"𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙖𝙜𝙤𝙣𝙮"
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IN WHICH ~ Jupiter Cassiopeia Lestrange thought she could escape her family's dark legacy at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but in her second year, Tom Riddle's diar...
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"You are allowed to be both a masterpiece and a work in progress."
───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────
January, 1994
Over the past few weeks, Jupiter and Harry had been spending every Tuesday evening in Professor Lupin's office, working on Patronus lessons instead of going to Hogsmeade. Jupiter's proficiency grew quickly—she could summon a Patronus nearly every time now. Harry, however, was still struggling, with only tendrils of white mist curling out from his wand.
Though Harry tried his best to stay upbeat, Jupiter could tell the slow progress frustrated him. She chose not to use the secret passages from the Marauder's Map without him, knowing it would only make things worse between them. But what really annoyed her was how Harry refused to let her look at the map. Once, the day after he'd first gotten it, he opened it just long enough to let her glimpse it—then yanked it away, as if he'd spotted something she wasn't meant to see. That flicker of secrecy left Jupiter uneasy, though she pretended otherwise.
Adding to her frustrations, Ron and Hermione were locked in constant arguments, mostly over Ron's rat and Hermione's cat. Ron was convinced Crookshanks had eaten Scabbers after finding a puddle of blood and orange fur on his dorm floor. Hermione defended her cat fiercely, but Jupiter doubted the whole thing. Scabbers had always seemed off—not like a normal rat. If he were, he probably wouldn't have lasted this long. Hermione agreed with her, though only on the "Crookshanks is innocent" part.
As if things couldn't get worse, Harry had been sulking ever since McGonagall confiscated his new Firebolt on Hermione's orders. Jupiter knew it stung, but at least McGonagall couldn't touch the money Jupiter had mysteriously received for Christmas.
"Did you see his face?" Ron laughed as he entered the Great Hall beside Harry, who was holding the Firebolt like it was made of glass. "He can't believe it! This is brilliant!"
Jupiter leaned back in her seat, raising an eyebrow as Harry approached. "Aren't you going to thank me for not letting you buy it yourself, Potter?" she teased, grinning as Harry set the broom carefully on the table beside her.
Harry dragged out her name. "Thank you, Jupiter."
She rolled her eyes and gave him a playful shove on the shoulder, making him laugh.
The Firebolt was an instant celebrity. Within moments, students from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff crowded around, fawning over it. Jupiter's patience wore thin quickly, especially when a gaggle of Ravenclaw girls lingered a little too long, giggling at every word Harry said. She kept her expression neutral, though a flicker of irritation buzzed beneath her skin.
Cedric Diggory, looking effortlessly perfect in his Hufflepuff robes, strolled over to congratulate Harry on his broom. His warm smile flicked to Jupiter briefly, and she fought to keep her expression unreadable.
