The Spark {Book 5 in the Star of Gryffindor Series}

Chapter 22 - Breaking Trust

The Daily Prophet
Issue No. 102,096
14 February, 2022

Petition for an Committee to Evaluate Hestia Carrow's Suitability

A small portion of the population has petitioned for a committee to be assembled to evaluate the suitability of the Minister of Magic, sources say. It is unknown who led this movement, but signatures from Lee Jordan and Neville Longbottom, among others, have piqued the public' interest. Carrow has refused to comment on the possibility...

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Valentine's Day was about as fun as you'd expect, considering I'd caught my boyfriend cheating on me a few months before. Albus and I wandered around Hogsmeade together for about an hour, then went back to the castle and played wizard's chess in the common room until Wren and James finally returned. One thing that cheered me up a bit was seeing Marcus and Mollie in a heated argument when they clambered through the portrait hole. Albus had to kick me under the table to make me stop watching them and laughing.

Classes were starting to get more difficult, to my dismay. Wren reminded me that OWLs would be here before I knew it, and the teachers were just trying to prepare us. That didn't make me feel any better about the five foot Charms essays Haverna was assigning every week, the extensive Arithmancy charts we had to make each day, or the fact that I blew up three successive potions (literal explosions) and Lockley called me in after class to ask if everything was okay with my personal life.

We were walking into Potions one day, and I was preparing myself for yet another explosive potion (despite Wren's help on the last one, I'd done it again). I looked at the board and was relieved to see that it was a partner potion. I linked arms with Wren immediately, which made Albus glare at me and grudgingly follow Colette to the table in front of us.

Once we'd sat down, I realized that the Slytherins were all gathered around the desk across the aisle from mine. I glanced over at them, and was surprised to see several glancing at me uncomfortably. I frowned and listened to what they were saying.

"My mum says Lestrange isn't super trustworthy," a girl named Thyme Lowell was saying. She glanced at me, saw I was watching her, and blushed. "I mean, look at her family." I could still hear her even though she'd lowered her voice.

I scanned the group. Ciara was seated next to Thyme, watching me. When I made eye contact, she colored and turned away, looking down at her book. That was her family too. Wasn't she going to say something?

"Oh, yeah, everyone knows the Lestranges have always been big supporters of the Dark Arts. Even before Voldemort. The Blacks, too." Atticus Calrone shrugged. "To be fair, though, most families have at least a little history with the Dark Arts."

"Not that much!" Mason Kerrigan said. "It runs in their blood." Mason glanced at me. He smiled apologetically when he noticed I'd been listening. "Everyone knows that, Astra, sorry. But, like, you're a halfblood, right? Your mum was a muggle. So you've only got half the crazy."

"Yeah, of course, that's it." I said sarcastically, then I glared at him. "Shut up about my family, if you please. A lot of you have Blacks and Lestranges somewhere in your family, too, so don't go acting like I'm abnormal. Wizards here intermarry so much I'm surprised any of them are still capable of intelligent thought." I heard Wren and Albus stifle laughs behind me as the Slytherins who hadn't already been shifting uncomfortably in their seats turned red.

Nico Jasper had been watching all of this from the back of the room with that lazy, amused, slightly creepy look of his on his face. Now, he spoke up. "Lestrange, I heard a pretty interesting rumor somewhere."