A S T O R I A

❝History is written by survivors, and I am surely that.❝

[littlegreengrxss]

helpless || astoria & blaise

[littlegreengrxss]

blcisezcbinii:

“There’s a full moon once a month. People make it seem like werewolves love biting their friends and family. It’s a common misconception much like how all Slytherins are inherently evil.” Blaise of all people knew how misconceptions can make or break one’s reputation. He doubted Astoria requested his presence so that he could bring her mood down. He pushed his feelings aside and grinned widely at the mention of Draco. 

“So you admit there’s snogging going on between you two. May Merlin have mercy on his soul when he tries to go further. You think having me and Daphne threaten his life is preferable to…” He didn’t finish his sentence because nothing preferable to testifying against your classmates. “I’m alright. Nothing keeps me down for too long, you know that,” he widened his grin for emphasis. “And you? You’ve got an awful lot on your plate compared to me.” 

"Well, that’s not very fair now, is it? They’re creatures that don’t have much control over themselves, and it’s saddening to hear, really.” Astoria replied with a bit of a sigh. It does feel exactly like how she has no control over what others thought of her, or her fellow housemates. Especially house Slytherin. Somehow, even despite her kindness towards strangers -- they still gave her some looks every now and then. She assumed it was because trials were so close by that any Slytherin, regardless of kindness, seemed like an awful person to them.

Astoria graced Blaise a playful smile, blushing just slightly when he mentioned the term “going any further”. She had to keep a straight face at that part, as they both did attempt to... go further. “Blaise, if my father can reluctantly accept our relationship, I’m sure you can too.” A nod came from her at Blaise’s next reply, smiling at him happily. Blaise had always been such a strong man, emotionally and physically. It was something that she could truly admire and wished to be something she was. “Now, awful lot’s too big of a phrase now, don’t you think? I shouldn’t be worrying about anything else, but here I am worrying about Daphne, and Draco, and Sally and Zach. It’s a blessing and a curse to be caring.”

[sentencestarters-and-asks]

An incredibly detailed list of questions, through the many characters of Harry Potter:

Harry Potter: How important do you think your life is?

Ron Weasley: Is there someone who you would go to the ends of the earth for?

Hermione Granger: Do people ever underestimate you because of who you are? 

Neville Longbottom: What’s one thing you doubt about yourself?

Ginny Weasley: Have you ever been forced to do something you never would do otherwise?

Draco Malfoy: Have you ever felt pressured by your expectations?

Luna Lovegood: Do people generally consider you strange? 

Cho Chang: Do you often show your emotions?

Fred Weasley: Could you go on if anyone from you family were to die?

George Weasley: Are you a generally optimistic person?

Lavender Brown: Have you ever been madly in love?

Seamus Finnegan: Are you prone to accidents, in any way?

Cedric Diggory: Would you put your life on the line for honour?

Rubeus Hagrid: Has anyone ever framed you because of who you are?

Albus Dumbledore: Have you ever done something unforgivable?

Severus Snape: Do you have any long-lasting wishes or regrets?

Minerva McGonagall:

Sybill Trelawney: Have your accomplishments and abilities ever been questioned?

Dolores Umbridge: Would you deny the truth in order to maintain safety?

Horace Slughorn: Is there something in your memory that you never want to tell?

Remus Lupin: What’s the most you would do for a friend?

Sirius Black: Do you prefer friends to family?

Molly Weasley: Do you ever feel responsible for someone that isn’t part of your immediate family?

Fleur Delacour: Do you like to make the best of a bad situation?

Alistair Moody: Are you judged mainly on your appearance?

Nymphadora Tonks: Are there any talents you have that people love?

Kingsley Shacklebolt: Would you consider yourself a good choice for a position of power?

Mundungus Fletcher: Do you believe in profit over importance?

Peter Pettigrew: Have you ever had betrayed a friend for a reason? 

Bellatrix Lestrange: Would you turn against your family?

Lucius Malfoy: Do you use your job as an influence against anyone?

Fenrir Greyback: Do you ever feel hatred against those different from you?

Barty Crouch, Jr: Have you parents ever been forced to punish you by obligation?

Lord Voldemort: Would you want to be immortal?

James Potter: What’s the most you would do for a friend?

Lily Potter: Would ever you sacrifice yourself to save someone else?

