DRABBLE: Steely Gazes (Ginny/Astoria)

[brightflower]

Title: Steely Gazes
Character Pairing: Ginny/Astoria
Prompt: like a hole in the ground
Rating: PG
Word Count: 335
Summary: Isn't this what Astoria wants?
Author's Notes: The twelfth of the set.
Link to Prompt Table: http://bluemermaid.livejournal.com/116133.html


"I left Harry," Ginny says. "You can leave him. Isn't that what you want?"

"You're an idealist," Astoria says loudly. She flips her hair over her shoulder, slams her hand onto the desk. "Things are not so black and white."

"You can't prefer him," Ginny replies. Her eyes narrow, the freckles standing out on her face. "He's a Death Eater, for Merlin's sake."

"That doesn't mean anything anymore."

"How can you know?"

"It doesn't matter." Astoria looks away and sighs, one quick, explosive puff of air out the side of her mouth. "This is the state of things."

"I left Harry for you."

"No, you didn't." Astoria's eyes flash as they meet Ginny's, two sets of steely gazes sizing each other up. "You left him a long time before you ever met me."

"You can turn away from this. It's not going to hurt you." Ginny reaches out, caresses Astoria's skin. "I promise."

"I've gone too far to turn back now. I have fallen down the hole in the ground, and this is the world I am in. It's too late for optimism."

"Then why are we doing this?" Ginny sets her jaw and runs her hands through her hair. She stands up and paces, twice. "Why am I here?"

Astoria stares down at the desk. "I don't know," she replies. "We are drawn to one another." There is a coffee stain just under her hand; she traces it with her fingers.

"And isn't that a good thing?" Ginny demands.

"I don't know," Astoria says again. Her stomach hurts.

"You know, I really thought you were above this," Ginny snaps. She leaves very quickly, storming across the hall and leaving a trail of icy pain in her wake.

"I am below it," says Astoria to herself.