Fic; Challenge # 80
Title: Nothing Resolved
Summary: Draco and Astoria had been planning a small get together over her Easter break from Hogwarts, but Daphne had been planning something else.
Characters/Pairings: Draco Malfoy, Astoria Greengrass, Daphne Greengrass, Draco/Astoria
Genre: General, with some angst
Rating/Warnings: PG to PG-13 (for slight mentions of drinking)
Word Count: 1,500
Author's Notes: Written for fic challenge #80, where the prompt was to use the quote "Nothing ended, nothing begun, nothing resolved." - Brokeback Mountain by Annie Proulx. Each of the three sections of the quote is featured here with a 500 word corresponding little scene. Um, does that make sense? This will be a continuation of Reassemble.
Nothing Ended
Draco was caught off guard when the door to the Greengrass home opened on his second knock. A pretty young redheaded woman stood at the threshold, her brown eyes a deep, muddy color. She was frowning at him.
“Um,” Draco heard himself say. “Hello, Daphne. I’m here for Astoria.”
“I know why you’re here,” she said in snipped tones. Daphne opened the door wider and stepped to the side. “Please come in.”
Raising an eyebrow but keeping his mouth shut, Draco followed his former schoolmate into the house and to a small den. There were couches and loveseats too big for the room crowded in front of a roaring fireplace. Daphne motioned to a seat and he obliged; she took a seat on the sofa next to him.
“Would you like a drink?” She asked, nodding her head to the house elf in the corner that he hadn’t noticed when he entered the room.
“Er, no. Thanks.”
“I’ll take something strong,” Daphne told the elf.
The fireplace crackled and Daphne crossed her legs, her knee bumping against his. “I hear you two are exchanging letters.”
Draco cleared his throat and shifted in the love seat. “Yes. On and off.”
“How cute,” she stared at him hard, a smile on her lips that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Astoria is a very special girl.”
He nodded and turned his attention from her muddy eyes and to the fire.
“She’s going to go places,” Daphne said.
He could still feel her eyes on him. The house elf returned and handed the oldest Greengrass daughter a drink - she took it without ever looking away from Draco’s profile.
“Father was…wise during the war, you know,” she took a slow sip of her drink. “He got us out of it, well, unscarred.” She chuckled a little and he self-consciously tugged on his sleeve. “And Astoria, she’s the least unblemished. She is going to go places. She is going to be somebody. It would be such a shame if…”
Feeling heat rise up his neck and all the way to the tips of his ears, Draco turned to face her. “If what?” He demanded as quietly as he could.
Daphne smiled at him. “If she started hanging out with the wrong crowd; if she started relationships with people with less than honorable reputations, it could really impact her future. That would be a shame, wouldn’t it, Draco?”
His nostrils flared. He could feel all the words he wanted to say to her right on the tip of his tongue, but Astoria entered the room.
“Hello, my two favorite people!” She greeted with a vibrant smile on her face. “How are you old classmates getting along?”
Draco couldn’t make eye contact with her. He watched his knees.
“We were just reminiscing,” Daphne smiled.
Astoria kissed her sister on the cheek and grabbed Draco’s hand, pulling him off the couch. “We won’t be gone long, okay? So don’t worry!”
“Oh,” Daphne said, looking right at Draco. “I won’t.”
Nothing Begun
“It's good to see you again," Astoria beamed up at Draco, grinning from ear to ear.
They were walking the distance between her home and his manor, a good 45 minutes, and for the past 15 minutes Draco hadn't really looked her way.
She was undaunted. Mostly.
"I've just been picturing a face behind the letters for awhile, so, it is so good to see you again. Less work on my feeble imagination." She chuckled and bumped her shoulder against his arm.
He didn't reply or register that she had touched him at all.
Astoria cleared her throat, determined to press onward. "I've been looking forward to lunch all week! You know, I'm not sure I've ever properly met your mother."
Draco sighed. "Yes, about that..."
He stopped walking and Astoria followed suit.
"Yes, Draco?"
He chewed on the inside of his cheek for a moment before finally turning his attention away from the trail in front of him. He stared at the space above her head.
"I don't think this is such a good idea."