[littlegreengrxss]

felipe-marquez:

“I will absolutely speak with Daphne about this, yes. I truly had no idea that this would come as such a surprise–well, perhaps who she was betrothed to would be a surprise, I imagined, but not the betrothal itself. I should not have assumed, but I did and perhaps that was wrong of me.” No wonder Daphne was so vehemently opposed to this whole thing–her whole life, she’d been promised that she could marry for love, and then out of the blue she was engaged to someone that was not of her choosing. Felipe supposed that he would be upset in such a situation, too. He’d always known that his father would choose who he would marry. He just felt lucky that he’d been asked for his input. “Thank you for telling me this, Astoria. I greatly appreciate it.”

She wanted to hear about the house elves, and Felipe was more than happy to oblige. As an only child, they’d been his only real friends. The other pureblood children were too rowdy–they liked to run and yell and get dirt on their clothes. Felipe had always been content to sit quietly, to obey his parents and keep clean and still. But the house elves had always been kind to him, and he’d developed relationships with each of them over the years. As they walked to the kitchens, he began to talk.

“Well, Mitzi is the absolute best cook that I know. She can make just about anything, and she is the one who taught me a few things in the kitchen, as well. I liked to spend time in there with her while she was cooking. I believe that it’s really its own type of magic, cooking and baking. The way she is able to take a basket of things and make it into something delicious… I have always admired that about her. Then, there is Rigby. He runs the household, although if you ask either of my parents they run things. But Rigby is the one making sure that things go smoothly, especially when we have guests. He helps the other two where he can and he does things like answer the door, make sure that the gardeners are doing what they are supposed to be doing–he really has quite a lot of responsibility, but he is exceptionally good at it. And then there’s Eve. She is mostly in charge of the cleaning, and she’s very meticulous. Eve was always the one who was very adamant about me making my bed and keeping my bedroom tidy when I was a child. It is her responsibility to clean, but she wanted to make sure that I grew up to be neat, as well. Whenever one of them has time off, the other two share the responsibilities of the third.” Felipe smiled fondly–the house elves were as much his family as his parents were, and he was happy that Astoria had wanted to know about them. 

Astoria could only nod, then, at the prospect of Felipe discussing the confusion with Daphne. It was still slightly hard to believe that Felipe had no idea, but she saw how he genuinely seemed just as confused as she was. If he had an ounce of care for her sister, he would tell her about it. It might not break the engagement like she was secretly hoping it would, but it did prove as truth, one that Daphne deserves.

As they walked out of the Great Hall and down the hallways that lead towards the kitchens, Astoria listened to Felipe talk about his house elves. She couldn’t help but smile as he mentioned each of their names, while at the same time, providing the work they did and the obvious admiration the wizard seemed to have for the elves. It was already obvious which elf Astoria admired among the three. Certainly Mitzi, for her talent in baking and cooking. “You seem to be very good friends with your elves, then. How they make up most, if not some, of your childhood.” She remarked with a bright grin. It was almost impossible not to be happy about the things she was hearing from Felipe. The rarity of hearing a fellow pure-blood make mention of befriending their house elves caught up to her so much that it still had her still reeling from the fact that there was, in fact, someone out there that does. 

“Your Mitzi reminds me of my Poppy.” Astoria shared as they turned towards a curve in the hall. “She’s been in the Greengrass family for two generations, counting mine. When I was a child, mum and dad were always so busy. Poppy practically raised me and Daphne, if not our governess at times. She’s kind and loving, and so talented in the kitchen. I believe if Poppy and Mitzi ever met, they’d be the best of friends.” 

[littlegreengrxss]

helpless || astoria & blaise

[littlegreengrxss]

blcisezcbinii:

Blaise knew that of all people in the castle, Astoria might have had it worst. She wasn’t on trial but, like him, many people she cared for were. On top of that, there were many changes in her life including her sister’s betrothal. Blaise was still having a hard time wrapping his head around the latter. When he got her owl to meet, me didn’t hesitate to agree. It might do him good to actually talk about his feelings rather than bottle it up. If anyone were to bring out the softer side of him, it would be Astoria. 

