Leigh!fic | Some Other Beginning's End (1/1) | Harry Potter/Astoria Greengrass
Title: Some Other Beginning’s End (1/1)
Author: Leigh, aka leigh_adams
Pairing: Harry Potter/Astoria Greengrass
Rating: PG
Word Count: 993
Summary: With the announcement of her engagement, Astoria spends one last night with her lover.
Author's Notes: This was written as part of the 2012 Wishlist event at rarepair_shorts as a gift for scarletladyy.
“Do you even like him?”
Astoria blinked in surprise, fixing her lover with her dark gaze. “Pardon?”
“I said, do you even like Malfoy?” Harry asked. She could see the earnest look in his green gaze, his eyes open and honest behind those round glasses he favored. There was something else there, too; something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. It wasn’t accusatory in nature, but something more pure. It almost looked like... hope.
“Whether or not I like Draco makes no difference,” she said, sitting up in bed. Her brown curls tumbled loosely down her bare back as she pulled the sheet to her chest, mirroring her lover’s posture. “He’s my fiancé.”
It was Harry’s turn to blink. “Makes no difference?” His tone was incredulous, and it sounded strange coming from him. She was used to that sort of tone from his friends, the youngest Weasley boy and his girlfriend. Harry was usually the type to let things play out as they would. “Astoria, you’re marrying him. Of course it makes a difference!”
“No, it doesn’t,” she insisted firmly. He didn’t understand -- but of course, how could he? For all that he was the “savior” of the wizarding world, Harry Potter had been brought up a Muggle. Their ways had influenced him during his formative years, and old habits died hard.
She would know.
“It’s been arranged.” She glanced around, searching for her bra and knickers. They were green silk, her favorite set. She hoped they hadn’t been ripped beyond repair during the previous night’s... activities. Upon finding them, tossed haphazardly over a lamp, she summoned them with a bit of wandless magic.
Harry was silent at her back, and she turned to chance a look at him over her shouder. Astoria sighed. “I’m sorry, Harry. You wouldn’t understand.”
“Astoria, I’m trying.” He reached out and took her hand, leaving her bra half- draped over her shoulders, the hook unfastened. His other hand took her chin and turned her face gently to look at him. “I want to... Merlin, I’m trying to see things from your point of view, but I honestly don’t understand how you can marry someone you don’t love.”
“I never said I don’t love him.”
“You never said you did.”
She was silent at that. Did she love Draco? No. But love was a moot point.
“Alright, you want to know why I’ve agreed to this?” She finally allowed a hint of heat to creep into her words, bellying her calm facade. “I’ve agreed because I have no choice.” Harry opened his mouth to reply, but she continued on with her tirade before he could get the words out. “Being a pureblooded woman in the wizarding world is the equivalent of being a second-class citizen. All of our rights, our lives, are decided on by men, be it a father, a brother, or a husband.” She laughed hollowly. “Draco Malfoy is the most eligible pureblooded wizard in England. It’s the best match my father could have possibly made for me. Of course I agreed!”
Her voice trailed off, and she added quietly -- almost silently. “I had no choice.”
Harry’s gaze dropped to her hand in his; specifically to the large diamond ring on her slender finger. “There’s always a choice,” he murmured.
“And I choose Draco.” She let her touch linger for a moment, but then Astoria pulled her hand from his and rose from the bed. She quickly finished snapping up her bra and shimmied into her knickers. “You don’t like him.”
“Is it that obvious?” Harry asked dryly.
She crinkled her nose at him and reached for her dress. “And to answer your question, yes.”
Harry’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Yes what?”
Her head reappeared as she pulled the simple green silk dress over her head, letting it fall around her slender body. “I do like Draco. He’s kind to me. I don’t love him -- at least, not yet. But there’s no reason to think that we won’t have a successful marriage.”
She supposed it was callous, talking of her marriage to another man with her current lover. But she and Harry -- there wasn’t love there, either. Desire, they had in spades. Mutual respect, friendship even, but not love. Under different circumstances, it might have developed.
But Astoria was shrewd enough to know then end when she saw it. And this -- this time, this place, this moment -- was the end of her relationship with Harry Potter.
He started to get out of the bed, to show her to the door, but she held her hand up. “Don’t,” she said with a wistful smile. Leaning over, she gave him one last, lingering kiss. Her hand brushed through his unruly black hair, and when she pulled back, she was surprised to find there was a hint of tears gathering in the corner of her eyes. “I want to remember you like this.”
Harry, for his part, didn’t fight her on it, and she appreciated it. For all his absent mindedness, he was aware enough of the finality of the moment. A long, quiet moment passed between them, and finally, he nodded. “I’ll miss you.”
“And I’ll miss you.” She straightened and slipped her feet into her pumps. “Take care of yourself.”
“You too.”
An irrational part of her said stop! That part of her mind wanted her to stay here, to tangle herself with Harry beneath the sheets and never let him go. But there was a reason it was irrational. It never would have worked. She was the future Mrs. Malfoy, and he was the Boy Who Lived. Some things just weren’t meant to be.
