Astra

LXXXII - The Quibbler Plan

ASTRA MADE IT TO HER dorm first, followed shortly by Lavender and Parvati, who were talking in hushed whispers, sending not-so-discreet glances at Astra.

Really, Astra should have just gone to bed and ignore them to try not to start a fight, but seeing Umbridge, or Umbitch (she wasn't quite sure whether that was the best nickname to go with yet) had already put her in a rash mood.

"Well," she said sharply, making the girls jump slightly and throw cautious looks at her. "Are you just going to stand there and whisper or tell me how insane I am to my face?"

They looked highly affronted.

Maybe she had gone a bit too far. But it was the truth.

"I suppose you screaming at the end of last year was some sort of propaganda, wasn't it?" sniffed Lavender, folding her arms. Parvati looked conflicted.

"Propaganda?" Astra scoffed. "You think Harry and I would want Voldemort to come back?" They flinched at the name.

"We still don't know about you teaming up with your dad -"

"My dad has nothing to do with this!"

"Please," Parvati cut in, trying to stop them. Astra looked murderous.

"She's being ridiculous!" Lavender exclaimed, just as the door opened. Hermione quickly moved next to Parvati, holding on to Astra's shoulder as if worried she was going to jump towards Lavender.

"What is going on?!"

"Brown thinks that we're starting propaganda apparently," Astra answered stiffly, cold grey eyes glaring at her.

"Well, if you looked at the Daily Prophet -"

"The Daily Prophet is incompetent," Astra's voice was now dangerously low, a sign that Hermione was clearly aware of that never ended well. "And if it wasn't incompetent, you would know that they were getting the majority of their information from an illegal animagus, who has been sent to Azkaban for a year."

"Preposterous!" Lavender gasped.

Astra shoved off Hermione's arm and turned around to her bed, pulling out a small stack of papers from her suitcase.

"Read," she said simply, handing Lavender and Parvati their own copies of the Quibbler that Luna had specifically given her earlier that day, the ones that specified the trial and went into vague detail about Voldemort's return.

Hermione looked confused, but Astra already closed the curtains to her bed.

The cold anger in her eyes disappeared quickly, a front that she had easily pulled up, and now were replaced by a gleam of accomplishment.

The news would be spread around the school by that weekend.

It was all going according to plan.

***

Astra woke up bright and early the next day, already mentally preparing herself for what was to come in the Defense Against the Dark Arts class. 

Are you alright?" asked Hermione in a hushed voice when seeing Astra in the morning, rushing beside her. Astra looked to the other side of the common room, where Lavender was whispering with Seamus, looking over a familiar piece of parchment.

"Brilliant."

They quickly caught up with Harry and Ron as they all headed towards breakfast. It was obvious that Hermione was slightly worried, but didn't say anything.