☆
astra snuck through the castle as she usually did at night, but for once in the past month, she hadn't mentioned to james to meet anywhere. she was busy wondering what her parents could possibly need from her in the middle of the year. a ball wasn't that important, and they were more common in the winter and sometimes the end of the summer.
she started walking towards the familiar tree she seemed to love sitting under. pulling a packet of cigarettes from her hoodie pocket, she lit it with a match from a tiny box of matches. she sighed the smoke from her lips, a uncomfortable irritation crawling under her skin. as she got to the tree, she noticed a shadow there.
"you're usually the one finding me here." astra hummed as she sat down beside james.
james smiled at her, the half crescent moon reflecting in his glasses, "you were quiet today, i thought you'd come out here tonight."
"i hardly speak to you in the day. i was busy in the library, anyway." astra muttered, placing her cigarette back between her plump lips, inhaling.
"i've said this before, but i'm not as stupid as i look." james joked. "i know that's a lie."
"how? unlike you, mr. i-sniff-when-i-lie, i don't have a tell." astra mused.
"i just know." james shrugged.
astra gave a scoff, "that answers all my questions."
"so," james started, nudging their knees, "sickle for your thoughts?"
"i'm going back to mother and father's tomorrow." astra mumbled, turning away from him. she felt james sit up straighter.
"why didn't you say?" james asked.
"i was trying not to think about it, if i'm honest." astra chuckled. "but when you try not to think of something, you only think of it more. so my tactic didn't exactly work out."
"does sirius know?" james inquired.
astra shook her head, "i'm gonna have breakfast tomorrow and go, i'll tell him then. harley's the only one that knew until i just told you. she was there when i was done reading the letter."
"can't you just not go?" james questioned.
"no, they'll find a way to make me go back. and anyway, dumbledore won't try and stop them." astra hummed.
"why wouldn't he?" james asked with furrowed eyebrows.
"because he doesn't care for any student that isn't a gryffindor. but he hates slytherin's the most." astra chuckled. "you won't have noticed because he's the ideal headmaster for your house."
"oh." james muttered. "there's absolutely no way to avoid it?"
"no. i'll just suck it up and go." astra shrugged. "i'll be back in a week, so that's fine. i just don't know why i'm needed back. they don't have balls and shit in the easter holidays, it's always the winter and summer."
"are you scared?" james inquired.
"i don't think so. i'm used to it." astra replied.
"but you shouldn't be used to abuse. that's disgusting." james stated.
"we live in different worlds, james. and, merlin, i wish i was in yours." astra smiled.
james turned to her fully and it caused her to do the same, raising an eyebrow at his sudden shift in position, "you can be!"
"remember vega and altair and how you said that could be us?" astra questioned and he nodded. "yeah, well, the milky way is still there right now."
"then blow it up." james suggested making her chuckle. "i'll blow it up, happily! completely abolish the milky way!"
"that would cause a catastrophe in space." astra stated, reaching the straighten his glasses. "you really need better fitting ones."
"don't change the subject." james said, although he was grinning as astra shuffled closer to him, her cold palm pressed to his cheek. "you can't distract me."
"can't i?" astra smirked, leaning closer so their noses brushed.
in a matter of half a second, james was completely distracted. astra continued to hover her lips across his teasingly, moving when he tried to kiss her. her thumb trailed down his cheek, tracing over his bottom lip as her other hand slid into his hair, twisting soft strands around her fingers.
"you're not distracted?" astra questioned.
james yanked his head back from her hold, looking at the lake, "no. i was fooling you and it worked."
astra laughed, "sure."
"it's so unfair, you wouldn't react like that if i did that." james sighed.
"i just have a better attention span." astra mused, gently turning him to face her. she smiled and pressed a soft kiss to his lips, followed by a few more. "i'm terribly sorry for having a better attention span."
"as you should be." james joked, kissing her once more as she grinned against his lips.
at that moment, astra thought it would be a relitivly smart idea to try and create a patronus based on her how she felt with james.
☆
the next morning, astra strolled towards the great hall, pulling her trunk behind her. splotch was sat in her robe pocket, poking his head out to look around him. james smiled at her from the gryffindor table, the grin not meeting his eyes as usual, worry shining in them instead. she sat down across from him, pouring herself some apple juice.
"morning." astra mumbled tiredly: she hadn't really slept last night.
"morning. you didn't sleep, i take it?" james asked as she yawned, trying to stifle it unsuccessfully.
astra shook her head, reaching for some bread, "i'll probably be able to get an hour or two on the train. if not, i'll have a nap when i get back."
"you worried about it?" james inquired softly, passing her a tray of sausages.
"more confused than anything else." astra shrugged, mumbling a 'thanks' as she took two sausages and placed them on one slice of, now buttered, bread. "there's either a ball, some sort of dark arts occasion, or they're preparing to marry me off. any of them wouldn't be a surprise, it's more which."
