Astoria → Draco Malfoy

CHAPTER TWELVE

"we learn to live with the pain. mosaic broken hearts"

By the time it got to Christmas day, there had been no more contact from their parents, not one letter, not one article in the prophet, and not one more breakout. Everything felt as though it was finally returning to normal.

"Good morning, Astoria!" Her sister called from the bed beside her, stretching out her arms.

Astoria turned over to face her, "merry Christmas!" She then rolled over to face Pansy who was still in a deep slumber, raising her voice she called out to her, "MERRY CHRISTMAS!" She threw a pillow at her with a smile.

"Merlin Astoria," Pansy spoke in her raspy morning voice, "some of us were still sleeping."

"It's Christmas!" She jumped out of the bed, joining her sister in hers, "you can't sleep in on Christmas! We have to go and open our presents!"

"Give me five more minutes?" Pansy pleaded, closing her eyes once again. "Come and get me once you've managed to get the boys up, they'll be more of a challenge than me!"

Astoria rolled her eyes, "five minutes, no more and no less." She snuggled into her sister, quietly whispering in her ear, "let's go downstairs!"

Daphne smiled at her sister, "come on then," she jumped out of her bed, wrapping herself up in a robe, watching as her sister did the same.

Astoria took her hand, leading her down the winding staircase and into the common room. "Don't look at the tree!" Her sister covered her eyes, Astoria averting her gaze from that side of the room. "Boys!!" She called out once she reached the bottom of their stairs. "Don't make me come up there!"

She heard chuckling from upstairs. "You wish you could," Blaise called out through their closed door.

Pulling out her wand, she aimed it up the stairs at the door to the boy's dormitory, "Alohomora," she heard the faint click of the door unlocking and at once she knew she was successful. "Are you two coming yet?"

"Theo!" Daphne shouted, "Blaise come on down, we have presents."

But still, they didn't stir. "If you don't come down there will be consequences! I can smell Chocolate Frogs under the tree and Theo they have your name on," Astoria paced in place, "oh wow they are delicious!"

And that was enough to get Theo up and out of bed. He darted down the stairs, Blaise following closely behind him. "Are you joking me?" He looked over at where the tree was, "I bet I don't even have any Chocolate Frogs."

"Oh, you do," Daphne winked at him.

Blaise made his way over to the sofa, "you made us wake up and Pansy isn't even here yet! I won't stand for this!"

"I'll go and get her," Daphne called out, disappearing into the girl's dormitory.

Once everyone was in the Slytherin common room, Astoria finally had a chance to look at the decorations. Although the common room was usually draped with green ornaments, it seemed that today they were accompanied by golden stars.

By the fireplace was a tree unlike anything Astoria had ever seen before, it towered above her, spotted with golden stars that lit up the room. Alongside the light from the fireplace, Astoria felt at peace, the warm glow from the lights made her muscles all feel as though they could finally relax.

At the top of the tree stood an angel on pointe, spinning delicately around the top of the tree. It reminded her of when she too had wished to dance like that, she had wished to be as light as a feather when she moved.

"Who wants to go first?" She asked around to Pansy, Daphne, Blaise and Theo, looking at the pile of presents wrapped under the tree.

All of them muttered between one another, eventually turning to face Astoria, "why don't you go first?"