With a sharp intake of breath, Aster rolls over onto her side, the fake sunlight hitting her eyes. Her hands curl against the soft, silk, pastel yellow sheets as her eyes flutter open. A soft smile instantly appears on her face but she keeps her eyes trained on the painted window. A few seventh years back in her first year had the brilliant idea of creating fake sunlight in the dorms. They painted windows onto one of the walls and enchanted the "scenery" to mimic what it was like outside. It's the closest they'll ever get to actually seeing sun down in the basement. Though it could always be worse. They could've been sorted into Slytherin and have to sleep with the giant squid. Aster loves the windows. She's always loved waking up to the warmth of the sun on either her back or her face. It reminds her of home.
Home!
Aster springs up, quickly tosses the sheets off her, and rounds the bed, collapsing against the chest she keeps her clothes in. A pastel blue basket with shiny (not to mention sparkly) blue ribbon sits atop the chest. Almost as if it were a trophy. There's a smaller one--lavender in color--that sits slightly behind it.
Aster's smile grows as she nudges the basket from her father out of the way, dragging the one from Remus to the forefront. She sorts through the assorted chocolates he bought her. Most are either dark chocolate or milk chocolate with orange creme (both being her favorite kinds). She digs out a pair of earrings from the far back of the basket. She giggles softly to herself, trying not to wake the rest of her dormmates, as she takes out the Easter egg earrings she's currently wearing and replaces them with the bunnies from Remus. There's a locket in her basket too. It's a simple silver heart with their initials carved into it on the front. Aster gently pops it open to reveal a moving photograph of her and Remus. He's got his arms wrapped around her tightly--one draping over her shoulder, the other wrapped around her waist, both meeting in the middle. She's pressed close to his chest. Both are smiling brightly. The picture moves from them smiling for the camera (she believes Lily's the one taking the picture) to then afterwards where Remus swoops in for a kiss. Aster brushes her thumb along the picture before closing the locket and tying it around her neck. She presses a kiss against the cool metal before letting it rest against her chest. Aster rummages through the paper grass in the basket just to make sure she's not missing anything.
Turns out she is.
She pulls out a small bag with a note attached. Knowing Remus would've wanted her to read the note first and then open the bag, she does the exact opposite. She lets the contents of the bag fall out onto her lap before unfolding the parchment. Two rings. Her brow furrows as she looks to the note.
A token of our love, it reads.
She snorts and holds one of the rings up, inspecting it carefully. It's a plain, silver band--similar to the locket--with a heart carved in the center. She brings the second one up to eye level. This is fancier than the first ring (which isn't to discredit the first ring--both are equally gorgeous). It's a thinner silver band with a diamond in the shape of a heart in the center. Raising an eyebrow, Aster sticks the two rings together. They fit perfectly.
"A token of our love," she repeats softly before frowning. "Are these both mine?" She looks up at the note. There's nothing else on there. She flips it over to check the backside but there's nothing on that side. She bites her lip before slipping both rings back into the bag then resting the bag against her chest. She'll have to remember to put the bag in her pocket when she gets dressed.
Aster discards all the boxes her jewelry came back into the basket before sifting through the one from her father. That basket has the most chocolate of all varieties. It's never bothered her that he doesn't specifically give her her favorite chocolates. In fact, she's rather relieved. If he loaded her basket with dark chocolate or chocolates with orange creme, she'd be the size of Hogwarts by now. Or she'd simply no longer appreciate those two flavors. She yanks the chocolate bunny out of the basket before sifting through the grass, making sure she doesn't miss anything like she almost did in Remus' basket. There's a pastel blue beanie at the bottom that she quickly dusts off and tugs on, not caring that she's yet to brush her hair, along with a new set of paints and a new scrapbook. She brushes the cover of the book before flipping through the pages. They're empty now but she's got a lot of pictures that didn't fit in her last scrapbook (a lot are just pictures of her and Remus--not that she's complaining). With a bright smile, she sets the paints and scrapbook aside the now completely empty basket before getting up.
She grabs her famous light blue Easter tee (which clearly reads 'cutest bunny' because it's true (a gift from Remus back in their first year)) and a pair of jeans before sneaking into the bathroom. After she's done in there (her hair now freshly brushed so the beanie sits perfectly), she tugs on a pair of brown combat boots before slipping the bag of rings into her pocket and sticking her wand in her shoe. She unties the ribbon from her basket and quickly ties it around her pinkie before grabbing her chocolate bunny and heading out of her dorm, leaving her dormmates to continue sleeping. Once she's left the room, she pauses for a moment before turning back around and grabbing her basket. She'll need that for the eggs.
