Woohoo I got 3 reviews and 6 followers, so thanks guys!(: I'm happy to hear that those of you who reviewed weren't put off by Aster's appearance, and you're looking forward to seeing more, so here you guys go! I'm just as eager to post up more chapters as you are to read them(:
The Burrow
"ASTER!"
Laughing as she was sandwiched between the twins, Aster wrapped her arms around them both. Lifting her head up from the two chests that were trying to pop said head, she grinned. "Hey, Gred, Forge!"
Most people had a hard time telling the two apart, but Aster spent enough time with them both to know who was who. Before Harry, Ron, and Hermione came along – they were called the Golden Trio… well, not really; it was more like the Golden Box because Lee was always with them. But Lee could tell the twins apart too. It was the way they stood: George had a habit of leaning more on his right foot, while Fred leaned more on his left. And although most people claimed that the twins were identical in every way, Aster noticed that Fred's eyes were just a shade lighter than George's ocean blue. Today Fred was wearing a red shirt while George wore orange. She noticed that their hair seemed shaggier than usual too.
"Let the poor girl breathe," Mrs. Weasley tutted at her sons as they reluctantly pulled away from their best friend. Stepping in front of Aster, Mrs. Weasley pulled her into her own warm hug, "Hullo, dear."
"Hi, Mrs. Weasley," Aster smiled, allowing the motherly hug to engulf her. "Thank you for letting me stay here until school starts up again."
"Of course, dear, of course," Mrs. Weasley said, pulling away. Stepping back to get a better look at the girl she's met a handful of times, she shook her head at all the tattoos. "I see you got new ones."
Blushing shamefully, Aster nervously chuckled. "Well, Mrs. Cole wasn't in one day, and we have a new boy at the orphanage whose dad used to do tattoos. Jimmy's trying to learn, so I let him practice on me."
"You're already such a lovely girl," Mrs. Weasley frowned. "You don't need to be adding more things on you. Isn't that right, George?"
Fred snickered while George turned as red as his hair. "You're a girl?" he chose to say instead of whining that it wasn't fair that his mum turned to him instead of his twin; trying to keep up his joking attitude.
"What?" Aster gasped automatically flying her hands up to cup her slightly large sized breasts. "When did that happen? Mrs. Weasley, help me, I've turned into a girl."
Rolling her eyes, although she was smiling as well, Mrs. Weasley pointed her wand at the trunk on the floor. "Fred, George, show Aster to her room. She'll be staying in Bill and Charlie's old room."
Following her best friends up the stairs, Aster looked around the place. This wasn't her first time coming to the Burrow. Her first time had been the summer before her second year when Mrs. Cole wanted her out of the orphanage because it was 'Family Day' which meant that couples were coming from all over the world look at the kids. Since it was known that she was a witch, Aster made it clear she didn't want to be adopted – not when she was different, and wouldn't be with the families anyway. Fred and George told their mum how Aster had nowhere to go, and Mrs. Weasley was kind enough to allow her to stay at their house until it was time to return to the orphanage. It became a sort of tradition of theirs since then. This was, however, the first time she would be staying with them for two weeks. Stopping at a door on the third floor, Aster followed the twins and her trunk into the room.
"This is where Bill and Charlie used to sleep," Fred started explaining to her. "Mum was originally planning on having you share with Ginny, but we might have-"
"-sort of, explained that you've never had your own room before," George sheepishly added. For some reason he couldn't look at Aster, and chose to stare at the pale blue walls instead.
"Ginny wanted to share with you but, because of our statement, Mum owled Bill and Charlie and they both agreed that you could have their room while you're here."
"Besides, Hermione is coming sometime next week and she would most likely love bunking with Ginny."
Aster rolled her eyes and folded her arms over her chest; not noticing the way that George glanced at it before blushing again. "You two only did this because you've always wanted to snoop around your brothers' room, but they always threatened you two."
"Maybe," Fred smirked.
"Honestly," Aster tried to keep a serious face, but after a couple of seconds, she began to smirk as well. "Shut the door. Fred, you take the drawers; George, you take the beds; and I'll search the closet."
Chuckling, Fred opened his arms widely. "And this is why we love you."
