Recap: Draco and Theodore attended Crabbe's memorial service, where they were ignored by their old friend Blaise Zabini. Theo, in turn, brushed off the snub, and instead continued to encourage the burgeoning relationship between Astoria and Draco, and revealed that Carya Greengrass has decided to host a party. While the intention is to restore some good cheer to the pureblood community, both Theo and Draco acknowledged that it will likely dissolve into complete drunken debauchery, as pureblood gatherings are wont to do.

Listening to: "I'm Yours," by Alessia Cara.

VII. Good Girls Don't Make History

"Remind me why we're doing this again."

"Because," Daphne said as she tugged Astoria's corset tighter still, "you drink too much cherry soda and it shows. It displeases our dear mother."

Astoria would have laughed if she could breathe properly. Seeing as she couldn't, she responded to Daphne's remark with a rude hand gesture, to which her sister merely tsk-ed and pulled the corset tighter.

"Don't be crass, Tori, I'm wearing one, too." Daphne grit her teeth and pulled once more, as tight as she could until Astoria's spine involuntarily straightened and a string of obscenities fell from her mouth. "There. That should do it."

"Yes, you've packed my body in so tight that my dress is now going to be too big for me," Astoria griped. Her skin tingled unpleasantly where the corset dug in, but no matter; she was sure that it would go numb soon enough.

"Oh, right." Daphne swooped out of the room without further explanation, but was back before Astoria could wonder what the devil she was on about. Upon her reappearance, Astoria's unasked question was answered by the garment bag in Daphne's hand.

"Circe's tits, what's that?"

"Certainly not our goddess's tits, that's for sure," Daphne said a bit grimly as she unzipped the bag. "This is your dress for tonight. Mother picked it out, and it's a size too small so the corset should accommodate it just so."

"Oh, noooo— Oh. Wait." Astoria paused as she fingered the gown. "This isn't half bad, is it?"

"No, it's really not," Daphne agreed. "Merlin, Tori, did you really think I'd let Mother pick out your dress without my approval?"

"Clearly I've misjudged you."

"It would seem so."

Astoria really did laugh that time, potential bruised rib be damned. She stepped into the gown and shimmed the length of blending greens up her body. The long, layered skirt looked like a drooping flower, and the sheer grecian sleeves made it seem as though she had fairy wings tucked behind her elbows. It fit like a glove that turned out to be a tad too snug, but that wasn't the worst thing Astoria could say about the outfits her mother had forced her into in years past.

"Thank god, you're a bombshell." Daphne wiped at the nonexistent sweat on her brow. "Mother would have had my head if you'd looked anything less."

"Oh, what does she care?" Astoria swept her hair up and started pinning it. "No one's going to look twice at me while you're around. The good Greengrass daughter will steal all their attention."

"The good one, yes," Daphne agreed. She slapped her sister's hands away so she could do her hair properly. "But the eligible one, not so much."

Astoria frowned as Daphne undid her hair and used her wand to curl it. She couldn't give a shit about what Daphne was doing to her hair; it was her words that gave Astoria pause. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Come off it." Daphne clicked her tongue at her sister's uncharacteristic naivete. "Mother likes throwing a party as much as the next well-to-do witch, but you can't think she doesn't have an ulterior motive. You know better."

"Wait a second —"

"Don't move." Daphne shoved Astoria into a chair and put a restraining hand on her shoulder. "I have to finish your hair, and you know Mother will be right pissed if you go shrieking around the house because you found out her little scheme."

"What —"

"I can't believe you didn't figure this out yourself." Daphne hummed a little while she continued to curl her sister's hair. She knew Astoria was already beside herself, but poking the bear was too much fun to resist. "Are you that besotted with our dear young Malfoy that your senses are dulling? Well, you should have made that obvious to Mother, and then perhaps she wouldn't have gone to all this trouble to host a matchmaking ball for your ungrateful arse."

