astronomy • marlene mckinnon

forty six

Stepping out of the train felt like stepping into a whole new world. The warmth that filled the Hogwarts Express vanished into thin year as soon as Astraea's eyes found her father staring into nothingness before Regulus approached him and he gave his son and his friend a rare smile.

Astraea sighed the urge to scratch at her left forearm growing stronger with each passing second as she turned towards Isabella who gave her a sad smile. "So, I guess I'll see you after Christmas break?"

The raven-haired girl nodded, "Yes, I'll miss you."

"I really want to hug you right now but your father is glaring daggers at me from across the station."

The two girls let out a bitter laugh hiding their sadness for parting with each other and the brunette's hand found the other girl's hand and squeezed it, "Take care, okay, find a way to write and tell Tiberius to—"

"Talk to you or get murdered."

"Perhaps skip the murder part."

"Perhaps, we'll see." Astraea's eyes flickered to her family before she looked back at her best friend, darkness looming behind her, getting ready to descend at any second. She let go of her hand and stepped back, "See you soon, Izzy, I love you."

Concern flashed in the brunette's eyes for a moment before her brown eyes swirled into an emotion which cannot be read as Astraea walked away, "I love you too Rea, I'm so sorry."

The raven-haired girl turned for a moment, but Isabella had already walked away and was nowhere to be seen. Reality swept it's way into the cracks of the walls that were guarding the story she had built of her life as soon as she felt a firm hand on her shoulder which tightened its grip with every word her father spoke, "I understand that she was your friend, but her family has disgraced all of us purebloods. It would be the best for our reputation if you do not fraternise with her anymore."

Astraea nodded, looking at her father who looked straight ahead with a stoic look, his gaze not flickering once, "Have you met with the younger Crouch?"

"Yes," Her eyes flickered to the boy with a huge smile as he looked at her younger brother who was talking at a much faster pace than he had ever before and she shook away the smile that was pulling at her lips at the sight.

"Is he trustworthy?"

"The dark lord trusts him," The raven-haired girl turned back towards the train and watched as Emmeline Vance was brought into a tight hug with an elderly woman who was barely containing her tears as she embraced the girl with a stoic expression on her face.

Orion Black nodded, "Walburga insisted that we invite him home seeing that he was the son of a ministry worker yet still carried the dark mark. In his honourable opinion, it was better to accept the boy into a family who shares the same thoughts as he does."

The man suddenly fell silent as the Potter family along with Sirius walked across right in front of them, not even noticing, too wrapped up in the overlapping conversations they were having, the two boys wearing the Gryffindor colours loud and proud. She looked at her father who had turned away back to where his own- not disowned- son was standing and turned back to the Hogwarts Express. The raven-haired girl's eyes travelled to where her father's eyes were a few moments ago, and the grip on the handle of her trunk tightened because for just a second with Barty's back facing her and the way he kept running his hand through his hair, for just that one second, it was like Sirius had never run away.

Astraea pushed away those thoughts from the cliff and looked back at her father who was looking right at her, "I suppose it's time we leave."

The girl nodded, her gaze dropping as her father's hand left her shoulder.