September 4, 1993
Aster's first lesson in Healing with Madam Pomfrey had merely been a two-hour lecture on the human body and how the magical core interacted with the nervous system. Even with this small introduction to medi-magic, Aster could already tell that this area of study was as easily as complex as transfiguration or potions. In addition to that, you had the burden of knowing you held someone's life in your hands. It was a heady thought, and the young girl was both enthusiastic and frightened at the prospect of trying to learn it.
Now heading for the infirmary for the second lesson, she hoped to be able to do some practical work. But as soon as she got there, Madam Pomfrey stopped her. "Professor Snape has asked to see you," she said.
The green-eyed girl gave the matron a questioning look. Was it something to do with the discussion she and the potions master had shared during last night's detention? If so, why not wait until after class to speak with her?
Reading the look of confusion and apprehension on Aster's face, Madam Pomfrey tried to sound reassuring. "It's just something about your class schedule. I'm sure it is nothing serious."
With a weak excuse like that, it was practically a guarantee that he wanted to talk about the previous evening. "Alright then, I guess I'll just go see what he wants then."
"Yes, better not keep him waiting." Madam Pomfrey quickly scribbled on a sheet of paper. "Here is a note, so you don't get caught out of class."
"Thanks." And with that, Aster spun around and headed for the dungeons. Guessing Snape had a free period because he wouldn't have called a student down for a private meeting otherwise, she knocked on his office door instead.
"Enter."
"You wanted to see me, Professor?" she asked, peeking her head in.
Snape waved her in. "Yes, come in and close the door behind you. There is a matter I wish to speak with you."
Aster nodded and did as she was told, feeling several privacy charms activate as she did. "This isn't about my class schedule, is it?"
"Actually, it is," Snape admitted, which got him a surprised look.
"I thought that was just an excuse."
"I do not need to make up excuses to call students to my office, Miss Potter," Snape replied, sounding offended. "But that is beside the point. Let me ask you, when you first arrived at Hogwarts, what did Madam Pomfrey tell you about your exam?"
Aster blinked, staring at him blankly. "Exam, sir?"
Snape nodded as if he already knew and just wanted to confirm a guess. "And what if, anything, did Madam Pomfrey say to you after you were admitted under her care for the first time?"
Aster had no idea where this was going but decided to play along. She cast her memory back to the first time she got hurt enough to go to the infirmary. "I don't think I made it into the infirmary until the end of the year, for the thing with the Philosopher's Stone. I don't recall her telling me anything, now that I think about it. Is that odd?"
"Yes that is odd, but allow me to ask one last question before I explain," Snape continued. "Were you ever taken to a muggle hospital for treatment?"
"Only for vaccination shots because they were needed for school," Aster answered, her voice growing quiet. "Anything that couldn't be dealt with at home, my magic had healed for me."
"Just as I thought, though I had hoped it wasn't true," Snape said. "After your first class of healing lessons, don't you think it odd that Madam Pomfrey didn't pick up on the fact that you had broken bones? That you are small for your age? It is standard for children who were muggle raised to get a comprehensive exam, to check for things like allergies, childhood illnesses, and the like."
Aster's eyes grew large. "What are you saying, Professor?" she asked, even though she had her own suspicions now, though she wanted to deny it. Despite her sterner-than-McGonagall demeanor, she just couldn't see the medi-witch ignoring her duties in such a fashion. "Madam Pomfrey probably just didn't think to do the right scans, and the Headmaster probably told her not to worry about the comprehensive exam or something."
Snape nodded slowly. "Perhaps, but if a comprehensive exam wasn't done then, it would have been done after you rescued that blasted stone. After all, she would have needed to find out why you were unconscious. Disregarding that, as a healer she should have been suspicious about your size – you are well below the average for your age, male or female. I will admit to that detail had escaped my notice as well, but given my prejudices...Miss Potter?"
Aster shook her head quickly. "Call me Aster...or Ash, please. At least in private," she said. "Alright, I guess it's school policy that she answers to the Headmaster, and the Headmaster has his own reasons to hide my...er abuse. I don't think her intentions are bad. Do you think it's alright if I continue with her class?"
