astronomy • marlene mckinnon

six

Astraea stifled a laugh as Marlene slammed her book on the table and handed Astraea the answers she noted.

The two girls had been given yet another project, and so, the two were in an empty classroom, a week before Christmas break and Marlene could not learn the positions of Jupiter's moons.

Though Astraea was getting really annoyed with the Gryffindor, she found the blonde girl's reaction to the whole situation amusing.

"It's really not that hard, McKinnon," Astraea shook her head as she handed the parchment back to Marlene.

"You have put a cross in front of everything." Marlene's eyes widened as she scowled.

"I only put a cross in front of what's wrong," Astraea shrugged, a slight smirk on her face.

"You suck," Marlene grumbled as she opened the book again.

"I'm flattered to know you think of me in such a way." Astraea rolled her eyes as she made a rough diagram on a spare piece of parchment.

"How is this wrong?" Marlene threw her hands up in exasperation. "Isn't Callisto-"

"Look at your book," Astraea interrupted in a bored tone, not looking up from the piece of parchment she was drawing on.

Marlene furrowed her eyebrows as she flipped the pages, searching for the answer and scowled as she realized she was wrong.

"I was right, wasn't I?" Astraea smirked, her gaze still fixed on the diagram.

Marlene kept quiet and continued to flip the pages, not wanting to admit that the Slytherin was right.

"I was," Astraea nodded, noting Marlene's silence.

"Your diagram is not correct," Marlene spoke up in a smug tone and she pointed at the parchment lying in front of Astraea.

"It isn't?" Astraea finally looked up and met Marlene's blue eyes, her expression blank.

"Yep," Marlene grinned and pointed at a circle on the parchment. "You haven't named Amalthea."

"That's because this isn't Amalthea." Astraea said, her voice unusually calm as she pointed to another circle that had 'Amalthea' labeled beside it. "This is."

"You haven't labeled Io," Marlene challenged, trying to find at least one mistake in the diagram.

Astraea Black was really good at Astronomy, Marlene knew that.

And it annoyed her.

"We aren't supposed to present Io," Astraea rolled her eyes. "We're supposed to present Amalthea, Carme, Cyllene, and Elara."

"So then you haven't labeled Cyllene!" Marlene exclaimed pointing at the circle she was pointing at earlier.

"This isn't Cyllene either." Astraea kept looking at the blonde Gryffindor who was trying to find a mistake.

"Then what is it?" Marlene crossed her arms.

"No idea," Astraea shrugged and Marlene smiled. "It isn't named."

Marlene's smile dropped and Astraea smirked.

"I still think it's Cyllene," Marlene grumbled.

"Check your book." Astraea gestured towards the book in front of Marlene.

"I'm good." Marlene snapped as she returned to reading her book while muttering curses under her breath.

Astraea Black usually stopped herself from laughing freely or even giving a smile in front of a person she doesn't like.