𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐞 || 𝒔𝒊𝒓𝒊𝒖𝒔 𝒃𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒌

chapter 6.

"Obviously, Evans, I underestimated you," Marlene chimed in, a hidden sense of awe in her words. "I expected this of Grey, but certainly not of you."

"You make me sound so boring!" Lily exclaimed, crossing her arms as she feigned offense.

"With the company you keep, you could never be boring," said Mary, nodding at Asteria and Magnolia. The two girls giggled, before shrugging as they agreed with the brunette. "However, I do have one question. Are you sure we won't get caught?"

Asteria shrugged, but took the liberty of answering the demand. "No."

It was a simple answer, but one that made the five others swivel and stare at her with the same baffled expression.

"That's part of the fun," the blonde continued, "But don't worry. Dumbledore will have no evidence that it's us, so it'll be rather difficult for anyone to incriminate us."

Lily exhaled loudly, the logical side of her brain finally catching up with what she had gotten herself into. Though the idea of pranking the school gave her an adrenaline rush, the redhead couldn't help but ponder what would happen if Dumbledore became furious with them. Would they get expelled? She would never be able to live with herself.

Magnolia seemed to notice Lily's subconscious worries, as she comfortingly rubbed her shoulder. "Alright, Lils?"

Lily managed only a nod, rubbing her face before looking back up again. "We'd better not get caught. I'd rather not get expelled, I enjoy spending time with you lot."

The five girls gave her a matching grin, before switching the conversation to something primitive. In truth, the prank wasn't too complex, but it would require lots of attention to timing. But that was also something they had discussed in incredible amounts, so Asteria was certain everything would go off without a hitch.

Or so she thought.

♢

In a strange turn of events, Asteria found herself wandering the halls of Hogwarts alone. There was much time left before the feast, and each of the girls had gone separate ways to take care of business. Lily was off with Severus, claiming that she had not spent as much time with him due to the extent of time she had spent planning the prank. Magnolia had been dragged of somewhere by her brother, who was furious that she'd been spending so much time with Gryffindors; though Asteria had offered to come along, Avery had given her a scathing glare and muttered something about her being a blood traitor because she was a Gryffindor. Before she could curse him out, the Slytherin had disappeared, sister in tow. Mary was back in the dormitory, wanting her alone time, while Marlene and Dorcas had disappeared Merlin knows where. Thus, Asteria was left in solitude, but in truth, she really didn't mind. It was a familiar feeling, giving her a strange sense of comfort.

Back home, Asteria was left on her own for a majority of the time. As much as her siblings cared for her, they had their own lives to attend to. And of course, her parents only saw her when they needed to present a united family to important visitors. Nevertheless, it pained her to hear her sisters' giggling echoing throughout the halls of Grey Manor, and to see her brother flying around with his friends in the gardens. The lonesomeness only grew when all of her siblings departed for Hogwarts, leaving her all alone to wander about the manor. Sometimes, she thought she was destined to be alone. There was always a hole inside her, just begging to be filled. Her entire childhood had been spent in solitude, but Hogwarts provided another chance for her. She had friends, now, people who truly cared about her. So she refused to let her spirits subside, much too energized by the prospect of tonight. Instead, she viewed her isolation as a blessing - finally, there was a chance for her to explore, maybe find some of those hidden passageways she had read about in Hogwarts: A History.