Chapter 1 – The boy who forgot.
July 10th, 1989.
She used to be afraid of simpler things: an angry goblin's snarl when she held her mother's hand in Gringotts, not finishing her chores in the time her parents asked her to, her grandfather's slap when she disobeyed his requests, a spider crawling next to her bed at night. They were childish, almost humorous fears that a nine year old had. However, nothing had struck her more than the mansion deep within a forest of black mist and thick trees at the end of Wiltshire. The first time she visited, she felt her heart sink deep into her stomach. It felt something of a scary story she would see in one of her mother's old books. Her hands and knees were shaking as they approached the big wooden door that had two skulls next to a window, a candle dimly lighting inside the mouths. She felt a hand on her shoulder. Looking up, she saw her father offer her a smile in confidence.
"Don't be afraid, Astrid." He gave her chestnut colored locks a pat. "It's just for show." He winked.
The doors opened slowly to reveal an elf, the size of Astrid, gazing up at her parents. "Mr. Bonneux, sir." He bowed in front of the large frame of Bernard Bonneux, "Mrs. Bonneux." His body turned slightly towards the smaller framed woman known as Bella Bonneux, with blonde hair that resembled the sun's rays. He then took a bow in front of Astrid, and with a breath, he spoke. "Ms. Bonneux."
Astrid clocked her head to the side with an amused grin. No one had called her 'miss' before, she thought. Her family didn't prefer keeping magical creatures in their home. Her mother in particular found it degrading to the poor things. They were one of the rare, old pureblood families that had cut their ancestors' mind of thought as being put on a pedestal higher than every other magical creature or non pureblood family. Her thoughts disappeared once loud footsteps approached them. Soon enough, a tall man, with skin as pale as snow and hair longer than her mother's, had walked towards the door. With a growl, he kicked the small elf to the side before it could turn.
"You will move when the master approaches." He glared at the creature that was holding his hands close to his face, afraid of being stuck. Astrid moved slightly behind her father, frightened of the man. "Go and get the food preparations started." He ordered. Within a fraction of a second, the startled elf ran across the wide corridor, before disappearing into a room. The man then turned to Astrid and her parents, with a grin that looked more of a painful stretch of the lips than a smile.
"Bernard," he nodded towards the dark haired man that held an indifferent expression, shaking his hand. "Bella." he continued towards her mother, leaning closer to touch cheeks. His gaze lowered to the girl that was practically hiding in her father's cloak, and bent down. Astrid was wary; she clutched her father's leg as he came closer.
"You must be Astrid." He spoke in a monotone voice. "My name is Lucius." He reached for her small hand, shaking it lightly. "She's grown a lot since I've seen her last, Bernard." he spoke without breaking eye contact with the girl. A moment later, he stood straight.
"Well, the last time you saw her was at her first birthday, wasn't it?" her father scoffed, irritation deep in his voice.
Lucius laughed darkly, sweeping his hair on one side. "Ah, it's not my fault you decided to move back to France." He gestured towards a small corridor and began walking. They continued speaking while Astrid looked around. The rooms were dark, empty, and new. It smelled of wood, roses and something that she couldn't quite recognize. She spotted the elf she met a few minutes ago in a room, hurriedly placing plates and glasses on a large dining room table. It wasn't a normal house, she thought. She had never seen anything like it before. The ceiling was at least five heads higher than her father, who, she felt was the tallest man in the world. There were so many rooms, so many corridors. She wondered how long it took them to get from the bedroom to the toilets, knowing she had very little time and patience in the morning. This must've been a large family, maybe aunts and uncles, cousins and other relatives that lived here. Maybe other magical creatures like mermaids or centaurs, or maybe even giants, stayed here. Suddenly, she got very excited at the thought of seeing a fairytale creature that her mother read her about before bed.
"Astrid." She heard her name being called. Lucius had stopped in front of a closed door and turned to the girl. "Would you like to meet with my son, Draco?" he questioned, looking down at her with a very disinterested expression. His tone was low. "You couldn't possibly be interested in the business talk me and your parents are about to get into."
Astrid didn't think a lot before nodding slowly. This man scared her and she feared to be struck by a jinx if she wouldn't obey him. He reminded her of her own grandfather at times, except, much, much scarier. He forced out a smile again before snapping his fingers. A moment after, the elf that greeted them at the door rushed out of the room with a plate in his hand.
