❛ASTERIA EDWARDS was your average, typical eleven-year-old child stuck in a pandemic with her mother Isabella Diggory until she found out where she truly came from.. and where she truly belonged...❜
[extended summary inside]
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harry potte...
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Halfway through October came the first trip of the term to Hogwarts. Harry was surprised to find that these were still allowed, given the increasingly tight security measures around the school, but was pleased anyway. It always felt good to get out of the castle grounds for a few hours.
Though the walk to Hogsmeade was anything but enjoyable. Harry, Hermione and Ron had their scarves around their lower faces; the exposed parts soon felt both raw and numb. The road to the village was full of students bent double against the bitter wind. And Harry for once wondered if they would have had a better time in the warm common room.
When they saw Zonko's Joke Shop crammed up, he almost took it as confirmation that the trip was not destined to be fun, until he saw three familiar figures entering the Three Broomsticks.
He dragged Ron— who was about to enter Honeydukes— by the arm and towards the pub. "Let's go to the Three Broomsticks, first."
"You could've just said that instead of almost ripping my arm out, you know?" He hissed.
"Sorry."
"Don't you think it's kind of weird?" asked Hermione.
"What?"
"Ria used to be with Zabini and Nott all the time." She stated. "Now.. It's like she's either with Zabini and Amelia, or with Nott and Arbutus— the Ravenclaw from our year. They're never together anymore."
Ron's mouth fell open in an 'o'. "Oh.. yeah. D'you think they had a fight? Nott and Zabini?"
She shrugged. "Maybe."
The pub was warmer than outside. "Ah.. finally." Ron huffed.
Harry had his eyes on Ria again. He hadn't seen her since that day again.. the day after Slytherin's Quidditch tryouts. He had meant to ask her how she was doing, but he didn't want her to be embarrassed.
He also remembered how she had refused to open her eyes even for a moment, when he had been comforting her. It didn't matter to him that moment because she had been hurting. Seeing her like that had stirred something inside him.
But now that he thought back, it made him anxious. Was something else the reason? Or was it me?
Whatever.. he didn't want to see her like that again.
"I'll—"
"— go and talk to Ria."
He looked at his two friends with a look of annoyance, but they only snorted, breaking into laughter. "What? Go ahead! No one's stopping you." Hermione teased on, but her smile dropped only slightly when her gaze moved somewhere behind him. He turned, his eyes drooping down.
The cold had brought a flush to her cheeks and nose. And there were little snowflakes caught up in her lashes that he had the urge to brush away.
"D'you.. wanna have butterbeer?" asked Ria, the expression on her face a bit unsure.
