled. They were walking back to the party with Malfoy’s wand and the moonlight as their flashlight. “Asking their grandchildren to do the work on her birthday.”
“Don’t worry. I’m used to it.”
She could feel his gaze briefly on her before he turned away.
“You couldn’t even see her blowing the candles,” he muttered. “At least hire someone to do it so you can enjoy the party as well.”
“Alright, I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Don’t just put it in mind. Do it next year,” he urged. “Hire someone to do the job. They won’t say no to money.”
“Yes, Sir,” she grinned. She had never imagined Malfoy to be very bossy. He looked oddly cute when he pouted like that as well. “I promise to hire someone to work for my grandmother’s next birthday.”
“Good—"
“Draco!” Lucius Malfoy’s voice suddenly blared in the air.
They both looked up to find themselves at the entrance to the backyard where the birthday party was held. Malfoy’s parents were waiting by the threshold with Grandmother and Daphne. His mother immediately approached him. Story caught Daphne’s suspicious look.
“What’s the meaning of this?” His father asked with his cold tone when he noticed Story beside Malfoy. “Why are you two together?”
“I was looking for a bathroom because my stomach hurt a lot,” Malfoy lied with gritted teeth. “Greengrass guided me to the bathroom and waited for me in case I ran into problems.”
“Good heavens!” Grandmother dramatically rushed to Malfoy’s side. “Are you alright? Is it because of food poisoning?”
“It’s not.” Malfoy answered calmly but coldly before addressing his parents. “May I go home?”
His parents nodded. “Of course.”
“Wait!” Grandmother was about to say something to the family but Story and Daphne held her back.
Malfoy glanced at Story. She gave him a small wave of goodbye. He nodded briefly before turning away. She hurriedly lowered her hand when she realised that his father was glaring at her.
After they were gone, Grandmother shrugged herself off her grandchildren and hissed. “What’s wrong with you two? I was trying to get them to stay!”
"I don't think that's a good idea," Daphne said. "Just let them leave, Grandmother. Your party will stay spectacular after all the firework show even if they're not here."
Grandmother glared at their grandchildren one more time and finally left them alone to talk with the other guests. Story sighed in relief before she sat down at the nearest empty chair with Daphne.
“So,” Daphne began, “why were you with Malfoy?”