She picked a rather good thing to be out in the Forest. The sun was out, though not nearly warm enough. He wondered if he should have brought a second coat for her to borrow. He couldn’t help but smile at how doting he could be. “I think the Forbidden Forest gets a bad rep. People forget it’s just as beautiful at night when the moonlight is seeping through the leaves.” He snickered before adding, “Makes for a good place to snog if your Draco can’t think of one.” He was never a fan of Astoria dating anyone but if Draco could keep her mind off the horrible things going on then he reluctantly accepts their relationship. 

“The only reason it even has a bad reputation is because of the werewolves on a full moon. Or alleged werewolves. I assume it’s the latter.” Astoria replied with a bright smile, remembering how her young self was rather terrified of even stepping foot into the forest. That has changed overtime when Hagrid brought them into the forest to introduce them to Thestrals. Although at that time, she wasn’t able to see Thestrals just yet. Now she could, along with everyone else. It was still a very chilling thought.

A giggle escaped her lips as she shook her head at Blaise’s comment about her and Draco. She knew Blaise wasn’t exactly happy about the relationship, as it was in his protective nature. But she was glad he accepted it even for just a little while. “Of course, if the creatures don’t bother us. I’ll let him know, then. Could give him some piece of mind with everything that’s going on.” She winked at Blaise playfully before she finally stepped in stride next to him. Astoria pursed her lips briefly, trying to find the right words to say. It was ironic how she encouraged people to tell her about their problems, and yet she herself didn’t know how to often start off when she was the one with her own situations. “How have you been feeling, Blaise? Are you alright?”

[littlegreengrxss]

helpless || astoria & blaise

Astoria had never felt more confined in her entire life. The past few weeks has been rather suffocating compared to before Christmas break. There was talk of the trials now, and that compelled her to care a little more than she probably shouldn’t for her fellow Slytherins that were going on trial. While she didn’t like the majority of those going on trial -- like Theo or Pansy -- she was, at the very least, still worried about them. Nobody deserves to go through what they’re about to.

And so she found herself out in the Forbidden Forest on a slightly bright, sunny Saturday morning. The end of winter only just barely showing as February slowly came. Astoria had asked Blaise yesterday by owl to meet her there. She felt the need to express her worries in the hope that someone would understand. She often went for Daphne, yes, but her sister had other problems to deal with. Which only added up to her own pile of worries as she trekked her way deeper into the forest. And when she saw a familiar figure, breathed out a sigh of relief. Astoria placed her arms before her chest as she looked around the forest whilst approaching Blaise’s looming figure. “I never realized how beautiful this place looked in the morning.” She started conversationally as she graced him a smile. “Perhaps I should visit more often, then. Beats trying to clear your head inside the castle.”

@blcisezcbinii

[ruslan-fletcher-blog1]

Friend Like That || Russ & Tori

[littlegreengrxss]

ruslan-fletcher:

He didn’t deserve this. He didn’t deserve a friend like Astoria, who was all kindness and gentleness–he didn’t deserve her friendship or her comfort or her understanding, didn’t deserve her wiping his tears from his face and telling him that he was a good man. He didn’t deserve to have someone as pure and as good as she was care about him. He didn’t deserve to be sitting here with her, pouring out his soul and burdening her with his problems. He wasn’t worth this.

“My issues are just about all I have, Tori,” he said, and it was true. Sure, he liked Astronomy, and he had friends and he was great at sex. But other than that, all that made him up was nightmares and alcoholism and abandonment issues. On the outside he may have seemed put together, but he was still nothing but rubble and ruin inside, like some ancient civilization that had fallen centuries ago and now sat quiet and still and eerie like the ghosts of the citizens still roamed. “I’m not a complicated person, yeah? I’m not complex. I’m just… a mess who sometimes pulls it together enough to pretend I’m a real person. I’ve gotten really, really good at faking it, because otherwise I’d have drunk myself to death years ago.”

When she talked about his bravery, he almost scoffed–Russ felt that he was the furthest thing from brave. He was terrified all the time, but he’d been hiding behind a carefully constructed facade for so long that bravery was part of his thing. It was a Gryffindor trait, and when Russ had finally come to terms with his sorting, he’d thrown himself into embodying Gryffindor to the best of his ability. If he was going to be a Gryffindor, he’d be the best one there was. He’d faked it until he’d figured it out. “I’m not a quitter, but maybe I should be,” he murmured. “Why should I keep caring about them? They’re not even in my life anymore. They haven’t been for years. I’ve got my Mum and my friends. I don’t need them. I shouldn’t need them. They obviously don’t need me.”

