After hours of clean up, Asteria sat in Charlie's lap outside, staring at the Black Lake. Draco and Harry sat next to them, curled up together to her left, and Ron and Hermione to her right, the sun was beginning to set all over again, and she finally felt at peace. She leaned her back against Charlie's chest, and let her head rest on his shoulder, looking at the sky.
"What now?" Of course, it would be Ronald who summed it all up in one question.
"Elegant, Weasley." Draco chuckled against Harry's shoulder.
"Well, I didn't expect to survive this long, so I have no idea." Harry supplied nonchalantly, and she watched Draco's eyes darken for a moment, before disappearing.
"McGonagall offered me a teaching position." Asteria supplied, thinking back to an hour ago when the new Headmistress offered her the position as the new DADA position or even Potions, as Professor Slughorn decided to return to his retirement.
"Are you gonna take it?" Hermione asked, and Asteria shrugged.
"Don't know yet. But probably, I don't really have any other plans."
"Shacklebolt offered me an immediate place in the Auror's department." Harry supplied.
"Aren't you done with fighting the bad guys, Harry?" Charlie asked, and Harry laughed.
"I might be, but I should probably finish school before I decide."
"McGonagall said we could all return without issue for our seventh year, said we'd just get a separate dorm probably with the rest of the returning seventh years." Draco supplied, looking at the lake. "I'll probably do that, mind you."
"What about afterward?" Ron asked, looking at her brother curiously.
"I don't want to fight or teach honestly." Draco supplied, looking curiously at Ron. "The Malfoy business isn't as lucrative as it looks, nor is it really useful in the scheme of things."
"What about a healer?" Hermione asked, and Draco looked thoughtful at the suggestion.
"I like that idea, Granger. Maybe."
"I think I'd like to go into something at the Ministry." Hermione supplied, and everyone laughed.
"Not surprising there, Granger. You'll be the next Minister of Magic in no time." Draco laughed as Harry nodded in agreement.
"But you'll all be returning for your last year?" Charlie asked, and received nods in response,
"What about you, Charlie? Gonna return to Romania?" Ron asked with a curious glance at Asteria, who had tensed up slightly.
"Probably not, McGonagall offered me a teaching position as well. Apparently, Hagrid wants to leave to travel some, and she needs a new Care of Magical Creatures professor." He supplied, kissing Asteria's shoulder softly, as she released the tension.
"I need to buy a new house," Asteria added, with a chuckle. "And of course, Harry, Draco you are welcome to live with me while you attend your final school year."
—-
It had been a week since the battle and Asteria was standing at the Ministry, watching Harry recount his story in the Forbidden Forest, requesting that her mother be cleared of all charges. She had assisted them in the Manor during their hunt, she had full-on lied to Voldemort about Harry being dead, and had protected him. She'd been shocked slightly when Harry had told her and Draco the story. But unlike her younger brother, she didn't know if she could hold out on hope. She sat in front of the entire Wizenagot, and watched Harry go over in explicit details, what happened in the forest, she flinched as he recounted the Killing Curse, his time in the space between, and how he came too, with Narcissa hunched over him, asking if her children lived. Kingsley sat at the head of the others, listening to the proceedings, as Asteria gripped her brother's hands. Harry stepped down, and returned to his seat beside Draco, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.
"All in favor of clearing, Narcissa Malfoy nee Black of charges?" Kingsley asked, and Asteria felt her breath hitch as she watched hands raise, she didn't think that Harry's testimony would actually do much, but it seemed, otherwise.
Narcissa Malfoy, you are being cleared of all charges, please follow Auror Duggan so he can return your wand and personal property." Kingsley supplied, before facing the front. "Auror Smith, please bring in the next one." Asteria stood, she didn't need to see any more convictions. Lucius was convicted at the beginning of the day. Sentenced to life in Azkaban, not chance at freedom. The old wizard took his punishment with a bow of his head and didn't struggle or fight as they carted him off. Neither her nor Draco reacted with the sentencing. Her exit was followed by her brother and Harry, she stood outside the large room and watched as Harry and Draco whispered to each other.
In the week since the battle, the three of them had stayed with the Weasley family, as Asteria hunted for a home. She had finally found one, about 6 kilometers away from Hogwarts. With her accepting the role as the new Potions Professor as well as the Head of House Slytherin, and Charlie accepting the teaching position as well, she felt being closer to the school was nice, considering Harry and Draco had decided to return to the school. She hadn't had to look for long, both McGonagall and Abe had made suggestions at where she could find something. The house she picked was large, closer to the size of a Manor, with more than enough room for everyone. She had loved the look of the house, decorated in a light grey and black trim on the outside, and full-sized windows, that let in plenty of natural light. The inside was decorated similarly to the outside, with light grey walls, but white trim, along each entryway. The home came fully stocked with furniture and a stocked large library. Draco and Harry already picked their room and decided to call the entire west wing theirs. Which Asteria had no issue with, as she had taken the east wing for herself. From her room, she could see the ocean near the Manor, and opening the window would let the sandy smell into her room, basking her in it. Charlie had returned to Romania to pack up all his belongings, and she wondered how things would play out concerning her mother.
She looked at the bright hall of the Ministry, Draco stood to the side, Harry's arm around his waist as they waited for Narcissa, Asteria herself stayed off to the side, looking at the wizards, returning nods from Auror's and officials, who passed them. She caught, out of the corner of her eye, her mother stepping up to the two seventeen-year-olds and watched as Draco hugged the older witch, and Harry bow, offering a kiss to her hand, showing manner's she didn't think he actually had. She glanced up at watched the Auror's as they took all the sentenced Death Eater's out, Lucius at the front, who glanced back at her. His face held no malice or anger, just a dejected look, he leaned down and whispered something to the Auror guiding them, who stopped and glanced at her. She pushed herself off the wall, and walked forward, her arms crossed over her chest.
"Everything okay here?" She asked, looking at the guard who nodded.
"He'd like to say something to you, Ms. Black." The guard supplied and she looked at the white-haired wizard.
"What is it, Lucius? I'm sure these gentlemen would like to get this over with." Asteria asked, feeling eyes on her.
"I'd like to apologize, Asteria." Lucius began, but Asteria held up her hand.
"I don't want to hear it, Lucius." She began, her grey eyes connecting with his. "You beat me constantly throughout my childhood, you shipped me off to hide me from everyone, you forced me into a tournament I wanted nothing to do with, that also almost killed me. You worshipped the creature who did try to kill me, who, mind you, almost succeeded." She tried to stop, even when she felt Harry's calm presence on her arm, but she was on a role.
"You attacked me in a hospital wing, you beat my best friend to death for disobeying you. And you STILL think a simple apology is going to make things better?" She shook her head. "Did you know Stan kidnapped me after Albus' murder? That for almost a year they kept me locked in a tomb, while I nearly froze and starved to death? That Draco was the one who found me, and I have barely had a chance to even process all of it?" Her voice cracked, "That after I was found, I began re-teaching myself with a new wand so that I could fight and defend the people who ACTUALLY cared about me?" Her body was shaking now, the pain of everything finally coming to a head as she stared in the eyes of her father.
"You were supposed to protect me, that's what a father does. You aren't supposed to make the pain worse." She watched the realization cross his face before he looked down. "You'll die in Azkaban, Lucius Malfoy, and only your choices made it so." Harry tugged on her arm, pulling her shaking body away from the prisoners, and Draco pulled her to his chest, Harry still at her back, guarding her against others.
"You may go." Harry offered, as both young men protected her from the world.