Astra

XXIV - The Hogsmeade Trip

ASTRA CROUCHED UNDERNEATH the invisibility cloak and prodded the Whomping Willow with a stick. She couldn't wait until she became an Animagus, seeing as no one could really stop an owl from going to Hogsmeade. While walking through the tunnel, she suddenly realized that Harry would probably see her in the tunnel, but decided it wouldn't be important, as he was most likely in Hogsmeade already.

Just before getting to the end of the tunnel, she called out, "Dad!" Noise came from the Shack and she flung her arms around her father.

"What were you thinking you idiot! Thanks to your little stunt on Halloween, I got bloody house-elves set on me!" she exclaimed while half-heartedly punching her father in the arm.

Sirius simply smiled, glad knowing that the visit with his daughter wasn't a dream, or just a figment of his imagination. Astra held out the bag of food and he gladly accepted it, leading her to the upstairs room where he spent most of his time.

"What do you mean?" he asked as he shoved a piece of bread in his mouth.

"Exactly what I said. You decided to break into Gryffindor tower, and with no password even! And then, all the teachers started following me, forced me to eat in the Great Hall, and ordered house-elves to follow me for my safety. Lucky it was Honey following me today, and then I had to make a bargain with Harry to borrow his cloak. Let him use the Marauders' Map, but he doesn't know that technically it's also his." Sirius laughed at his daughter's antics.

"Anyway, I think he's probably in Honeydukes around now. James and Lily are with him, don't actually know where Regulus is."

"It's still a bit weird to hear you talking about them like that -"

"I know, it took all my willpower not to call Professor Lupin, 'Moony'. Though he knows that I know about his furry little problem, and you should have seen the look on his face when he learned from Minnie that I wanted to become an Animagus."

Sirius let out a bark of laughter and said, "I would have liked to see that. So, what's new in your life? I was hoping that I would be able to talk with you more, but I understand that it must have been hard to get here."

"Yeah," Astra pulled up a chair with only three legs and told her father all about her new friend, Luna, and showed him her Patronus, to which Sirius whined about him not getting to fly, and how breaking out of Azkaban would be so much easier. He also asked about Christmas and Astra told Sirius about how Harry's broom broke, while Sirius said that he already had a present for her. They laughed for quite a while until Sirius finished his food and Astra decided to go outside to Hogsmeade, with Sirius trailing behind in his Animagus form.

***

Meanwhile, Harry had met up with Hermione and Ron in Honeydukes.

"Harry!" squealed Hermione. "What are you doing here? How -- how did you --?"

"Wow!" said Ron, looking very impressed, "you've learned to Apparate!"

"'Course I haven't," said Harry. He dropped his voice so that none of the sixth years could hear him and told them all about the Marauder's Map and how Astra had let him borrow it.

"How did Black learn about the cloak? We never told her about it!" said Ron, frustrated. Harry shrugged, not really knowing the answer.

"But Harry isn't going to keep it!" said Hermione, as though the idea were ludicrous. "He's going to hand it in to Professor McGonagall, aren't you, Harry?"

"No, I'm not!" said Harry.

"Are you mad?" said Ron, goggling at Hermione. "Hand in something that good?"