"can't turn back now, i'm haunted"
When the sun had just passed the horizon, Astoria awoke. She couldn't stay asleep anymore, she needed the morning to come. She had been stirring for hours, but her body could rest no more.
As quietly as she could, she snuck into the common room.
"Morning Astoria," she jumped as she heard Draco's voice echo across the quiet room.
Astoria rubbed her eyes, "good morning, Draco." She sat herself beside him, sighing as she sank into the sofa. "Couldn't sleep?" She asked him.
Draco shook his head, "I want this over."
Everything felt as though it had gone on too long. It was all a continuation of problems caused years ago. All caused by one person, a man who should have been stopped when he was just a boy.
"I'm tired." She didn't have to say what she meant, he just knew, they all did. She let herself rest her heavy head on his shoulder.
"I think Slughorn can help us, I really do." Even if he didn't believe it, Draco had to say it, saying it would make it true and right now, they needed help. They were without the map, they had spotted their parents on the map twice and twice, they hadn't been there. "I think this will be over soon," it just had to be. "It's been too long, and I think all we need is someone to help us, someone who can do more than we can. Maybe Slughorn will be that person." Every word he said was for his own benefit, he needed to hear them, so he would be the one to say them. "Astoria?" He called out after she hadn't replied in a few minute, "you awake?" Draco directed his eyes to her face, but her eyes were closed, and she was lost in a slumber.
"Sleep well then," he laughed lightly. For some reason, he found himself continuing to talk, even though he knew she could not listen, "I really think this is it Astoria. I feel how I did before the big battle." He let his hands run through her auburn hair, "I knew we were going to win, even when I wasn't sure what side I was really on, I knew we would win. I feel just like that, the pit in my stomach, I feel sick, but I feel sick almost in a good way. I think this is it." He closed his eyes, for what he thought was only a moment, but when he awoke Theo stood before him.
"You alright mate?" Theo asked him, gesturing to the sleeping girl on his shoulder, his hands caught up in her hair.
"Astoria needed a quick trip to the salon," he smiled at Theo, releasing his hands, "she was tired," he whispered the last part quietly, gently manoeuvring Astoria's head onto the side of the sofa.
"Bet that's not the only place your hands have been," winked Theo, "if you know what I me-"
Draco reached into his pocket, brandishing his wand, "shut up Theo, before I make you."
"Boy's boys boys," Pansy said as she entered the common room, "stop flirting." She wagged her finger at the duo as Blaise walked into the room.
"Flirting?" He frowned, "without me?"
"Blaise baby," Theo took a step closer to him, "never." He planted a kiss on Blaise's cheek.
"Oh."
Draco raised his brows, "is this is a thing?" He scanned the two boys, who stood uncomfortably together.
"It might be for him," Blaise pushed Theo away from him gently, "but it's not for me."
Theo cut him off, "not yet Blaise. You are a challenge, and I will conquer you."
"Merlin!" Astoria stirred awake, "what have I woken up to?"
"Blaise and Theo flirting," began Pansy.
"Naturally."
"And nothing else of interest." She shook her head, "now, we're just missing Daphne, Astoria, go get your sister."
Astoria rubbed her eyes, "you were literally just up there!" She protested, shaking her head, but nonetheless, getting out of her seat and heading to her dormitory. "Daphne, time to wake up!"
"Did Pansy say I was asleep?" Daphne shook her head, "I told her I would be down in two minutes!"
Astoria rolled her eyes, "typical Pansy! Ready?"
Daphne nodded, taking Astoria's hand in hers and leading her down into the quiet common room.
"Now what?" Theo cut through the silence, "what do we do?"
"We should probably talk, just us," Daphne gestured to the group, "before we share anything with Slughorn."
"Should someone ask Hermione about the map?"
"I already forgot about that," Blaise sighed, "who knows her best?"
Everyone turned to look at Astoria, "guess it's on me," she nodded her head.
"Meet us outside Slughorns office in half an hour?" Daphne suggested to her sister, releasing her hand and patting her shoulder.
Astoria nodded, "got it." She already knew what she needed to, so staying with her friends to hear them repeat it all was of no use to her, it would be best if she could speak to Hermione, if she could figure out what had been happening with the map.
