Sweets: The Tale of Astoria Greengrass

Visions But Only Illusions

She was a prefect. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined- She was a prefect! She'd expected Alice to get it. But it was her.

Celia-Laura Selwyn glared at Astoria. She'd been named a prefect when the Carrows were in charge. Now she was back at the bottom. It was a fall that Astoria could sympathize with. She knew what it was like to fall from grace- most of the purebloods did. But she knew that Celia-Laura was cruel, especially to Alice. Perhaps they were better off without her leadership.

But me? Me, of all the people she could've chosen? Astoria wondered. She didn't listen as the other prefects were re-chosen, all she could focus on was her shock at the matter. At least I'll have some good news for Daffy.

She stood at the end of the feast, and called out, "First years, follow me! First years!"

The five students followed her as they descended into the dungeons. The seventh-year prefect, Ariadne Lightwood, marched up to the blank wall.

"Walpurgis," Ariadne said, sounding bitter. The wall opened to the elegant common room- with two Aurors standing inside. Astoria recognized similar traits to her mother's in the male Auror, with the matching blond hair and brown eyes, and the same angular face shape and lithe as her Uncle Henry's and Uncle Charles's. The female was clearly a Fawley- the aquamarine eyes and puffy-cheeked face tipped her off to that.

"Sit down," ordered the male Auror. Astoria, with the rest of her peers, sat, and managed a spot on the arm of a chair in which Alice said, Luca perched on the other arm.

"I'm James Selwyn," the male Auror began, "and this is my partner, Theodora Fawley. We were Slytherins, like you once. We have been assigned to watch over the Slytherin common rooms and dormitories, with the help of the Prefects."

"As you know," Fawley began, with a somewhat nervous glance at her partner, "Slytherin House is in its darkest hour right now. Look around you. What legacy was left here by those before you?"

There was nervous whispering that filled the room.

"Bigotry and elitism," Selwyn answered. "That's the legacy this house carries."

Silence.

"I don't think you'd like the association either," Fawley said. "Or at least, you shouldn't. If you wanted the Death Eaters to win- which I suppose most of you did- take a long look in the mirror."

"That being said, welcome to Slytherin, first-years," Selwyn said with a clap of his hands. "Now, get to bed. Tomorrow, classes begin."

The third-years and under scurried down the steps to their respective dormitories, while the older students hung around for a moment.

"We mean what we say," Selwyn warned. "Get to bed."

Astoria got up, but not to go to the dormitory. She approached Selwyn. Her heart pounded in her chest. She only remembered seeing this man once in her life before, and even that memory was fuzzy- and there was a possibility it couldn't have been him.

"What is it you want, Prefect Greengrass?" Selwyn asked as she approached.

"Nothing, never mind," Astoria said, biting her lip.

"Get to bed then," Selwyn said coldly. Astoria thought that maybe she caught a gleam of recognition in the brown eyes that matched hers and her mother's.

"Yes, sir," Astoria said meekly. She looked to the ground as she scurried away, clutching handfuls of her robes in her fists. She entered the sixth-year dormitory, and went to the bed her trunk lay in front of. She opened it and pulled out her favorite nightgown, with frills on the ends of the shoulder straps and hem with a pink bow over the middle of the collar and a babydoll cut. She felt more at home with it on- a luxury in times such as these.