July 15, 1993
When they left the bank, it was about lunchtime. Underneath the guise of Anastasia Rayne, Aster enjoyed her lunch without bothersome gawkers or reporters. After that, Marvolo guided her out of Diagon Alley into the richer shopping places in Diamond Plaza. His reasoning was that he wouldn't stand for Aster to dress or act like some kind of pauper when she was a future Lady of their world. She wasn't as rich as the Malfoys, and in fact, only had access to her Trust Vault until she turned 15, but she was no beggar either.
"But what about Dumbledore? Won't he suspect something if I suddenly change?" Aster wondered. Indeed, Aster felt a little self-conscious walking around in her ill-fitting muggle clothes while all the shoppers were draped in silk robes and glittered with jewels.
"We'll just say you're sick of those rags," Marvolo responded, apparently thinking this was worth the risk.
Aster merely shrugged and stepped shyly into the very upscale store. Because of how she dressed, it wasn't until she flashed the Potter ring did someone finally come to attend to them.
"I hope you weren't waiting long," the attendant said, her voice so sugary that Aster wanted to gag. It was blatantly obvious that she was trying not to stare in horror at her clothes. "My name is Clara. What can I do for you?"
"Umm...I need an entire wardrobe," Aster admitted, her face flaming red in embarrassment.
"Quite so," Clara agreed, looking her up and down reprovingly. "Let's get your measurements."
And with that, Aster was whisked away by the, admittedly skilled, hands of Clara. In a whirl of magic, she was stripped down to her undergarments, eliciting the return of her blush that went all the way down to her chest. It didn't help that Marvolo simply floated there, invisible to all but her and that he didn't look away...though strangely, she found that she didn't want him to.
"Stop fidgeting," the tailor scolded. "You have a fine body for your age."
"Yeah, an eleven-year-old," Aster muttered darkly under her breath.
"Is there anything special you'd like to include in your wardrobe?" Clara asked.
Aster sighed heavily. It was already out of her hands. "I don't know the first thing about clothes," she admitted.
Clara nodded, obviously not surprised, but remained professional about it. "Very well then, I shall stock it for you." She unfurled a parchment and began checking things out. "A pretty girl your age, going to Hogwarts...at least 4 pairs of fitted trousers, the same for skirts, 3 formal slacks, 10 warm weather blouses, 10 cold weather blouses, 5 dress shirts, 3 pairs of formal shoes, some ties, 4 casual cotton robes, 4 silk dress robes, 2 winter robes, 3 cloaks, 7 pairs of socks, and 7 sets of undergarments. All of these come in various colors, damage-resistant spells, spells to enlarge – a must for the bras really, and spells to allow for up to an extra 4 inches for growth. Is that to your liking?"
Aster's eyes bulged at the list the lady rattled off.
"Oh, don't worry, this is just the standard list," She said quickly, mistaking Aster's silence for disapproval. "I know how you kids are about being trendy," she said with a giggle and opened another roll of parchment and continued to rattle off another mind-boggling list of apparel. This one included things like boots, tank tops, jeans, trainers, armbands, leather jackets, hoodies, and even lingerie! In the end, mainly to avoid the embarrassment of going over knicker selections with Marvolo watching, Aster took them all, making Clara shriek in excitement, and at the galleons this all cost.
Aster just wondered where she was going to put all this.
The entire sales totaled to 16,359 galleons and 56 sickles. Aster guiltily handed over her Gringotts' card. No doubt it was half a year's earning for someone else.
"Your wardrobe will be finished by the end of the day," Clara promised. "Would you like to pick it up or have us ship it to you?"
"That's quick," Aster said, surprised.
"Of course," Clara sniffed. "We only offer the best services for our customers."
With how much her wardrobe cost, Aster had to agree. "Um, I'll pick it up," she said, not wanting to send her uncle into an early heart attack---he still had his uses after all---with all the owls it would take to deliver her clothes. Even if it would have been funny...
When Aster finally left the store, she blinked tiredly at Marvolo. "Please tell me we're done," she complained.
"Not even close," Marvolo chuckled. While he had no love for clothes shopping, he had enjoyed in impromptu fashion show Aster had unintentionally put on for him. "Now, come along."
The answer to Aster's earlier concern was answered when Marvolo guided her to a luggage shop. Aster was surprised at all the extra add on's one could get placed onto a trunk for the right price.
"A Hogwarts student like you? At least a four-compartment trunk," the clerk said after listening to what Aster said she needed. "One for your clothes, one for books, one with special protections for volatile potions, and one for everyday things." And then he went off detailing all the various spells he could add on, like an automatic shrinking charm, a lightweight charm, security spells...and on and on it went.
