Snake Charmer

26

Asteria's eyes fluttered open and she let out a yelp as a pair of storm-colored irises stared down at her and before she knew what she was doing, she reared her foot back and kicked the person square in the chest. The young man groaned and stumbled onto his back side. She sat up quickly reaching for her wand that was under her pillow. The boy's platumin blonde hair froze her into place and she slowly relaxed. And when he frowned up at her she almost smiled.

"You're Narcissa's son." The boy arched an eyebrow at her and stood dusting himself off. 

"I'm Draco. And you have been asleep for too long." Astrid rolled her eyes and slowly stood to her feet.

"How old are you?" Draco laughed dryly and gripped her elbow to steady her.

"Fifteen. How old are you?" Asteria laughed at the question. If he was here that meant that Narcissa had told him about her, and he already knew the answer to that. She shook her head at him. But something else was bothering her. But before she could ask him another question, The door opened, and her heart nearly gave out. Her lips parted as she stared at Regulus Black. He looked the same as the last time that she had saw him...Her mind raced as she took him. 

"Reggie?!" Her voice broke but Regulus just beamed at her and rushed to her side taking her into his arms and laughed when she swatted his side. "What were you thinking getting yourself put to sleep with me?" Regulus pulled away and cupped her face in his hands.

"I was thinking that I would be an idiot to let my friend do something incredibly stupid without me." She sniffled loudly and coughed out a laugh.

"I'm glad that you are here. Honestly." Reggie smiled down at her.

"Come on. Dumbledore had strict orders that I take you with me. To my house and there are a couple of friends that I know that you want to surprise." Asteria grinned wildly and nodded her head. She wanted to see her father, but she knew that, that would have to wait. She would see him soon enough. Draco just stood there watching the two of them. His mind still reeling from what his mother had told him last year. 

He had went searching for her just like she had asked, and he had found her. Just sleeping like she was out of some fairytale. Her cobalt eyes turned toward him, and he stiffened. But Asteria smiled softly.

"You look a lot like your mother. Thank Merlin. I would have hated if you looked like your father." Regulus laughed but Draco was confused more than anything. Regulus led her out the room and she inhaled a rigid breath. Being in the halls of Hogwarts again was heart breaking. 

"Sirius and Remus are going to be happy to see that you aren't dead." Asteria snorted and chewed her bottom lip nervously.

"If they don't kill me themselves when they see me." She mumbled. His eyebrow quirked up. He knew that they wouldn't, but they would be really angry at her. At least Sirius would be. 

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Asteria could hear voices on the other side of the door and her heart nearly gave out when someone called out Remus's name, her insides knotted as she inhaled a steady breath and slowly entered the kitchen. Her heart dropped as Sirius and Remus's wide eyes landed on her. Her bottom lip trembled as she blinked at them. They had aged. But it was their eyes that had remained the same to her. 

"That's not possible." The disbelief in Remus's eyes and the uncertainty in his voice had a lump forming in her throat. She choked out a laugh as a sob tried to slip through.

"You got old on me Remi." Tears welled in Remus's eyes as he stood up from his seat. 

"Ari." A sob tore through her throat as she nodded her head violently. Sirius sprang from his chair and rushed her, before he lifted her off her feet and into his arms. She smiled down at him fondly.

"Hello Siri." Her heart ached when she saw the unshed tears in his eyes. Sirius placed her on her feet only for her to be crushed against Remus. She sniffled and held onto him for dear life. 

She stood there for a long while just holding her friend. Then her head shot up and she turned to Sirius. 

"James and Lily?" Her heart began pounding against her so hard that she thought that it would explode from her chest. Her teeth ground together as there was a long pause. Sirius averted his gaze from her and cleared his throat.

"I'm here Ari." Her stomach dropped at the sound of James's soft voice from behind her. The bad feeling only grew as she slowly turned around to face him. She inhaled a rigid breath as she stared at the sadness in his eyes. There was someone missing...Her lip trembled again as she shook her head at him.

James took a step forward and wrapped an around her shoulders and pulled her to him.

"She gave your gift to Harry...she and it protected him." Asteria clenched her teeth together and let out an agonizing scream. 

She knew what she needed to do and she was going to make sure that they all paid for what they had done, Tom would die by her hand if it was the last thing that she did. She pulled away from James and he stiffened when he saw the dead look in her eyes. 

"Ari don-" She took a step back away from all of them and forced a tight smile.

"Their turn." In a blink of an eye she was gone. Sirius let out a clipped sigh and turned toward his chair to get his jacket.

"I've got her.." Regulus said as he stepped out from the shadows. The three older men gave him a concerned look but Regulus shook his head lightly. "We all knew that she would be out for blood when she fought out about Lily. She's A Grindelwald. They get even."