Astoria's heart picked up speed. She wet her lips, hoping to restore moisture back in her suddenly dry mouth, and managed a smile. "What are you talking about, Draco?"
"Lunch with my mother, the letters..." He was still keeping his focus a few inches above her hair.
She fought the urge to stand on her tip toes. "Yes?"
He shrugged a shoulder. "They aren't a good idea."
Astoria blinked furiously, trying to smile. There was a chance she was just misunderstanding things, after all. "Well, we can just reschedule."
Draco shook his head and turned his attention back to the trail. "No. This whole - it just, it isn't working out, Astoria. I don't want you to have lunch with Mother and I don't want you to send me anymore letters."
The smile slipped completely and tears were biting at the back of her eyes. "But I...Draco, I only want to be your friend."
Finally, he looked her in the eyes. His gaze was cold as he swallowed and said, "But I do not want to be yours."
She couldn't quite stop tears from sneaking passed her eyelids as they puddled on her cheeks. "What happened? What changed? When we talked this morning-"
"Nothing changed," he interrupted. "I've been meaning to put an end to this for a while now."
"But this morning everything was fine," she couldn't quite keep her voice from shaking. She wiped the tears off her face. "And then, as soon as you pick me up-" Astoria gasped. "What did Daphne say to you?"
Draco turned away from her. "That has nothing to do with this."
She grabbed his elbow and tried, unsuccessfully, to get him to look at her. "Draco, please!"
He shook her off of him and started walking away. "Take care of yourself, Astoria."
"Draco!" She called out, more tears falling. But it didn't matter. He apparated to somewhere else and Astoria was left alone on the trail.
Nothing Resolved
Daphne had barely started on her second drink when her sister ran into the den, doors slamming behind her. Her wild-eyed face was red and tear stained as she rounded on Daphne, panting deeply.
“Astoria!” Daphne gasped. “What happened? Are you alright?”
“You know exactly what happened!” Astoria yelled, thrusting her finger at her sister. “You know what happened because you’re the reason it happened!”
Daphne glanced at the drink in her hand, spinning it slowly so that the ice cubes knocked against the glass. “I’m not sure what you’re on about, Astoria, but if you would just take a moment to calm yourself-”
“So you could what? Come up with more lies?!” Astoria shouted.
Startled, she looked up from her glass. Her sister was crying steady streams of tears, but they didn’t seem to be hindering her anger.
“You always do this, Daphne! You always do this! You think you know best! But what do you know? You know nothing!”
“Astoria,” Daphne said sternly, rising from her seat. “Do not speak to me-”
“I can speak to you however I want! You’re my sister, not my mother! I don’t know what you did to Draco, but all of the sudden he wants nothing to do with me! I can’t believe you, Daphne! I just wanted him to be my friend! That’s all - just friends!”
“Oh, please!” Daphne found herself yelling. “Please, just friends! Like I don’t see the way you look when you talk about him! Or I haven’t noticed all the letters you keep under your bed that you reread incessantly! Just friends my ass!”
If it was possible, Astoria’s face got even redder. “You wouldn’t understand!”
“No, you’re the one who doesn’t understand!” Daphne dropped her glass and ignored the house elf that scurried around her feet to clean it up. “That boy is bad news, Astoria! You don’t know him like I know him. I shared a common room with him. I was there when he first got that mark, dear sister, and do you know what? He bragged about it. He was proud of it!”
Astoria visibly deflated, but her blue eyes held on to their wild look. “But, people - people change.”
Daphne chuckled and crossed her arms against her chest. “That is an incredibly juvenile outlook on the world and that is why I did what I did, because you are too young and innocent to understand. People do not change, Astoria.” Her voice was quiet now, but her heart was still pounding against her ribcage. “People do not change. They just learn how to be better liars.”
Astoria lifted her chin and met her sister’s gaze. “You’re wrong. People change all the time, Daphne. What else can explain what happened to you?”
Daphne gasped and took a step back, feeling as if she had been physically hit.
The younger sister just shook her head sadly before running out of the room.
Daphne held a hand against her beating heart and watched her leave.
1500/30 = 50 + 5 = 55 points for Hufflepuff!