The prospect of replacing his sister in his heart hurt far more than he’d expected it to. His sister was gone–it was like she was dead, but it was even worse because she was still alive and just didn’t want anything to do with him. She was out there, living her life without him, while he was here with a broken heart. “How do I do that?” he asked, his voice small. “How do I open my heart up to people when I don’t know if it’s even possible? How do I open my heart up to people when the people who were supposed to love me didn’t? How can I expect anyone else to love me?”

Astoria listened to Russ go on, their mugs of hot chocolate lay abandoned before them. And the cookies were likely on the verge of being tough from all the air it was exposed to. She decided to pick up her mug, one hand still on Russ’s as she took a sip. It was already cold, as she had expected. But she finished the whole lot of it once Russ stopped talking for a moment. 

“In a way, I would say we’re all a mess -- each in our different ways. Your faking it, trying to get through it despite the pain... it feels almost admirable.” She tested the word out carefully, hoping it would ease his mind. “I never would have made it past a couple of years if I had been in your shoes. I’m so sorry you had to go through that. But believe me, I am happy you are alive. We can’t avoid the pain, but we can always find a way to see the light in remedying it. Your light, I assume, would have been your mum. Your aunt mum. You stayed alive for her. And I find that to be very brave.”

She shook her head at his assumption that he should be a quitter. Astoria wouldn’t be her own self today if she simply decided to quit on every little problem that threaded her way. “Well, that is a choice only you can decide on. Deep down you know you still care of them, even if they don’t deserve a shred of that care you give them. It is okay to still care for them. To still think of the maybes and what ifs. You can hold that care for them deep down, but you must learn to know what is good for you. You can still care, but you are not obliged to care for so long. There are others that you  can care for, others that you can prioritize. I think it’ll always be there, but sometimes it is best to find something or someone to care for a little more.”

Astoria’s voice hitched when Ruslan finally asked her the question she’d fear he would ask. She had always been the type to open her heart up to anyone she felt deserved to know the truth. Practically an open book, her cousins would call her. She had never been one to be closed off, and to be asked of the advice on how to open one’s self up after years and years of closed doors -- it was almost difficult to answer. But she did anyway. “I suppose... you must always put your heart on the possibility of hope. There is hope for everyone in whatever situation they might be in. Hope that there is kindness from other people. Hope that there is something better out there, and Merlin knows you deserve it, regardless of what you’ve been through. There will be other people that will love you, and I already know there are others that love you for who you really are. I am your friend, and I love you for your being so genuine with everything that you do. You are a good man, Russ. And you are loved. You are so loved by your friends and your mum, you have no idea.”

[littlegreengrxss]

drunken stupor || open

[littlegreengrxss]

deanxthomas:

“Why wouldn’t you tell me about this sooner?” Dean responded, his voice louder and more energetic than previously (if that was even possible). “Tori, I love pumpkin pie!” He shouted to the roof of Harry’s house, making sure the world knew about his love. He wasn’t too concerned anymore with being caught. He was sure now that they could get out of it. With Astoria’s ability to make pumpkin pie and Dean’s ability to eat pumpkin pie, anything seemed possible now!

Dean shot her a confused look and a quirked brow, before letting out a laugh once again. “Is that what you think goes on in the boy’s dormitory?” They had done some questionable things over the years in that dorm, but unfortunately sharing knickers wasn’t one of them. “Sorry to disappoint, love, but I have never shared knickers with Harry Potter!” declared Dean with a finger to the air, his voice louder than he had intended.

He followed her into the dark room, flinching as Astoria yelped. “Ye alright, Tor?” Dean called back into the darkness. As the room became slightly clearer, he spotted his friend on the bed. “Great! Now, where do you think your shoes might be?” He circled the room before jumping to the floor and checking under the bed. His head rested on the cold floor and he felt an urge to fall asleep overtake his body for a moment.