"Yes, sir?' he asked in a frightened whisper.
"Take this girl to Draco. He's out in the garden." He spoke sternly. "Make sure she gets there quick and easy, unless you want to feel a new hex on your forehead." She saw the elf's big eyes widen. Without another word, he stumbled to Astrid and nodded towards a door, as a gesture for her to follow. Astrid turned back to her parents who simply nodded in approval.
Lucius Malfoy didn't seem like a reasonable man.
"Come now, miss," said the elf in a shaky breath. They walked through a door that was the dining room she saw before, where another elf was busy setting up dishes of food in the middle of the large wooden table. Astrid didn't speak; she simply gazed around the room like a lost animal, amazed at the gold and silver in all forms and sizes from dishes to statues to window decorations and more. Royalties, fame and fortune were something her family taught her not to value. It seemed as though the opposite was said in this household.
"What is your name?" she timidly asked the creature next to her. She felt the elf stiffen at her words.
"Dobby must not speak to guests." He answered hurriedly, not looking at Astrid. She let out a soft giggle, hiding her grin with her hands.
"Nice to meet you, Dobby." She said politely. "I'm Astrid." She offered her hand as they moved across a long corridor. Dobby almost jumped into the wall, letting out a silent yell in horror. Astrid only furrowed her eyebrows.
"Dobby must not touch wizards." He spoke in a petrified tone but the words he'd utter seemed almost rehearsed.
Astrid's confusion turned into a realization of the stories that her parents had told her of wizards mistreating magical creatures as property, not worthy of touching or speaking to with kindness. "Oh." was her only response. The elf's pointed ears lowered near his shoulders when he moved forward.
"Come now, miss Bonneux. We must not be late."
Astrid didn't speak to Dobby the rest of their walk. She felt they had been roaming for a long time as they passed by strange rooms and wide corridors, big, ball room resembling open spaces until they had entered through a large glass door that led into a garden that must've been bigger than the house, she thought. Dobby pointed his finger at a tree, maybe ten meters from them. "Mr. Malfoy is there." He said. "Dobby must return to housework."
Astrid only nodded. She pitied the poor thing. Before she could turn to say thank you, he had disappeared. She took a few steps into the rock shaped path that led into a few different directions. Across from her was a large maze like bush corridor, from her left was a giant fountain with a snake shaped statue in the middle that spewed out water. On the right from her was an oak tree that was rested next to a bush when she spotted a few blonde hairs stick out. The garden was certainly something she had never seen before. Rows of flowers stuck next to the castle walls, around every tree and small patches were cut neatly on the rock floor where a few dozen roses sat.
The dim and dark look of the manor was gone. She wondered if the entrance had been bewitched, for any trolls or dark wizards would not be allowed to enter.
Her shoes made noises as she moved, kicking the tiny rocks left and right while she approached the tree. Then, a small head popped up. The boy, that she assumed to be Draco Malfoy, raised an eyebrow in wonder.
Astrid picked up her pace and a few steps after; she was in front of him. He stood a few centimeters shorter than her, with hair pushed back into his head. If it wasn't for the gloomy weather, she would swear the boy was almost bald. Her hand stuck out to him and she smiled. "I'm Astrid."
He waited a few seconds before responding. "Draco. Draco Malfoy."
~.~
July 25th, 1991.
Diagon Alley was busier than she's ever seen it. She remembered her mother taking her along when she was younger to get herself a new robe or her wand repaired. They have never really taken the time to shop around, and Astrid knew it was one of Draco's favorite places to have a go around. After the initial greeting two years ago, it seemed that both of them were inseparable. They had visited eachother's houses on an almost daily basis. Her parents grew fond of him, and so did Draco's. His father remained the timid, scowl faced man she met when she was nine and they did not exchange much between one another apart from the polite hello's and goodbye's. His mother, however, was quite taken with Astrid. She and her mother would make jokes about marrying them, as it was apparent to them that the two youngsters were quite the handsome pair. It was all well until Draco's 10th birthday.