Aster checks the hall before opening up a portal leading to the Gryffindor girls' dormitory. She jumps in then jumps back out, letting the portal close behind her. With a cheery smile, she knocks on the door belonging to Lily, Alice, Marlene, and Dorcas Meadowes. It takes a second before Lily opens the door, donning her pajamas with a deep red beanie similar to the one Aster's got on. They both point at the beanies and giggle before Lily lets her in. Aster slips into the room and looks around at the discarded paper grass covering the floor. She continues to laugh as she notices Marlene with her lime green basket on her head. Dorcas is politely sitting on her bed eating some chocolate. Alice is adjusting the brown beanie on her head; when she gets it just the way she wants to, she waves at Aster with a bright smile. Aster waves back.
"I see we've all got matching beanies," Aster points out, gesturing between herself, Lily, Alice, and Marlene (who's burnt orange beanie is laying on the floor a few inches from where she's sitting). They nod. "Must be a sign or something," she jokes. "Think we should wear them on my birthday?"
"Oh I've got the perfect outfit to match my beanie with!" Alice cheers, jumping to her feet with excitement.
Aster and Lily laugh as Alice races to her trunk and starts digging things out. Aster shakes her head lightly before taking a large chunk out of her chocolate bunny's ears. Lily's eyes widen slightly as she looks her over. Aster laughs. She'll never get over how worried everyone looks when she eats the chocolate bunnies her father gives her each year. They're hilarious!
"Well now I'm bummed I didn't get a beanie," Dorcas pipes up, rolling the used tinfoil wrappers into a ball. "They look super cute."
"Maybe I can steal one after break and bring it back." Dorcas smiles which causes Aster's to grow. "I'm sure my father just wanted us to all match on my birthday." She nods before going back to the book she's reading while eating chocolate, seemingly not upset at all. She understands. Her and Aster aren't as close as Aster is with the rest of her dormmates. No need for Dorcas to get jealous.
Alice digs out a pair of brown overalls--similar to the ones Lily had on yesterday--and a light green top before sprinting to the bathroom. Marlene glances up before rolling her eyes. Lily drifts back to her trunk before sorting through what outfit she should wear for the day. Aster's smile dips down a little now that everyone's excitement has seemed to die down. She rocks on her feet before glancing to the door.
"Save your ribbons," she orders, loud enough for Alice to hear through the bathroom door. Lily glances up with a raised eyebrow. So does Marlene, the basket falling and covering her eyes. Aster suppresses a laugh as she rolls her eyes. "We've got eggs to find." Alice gasps from inside the bathroom.
"An egg hunt?!" Marlene exclaims.
"But I thought your dad didn't like hiding eggs here with you in the school?" Lily asks.
Dorcas looks up from her book and nods. "Yeah. Thought he said it was unfair?"
Aster shrugs. "Finally persuaded him into letting us have an egg hunt of our own. The ribbons tell you what your eggs look like. At least they should." She holds her finger up. "Guess mine should be a sparkly blue." Marlene yanks the basket off her head and unties the sparkly lime green ribbon, her eyes wide with excitement. Lily glances to her basket and notices the sparkly light pink ribbon tied around the handle. Aster looks over at Alice's who has a lovely sparkly lilac ribbon tied around her basket. "You might want to bring the baskets too. I'll go fetch the boys. Meet me in the common room when you're ready." Aster bounces over to the door, stopping before crossing the threshold. "Oh, and girls?" They all look to her. "Happy Easter," she says with a wink. The three in the room chorus it back to her as Aster leaves the room.
She skips down the stairs before making her way to the boys' side of the dorms. Aster quickly climbs the stairs to the seventh year dorms before knocking. Loudly. She doesn't need a repeat of what happened the other night. She patiently waits for someone to open the door, swinging her basket in front of her subconsciously. After a few seconds, Peter opens the door, already wearing bunny ears and a Gryffindor tee (but, for whatever reason, decided it wasn't worth throwing pants on in order to answer the door; thank Merlin Peter sleeps in his boxers). Aster smiles at him before slipping into the room. Remus quickly makes his way over to her and brings her in for a kiss. She laughs against his lips before kissing him back.
"Happy Easter," he whispers against her lips. She smiles brightly.
