WISHLISTS: Lady Luck (Ginny/Asteria, implied Draco/Asteria and Harry/Ginny)
Author: a_gypsys_dance
Recipient: bitchet
Title: Lady Luck
Pairing: Ginny/Asteria, implied Draco/Asteria and Harry/Ginny
Request: A combination of Ginny/Asteria - The Daily Prophet and Draco/Asteria - Felix Felicis
Rating: PG
Word Count: 951
Summary: Asteria is ready to move on to bigger and better things. Ginny isn't.
Author's Notes: I couldn’t choose which prompt to write, so I combined them - I hope that’s okay with you! :)
Asteria peeks behind her at the golden brew, simmering away in the corner of the Potions room. She eyes Slughorn at the front of the classroom, but he is too busy telling the Gryffindors that he and Harry Potter are such good mates that Potter’s planning to name his first-born Horace.
She scoffs quietly, looking around her covertly and then at the clock. Almost time to go.
She eyes her potion regretfully. I suppose it must go for the greater good, she thinks, and slips it off the table, spilling it behind her.
“Oh no!” she screeches obnoxiously. Slughorn looks over at her, alarmed, and Asteria makes her eyes well up. “I’m so sorry, Professor! I didn’t mean to, I swear. Please don’t punish me,” she begs, forcing a sob out at the last bit.
She knows her tactic has succeeded when she sees his eyes bugging and he begins to usher the other students out of the classroom. “Oh, dear. Just pick that up, it will be okay,” he promised, clearly trying to soothe her while also keeping his distance. “Oh, yes! Vane, I wanted to talk about your essay…” Slughorn improvised, shooting out the door after his student.
Asteria smirks triumphantly, Vanishing her potion and rushing to the counter behind her with the empty flagon meant for today’s brew. She is only able to ladle a small bit into the flask before she hears Slughorn rushing back in, and she drops to the floor, pretending to be cleaning her mess.
“That looks fine, dear, you can go,” he says kindly, clearly hoping she’ll leave without any further hysterics.
She brushes at her cheek as if removing a tear. “I really am sorry, sir,” she tells him.
“No worries, Miss Greengrass. Please get along to dinner.” Slughorn can’t usher her to the door fast enough.
“Thank you, Professor. Good bye, Professor!” Asteria calls as she races down the hallway, only slowing when she rounds the corner. “Hah!” she says quietly, grinning. She takes the flask from her bag and peers into it. That should do just fine.
“Asteria? What are you doing?” A small freckled hand grabs the potion from Asteria before she can stow it away. “Is this Felix Felicis? How did you get this?” She doesn’t look upset as much as impressed, and Asteria can’t help but smirk at the shorter girl.
“I made it,” she bluffs, but Ginny Weasley looks as if she isn’t fooled. After a moment of being stared at, Asteria relents. “Oh, fine. I swiped it from Slughorn. Honestly, the old fool doesn’t have any use for it.”
Weasley laughs but looks skeptical. “And you do?”
“Absolutely,” the Slytherin girl says confidently, daring Weasley to ask.
She doesn’t take the bait, instead advancing on Asteria. “If you wanted so desperately to get lucky, Greengrass, you could have just told me,” Weasley says throatily, suddenly pressing the other girl against the wall.
Asteria looks coyly down at her. “Weasley, this has nothing to do with you.” She doesn’t move from where she is trapped between Weasley’s arms.
Weasley grins predatorily and weaves a hand into Asteria’s hair, pulling her face down to her own level. As she leans forward, her lips getting slowly, tantalizingly closer, Asteria pushes at her, hard.
Ginny stumbles backwards, but laughs. “So that’s how it is,” she says.
Asteria blushes but stands her ground. “We can’t keep doing this, Gi - Weasley.” She looks her straight in the eye, refusing to show any fear.
But Ginny only smirks. “That’s what you said last Wednesday, and then you showed up in our classroom on Friday night anyway.”
“I like to study there,” Asteria says snootily, but she isn’t fooling either of them. They had been showing up in a secluded corridor on the third floor to study together since Ginny had started tutoring her in Charms three months before. Somehow, Asteria’s first successful Cheering Charm had caused her to grab her tutor and snog her senseless in celebration.
While there were very few charms cast after that, there was still an abundance of snogging.
“Did you read the Prophet today?” Ginny asks, surprising the blonde.
“I read it every day,” she hedges, certain now that Ginny knows.
“So you saw that Harry helped exonerate Malfoy and his mother,” she says. “They’ll get to keep their Manor and their riches while Lucius is in Azkaban.”
“Yes, I saw,” Asteria says stiffly, and that is what gives her away.
“So you’ve decided to go back to your original plan, now?” Ginny asks shrewdly. “I suppose that’s what the Felix Felicis is for. Well, that’s one way to snag a husband. Very Slytherin of you.” It is a compliment that Asteria pays her on occasion, but today, coming from Ginny, it sounds much more insulting.
“Draco is an excellent match for me. Potter has ensured that he will keep his place in society. Did you really think this was going somewhere, Ginny?” She says the last as if she is exasperated, and doesn’t understand why she feels hopeful as she waits for her response.
“Weasleys are worth more than Malfoys these days,” Ginny points out, pursing her lips. Asteria wonders if she is jealous.
“In every way except the one that counts: Galleons,” Asteria declares simply. “Plus, witches still can’t marry each other.”
Ginny inhales sharply. “Why would I want to marry you?” Her voice is dripping with scorn, covering her hurt. “Harry is worth more than anyone, and he wants me.” She grits her teeth together. The two girls stare at each other before Ginny shakes her head and walks away.
Asteria watches her go and wonders why she feels less fortunate than ever.