Snape leaned back on his chair and steepled his long fingers. "As you said, I don't think Madam Pomfrey means you any harm. Greater men and women have fallen under the Headmaster's meddling ways...including myself, admittedly. You may continue studying under her." He then leaned forward, giving her a sobering look. "However, if you are amenable, I can teach you the healing arts and of course the medi-potions that go along with it. That is, after all, what makes the difference between a regular Healer and a medi-wizard."
"You're a medi-wizard too?" Aster asked impressed. "That's really impressive actually. I know that according to the most recent Hogwarts: A History, you're also the youngest person in recent times to be recognized as a Potion's Master."
The smirk that played on Snape's face showed that he enjoyed that recognition. "Indeed. From there it wasn't hard to get a second mastery. What do you say?"
"Yes, of course," she quickly answered, but then her brain filled in on all the other issues. "But what about keeping your cover? Or what if Dumbledore suspects something?"
"My cover must be kept," Snape agreed. "But worry not. I am more than adept at deflecting suspicion. Besides, the Old Coot has been bugging me about seeing you for who you are, especially as the rumors of our last...altercation reached his ears."
Aster cringed at the memory. "Yeah, not one of my best moments."
"Nor mine," Snape said, inclining his head. "So if you are in an agreement, I will notify the school board and the Headmaster. It also wouldn't hurt if you wrote a letter, yourself, to the school board to request a change in instructors."
"I'll do it right now," she volunteered, pulling out a quill and parchment to put action to her words. Professor Snape proof-read the document for her, approving of how well she had composed it – big, flowery words and as overly formal as she possibly could. Then, she revealed her Potter Heir ring to seal the letter.
Snape looked surprised at this, and Aster smirked.
"My opinions about you were not the only things that changed over the summer," she said mysteriously.
"Indeed."
The Professor sent his and Aster's letter off together with his personal owl. It was too late to start anything practical, but Snape did insist on reviewing the stuff Madam Pomfrey covered the other day to make sure she hadn't missed anything. He set Aster with an assignment to write a 13-inch paper on the various medical scans available.
Aster rushed through dinner, so fast that she was doing a pretty good job of imitating Ron. At one point, Hermione had to slap her on the back after she nearly choked. She finished far before anyone else and raced up to her dorm for privacy so she could talk to Marvolo.
She noticed, for some reason, Marvolo seemed stronger at night than in the day. It was probably because all the various day activities drained him too quickly if he tried following her around, but he had more than enough energy to talk at night until she fell asleep.
It was almost getting to the point that she couldn't sleep without his arms around her these days. Holding her tightly, safe, and possessed...
Aster cracked the diary open and watched as Marvolo came out in silvery wisps and curls. She watched in bemusement as the silvery light spiraled around her until it came together with Marvolo at her back and arms embracing her from behind. "Hello, Marvolo. How do you feel?" It was Aster's standard question since she was always concerned. "You still feel too cold."
"It will take a little time to get back to where I was, but I am well," Marvolo replied. "Anything interesting today?"
And that set her off. She recounted Snape's theories about Madam Pomfrey, and his offer to take Aster on. It had occurred to her that she was treating Marvolo like a diary, telling him about her day and letting out her frustrations. Except this diary responded back and gave excellent advice.
"Yes Severus' mastery in the Healing Art is a little known fact when compared to his achievements as the youngest Potion's Master," Marvolo commented. "His loyalties notwithstanding, you will be in much better hands with him than the school nurse. A very wise decision, my pretty little star" Aster blushed at the praise, ducking her head shyly.
"Thank you," she replied. "The only issue Snape has is where and how to practice. He says the...how did he put it? Oh, yeah... 'The maladies one sees at a school infirmary is not nearly sufficient to encompass your education'...or something like that."
Marvolo chuckled at Aster's attempt to mimic Severus' tone and language, running his fingers through her dark curls and drawing some delightful shivers from her slight frame. "I believe I have a solution to your problem," he said, and Aster perked up. "Do you know of a place in the castle in which the elves refer to as the Come and Go Room? It is also known as the Room of Hidden Things and the Room of Requirement." At this Aster shook her head. Oddly enough, this just made him smile more. "Then I must show you. Come...this will be a real treat for you, pet."