With one last look, she pulled out her wand and Apparated away with a ‘crack,’ leaving her lover alone in the master bedroom at Grimmauld Place.
Author: Leigh, aka leigh_adams
Pairing: Harry Potter/Astoria Greengrass
Rating: PG
Word Count: 993
Summary: With the announcement of her engagement, Astoria spends one last night with her lover.
Author's Notes: This was written as part of the 2012 Wishlist event at rarepair_shorts as a gift for scarletladyy.
“Do you even like him?”
Astoria blinked in surprise, fixing her lover with her dark gaze. “Pardon?”
“I said, do you even like Malfoy?” Harry asked. She could see the earnest look in his green gaze, his eyes open and honest behind those round glasses he favored. There was something else there, too; something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. It wasn’t accusatory in nature, but something more pure. It almost looked like... hope.
“Whether or not I like Draco makes no difference,” she said, sitting up in bed. Her brown curls tumbled loosely down her bare back as she pulled the sheet to her chest, mirroring her lover’s posture. “He’s my fiancé.”
It was Harry’s turn to blink. “Makes no difference?” His tone was incredulous, and it sounded strange coming from him. She was used to that sort of tone from his friends, the youngest Weasley boy and his girlfriend. Harry was usually the type to let things play out as they would. “Astoria, you’re marrying him. Of course it makes a difference!”
“No, it doesn’t,” she insisted firmly. He didn’t understand -- but of course, how could he? For all that he was the “savior” of the wizarding world, Harry Potter had been brought up a Muggle. Their ways had influenced him during his formative years, and old habits died hard.
She would know.
“It’s been arranged.” She glanced around, searching for her bra and knickers. They were green silk, her favorite set. She hoped they hadn’t been ripped beyond repair during the previous night’s... activities. Upon finding them, tossed haphazardly over a lamp, she summoned them with a bit of wandless magic.
Harry was silent at her back, and she turned to chance a look at him over her shouder. Astoria sighed. “I’m sorry, Harry. You wouldn’t understand.”
“Astoria, I’m trying.” He reached out and took her hand, leaving her bra half- draped over her shoulders, the hook unfastened. His other hand took her chin and turned her face gently to look at him. “I want to... Merlin, I’m trying to see things from your point of view, but I honestly don’t understand how you can marry someone you don’t love.”
“I never said I don’t love him.”
“You never said you did.”
She was silent at that. Did she love Draco? No. But love was a moot point.
“Alright, you want to know why I’ve agreed to this?” She finally allowed a hint of heat to creep into her words, bellying her calm facade. “I’ve agreed because I have no choice.” Harry opened his mouth to reply, but she continued on with her tirade before he could get the words out. “Being a pureblooded woman in the wizarding world is the equivalent of being a second-class citizen. All of our rights, our lives, are decided on by men, be it a father, a brother, or a husband.” She laughed hollowly. “Draco Malfoy is the most eligible pureblooded wizard in England. It’s the best match my father could have possibly made for me. Of course I agreed!”
Her voice trailed off, and she added quietly -- almost silently. “I had no choice.”
Harry’s gaze dropped to her hand in his; specifically to the large diamond ring on her slender finger. “There’s always a choice,” he murmured.
“And I choose Draco.” She let her touch linger for a moment, but then Astoria pulled her hand from his and rose from the bed. She quickly finished snapping up her bra and shimmied into her knickers. “You don’t like him.”
“Is it that obvious?” Harry asked dryly.
She crinkled her nose at him and reached for her dress. “And to answer your question, yes.”
Harry’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Yes what?”
Her head reappeared as she pulled the simple green silk dress over her head, letting it fall around her slender body. “I do like Draco. He’s kind to me. I don’t love him -- at least, not yet. But there’s no reason to think that we won’t have a successful marriage.”
She supposed it was callous, talking of her marriage to another man with her current lover. But she and Harry -- there wasn’t love there, either. Desire, they had in spades. Mutual respect, friendship even, but not love. Under different circumstances, it might have developed.
But Astoria was shrewd enough to know then end when she saw it. And this -- this time, this place, this moment -- was the end of her relationship with Harry Potter.
He started to get out of the bed, to show her to the door, but she held her hand up. “Don’t,” she said with a wistful smile. Leaning over, she gave him one last, lingering kiss. Her hand brushed through his unruly black hair, and when she pulled back, she was surprised to find there was a hint of tears gathering in the corner of her eyes. “I want to remember you like this.”
Harry, for his part, didn’t fight her on it, and she appreciated it. For all his absent mindedness, he was aware enough of the finality of the moment. A long, quiet moment passed between them, and finally, he nodded. “I’ll miss you.”
“And I’ll miss you.” She straightened and slipped her feet into her pumps. “Take care of yourself.”
“You too.”
An irrational part of her said stop! That part of her mind wanted her to stay here, to tangle herself with Harry beneath the sheets and never let him go. But there was a reason it was irrational. It never would have worked. She was the future Mrs. Malfoy, and he was the Boy Who Lived. Some things just weren’t meant to be.
With one last look, she pulled out her wand and Apparated away with a ‘crack,’ leaving her lover alone in the master bedroom at Grimmauld Place.