For an odd reason, she wasn't invited to his party. It wasn't much fun, he told her, reminding that there were mostly older relatives chatting along or toddlers running through the countless corridors. Astrid was preparing his gift a week early. She had gotten him a snake shaped necklace the size of a knut, silver painted with the letter 'D' carved on the inside. A day before his birthday, an owl appeared during breakfast, holding a letter in its right talon. Astrid immediately recognized it was Lucius' owl and with a hop from her chair, rushed to snatch the paper.
Her mother watched as the excitement in her stare fired down with each passing word. By the end, she let the letter fall limply to the ground and she ran from the dining room. Bernard had just entered through the corridor when his daughter rushed past him with a cry.
"What's the matter—" he didn't finish his question. Astrid had already gotten up the stairs and slammed her bedroom door shut. With a puzzled look, he turned to his wife who was picking up the letter from the ground. "Belle, who's that from?"
"Luci—" she began speaking but slammed her mouth shut as she scanned the words. "Oh no." her gaze lifted to her husband. "She's not invited to Draco's birthday party." She voiced quietly. Confusion among other things went through the dark haired man's mind. With a step forward, he read over his wife's shoulder.
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Bonneux.
I am sorry to inform you that your invitation to Draco's birthday party has been terminated. You will not be permitted to enter the mansion from the hours of 18:00h to 21:00h. Draco sends his regards and thanks to Ms. Astrid Bonneux but does not wish for her presence.
Sincerely,
Lucius Abraxas Malfoy.
She never understood why Draco abruptly stopped communicating with her. Astrid looked through her memories, trying to puzzle up any possible mistake she's made, any comment she may have slipped, or an accidental push that sent him too far. But she couldn't. It wasn't a secret that they both fancied eachother, Draco even held her hand when they were passing by the maze in his garden two weeks before his birthday. He never admitted anything, nor did he verbally tell her his feelings. Lucius has always scolded him on his behavior, words that he'd speak or even things that he'd touch. Ever since he was a young boy, he was brought up on his father's principles and when Astrid interfered with her far less limited knowledge and experience, she became less and less likeable to him.
As Astrid pondered thought by thought, she didn't realize where she was heading and soon enough bumped her head into another body that was in front of her. She fell on her back with a light 'oomph'.
"Sorry, I didn't see you there." She heard a voice say.
"It's quite alright." Astrid looked for her hat that fell to the ground next to her. "I wasn't looking." Her gaze fell upon a boy that looked to be her age, with dark hair and green eyes trapped behind a pair of glasses. He held out his hand, helping Astrid to her feet. "Thank you." She smiled politely, patting the back of her robe so any dust would come off.
The boy opened his mouth to speak but a deeper, rougher voice spoke before he could. "Oi, Harry! Don't be runnin' alone now." Astrid's mouth fell open at the sight of the giant man rush towards the pair of them. "We must be headin'." He tapped Harry's shoulder, or more, his whole back with his humongous hand.
She smiled sweetly. "Nice meeting you, Harry."
The boy, Harry, nodded and turned to walk next to the giant that made his own pathway by the looks of his size. It wasn't long before she heard her mother's voice call for her. She looked through the large numbers of wizards and witches before spotting her mother in front of Flourish and Blotts. Quickly making her way through the crowd, she reached for the door that her mother held open. Before she could enter, however, she stopped before two feet. Her gaze moved upward before she spotted him. Lucius Malfoy. Belle locked stares with him, clearing her voice before speaking, "Hello Lucius."
"Good afternoon, Belle." Said the blonde, whose hair was cut neatly to the middle of his backside. "Astrid." He nodded towards the smaller girl, who had grown a lot more than he expected in just a year. A blonde haired boy with the exact shade as his father's appeared behind his cloak. He spotted her.
"Draco." She smiled widely at the shocked looking boy opposite of her.
"Come now, Draco." Said Lucius with his usual monotone voice. "We must be heading to get your robes." He pushed his son in front of him, harder than expected. Draco uttered a slight "ouch" as he passed by Astrid, not saying a word back to the girl he shared almost everything with just a year ago. Astrid stood at the entrance, not taking her eyes off the boy that had been her one and only good friend. She felt her mother give her a slight tap on the shoulder.
"Astrid. Do you have your letter with you?"