Astoria opened her mouth to scream out her frustrations, but Daphne expertly slapped her palm over her lips to stop her.

"No need to fret, sweet sister. Mother made sure to invite the Malfoys, so — eck!" Daphne yanked her hand away when Astoria licked it. "Cripes, you act like this was all my idea."

"You could have told me before I was ready to go downstairs!" Astoria argued, but stayed put so Daphne could finish pinning her hair. If she had to feed herself to the wolves, she might as well look good doing it. "I can't believe — well, no, of course I can believe Mother would pull this. Merlin, it's like she thinks I don't have another year of school and the rest of my life ahead of me."

"Oh, she knows," Daphne assured her. "It's not that she thinks you're running out of time, or that she wants to get you married off tomorrow. But you know how everyone was getting married during the war — they felt like it was their last chance, and people are still rushing to put down roots now. You never know how long this safety and security will last, and people want to make the most of it. Mother reckons all the eligible wizards will be taken by the time you set your sights on one of them."

"That doesn't make any sense."

"I know, but it doesn't have to make sense to us when Mother's already made her mind up about it."

Astoria muttered her assent. "Too true. I'm still ticked."

"I know." Daphne pinched her sister's cheeks to put a little pink in them. "If it makes you feel better, I saw the caterers bring in several barrels of mulled mead, and that's nothing to all the champagne Mother will pop if you take one for the team and dance with a bloke or two."

"Oh, fine," Astoria grumbled, but her sullenness was halfhearted at best. "You know me too well."

Daphne planted a smacking kiss to Astoria's head. "You're just too good for us all, Tori, love."

"Yeah." Astoria matched her sister's grin. "You're just lucky I'm not too good for barrels of mead."

Astoria couldn't sit without splitting a seam in her dress, but it was clear that Carya had no intention of allowing Astoria a moment to herself, anyway. The woman practically dragged her from family to family — all of whom had at least one son to speak of — as if Astoria hadn't met these people a dozen times over already.

"I swear I'm going to make a scene," Astoria said in passing to Daphne, who gave her a smile and a glass of wine and let her be dragged away by their mother. One glass wasn't nearly enough to settle Astoria's nerves, but it was enough for her to excuse herself to the loo for a moment of peace.

She took the long way back to the small ballroom where her mother's party continued in full swing. The music could be heard in every corner of the manor, so as much as she wanted to, Astoria couldn't escape the merriment. Not that the merriment troubled her, exactly, but the occasion for it was both irksome and unnecessary.

The clock in the hall chimed a mere seven o'clock, and Astoria knew it wouldn't be over any time soon. "Ugh." Astoria shimmied her shoulders a bit as she walked, trying to get the blood flowing through her body again. Damn corset...

"Oh, I know that move," said a voice behind her. "My mother made me wear corsets, too. Wretched things."

"Andromeda." Astoria greeted the woman with a genuine smile. "I'd hug you, but I think too much movement might make me burst right out of my dress."

Andromeda laughed, a wonderful, tinkling sound, although somewhat dimmer than the last time Astoria heard it. It had been some time, and too much had happened in between.

"I was so sorry to hear about Ted, and your daughter," Astoria said as they walked, their footsteps echoing slightly against the polished marble floor. "I would have come to their services, if it hadn't been for Mother's… Well, whatever her issue is."

"I understand, love." Andromeda took the younger woman's arm and tucked it into the crook of her own. "Ted and Dora would have, as well."

"Was there —" Astoria paused to swallow the sudden lump in her throat. "I know he didn't have family aside from you, but — Professor Lupin had a service, didn't he? He was such a wonderful teacher."

"A wonderful man, too." Andromeda smiled at the mention of her son-in-law, and the memories of how happy he'd made her daughter in their short time together. There had been a couple of bumps along the way, but the love had abounded. "His mourners came by the dozens. You were missed, Astoria, but… Well, as you said, I know how your mother is. She didn't even want me here tonight, nor did I particularly relish the idea of attending, but Narcissa changed both our minds. Or, well, she certainly got her point across, at any rate."