Still blushing, George tried to shake away his mum's words. Why in Merlin's left saggy bollock, did she have to point out the fact that Aster was a female? They all knew she was a girl. They took to protecting her in the same sense that they protected Ginny, and now even Hermione… but did his mum have to point out that she was attractive looking? Sure, he might have thought about it before, but why did his mum have to mention it? And why call his name instead of Fred's. Fred is her best friend too. Hearing Fred call his name, George saw the curious gaze in his twin's eyes, before blushing again. After a quick glance at Aster who was now digging through the closet as if searching for diamonds, Fred nodded his head in an understanding way then turned back to the dressers. Shaking away all thoughts, George realized that the two beds were pushed against the two walls on opposite ends of the room. That just won't do, he smirked to himself.
"Brilliant!" Aster exclaimed once she saw that George pushed the two beds together in the center of the room to make it bigger. "And we could totally just use the fact that I've never had a big bed before, if your mum or brothers get upset at us."
"Nothing," George sighed. He had been hoping that when he pushed the two beds together there would at least be a pile of things hidden under each one, but the floors were clean.
Using his wand to mesh the two separate sheets to make one giant sheet, and the same with the comforters, Fred shook his head. "The dressers were clean too; only pieces of clothes that they left behind."
"Same as the closet," throwing herself down onto the bed, Aster sighed. She felt Fred and George both drop on each side of her as well. "I guess they must have thought you two would come in here searching despite their threats."
"Bloody prats!" George muttered beneath his breath.
Giggling at George's statement, Aster stared up at the pale blue ceiling. "Why pale blue?"
"It was an agreement between them both," Fred explained. "Bill likes dark blue, but Charlie likes the color white."
"White isn't a color."
"And Black is?"
"That's a horrible joke, George. I'm ashamed."
Snickering, Fred continued. "So they both agreed on combining the two colors, and they got pale blue."
"It's making me nauseous."
"Hold on," George said. Sitting up, he shouted, "MUM!"
After a short pause, the door opened up and Mrs. Weasley poked her head inside, "What is it, George? I'm trying to make lunch."
"The color of the room is making Aster nauseous. Can she change the walls for as long as she's here?" Fred asked.
Pouting her lips in a sympathetic way, Mrs. Weasley nodded her head. "Of course you can, dear. And I like what you did with the beds. Although a young lady doesn't belong lying between two males," she added as a side note, before turning and leaving.
The twins lifted their heads to stare at each other, while an open mouthed Aster continued to stare at the where the woman just left. After a couple of silent moments they all started to erupt into loud laughter. Aster used her wand to turn the pale blue walls into a light purple color while the twins rolled their eyes at her color choice. They should have known. Leaving the Quidditch posters hanging up where they were, Aster started to unpack her trunk; not wanting to live out of it for the next two weeks. It was a habit she had even at the orphanage. Fred and George both sat on the bed, watching her unpack and telling her all about their summer in Egypt, and pointing out how lucky she was that they just returned the night before.
Listening to them explain how lucky she was that they were actually home to invite her over, Aster suddenly remembered her reason for being there. Shutting the bedroom door once more, she stopped unpacking and moved to sit between them on the bed. "About that," she whispered, "Do you guys know why I'm here?"
"Dad came home last night and said something about somebody breaking out of Azkaban," George shrugged his shoulders, "Then Professor Dumbledore came over-"
"-but Mum kicked us out of the kitchen. Then this morning, Mum told us that you were coming to stay with us until school starts," Fred finished.
"So you guys don't know who escaped Azkaban then?" when they both shook their heads, Aster leaned in and softly said, "Sirius Black."
Fred and George both dropped their jaws. "What?"
"Professor Dumbledore told me that Sirius Black is a dangerous wizard, and that he knows the name of the orphanage I was placed into when he denied me, which is why they needed to get me out of there," Aster quietly explained.
"So, your uncle is probably out to kill you?" Fred questioned.
George ran his hands through his hair. "Bloody hell, Aster!"
Aster was proud to see the worry in her best friends' eyes as she told them about what Professor Dumbledore said. Everyone in Hogwarts knew she was the daughter of a Death Eater, because of her name, and they knew she was Draco's cousin because he tried to approach her one day, but it was only the purebloods or the half-bloods that were raised in the wizarding world who knew about her prisoner uncle. Fred, George, and Lee were the first three who didn't judge her because of it though. They met on the train ride to school in their first year, and they've been best friends ever since… which is why she told them the next part… "But there's more. You two have to promise me you won't tell anyone."
"What about Lee?"
Rolling her eyes at Fred's question, Aster said, "We'll tell him once we see him, but I mean nobody aside from our little box. You have to promise me!"
"I solemnly swear!" both brothers said instantly, while holding their wands in the air. It was their way of making a pinky promise. There was no Unbreakable Vow involved, but in their hearts it was just as deadly as the actual Unbreakable Vow… without actually being deadly.
