Rubatosis Rewrite

Chapter 7

Remus reached over and encaptured the girl in a hug. He could sense the pain she was going through as she told the story. The boy knew that his friends had a bad home life and that they had run away but he never realized that a persons' parents could be as cruel as to use curses against their children.

Lily, Marlene, and Alice all looked down in sorrow. They felt terrible for their friends and couldn't imagine growing up the way they did and still being the wonderful people they are today. A crash was heard from the staircase as Sirius tumbled down it. Astra wiped her eyes as she turned her head to smile softly at the wild boy.

Sirius stood up and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly and then walked over and collapsed onto the couch next to Remus. Astra still sat in front of the couch behind the coffee table. "What's up with you girls, aren't you supposed to be sharing boy stories and gossiping about the girls you hate?" Sirius asked when he realized that the girls weren't having as much fun as they usually do when they have their little sleepovers.

"You falling down the stairs kind of interrupted us." Marlene scowled at the annoying boy as the other girls laughed softly. James walked down the stairs followed by Peter as he rubbed his eyes, his glasses slightly askew on his face and his hair more of a mess than usual. He sat down behind Astra on the couch, she leaned back towards him to lean against the couch as he smiled at her.

The group continued to laugh and talk as Astra was stuck in her own world. Her hands started to shake and her heart pounded like a storm in her chest. She stood up and walked towards the dormitories. "Where are you going?" Lily asked her softly, ceasing the laughter in the room. "I'm going to take a shower, I'll be back down in a bit." She smiled lightly and continued to walk up the stairs. She opened the door to the rooms and walked over to her window, opening it and crawling out onto the roof of the tower.

She sat down, feeling the roughness of the roof on her fingers. A cool breeze blew through her hair and she shivered, pulling the sleeves of James' jumper over her hands. "Mind if I join you?" Astra turned around to see the bright hazel eyes and the round glasses of her best friend behind her. She smiled and patted the spot next to her. James grabbed a blanket off of her bed before climbing onto the roof next to her and wrapping the two of them in the warm fabric.

They sat in silence for a while staring at the stars and enjoying the warmth the other radiated. "The night me and Sirius showed up on your doorstep, were you scared? I mean, not for us but that you wouldn't get as much attention from your parents now that two other people forced their way into your life." Astra didn't look at him but she could tell he was shocked.

"Scared? I was terrified. Not that you would take my parents from me but when I saw Sirius standing in the rain my mind went crazy. Then when I saw you barely conscious and bleeding on the ground my blood went cold and I couldn't breath. I was so scared of losing you. I wasn't scared that you would take my parents, I was so excited to find out you and Sirius would be moving in. I mean, you two are my best friends and now I would get to see you both every time I woke up and I never had to wonder if you were okay. I vowed after that day to protect you with my life. No one would ever hurt you or make fun of you again." James put his arm around the girl, rubbing her shoulder.

"Wait so that day snivellus made fun of me last year and he ended up getting hit with a bludger in one of our games, that was you?" Astra looked at him laughing indignantly. "I did vow." He said nonchalantly shrugging his shoulders and smirking at her, looking into her gray eyes. Astra laughed and James joined in.

"Remember that day Lucious knocked you from your broom in quidditch and he ended up having green hair for a week, that was Remus. I'm not the only one that's protective over you. I don't think I've ever seen him so mad. I thought he was gonna bloody blow the boy to bits." They both laughed so hard at that, Astra making a mental note to thank Remus later.

"Come on, we had better get back to the others before they suspect something." James stood up and held his hand out to Astra. She took it and stood up. "They already suspect things. They think we are in love with each other, which is absolute rubbish." Astra laughed. James' heart hurt a bit with how she didn't seem to care as much about him as he did her but played it off. "Is that my jumper?" He asked, hiding the hurt in his voice with a laugh.

"Maybe." She laughed as she ran through the door and down the stairs. James hot on her tail. "Come back here!" They laughed as he tripped on the carpet at the end of the stairs, falling on top of the small girl and knocking the breath out of her. Their friends laughed at the sight before them. "James get off of me, you're crushing my ribs." She forced out with a laugh. The boy stood up and Sirius ran after him with a pillow, smacking the boy so hard he ran into the table behind the couch.

Soon the others joined in laughing and hitting each other with the throw pillows that were on the furniture in front of the fireplace. Astra stared at her friends and laughed, glad that they could still have fun with war threatened in the near future. She was knocked out of her thoughts as Marlene smacked her in the stomach with a pillow, the girl took it from her and joined in on the fight.