The girl nodded, as the excitement boggling inside her belly was replaced with a painful tug. She looked at the list of books, putting her finger on each word. "We need…" she trailed off as she counted. "Eight books."
The rest of the trip went pretty quickly. Astrid had forgotten about her encounter with Draco Malfoy, the familiar anticipation and excitement bursting through every part of her body as she bought book after book, her pointy hat, the telescope set, brass scales and everything else on the list of things she'd need for Hogwarts. Her mother kept a grin on her face as they approached a shop that read 'Eeylops Owl Emporium.'
Astrid felt her heartbeat quicken.
"Mum…" she said in an anticipated tone, looking at her smiling mother.
"You've always wished for one."
Astrid felt like she could scream. She didn't, however, knowing it'd cause a bit of a ruckus. Instead, she rushed to her mother and squeezed her sides, shouting countless "thank you's", even after they had entered the store and gotten her owl. Astrid had the complete freedom to choose her own, so she did. A barn owl. With its distinct heart shaped face paired with the gentlest and fluffy feathers, she stroked the back of its caramel colored wings with an ear-to-ear smile that didn't leave her face until they had stopped in front of a shop with gold letters that read: "Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C."
"You ready, dear?" asked Belle. She saw the familiar spark in her daughter's eyes, the one that she had when her parents took her to choose her wand. The bell echoed through the room as they entered the small shop that had piles of boxes topped on eachother until they rest at the ceiling. An old man with pale grey eyes that startled Astrid appeared in front of them with a nod.
"Hello." He said slowly.
He chatted along with Belle, remembering giving her wand when she first entered the shop. Astrid stood and watched as the two laughed at a memory she couldn't respond to. Instead, she had her stares fixed at the boxes of wands, impatiently wondering what hers could be.
Mr. Ollivander then turned to the girl and with a slightly bowed head, pointed at her hands. "Which is your wand arm?"
"Left."answered Astrid.
He moved from his desk to the girl with measuring tape, as it rose from her shoulders, down to her finger, from her wrist to her elbow, from her knee to her armpit and round her head. The tape measure moved on its own from her eyes to her nose, then to her toes and back to her forehead. She heard the snap of fingers as Mr. Ollivander beckoned the tape measure to return into its drawer.
"Ms. Bonneux, would you care giving this a go?" he asked, holding out a wand in his hand. "Ten inches, holly wood, with unicorn hair core." Astrid reached for the wand, and a second after, felt something twitch in her insides. "Try it." He said, motioning to a pot next to his desk.
She gave it a little swish and in an instant, the pot broke in half. Astrid's mouth fell open. She couldn't believe she had just done that.
"Ah, there we go." He clapped his hands together. "Interesting." He chuckled to himself. "The boy before you just chose a wand quite similar to his. In fact, they're related. The unicorn hair core is extracted from the same one." He walked back to his desk and bent forward to take a small box for the wand.
"Mr. Draco Malfoy, I believe it was."
~.~
Hogwarts Express.
Astrid stood at platform 9¾ with her mother, waiting for her father to take her cart inside the back of the train where only a few wizards had access to. Her mother had knelt before her, fixing the collar of her baby blue colored shirt nervously. She had her Hogwarts robes on, all black and long as requested. Bella detested the monotone shades. She took it upon herself to make her daughter wear some color under the dark robes. It felt more appropriate for an eleven year old. Astrid recognized the unsure expression and fussing. She was, after all, their only daughter and they had been so close while she was growing up. It was only natural that her mother was sad to see her leave.
"Alright, that's done." They heard Bernard's voice behind them. "Don't worry about your trunk, dear, it will be brought to your room as you arrive." He too knelt before her, offering a comforting smile to his wife. "Oh don't make that face, darling." His hand flew to her creamy skin, wiping a tear that had just run down Bella's cheek.
"Mum… what if I'm not a Ravenclaw?" Astrid asked, pulling at her fingers. She was nervous. She knew both of her parents were sorted into Ravenclaw, but she saw no wit, powerful knowledge or quick learning abilities in herself. She had lessons with her parents, she knew about the wizarding world and a few spells; she even had taken it upon herself to try and learn something from her books for the whole of August. But she knew that she wasn't qualified to be in that house.
