Astra

III - The Hogwarts Express

ASTRA MADE HER WAY through a secret passageway in a painting to the Great Hall. Instead of the 5 long tables that were there the day before, there was one circular table in the center of the room. There was McGonagall, a short man that Astra guessed was Flitwick from what Lily told her, an old man with a long beard, who she recognized as Dumbledore, a plumpy old lady dressed in yellow, a tall stern witch with a black outfit, a man with greasy hair and a hooked nose, and a middle-aged brown-haired woman. 

She walked in quietly, feeling a bit out of place with the conversation that the teachers were having. However, McGonagall quickly noticed Astra and called her to the table, pulling out the seat next to her. Regulus had left, saying that he needed to check on someone and that Astra would be in good company with the teachers.

"Aah, Astra. Good that you made it here alright. How are you finding your way about the castle?"

"Alright, thank you."

"Good, well. This, as you know is Astra Black. Astra, these are some of your professors. Headmaster Dumbledore, Professor Flitwick, he teaches charms and is head of Ravenclaw; Professor Sprout, who teaches Herbology and is head of Hufflepuff; Professor Sinistra, teaching Astronomy; Professor Snape, head of Slytherin and teaches potions; and Professor Burbage, she teaches Muggle Studies, but you won't be learning that until your third year." Professor McGonagall pointed out all of the teachers and all of them gave a small smile, wave, or nod to acknowledge Astra's presence.

They started talking about their classes, though Astra could tell that they had switched the topic since she had come. She didn't hear a lot, but something about a 'stone' and 'third-floor'. They included her a few times, asking about what she was excited to learn about in classes, but she mostly stayed quiet, enjoying the teachers' discussion. Even though most would think it awkward, Astra was excited for the next dinner with the professors, as they were quite nice to talk to, and she actually learned quite a bit about the happenings at Hogwarts. 

The teachers had finished eating, and Astra decided to spend the evening searching around Hogwarts for a bit. She decided to call James to show her around, seeing as he had the most knowledge of the hidden hallways of the castle. Eventually, at around 11 at night, she made her way back to the Heads room, running into Peeves on the way (but she learned from James that the way to get rid of him was promising that you were causing mischief) and called Honey for a small mug of hot chocolate. She decided that she would visit the kitchens the next day, as well as look into all of the house common rooms, with advice from Regulus and James.

***

The week went by rather quickly, and Astra had the best time in her life. She was starting to let down her walls around most of the teachers, except for Professor Snape. She was definitely the closest with Professor McGonagall, often coming to her office for tea, and had started calling her Minnie, which when she did, she saw a nostalgic smile that she knew was because the Marauders had used to call her that. Astra also became close with the House-elves, who loved to talk with her. 

She had quite a few friends now, but was a bit worried. Talking to Regulus, Lily, and James was easy because they were her family, and were fascinating to talk to. The professors were older, and the house-elves, well they weren't exactly human. Astra was worried about how she would be able to talk to a student that was her age. Though, she still liked being alone. Even with her new friends, she spent hours in the library (getting on the good side of Madam Pince) and reading was still her favorite pastime. She just knew that Minnie and her godparents and uncle were expecting her to make new friends, and didn't know if she would be able to.