"marry you off?" james repeated, eyes wide. he watched her nod casually as she spread some tomato sauce on the other slice of bread, as if she hadn't just stated something evil. "they can't do that, can they?"
"apparently. it's happened to a lot of people, purebloods, the prejudice ones mostly, and even in muggle life. it's disgusting, but it's normality to my family. they don't marry for love, they marry for money and status." astra explained, cutting her sandwich in half. "sirius left before he was forced to marry some random french, pureblood woman. he didn't know about it until i told him that mother and father had to tell a very angry french family that her 'disgrace of a child' was gone. they turned up in the middle of summer at the doorstep, mother and father's letter hadn't got to them. the woman sirius was supposed to marry looked relieved, though. anyone about to marry sirius would be if they got told they weren't anymore."
james chuckled and their conversation went silent for a moment. he picked at his bacon with his knife and fork. after a moment, he placed his cutlery down and pushed up his glasses, bringing astra's attention back to him, "you're not gonna do it, though, are you? marry the random person they want you to?"
"no. fuck, no. i know who it is, though. have done for ages." astra hummed, pouring herself a drink.
"who?" james asked.
"malfoy." astra answered, scowling at the thought of the ignorant man. james' jaw near enough dropped into his beans. "yeah, that's what my mind's doing 24/7, darling. i'll put it off somehow."
"how? apparently, your family, and i use the term 'family' loosely, is adamant you're marrying him." james said, shocked and horrified.
"i'll figure it out." astra replied, a small pool of nerves in her stomach at the thought is salem being close to her. now, she had to worry about going to sleep with him in her own house. "anyway, it's probably not that. it's hopefully not that. i don't want him anywhere near me and my space. i find him repulsive. even kreacher does, and he's been ordered to respect him."
"only a week. nothing much can happen in a week." james smiled before it turned doubtful. "right?"
astra though back to the christmas holidays and about what salem had done to her. she inhaled sharply, a faint image of what happened to her when she was slipping in and out of conciseness invading her mind. she shook it off and forced a smile, "right."
as if reading her mind, james leant closer across the table, eyebrows furrowed in worry, "did something happen?"
"no. no, nothing happened." astra lied smoothly. "nothing out of the ordinary."
james didn't believe her, "you can tell me. you know that, right? if you want."
"yeah. yeah, i know." astra nodded.
"why've you got your trunk?" sirius demanded as he sat down beside astra, snatching a piece of toast.
"i've gotta go back for the weeks holiday." astra explained shortly.
"no! fuck that! you can't go back there! especially not after christmas, i've never seen you like that before." sirius stated, worried for his twin.
"i'll be fine, don't worry." astra mumbled.
"oh, yes, my worry is now immediately gone. thank you, dr. black." sirius remarked sarcastically and she glared at him jokingly.
"i have to go, because if i don't, father's going to come here and get me himself. and you know he will. and once i have, do you think the repercussions are gonna be a warm hug and a slice of cake?" astra asked and sirius who fell silent for once and shook his head. "exactly. i think it's safer i just go for now. deal with whatever it is they want afterwards."
"you've still got the other half of the mirror, right?" sirius inquired.
"yeah. hidden under some cardboard." astra nodded and, while he would still rather her not go at all, sirius nodded back, seemingly slightly more satisfied. "right, i'm off, then. see you dicks when i get back."
"be careful. and don't do anything i'd do." sirius warned, pointing a fork at her. "unless it's run away, 'cause then do what i'd do."
astra rolled her eyes fondly and stood, grabbing her trunk, "sure."
astra left the great hall, feeling as though the short goodbye she and sirius had was much better than a long, drawn out one that would've changed her mind and led her to be taken back by her father. as she walked down the corridor, someone grabbed her arm and pulled her into a nearby broom cupboard. pulling her arm from their grip she lifted a hand to slap the stranger, pulling a pained groan from them.
her eyes widened when she recognised the noise, "james! what the fuck? merlin, how's your cheek?"
"probably vey red." james answered and astra lifted her wand to cast some light into the broom cupboard. his cheek was red, but he still smiled stupidly at her, glasses crooked from the slap.
"shit, i'm sorry." astra apologised quietly, lifting a hand to brush her thumb over the red mark gently. "you scared me, is all. thought you were a creep."
"yeah, i should've given a warning. sorry." james chuckled.
"yeah, you should've, knobhead." astra smiled. "anyway, i need to go before i miss the carriages."
"i know, yeah. i just wanted to make sure you don't wanna hide somewhere in the castle instead of going back?" james suggested but astra just smiled softly at his attempt and he knew she wasn't going to stay for the easter. "i figured it wouldn't work."
"i appreciate the effort, darling." astra mumbled affectionately. she leaned forwards and pressed a soft kiss to his lips, cupping his cheek softly.
james kissed her back, hands going to her hips and squeezing softly. the kiss ended all too soon for james' liking and she smiled once more before walking out of the broom cupboard, leaving to go back to 12 grimmauld place.
{2010