Bella let her fingers run through her daughter's silky chestnut hair. "Oh my sweet," she tried a weak smile. "It doesn't matter. We were sorted for our abilities, you will too. You're much braver than we are, that might put you into Gryffindor." Astrid saw her father smile. "You're also a lot more resourceful and quick wittedly cunning than we ever were, you might get into Slytherin."
Astrid froze at the words. For as long as she knew, Draco's longest ambitions were to be put in Slytherin like his parents wanted, or more, expected him to. And he wasn't far off the list of requirements. Maybe it wasn't the brightest idea to be put in a house with a boy that seemed to forget her existence from his life with one quick letter.
Her father put a hand before both of them, taking their attention. "It doesn't matter, love." He looked at his daughter in a mixed expression of pride, sadness and excitement. Her chestnut locks had grown beyond her back and it framed the perfectly shaped face that had his icy blue eyes and her mother's gentle expression. "We'll be proud of you no matter where the Sorting Hat places you."
As if on cue, a whistle sounded. Both parents embraced their little girl in a tight grip, her mother stroking her hair one last time before kissing her on the cheek. "You remember to owl us, now." The tears running down her face didn't stop this time. "We expect a letter from Opal this evening."
After the initial goodbyes that took a good five more minutes than needed, Astrid hopped onto the train with her owl, Opal, in cage, passing by a few compartments. Most of them seemed full and some of them, very uninviting. She came to a halt when she peered over one, where a smug looking Draco Malfoy sat with two boys. They had their hands in a Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans packets, shoving their mouths with at least ten at once. Draco glared in disgust and she wondered if he voluntarily sat beside them.
His gaze snapped to the door when he saw Astrid. Suddenly, she felt anger bubble in her insides. Resentment. Disappointment. They were emotions that she wasn't familiar or comfortable with. Her foot tapped on the ground three times when she walked past the compartment, looking through the next doors, until she finally found an empty one. Settling Opal at the edge of the seat, she sat herself next to the cage as she scanned through the mothers, fathers, siblings and relatives waving their children off. The train began to move, she felt, and quickly stood to spot her parents. Her mother had a handkerchief in her hold, wiping another tear as he father held her by the shoulder.
"Bye!" she yelled through the glass but her parents couldn't hear her. They both stuck their hands as high as they could in the air, waving enthusiastically. It wasn't long before the Hogwarts Express sped up. Astrid hopped over to the opposite seat to wave at them until they were nowhere in sight.
She squinted her lids at the sound of yelling and felt a hard shove on her shoulder. Her eyes snapped open and she accustomed herself to the dark of the compartment. It was nightfall.
"Bloody hell, watch where you're putting that toad of yours, Longbottom!" she heard a thick accent speak in anger. A sandy haired boy with a few freckles on his nose reached for Astrid's confused frame. "Sorry there. My friend's a bit of a git."
Astrid rubbed her face tiredly, holding her hand to her mouth. "It's alright." She said mid-yawn. "I needed to wake up."
He chuckled whole-heartedly, "That right you are." He turned his knees to hers, reaching his hand out. "Seamus Finnigan." With a smile, Astrid took his hand in a firm handshake. She noted a drop of chocolate on his front tooth but chose to ignore it. "Astrid Bonneux."
She could see the fascination in Seamus' expression. "French, are ya?"
Astrid nodded shyly. Her surname always caused a bit of a stare in her direction. People seemed fascinated by her roots, especially since she was one of the oldest French families in the wizarding world. There was a look from the other two people sitting opposite of her and Seamus upon hearing her name.
"Don't they have—magic schools, in France?" she followed the voice that matched a round faced boy with front teeth that grew in the opposite direction, giving him a weirdly shaped look. His voice was eerie, he looked embarrassed to be speaking.
She offered a smile. "They do. But my mum's English. And I was born here."
"You're such a pillock, Longbottom." Seamus snapped. Astrid's mood changed at the sound of his tone. Strong laughter broke the silence when Seamus and the girl opposite of him started to giggle at the boy. His cheeks turned bright pink. Astrid pressed her lips in a line, not wanting to get involved in the name calling.
Seamus noticed the expression she held and quickly added, "Oh no, no. We're no bullies, Astrid." He defended quickly, giving the boy he called Longbottom a tap on the shoulder. "It's just a bit of banter. Right Neville?"
