Slytherin common room, Eighth year, Exams are over.
Astoria Greengrass was quite glad that exams had come to a close, hell, she was glad that school was coming to a close.
It’s not like the year was horrible, compared to the horrors of the war from the year before it was all sunshine and rainbows. There was just the matter of what to do about her future now that her life as Lady of Malfoy Manor was done for good.
And all because of Hermione Granger.
She never expected Draco to love her right away, probably after their wedding and the fuss and frills had stopped screaming in his face. But she did hope that he would come to love her eventually, even if it meant she had to sit with her heart in her hands; waiting patiently for him to come and take it from her.
It’s not like they were strangers. Not at all.
Astoria had been in love with Draco since the age of twelve, the moment arrangements began between their two families she immediately fell for the quiet boy. Not just because he was the Malfoy heir - there were plenty of dashing Slytherin heirs to pick from - but because he was just like her, they were just two kids trying to do the right thing by the people they cared about.
They were friends, good friends.
They had laughed together, confided together, cried together.
And she supposed that, in all fairness, he had tried to requite her feelings. He had been her first kiss, held her hand as he walked her to potions and charms, and went on dates with her in Hogsmeade. He’d given it the good old proper pureblood try.
She understood all that had happened to him in the war. She just couldn’t quite relate to it the way Hermione fucking Granger could.
But tonight was not about sodding Granger and all the love that Draco Malfoy has for sodding Granger. Tonight was about having fun, it was about putting on a very flattering dress, dancing with Pansy, and getting very, very, very, drunk.
Tonight was not, under any circumstances, about Draco Malfoy.
The night very quickly became about Draco Malfoy.
He had waltzed into the common room, Granger on his arm, and Astoria felt the air shift around her as she tried to will herself to look away as the couple started on their drinks and fell into rhythm with the bass.
He was just there, across the room, not even an ironic wink in her and Pansy’s direction for old times’ sake.
When she noticed Granger set down her first drink, Astoria picked up her sixth.
Astoria held hands with Pansy as they swayed gracefully to the music.
They danced, they laughed. They joined Theo and Blaise in a drinking game with very little dignity.
And when Pansy had had enough of watching the blonde’s dark eyes dart across the room to the poster couple of inter-house unity, she dragged her over to the witches' bathroom and let her have it.
“Merlin Stori! If you keep staring at them like that they’re going to file a restraining order.” She pulled a hot red lipstick out of her bag and started freshening up her makeup in the mirror.
“Well if they’d just stop” Astoria waved her hands around in front of her and made a disgruntled sound, “Guh! You know what I mean I just can’t take it anymore I’m so tired of trying to be happy for him! He was mine, Pansy, he’s meant to be mine! There was a fucking contract!”
“And that is exactly why he isn’t yours, sweetheart.”
Then the nearly ten drinks caught up with the girl, and the tears came pouring down - taking her meticulously applied mascara with them.
Pansy wrapped the blonde up in her slender arms and stroked her hair as she mumbled out ramblings of “I don’t think that I’ll ever fall in love again.” and the raven-haired witch soothed her with musings of “Don’t be silly.”
The moment was decidedly interrupted when the bathroom door opened and in came Hermione Granger.
“Oh shit sorry, sorry- is everything okay?”
A dishevelled - but still beautiful - Astoria peeled herself from Pansy’s shoulder to look at the witch.
Hermione was quite pretty, especially tonight. She’d swiped gold glitter over her eyes and twisted some of her curls back into a clip to show off her freckled shoulder in her olive-coloured, off-the-shoulder dress.
“Ya know it would be a whole lot easier to hate you if you weren’t so nice and pretty.” she returned her head to the crook of Pansy’s neck and continued her alcohol induced meltdown.
“Right, I see.”
“How could you possibly understand?” Astoria wept.
“Don’t take it personally, Granger, Stori’s just had a bit too much to drink.” Laughed the taller witch
“No it’s alright,” Hermione closed the bathroom door and stepped closer to the two girls, transfiguring a piece of tissue paper into a floral handkerchief on her way.
“I really do understand, Astoria. I’m sorry.” She offered the handkerchief to Pansy who took it and started dabbing at her friend's smudged tears. “Let me tell you, in sixth year, when Ron hooked up with Lavender, I thought I was going to die. It was like he ripped my heart out of my chest and squeezed it right in front of me.” She laughed lightly at the memory.
“Oh, fucking hell aren’t I just pathetic.”
Still intoxicated but no longer crying, Astoria turned back to Hermione.
“I know I shouldn’t be cross with you.” She said primly, “I’m just very, very cross with him. That stupid, stupid boy.” she kicked at the sink for emphasis “Ouch fucking Merlin!.”
All three of the witches laughed and grabbed onto each other as they gasped for breath. They were all a little bit drunk for sure.
“Yes. He is a very stupid boy.” Hermione confirmed for the blonde girl, she gently grabbed Astoria’s shoulders and stared into her chocolate eyes with a very serious expression, “He does love you Astoria, he talks about you all the time. You’re one of his best friends, he just doesn’t know how to be around you without hurting you.”
“Stupid boy,” Pansy confirmed again.
There was a knock at the bathroom door, “Granger? Are you in there? I think I might be ready to leave.”
The three witches gasped in offence, he most certainly could not leave.
Hermione ripped open the door and pointed sharply at the tall silver boy, “No! We can’t leave yet.”
She turned back and stretched her hands out to the two Slytherin girls, “We’ve still got a lot more fun to get up to.”
She winked at Draco’s amused expression and grabbed his hand as they all stumbled their way out of the bathroom and back into the warm atmosphere of the party at hand.
Limbs intertwined on the dance floor, drinks in hand once more, Astoria felt light and happy. She leaned forward to loudly whisper in Hermione’s curls,
“You know what Granger? You’re not that bad.”