"Happy Easter," she whispers back. They stare into each others' eyes for a second, dreamy smiles on their faces. "Hey, quick question." Remus nods. "Are both rings mine?" He chuckles softly and holds up his hand. He's wearing a thick silver band with a heart carved out in the center. She studies the ring on his finger with a small frown. "Then was that your way of proposing to me? Because if that was, then--" He cuts her off with a kiss, feeling slightly guilty about not letting her finish. She raises an eyebrow.
"No. That was not my way of proposing," he corrects. "I had already bought the rings when you mentioned them the other day. My plan was to give them to you on your birthday but I didn't want you to buy some behind my back." She smiles warmly, her cheeks turning a light pink. "But, uh, well, they kinda were intended to be wedding rings. To some extent." He sighs softly and hangs his head. "My intent was to give you the thicker bands as a promise ring. The thinner ring would be your engagement ring. Then we'd go back to the thicker bands as wedding rings--hence why both of your rings can fit inside each other. Figured it would be easier."
"So why did you give me my supposed engagement ring today?"
He shrugs. "After our conversation the other day, I didn't know which one you felt more comfortable with wearing now." She bites her lip. He nudges her nose lightly. "Surprise," he whispers. Her cheeks turn a bright pink. "Not to persuade you in either direction with the rings," he begins, earning her undivided attention, "but I'm fine either way."
"Remus," she coos.
He shrugs. "There's no one else I'd rather spend the rest of my life with, Lucky Bunny."
Aster smiles though her heart shatters in her chest, each tiny shard stabbing her lungs and causing her to stop breathing. She fights back the tears forming in her eyes. For a split second, she almost hands back the rings and leaves. Perhaps if she were a decent human being, she'd walk out of Remus' life for good. Break up with him. Let him off the hook now so he has time to heal. Because as long as she's in the picture, there is no "rest of my life". There will always be this impending date looming over them; the next time she transforms after the death of her father (which would most likely be on a full moon just to add salt to the wound on Remus' end). Knowing all that, how can she continue leading Remus on like this? Like they have a future? Sure, they could get married shortly after they graduate, buy their own house, have children of their own, but at what point does it become too much? At what point does Aster become the villain in her own story because she was selfish and just wanted a small chance at normalcy? How has every Easter Bunny managed to live like this? Knowing that, for the most part, they'd always be alone.
Looking into Remus' eyes, Aster can see a future she'll never get to have. She sees herself in a bright white dress, Remus in a contrasting dark suit. They're standing at the altar confessing their undying love for each other. Lily is to her right. James to Remus' left. Alice ends up catching the bouquet and immediately glances to Frank who smiles brightly, sending Remus, James, and Sirius a knowing glance. Aster sees herself, wrapped in Remus' arms, possibly a year or two later, visibly pregnant. They're standing in what looks like a nursery painted with her favorite pastel colors. It screams spring. Like it was carved out of Easter Island. They look happy together. She sees, mere months later, the baby laying in a bassinet beside their bed. Remus gently rocks them to sleep as Aster sits curled into his side, singing a lullaby to help speed up the process. They're tired but over the moon at being new parents.
But she'll never get to see her child grow up. She won't be able to send them off on the Hogwarts express. She won't be able to hear all about their sorting, about their friends, about their life. Who knows if she'd be able to see them get married--if her father now would be able to see her get married to Remus. There are so many life experiences that Aster will never see flash before her eyes.
With a heavy heart, Aster glances to her empty finger and sniffles before fishing out the rings from her back pocket. She pulls the thicker band--the one mirroring Remus'--out before slipping it onto her finger. She manages a weak smile as she looks back up at him. Remus tilts his head slightly, not seeing everything she's seeing. But he knows her mood's shifted. He can read her well enough.
"There," she states, her voice on the verge of breaking. She forces her smile to grow. "Promise ring." She nods a little. He gives her a kiss. "You can properly propose at a later date. And I am expecting a proper proposal, I hope you know that," she jokes, seemingly back to herself. He chuckles softly before leaning in and giving her another kiss. She wraps her arms around him, holding onto him tightly, afraid to let go. He holds onto her too. Once he's figured out what's bothering her, he tightens his grip and buries his head in the crook of her neck, breathing her in. "I love you," she breaths.
"I love you too."
"Hey, Bugs?" James asks softly, peeking his head around one of the posts on his bed. Aster and Remus pull away. She looks over in James' direction before wiping her eyes. His shoulders fall when he takes in her appearance. "You okay, Aster?" She nods, licking her lips.
