Dead Girl Walking (Draco x Astoria)

Chapter 2 - The First Dance

Astoria, Ella, and few other girls from a mix of the houses were walking after lunch to wait outside in the courtyard, while the teachers set up the hall for practice. Astoria had especially been feeling run down after lunch, and she guessed it was because she ate too little, or maybe too much, or maybe, the food had just not agreed with her.

"I hope Andrew asks me to dance." One girl from Gryffindor, Maple, blurted to the others around her.

"If he doesn't, you should ask instead." Another replied.

"No no," someone spoke up. "I heard— they were doing it differently this time".

"Differently? How so?" Ella enquired.

"It's an alternating partner dance, not just with two people the whole time."

"Really?" Maple asked. "So, I won't get to pick? That's not very fair. A lady should always be able to accept or decline who she dances with. That's what dance cards are for, are they not?"

Before anyone could reply, they were called inside the great hall, where the students from seventh year (including the previous seventh years, although some had chosen not to come back to repeat) were all spread about the crowded room, and were addressed by the Headmistress McGonagall.

"Now now, quiet down students. Today, I will be assisted by Professor Wholesworry, to demonstrate how this new type of dance will be done. You will all get a chance to dance with each other. Now, let us demonstrate." She held Professor Wholesorry's hand that had been offered to her.

The reason, for having chosen this dance, was to get all the students to be familiar with each other, and more amiable to one another, to get rid of the house stereotypes that had been forced upon the students for years.

"Two glides forward, two glides back. Face each other, and then, spin!" Though, Professor Wholesworry had spun the headmistress the wrong way. She cleared her throat. "And then, repeat once more, and then this time, spin over to the next person." She and her partner turned to the students. "I'm sure, you will pick this up quite nicely. Please form a line, and wait to begin."

Ella took Astoria's wrist gently to lead her to the line that was starting to form in the middle of the room, though, it soon turned into more of a big circle, where the boys were stood on the inside, and the girls on the outside of it.

Astoria was stood in front of a boy named Peter Inglewood who was in Ravenclaw, and as the students waited for the signal to start, Daphne had approached Astoria.

Into her ear, she whispered, "Astoria, if you feel poorly, you know you don't have to dance. Boys can be so rough."

"I feel a bit better, besides, it's only one lesson. I can stand my ground if they're too rough, but I'm sure that won't be the case. It's a dance, after all."

Daphne smiled and rubbed her shoulder, to walk back to her place quickly before the dance started.

"She's so caring, your sister Daphne." Ella told her quietly. "Where you're lucky, I've been unlucky, stuck with two terrible brothers."

"Yeah, I feel really lucky to have someone who cares for me like she does." Astoria looked to Ella's partner, who was a boy she didn't know well, but a few people down, she saw Theodore Nott and looked back to her friend with happy eyes.

"I know! Isn't it perfect? The day gets better, and better, Astoria." Ella exclaimed quietly, quickly turning to her partner as the music started.

Astoria danced with Inglewood, who was kind, and wasn't too rough when he first spun her around. "I hope you're feeling alright, you look a bit sick." Astoria never liked it when people told her she looked sick, but she knew, if it was reversed, she would be just as worried.

"Don't worry Inglewood, you know what I'm already burdened with." She smiled, before she had been turned to her next partner.

For the next few minutes and next few dances with her partners, she only focused on her feet, to make sure she didn't trip, because surely one trip or slip would not end very well for a weakened body. Before she had known it, she had already reached Nott down at the curve of the circle, and when he had spun her to the next, with her hand ready in the air for her next partner to grab, she was filled with immediate uneasiness when she had met face to face with Draco Malfoy. Astoria surely thought he was rough with his partners, and quickly bolted her eyes all around, to look anywhere but to her partner to try and find a way out as to not take this risk. But it was already too late, as he took her hand and had automatically started the steps. A glide forward, and then another, then another backwards, followed by another, all with a soft hold on her trembling hand.

Following after was the spin, where Astoria had unfortunately mis-stepped. Ready for her fall, she didn't feel the hard floor against the face, but instead a firm grip at her elbow. She looked at Malfoy from the corner of her eyes, where there was only a quick second of eye contact. He quickly fixed her to stand upright. Astoria had noticed the dance was almost to finish until she had to go to the next partner, and with one spin she was taken to the next.

Walking back to her next class, Ella commented on that moment, and how it was lucky she didn't fall to the floor, and how Nott seemed to be the most excellent dancer.

In the night, Astoria lit the stubby candle in her bathroom and looked at her elbow, where it was slowly bruising. She opened and closed it carefully, but it felt worse. "What have I done?" Thought she quietly. She wasn't happy at all with herself, and the unfairness that played in her life right now. "I deserve more." She told herself quietly in the mirror. With one final look at herself, she raked her hand through her hair as she turned away to bed.