Malediction: the love and life of Astoria Malfoy

Chapter Twenty Three

You learn a lot about a person, things you never would've thought to look for before, when you're married. For example:

He's rubbish at washing dishes.

He can't sing for his life, but when he hears a song he really likes, he'll hum it off key under his breath.

He's borderline addicted to green apples.

He's not ticklish, not even a little, no matter how 'off guard' I try to catch him, he just stands there, and says "Are you done?"

He chews really quietly.

He never wears shoes in the house, but always has socks on.

Apparently, when he was in Hogwarts, he was friends with Moaning Myrtle. (I didn't believe him at first, then a few weeks later I brought it up, still didn't believe him, and so it went on for about two months until I finally decided there was no way he was keeping a lie up for this long).

He hates seeing people from school. Anytime he did, he would duck his head slightly, look away, shrinking into himself.

He sneezes really quietly (I mean, I knew this one, but I'd assumed maybe it was just because we were dating and he didn't to be rude or something, I dunno, but no, he actually just sneezes really quietly).

Then, there are the other things.

His past affects his more than I'd realized. He gets really terrible nightmares. Considering I'm a fairly light sleeper, I always wake up after he'd had one. Sometimes he would just wake with a start, and sit up, rubbing his eyes before falling back into an uneasy sleep. Other times, when they were particularly bad, he would wake up practically panting, his eyes jumpy and confused, like he'd woken up in a strange place. I usually just said, in the most soothing tone possible, it's okay, you're okay. Then he would nod, almost to himself, and curl up, head tucked into my neck, my arms wrapped around him.

He always wore long sleeves, even in summer, and every once in a while if his sleeves were rolled up or the off chance he was wearing short sleeves, and he caught a glimpse of his dark mark, he would go very quiet. Looking down at it, a sadness hidden behind disgust and disdain. I would take his hand in mine, and kiss his lips softly without saying anything.

* * *

Marriage wasn't all sunshine and roses however. On a whole, it was amazing. We were happier than we'd ever been, with a place to call our own. But we did find ourselves quarreling, over one topic in particular.

I was pouring a cup of tea at the table, Draco reading over the daily prophet across from me, a few weeks after our second anniversary. I cleared my throat, teeing up my strategy. "Holly's baby shower is in a couple of weeks, you know."

He lowered the newspaper, eyes studying, narrowed, knowing where I was going already. "Is that so. . . ."

"Mmhm," I said innocently, nodding my head, taking a small sip of tea.

He hardly nodded, eyes still trained on me. "She's practically ready to pop, Liam is due any day now." The same sweet tone. He clucked his tongue in response. A brief pause. "She and Benjamin are just so excited and --"

He set the paper down, the pages fluttering slightly, illuminated by the warm light of late afternoon and said, "Astoria, can we not get into this now?"

I set down my tea cup, feigning insult. "I'm simply informing you about Holly's life." I widened my eyes in defense. He listed his head to the side, his eyebrow raised, his lips slightly pursued. I shrugged, dodging his gaze. "What?"