42 - The Next Best Thing

Astoria's life at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry never did get off to a good start.

On her very first day, the Hogwarts Express stopped in the middle of nowhere to let a Dementor on, which then proceeded to terrorise the students to the point of collapse.

As a result, the entirety of her first year was spent as a quivering wreck, with Dementors seeming to appear around every corner, once even gate crashing a Quidditch game which resulted in a student falling from their broomstick, almost to their death.

Every school year seemed to be teeming with horror and threat, somehow getting worse as time went by.

It had been almost no surprise to anyone when, during her fourth year, their headmaster was discovered dead at the bottom of the Astronomy Tower after being brutally murdered by a teacher.

And when it all ended with a huge bloody battle, Astoria had just about reached the end of her already extremely frayed tether.

Had she not deserved more than this? Was she never allowed to find the peace and contentment that she had been craving from the moment she first stepped on that fucking train?

There had been one thing she liked about school though. One thing she woke up for every morning, and one thing she thought about every night when she closed her eyes to hopefully have dreams full of them.

Blaire Zabini.

The first time Astoria had laid eyes on her, her breath was literally taken away. She thought she was the most beautiful witch she'd ever seen.

Astoria couldn't take her eyes off her. Everything about her was stunning, right down to her fingernails which were always in immaculate condition.

Astoria found herself longing to touch Blaire's flawless skin, and run her fingers through her dark wild hair. She would often find herself getting as close to her as possible just so she could inhale her breathtaking scent. Oh, how she had been desperate to ask what perfume she wore so that she could buy some and smell her whenever she pleased.

But she had been too shy, of course. So she just continued to admire her silently... just watching.

There had been a sadness surrounding Blaire that first year of Astoria's Hogwarts life. Astoria would often catch her glancing sadly over at Draco Malfoy who had never seemed to notice because his lips were permanently glued to Pansy Parkinson's face.

Astoria had felt a kind of fury on Blaire's behalf. Was Draco completely blind? What Astoria would have given for Blaire Zabini to look at her that way.

But, again, she had said nothing. Not only because she was too shy but also because she was only twelve years old and didn't really understand why she was feeling the way she was feeling.

When Astoria returned for her second year, Blaire's beauty pretty much had the whole school turning their heads. By now, Astoria found herself trying to imitate her in every way she possibly could. She began to look after her nails better, and attempted to style her hair in the same way.

It was no longer enough to simply watch her, she wanted to be her.

But it was no use, her nails were too weak and brittle, and her hair just wasn't thick enough to resemble Blaire's in the slightest.

When Blaire had began dating Cedric Diggory, Astoria found herself overcome with a jealously so nauseating, that she actually threw up in the toilet.

She'd cried herself to sleep for nights on end, thinking about the way Cedric had had his hands all over body and his lips all over her skin.

None of it felt right, it had been all wrong. Astoria had been a mess that year. She couldn't even work out who was making her feel so angry the most.

It was to her immense relief when, the following year, Cedric had been well and truly dumped.

Instead, it had become the Blaire and Draco show.

Astoria found she didn't mind this though, in her mind, this was the way it should be. Draco didn't look at Blaire as though she was a piece of meat that he wanted to devour and toss away.

No, he looked at her as though he adored her and wanted to keep her safe and protected.

It made Astoria feel warm and fuzzy inside, as though it was her who was being looked at like that.

But both of them were so frustratingly blind to one another's affections. Astoria had wanted to march right up to them and bang their clueless heads together.

When it was clear they'd started fucking, Astoria felt as though she could have died happy.

Once, when she walked in on them playing cards together in the common room, she'd stayed back in the shadows and just watched them.

She'd watched as they stared lovingly into one another's eyes, watched as their hands would tenderly brush against the other at every given opportunity.

And when Draco had quickly leaned in to press his lips against Blaire's, Astoria closed her eyes and released a heavenly sigh as a great warmth spread through her. It had been as though she had just experienced her very own first kiss.

What they shared was so beautiful, so pure and divine, that Astoria wanted it for herself, she wanted it so much. To have what Blaire had with Draco.

So, on that day of the battle, when Blaire, just like the most beautiful of guardian angels, had crouched down and offered it to her, offered it all, Astoria had gratefully accepted.

But that bitch had stabbed her in the back and taken it all back. She had lied to her, because she'd never really given her Draco at all.

So, she was going to take the next best thing.

"Hello Jack," she said, smiling down at the child of the Slytherin Prince and Princess before her, "I'm going to be your new mummy."

******

Bạn đang đọc truyện trên: AzTruyen.Top