♢
As soon as Adonis broke away, Lily bounded to where Asteria stood and jumped on her. The two laughed, embracing each other for the first time in three months. They immediately began chattering, neither hearing what the other was saying, voices overlapping in clear joy as they boarded the Hogwarts Express. To their luck, there was an empty compartment not too far down; the two ran inside and sprawled out on the seats, smiling as they stared at each other. For a moment, all thoughts of her sister slipped Asteria's mind; she was only focused on the redhead in front of her, listening to her talk about Muggle contraptions and her sister's drama. The two had searched for Magnolia before entering their compartment, but, knowing the Slytherin would find them if she could, settled down into conversation as they waited for the rest of their friends to arrive.
And arrive they did. Marlene burst into the compartment with Dorcas, Mary not far behind, and they instantly settled back into conversation. The five of them quickly caught up on their summers, each giving an incredibly detailed breakdown of who, where, and what they had done. Marlene and Dorcas had spent most of the summer together, their parents having been friends for a long time. The pair really were inseparable at this point.
"I couldn't believe it when I saw Mary!" Lily was saying, reviewing the two's encounter in the shopping mall. "I saw a girl that kinda looked like you, but I thought - there's no way it's actually her. And then it was!"
"Who knew that we lived so close to each other," Mary said, smiling, "Barely a 20 minute drive. It wasn't the same without you lot, though."
Asteria laughed along with the rest of them, but the thoughts of her summer kept swirling around in her head. She couldn't very well tell them she found out her entire family worked for the Dark Lord, could she? Even if Selene or Callie didn't support him, they were still on his side.
And Asteria couldn't stop thinking about it.
She tried to focus on the conversation, laughing and joking with her friends, but she didn't say a word about her own summer. But only Lily noticed, the rest of them busy catching up with each other. She said nothing for now, knowing Asteria would talk about her summer at some point.
For a while, it was just the five of them; Marlene and Dorcas's energies bouncing off each other, Mary cracking jokes every now and then while Lily and Asteria laughed. It was a beautiful sound, the sound of laughter; bouncing off the walls, filling the compartment with the sweet melody of sheer joy.
Too bad it had to be ruined when one specific boy came knocking.
"How are my favorite Gryffindor girls?" a boy with glasses slid open the compartment door, sticking his head in with a grin. Lily rolled her eyes, but Asteria immediately jumped up and smiled.
"What do you want?" Lily narrowed her eyes, not forgetting the torment Potter had put Severus through last year.
"The joy of your company, of course," James answered, but there was a weird look in his eye. Asteria chalked it up to the lighting in the train.
"Denied," Lily said, unwavering. "Go away, I haven't seen any of my girls for three months."
James said nothing, simply staring at her with a soft smile, before his eyes zeroed in on Asteria. "Fine, then I'm stealing Asteria."
"Absolutely not!" The four girls protested, while Asteria simply laughed. Lily grabbed her hand, but James waltzed in, took Asteria by the shoulders and led her out.
"Hey-!" the blonde exclaimed, wriggling in James's grasp, "This is manhandling-"
"Potter, let her go," Lily exclaimed, but the boy had already dragged Asteria out of the compartment.
"I'll see you soon," Asteria said, dejected, disappearing with the boy.
"How did I end up hating him more than her," Lily rolled her eyes, pouting. "To think, last year she would've hexed Potter on the spot."
Mary laughed, "They probably need her help with a prank."
"I can't believe he just stole her from us like that!" Marlene said, pouting along with Lily. "The audacity!"
The sounds of the girls' complaining trailed behind Asteria as she was led through the train to a compartment. Upon seeing Remus, her mood immediately brightened - and then she saw Sirius, who looked nothing like he had last year. His hair was still just as long and curly, and he was dressed the same - but the mischievous glimmer in his eye was gone, and the bags under his eyes seemed a bit darker. Her previous assumptions about the Black family were all but confirmed, and she frowned.
Beside Sirius sat a shorter boy, who she vaguely recognized as his brother from the gala last year. Regulus Black.
The boy looked completely out of place, already in his robes, shimmying uncomfortably. He sat as close to the window as he could, trying to leave as much space between him and Sirius as possible. The tension between them could be cut with a knife. Regulus's expression was completely blank, gaze looking over Asteria as she entered before ultimately curling his lips in a quick expression of disgust.
Remus stood up to embrace the girl, before telling Peter to scooch over and patting the seat next to him as James sat beside Sirius.
"How was your summer?" James asked once everyone had gotten settled, looking at Asteria with a smile. She cast Sirius a quick look, only to find out he was already looking at her. Her cheeks reddened.
"It was... uneventful," was all she said, before looking down at her fingers. "Practiced Quidditch with my brother, though. Reckon I could make the team if I tried out."
"Amazing!" James exclaimed, clapping a bit. From the corner of her eye, she could see Regulus roll his eyes and look out the window. It made her want to smack him. "James Potter and Ria Grey: star players of the Gryffindor Quidditch team!"