There was an uncomfortable nod from Neville. Astrid smiled at him again, hoping to boost some confidence in him.
"My name's Hannah." The girl with blonde pigtails spoke up, holding her hand out for Astrid to take, which she did. "This here's Neville Longbotto—"
"—Oi, look!" Seamus jumped suddenly, scaring Opal who was resting quietly in her cage. All three of them followed his direction. "The trees!" he continued. "It means we're getting close! Me mum told me about the dark trees before the train stops." His thick Irish accent made Astrid crack a smile at almost every word he said. And a second after, a voice echoed through the corridors.
"We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes time. Please leave your luggage on the train; it will be taken to the school separately."
The three new friends, or acquaintances, she met, quickly jumbled around to gather all the sweets and food that was left lying around the seats. Neville looked around anxiously and Astrid was beginning to think this was his normal state of being. He looked far too uneasy at every movement in the room. They all stood when they spotted the queue of people in the corridors.
Once escaping the dreadfully crowded tight space of the train, Astrid took it upon herself to inhale as deep as she could, taking her first breath near Hogwarts. She couldn't see much. The tall, older students had blocked her view from anything, not that there was much to look at. They stood on a platform that stretched across the width of the train and she could only smell the pine, willow, oak and a mix of flowers. The familiar butterflies in her stomach fluttered, and she heard an oddly familiar voice speak.
"Firs' years! Firs' years over here!"
She spotted the giant bearded man that she saw a month ago at Diagon Alley. Staring a little too long, she was pushed by a few students behind her that were eager to follow him as he waved his lamp around for direction. Seamus stood next to her, speaking of his stories and how excited he was to study at Hogwarts. Astrid didn't hear much, she only moved with the other students and nodded, trying to savor the moment for herself. Soon enough she spotted it. Hogwarts. She had ever seen anything like this castle, with towers and separate buildings all across. From her perspective, she could barely catch a glimpse of where it started and ended. There was a fleet of boats at the end of a lake that sparkled under the moonlight. She heard the giant speak again, reminding them that there were no more than four people allowed on the boat.
"Come, let's catch a boat!" Seamus took her hand and rushed past a gust of people, planting a foot in one of the boats. Before he could set himself, there was a slap on his boot. In the dim light, Astrid only saw a silhouette until the figure leaned into the lamp next to the pads.
Draco.
"Move it before I hex your leg." He snarled. Astrid flinched as she saw the resembling expression of Lucius plastered on his face. "This one's reserved." He hadn't spotted Astrid and she made sure to hide behind Seamus so he wouldn't pass a snap at her too.
Astrid tugged on his hand and moved towards one that had two girls sit by the front. "Blimey, what a git." She heard Seamus mutter.
~.~
Astrid didn't think she heard much of the welcome that a black haired witch was giving them before they entered the Great Hall. She couldn't be bothered to remember her name. Her mind was focused on worry that the Sorting Hat would place her in a house she didn't feel welcome in. Slythin was that house. Glancing at the sly looking kids at the end of the entrance that accompanied Draco like chicks to a hen, she could almost tell they were going to be picked before the hat had touched their heads. The flaming torches on the stone walls eliminated the place quite nicely and even if it was dark, and she hated the dark, she felt at peace.
"Now, form a line," the witch had returned after a few minutes of escape, beckoning towards the students, "and follow me."
As people were crowded one behind another, she slipped herself behind a bushy brown haired girl. She leaned back slightly, afraid that some sort of bug would attack her from the nest of hair. There was a tap on her shoulder. With a turn of her head, she was met with his icy blues, the same color as hers.
"Astrid, I—" before Draco could continue, he was pushed into her as the children started moving past a giant doorway. The stories of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry were beyond anything she could've imagined. From what she could gather of the Great Hall, they proved true. It truly was the most magical place she had ever seen. Thousands of lit candles floating in mid air and above it all, was the night sky that they had just seen outside. There were hundreds of students sitting on four long tables, the houses, she thought. A small step separated the students from another long, throne-like table where the professors and staff sat.
