HP • Legilimency | 𝐍. 𝐌𝐀𝐋𝐅𝐎𝐘

𝐋𝐲𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐲

Folks, it's time for everyone to start getting really annoyed. I'm going to love every moment of this, so show me your frowns.

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As days went by, the dueling lessons became progressively more interesting. The professor quickly became one of the students' favourites. However, somehow, for some reason, Astria was growing increasingly irritated with him ─ She developed an illogical antipathy and couldn't explain the reason.

Snape exacerbated this antipathy. It was evident that he harboured no sympathy for Professor Lupin and showed more and more vengeance and bad temper during his classes.

Furthermore, Astria began to dread the hours spent in Professor Trelawney's stifling room, deciphering distorted shapes and symbols while pretending not to notice the tears in the professor's eyes whenever she looked at her. She couldn't warm up to Sybill, although she was treated with a respect bordering on reverence by many students in the class. Some Gryffindors ─ Patil and Lavender Brown had started to frequent the professor's tower during lunchtime and always returned with annoying airs of superiority, as if they knew things others did not.

Narcissa resumed sending her good morning notes every morning without fail. But she became scarcer, especially as night fell. At the end of the month, on September 29th, Astria tried to deliver the gift she had bought for the older witch's birthday, but she was inexplicably absent. This led her to leave the package along with a letter on the professor's desk after class.

The "good night, angel" no longer echoed in her mind, and dark thoughts hovered in her head, suggesting that Narcissa sent the good morning notes out of pity rather than genuine affection. The feeling of heaviness in her stomach was overwhelming. Astria tried to speak with the woman last Saturday in her quarters, wanting to ask for the signature for the Hogsmeade visit, something both had forgotten, and also missing their conversations and wishing to spend time together. However, upon entering, she found Narcissa occupied.

Basically, what Astria saw was Professor Lupin shirtless with a massive claw wound on his chest, and he and Narcissa were very close. Before she could articulate a word, she was expelled by the older witch, with the door slamming shut in her face. The witch had never shouted at her before, and this experience hurt more than Astria would like to admit. She had been in a bad mood ever since.

It seemed that Narcissa was dating after finally getting her divorce, and it was clear she wasn't willing to waste time giving attention to an orphaned girl with no real connection to her. Astria tried not to feel too hurt, so she focused on her suffocating classes to the maximum. It was extremely challenging to switch rapidly between classes with such tight schedules and so many subjects. Hermione, certainly, was doing much better, having received a blasted Time-Turner to help her.

But she would pay to see the girl perform as well as she did, even without the Time-Turner. To Minerva's dismay, Astria remained the top student, despite being on the verge of a breakdown.

The Quidditch season was approaching, and Marcus Flint, the captain of the Slytherin team, called a meeting on a Thursday night to discuss the tactics they would adopt in the new season. The Gryffindors were eager to win the cup this year. But Slytherin wouldn't make it easy for the lions. The team began training three nights a week, sometimes as soon as the sun rose, sometimes late at night, come rain or shine.

Than weather was getting colder and damper, the nights darker, but there was no mud, wind, or rain that could tarnish their determination to win the cup and kick the lions' butts once again.

After a freezing nighttime training session, Astria returned to the Slytherin common room, her muscles stiff but satisfied with her performance in training. She found the room filled with excitement and chatter.