Even though it wasn't curfew yet, and students were allowed in the corridors, Aster pulled on her invisibility cloak on anyway. It was becoming a habit whenever she followed her friend around the school. They stopped on the seventh floor, across the picture of some troll dancing in a ballerina outfit.
"That has to be the most ridiculous thing I've seen yet," she muttered, Marvolo chuckling in amused agreement.
"Now walk back and forth three times in front of this brick wall while thinking of a room suitable for learning medi-magic," he instructed. "And then...you will see."
She shot Marvolo a skeptical look, but she had done stranger things, and in the end, Marvolo always had a good reason. So, muttering under her breath, "I need a place to learn medi-magic, I need a place to learn medi-magic, I need a place to learn medi-magic," she paced back and forth across the hall.
On her third pass, a door magically appeared where the brick wall once was. Shooting Marvolo a grin, Aster opened it and gasped. Inside, there were a group of mannequins with various body parts exposed to show their anatomy. There were complicated charts on the walls with labeling. In the center of the room was an empty table, presumably for the room to provide a patient with a malady of Snape's choosing. Off to the side, there was a potion's bench set up, with cauldron and cutting board already in place.
"Wow! This place is amazing!" she exclaimed. "And it will give me anything I want?"
"I hadn't found the limits of this room while I was a student here," Marvolo replied. "Though you cannot take anything out of this room that the room has provided - it will simply disappear from your hands."
Aster nodded. "Makes sense with the first law of Transfiguration – you cannot take without giving something up." She frowned, turning to her friend. "How come more people don't know about this place? For that matter, how did you know about it?"
"I assume people who've come across this room just assume it's like any other in the castle. Random rooms are always disappearing and reappearing, and they never realize that, unlike the other rooms, this room can change," Marvolo answered. "As for how I found it, I had asked the elves and they showed me. It was as simple as that."
"And yet no one else did," she finished. "Hermione is proven right once again; most wizards and witches have no common sense." She then thought of something and turned a hopeful gaze upon her companion. "Marvolo, do you think we can practice dark magic here?"
Marvolo shook his head. "I am uncertain if this room is tied into the castle wards. If it is, then the Headmaster will know. Better to not risk it. Any dark magic we practice will be off the grounds or in the Chamber of Secrets. Salazar Slytherin was paranoid enough to want his own space apart from the rest of the school."
That was disappointing, but she still couldn't wait to tell Snape about this room. But until then, there was still homework for her other classes to do. Upon that realization, the room morphed into what looked like a mix of the Gryffindor common room and the transfiguration part of the library.
"Merlin, I love magic!" Aster declared grinning before grabbing a likely book and settling herself at a large desk. Marvolo joined her, sharing the one seat chair, ready to give any help needed while at the same time absorbing Aster's magic to grow stronger.
O o 0 O 0 o O o 0 O 0 o O o 0 O 0 o O
September 20, 1993
By now, Aster and her classmates were getting the feel of their new classes. After listening to Ron and Hermione, she was doubly glad she'd not signed up for Care of Magical Creatures or Divination. According to Ron, Hagrid's love for monsters ran unchecked, and even the brave Gryffindors were wary of his class. Ron tried to make it sound interesting, but she had enough dangers in her life that she didn't need to go find them – they found her often enough as it was.
Divination apparently was so bad that Hermione even dropped out of the class! For a muggleborn girl who was taking Muggle Studies, saying Divination was useless had to mean something.
After Aster got out the kinks in her schedule, she found that her own classes were definitely going better than her friends. She was flying through her wand classes (charms, transfiguration, and DADA), so much so that she was using her free time to increase her sensitivity to magic. Already, she found she could feel the difference between the types of magic. Charms were more flitting, more light, like a gust of wind. Defense spells felt more aggressive and; sparky'. Transfiguration reminded her of those nature shows of slow-moving glaciers when students performed it. The change was slow but she could feel the force behind the spell when done correctly. When McGonagall performed a transfiguration spell, however, it felt like an avalanche, quick and overwhelming.