They were being watched by the rest of the school. Astrid suddenly felt very self conscious. Her fingers clung themselves on the tips of her curls as she tried to fluff them. The queue came to a halt when the green robed witch placed a four legged stool in front of the students where the pointy wizard's hat known as The Sorting Hat sat. The song that her mother told her about was sung by the odd looking hat a moment after, and she heard every word about the houses when her nerves practically bit into her skin.
"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted."
The witch called student after student as each and every one of them sat down. The hat engulfed most of their faces and she could hear whispering before they were allowed to move into their house. Cheers from every house erupted as they received a new batch of freshly talented children. Astrid smiled at the Ravenclaw table, remembering her mother's words where she and her father sat.
"Malfoy, Draco."
She didn't dare flinch. Draco moved along the path of students in a strut. Astrid thought he resembled a horse trotting in pride. A strange feeling of irritation ran through her body as she saw him. He sat down on the stool and before the hat could be lowered on his head, it shouted "Slytherin!"
She gulped the lump that was stuck in her throat. With a deviously proud smile, he walked towards the end of the room where he sat himself down to what looked to be a sixth or seventh year. The icy eyes locked hers again and his swagger-like smirk was frozen in an instant once she spotted him. She could tell he was uncomfortable, looking at her. Their gazing was cut short when her name was called.
"Bonneux, Astrid!"
All eyes were on her when she moved past the now small crowd of first years. Very briefly, she spotted the professors at the table that had their eyes fixed on her. When she was sat on the stool, she had a glimpse of a second to see the faces gaping into her when everything darkened. A small voice hummed in her ear.
"You're interesting." It spoke. "One to prove yourself and your pride, very loyal and hard working, quite the mind to go along with it. Very cunning and sly when you wish to be. I see a darker side in you too." It kept whispering 'hmm' in between lines. Astrid knew what that meant. She begged in her head 'anywhere but Slytherin.'
She heard the voice roar loudly to the whole hall.
"Gryffindor!"
She was met with the bright light of the candles a second after. With a smile and wobbly legs, she straightened herself into a posture that her mother taught her, walking towards the other end of the room where the Gryffindors sat. The bushy haired girl that stood in front of her had now comfortably accommodated herself next to Astrid, clapping when she made her way on the table. On the opposite end, her eyes were met with Draco's whose stare didn't leave her. She couldn't tell if he was indifferent to her sorting to Gryffindor, but he wasn't looking pleased either.
"Potter. Harry."
The room fell silent. Astrid's eyes averted to the first years, trying to take a glimpse at the infamous Harry Potter. There were stories about him, many stories. Her parents almost laughed when they first heard that someone could survive the killing curse. No one had ever lived through it. Her heart dropped when she spotted the same dark haired boy with the ugly looking glasses sit on the stool.
She had met Harry Potter.
"I met him on the train, you know." a bossy voice muttered in her ear. The bushy haired girl held a look of high and might, similar to the one she saw in Draco. "He's quite nice, very ignorant to the magic, as well."
Astrid cocked an eyebrow in confusion. "But he's Harry Potter."
"I know!" the girl's voice cracked at the sudden change of tone. "I thought the same. Turns out he's been living with muggles for eleven years. Poor thing didn't know what a chocolate frog was." Before Astrid had a chance to respond, the girl's hand flew near her face, almost hitting her with it. "I'm Hermione Grang—"
"Gryffindor!" interrupted the Sorting Hat in a loud shout. The whole of the table stood up, applauding and cheering as the famous 'Boy Who Lived' eagerly made his way to the table. The claps were louder than anyone else's, and a few people took his hand to shake it vigorously, when she heard "We got Potter!" yelled arrogantly by two ginger twins that were making faces towards the other tables.
Harry Potter sat opposite of Astrid Bonneux and their eyes met instantly when both of them smiled at eachother in greeting.
A/N: Hellooooo! I would like to welcome you all to this story. I promise this will pick up in the next chapter, I'm not exactly jumping at writing about pumpkin juice and Astrid's first Christmas back. There will be brief moments of meet between them so you can get the general idea of what's been happening but I'm going to make sure not to rush it too much. Anyways, hope you enjoyed it!
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor its characters. The work belongs to JK Rowling and I do not intend to copy or manipulate with the work. No copyright infringement intended.