She takes in a deep breath before saying, "Yeah, I'm good. Just. . ." She shrugs a little. "You know what today means to me." He nods. She shrugs again. "Just got a little caught up in what's to come. Forgot that I'm living in today's time." James manages a soft smile as he sets his basket down. Aster shakes her head, takes in another deep breath, then claps her hands together, forcing a bright smile onto her face. "Happy Easter, you lot!" she cheers. Remus places a comforting hand on her shoulder. Her smile turns a bit more sincere. "Hope you got enough chocolate that you'll be puking by tonight." Sirius and James laugh while Peter glances to the small remaining portion of his chocolate bunny he's got left, chocolate smeared all over his mouth. "But we've got more pressing issues at hand." They raise an eyebrow. Aster's smile turns more into a smirk. "We've got eggs to find."
"Eggs?" Peter asks, head whipping up. His stomach starts to churn at the thought of eating chocolate and eggs for breakfast.
"As in an egg hunt?" Sirius and James question, eyes equally as wide and filled with excitement.
"Thought your father banned those while you were here?" Remus reminds, always being the logically one out of the five. Aster's eyes twinkle with barely contained excitement.
"I finally managed to persuade him into letting the. . ." She frowns slightly as she quickly does a head count using her fingers. "Eight!" she cheers once she's figured it out. Remus chuckles before pressing a kiss to her cheek. She smiles brightly. "Into letting the eight of us have our own egg hunt. Guess he thought if I was on a team by myself it isn't unfair." She shrugs. "I'll never understand the man." The boys laugh. Aster claps her hands together again. "Ribbons tell you your colors. Try to find only those eggs. Don't sabotage the girls." She glares at Sirius who only laughs and shakes his head. "Meet me in the common room when you're ready." They all scramble for their trunks. "Don't forget the baskets themselves!" she exclaims as she heads towards the door. "You'll need something to store the eggs in." With that, she leaves the boys alone to change into proper clothing for the day.
~~~
The girls are already waiting for her when she reaches the common room. She smiles at them and waves, offering Alice a "Happy Easter" since she couldn't hear her while she was in the bathroom. Alice says it back with a cheery smile. Aster rounds the couch before joining Marlene on it, sitting on two separate sides. She grabs the throw pillow that was in the spot and holds it against her chest as she sits down. Lily and Alice rest comfortably in the two love-seats.
"So," Lily draws off, watching Aster carefully out of the corner of her eye. "What did you get from Remus?" Aster raises an eyebrow, a knowing smile creeping up her face.
"Whatever do you mean?" she asks, dramatically fanning her hand in front of her face. Alice and Lily gasp when they notice the promise ring. Aster giggles. Marlene just smiles at how happy she looks. "Now before you two jump to conclusions," Aster adds quickly, "it's just a promise ring. We're too young to get married."
"Nonsense! There's a war going on, Aster! Better now then never," Lily argues.
Aster shakes her head. "It's. . . More complicated than that, Lils. You just have to trust me on this." Lily huffs and crosses her arms, slouching down in the seat. Aster giggles softly before a sly smile takes over her face. "But if that's how you feel about marriage. . ." Lily's eyes immediately grow wide, now realizing what she's said. Aster raises an eyebrow. "Should I tell James to ready the ring?"
"No! That's not what I meant!" Alice and Marlene look to each other before laughing. Aster's eyebrow raises higher. "I just meant--For you and Remus--You've been together longer--You're just so in love--" Lily tries a few more sentence starters before eventually giving up and collapsing even further against the love-seat, a hand covering her face. "Wait." She springs up. "What do you mean 'ready the ring'?" Aster smirks, glances away, and shrugs. "Does that daft baboon already have a ring picked out?" Aster shrugs again.
"I'm not saying he does," she stresses. "But I'm also not saying that he didn't buy one back in fifth year when you two finally became friends. And I'm definitely not saying that he's already asked for your hand. That would be bonkers." Lily's eyes nearly bulge out of their sockets. Marlene and Alice almost slip from their seats as they laugh their asses off. Aster just shrugs. "But you didn't hear that from me."
"She didn't hear what from you?" James asks as the boys walk into the room. Remus quickly rounds the couch and sits down beside her. Aster smiles brightly and kisses his cheek before turning her attention back on James.
"That you still sleep with a stuffed niffler you've had since you were six."
James gasps, his eyes growing to the size of Lily's. He goes to tell her off when he quickly remembers he never told her that. The only one who knew about the stuffed niffler because they'd opened his curtains while he was asleep and the niffler was tucked under his arm was. . . "You told me you were good at keeping secrets!" James bellows, rounding on Peter. Peter quickly shrinks in on himself.
