Disclaimer- I do not own Harry Potter, I do however own my orginal character and or plot line differences from the wonderful Jk Rowling's work
Summery- Astraea Gemini Valance is a part of one of the oldest Pure-blood wizarding family's in Britain. Before she came to Hogwarts she thought her views were clear on the world around her. When she meets two trouble making twins her world gets flipped upside down and everything she thought she knew was a lie. She slowly discovers who she is, and what responsibility's she has that comes with it. Multiple possibitys for pairings please let me as the story goes on. Story begins before year 1.
Chapter 1
The day my world began to change
I gazed at the large scarlet train in front of me in wonder. My eyes scanning every last detail in sight. To say I was envoys of my brothers would be the biggest understatement of the century. Thanatos, who is the younger of the two, was eleven, which meant that he would be going into his first year at Hogwarts School of Witch Craft and Wizdery. Evander, on the other hand, was going into his third year as a member of the Slytherin house. So, it looked like I'd be alone for the better part of two years.
Growing up a pure-blood in the infamous Valence family my father had always made it quite clear of what was expected of us and would never put up with any nonsense or trouble making. We always had to dress nice (even in muggle clothing) and be on our best behavior. My mother was a bit more lenient than my father allowing us to behave like the children we were once and awhile. I learned from an early age that everything was about connections. My parents would never throw someone into my life unless it could benefit our family in some way or another. So other children to play with came few and far between. The only reoccurring visitor in my life was Draco Malfoy since our fathers had been close allies for a long time. So even though the boy was a year younger than me he was the closest thing to a friend I had.
Sighing a bit I tore my gaze away from the train to look up at my mother. Who, of course, was currently too worried to notice she was cutting off all the of the blood circulation in my hand. Although her face would never show it, since pure-bloods must always maintain an air of superioty about them.
She was honestly quite a pretty women, really. Not overly tall, standing at about 5'4. Her eyes were an ocean blue and her hair was dark red that tended to draw people's attention to her. The few faint freckles sprinkled across her small nose seemed oddly in place on her pale skin. She always wore a gentle smile that could warm even the coldest of hearts, even in what father said was the unworthiness of company. She truly in cased what was expected of pure-bloods in beauty and elegance.
"Mom, you do realize I'm only going to be gone for a couple of month's right? I'll be coming back for Christmas before you know it." Thano said in an effort to comfort her. "Besides it's not like your saying good-bye to all of us yet, you still got another 2 years left before you have to do that."
Thanatos had a type of boyish charm to him that only a carefree eleven year old could carry. His twinkling blue eyes and toothy carefree smile captured almost anyone who would stare to long. His faucal features held a shadow of my dad's sharp stern edges, but it tended to lean a bit more towards my mother when it came to the shape and size of his nose and ears. He was a well-built boy a bit tall for his age. And, much to my parent's dismay, his black hair always hung loosely over his face covering his purple eyes.
"I realize that but it doesn't change the fact that I'm going to miss you." She said pulling him into a tight hug and kissing him on the forehead.
Freeing himself of my mother's death grip he turned to me. "Do I get a good-bye or what?"
I on the other hand looked nothing like my mother and held most of my resemblance to my father. I had black hair that fell halfway down my back in long loose curl. My facial features were very soft but promint. I had nice small ears and a very cute nose. I had inherited the family eye colour quite uniquely giving my eyes quite a stunning look that left people staring. Instead of just being purple, like the rest of my family, they had hints of gray making them appear stormy. This was highlighted by the silver heart charm on my necklace I had since birth. Which, for some strange reason, I was never able to take off.
"No, because it's not good-bye." I reply like it's the most obvious thing in the world, "This is just simply a see you soon, good-byes are to final and leave no room for any sort of optimism."
"Is that so?" he replied with an amused smirk on his face. "Well I guess I'll see you soon my dear little sister." He said leaning down and giving me a small hug. When we parted I saw my older brother Evan walking towards for his well-known last minute good-byes.
