Astra

LVIII - The First Task

ASTRA WOKE UP EARLY, as usual, making her way to the library where she was going to meet Luna to try and do some more research. She asked basically everyone she knew from the dead, and got a few good answers out of them, but most of the options to defeat a dragon were far above fourth year level.

Hermione and Harry joined them, where Astra explained that she thought that the spell Sirius was talking about was probably a Conjunctivitus curse, but it would be extremely hard to learn, not to mention that the dragon could possibly go into a state of panic and attack even more aggressively.

So, they returned to their studies, though it was a lot harder to read with Hermione muttering her findings every few seconds.

"Well, there are Switching Spells...but what's the point of Switching it? Unless you swapped its fangs for wine-gums or something that would make it less dangerous....The trouble is, like that book said, not much is going to get through a dragon's hide....I'd say Transfigure it, but something that big, you really haven't got a hope, I doubt even Professor McGonagall...unless you're supposed to put the spell on yourself? Maybe to give yourself extra powers? But they're not simple spells, I mean, we haven't done any of those in class, I only know about them because I've been doing O.W.L. practice papers...."

"Hermione, you're my friend, but you need to shut it. We're trying to focus."

Later, Astra was a bit worried that she had come off too hard, but wasn't too bothered by it, because it was the truth.

However, things only got more distracted as Viktor Krum and his followers sat down nearby them, making the group of four leave to the Gryffindor common room where they could work in peace.

***

Astra watched quietly as Harry broke Cedric's bag, using the opportunity to warn him about the dragons. She was about to turn around when she looked back suspiciously, this time watching Moody take him to his office.

Trying to find a spirit somewhere around her that she knew, she decided to call Marlene, who was always up for this sort of thing, and was honestly rarely busy. Meanwhile, she also didn't want to bother Lily, James, or Regulus.

So, leaving Marlene to spy on Harry and Moody, she moved towards Herbology, hoping Hermione wouldn't lecture her on tardiness.

Thankfully, she didn't and instead simply tutted disapprovingly before paying attention to the lesson.

Marlene came a few minutes later, giving a small explanation that went over it, and also volunteering to spy on Moody in any other case, saying that she was a huge fan and would forever boast that the strict auror had actually shed a tear at her funeral.

Harry arrived only minutes after that, acting just liked Marlene expected, asking Hermione and Astra to help him learn the summoning charm.

Of course, Astra agreed. What were friends for?

***

They practiced late into the night, Harry finally being able to cast the summoning charm on a dictionary and making it zoom straight toward him. In fact, he was so excited that he had jumped to Astra to a hug, blushing profusely and stammering afterward. However, Astra was so glad that her newest friend wasn't going to become dragon dinner that she didn't notice, though Hermione watched with a small smirk.

The next morning, Astra was full of stress, but better at hiding it than Hermione, who glanced nervously at Harry every few seconds. They ate at the Gryffindor table with Luna until McGonagall came to picked Harry up, as all three girls wished him luck and Luna put on her new hat that she created to support him.