Summary: Draco and Astoria had been planning a small get together over her Easter break from Hogwarts, but Daphne had been planning something else.
Characters/Pairings: Draco Malfoy, Astoria Greengrass, Daphne Greengrass, Draco/Astoria
Genre: General, with some angst
Rating/Warnings: PG to PG-13 (for slight mentions of drinking)
Word Count: 1,500
Author's Notes: Written for fic challenge #80, where the prompt was to use the quote "Nothing ended, nothing begun, nothing resolved." - Brokeback Mountain by Annie Proulx. Each of the three sections of the quote is featured here with a 500 word corresponding little scene. Um, does that make sense? This will be a continuation of Reassemble.
Nothing Ended
Draco was caught off guard when the door to the Greengrass home opened on his second knock. A pretty young redheaded woman stood at the threshold, her brown eyes a deep, muddy color. She was frowning at him.
“Um,” Draco heard himself say. “Hello, Daphne. I’m here for Astoria.”
“I know why you’re here,” she said in snipped tones. Daphne opened the door wider and stepped to the side. “Please come in.”
Raising an eyebrow but keeping his mouth shut, Draco followed his former schoolmate into the house and to a small den. There were couches and loveseats too big for the room crowded in front of a roaring fireplace. Daphne motioned to a seat and he obliged; she took a seat on the sofa next to him.
“Would you like a drink?” She asked, nodding her head to the house elf in the corner that he hadn’t noticed when he entered the room.
“Er, no. Thanks.”
“I’ll take something strong,” Daphne told the elf.
The fireplace crackled and Daphne crossed her legs, her knee bumping against his. “I hear you two are exchanging letters.”
Draco cleared his throat and shifted in the love seat. “Yes. On and off.”
“How cute,” she stared at him hard, a smile on her lips that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Astoria is a very special girl.”
He nodded and turned his attention from her muddy eyes and to the fire.
“She’s going to go places,” Daphne said.
He could still feel her eyes on him. The house elf returned and handed the oldest Greengrass daughter a drink - she took it without ever looking away from Draco’s profile.
“Father was…wise during the war, you know,” she took a slow sip of her drink. “He got us out of it, well, unscarred.” She chuckled a little and he self-consciously tugged on his sleeve. “And Astoria, she’s the least unblemished. She is going to go places. She is going to be somebody. It would be such a shame if…”
Feeling heat rise up his neck and all the way to the tips of his ears, Draco turned to face her. “If what?” He demanded as quietly as he could.
Daphne smiled at him. “If she started hanging out with the wrong crowd; if she started relationships with people with less than honorable reputations, it could really impact her future. That would be a shame, wouldn’t it, Draco?”
His nostrils flared. He could feel all the words he wanted to say to her right on the tip of his tongue, but Astoria entered the room.
“Hello, my two favorite people!” She greeted with a vibrant smile on her face. “How are you old classmates getting along?”
Draco couldn’t make eye contact with her. He watched his knees.
“We were just reminiscing,” Daphne smiled.
Astoria kissed her sister on the cheek and grabbed Draco’s hand, pulling him off the couch. “We won’t be gone long, okay? So don’t worry!”
“Oh,” Daphne said, looking right at Draco. “I won’t.”
Nothing Begun
“It's good to see you again," Astoria beamed up at Draco, grinning from ear to ear.
They were walking the distance between her home and his manor, a good 45 minutes, and for the past 15 minutes Draco hadn't really looked her way.
She was undaunted. Mostly.
"I've just been picturing a face behind the letters for awhile, so, it is so good to see you again. Less work on my feeble imagination." She chuckled and bumped her shoulder against his arm.
He didn't reply or register that she had touched him at all.
Astoria cleared her throat, determined to press onward. "I've been looking forward to lunch all week! You know, I'm not sure I've ever properly met your mother."
Draco sighed. "Yes, about that..."
He stopped walking and Astoria followed suit.
"Yes, Draco?"
He chewed on the inside of his cheek for a moment before finally turning his attention away from the trail in front of him. He stared at the space above her head.
"I don't think this is such a good idea."