The ultimate goal, was of course being able to identify the individual spells by feel. Not only will this help her in a duel, but in a surprise ambush, it would give her the advantage of a few extra seconds.
After a rather unconventional week, the weekend finally arrived. While the other students were planning to slack off, Aster was getting ready for her first lesson in wizarding politics. Along with Professor Tonk's recommended book, she also packed the list of inheritances she had received from Gringotts and both account books. After breakfast was over, she made her way down to McGonagall's office.
"Enter, Miss Potter," McGonagall's voice came through the door.
"Good morning, Professor," she said as she stepped in. "I am a little early."
"That's fine," she replied, setting up a tea and biscuit set. "Tea, Miss Potter?"
Aster gingerly sat down on the offered seat. She hadn't quite made up her mind about her Head of House yet. It was obvious that the Scottish woman was firmly in Dumbledore's camp, but she had stood up for her when he needed, so Aster was willing to give her a chance. "Um, sure. Thank you." Having already eaten breakfast, she simply nibbled on a cracker.
"Relax, you are not in trouble," she said and smiled when the girl visibly relaxed. "After your...discussion with the Headmaster, I was concerned with how much work you've set yourself up for this year."
"My classes are fine, Professor. Better than fine even," she replied. "I'm finally taking the time to really understand this stuff. Like why you need that extra little twirl of the wand whenever you transfigure a small object into a larger. It's because of the size difference, you need to draw more power out of your core and the wand twist does that for you."
That got a double raised eyebrow from McGonagall. "I see. And you are correct of course. 5 points to Gryffindor for understanding a more complex concept," she complimented, and Aster grinned back proudly. "Except for that one incident in Potions, I have heard from the other professors that you are doing equally well in their classes. Whatever method of study you are employing, it seems to work for you. Congratulations. Now, how are things going with Professor Snape?"
Aster couldn't help but smile at this. "Did you know that Professor Snape once knew my mother?" she asked, her voice becoming animated. It was obvious by the sparkle in her emerald eyes that she was happy with this fact. "In fact, they were best friends before Hogwarts. They even grew up in the same neighborhood. Can you believe that?"
"And Professor Snape told you this?" McGonagall asked surprised. This did not sound like the private, misanthropic man she knew.
Aster shrugged, a little embarrassed. "Well, she didn't exactly tell me. It just sort of happened during detention after a little...um. Let's just say privacy charms were used."
"Ah," McGonagall said, not knowing what else to say about that. "I am glad you two are finally getting along. Now how about your Defense teacher? How is that going for you? I believe it is your favorite subject, right?" To her surprise, instead of the same enthusiasm, she could visibly see the walls go up.
"It would be my favorite, except my history with the Defense teachers here haven't been very good," she said reluctantly.
"Well, I am sure if you sat and talked with him, you'll be surprised at what he can tell you," McGonagall encouraged, knowing the Headmaster wanted Aster and Remus to bond over memories of James.
Aster shook her head. "Until I know what he's up to, I can't risk it. I already have enough on my plate." Seeing the pinched look of frustration on her teacher's face, she continued. "I know there are things Professor Lupin is keeping from me. I'm assuming you are talking about his friendship with my parents, right?"
"You know about their friendship?" McGonagall asked shocked. "How did you come by that?"
"Pictures that Hagrid gave me in my first year," she lied easily, not wanting to even hint about having another source of information. That would just raise too many questions that she couldn't answer. "So anyway, anything I wanted to know about my parents, I can go to Professor Snape."
McGonagall literally choked. "Severus!" she blurted out before catching herself. Aster giggled at the undignified squawk. She cleared her throat. "What I mean is, you must know you are getting a very unflattering view of your father. Professor Snape and your father were very much like you and Mr. Malfoy."
The young girl nodded, her face serious. "But none of Malfoy's pranks or mine ever got deadly."
