If I Lose Myself

Chapter Fifteen: Astoria

If I Lose Myself

by EMPG22HoPe

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Chapter Fifteen: Astoria

Early March 1997

Brisk wind blew towards her as she stood atop the Astronomy Tower, two little vials containing silver threads in hand.

Astoria hasn't spoken to her aunt Cress in nearly four weeks. After she had brought back her drunken sister to Hogwarts straight off the Three Broomsticks encounter with their aunt, she immediately went off to send her aunt an owl. By the time her aunt hadn't responded in over a week, she tried to go to Hogsmeade and search through some of the pubs that offered guests to stay in. Cressida Shafiq had been staying at the Three Broomsticks since December, but Madam Rosmerta informed her that she had left right before February started. Nothing could have ever broken Astoria's heart more.

Had her mother found out that aunt Cress came back and had done something to get rid of her again? Astoria didn't doubt her mother. She was far more powerful than anyone in the family. Cassandra Greengrass was even more powerful than her father – who was a well-renowned wizard due to his work at the Ministry as Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation, and a man who had a penchant for dark magic. If there was any consolation to her aunt missing yet again, it certainly had something to do with her mother.

Even when she had asked for Luna's help again on the matter of finding her aunt, it would most likely take months now – for she couldn't tell if her aunt had decided to get as far away from Great Britain as possible. All she had left was, much to her great dismay, two vials of her aunt's memories.

She has not had any luck on that either, for pensieves were a rare sort of magical item to come by. As it so happens, most library books have told her that the current Headmaster or Headmistress of Hogwarts would have one of their own. However, Astoria hasn't had the time to ask Professor Dumbledore. He'd either be too busy for visitors, according to Professor McGonagall or he'd be away from Hogwarts at long periods of time.

Of course, she expected this. Albus Dumbledore was a very busy man, and it often made her feel guilty that she would even bother him with something so simple as her being horribly sickly.

And yet, the professor had promised to help her in any way that he can. She held on to that a lot more than she could have possibly hoped for. Now that she had something, a miniscule of a clue from her aunt – she was more than determined to press the matter at hand. Astoria didn't trust telling Professor McGonagall the very reason why she needed to see Professor Dumbledore. It was only the headmaster that she would trust with the little memories her aunt had left her before vanishing.

Astoria stressed on this for days on end, unable to take her mind off of it on top of other things.

That included, much to her dismay, Draco Malfoy.

It had only been about two weeks since the great incident of Theo and Blaise's fight. It terrified Daphne to the core and was rendered mute for days. Astoria couldn't blame her. Had it been Draco and some other guy that Astoria was forcefully engaged to, she'd have been speechless for months.

Normally she didn't try to get herself involved in her sister's "love life", but she thought this time an exception. Blaise was still her friend, despite the mess that's been tangled up at the Gala. It was hard to side with her sister at times when Blaise had his own fair points.