Astoria's heart picked up speed. She wet her lips, hoping to restore moisture back in her suddenly dry mouth, and managed a smile. "What are you talking about, Draco?"
"Lunch with my mother, the letters..." He was still keeping his focus a few inches above her hair.
She fought the urge to stand on her tip toes. "Yes?"
He shrugged a shoulder. "They aren't a good idea."
Astoria blinked furiously, trying to smile. There was a chance she was just misunderstanding things, after all. "Well, we can just reschedule."
Draco shook his head and turned his attention back to the trail. "No. This whole - it just, it isn't working out, Astoria. I don't want you to have lunch with Mother and I don't want you to send me anymore letters."
The smile slipped completely and tears were biting at the back of her eyes. "But I...Draco, I only want to be your friend."
Finally, he looked her in the eyes. His gaze was cold as he swallowed and said, "But I do not want to be yours."
She couldn't quite stop tears from sneaking passed her eyelids as they puddled on her cheeks. "What happened? What changed? When we talked this morning-"
"Nothing changed," he interrupted. "I've been meaning to put an end to this for a while now."
"But this morning everything was fine," she couldn't quite keep her voice from shaking. She wiped the tears off her face. "And then, as soon as you pick me up-" Astoria gasped. "What did Daphne say to you?"
Draco turned away from her. "That has nothing to do with this."
She grabbed his elbow and tried, unsuccessfully, to get him to look at her. "Draco, please!"
He shook her off of him and started walking away. "Take care of yourself, Astoria."
"Draco!" She called out, more tears falling. But it didn't matter. He apparated to somewhere else and Astoria was left alone on the trail.
Nothing Resolved
Daphne had barely started on her second drink when her sister ran into the den, doors slamming behind her. Her wild-eyed face was red and tear stained as she rounded on Daphne, panting deeply.
“Astoria!” Daphne gasped. “What happened? Are you alright?”
“You know exactly what happened!” Astoria yelled, thrusting her finger at her sister. “You know what happened because you’re the reason it happened!”
Daphne glanced at the drink in her hand, spinning it slowly so that the ice cubes knocked against the glass. “I’m not sure what you’re on about, Astoria, but if you would just take a moment to calm yourself-”
“So you could what? Come up with more lies?!” Astoria shouted.
Startled, she looked up from her glass. Her sister was crying steady streams of tears, but they didn’t seem to be hindering her anger.
“You always do this, Daphne! You always do this! You think you know best! But what do you know? You know nothing!”
“Astoria,” Daphne said sternly, rising from her seat. “Do not speak to me-”
“I can speak to you however I want! You’re my sister, not my mother! I don’t know what you did to Draco, but all of the sudden he wants nothing to do with me! I can’t believe you, Daphne! I just wanted him to be my friend! That’s all - just friends!”
“Oh, please!” Daphne found herself yelling. “Please, just friends! Like I don’t see the way you look when you talk about him! Or I haven’t noticed all the letters you keep under your bed that you reread incessantly! Just friends my ass!”
If it was possible, Astoria’s face got even redder. “You wouldn’t understand!”
“No, you’re the one who doesn’t understand!” Daphne dropped her glass and ignored the house elf that scurried around her feet to clean it up. “That boy is bad news, Astoria! You don’t know him like I know him. I shared a common room with him. I was there when he first got that mark, dear sister, and do you know what? He bragged about it. He was proud of it!”
Astoria visibly deflated, but her blue eyes held on to their wild look. “But, people - people change.”
Daphne chuckled and crossed her arms against her chest. “That is an incredibly juvenile outlook on the world and that is why I did what I did, because you are too young and innocent to understand. People do not change, Astoria.” Her voice was quiet now, but her heart was still pounding against her ribcage. “People do not change. They just learn how to be better liars.”
Astoria lifted her chin and met her sister’s gaze. “You’re wrong. People change all the time, Daphne. What else can explain what happened to you?”
Daphne gasped and took a step back, feeling as if she had been physically hit.
The younger sister just shook her head sadly before running out of the room.
Daphne held a hand against her beating heart and watched her leave.
1500/30 = 50 + 5 = 55 points for Hufflepuff!