Work Text:
The Curse
by EMPG22HoPe
It was the end of a decade
But the start of an age
June 1995
Astoria fumbled with her silken blue robes nervously. This was a crazy idea. But she was doing it anyway.
It was a beautiful start of the summer at Beauxbatons that day. The sun illuminated much of the school's vast chateau, making it even more beautiful than it is in the winter. Students milled about at the chateau's foyer for the last day of the school year, chatting animatedly with their foreign guests from Hogwarts and Durmstrang. The mark of the end of the Triwizard Tournament that day would also declare Beauxbatons the winner. It was a celebration for her school, and they were serving up one hell of a fine meal at the Dining Chamber for breakfast.
The crowd slowly dispersed, and when she caught sight of a familiar blonde hair in the crowd, Astoria couldn't help but laugh. Where the boy should have been wearing Slytherin robes, he sported a blood red jumper today. He looked quite disoriented as he made his way towards her, but beamed when they finally came face to face.
Astoria eyes surveys him. "You're looking very Gryffindor today, monsieur Malfoy."
Draco scratches the back of his head bashfully. "I lost a bet with Blaise."
"I told you it was stupid," Astoria replied thickly, then laughed at him. She jiggled the picnic basket hanging from her arm excitedly. They could easily enjoy the scrumptious meal prepared by the nymphs that morning, but they decided last night it would be a fine farewell to the end of the school year. "Are you ready to go?"
His grey eyes drifts towards the crowd slowly disappearing into the Dinner Chamber. "You sure we won't get caught?"
She smirks at him, and then turns her back to start making her way out of the foyer. "Since when have you cared for the rules?"
Astoria hears his low chuckle as they walk out of the chateau and down south towards the staircase that leads down the mountain. They travelled briefly and soon arrived at a clearing where only a few steps away lay a river. A boat was harbored just at the side of the river, prepared to magically row them down the river's bend.
The pair mantled themselves onto the boat. Astoria then cast a charm to start the oars from moving themselves. As they pushed down into the river, Astoria placed her picnic basket down where inside their breakfast would be. She began to take out some of the fresh meals she had the nymphs cook for them. Crepes, buttered baguettes and a few macarons for dessert were present.
When she took out a battle of champagne, however, Draco laughed.
"Merlin, you're a brave one, Greengrass." Draco shook his head.
Astoria looks up to him with mirth in her emerald eyes. "Vous Britanniques êtes si modestes.
Besides, we're going to need it for today."
Draco takes the bottle of champagne from her as the boat rows them smoothly down the river. He fishes out two flute glasses from the basket and began to pour the champagne in it, all as he spoke, "What's the occasion?"
Astoria stiffened. None of the fresh air of the clearing just below the mountain where Beauxbatons tops helped to calm her nervousness as she soon fumbles for her silken robes. She bit her bottom lip nervously before she said, "I…I have something to tell you, and I'm not sure how to say it."
The Hogwarts student drops the humor in his eyes before handing her a flute of the champagne.
"Perhaps we'll be needing it after all." Draco spoke seriously as he sat back with his glass. "You can tell me anything."
A part of her doubted that before, but she's come so far with him. They've been very close friends a few days after his arrival with the Hogwarts entourage for the Triwizard Tournament. He spoke very fluent French due to part of his mother's heritage, and seems to be the only one that she can speak to more fondly than all the other guests that had arrived. He seemed a most genuine boy, even though she's caught him play manipulative games against some of the students he loathed. Though she was sure it was likely from his prejudiced upbringing.
There was simply something about him that had compelled her to open up about her curse. But also because she knew that if Draco reacted differently to it, it wouldn't hurt just as much because it was not likely for her to see him again, even though she wishes she could even after all of it.
So Astoria told him. She told him about her frailty, how she started showing symptoms of her ancestral curse as a babe, all that there was to it. To divert much of her fears, she spoke about the story behind the curse—how her ancestor bore the child of a man she was not married to, and therefore, received a curse from her husband-to-be in turn for her treachery.
It was all vivid as she spoke and ate with. When it was through, the boat drifted about the river in silence. Astoria noticed how the clearing was a paradise of greens and fresh bushes about, even more beautiful under the bright summer sun. She doted on the flowers that looked as though they were about to bloom, and watched as birds flew overhead. But even as she distracted herself, internally, she was terrified of Draco's reaction.
Perhaps if she looked away a little more he wouldn't notice how—
"I hate that the world does not work out fair." Draco spoke at last.
Astoria turned her head towards him. "But that's how the world is, isn't it?"
Draco hummed noncommittally and then took a brief sip of his champagne. "I'm sorry you had to go through that. The mistake of one blasted ancestor should not have affected an innocent bloodline."
Astoria nods then bows her head. "You must be repulsed by me. Death is but a mere breath away, and I can never know when it will be my last. Death… well, death doesn't discriminate. I could be as good as I am now, but it will take and take and take no matter what good I do in this world."
"You're good not because of your curse, Astoria," Draco said as he put his glass down. "You're good because you simply are."
"You really think so?" Astoria offers him a benevolent smile, her cheeks flushing considerably.
"It's cruel what you have to go through," Draco shook his head this time. "But you never let that get the best of you. That's… well, that's something to be admired."
Astoria looks at him in surprise, a part of her shame slowly ebbing. "So you're not disgusted by me?"
"Me? Disgusted by a pretty French girl riddled with some blood curse her stupid ancestor put on her?" Draco asked and tried to look thoughtful before he decided to smirk at her. "It's not likely."
"If I'm not so pretty, I reckon you'd be repulsed by me." Astoria said bashfully.
Draco shakes his head. "No, I wouldn't."
Astoria's eyes sparkled when she looked up at him. He truly was something else.
They returned back up to the school in comfortable silence. When they arrived at the foyer, Astoria turned to him and heard her words trip over the other.
"W-will you write to me?" Astoria asked him, her eyes downcast. "During the summer, that is. And visit when you come back to France for a vacation?"
Astoria felt his fingers cup her jaw; carefully lifting her face up to look at him. The smile on his face made her heart race. He was quite handsome for someone with hard features.
"Of course I'll write to you." Draco beamed at her. "And I'll find a cure for that bloody curse of yours."
"No need to be so brash," Astoria shook her head in amusement with his slight expletive. "I appreciate that, but no one's ever found a cure in so many years."
"Then I'll have to be the first." Draco declared firmly. "I will find one, Astoria. And you wouldn't have to worry about your last breath."
Astoria's heart raced considerably. And then, she smiled at him, the brightest she's had in the longest time. "I won't have to worry about it now. I have you."
They wrote to each other in the summer, and had their first date in the winter. For the first time since the dreadful thought of her curse being such a hopeless case, Astoria didn't feel so broken and hopeless anymore. Because in the number of people that ran the other way when they found out about her curse, he was the only one that was stubborn and determined enough to stay.