"You're close with Mrs. Malfoy?"

"We had a falling-out years ago," Andromeda explained. "My family was none too pleased when I married Ted — no one was more disappointed than my sisters. It was around the time of the first war, and tensions were high, as you've experienced yourself. Bella and Lucius were in Voldemort's inner circle already, so I never expected Narcissa to come around to my side of things. But she came to my family's service, and we've been trying to make amends.

"It's strange," Andromeda continued, "but so much of it doesn't seem to matter anymore. That last blowout row with my family before I left, all the pain and bitterness between us… It seemed like my whole world was caving in back then. Now it's just a memory."

At a loss for anything to say, Astoria could only squeeze Andromeda's arm. "I'm so sorry."

"Thank you, love." Another smile touched Andromeda's mouth. "I've made peace with their deaths. It's what they wanted. I have Teddy to think of now. He's a handful, but he has a big family to look after him. The Weasleys are as good as their word, and I have a feeling Harry will be walking him through the tough stuff later, but for now…"

"All you need is love," Astoria offered, "so says that Muggle group Mother hates so much."

"Ah, the Beatles." Astoria sighed wistfully, as if she were recalling a sweet memory. "They were so big, Statute of Secrecy or no, I swear, all at once the Muggle and Wizarding worlds were one."

Astoria laughed as they reentered the ballroom arm-in-arm. Her mother's matchmaking attempt hardly seemed as daunting as it had before.

One cursory glance around the room was all Andromeda needed to assess the night's purpose. "Good god, but I've never seen so many good-looking young bachelors in one place. My mother used to do this to me, too, but yours seems a bit desperate, doesn't she? And here I was, thinking you were after my nephew…"

Astoria choked on her own spit. Andromeda smirked knowingly and plucked two flutes of champagne from a floating tray. She handed one to Astoria, clinked their glasses together, and said, "Drink up, love. The Malfoys have just arrived."

"How did you know?" Astoria asked between mouthfuls of champagne.

"Narcissa mentioned it." Andromeda shrugged one elegant shoulder. "Nothing concrete, mind, but she seems to think there's something there. Or perhaps she only hopes there is."

"How does she know?"

Andromeda raised an eyebrow. "Well, Draco isn't a terribly difficult boy to read. Not for his mother, anyway. Why, is it a secret?"

"I don't know, really," Astoria confided. "But either way, I didn't think we were being quite so obvious about it."

Andromeda pressed her lips together in thought. "Well, my relationship with Draco has been short and rather shallow so far, but from what I know of him, Draco's never been the sort who's able to keep his cool in the face of something he wants. Not that you're a thing, but I hope you get my meaning."

Draco stepped into Astoria's line of sight and her heart jumped into her throat. "Yes, I suppose I do."

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Draco looked her way. Relief washed over his face and he made a beeline for her, some vestiges of his old swagger present in the smirk that shadowed the corners of his lips.

"You're a sight for sore eyes," Astoria greeted him, determined to keep the upper hand.

"Oh?" Draco's eyes flicked around the room. "Seems like you've got enough company as it is."

"Yeah, it's a positive meat market in here," Astoria noted dryly.

Andromeda chuckled into her glass. "That's my cue to find the other old people so we can reminisce about the old, more polite days. It was lovely to see you both."

She kissed them both on the cheek before sweeping off into the crowd to find her sister. Astoria watched her go and said, "She's a remarkable woman, isn't she?"

"She's been through a lot," Draco agreed, and left it at that.

Sensing that he was in no mood to discuss the war or his family, Astoria changed course. "So you noticed the roomful of my potential suitors, did you? You're quicker than me. Daph had to tell me what was going on before I figured it out."

"Your mother is incorrigible," Draco observed. His shoulders relaxed when Astoria took the conversational reins, but a slight irritation lingered as he scanned the room again. "So much for Carya rooting for me."