Evander's looks were almost exactly identical to my father, only holding hints of his mother, who died in the first wizarding. His hair was dark brown with strong hints of red in it. And he had also inherited the family eyes strangely as his were mostly blue with small hints of purple in them. He had a strong athletic build that ,I'm almost completely positive, was thanks to the year he spent as a chaser on the Slytherin Qudditch team. And his facial features were quite chiselled, much like my father's, and seemed to give him a look of superiority. The only words I could find to completely define him would be handsome and aristocratic.
"I got so caught up talking with some friends I almost forgot to say good-bye. That'll never do as I can't ever forget to say good-bye to my lovely little sister now can I?"
Before my mother could take over with her normal worrisome talk I ran and jumped up onto Evan pulling him into a giant bear hug. I couldn't help but smile as he let me snuggle deeper into his embrace. "I'm going to miss you, again. Can't you please, just stay with me?"
He laughed with his normal deep chuckle as he put me down. "You know I can't do that Gemmy. But, I'd take you with me if I could."
"Sure, you would." I said huffing a bit then crossing my arms. "Someone who cares doesn't almost forget to say good-bye."
"I thought you said that there's no such thing as good-byes?" Thano added with an amused smirk on his face.
"As true as that may be its still rude not come say anything at all." I said rolling my eyes.
"Evan, Thano if you two don't hurry up and get on that train you're going to miss it." My mother pestered pushing them in the right direction.
"Don't forget to write me!" I called after them. "I expect to see Trident or Ruby at least once a week with my letters!"
They both turned around giving my one last wave before stepping onto the train. Only a few seconds later the train took off turning around the corner of platform 9 ¾ then out of sight.
"Mom?" I said speaking up after a few minutes of silence, "Can I go buy some more books?"
"Let me guess, your now planning to read the rest of the year away?"
"Maybe… I don't see anything else better to do." I paused "It's not like there's anyone I can really do anything with."
"That's not true, there is Draco." My mother said grabbing my head leading me towards the barrier. "But I suppose we could get more books and tutors to help you pass the time. You could learn a third language wouldn't that be fun?"
"Yes, I suppose it would be." By this time we reached the barrier where the remainder of the families were leaving. Among them was what looked to be a rather large family of rather good looking redheads? Two identical looking boys were running about well there mother, who had a very young girl attached to her hand yelled various things about behaving at them. And then there was the third boy who stood slightly off to the side reading a chudly canons magazine well stuffing chocolate in his face. The whole family all together had quite frankly interested me as seemed to have zoned out.
"Astraea Gemini Valance, would you please pay attention when I'm talking to you." My mother said huffing a bit.
"Yes sorry mother."
"If you were paying attention would of heard that I had decided we should Apparate home as I don't want to spend any more time in those muggle cars then I have to." She practically spat the word muggle as if it was garbage in her mouth. "Come on grab my arm." I nodded complying to her wishes as the familiar nauseating feeling of Apparating took over me.
We arrived outside of the gate of our castle like manor and were happily greeted by our personal house elf's seeing if they at all could be of service to us. Which at the moment was a no. The land surrounding our home was green and well-kept with two lovely gardens. We even had our own personal Qudditch pitch to play on due to the fact many of our ancestors loved to play our world's most popular game. A few were even professional qudditch players so it was safe to say the game was in our blood.
We walked hand and hand down the stone path to our front door my mother chatting ademtly to me about different things.
We were discussing my tutoring as we walked through the front door and into the main foveae of our home. To put it in simple words, most of our home was breath taking. We had a large marble staircase leading up to our largest upper floor. The floors were made of very high quality red oak.
