Falling Starr

The sound of happy voices broke into the silence. They looked towards it to see Draco and
Harry leaving the room hand in hand, followed by Lucius and Narcissa first with everyone
else trailing behind them. Starr couldn't help it, she looked straight at Lucius, only to find him
looking at her. He looked angry. Good. At least she'd got a reaction out of him.
House elves appeared with glasses of champagne, while the guests made their way through
to the dining room, where the reception was to take place. Starr took two glasses from a
passing elf, offering one of them to Snape, which he declined. "I don't drink."
She laughed. "I do." she downed one of them rapidly, setting the empty glass on the floor.
A habit of hers which she knew drove Lucius mad. She was fed up with him ignoring her and
was determined to be annoying enough so he'd have to talk to her, even if it was in anger.
The second glass joined the first and she summoned an elf for another. She reached up and
kissed Snape's cheek. "Thankyou for listening to me."
"Don't drink too much. Remember the baby." Snape watched her walk away from him, over
to Harry and Draco and the rest of her friends. He personally thought that she was losing
what little grasp she'd had on reality to begin with. Pregnant with Lucius Malfoy's baby! Was
she insane? If he didn't want another little Malfoy around the place, he'd have no hesitation
in ridding her of it. She was his mistress...his plaything. Malfoys didn't have illegitimate
children...only wives bore Malfoy babies. Of all the stupid things she'd done, this would have
to rate as one of the stupidest. She threw her arms around Draco, kissing him and
congratulating him, then Harry, who received the same treatment, except that she didn't let
go of him, keeping her arm around his waist as she stood next to him. Harry dropped his arm
around her shoulders, pulling Draco closer to him at the same time. "Smile for Remus." he
told them.
"Thankyou children." Remus snapped a photograph of the three of them.
Starr caught sight of Lucius across the room and moved away from the boys, who were now
more engrossed in each other. She watched as Lucius whispered something to his wife, who
nodded and continued talking to their friends. She took another glass of champagne, putting
her third empty glass on the floor, by the wall and looking up just in time to see Lucius
frowning at her. She raised her full glass to him, in salute, and threw back the contents
quickly, desperately wanting to get so drunk she'd just pass out somewhere and forget this
evening. That empty glass joined the one that was already on the floor. She looked up,
hoping Lucius was still watching, but he wasn't there, though Narcissa still was. At least they
hadn't disappeared together.
A cold hand brushed the stray hairs at the back of her neck. "You know I don't like you
drinking."
Starr looked over at Narcissa. She hadn't noticed her husband standing behind his mistress,
so close that all she had to do was reach her hand back and she'd be touching his thigh.
She didn't. "I don't like you touching her."
He laughed and kissed the back of her neck, sending shivers down her spine, before moving
on to speak to Draco and Harry.
Starr picked up another glass of champagne and surveyed the room. Hermione was sitting
near a table which had a plate of dry biscuits on it, which she was png ang at. Ron was
hovering close to her, quite the devoted husband and soon to be father. Ginny was chatting
animatedly to Blaise Zabini, who was listening attentively. She tried to remember when her
life had been as uncomplicated as that...being chatted up by a boy you had a crush on. She
and Ginny were the same age, but years apart in experience. How the hell had she got
herself in a situation like this? She should be like Ginny, experiencing teenage crushes and
first romances. Not pregnant and having to watch her lover with his wife. She took a deep
breath and walked over to Hermione.
"Ginny and Blaise?"
Hermione nodded. "Ron's not to happy about it."
"There's planty of perfectly nice Gryffindor boys." he grumbled. "I'll never understand what
you girls see in these Slytherin gits."
"Does that include Harry?"
He scowled. "I'll never understand him."
"He's happy."
"Yeah...with Lucius Malfoy for a father-in-law..." he trailed off, with an apologetic look at
Starr.
She shrugged. "It could be worse. At least he hasn't got him as an uncaring bastard of a
lover." she pulled up a chair and sat next to Hermione. "Have you got any names picked out
for the baby yet?"
"Ron likes Susanna for a girl and Michael for a boy. I've got two lists, both with so many
names on them, except for those two."
Starr laughed. Ron kissed his wife. "She'll get her way, she always does."

More people drifted in to the dining room. The long table at the side of the room was laden
with food of many different types, not unlike a Hogwarts feast. Just more elaborate as
befitted a Malfoy celebration. Small groups stood, balancing plates of food and chatting.
Many others sat at randomly placed tables. Hermione and Ron had gone to get some food,
promising to come back and sit with Starr, who had got herself another glass of champagne.
A plate with some sliced chicken and a small amount of salad on it was placed in front of her.
"Eat something."
She turned in her seat to look up at Snape. "I'm not hungry."
"If you insist on drinking like you are, then you should eat."
"Why this sudden concern for my welfare? Leave me alone."
Snape sat in Hermione's vacant chair. "Eat."
She picked up a piece of chicken and took a small bite. "Go."
"Please tell me you're not annoying the guests, Severus." Lucius' drawl came from behind
Starr, his fingers caressing her bare shoulder.
"No, just ensuring they eat...as well as drink." He wisely left.
"Don't drink any more champagne."
She avoided looking at him. "Go away."
His fingers stopped their gentle movement and gripped her shoulder, hard, She closed her
eyes and breathed deeply against the pain. His voice was soft, right next to her ear. "We
will continue this later, once I have decided on a suitable punishment for your
insubordination." The fingers ran across the back of her neck softly and he was gone.
She opened her eyes and exhaled. At least he wasn't ignoring her any more. She picked up
a piece of celery from her plate and chewed absently on it. She'd actually pushed him a lot
further than she'd meant to, courtesy of the alcohol in her system no doubt.
Ron and Hermione returned, Ginny and Blaise sat with them. Starr continued to munch on
her salad vegetables, responding when a response was required. The conversation and the
company were good. She cheered up, but still ate little.
After dinner, there was dancing, for those who felt so inclined. Molly and Arthur Weasley
were among the first on the dance floor and tried to get Ron and Hermione up there with
them. Ron insisted that he needed a few more drinks before he was ready for dancing.
Before too long a drunk Harry was seen dragging an equally drunk, and protesting, Draco up
for a dance. Harry gave Starr a wobbly smile when he saw her laughing at them. Draco
glanced at her, then beckoned her over to them.
"Here..." He moved Harry's hands from his waist to Starr's. "You dance with him. I need to
sit down."
They watched Draco walk away to sit with his mother and aunt. "You don't mind?" Starr
asked, her arms sliding around his neck.
Harry shrugged, tightening his hold on her. "No." His hands travelled down, over her
bottom, then back up her back. "It's nice to know what I'm missing sometimes."
"You don't remember?" She tried to appear hurt.
He laughed. "Well, it's been a long time..."
They swayed gently to the music, each lost in their own personal musings. Both were
thinking about the relationship they'd shared five years earlier, and how different things
would be if they had both been what the other was looking for. Starr had loved Harry, still
did, but now it was more like a brotherly love. Her love for Lucius was all consuming,
unhealthily so. It gave him the power to hurt her. Not physically...she wasn't worried about
his punishments. They usually involved some sort of kinky sex act, usually degrading,
sometimes painful, but not life threatening. No, what he was doing now hurt more than
anything else. Ignoring her, allowing his estranged wife to drape herself all over him and
touching her. That was the worst one. She didn't want to imagine his hands on any other
body but hers.
The music changed and she pushed herself away from Harry. "Sorry, I'm still thinking. I'm
going to find something else to drink, to stop that from happening." She kissed him. "Have a
great night. I'll see you tomorrow." She left the dining room.