That made McGonagall's jaws snap shut with an audible click. It was obvious she had caught McGonagall unaware. "The more I learn about my father, the more convinced I am of his...immaturity." She amended the word she had originally planned to use. McGonagall likely would not approve of her calling her father foolish.
"Miss Potter!" McGonagall scolded her anyway. "Your father died saving your life!"
Aster reluctantly nodded. "And I'm glad he tried to fight Lord Voldemort off," she barely resisted rolling her eyes at the older woman's flinch, "But technically it was my mother's sacrifice that saved my life if what the Headmaster says is true." Aster gave a slight shrug, not sure why everyone around her kept going on about her father instead of her mother. At least with her mother, she had heard her sacrificing herself. Aster didn't have that kind of memory for James. In fact, for 10 out of 13 years of her life, she truly had believed James was a deadbeat drunk that got her mother killed in a car accident that landed her with the Dursleys! Saying she secretly harbored a deep resentment for him would be harsh, but unfortunately true. It would take more than just two and a half Hogwarts years of flimsy stories to get her over that deeply ingrained bitterness.
McGonagall looked down at the girl sadly, though she couldn't argue with her facts. "Your father and his friends were the shining stars of Hogwarts," she tried again, though now she was grasping at straws.
"You mean the shining stars of Gryffindor," Aster corrected. "So far, all I've learned about him was that he was a quidditch mad, mean-hearted prankster, an attempted murderer, as spoiled as Snape had accused me of being, and a financial washout, who was so involved in a war that he had no interest in taking up his responsibilities as the Potter Heir." She took a deep breath. "So as you can see, I'd rather get to know my mother, who I've heard was an amazing woman, and a real role model for inter-house friendship."
For a moment, no sound would come out of McGonagall's mouth. She finally admitted defeat in the face of her student's stubbornness. "Well...I believe it is time for your appointment with Mrs. Tonks."
Aster nodded, knowing she had just pulled off some of that Gryffindor blindness and forced the Gryffindor head to see some ugly truths. "Thank you for the tea and the talk," she said politely before going to the fireplace, hoping that she hadn't left her too scarred. Taking a handful of the green powder and throwing it into the fire, "Tonk's residence," she shouted clearly, not wanting to end up in Knockturn Alley again before stepping through.
Her landing was just as awful as ever, and the only thing that saved her from an embarrassing face plant was the gentle hands that caught her. Seeing they belonged to his new professor, she blushed. "Ummm, sorry about the entrance, Professor Tonks."
"My daughter, Nymphadora, has a similar problem, though I think her problem is simple clumsiness," Professor Tonks replied, clearly amused.
Aster straightened herself up and studied the taller woman. Like all the Blacks, Andromeda was tall and had a refined look about her that couldn't be hidden beneath the muggle clothes she wore. Unlike Draco's father though, the dark hair and sharp eyes made her refinement seem more dangerous than the flashy blonds of the Malfoy line. "I'd like to thank you again for agreeing to teach me."
"Let us head to the library," Andromeda suggested. "And we can discuss the particulars of what you wish to learn."
Aster nodded and followed her new teacher. It was obviously a muggle home with muggle appliances, but that didn't take away from the wealth that the Tonks family obviously had. If Aster had to judge, she felt this home easily belonged in the upper class. "You have a very nice home, Professor," she said, stealing a peek at the very nicely furnished formal dining room. It looked like it could seat 15 people easily.
"Thank you, young lady."
After a couple of turns, and a walk through the gardens, which obviously had some magical plants in it as well, they arrived at the library. Each of its five walls was filled with books, with only a small piece of space that was devoted to an ordinary fireplace.
"We will conduct most of our sessions here," she said, inviting them both to sit. On the large table, there were already a couple of politics books out. "Of course this may change depending on what you actually wish to learn." She turned an expectant look towards Aster.
Aster wasn't sure what to say, but first things first. Marvolo had impressed upon her the importance of keeping things secret from the Headmaster. "Would you be terribly insulted if I asked for an oath of secrecy from you? Anything that you learn about me, stays between us unless I say otherwise?" she cringed at the wording - she really didn't want to offend the seemingly nice woman on their first day, but there really was no polite way to ask for an oath of confidentiality.