My room was located in one of the few towers of the house. It was my little, well I guess big, sanctuary. The room itself was circular with high vaulted ceiling and a lovely large chandler hanging in the center. Off to the right side of the room was a deck that over looked most of the Castles property and the mountains around it. The walls were a deep purple with arch windows every metre or so surrounding the room. I had a King size bed with grand black bedframe with silver peddles gracefully falling down on the backboard. My bedsheets were made from the finest white silk with a faint little pattern towards the bottom. I loved my room and spent many hours sitting on my black and white loveseat reading various books. My favorites were always kept on my black oak bookshelves, which were stationed in between the windows.
"That would honestly be wonderful." I finally responded to my mother who, at the moment, was looking rather pleased with herself. "Now may I be excused to my room?"
"Yes you may. I'll send tricky up to fetch you when its dinner time." With a small nod I took off up the stairs.
It would be two months before anything eventful would happen again. I spent my time with my head in a book almost every day learning new subjects under my mother's guidance. True to her word we started making potions and I was learning a few new languages. So, when she came into the study one day telling me we going somewhere the last place I expected to find myself was Azkaban.
"Mom," I said as my voice slightly quivered, "Can we please leave now?"
Her gaze slightly softened as she turned to me. "You're munching on the chocolate like I told you to?" I nodded my head no longer trusting my voce to answer as we walked farther and farther past the rows of the screaming prisoners in Azkaban.
This was my first time coming here as far as I knew, seeing as Thano or Evan almost always came with father so I wouldn't have to. Since, it was the first time both of were at Hogwarts, that left me to step up in their place. I was just honestly happy it was my mother taking me to visit him instead of my father. Now that would have truly been a nightmare.
After a few minutes of wondering my mother finally stopped in front of a cell. Somewhere inside of the cell the prisoner sat, his hysterical laughs braking through the hollowed out screams of azacbian. Finally when his laughing died down he spoke, "Aldora, finally come to give your brother in law a visit, eh?" The man's taunting voice swept through the air like a serpents hiss.
"Yes, since it is my duty to do what my husband has asked of me." My mother's voice was stern showing that she did not want to be messed around with.
"Dora tell me what child did you bring with you?" An evil smirk was plastered on his corpse like face. "Did you bring the little girl I still have yet to meet her. Her names Astraea corr-" he paused for a moment when his eyes landed on me.
"Oh, what a surprise! She looks exactly that blood-traitor of ours. Quite fortunate as she was quite a pretty little thing. You'll have potential husbands lining up to the street corners." He smirked. "Let's hope you do not turn out the same as her though or I'll have to kill you." His eyes flashed like daggers. "Don't think I won't, that Blood-traitor was my sister and I killed her. You should have seen it she refused to move out of the way so I could kill that little brat of hers as well. Thought it would be more fun if I made her watch her child die first." He started laughing a bone chilling, insane laugh. "Couldn't have our blood being tainted now could I?"
Without thinking I slowly began backing away from the lunatic until I turned around and started running. I didn't stop until I reached the dead end of the long corridor. Panting heavily I curled up in a ball aggenst the cold wall trying to retreat into my thoughts. The walls felt like they were closing in on me as the disturbing figure of the demantors roamed up and down the halls.
"Athena?" A soft voice broke through. Swallowing the small lump in my throat I turned to look where the voice came from. But to my utter despair I could not find it and my fear took over me. Tears started falling silently down my face as I tried to hold in my gut wrenching sobs.
The voice from before spoke again as a man came out of the shadows at the back of his cell. It was clear that he was a ghost of his former self wither you knew him or not. He had a tall muscular build but was at the moment skin and bones. His face was slightly sunken but held shadows that established he had in fact once been quite handsome. If I had to bet, he was no older than 28. "Hey, hey, it's okay I'm not going to hurt you." His calming voice said carefully as he offered me a small sad smile. "Take a bite of your cholate, trust me you'll feel a bit better." Reluctantly I took a small bite and a tiny bit of warmth flooded back into to me.
"There you feel better now don't you?" I gave him a small nod. "What's a small child like you doing out here all alone anyways?"