"She wants me to keep my options open," Astoria supplied. "It's pragmatic."

"That's one way to put it." Draco tugged at one of the layers of chiffon that made up Astoria's skirt and she took a step closer to him. "Should I put a Permanent Sticking Charm on us, then? That should keep the rest of them off."

"How pleasantly flirtatious." Astoria passed him her glass and he took a sip from it. "What's gotten into you? I was getting used to your brooding."

"I thought I'd try something new. For tonight, at least." Draco looked down at his hand, which was still holding onto Astoria's dress. The bandages he used to wrap his Dark Mark peeked out of his sleeve.

Astoria followed his gaze and her fingers touched the thick, rough mesh. Before he'd seen the scars on her, he'd never covered his Dark Mark with anything more than the sleeves of his shirt.

"You don't have to do that, you know," she said in an undertone. "If you're wrapping it up for me, you don't have to. It's a part of you. That doesn't scare me, if that's what you think."

Draco moved his hand from her dress to clasp her fingers instead. "Astoria, please, I don't want to talk about it."

"Right. Sorry."

"That's alright." Draco nudged her chin with his free hand so she was looking at him again. Theo had advised him not to let the good pass him by, and Draco was determined to follow through on that. And looking Astoria Greengrass dead in the eye was all the good Draco knew.

The night passed on in a whirl of Astoria's dress as she heeded her mother's pointed looks and danced with anyone who asked. It was a small price to pay for Carya's approval, and Astoria wanted to get through the night with as few scoldings as possible. She'd had too much wine to do anything but giggle madly should her mother start chastising her, and that certainly wouldn't help matters.

"McLaggen, really?" Draco said while he and Astoria took their third turn around the room. "Your mother can't be serious."

"I'm afraid that my mother's always serious." Astoria puckered her lips as though deep in thought. "I can't say I blame her. He's rather accomplished, and dead fit —"

"Not if I hit him with a Conjunctivitis, he won't be."

"Oh, a little pink eye will clear up just fine."

Draco met her smirk with a dubious look. "You haven't seen my Conjunctivitis, Greengrass. It's the stuff of legends."

"Oh, I'm sure." Astoria drummed her fingers against his shoulder. "Well, I suppose I'll save poor Cormac the medical trouble and tell you that while he means well, he's dreadfully dull and a bit too handsy."

"Hmm…" Draco glanced over the top of Astoria's head to catch sight of Cormac at the other end of the room. He was either grinning at something or he just looked that smug all the time. Not knowing Cormac well, but well enough to venture a guess, Draco assumed the latter. "I could probably hit him with a well-placed hex from here."

"Why, because his hand happened to graze my bum a few times?" Astoria chuckled at Draco's scowl. "Come off it. If you're hexing people for that, you'll have to turn your wand on yourself a few times."

"You're drastically missing the point," Draco said while he spun her in one fluid circle.

"The point being that you called dibs on my bum?" Astoria guessed, then went on while Draco's face pinked. "No, I get it. I'm only saying, fair's fair, so maybe give yourself antlers for an hour or so."

Draco's hand tightened on her waist. "Your mother's intention for this evening could not possibly have been to watch you get manhandled by a bunch of sods."

"Well…" Astoria inclined her head in acknowledgement. "Probably not, but it's less about the manhandling and more about the eligibility of the manhandlers. If you've got the status, you can have a go at me."

"I don't quite care for this conversation, Greengrass."

"You started it." Astoria only had to tug once at his tie to bring him closer. Her lips just brushed his when she spoke next, and a lightning bolt shot down Draco's spine as she did. "Meet me upstairs later, though, and I'll end it."

Draco tried to swallow the nervous lump that had lodged in his throat but couldn't manage it. He wasn't aware of anything else but that lump and Astoria's smile. His voice was hoarse when he said, "Since when have I been able to say no to you?"

Grinning, Astoria tugged his tie once more to bring his lips to hers.