Sweets: The Tale of Astoria Greengrass

Everybody Wants to Rule the World

Astoria thought about that luncheon for a week after. She'd known Malfoy her entire life as her sister's best friend. The one who was privileged with being a Death Eater at sixteen. She at sixteen had made the choice to join Dumbledore's Army and fight in the Battle of Hogwarts. She did not have much sympathy for his choices. Yet what she saw by the time she saw him again with Pansy interested her.

He was quiet, not saying very much. He mostly said nothing except for the occasional agreement with Pansy as she and Daphne talked about their impressing wedding. His gestures, his gaze, all of his mannerisms seemed to keep to himself. He was isolating himself, whether he knew it or not.

She noticed the dark bags under his eyes, his gaunt frame, the sickly tone to his skin. All of that had begun to appear during his sixth year, but it had gotten somewhat better over the last few months between the Battle of Hogwarts and now.

She also noticed his gray eyes kept flicking towards her when he thought she wasn't looking. Astoria had no idea why- after all, her sister was the looker of the family, like her mother was.

Most likely because you look as sick as he does, she thought. I'm sure it is rather alarming.

Astoria had been mostly bored with the wedding talk, but she knew it would happen the following July. Apparently Pansy really was desperate for money.

Astoria placed the floppy-brimmed hat over her curls before giving herself a once-over in the mirror. She wore a pale green dress today with strappy sandals the same light tan as her hat. She grabbed her list off the vanity, and her purse. All she would need were a few books and a new telescope since that had been broken by one of her roommates last year.

She skipped out and down the stairs to where Daphne was waiting in the foyer. She gave an amused snort.

"Come on," she said, offering her hand. Astoria took it, and they Disapparated. Upon landing in Diagon Alley, Astoria stumbled towards a bin and vomited into it.

"Are you alright?" Daphne sounded panicked.

"I'm fine!" Astoria assured her quickly, not wanting to cause a scene over a non-existent health problem. "I don't like Apparition much."

"That's because you're not doing it for yourself," Daphne said with a small smile. "You'll learn this year."

"Thank goodness," Astoria said. "Come on, we'd best get to Flourish and Blott's. We can then go and look at the telescopes. I was also thinking of getting a broom so-"

"Absolutely not," Daphne snarled. "Astoria Eurydice Greengrass, you will not play Quidditch, or so help me-"

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry I asked," Astoria said, holding her hands up in surrender.

She looked to the alley. It was not nearly so bright or colorful as it had been in previous years- but some of the wonder had returned after the end of the Death Eaters. The Weasley shop with its clashing magenta and orange caught attention the most. Astoria longed to go in- but Daphne would most likely not let her go in. She nearly killed Astoria when she'd found a Skiving Snackbox in her trunk last year.

Astoria folded the last casual dress she would take and turned around to put it in her trunk. When she turned, she saw Daphne rifling through the contents of her trunk. She pulled out the Skiving Snackbox.

"What is this?" Daphne demanded angrily.

"It's just a joke thing, Daffy, calm down," Astoria said as she reached for the box. Daphne held it out of her reach.

"A joke!" Daphne already sounded hysterical. "Some joke this is! These could endanger your health- vomiting and bleeding and fainting- what if these make your curse worse, Tori?"

"I didn't think-"

"Exactly!" Daphne shrieked. "You didn't think! You never think about how others might be affected by what you do! What if we lost you because you did something stupid!"

Daphne started sobbing right then and there.

Astoria reluctantly embraced her sister. "Shh. Shh. I'm still here."

Astoria entered Flourish and Blott's. Some heads turned as Daphne strutted in ahead of her, going straight for the sixth edition of The Standard Book of Spells and the new Defense Against the Dark Arts book. She was uncomfortable as some people stared at her as well. She kept her head down and followed her sister to the back. On the way, however, someone grabbed her arm, forcing her to face him.

"You're not welcome here," the man snarled. "What business do you have, coming in here when you took everything from me-"

"I didn't do anything-" Astoria protested, trying to break free.

"You're a Greengrass," he snarled. "You're complicit!"

"I really didn't do anything, I'm sorry for your loss-"

"But that's it, isn't it?" he said. "You did nothing."

"Sir, please let go of me," Astoria begged, aware of all eyes on the, as she tried to tug away. Nobody wanted to help her it seemed.

The man pulled out his wand. "I'll make your family pay for what they did to me-"

"LET GO OF ME!" Astoria screamed.

Startled, the man let go and Astoria ran to the back of the store.

Astoria ended up buying a Daydream Package from the Weasley shop, after Daphne extensively interrogated Mr. George Weasley about the side-effects of it.

"You deserve something nice after the book store," Daphne admitted.

Astoria thanked her. One thing was made quite clear- they no longer were at the top.