With Marvolo's input as well, Aster chose the recommended trunk and an additional hiker's pack. This pack, which was going to be her bookbag, had 5 compartments in it. The first was for books, second for clothes, third for first aid which had preserving charms and slots for vials of medi-potions, fourth for food which she would leave empty for now, and the last for knick-knacks. It also had the standard list of charms like bottom-less, lightweight, damage-proof, cushioning for the potions, and security.
"I wonder why Hagrid didn't let me buy all this the first time around," Aster complained as they left the luggage shop. The clerk had helpfully shrunken everything so she could slip it into her pockets. "He knew I had enough money."
"He was probably told to just get you the barest of necessities," Marvolo said. "I suspect it was the Old Man's way to keep you more dependent on him."
Aster frowned. "Dumbledore has a lot to answer for," she muttered. "So now what?" It wasn't the end of the day yet, so they couldn't pick up her new clothes.
"Sporting goods," Marvolo answered.
The idea perked Aster back up since she was beginning to feel tired. And if she was this tired then... Aster turned to Marvolo in concern. The spirit did look more transparent than earlier today. Without saying a word, she took hold of Marvolo's arms and wrapped it around herself, surprised at how cold the arms were.
"I don't want you to wait until you disappear to borrow my magic," Aster said firmly. She was dismayed that she had allowed her friend to become so neglected in all the excitement.
The spirit murmured his appreciation and simply draped himself, like a cloak, over the young girl's shoulders. They both shivered pleasantly when they felt the magic flowing between them. "You are like warm sunlight to a starving flower, my Little Serpent."
Aster ducked her head and blushed. "Come on, let's go."
It wasn't quidditch supplies that they got at the sporting goods store, but dueling supplies. Aster bought a dragonhide cloak, form-fitting dragon hide pants (to Marvolo's secret approval), dragonhide boots, and two dragonhide wand holsters. One would be fitted up her right sleeve for her holly wand and the other on her ankle, beneath her pant leg. They could both be invisible at will, had anti-summoning charms, and prior incantantum nullification. Marvolo said the prior incantantum nullification was going to be useful when Aster learned any spells outside the Hogwarts curriculum.
Remembering that Neville's birthday was just before her, Aster got him a wand holster too, knowing how forgetful the boy was. She would send it off at the owl-post office with her letter to Hermione.
After that, they went to get Aster's school supplies for the classes she knew she was going to take, in addition to the ones Marvolo was going to tutor her in.
Their supply list went something like this:
Apprentice Level Potion's Kit I-III
Medi-potion's kit
Never-ending ink Quills in blue, black, red,
Parchment
Sealing wax
Basic Runic Stones
2 Deluxe Pruning Sheers, one in iron and one in silver
When the supplies were done, Aster was already making good use of her trunk and hiking bag. The bookstore was going to be an even bigger buy. In addition to her school books, Aster got a couple of introductory books in Runic magic, Dark magic theory (with Marvolo's approval), healing magic, wizarding etiquette, occlumancy, wizarding VIPs, wizarding political structure, and back issues of the last 5 years of the Daily Prophet for Marvolo who wanted to get caught up in the current events.
Aster had just finished paying, 1,568 galleons worth of books when she noticed Marvolo looking lost in thought. "Is everything okay?" she asked as she dropped the books into the first compartment of her trunk. She'd reorganize everything when she got home.
"The Black sisters, what do you know of them?" Marvolo asked.
Aster gave the other man a 'what do you think' look. "Never heard of them," she admitted. "They sound like a rock band. Who are they?"
"The youngest is Narcissa Black," Marvolo answered. "She married Lucius Malfoy. The second was Bellatrix Black who married into the Lestrange family. And the eldest is Andromeda Black, who I believe married a muggle."
Aster nodded. "Okay..."
"The Blacks are well known for their long and prestigious history, especially in the dark arts," Marvolo continued when it was obvious that Aster didn't follow. "In their heyday, they even surpassed the Malfoys in wealth, magical power, and political influence."
"Oh!" Aster finally understood. "Are you talking about my politics tutor?" Marvolo nodded. "So it's between Bellatrix Black and Andromeda Black since we decided a Malfoy was too dark for Dumbledore to approve of."
Surprisingly, Marvolo shuddered. It was something Aster didn't think a Dark Lord would ever do. "I know not what happened to Bellatrix," he said. "But she had a madness about her that even I was wary of." And to expose innocent little Aster Potter to her...Marvolo shook his head, banishing the thought. "No, I am thinking about Andromeda Black."