Astoria giggled brightly and tried to shush Dean from talking any louder. Their initial plan of being quiet and staying down low in their mission to find her shoes were now evidently so futile, that, well, there was no point in being quiet any longer. She did, actually, laugh even harder when her friend admitted that he didn’t share knickers with Harry Potter. “I assume that’s what goes on! What else could you be doing in there? Talking about girls? Or boys? I’m not judging!” She replied with a playful grin on her lips, pouting playfully at the thought that boys did not, in fact, share knickers inside their dormitory.

She wriggled herself up the bed and sat on it just as Dean checked on her. Astoria laughed, her pearly white teeth showing as she spoke, “I’m alright! Let’s go find my shoes before Harry Potter catches us snooping!” Her hands searched for her wand, and when she found them on the side of her jeans, she took it out and wordlessly encanted Lumos. A small light emanated from the tip of her wand, and she couldn’t help but chortle when she saw her friend lie on the cold floor. “Dean, wake up! I think I found something shiny from over there! I think it’s my shoes!”

[littlegreengrxss]

our melodies || astoria & laura

[littlegreengrxss]

lauraevamadley:

For a few seconds, Laura wondered if Astoria ever did something she later regretted, or if she ever had thoughts the Slytherin would like to erase from her brain. For the hufflepuff, the only possible answer was no, because what she saw of the older girl was that caring, passionate, loyal and brilliant young woman who was always cheering everyone up and willing to land a hand to whoever needed it. Tori was way less selfish - and a bit bolder - than Laura, and the younger girl only hoped one day she could be more like the friend she thought she would never have.

Laura also knew music was a way to achieve what Tori wanted, and definitely something worth learning about - after all, there was so much good that came with it -, but she couldn’t help thing that Astoria already had what was necessary to connect with people. She decided not to say it out loud, though, not for an egoistic reason, but because maybe one day Astoria would discover the same thing, and it would be better if she did it by herself - at least, Laura thought so. After all, after the end of the year who knows what she would be doing out of Hogwarts? Probably trying to save the word, actually, Laura could even see her doing exactly that, by whatever means necessary. Something else she could see was her own suffering on the way for losing a friend - and a bunch of others -, and maybe not being able to really be her friends after they leave Hogwarts.

Those contemplations, though, were soon buried deep on her mind, as she smiled and looked once again to the piano. “I thought of doing exactly that. You said you haven’t trained during the break, so it would be good for you and your brain to calmly remember what is necessary about the piano.” Teaching tone - always something weird. Laura couldn’t help but smile once she had an idea. “Okay, remember when I started teaching you the song named… Only Hope? We started with the basics, so maybe you could try playing it for me and we go from there. There’s a lot more that song and maybe you’re prepared, despite the recent lack of practice”

Astoria nodded as she listened to Laura. She has been rather rusty, proof of that being her constantly pounding on the keys of their grand piano in the Greengrass foyer when Draco had arrived. While Draco played something melodic, she played something similar to that of a dying Occamy. Not that she didn’t want any Occamys dying or anything! Absolutely not! Just that it would have compared to the same wailing sound, and it wasn’t exactly pretty.

“Alright, I think I can remember the first few parts. Usually the hardest part.” Astoria agreed happily as she lay her fingers on the black and white keys, tracing them delicately before pressing down onto the keys. The first few keys were usually quite fast, but she pressed on the right keys in a slow tempo. And when it came to the singing part of the first verse, she hummed instead. She wasn’t very confident with her singing voice, even though Grandma Cassiopeia constantly told her she had a fantastic melody. When the first verse came at an end, she went for the chorus but missed a key. Astoria cringed, causing her to stop playing. “Well, there goes the first mistake. I don’t remember the other keys after that, and I’d love to get a few notes from you on it!”

[ginevraparkinson]

“Sweets, they always help you make friends.”

[dearangelicaschuyler]

Look around, look around at how lucky we are to be alive right now

Elizabeth Schuyler 

[littlegreengrxss]

felipe-marquez:

“I’m sorry, wait just a moment.” Felipe’s brow was furrowed in confusion. “Do you mean to tell me that your sister was not aware that she would have a marriage arranged for her?” He hadn’t known that–of course, he assumed that the fact that it was him that her parents had chosen might have come as a surprise, but he never imagined that any betrothal would be a surprise for her. “I was not aware of that. I’ve known my entire life that my parents would arrange a marriage for me… I assumed that, since quite a few pureblood families operate in that fashion…” He was practically speechless. “If it makes a difference, I am very fond of Daphne. I don’t imagine that it does, but I wanted to assure you that, while your sister may be very upset about who she’s been betrothed to… I’m quite pleased about who was chosen for me.”

