Snake Charmer

35

Asteria frowned as she glanced around the transfiguration classroom. A first year had come to collect her, stating that Minnie had wanted to see her, but she couldn't possibly know what for. She clicked her teeth nervously as she moved about the room. There was something was wrong she could feel in her bones. There was the lingering dark magic that clung in the air. Her hand inched closer to her wand when the door opened, and Lucius Malfoy entered the room.

He sneered at the sight of her white waves. But her heart dropped, and her face paled as he smirked at her. She took a defensive step back and swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat.

"I knew that you weren't dead. I knew as soon as Crouch sent word about your drowning. You will not interfere any longer." Her eyes flashed and in an instant her arm was stretched out and her delicate fist was clenched into a fist.

Lucius's froze in an attempt to reach for his wand. She tilted he head in a predatory way as a wicked grin spread across her mouth.

"Hello Lucius. Long time no see." If looks could kill Asteria would have been dead right, then and there. She drew her wand with her free and walked toward him.

"You should have stayed dead." He spat her. A dry laugh escaped her lips, and she shook her head.

"Are you truly that stupid to think that I would leave Harry alone? I saw it before he was even thought of. I saw the destruction that Riddle caused. -" Lucius scoffed.

"You think that he did that for a power advantage? Oh no. You STUPID girl. He did that because you ran away from him. It's your fault that half the wizarding world burned." Anger filled her face as she rushed him until arm clamped down around her waist pulling her away from him.

"Not like this." Regulus hissed in her ear. Her body instantly relaxed and the spell over Lucius was broken.

"Father what are you doing?" Asteria's eyes cut toward the door and her stomach did a strange flip at the sight of the very boys that she was desperate to avoid. Tom cold expression turned lethal when his blue eyes settled on to Lucius.

"We harass students now?" Her wild bi-colored eyes glanced between the two as she watched Lucius straighten his robes looking at Tom.

"You don't know who she really is. What she is!" Tom arched an eyebrow at Lucius and glanced over at Asteria. He gave her slow nod as if asking if she was alright. She nodded quickly as Mattheo moved over to her with a sly grin on his face.

"Well done, Dumbledore." He whispered softly. She rolled her eyes.

"Dumbledore is looking for you Lucius. It seems that he was under the impression you were here to speak about your son's education." Tom replied holding his out toward the door. Lucius lip curled as he glanced back at Asteria.

"I will kill you one day." Asteria snorted.

"You nor your master have the power to do so. Strange that you seem to forget that." Regulus placed a hand over her mouth and shook his head. Draco huffed and led his father out of the room. Once Lucius was gone, Asteria's legs gave out from under her and she let out an ear-piercing scream. Her head falling into her hands.

Regulus hissed and took several steps away from her. She hated being touched when she got like this. Horror filled his face when Tom knelt down beside her and took her chin gingerly and lifted it so he could see her face.

"You did well." Theo and Mattheo's eyebrows drew together at the gentle tone that he was using with her. They had never heard him be gentle with anyone. This was new to them. Asteria scoffed and without warning she snatched his wrist and yanked his sleeve up revealing the dark mark on the inside of his arm.

Deadly silence filled the air as the two looked at each other and the others just stared at them.

"You're his heir. I cannot and will not be soft toward another Riddle. That's how my heart died the first time. I need you to stay away from me. If you can't then I will make you hate me." Tom just looked at her incomplete and utter shock. She stumbled to her feet and Regulus shot forward to steady her until she held up her hand and shook her head.

She would walk herself out. She needed to be on her own and that much was clear to her.

No more attachments. I will not risk adding to the people that I could lose. That he could take from me...

Asteria had skipped her classes and lunch and dinner as she sat curled into her father's sofa in his private office. She picked at her fingernails nervously. She knew that what she wanted to do was dumb and there as a possibility that her home wasn't there anymore. But she needed to see if for herself and restore it. She had to do something.

Dumbledore stepped into his office and stood in the doorway looking at his daughter. She seemed less lively then the last time that he saw her. She turned her head to look at her father.

"What is on your mind little one?" He closed the door and made his way toward her. She swallowed hard and lifted her eyes to look at him. It was almost sad to think that she had missed all that time with her father. How he had aged, and she had missed it.

"I need to go home. For a few days. There are things that need done. Things that I cannot do here." Dumbledore pondered her words and sat back in his chair.

"You want to restore the Grindelwald Masion?" She nodded her head slowly. He wasn't fond of the idea of her doing that.

"I will take Sirius and the others with me. But it will be the safest place for Harry and the others. I've seen what is coming and I have to do something to make sure that people are safe."

"If you are sure about this." She offered her father a tired smiled. "The dark magic that resides there--" Asteria shrugged and exhaled loudly.

"The Dark Magic I can handle. Papa made sure of that."