astronomy • marlene mckinnon

thirty seven

Astraea had practically run through the entire secret passageway, clutching the bandages she had accioed from the infirmary for dear life, her head filled with worry and panic for one of her best friends.

The girl threw open the trapdoor which leads to the Honeydukes basement and let her eyes travel across the room.

"Sit still, Evan!" Tiberius Nott was hissing at him, with his wand in his hand.

"I am sitting- Rea!" Evan looked at her and grinned as if there wasn't a huge cut on his chest and he wasn't bleeding out.

Astraea's eyes widened as she rushed over to the two, "What- What the fuck happened?"

"Fight at the ministry," Tiberius shook his head and held out his hand and the seventh-year girl quickly handed him the bandages. "Evan's mask fell off when the curse hit him."

"They tried to arrest me- shit! That hurt- don't- oh you pressed it!"

"Shut the fuck up and let me help you- Rea, press it from here."

"No, please don't press it."

"Why didn't you go to St. Mungo's?" The girl sat down next to them and pressed the wound at the place where Tiberius pointed.

"You aren't hearing me are you, love?" Evan grinned at her but then hissed in pain as the other boy waved his wand again and the bleeding stopped, yet there was still a cut on his arm that needed to be cured.

"Word is out that Evan Rosier is a death-eater," The blond-haired boy looked at her. "I can't go anywhere unless I want to be seen by any ministry official. And, not to brag, but I cursed one of them pretty good after he hit me- you should have seen him! This," He gestured towards his wounds, "It's nothing compared, I'm okay- oh fuck, would you stop!"

"Alright," Tiberius glared at him, "I'll just leave you here to bleed with someone who doesn't know anything about healing wounds."

"I do know!" Astraea spoke up indignantly, "But not to this extent."

"Yeah Tiberius," Evan nodded, closing his eyes as he leaned back. "She knows, we all do. Oi Black, get me some chocolate."

"That's stealing."

"I'm bleeding out on the floor-"

"Your wounds are already healed-"

"-But I'm still injured, aren't I? I am in serious pain and you, you who I'm pretty sure stole these bandages are telling me that getting me-"

"Okay, Okay!" Astraea scowled at him, but still got up and handed him a bar of chocolate. "Just shut up."

"Anyway," Evan tore off the wrapper as he looked at her and grinned, "It's time for your monthly sacred twenty-eight and death-eater news while Tiberius writes to Izzy."

Tiberius rolled his eyes, and the raven-haired girl leaned back, balancing herself on the palm of her hands as she looked at him, her eyes flickering to his bandaged arm and the sealed cut on his chest.

The blond boy frowned slightly, "I'm fine Rea, really. Anyway, the dark lord has started to recruit half-bloods too- really, anyone who hates muggles and muggle-borns. There are two or three students at Hogwarts who have offered to join."

The girl bit her lip, "All Slytherins?"

Evan shook his head, "One Slytherin, Severus Snape."

Astraea's eyes widened in surprise and her jaw dropped ever so slightly. In all honesty, she had forgotten about the boy's existence even though they were in the same year and shared a lot of classes together. But she was still shocked, considering his association with one muggle-born Gryffindor girl.