A/N: This is my first drabble for the lola's ten topics, ten drabbles challenge - exploring the character of Astoria Greengrass. To those who don't know, marionettes are just string puppets. Hope you like it. Reviews, especially constructive criticism, are much appreciated. I don't own Harry Potter. xo

/ /

Astoria spent her childhood as a marionette

With unblinking eyes and porcelain skin.

It's as if they believed

Without her strings

She would just float

a w a y.

/

(Smile)

Straight from her mother's red red red lips:

Of course you can read

Darling

Don't be silly

Just not those books.

You don't want to be

Smarter than your husband.

Now do you?

/

(Sigh)

Her sister, flicking her red red red hair:

You're eating too much

Tori

You'll want to have a nice figure

To get a proper pureblood husband.

Don't you?

/

(Scowl)

Says dearest daddy, clutching her red red red wrist:

A good wife never speaks out of turn

Astoria

How many times do I have to say that?

/

So she tried and tried and tried

But Astoria will always be the patch of weeds

In Daphne's rose garden

And that's okay.

/

So Astoria chose Ravenclaw over Slytherin

And read and read and read all she liked

And learned how to float feathers and conjure birds and

How

To

Cut

Strings.

And swore never to marry a 'proper pureblood husband.'

/

Draco never cared for 'proper pureblood wives.'

But he loved that Astoria's heart contained a library

That her tea always contained five lumps of sugar

That her mouth liked to run run run away

And that's all that really matters.

/ /