We're in this Together. ✷ Fred Weasley✷

Ch.8 It's About the Journey. Not the Destination.

✷3rd POV✷

The ride to Hogwarts began rather quietly, for three newly established friends, on one side of the compartment, a set of twins sat whispering rather animatedly, one gesturing towards the other occupant, and the other franticly shaking his head in worry, on the other was a girl, she was sitting quietly staring out the window, aware of the scene happening across from her, but choosing to ignore her two new friends.

"SO!" George shouted, startling not only the girl across from him but his twin, both flinching from the sudden volume from the boy, in the otherwise silent compartment, "let's get to know each other shall we?"

"You don't need to shout Georgie, we'll both hear you." Said Fred in a slightly embarrassed manner.

"Shhhh Freddie, the grown-ups are talking." George teases, "So Asteria, tell us about yourself."

✷Asteria's POV✷

'Tell us about yourself.' What is there to tell? Well let's see, both my parents are dead, I live with my aggressive evil uncle and passive aunt, and sweet little cousin, my uncle is a murderer who's locked up in Azkaban, and the rest of my family are avid supporters of death eaters. That will get them to like me. Not. So instead I settle on;

"I'm really not that interesting..."

"Nonsense," George says, "there must be something."

"Well..." I trail thinking about it.

"Well...?"

"Common Black there must be something. What's your favorite color? Though I'm sure I could guess." Fred interrupts impatiently.

"Well, now I want to hear your guess..."I say.

"Black. Obviously. Or green. Judging on your usual outfits, and the ring on your hand."

I look down at the ring, then back up at them, "actually you're wrong. It's not black, it's yellow, and as for the ring it was given to me by my father."

"Yellow huh?" Said, George.

"Wouldn't have guessed that..." finished Fred.

"That doesn't seem like a very Malfoy manor-appropriate color." They say in unison.

"Believe me, it isn't." I say flatly while gesturing to my outfit, "why do you think I dress like this? Anything lighter than a navy blue and my uncle loses his mind, and that's barely acceptable. This skirt was an argument in itself." I state rolling my eyes.

"So how did you pick yellow then?" George questions.

"Well..." I begin, debating if I should reveal the truth behind my favorite color. Deciding that the Weasleys are a progressive family in the wizarding world, I tell them. "Well, you see, the house-elf at the manor, Dobby, he likes to bring me little flowers. Daisies, actually."

"You're-"

"House-elf?"

"Yes. Dobby." I insist, hoping they'll use his name.

"And this...Dobby? He brings them to you often?" Fred asks.

"Yes. He's been bringing them to me since I began living with the Malfoys."

"Why?" Asks George.

I pause before answering, considering the reason. "Well, he's kind of been my only friend..." I begin softly, afraid they might laugh, "I don't have any siblings, and my uncle has always been rather adamant about keeping my little cousin away from me, afraid I'd be a bad influence, so when I wasn't in my lesson's and Dobby wasn't busy around the household, he would come to visit me, he'd let me draw him, and we'd have tea." I finish telling him.