Astra

CIII - The Mistletoe

"THAT FOUL, LYING, TWISTING old gargoyle!" stormed Hermione half an hour later, as they made their way back up to the castle through the channels they had made earlier in the snow. Astra glanced around, making sure no one was nearby, though she completely agreed with Hermione. "You see what she's up to? It's her thing about half-breeds all over again--she's trying to make out Hagrid's some kind of dimwitted troll, just because he had a giantess for a mother--and oh, it's not fair, that really wasn't a bad lesson at all--I mean, all right, if it had been Blast-Ended Skrewts again, but Thestrals are fine--in fact, for Hagrid, they're really good!"

"Umbridge said they're dangerous," said Ron.

"You're gonna believe Umbridge over Hagrid?" Astra scoffed, pulling her jacket tighter as she shivered from the cold, "They can look after themselves but they don't hurt anyone- maybe at most frighten someone- but Luna visits them all the time in the forest."

Ron raised an eyebrow skeptically as if still not completely convinced.

"But they are very interesting, aren't they?" added Hermione, "The way some people can see them and some can't! I wish I could."

"Do you?" Harry asked her quietly.

She looked suddenly horrorstruck.

Astra grimaced.

"Oh, Harry--I'm sorry--no, of course, I don't--that was a really stupid thing to say."

"It's OK," he said quickly, "don't worry."

"I'm surprised so many people could see them," said Ron. "Astra, why couldn't you?"

"Huh?" Astra's head snapped up, "What?"

"Why couldn't you see the thestrals-" continued Ron, seemingly confused as to why Hermione elbowed him.

"Well, I haven't seen anyone die," said Astra stiffly; she didn't know whether the question was rooted from her vision from last year or her abilities, but both would be a sore topic to discuss in front of Harry. "The orphanage was a pretty boring place- all I did was read. Though I did once set fire to another girl's dress, but we were right next to the water fountain so it was put out pretty quickly."

Clearly, the change in subject worked- except a malicious voice interrupted.

"We were just wondering," Draco and his goons had crept up behind them, "D'you reckon, Weasley, if you saw someone snuff it you'd be able to see the Quaffle better?"

He, Crabbe and Goyle roared with laughter as they pushed past on their way to the castle, then broke into a chorus of 'Weasley is our King'. Astra clenched her fists and narrowed her eyes at the back of his head. Ron's ears turned scarlet.

"Ignore them, just ignore them," intoned Hermione, pulling out her wand and performing the charm to produce hot air again, so that she could melt them an easier path through the untouched snow between them and the greenhouses.

***

December arrived, bringing with it more snow and a positive avalanche of homework for the fifth-years. Ron and Hermione's Prefect duties also became more and more onerous as Christmas approached. They were called upon to supervise the decoration of the castle ("You try putting up tinsel when Peeves has got the other end and is trying to strangle you with it," said Ron), to watch over first- and second-years spending their break-times inside because of the bitter cold ("And they're cheeky little snot-rags, you know, we definitely weren't that rude when we were in first year," said Ron) and to patrol the corridors in shifts with Argus Filch, who suspected that the holiday spirit might show itself in an outbreak of wizard duels ("He's got dung for brains, that one," said Ron furiously). They were so busy that Hermione had even stopped knitting elf hats and was fretting that she was down to her last three.