i aim to be lionhearted
but my hands still shake, and
my voice isn't quite loud enough
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ASTRID WISHED SHE HAD JUST stayed in the common room. Her ears rang as everyone began to panic, she covered them with her palms in attempt to muffle out the noise but instead it made the chaos echo inside her head. She was being pushed about as gyffindor students surrounded the portrait door behind her, Harry Potter by her side. The once beautiful blue skied art had been mauled, deep scratches illustrated by a murderer- by her cousin ( somewhat ). Astrid watched in complete silence as Peeves teased the Heads of Hogwarts, she watched as he shamelessly taunted Dumbledore himself. Her ears were failing her, so she used the next best thing: her eyes. She watched as the Fat Lady stood cowered behind some bushes on the other side of the wing, her fear coursing into the rest of the castle.
How Harry and Astrid didn't hear Sirius Black destroying the common room door is a mystery- to even them. And even the small fact that they were alive was a miracle. Harry was noticeably shaken, but Astrid, oh she was much worse. This attack would mean the ministry would get involved, and they would definitely not be happy about her complete avoidance to their constant letters.
"Are you sure you didn't see, hear, notice anything? Anything at all?" Minnie asked urgently, her hands on Astrid and Harry's shoulders. Her cloak clung onto her loosely, and her hair was falling out of her bun. She was worried. "Please Potter, Astrid, I need you two to remember."
"No professor, I don't- We didn't hear anything, I swear," Harry responded, glancing at Astrid. His glasses had beads of sweat on them, and his once bright smile had downturned into fear.
"And you were in the common room the entire time?"
"Yes!" Harry said exasperated, his face was red from all the questioning. Astrid thanked him silently as he continued to answer the millions of questions thrown at them. She couldn't bring herself to speak up, surely no one could know that Sirius Black was her cousin... Right? Her eyes scanned the ever-growing crowd, terrified faces staring back at her.
"For the millionth time, I DIDN'T SEE SIRIUS BLACK!" Harry's breathing was loud, contrasting the now quiet corridor. He stood with clenched fists. His outburst had put a stop to all the interrogation.
"I think it's best if we leave Harry and Ms. Lestrange to rest." Dumbledore advised, his voice was calm and he didn't seem at all panicked like the other professors. McGonagall's lips pursed and she looked like she wanted to protest but against her wishes, she stayed quiet. Astrid's head was slowing down, she felt her heartbeat steady.
All the Gryffindor students were sent to the Great Hall. McGonagall and the Head Boy, Percy Weasley, were talking in whispers as they led the group. Surprisingly, Harry didn't leave Astrid's side. They mutually decided to walk in silence, slightly straying behind the rest of their classmates. They walked closely together, to the point where their arms were rubbing against each other. Harry's jumper felt soft on Astrid's goose-bump filled arm.
As they reached the great hall, Astrid realized the rest of houses had already gotten settled inside. The hall buzzed with chatter, everyone making their own predictions about what had happened. Madam Pomfrey was passing out sleeping bags along with a small portion of a sleeping potion.
"Third years this way!" Percy Weasley exclaimed. Astrid followed him as he led them down the hall, her sleeping bag tucked under her arm. She tried- and failed to spot Cedric and Atlas, so instead she left Harry's side and found space between Seamus and Dean.
Dean looked up towards Astrid as she placed her mat down beside him, his pupils dilated in fright. "Do you think they'll find him?" he asked, nervously
"No." Astrid noticed they hadn't drunk their potions so she placed hers beside her pillow. "Don't panic," she added seeing Dean's ever growing terror, "he isn't here to kill you."
"Gee, that'll really make anyone feel ten times better Astrid," Seamus responded sarcastically. His eyes were closed but Astrid was sure he was rolling them.
Astrid shrugged, finally laying down. "I'm being honest Seamus." She stared at the night sky, her eyes tracing the stars mindlessly. "It's not like he'll still be wandering around anyways."
Seamus elbowed her, though the indigo sleeping bags took away much of the force. "Maybe he is," he replied indignantly.
"You're making me feel bad," Astrid said, her freckles visible under the glistening stars. She smiled with youthful amusement. "What if he just couldn't find a public loo."
Dean mimed her smile, he felt at ease around his two classmates. At ease as one could with a psycho-serial killer on the loose. "Merlin knows you can only hold it so long," he laughed, his teeth biting down his growing smile.
The three joked in possibly the worst of circumstances, each trying to bear off the reality of how bad the situation could've been. Astrid hoped Black truly wasn't still in the castle, she didn't think he would take their insults too lightly. How he got into the castle would remain a mystery for now, and what he wanted could only be up for guesses. But no doubt, their dreadful house guests were not leaving anytime soon, Astrid found it very unlikely they would leave at all much to her displeasure.
Under the windy sky, Dean, Seamus, and Astrid continued to talk in irreverence towards Black. Though Dean quieter than the others, and through self-pity he successfully convinced- though more guilt-tripped- Astrid to spend the Christmas holidays at his home, still stuck on the thought that Black was truly after him. Astrid agreed, Dora still hadn't responded and she found no purpose in dwelling on her cousins feelings, it'll pass, she thought. Astrid wished Cedric was beside with her, he always had a watch on and by the time the sleeping potion began to take effect it was surely passed midnight.
"Y'know what I heard?" Seamus asked out-loud, his voice tired and raspy.
With time looming on, neither Astrid nor Dean had the energy to reply in a full word. They murmured in response, and Seamus found that a sufficient reply. Even though it was dark, Astrid could see his closed eyes wrinkle and his cheeks redden like they always did when he would laugh. Seamus stilled his inner- snicker, "I heard that if you say his name three times he appears." He tried to put on his best horror voice and the ever-growing sound of the outside wind helped to adjoin fright into his tease.
Astrid smiled maliciously, her one dimple showing for what seemed the hundredth time that night. She whispered slowly and eerily,
"Sirius Black,"
Dean stared at his two friends, his annoyance turning into fear. He was raised in the muggle world, this tale quite literally taken from another that his older sister, Emilia would taunt him about: the bloody mary.
"Sirius Black,"
Dean tried to remember that the bloody mary was nothing but a cruel jest, but he wasn't in the muggle world anymore. As he had experienced before, anything was possible in this magical world, even absurdly irritating friends.
"Sirius Bla-"
"Stop!" Dean whined, his voice loud against the quiet hall. He immediately covered his mouth with his palms.
Astrid's eyes widened as her laughter was kept poorly hidden under her sleeping bag. She tried to keep quiet but together, all three couldn't contain their laughters. And under the full moon and luminescent stars they laughed like worry-less kids, not caring about their classmates who were sleeping beside them, and much less of anything that the malevolent future had coming for them.
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back from such a long slump finally
very short chapter i know sorry