I tired to bite back what was left of my fear as I attempted speak. "My- myy mo-other had to come here to to visit myy uncle and fatheer always ma-kes one of us come to vist him. My Broothers almost always comee so I don't have to butt both of them are now at Hogwarts now."
"Ah, I see." He sighed a bit. "Wher-"
"Astraea!" My mother's voice echoed through the corridor as I saw her run towards me a swoop me up into a hug. "Thank merlin, you're alright! You worried me half to death."
"Didd Uncle Hades mean what he said about killing me if I was a blood-traitor."
"Don't worry he's locked away in here for life and I would never, ever let that happen. I made a promise."
"Aladora?" The prisoner that was comforting me asked in an apprehensive tone. Mother turned her head in the direction the voice came from and her face broke into pure shock.
"Sirius?" Shock panged through me as I realized the man before me was responsible for the mass death of 13 muggles and one Peter Pettigrew. Though for some reason I was reluctant to believe it anymore. How can a man that's supposed to be so ruthless end up being so kind?
"Merlin what's it been? Nine years maybe?" she laughed a little bit. "You didn't do it did you?"
"No I didn't." his face flashed with anger. "They just threw me in her without even granting me a trial. I swear I'll kill that rat if I ever get my hands on him. He made me lose everything."
"Not everything." She said as I swear I saw her eyes flicker towards me. "You still have Remus. Although, unless you prove yourself innocent he will never forgive you. Rumor has it he's in traveling about taking any job he can thanks to his furry little problem."
"Don't even start, I am innocent." He said with a warning glare in his eye. "Wormtail betrayed all of us, Lily, James, Remus, me…" He paused for a second a look of pure pain spread across his face as the next name he said came out to soft to even hear. "He's not dead. That little rat is out there hiding right now. Where? I have no idea, but I know he would never dare show his face. Too much of a coward." I never knew someone could be heart broken and angry all at the same time but I learned that small truth as it was clearly displayed on his face.
Finding my voice somehow I finally spoke up, "So you were framed?"
A look of shock spread across his face as he seemed to look down finally noticing me again. As if choosing his words carefully he slowly said, "Yes I was, but that was a long time ago."
"I would have gotten you a trial if I could of." Mother sighed. "I can't though it would put her and my sons at risk. I've spent years making sure nothing would happen to them. I can't let it all go to waste now, not when I'm so close. My husband would kill me just for the mere thought of it."
Sirius glanced at me again. "You know it's slightly strange how she doesn't look a bit like you. She reminds me so much of-"
"Sirius I would like you to meet Astraea Gemini Valance." She said cutting him off. "Astraea this is Sirius Black an old friend of mine. I was two years ahead of him back when I went to Hogwarts."
"Nice to meet you," I said after taking a bight of my chocolate. "And thank-you for earlier. I don't know what came over me."
"I'd be worried if a little girl like you wasn't scared coming here. Most adults can barely even stand it." A small smile found its way to his lips as he turned to face my mother. "I see you kept with the family naming tradition."
"I did," she said nodding her head, "Someone told me it was very important that it remain the same."
He nodded his head in understanding at this comment. Of course, it shouldn't be a surprise since the Valence family have been naming their children after old Greek legends for generations. Traditions of course aren't easily ditched in pure-blooded circles.
His eyes met mine, "So tell me, how old are you?
"I'm 9 now, my birthday is in June so I have to wait a few months to turn 10."
"Ah ten so close yet so far from Hogwarts, I remember the age."
My mother interrupted before he could continue, "As lovely as it's been we have to go, I fear that the dementors may began to affect her more than what they already have."
"Of course, it was lovely meeting Astraea, I do hope you stop by sometime so we can discuss somethings."
I could see my mother starting to walk away as I sign I had to follow. But for some reason I stayed almost glued to my spot. I smiled at the man as I handed him one of my extra cholate bars. "I will so take care of yourself." With that I ran away to catch up with my mother. Little did I know I wouldn't be able to fulfill my promise, as I would no longer remember it for years to come.