Malfoy Mausoleum

The research in the months following their initial formation as a foursome was slow and tedious (and Astoria didn't understand a lot of it). As time went on without fulfilling the terms of the contract, her magic grew weaker. The current working theories were in direct opposition to each other, and trying either without being certain would only make matters worse and treatment more difficult. Hermione and Theo's two options were that being a blood curse, it could be treated like Muggles treated something called blood poisoning. If that were the case, she would need a potion that mimicked the effects of vasoconstrictors, antibiotics, and intravenous fluids. The other thought was that because her magical core was weakening, it was possibly being deprived of blood. In that scenario, she may need a treatment similar to Muggle heart failure, which would require vasodilators. Draco was working around the clock to create a potion for both so that when it was decided which treatment was appropriate, they had it ready. It was quite heartwarming that these people were trying so hard to keep her alive. Her old healers had tried, but only because her parents were paying them. This was so genuine it chaffed against her stoic pureblood sensibilities.

Seeing Draco and Hermione interact up close was…illuminating. She had always thought Draco was good looking, and assumed she loved him because she was supposed to. The truth was, he wasn't really what she would have gone for given the option. Maybe it came from being sick so much, but Astoria wanted desperately to have fun and laugh and dance and live. Perhaps it was by default and being around a couple so frequently pushed them together, but she found she very much liked spending time with Theo. He was fun incarnate. He was always laughing and making everyone else laugh. When they ate together and he liked the food, he did this small dance in his chair, like the joy had to be released from his body. It was adorable. Physically, he was perfect. He was tall and handsome, with muscles that were well-defined but not too bulky, and gorgeous sandy blond curls. She always did like blonds, maybe she had just been focused on the wrong one. The best part of these revelations was that she thought Theo might reciprocate. She had talked it through with Ruby and given her three examples:

1. Theo was using almost all of his free time to work on saving her. Wanting to save her meant she mattered to him.
2. He was protective of her. When she had a dizzy spell, he had gone through a good portion of the manor and cast cushioning spells on almost everything so she wouldn't be hurt.
3. He sometimes looked at her with something that looked like fondness or affection, maybe even attraction.

Ruby hadn't been convinced, so Astoria had promised she wouldn't make any moves just yet. Astoria was delighted when she caught Hermione alone and she was able to ask some questions woman to woman. Hermione was very familiar with the marriage contract. When asked about fidelity clauses, Hermione had assumed that Astoria didn't want to die a virgin and reassured her they were doing everything they could to find a way out of this. She hadn't been totally wrong, as she didn't want to die a virgin, but Hermione eventually relented and told her, "According to the records, nothing but vaginal penetration by a penis attached to another person triggers the infidelity clause. The wording of the clause in the contract is traditional and generic, so there should be no issues unless someone slips and falls into your vagina penis first." And then went on a rant regarding purebloods ignoring the existence of something she referred to with a jumble of out of order letters and maths symbols. When she went into the stacks to pull a book regarding the topic from her Muggle literature section, Astoria had promptly exited the library, shouting over her shoulder that she actually wasn't feeling that well and was going to see herself out.

As luck would have it, Astoria was walking through the parlor when she tripped. She had been afraid Hermione would chase after her and wanted to get back to her rooms. She heard the floo on the other side of the room and cringed, knowing someone was about to witness her falling like an idiot. Her finishing school instructors would have been horribly ashamed. She didn't fall though, she was swept up into strong arms and held against a firm, broad chest. When she regained her bearings enough to look into the face of her rescuer, she was delighted to see Theo holding her and smiling. Of course it wouldn't have been Draco. He would have rather watched her knock her teeth out than hurt Hermione by touching her. She weakly protested that she could walk but he told her it was fine and asked where she had been headed. They chatted the whole way through the manor, and Astoria rested her head on Theo's chest.

"Your chariot, my lady." Theo joked as he placed her gently on the bed. "Do you need me to do any diagnostic spells? Your cheeks are looking a little rosy. Do you have a fever?"

"No, sorry. I was just thinking it was nice to be held." Astoria admitted, small and shy.

Theo's face changed then. He looked at her like he understood, kneeled on the bed, and leaned over to hug her. He held her tight and rested his head on top of hers. When she started to cry, overwhelmed by the comfort she had so long been denied, Theo spoke softly to her, "Shh, it's alright Tor. You're gonna get through this." It felt so right. No one called her Tor but her sister. It felt just as nice as being called "love" or "darling". Astoria was sure now that Theo felt the same way. Any lingering doubt, had she had any, would have vanished during dinner, when Theo announced that he would be staying the night at the manor, since Astoria might need carried through the house again and had shot a cheeky wink in her direction.

That night, before sneaking out of bed, she had put on her best nightgown, and checked the mirror to make sure her hair was messy but hadn't been mussed too much. She did a light beauty charm just to give her a bit of a glow, and headed for the room Theo used when he stayed. She knocked quietly to ensure she didn't wake the whole house. It took a few minutes for Theo to come to the door, and when he did, he was shirtless and breathing heavier that usual. Oh. Had he been touching himself? Had he been thinking of her when while he stroked himself? His eyes went wide at seeing her at his door. "Tor are you feeling worse? What's wrong?"

"I just…"

Astoria would be glad later that she was cut off before she said anything else. Theo asked her to hang on a second, and turned his back towards her to speak into the room. He had red scratch marks down the length of his muscular back. He wasn't in there alone. Turning back around left part of the room visible when his body was sideways, and what she saw broke the rest of her heart. Her sister was in Theo's bed, covering herself with a sheet. Theo was wearing a smile when he looked at her again, like he always did. "Your sister says hello. She would tell you herself but your prick of a father has forbid her from seeing you and has threatened her with veritaserum, so we can't risk it. I've been keeping her up to date on how you've been, though. Now what's got you up in the middle of the night?"

She was at a loss for a moment, but as smoothly as she could, she said, "I just wanted to see if you could run a diagnostic on me. I woke up to use the restroom and almost had another fainting spell."

"Of course, let me see." After a few moments to cast the charms and check the readings, Theo told her that her blood pressure was a little off and that he would check her again first thing in the morning. When he asked if she had any messages he should pass to her sister, Astoria could only shake her head no, and walk away.