"I am!" he defends. James gestures to Aster, his nostrils flaring. "I didn't tell her!"
"You share a dorm with her boyfriend, mate," Sirius pipes up. James lessens his glare on Peter for a moment before looking at Sirius. "The very same boyfriend who's quite terrible at keeping a secret when he's got a pint or two in him." Remus' cheeks turn a bright pink as he hides behind Aster. The girls giggle.
"But I've only told Peter about Daisy."
Sirius takes a step forward, grabbing James' shoulder tightly. "The curtains might be able to block us from seeing you, mate, but they don't block us from hearing you." James' turns ghastly pale. "Not only do you talk to the animal before you go to sleep but you also talk to it in your sleep." James' jaw drops. "Sooo." He shrugs. "We've all got our flaws," he offers, patting James on the back. "Like Remus is a terrible drunk." Remus' whole face turns bright red. Aster kisses him softly. "And Peter is a messy eater." Peter quickly wipes his mouth clean of the chocolate residue.
"And what's your flaw, Black?" Lily asks as she stands from the love-seat, making her way over to James.
"I don't have flaws, Evans. I'm perfect."
Marlene and Alice lock eyes before saying in unison, "An over inflated ego." Everyone except Sirius starts laughing. He rolls his eyes and adjusts the collar on his leather jacket.
"You're just jealous that I'm the only perfect one here."
"Right," Aster agrees as her and Remus stand from the couch. "Now--roughly speaking, of course--how long do you think it takes for a family to mate with itself until all offspring are perfect?" Sirius' face falls. Aster smirks. Everyone else laughs. "Got you." His face turns a light red as he struggles to come up with a comeback. She raises an eyebrow. "What? Suddenly mute, are you?" He just glares at her. "Now, correct me if I'm wrong but, I believe the 'perfect' Sirius Black just got bested by a bunny." He narrows his eyes at her. Her smirk grows. "Come on. We're losing precious daylight!" She quickly opens up a portal leading to outside and jumps in, not giving Sirius any time to respond. The rest all shrug before following after her. Sirius is the last to jump in, grumbling something about stupid bunnies under his breath.
~~~
"Your father really outdid himself this year, Aussie," Lily comments, taking in the breathtaking decorations outside. Aster smiles brightly.
"How much of this was because of you?" Remus asks as he squeezes her hand.
She shakes her head, her eyes remaining on the decorations. "Just the egg hunt." She finally glances to Remus. "I just handle eggs," she offers softly. "Everything else makes me feel. . ." She hangs her head. "Like I have no choice in my life," she finishes softly. He pulls her in close before kissing the top of her head. She breathes in his comforting scent for a moment before pulling away. "Okay. You lot have your colors?" she asks the boys, just now remembering that she didn't look at their baskets before leaving the dorm.
James, Sirius, and Peter all hold up their hands where they've tied the ribbon around like a bracelet. She spots the colors red, gold, and black in order--all sparkly like hers and the girls. She glances back at Remus who holds his pinkie up, a sparkly silver bow attached. Her heart swells at the thought of Remus noticing her ribbon tied around her pinkie which led to him deciding on tying his around his pinkie. They share a look before quickly exchanging a kiss.
"Alright. Whoever finds all their eggs first gets an all you can eat chocolate buffet on my birthday. Which we'll be notified of who won by that color fireworks going off when the last egg is found." Peter's eyes light up. So do Marlene's. "Best of luck to you all." She glances to Remus who nods, giving her all his trust. "On your marks. Get set. Go!"
They all scatter in different directions in search of the brightly colored eggs. Aster immediately sets off for the brink of the Great Lake. James and Sirius head off for the Whomping Willow. Peter, Lily, and Remus stick by Hogwarts. Marlene heads down towards the greenhouses. Alice heads over to Hagrid's hut.
Remus is surprisingly the first to find an egg. However, it isn't his he finds first. He narrows his eyes at the sparkling red egg. For a moment, he almost leaves it alone. But then he quickly reconsiders when he remembers what color belongs to who. He slips the egg in his back pocket with a sly smirk before taking off to find his silver ones. Which, no matter how James will argue later, he isn't breaking the rules. After all, Aster specifically said not to sabotage the girls. He laughs to himself as he passes Lily. She takes a second to stare after him, her brow knit in confusion.