Smiling at their secret vow, Aster told the twins everything. "I was pushing Lila, one of the kids at the orphanage, on the swings, when she pointed at a large black dog. It looked a bit like the grim."
"That isn't good," George interrupted, "Our uncle Bilius saw a grim once, and he died the next day. The grim is an omen, Aster."
"I know what a grim is, you bloody wanker," she told him. "But it wasn't a grim. That's the thing. It was an Animagus."
Fred gasped. "Are you sure?"
"I could smell the wizard blood in him," Aster nodded her head. "You know how it is when you guys can smell me or Lee?" when they both nodded their heads, she continued, "It was like that. I knew he was an Animagus, and not a large black dog."
"Which means he's un-registered," George said more to himself than out loud. "I don't remember seeing a large grim-like dog in the book of registered Animagis."
"Me neither," Fred added. "But how could you sense him? We can't even sense McGonagall, and we were with her every day."
"I don't know," Aster admitted with a shoulder shrug, "But it was an Animagus. But guys, that's not it. I approached him; telling him to leave, and he seemed shocked that I knew what he was."
"Which means he couldn't sense you…"
"Exactly."
"So, if he didn't end up outside the orphanage because he could sense another Animagus, what the hell was he doing there?"
"I think it was Sirius Black."
"What?"
"Blimey!"
"Are you sure?"
"Why didn't you tell Professor Dumbledore, or Mum?"
"Wait – why are you still alive, then?"
"That's my point," Aster sighed, relieved that George at least caught on to what she was saying. "It was weird, but when I approached him he seemed shocked. But then when I kept talking, you could see the sort of… err… pride, I guess? But then I threatened him. I threatened to turn him into Professor Dumbledore for being an illegal Animagus, and I told him to either turn himself so I could see who he was or to leave, and he left before I reached the count of three. If he wanted to kill me, why didn't he just do it? I didn't even have my wand on me, and I'm sure he knew that."
Fred tapped a finger against his chin, while George tried not to think too much about the fact that Aster was alone with a serial killer. "What makes you think it was Sirius Black?" he finally asked her.
"I…" she tried to think. Why did she think it was her uncle outside of the gate that morning? "I don't know," Aster sighed, "I mean, I didn't think it at first. I thought it was just a random wizard in the beginning, but then I got Professor Dumbledore's letter and it sort of all made sense afterwards. Sirius just escaped Azkaban, and nobody can find him or figure out how he did it; he knows the name of the orphanage I was taken to, and he's most likely going to hunt me down; and then there's a strange Animagus outside of the orphanage, watching me?"
George sighed and rubbed his face. "It makes sense."
"It does," Fred agreed, "So what do we do about it?"
After half an hour of trying to figure out what they could do with their new information, the twins and Aster ran downstairs for lunch. As both Fred and George teased Ron for gawking at their houseguest, like he always does, Aster waved politely at Ron but sat far away from him. The younger boy took to staring at her the way that Ginny took to staring at Harry. Unlike Harry though, Aster thought it was creepy instead of amusing. Snickering when she saw that Percy came bumbling down the stairs with his new Head Boy badge pinned to the front of his shirt, Aster piled her plate high with sandwiches. That was one of the things that made her and the twins perfect for each other – she had an appetite to match the Weasley males. She always blamed it on the fact that growing up in an orphanage limited her meals, but Lee teased her that it was because she seemed to be the triplet to the twins. Whereas Lee was constantly getting into trouble with them, it was Aster who stuck to them like glue.
"Hullo, Aster," Percy greeted in his most 'important' voice.
Flashing a smile, Aster nodded her head at him. "Hullo, Percy. I see you've made Head Boy this year. Congratulations!"
"Noooooo…" George cried out.
"Why would you get him started?" Fred whined into his own ham sandwich.
"Boys!" Mrs. Weasley hissed at them, "That is enough. Now, your brother is very proud of his accomplishment."
"I'm the first Head Boy in the Weasley family since Bill," Percy proudly announced to Aster.
"Wow," she said, feigning interest. "Congratulations."
"And I should be congratulating you," he said. Not noticing the way the twins frowned suspiciously at Aster who was now furiously shaking her head in his direction, Percy continued on, "I must admit I was shocked when I received the letter stating that you were made as Gryffindor's fifth year Prefect, but I-"
"You WHAT?!" both twins shouted at the same time.
