Malfoy's Daughter

Chapter fifteen; Unmistakable?

The biggest Quidditch match of the year and Asteria was currently sporting a busted lip, and a black eye, with Madam Pomphrey bustling over her injuries. She probably shouldn't have jumped into a middle of a fight between Potter, George, Draco, Goyle, and Crabbe that had broken out moments after Potter had won the match. She knew Draco had to keep up appearances, and she also knew he had pushed the very thin line the two boys had drawn. Her eye had swollen shut, and her shoulder hurt like it had taken Blogger straight to it, even though her injuries were mostly from Crabbe and Goyle, it didn't make her feel any better. She had watched Umbridge drag Potter and George away, while Draco had been carted off to the Hospital wing with her, he still laid unconscious in the bed next to her, his face healed, but still bloody. She let out a sigh, and winced as the healer cast a spell on her eye, the swelling immediately going down, and she could see again.

"Now, Ms. Black, please relax for the night okay?" the healer asked, and Asteria gave her a nod, and the older witch bustled away, leaving Asteria to lean back in her bed, and look up at the ceiling. It was silent like that for a long while, until the door opened just slightly and Potter slipped through. He had showered and changed and looked defeated.

"Potter, what Umbridge say?" She asked as he sat down, and he let out a breath.

"Eternal ban from Quidditch." Was all he responded, and he dropped his head into his hands and sighed.

"Not possible, she won't be here after the year." Her brother's voice broke the silence and Asteria winced at the way Potter looked at him. "Potter, I'm sorry, I went over the line. I was angry that I had lost, again. I didn't actually write that stupid song, but Parkinson did, and she said I should claim it because well it's me and it's you." Draco paused as he sat up, wincing slightly. "But I am sorry, truly."

"I just don't know why you have to be such a prat," Potter grumbled.

"Appearances, Potter. We all have to keep up with our own. At least for now." He replied. "If after a match, we didn't get into a fight, like we do every year, someone would get suspicious."

"He's right, Potter. We are currently in a three-way battle, between us, the Ministry and Voldemort. We don't know who is a spy for who, and we need to keep things as realistic as possible." Asteria added. "This is war, and until we can get Fudge either out of office or see sense, we have to be cautious; because right now, the Ministry and Voldemort's forces are focused on us, here at Hogwarts. Which in turn means its a two on one battle, with us with the most to lose, because this is a school with innocents. So we have to wait it out." Both boys looked at her in curiosity.

"How on earth do you know all that?" Potter asked, and she gave him a gentle smile.

"Alice always referred to me as a battle strategist." She paused, "I don't know if it was the years of dueling training or if my time in America at school, but I'm just good at playing the game of war." She said, leaning back in her seat.

"Game of war?"

"At my old school, it was a game we played, always separated by years. There were two sides, you get picked for one, and you have a mock battle. We used a spell that shot paint at your opponents, each color stood for a different spell." She explained, "America is rich with battle history, they have fought in many wars, and it was just something the school did. After my first year there, I was given the moniker of the strategist, because I never lost." She smiled and shrugged her shoulders.

"That's an interesting game," Potter responded.

"It started years ago, as a way to honor the founders, one of which was a descendant to Salazar Slytherin. She had never gotten the chance to go to Hogwarts and while fleeing her aunt, found the New World. Her aunt eventually found her, and a fight broke out, March 15th. So every year on that day, we play the game of war." Asteria explained, with a shrug and readjusted how she sat in the hospital bed.