Aster, to no one's surprise, is the first to find one of their own eggs. One of her blue ones was resting in a patch of grass a few inches away from the lake with two other eggs. One silver. One gold. She smirks as she grabs the blue and silver, stashing both in her basket. She'll hand the silver one off to Remus whenever they run into each other. Aster goes to creep away from the lake when she pauses, images of Sirius battling the Giant Squid replaying in her mind. She turns and flicks the gold egg into the lake before running off. He'll have a blast finding that one. If memory serves her correct, he forgot to bring his wand out with him. She cackles as she runs off to Hagrid's hut.
It takes Lily and Peter a while to find theirs. All the eggs they found by the castle were for the other Marauders; the ones who wouldn't even think to look by the castle first. Lily eventually departs from Hogwarts, following after Marlene to go search the greenhouses. Peter continues to search the castle for a few more moments before giving up.
Sirius doesn't find any of his by the Whomping Willow. He does, however, find a lot for Remus. Which shouldn't surprise him but at the same time, feels rather taunting. He'll have to talk to Aster about the placement of Remus' eggs later. She probably wouldn't like the idea of them being by the Whomping Willow either.
James finds two of his eggs by the Whomping Willow. His original plan was to sabotage his fellow Marauders as much as possible. But sabotaging Remus when most of his eggs are here just doesn't sit well with him. So instead, he takes off in search of more.
There are a lot of different colored eggs around Hagrid's hut. In with the pumpkins. On the roof. All over the place. Alice giggles to herself as she plucks her lilac colored eggs out of the mix, stashing them in her basket. She waves at Hagrid when he steps out of his hut and wishes him a happy Easter. He does the same to her before scoping out the eggs.
"Lots o' pink and silver," he concludes. "Wonder whose they are." He chuckles to himself before heading back inside.
Marlene's eyes widen when she finds how many eggs were stashed inside the greenhouses. She can't believe those fools didn't think about coming here first. Laughing to herself, she shoves four of her twelve eggs into her basket. She glances over the remaining eggs. There's about four of each color in here. She shakes her head as she ducks out, nearly bumping into Lily.
"Damned fools are gonna be missing most of their eggs," Marlene remarks. Lily raises an eyebrow. "Most of them are in here!" They share a laugh before Marlene continues running.
Aster and Remus coincidentally meet up at their tree. They share a smile before searching for their eggs together. Aster slips two (she'd found a second one on her way here) silver eggs into Remus' basket. He quickly notices this, smiles brightly, and then tips in the four blue one's he's found. She laughs and shakes her head. That puts them both at halfway there.
"Maybe I shouldn't be helping you as much," she remarks, eyeing his basket carefully. "We're tied."
Remus laughs, his hands brushing against leaves as he searches for more eggs. "Only because you found most of mine for me." She shrugs.
"Case in point." He scoffs and shakes his head. "How many of the boys' have you run across?" He smirks and tosses his head around. She giggles as she plucks a blue egg and sets it in her basket. "How many have you hid away?" He brings a finger to his lips and glances around. She starts laughing. "I tossed one of Sirius' into the Great Lake," she whispers. His eyes widen.
"That definitely beats me sticking one of James' in my back pocket." They share a laugh and a kiss before departing again, still tied.
At the end of an hour and a half search, Marlene and Peter ended up tying in first. Aster and Remus tied for second. Lily in third. Alice in fourth. James and Sirius tied in dead last. Remus chuckles as he hands one of James' eggs over to him. Eyes wide, mouth hanging open, James tosses the last egg into his basket. The red fireworks instantly go off now that his collection is complete. Sirius frowns and crosses his arms.
"Alright. Now where's mine?" he demands. Aster giggles, a sinister smirk on her face. His eyes land on her. "Oh no. I don't like that look." She giggles louder. "What did you do with my egg?" She shrugs. He narrows his eyes. "Elizabeth," he warns.
"Ooh," she coos, "feisty now, aren't we?" He balls his fists at his sides. "If you must know what I did with your last egg, then why don't you ask your old friend. Hmm?" He raises an eyebrow. "The Giant Squid?"
"You didn't."
"I did." Sirius' face pales. "Good luck finding the egg," she tells him as everyone does their best at containing their laughter until Sirius is out of earshot. "We'll wait for you at breakfast. With our wands." He groans as he trudges over in the direction of the lake. "Have fun swimmin'!"
Featuring!
(@)sirussly as MARLENE MCKINNON (who's replaced Frank in the cast list)
Antonia Thomas as DORCAS MEADOWES