Ron dropped the bite of turkey sandwich he was just about to take, and Ginny was squealing in excitement for Aster, but the said girl only glared at the curly red-haired boy she was plotting to kill in his sleep. "I knew you two would never let me hear the end of it," she sighed to the betrayed looking twins. "It's not that big of a deal."
"Not that big of a deal?" Percy sounded as if Aster just personally shot him in the face with an arrow. "Being made Prefect is a tremendous honor, and I don't know why Professor Dumbledore thoughtthat you of all people could hold the responsibilities, but-"
"Oi!" Fred glared at his older brother.
"Aster happens to be the top in our year," George added. "The top in our whole school, actually."
"Besides Hermione," Ron quickly added. "Aster is only a couple of marks behind Hermione."
"The point is," Fred glared at Ron for ruining their argument, "That Aster is the highest in our classes, and she hardly gets into much trouble anymore-"
"Yeah," George was still scowling at Percy, who was now trying to hide behind his cup of tea, "And she's more responsible than you are Percy. If a big headed prat like you can be a Prefect… then this job will be a piece of cake for our Aster."
"Boys!" Mrs. Weasley hissed at them again, before turning to her now red-faced son, "And honestly Percy, have some manners. I think that Aster is a wonderful choice for Prefect. We must celebrate."
"Oh no," Aster quickly turned to the matriarch who was now searching through the cabinets and muttering beneath her breath about cakes. "It really isn't that big of a deal, Mrs. Weasley. You mustn't go out of your way."
"Quiet!" Fred glared at her. "If Mum wants to bake a cake, then let her."
Giggling into her hands, Ginny looked up at Aster. "Why aren't you wearing your badge like Percy is?"
"Because she's not a git…" George muttered.
Snorting at George's response, Aster looked down at Ginny. "Err… I'm not stuck up enough to show off how important I am."
Ron snorted, causing tea to fly out of his nose, and Percy huffed in response. "Aster…"
"Sorry Mrs. Weasley," Aster grinned. Once Mrs. Weasley's back was turned to her again, she bumped her knuckles with Ginny's.
Percy ended up leaving the table to finish his lunch up in his room, and the twins started to pick on Ron for being weird; which left Aster and Ginny sort of alone. When Aster first started coming around the Weasley family, Ginny was only seven years old so she sort of took to the youngest Weasley like a sister; and she still did. The twins were extremely protective of the young girl, and Aster felt the same. She tried to look out for Ron as well, but it was hard to when his best friend was Harry Potter. She did have some sort of role for Hermione though – the younger witch took to her like an older sister. Hermione was an only child in the muggle world, and Aster grew up in an orphanage in the muggle world. They were both thrust into the magical world at only eleven years old, and they were both sort of forced to grow up at a young age. Hermione was constantly getting into trouble with the boys, and Aster had to defend herself for being a Black. Nobody cared that she didn't know anybody in her family – her dad was a Death Eater, so she obviously was going to become one as well.
Eating her lunch, Aster watched the way Ginny twitched at certain words. She felt bad for the young girl. Ginny only just started at Hogwarts, and she was already possessed by a diary. She and the twins tried to figure out was wrong with Ginny when she became paler than usual and her usually bright red hair sort of darkened, but it was only when Harry saved her from the Chamber of Secrets, did they learn the truth. She remembered the way the twins both cried when they found out what their baby sister had been put through, and even more so they all became determined to protect her. After all, she was the baby of the family.
"Hey, Mum," Ginny suddenly said, "When are we going to get our books for school?"
"Sometime this week," Mrs. Weasley replied; flipping the pages of a baking book. "Your father is going to try to take off from work to go with us."
"Hey, Gin," Aster said, "There's this new girl at the orphanage and her name is Ginerva."
Shuddering in disgust, Ginny frowned. "That poor child. I hope you changed her name for her."
"She prefers to be called Ginger," when everyone at the table gave her odd looks, Aster shrugged her shoulders. "She's blonde. So anyway, she's about nine years old and she couldn't sleep one night. So I decided to tell her a story."
Ginny's eyes widened in excitement, "Did you tell her Babbitty Rabbitty and Her Cackling Stump?"
"Err…"
"Or was it The Warlock's Hairy Heart?" questioned an eager Ron. Seeing the weird looks he was getting, he shrugged his shoulders, "I like that his heart is covered in hair and locked inside the dungeons."
"Erm… right…" shaking away the mental image that Ron just supplied her with, Aster looked back at Ginny. "No. I told her all about witches and wizards. Of course though, she thinks it's all just a fairytale, but I used you as the main person in the story."