Aster's eyebrows went up. "The one that married a muggle?" she asked in surprise. "I thought you hated muggles."
"I do, but that is why Dumbledore will approve of her," Marvolo countered. "And, she is the eldest daughter of the Black family, raised to handle the political duties of an heiress and raised strongly in the dark traditions. Even if she was cast out of the Black family for marrying a muggle, she hadn't quite renounced the dark as far as I know. And most importantly, she has enough political clout that Dumbledore will think twice before he engages her in a political battle. She suits our purposes on every level."
That night, after dinner and neatly organizing all of her purchases, Aster sat down and composed the letter to Andromeda Black-Tonks, asking her to become her mentor in politics. In the most formal words possible, Aster detailed her position as the Potter Heir, as the girl-who-lived, and as a muggle-raised witch. She carefully told her that her so-called Keeper, dropping Dumbledore's name, had practically abandoned her, and so she desperately needed this kind of education. And with Marvolo's approval, she also made it clear that he was aware of the Black's reputation in the dark arts, and that she was not turned off by it. Indeed, she was intrigued.
Aster signed it artfully and sealed it with the Potter seal.
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July 31, 1993
Aster's birthday came and went without much fuss just like all the other years before it. But to Aster herself, this year marked the beginning of change and a sense of rightness. For once, she felt like she was finally on the right track in life, like she was finally taking her life into her own hands. Just before her nightly ritual of wishing herself a happy birthday, Aster shared her thoughts with Marvolo and thanked him for being the one to free her.
Her birthday presents came all through the night. The first to arrive was Ron's, a magical device called a sneak-o-scope that he bought in Egypt. It was supposed to detect if anyone around her were untrustworthy, and it accompanied a newspaper clipping of his family standing in front of the pyramids of Giza. Hermione's gift was a book on Greco-Roman legends. She had found it fascinating that many of the gods and goddesses were actually famous witches and wizards. And finally, a present that Aster didn't expect was delivered by a large regal owl.
"It's Neville's," Aster said, surprised. She opened the letter first.
Hello Aster,
Thank you for the dragonhide wand holster! My grandma looked it over and said it was very well crafted. It must've cost a fortune! How did you even know it was my birthday? I haven't told anyone about it, and I was definitely surprised when Grandma told me yours was just after mine. I'm just glad I didn't miss it.
I didn't really know what to get you, but I remembered you were interested in some of the older traditions, and I know you can't really find this kind of stuff in a bookstore. Light families, like ours, have mostly denied that it even exists. It's sort of like saying You-Know-Who's real name. You just don't. But everyone knows the dark wizards still practice it, even if it's illegal, only they keep this stuff super-secret in their family grimoire, you know like a family recipe.
Anyway, I remembered seeing this really old book in the Family Vault. It belonged to one of the Prince lines, according to Gran, which had married a Longbottom way back then and recently died out. Don't worry, I asked Gran if it was okay to give to you and she was glad to get rid of such a 'dark' book. The grimoire is blank now because only a Prince can read it, but if you can break the security enchantments on it, then I imagine a lot of your questions will be answered. Who knows, maybe you have some Prince blood in you.
I hope you like it, but be careful, okay? You don't want to mess around with that kind of stuff, and you probably need someone to teach you. Anyway, see you back at Hogwarts.
Your friend,
Nev.
Aster set the letter aside and pulled the large and heavy tome onto her lap. It had some kind of writing that looked Chinese or Japanese engraved in golden characters on the cover. On the binding of the book there were the same characters, but also designs of long serpentine looking dragons, not like the ones of England. Obviously, this grimoire had traveled a long way.
Opening the cover, Aster was slightly disappointed that it was indeed blank as Neville said. "Doesn't look like I have any Prince blood in me or at least not enough." She glanced at Marvolo, who was staring at the book hungrily. "What do you think?"
"You have a small treasure in your hands," Marvolo said. "Each generation adds to their Family grimoire, spells that are only known to their bloodline. Which means if you cast a curse from this grimoire, then theoretically only another Prince can cast the counter-curse. It also contains wizarding traditions that are unique to the Princes. Since the Princes put out more potion's masters than any other, I suspect they incorporate a lot of the water element into their rituals."
"It sounds like you knew the Princes personally," Aster said, curiously.
Marvolo shot her an amused smirk. "There is one last remaining Prince descendant, but he doesn't go by that name. Can you guess?"
Aster re-ran the clues that Marvolo gave her, and only one name came to mind. "It's Snape, isn't it?" At Marvolo's nod, Aster pushed the grimoire off his lap. "I don't want anything from that greasy bat!"