As much as she knew the castle had to be safe, it didn't feel it. Just because the Ministry had been able to capture the Lethifold, it didn't mean that there weren't other threats, other much worse threats lurking in the castle. It might have only been two times that she had seen one of the Slytherin students' parents on the map, but there had to have been more moments, moments that they had missed. All she knew, was the Hogwarts wasn't safe.
With that in mind, she kept her wand in her hand as she traipsed through the castle and up to the Heads Common Room. Despite the time, Astoria would put money on the fact that Hermione would be awake, likely with her nose deep into Advanced Potion-Making already,
"Hermione!" She called out as she knocked on the door. She peered over her shoulder, feeling unusually anxious to be out in the open for this long, "Hemione!"
"So sorry Astoria!" Hermione said as she slid open the door, just enough for Astoria to creep through the gap, "I was just reading," she gestured down to the book in her hand, but Astoria didn't even stop to glance up.
"I need to ask you something."
"Is everything alright?" She tilted her head at Astoria who sat in the corner of her room, her face blank.
"I need to ask about the map-"
"Oh Harry's map?" Hermione closed her book, taking a seat opposite Astoria, "is there a problem? Does it still work? Should I take a look?"
She shook her head, "Slughorn has it."
"Did he confiscate it?"
"Kind of," she began, "it's a long story." A story so long, she barely knew where to begin. Astoria shook her head, "so, we found the map a while ago, you know we were using it to find our parents. We saw their names a few weeks ago,"
Hermione nodded, "I remember, you said you thought the map was wrong."
"But the map can't be wrong? Can it?" She knew Hermione had said so, but there was just no other explanation.
"No, if a name is on the map, then the person is there," she shook her head, "the map doesn't show the Room of Requirement or the Chamber of Secrets though."
"That wasn't the problem, I've seen their names, and then by the time we arrive, they aren't there. It happened yesterday," she could see the image of Emelda's name on the map, "I saw a name, we got there and this time, the name was still there, but we couldn't see her. All we saw were some Ministry Officials..."
Hermione paused, stroking her chin. "Well, it couldn't have been Polyjuice Potion, if someone took that, then their original name would still show," she ticked that off her mental list.
"What could it be?"
"I remember when I saw Peter Pettigrew on the map, I think even in his rat form, his name appeared, so maybe your parents are animagi?" She didn't know if it even made sense, but even she couldn't figure it out.
"Could they do that...become animagi?"
Hermione shook her head, "no, I think it was silly for me to even suggest, it takes months to become one."
"If they were animagi, could they even be small enough that I wouldn't see them?" Astoria asked her. She knew she had seen the names on the map, but maybe she had just overlooked Emelda, if she had been smaller than expected.
"Rita Skeeter's Animagus was a beetle." Hermione clasped her hand over her mouth, "you can't tell anyone I told you!"
She shook her head, "I wouldn't."
"So, technically, it could be possible..."
Astoria blinked heavily, placing her hand on her head, "surely they couldn't have become animagi in such a short period of time?"
"It is feasible, stranger things have happened, but it seems too difficult. There has to be something else," Hermione stood up, heading over to a small bookshelf on one of the walls, "I must have made notes on this somewhere! Silly me for not revising it enough!" She shook her head at herself, running her fingers across the spines of the books. "Here!" Hermione pulled out a small brown diary, "I think this is the one it would be in." She flicked through the pages, "you see, I made a lot of notes a few years ago, I didn't want to forget anything that happened."
"Did you?"
"Forget anything?" Astoria nodded. "Well, not that I can remember!" Hermione laughed lightly, slamming her hand down on the page of her diary, "found it. When Harry was under the invisibility cloak, he was still on the map. And when Neville used a strong Disillusionment Charm, I still saw his name on the map."
"Where's the cloak? Could they have taken that? Would three people fit under it?" Astoria spoke so quickly it was as though the words were throwing themselves out of her mouth before she even knew it.
Hermione spoke slowly, "Astoria breathe!" She guided her through a deep breath, "we will figure this out! So I think Harry still has the cloak, but there are others. If your parents knew how to, they could make their own cloak, it's really quite simple, many people do it. If they made their own, it would be easy enough for them to pick the size, so three people would be no struggle."
Astoria smiled, "so it could be that? They could have made their own cloak?"
"Yes," she nodded in response, "but Astoria, there's no way for us to know, no way we can verify!"
It didn't matter.
Finally, they were one step closer.