“That’s why we have three house elves,” he assured her earnestly. “So that they can have days off, and they rotate holidays. All three of them get free time. My father is more forceful with them than I would like, but I have developed quite a relationship with all three of them over the years. My father has mellowed as he’s aged and he’s kinder to them now than he once was. My mother doesn’t interact with them much, except to give them instructions.” Felipe had always quite liked the house elves–they were his friends when he was young and he was still fond of them.

Felipe smiled a bit at Astoria. She seemed to be warming up to him just a tiny, little bit, and all with the help of the promise of feijoada. He was positive that it was the kind of food that could mend relationships and build friendships and bring families closer together. “I’d be glad to,” he said, moving his bowl of porridge away from him and standing up. “Shall we, then?”

Astoria’s brows mirrored Felipe’s as hers furrowed as well in confusion. Was he... was he bluffing? He has to be bluffing. He can’t be bloody serious that he didn’t know. It was too damning to believe, and yet he seemed genuinely confused. “No, she was not. Our parents have promised us for years that we were allowed to marry for love, as long as it was with a pure-blood, of course. Naturally so. That’s why when mother announced the engagement, it came as quite the shock for either of us.” Astoria replied worriedly, breathing out heavily. Well, at least it answered her question of whether or not Felipe was aware of the situation. Now he knew Daphne didn’t even have a say in it at all. “Well, now you know that this was all against her free will. I suppose it’s best you discuss this with Daphne. At this point, it’s not my place to tell her that you weren’t aware that she wasn’t consented to any of this.”

"That sounds... reasonable, at least.” Astoria replied, slightly surprised of the turn of the conversation all of a sudden. Her prejudiced for disliking Felipe might have -- well, have -- blinded her from any good that he might have in him. Since his admittance that he had no idea Daphne wasn’t aware, and now the story of his family’s treatment of house elves, she felt she should at least give him a chance now. “What are their names? And are you close with them?”

She’d likely jump a little on the giving Felipe a chance boat if he did say that he was friends with his house elves. But her later precedent of proving he could cook a decent meal was still on the table. Grinning widely, Astoria rose from her seat as well before standing beside Felipe before slowly leading the way out. “This meal ought to be good. I haven’t had a foreign one since the gala, and I’ve quite missed it, really. Now your house elves as we walk. Tell me more about them.”

[littlegreengrxss]

dutiful errand | astoria & hermione

[littlegreengrxss]

xhermionegranger:

Astoria had brought so many materials, and Hermione could not help but watch with a smile on her lips as she lay everything on the table. She certainly had not been wrong when offering her a leader position in the organisation. The Slytherin certainly carried with her just as much enthusiasm for the cause as she did. Hermione had not brought near as much, though, and as she looked over all the materials, she felt as though perhaps she should have. “Oh, Astoria, I hope you haven’t spent all you money on this,” she said, though with a thankful smile on her lips. She pulled some materials from her her own backpack, mostly parchment and ink as well - they would need a lot of flyers, after all - and some hats she had knitted years before that she had yet to leave for the house elves. Dobby had taken all of them when she had done so the first time around. 

Her eyes grew wide with surprise as Astoria offered to fund the badges. “Are you sure?” She paused half a second before she continued, being a little taken aback by the generous offer. “I have considered reintroducing a small fee for joining the organisation which would pay for the badges; each members buys their own, in a sense.” She understood the fee - which would be low enough to make sure everyone could join if they truly had a passion for it - would put off some people, but she could not and would not make Astoria pay for the badges unless she absolutely wanted to. 

"Oh, that’s nothing, really! I’ve had them since the start of the year. Aside from making potions, I’ve taken a liking to do some little crafts despite my lack of expertise in it. Keeps me distracted from all the... well, the nightmares...” Astoria trailed off out of the blue before snapping back up with a bright smile. This wasn’t the day to be speaking the woes of her horrors in the last school year. This was a day to promote the welfare of house elves, and that was certainly more important than anything else to her now. “But I’m happy they’re being put to good use now! Where should we start? I could work on half the flyers and half the sewing.”