Ginny's eyes lit up. "Really?" Aster nodded her head. "What did you tell her?"
"Well, once upon a time there was little girl named Ginny. She had long red hair, and big brown eyes, and freckles that covered most of her face. Ginny had six brothers, and she was the youngest. There was William who worked with mummies and goblins, there was Charles who worked with dragons, Periwinkle was once a boy but turned into a pig who could only say words that started with the letter P-" the twins and Ron started to laugh, and from the side of them they could hear a light chuckle coming from Mrs. Weasley as well, "Then there were the twins, Fredrick and Georgie Porgie (George snarled while Fred cackled) who were the clowns of their village, and then there was Ronald; the brother right above her."
"Georgie Porgie," George muttered.
"At least you're not Periwinkle the pig who can only say words with the letter P," Mrs. Weasley pointed out.
Sticking her tongue out at George, Aster continued. "One day, Ginny was at home with Ronald, Georgie Porgie, and Fredrick, and Periwinkle was up in his room rolling around in mud. Ronald was complaining that he was hungry, and the twins were trying to find a way to ensure that Ronald could never taste food again-"
"Oi!" Ron gasped in fear as his brothers immediately started to whisper with one another.
"-and Ginny was anxiously waiting for her parents to come home. You see, Ginny's family had a secret."
"What is it?" Ginny asked.
"They're witches and wizards!"
"You don't say," snorted Fred.
Aster glared at him. "The muggles don't know the stories are true," she reminded him. "And Ginger likes to hear stories about witches, so I figured to throw it in there."
"Sorry," he smirked. "Please continue…"
After a few more seconds of glaring at Fred, Aster looked back at Ginny. "Anyway… so Ginny was a witch. And she was the last one of her family to receive her magic, because it only came to them on their eleventh birthdays, and this – well, this was Ginny's eleventh birthday. So she was waiting for her parents to come home so they could go to Triangle Park where Ginny would receive her wand."
"Triangle Park?" snickered George.
"Shut it, Georgie Porgie," Ginny shouted at him, "I want to hear if I get my magical wand or not."
Laughing at the way Ginny shouted at his twin, Fred rolled his eyes, "Sorry to spoil it for you, Gin, but you do."
"Fredrick, Georgie Porgie!" Mrs. Weasley tried to scold them with a straight face, but the amusement shone in her eyes. "Hush up, and let Aster finish her story."
With tears in her eyes, Ginny jumped up from the table. "I don't want to hear it anymore. They ruined it for me. They spoiled the ending!"
With shamed looks, both Fred and George stood up from the table and ran after their sister who just ran out of the kitchen. "Hmm," Mrs. Weasley mused, "I haven't seen her pull the fake tears in three years."
"I remember the last time I saw her use it was when Charles wouldn't take her to Diagon Alley with him to meet his friends," Aster smirked. "Wasn't that the day that she came home from Diagon Alley with half of the sweetshop in her pockets?"
"Those tears always work," Ron sighed, shaking his head. The last time Ginny used those tears on him, he ended up giving her his last chocolate frog.
Mr. Weasley came home from work to find Aster using Charlie's old broom in a game of Quidditch. She and Ron had been placed against the twins, while Ginny helped her mum make the dinner. It wasn't that Mrs. Weasley needed the help, but Ginny mostly just wanted to eat the cake when her mum wasn't looking. After kissing his wife hullo, and helping Ginny sneak some of the frosting, Mr. Weasley walked outside to watch the Quidditch match for a while. He knew that his sons were brilliant Beaters on the Gryffindor team, but by the looks of it, Aster seemed to be beating them. Fred and George looked as if they were putting their all into the game, and Aster looked as if she were just casually toying with them, while Ron blocked all of their hits. It was obvious who was winning, even if the twins were to miraculously catch the snitch.
"Aster!" Mr. Weasley suddenly called out.
Pausing the game, Aster swooped down to Mr. Weasley. Still hanging a bit in the air, she smiled. "Yes, Mr. Weasley?"
"I need to talk to you for a bit," he told her. Looking past her confused face, he shouted at his sons to get ready for dinner, then he motioned for Aster to follow him towards the chicken coop. "Do you know why you're here, Aster?"
"Because my uncle escaped from Azkaban, and he's dangerous," she replied. Aster was confused. What was he trying to ask her?