Andromeda seemed amused by Aster's discomfort. "You seem to forget, my dear, that I was once a Black. Secrets were very much our bread and butter." And with that, she held her wand up. "I, Andromeda Black Tonks, vow not to reveal any information I've learned about Aster Dorea Potter during these lessons, by speech, writing, or any other mode of communication until she says otherwise." A glow enveloped her. "Will that be sufficient?" she asked.
"Um, thank you." It was somewhat shocking to the younger girl that the woman had given such an oath so easily. "I think before we begin, there are some things you need to know about me," she began anxiously. She hoped she wasn't about to scare her away with all her potential problems, but something told her that her new Politics Professor could hold her own. "Officially, Headmaster Dumbledore is my Keeper, though that will eventually change. I don't know what the rest of the wizarding world was told about me after that night I got my scar, but I was taken from the wrecked home and placed on the doorstep of my mother's sister's home with no more explanation than a letter explaining how her sister died and they needed to take care of me. Admittedly I was an unexpected burden on them, but that doesn't excuse them for the 12 years of abuse and neglect after that. The whole family absolutely hates magic and me." As proof of this, Aster lifted her sleeves, revealing burn scars from a swinging frying pan.
Andromeda's eyes grew wide as the tale continued to unfold. Unbidden, the memories of that night, and the celebrations thereafter came to mind. It saddened her greatly that this lovely young girl, who had single-handedly freed them from the terror, had slipped from their notices and carelessly left in the last place any child should be placed. While Andromeda was well aware of the faults of Hogwarts Headmaster, she didn't think even he was foolish enough to leave a toddler, who could have easily toddled away, on a doorstep with only a letter to explain the tragedy that befell the girl's family.
Aster moved on to the strange occurrences that happened in her first two years, leaving the diary and Marvolo still secret. "Let's just say, I don't think that Dumbledore has my best interests at heart, not as a headmaster or my Keeper." And finally, she got to his visit with Gringotts and what she learned there. Andromeda actually gasped when she laid the two Heir rings on the table between them.
"Are those really what I think they are?" she asked breathlessly.
"Yes. I am apparently the Heir of Gryffindor by blood and the Heir of Slytherin by magic. And of course the Potter Heir." Then she pulled out the inheritance scroll and unrolled it before her.
"Oh my, Miss Potter," she said as her eyes skimmed down the page. "You don't do anything by halves, do you?"
Aster gave her a wry smile. "Apparently not," she answered. "So now, you can see that I desperately need your help."
Andromeda looked troubled. "This is far beyond the scope of our lessons in politics," she admitted.
"I know," Aster sighed. "I probably need a financial adviser, a political adviser, a solicitor..."
"Actually, I am a solicitor," Andromeda interrupted. "That is what I do for a living."
"Really? I didn't know that," she admitted, surprised. "A very trusted friend of mine just suggested you as a good candidate to teach me politics."
Andromeda nodded, looking like she wanted to rub her hands gleefully, but she was far too refined to. "Now this we can work with. As your lawyer, I can be of more help to you in an official capacity. Furthermore, I am one of the few lawyers who handle cross-muggle-wizard cases."
"You know, if I hire you, there's a good chance that you'd be facing Dumbledore too," the dark-haired girl warned.
"I'll consider it a challenge then," the elder woman replied, letting out a rather Slytherin smile. A little of her Black blood was peaking through. "Besides, it would be a pleasure to take him down a few pegs."
After that, they got to work. During these two days, they planned Aster's curriculum in a way that would get her top marks on her OWLs and how to best help her unique situation. The first step was to make Aster a more active participant in the politics of their world. Even though she was not yet of age, there were many things she could already start working on. She had to become more familiar with her family's investments and remind them that the Potter family was back in control. She also had to become aware of the going on's of both the School Board and the Wizengamot, both of which she held seats and voting rights.
By the time Aster flooed back to Hogwarts Sunday night, her head was spinning with all the things on her to-do list.
What did I get myself into!