When Hermione asked about funding the budges, Astoria smiled a little. She often forgot that her generosity might be too much for other people. Money was not an issue for a Greengrass, and often that money was used on her mother’s galas and her father’s travels. She had her own vault, and she wasn’t much to splurge unless it was for sweets. So it was nice to put some of her money to good use now other than for herself. “I’m certainly sure! We are all about promoting the freedom of these house elves, aren’t we? And any support from other witches and wizards, I believe, should come freely.” Astoria explained in the best way she could. “I’ve been meaning to use my money now that I’m of age to start charities and foundations, particularly for muggle orphans as well as for young witches and wizards that may have lost their parents during the war. And although it’s a little far from my plans, I believe investing on the freedom of house elves is a cause I’m more than willing to fund for. It’s small, but it has an ember of hope in it.”

[littlegreengrxss]

sisterly schemes || astoria & daphne

[littlegreengrxss]

dxphnegreen:

Daphne shook her head, smiling wrily, “I suppose we have that in common.” She murmured, flicking her wrist and casting a diagnosis charm, frowning slightly when she saw her sisters temperature. Everytime the other girl got sick Daphne grew more concerned about her sister, if she wasn’t able to find a cure–well, that was not something Daphne wanted to think about at the moment. 

“As much as hexing him would bring me a bit of relief. It doesn’t change the fact that he’s my fiance.” The words left a sour taste in her mouth, still detesting the very thought of being attached to someone without her will. “No…there is nothing you can do to change things, ‘Tori.” She smiled sadly, “I’m just happy that you don’t share the same fate.”

"You don’t have to worry about me. It’s just a flu. You know I’ve had worst.” Astoria replied in the hopes of comforting her sister as she took a little sip from her hot cocoa. She knew it would hardly comfort Daphne, given the situation of the curse that caused her frailty. But the illnesses she’s had--they’ve all been through it. It mattered more to her now of what was happening with Daphne. Her bloody flu can wait in the corner, thank you very much.

Astoria sighed a little in defeat as she nodded at Daphne’s declaration. “What if I just give him some of my candy and hex the sweets so he’d wind up with boils? Could make him suffer a little.” She asked with a small giggle, but it was a lot less cheerful now, though. It felt terrible knowing she can’t do anything to change these things, and she was nothing, if not frustrated for not having all the answers. Pure blood marriages were binding, even more so the arranged ones. There were procedures and customs. Paperwork to go over should anything go wrong. The only thing that could possibly tarnish such an engagement is if one of either parties gets involved with another person. But even she knew that Felipe wasn’t the type of man to do such a thing, and neither was Daphne. 

Her lips fell a bit as Daphne expressed that she didn’t share the same fate. It made her feel guilty all of a sudden. “I’m actually terrified.” Astoria admitted warily before taking another sip from her mug of cocoa, avoiding her sister’s gaze this time. “What if mum and dad does the same with me? Never mind that I’m with Draco if they could find someone with better standards than him. I’m not as safe as you think I am.”

[littlegreengrxss]

count on me || astoria & sally

[littlegreengrxss]

sallysmith-slytherin:

As Sally heard Astoria’s thoughtful and gentle words, the blonde felt the need to let her gaze down - she could barely look into the other Slytherin’s eyes: a few minutes ago she just told Astoria how she doesn’t feel the need to change, and still, the brunette insisted to help her. In all honesty, Sally had no idea how tor react to such thing.  Astoria was the one to help her, as unexpected as it was, and Sally had no idea how to repay her actions. This was the moment when the blonde decided she was going to give Astoria loyal friendship and honesty from now on. At least this is what she could offer at this point.

Sally, out of the blue, got closer to Astoria and embraced her slender frame in a tight grip. It surprised even her that this came from somewhere within, but she knew it was natural and so she let it happen. Closure was nothing something she’d enjoyed if it didn’t involve Zacharias, Theodore, Blaise or the Carrow girls, as they were her closest friends. “Thank you so much, Astoria”, murmured Sally, still hugging the brunette while she kept her eyes closed tight.