Asteria couldn't help but smile at the nickname; it had been far too long since she had heard it, since only James, Remus, and Peter called her that. Sirius was still adamant about Ass, but after she'd cast a hex the last time he'd called her that, Asteria was sure he would stop.
Regulus scoffed at the mention of the word Gryffindor, and Sirius cast him a glare. Their actions towards each other were wordless, but Asteria was sure that their relationship was far worse than it had been at the gala. Remembering her previous mission to talk to Sirius about his summer, Asteria cleared her throat and looked pointedly at the boy.
"Sirius," everyone turned to look at her quizzically, confused as to why she was singling out the boy. "Can we, erm, talk? Outside?"
The look of surprise still prevalent on his face, Sirius followed the blonde out of the compartment, ignoring James's snorts. He ran his hand through his hair, looking anywhere but her. The eye bags on his face had been a source of self-consciousness for the boy, and he didn't want anyone to notice them (more than they already would).
"How was your summer?" she started quietly, looking through the train for an empty compartment. They couldn't find one, so eventually they popped into a compartment with a sleeping girl babbling about Wrackspurts in it. She had white-blonde hair, and the most peculiar outfit on - a bright blue skirt, paired with a purple shirt with polka dots all over; yellow tights and funny looking shoes. Asteria shrugged and sat down beside her, making sure not to wake her from her sleep, as Sirius sat across from her.
"What do you think?" he answered with a question of his own, his voice cracking as a prepubescent boy's would.
"If it was anything like mine, less than great," she said with a small chuckle, before posing her next question carefully, "my parents were gone for almost the whole summer, though, so that was convenient."
Sirius slowly looked up, eyebrows furrowing. "My parents were gone a lot too..." he said quietly. Sirius had a hunch on where his parents had disappeared to, because he had heard Regulus whining about how he couldn't go with them; whispers of a name had echoed throughout his house all summer, as relatives of the Black family came to visit while Sirius was banished to his room.
"And did they, erm, happen to mention why?" Asteria asked, watching his face carefully. Sirius shook his head, and Asteria's shoulders slumped.
"Why do you ask?"
"No reason," Asteria sighed, but Sirius wouldn't buy it. He raised an eyebrow at her, fixing his hair - but not before Asteria caught sight of a cut on his temple. Her lips parted, but a quick look at the boy made her realize she shouldn't ask about it.
"You know something," Sirius said. "Who is it?"
"Who-?" the blonde was confused for a moment, before her eyes widened in recognition. "So you do know!"
"I don't know his name," Sirius sighed, leaning back. "I was - locked in my room, for the entire summer, but I heard whispers. There's a man, isn't there? He's gathering followers, and my parents... my parents are two of them."
The boy's face was crestfallen as he thought back to the days he had spent hiding from his parents, not wanting them to see him and try to induct them into their meetings. His only saving grace was his age, but Sirius knew it was only a matter of time.
"The Dark Lord," Asteria whispered the name, as if it would cause the man himself to appear.
"He's got... He's got my parents, and both my sisters working with him. Not by choice, mind you, but..."
Asteria looked down, tears brimming in her eyes as she thought about Selene once again. Angrily, the girl wiped her tears away, not wanting to cry in front of anyone - much less Sirius Black. To her surprise, he tenderly reached out a hand and grasped her own awkwardly, before immediately pulling back.
"So that's why you've been off," Sirius said simply, and Asteria tilted her head in question. "You were acting weird in the compartment, not like your usual self."
She'd said two sentences, and he had noticed. Asteria didn't know what to say, so she settled for a shrug.
"I dunno what to make of it," Asteria sighed. "Knowing that my sisters are working for such an evil man. I'm just-"
"You're scared," Sirius surprised her by cutting her off. "I'm scared too. But, no matter what our parents think, we'll do what's right. We're all in this together; Me, you, James, Remus, and Peter-"
"I don't want to drag them into this!" Asteria quickly shook her head. "Sirius, we can't tell them who our parents are - they're bad people. It's already dangerous for us to talk to them!"
"They've been dragged into it already!" Sirius said. "From what I've heard, the Dark Lord or whoever will drag everyone into it, especially if they're not purebloods."
Asteria's lip quivered and she dropped her head into her hands, not wanting him to see her tear up again. He was right, she knew he was. By default, Lily was a target; Asteria's heart began to beat faster as she thought about what her parents would do if they found out their daughter was friends with a Muggle-born. Lily would become even more of a target. And if anyone ever found out about Remus's secret... Asteria didn't want to think about it. "I don't want them to get hurt," the blonde said weakly. "And Lily-"
Sirius let out a soft chuckle. "Lily Evans won't get hurt as long as James is alive," he said, and the girl looked at him in confusion. "Do you know why it was James who went to get you, and not Remus? The kid wouldn't stop talking about her since the moment he ran into us, and he jumped at the opportunity to go see her. Trust me, he'd die before she could ever get even a papercut." Sirius paused. "Don't tell him I said that, though. And don't tell Lily!"
