Astra

XVIII - The Reunion

THE NEXT DAY, Astra got up even earlier than usual. Most students would be heading to Hogsmeade that day, but she had other plans. Technically, it would still be in Hogsmeade, but she was going to go to the Shrieking Shack to meet her father. Her convict, on-the-run, mass-murder, innocent father. 

She quickly got dressed in some muggle clothes that Minnie had gotten her the last summer and grabbed, her wand, the Mauraders Map, a coat, and the invisibility cloak that she had stolen from Harry the day before. James, Lily, Marlene, and Regulus were waiting at the bottom of the stairs (Astra had forbid them from coming into the dorm unless it was an emergency due to an incident that caused the room to be flooded), excited for the father-daughter reunion. The common room was busy with students everywhere getting ready for Hogsmeade. She headed to the kitchens with a small skip in her step, making a few Gryffindors confused on why the girl was so happy. She realized this, and quickly changed to her usual, half moody, strut. Once in the kitchens, she ordered some toast and sat down to talk with her friends, now that she was out of the common eye. 

There were a few times when some Hufflepuffs or the Weasley twins had caught her in there, but she was always able to play it off as talking to the house-elves.

"Sooo, are you excited?!" asked Lily. She was practically jumping up and down (even though she couldn't as she was partly floating).

"Yes," she said, but it came out as more of a question.

"Don't worry, you'll be completely fine. I have to go, date with Dorcas, but let me know how it goes!" said Marlene and she left with a pop.

Astra chuckled, shaking her head slightly with her waves bouncing on her shoulders. "Alright, Lily, calm down. Astra, it'll be completely great. If you need us, just call. You can explain everything and it'll be amazing! Maybe bring some food for him, though, because he's not in a good shape right now," Regulus said. Astra nodded, chewing her toast, and grabbed a few buns and put it in a bag.

"Okay, I'm ready."

"Cloak?" James asked.

"Yup."

"Jacket?" Lily asked.

"Yes."

"Food?" Regulus asked.

"Got it." 

"Then you're ready!" Lily exclaimed, clapping. She nodded one last time and took a deep breath. 

***

Draping the cloak over her shoulders, she left the kitchens with a quick good-bye to Honey and left towards the Whomping Willow. Making sure that no one was looking, she took a stick and poked the knot in the tree just like James had explained. The tree went still, and taking one last look around, she crawled into the hole. She took off the cloak, putting it in her pocket, and creeped down the passage after lighting her wand with a quick 'lumos'. It was the first time she had gone in it, due to never really needing to (the one-eyed witch passage was so much easier), but it was definitely more creepy and dark than the other. 

Finally, she had made it to the end, but no sooner than she had made it in, a voice croaked "Expelliarmus!" and her wand flew out of her hand. Even though she had just been disarmed, her face formed a smile. He really was here, and she was about to meet him. From where the voice had come from, a figure now stood. A ragged man with filthy hair and old clothes stood there. It was nothing like she expected, but it was him. He had the same silver gray eyes and facial structure.

As Sirius Black saw the girl standing in front of him with a smile on her face, one couldn't help but have formed on his. She looked almost like his cousin Bellatrix did when she was young, but her hair was wavy instead of in thick curls, and her smile was soft like Melody's.