Slowly, the blonde took back her place on the couch, now smiling softly at the other Slytherin.” I knew I needed a lawyer, it’s just that I had no idea where to find one. I don’t really…I mean, my mother works for the Ministry, but we do not keep in touch and…I needed to somehow find a solution, but..there didn’t seem to be one. As for Zach, he seems way too troubled by this trial to even realize what this whole mess means exactly. I read about these trials and I know how it’s gonna unfold the whole process, but he doesn’t and I can barely talk to him these days, so… I… just told you these to understand how much this means to us. You’re practically saving two people’s lives right now.” A slight nod ensured Astoria Sally was well-aware of her help and even if the smile never left her lips, her eyes betrayed her confidence. 

“I hope you grandmother will find these cases at least as exciting as they are for the Ministry or to the other Hogwarts’ students. I hope she will take our cases, I cannot wait to meet her. I’ve read a lot about her while I tried to find cracks in laws that could help me and so on, but because her family name was always mixed I wasn’t sure or I wasn’t able to make the connection.  It will be an honor even to be defended by her, in spite of my result. “ At this point, a dose of excitement took over Sally. It was strange, though,  all this research she’d done these past few weeks gave her energy and force, power to continue and not give up. “ I will do my best to win this case, I have really strong motivations right now and I will do my best, definitely.” Sally wanted to add that she wasn’t really the one to feel the need to be considered innocent or so on - in all honesty, at some point she was on the verge to doubt Astoria’s words about the fact that students shouldn’t deserve to be put in Azkaban. Well, if they once killed, Azkaban  was simply a logical and natural aftermath,right? They managed to kill - sure they will manage to pay for their acts!  But that was a debate for other times. maybe for when Sally would have more maturity and experience to understand why Astoria trusted her this much.

Astoria was surprised when Sally suddenly pulled her in for a hug. It never occurred to her for Sally to do something like what was happening now, and yet here she was. She wrapped her arms around the other girl and smiled happily as Sally thanked her. “Of course. You know I’d do anything to help. It’s... well, it’s sort of my nature already. It can’t be helped, really.” 

As Sally pulled away and went on with her story, Astoria listened carefully. She knew finding a lawyer wouldn’t come easy for anyone on trial for being associated with Death Eaters and their support for the Dark Lord. She’d think that lawyers would be pouring out from all places, offering themselves to these students as a means of helping them. And gaining a couple of galleons for themselves, despite how awful that sounded. And it hurt her to think that not a lot were willing. Perhaps they’ve already gone through enough dealing with the actual Death Eaters, but surely defending students would be much easier? Especially since none of them had the Dark Mark. Except for Draco. She knew Draco’s trials were possibly one of the longest, given all the evidence against him. But his case was far different from the students that didn’t carry the mark. It felt to her their case the easiest to defend as the students were mostly acting out of fear for their lives. 

“If I had known sooner about you and Zach’s situation, I would have offered almost immediately. I’m sorry to hear your mother can’t be of much help. I’d have hoped someone that works in politics would at least help their children.” She said rather mournfully before bracing another smile. “But I am glad I’ve had the luck to talk to you tonight. And I really can’t have done much in terms of defense, but I guarantee grandmama will be more than happy to help you and Zach.”

Astoria nodded and understood why Sally would not have recognized her grandmother so soon. It often happened with some pure bloods in the Sacred Twenty-Eight. It was almost impossible to tell who was related to who. “Grandma Cassie’s a Travers. She married grandpa Hyperion in an arranged marriage, but eventually they fell in love. Grandpa Hyperion got into a lot of trouble back in the days, and it actually inspired grandma to become a lawyer -- though really, mostly to defend grandpa.” She said with a little giggle, reminiscing on the stories her grandma told her about Grandpa Hyperion, who she hardly met when he passed away a day before her mum gave birth to her. “I really hope you do win the case, Sally. I truly believe you will. With the right witnesses, the right lawyer and the right evidence -- I am sure you’ll find a way out. Like I said, we all deserve a second chance in clearing our name and starting anew. And despite what you’ve done, or what anyone on trial has done, really -- at the end of the day, it was dark times. And acting out of fear... well, as Pansy had told me so long ago, self-preservation isn’t a crime.”

[leroichevalier]

[littlegreengrxss]

Astoria Greengrass and her cousin, Andromeda Greengrass                 Greengrass Manor, Kent; Dover, England

[adelaidekanedaily]

Adelaide Kane photographed by Jordan Harvey

[akanesource]