It was only at that that Asteria barked out a laugh. "He totally fancies her," she shook her head, her mood slightly better. At her laugh, Sirius smiled, happy to see her not so down anymore. The two fell into silence for a moment, as the girl beside them twitched in her sleep then laid her head on the windowsill.
"We'll be alright," Sirius said once they affirmed the girl was sleeping. Asteria sighed, then hesitantly nodded. "And you said your summer was uneventful," Sirius laughed, but winced when his shoulder scraped against the wall.
"Are you alright?" Asteria furrowed her eyebrows concerningly, but Sirius just waved her off.
"'M fine," he said. The sleeping girl twitched again, and Sirius stood up. "We better get back to the compartment before James goes hunting for us."
"Sirius..." Asteria was prevented from asking her question at the look Sirius sent her. So, she sighed once more and followed him back to the compartment, where James was engaged in a passionate conversation with Peter about whether scones or crumpets were better, while Remus read and Regulus... Well, Regulus had disappeared.
"Where'd my brother go?" Sirius asked with furrowed brows.
James looked up at him sheepishly. "I think we scared him off, mate. Left the compartment muttering about needing to sit with better people."
"Damnit," Sirius sat down and frowned, though he did look a bit better. The light was starting to return to his eyes, glad that whatever he was going through, he wouldn't have to do it alone.
He had Asteria.
"What's his deal, anyway?" Peter asked, pouting. "We're fine people to be around! Your brother is-"
"Let it go, Pete," Sirius sighed and leaned his head back. And Peter did.
The five settled into conversation once again, this time a lot more cheerful and at ease. James went on an endless rant about how he had badgered his father for days about getting the best possible broomstick. Asteria laughed every now and then, but her gaze remained on Sirius; the boy's eyes were in a faraway place as he chuckled. She worried about him, afraid of the cut on his forehead and the hidden bruises that may be all over his body. He was unable to sit still, constantly shuffling, and after they'd changed into robes Asteria caught another glimpse of a mark around his arm. Sirius immediately covered it, looking around to make sure no one had seen - but Asteria dodged his gaze, looking out through the window. Even when she was in conversation with Remus, she kept casting looks at Sirius - who, despite being in a heated discussion about Quidditch and James, had a not-so-hidden look of desolation in his eyes.
If he wouldn't talk freely, she would make him. Clearly, a lot more had happened over the summer than he let on.
As the Hogwarts Express came to a stop, Asteria ran out to find the girls. She saw Lily's red hair not too far along and sprinted to catch up to them, panting heavily as she came to a stop.
"You're free!" Marlene exclaimed, wrapping her arms around the girl's neck.
Asteria laughed, pulling free and shaking her head. But instead of saying anything in response, she simply frowned and looked around. "Does anyone know where we're supposed to go?"
"Just follow the rest of the students," Lily suggested, and so they did.
A little bit down the path, Asteria's eyes widened as she glimpsed endless carriages. They were dark, pulled by something invisible as their wheels rolled over the cobblestone trail. Lanterns attached to the back of them illuminated the starry night, and Asteria quickly led the group of girls into what looked like an empty carriage. Inside sat a girl, her hood drawn up to hide her face. Asteria shrugged and clambered into the carriage anyways, the girls following behind her - and when the dark-haired girl turned to look at her company, Asteria's face immediately brightened.
"Magnolia," she breathed, leaning forward to envelop the girl in a hug. The Slytherin froze underneath her touch, before she immediately pulled back as if Asteria was poison to the touch.
"We thought it was an empty carriage," it was Lily who answered, frowning as she looked at Magnolia. "Mags, are you alright?"
The girl didn't answer, only bringing her hood up to cover her face even more before looking out the window. The carriage rode in silence for a while, each girl staring at the Slytherin girl in the corner wordlessly.
Eventually, Asteria had enough of it.
"Magnolia whatever-your-middle-name-is Avery, talk to us right this moment!" the blonde demanded, and it was only then that Magnolia looked up, startled. She hadn't expected anyone to refer to her directly, but it was clear her time away from Asteria had caused her to forget what the girl was like.
"I'm not supposed to," Magnolia finally responded quietly.
"Is it your brother?" Lily asked softly. Once again, Magnolia didn't answer and only turned back to look through the window.
The carriage ride remained silent for the rest of the time, though the staring never stopped. Magnolia could feel five pairs of eyes searing a hole into her neck, but she still said nothing. At a loss for words, Asteria simply settled on grabbing Magnolia's hand and squeezing it. Magnolia squeezed back.
And as soon as they landed, Magnolia fleed the carriage and disappeared into the crowd of students walking through the front gates before any of the girls could say anything.
✧･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧
a/n: and we're back!! i know they're only 12 but things are getting darKERRR ...
also thank you so so much for 2K READS??? WHAT THE HECK I LOVE EVERY SINGLE ONE OF U SO MUCH <3
im on winter break now but i'll try to keep updates steady, i have a few chapters written ahead so if i fall back i can still give u guys content