Marvolo chuckled at the Aster's antics.
"It's not funny," Aster protested. "I'll just give it back to him when school starts. It's not like I can even read it."
Marvolo held up a hand to stop him. "I'd like to try breaking the enchantments first," he said. "And if I can't, what do you think Severus Snape will give you to have his Family grimoire back?"
Aster's eyes widened and a grin split her face. "I can make him be nice, or at least somewhat decent, to me in class. And Neville too, since it was in his vault first."
"I'm going to get you used to flexing those Slytherin muscles," Marvolo said satisfied.
The rest of the summer was mostly comprised of homework and studying. This would be the first time Aster turned in work that complimented her intellectual level. Before she couldn't do any summer work because all this stuff would be immediately locked up, so she'd have to scramble on the train or the night before classes. And then during the year, she was too busy with quidditch or hanging out with Ron to really care about the quality of her work. But now with Marvolo proof-reading her essays and giving outside facts, she was sure not even Snape could find something wrong. The fact that Marvolo wanted her to do well and was proud of her, made Aster feel warm and happy inside and made her want to work that much harder.
While Aster worked on her homework, Marvolo divided his time between skimming through the back issues of the Daily Prophet and cracking the enchantments on the grimoire. Whenever he had an idea, he'd have Aster perform the spell, or write the runes, or say the passwords. As of yet, the grimoire remained blank, but judging by the sparkle in Marvolo's eyes, he was thriving on the challenge.
Along with her summer homework, Marvolo made her revise her transfiguration, potions, DADA, and charms from first and second year. Aster was near the end of second-year DADA when she got a response from the Department of Magical Education approving both of her elective courses in the Healing Arts and Magical Politics, to be taught by Madam Poppy Pomfrey and Andromeda Black Tonks.
Aster gave a happy cheer before quickly writing a thank you letter to both of her future teachers and requesting a list of books and supplies. Then she wrote a letter to Professor McGonagall to inform her of her class list with a copy of the approval letter from the Department of Magical Education just in case.
It was a week before school started when Aster got some disturbing news by way of the Daily Prophet. Marvolo suggested she subscribe to it, even if half of what they printed was just gossip. In big bold letters, the headline read, "Sirius Black Escapes from Azkaban!" A little further down on the page was a vivid recount of how he had betrayed the Potters, how he then killed 12 muggles and one of his best friends, how he was considered You-Know-Who's right-hand man.
Aster cracked open the diary. "Marvolo, come look at this! Quick!"
Aster tried to sit still as she waited for her friend to finish the article. She wasn't sure what she felt. On one hand, this was the man who betrayed her parents and was partly responsible for her parents' death. On the other, he had done it on Voldemort's, or rather Marvolo's orders, and if Aster could forgive Marvolo then surely she could do the same for this Sirius Black. Maybe this Sirius Black could even help Marvolo where Aster, as a child, could not. As Aster thought about it more, she was surprised to realize that the idea didn't appeal to her. If she was honest with herself, she wasn't ready to share Marvolo with anyone yet. She knew this was selfish but still felt there was something special that bonded her to Marvolo and she was afraid to lose it to someone who had once been his right-hand man.
Aster refused to think of it as jealousy.
Finally, Marvolo looked up, his face serious. "It wasn't Sirius Black who betrayed your parents," he said. "As far as I know, he was loyal to Dumbledore and a close friend of your parents. It was Peter Pettigrew, the man Sirius Black killed, who was the spy."
"Then he's been wrongly imprisoned all these years?" Aster asked, horrified at the thought.
Marvolo shook his head. "I don't know," he admitted. "But Sirius Black was a former Auror and known for his impulsive wildness, especially in battle. Indeed it is because of his unpredictability that makes him so formidable. He certainly has the skills and hotheadedness to kill Pettigrew and take 12 muggles in one blow. But he never was one of my Death Eaters."
Aster's shoulders slumped. Now she was even more confused. What could she do with this knowledge? She wanted to meet someone who was close to her parents, but this was also a man who was loyal to Dumbledore and was reckless enough to kill 12 muggles on a revenge spree. "Do you think he'll come after me?" she asked worriedly.
"You have another week until school starts, and he shouldn't be able to breach Hogwart's wards," Marvolo said, wanting to sound reassuring. "But as you know, Hogwart's wards are not all they boast to be. If you do meet up with him, I want to be there, and we'll be smart about it."
"I know you won't let any harm come to me, Marvolo," Aster replied trustingly.
Marvolo smiled at her, reaching up to cup one of her cheeks. "Of course not, my Little Serpent," he said, "After all, you are mine."