"Yes… sort of…" sighing, Mr. Weasley ran a hand through his balding hair while helping chain up the Quidditch equipment. "Do you know why Sirius Black was sent to Azkaban?" when Aster shook her head, he said in a low voice, "Most people wouldn't want you to know this, but I feel that it's prudent you know the truth, Aster. Sirius was a follower of You-Know-Who. Everyone thought that he was on the light's side because he was placed into Gryffindor, and that-"
"But he hated my dad because my dad was a Death Eater," she interrupted. Scratching her arm – something she did when she was nervous – Aster said, "When Professor Dumbledore first approached me the week before my eleventh birthday he told me that when my dad died the Minister tried to give me to my uncle, but that he didn't want anything to do with me because he hated my dad for being a Death Eater."
"That's what we heard as well," Mr. Weasley sighed. Rubbing the balding spot on his head, he had a hard time looking into the pained face of the girl he took like a daughter, "But it was all just an act. Sirius was best friends with James Potter, and when James and Lily found out that You-Know-Who was going after them, they went into hiding. Sirius was placed as their secret keeper, but…"
Aster had fresh tears in her eyes while her mind pieced everything together before Mr. Weasley finished explaining it to her. "My uncle is the one who betrayed the Potters," she whispered in a low tone, "It's my uncle's fault that Harry's parents were killed."
"Try not to look at it like that, Aster. It isn't your fault that Sirius turned against his best friends. He fooled all of us. No one would have believed he was evil."
Using her hands to wipe away her tears, Aster stared at the ground. "Does Harry know?" she asked. "Does he know that my uncle is the reason his parents are dead?"
"No," Mr. Weasley sighed. "And he mustn't know. It would kill him."
Aster nodded her head in agreement. "Professor Dumbledore warned me that Sirius Black would be trying to kill me," she finally looked up and saw the weariness in the man's eyes. "Does this mean that he's going to try to kill Harry as well?"
"The Minister is more concerned about Harry than you at the moment. It seems that the Minister overheard him muttering something about 'he's at Hogwarts,' so we feel that 'he' means Harry."
"Then do all that you can to protect Harry."
"It doesn't mean that he won't come after you," Mr. Weasley sighed. "We don't know why he turned you away all those years ago, Aster, but we feel that he'll want you now."
Feeling her eyes darken while her blood pumped, Aster shook her head. "I'll be fine Mr. Weasley. If he turned the Potters in to Voldemort all those years ago, then he'll be wanting revenge on the one person who got in their way. If it's true and he was a spy for Voldemort, then he turned me away just to keep his pretenses. If anything he probably only wants to bring me into the Death Eaters," seeing the hesitation in Mr. Weasley's face, Aster softly smiled at him. "I'm not daft, Mr. Weasley, I would never go over to the dark side. But if I'm correct, then I'm safe for now. You and the rest of the adults just need to focus on protecting Harry."
Dinner was tense. Mrs. Weasley kept looking between her pale husband and the girl who wasn't eating. Aster tried to pretend that she was alright, but nobody believed her when she didn't bother to touch her food. Percy felt guilty for being a prat earlier in the day and tried to talk to her about the duties of being a Prefect, but nothing worked. Even when the twins managed to turn Ron blonde, Aster didn't even curl her lips into a slight chuckle. Suddenly feeling tired, Aster stood up and quietly excused herself then went back upstairs to the room she would be living in for the next two weeks.
Growing up in an orphanage, you get used to living in different places for short periods of time. The bed that you fall asleep in won't always be the bed you wake up in, and the house you call a home could be gone before bedtime. It was a tiring life, but it was the one thing that Aster loved Hogwarts for – nothing changed. Sure, they moved up to a new room each year, but she still had the same professors, the same lessons, the same friends, and the same colors. Hogwarts had a routine; one that she always believed would be there for her, but now… now, everything was going to change for her.
"Aster?"
Not bothering to lift her head up when she heard the door open, Aster wiped away her tears. "I'm fine, Fred."
There was the soft click to prove the door was shut, and then there was the soft padding of footsteps making their way across the room. "We heard Mum asking Dad what happened," George said from the side of her.
"He said something about the Minister," Fred added.
"What did Dad talk to you about?"
Sniffling, Aster didn't know when she started to cry. She could have sworn her eyes were dry when she came upstairs, but now everything was drenched in tears. Sitting up on the bed so she could lean against the wall, Aster shook her head at George. "Do you know why Sirius Black went to Azkaban?"
"You know we don't," then Fred gasped. "Did he kill your dad?"
"Oh, you mean the Death Eater brother that he pretended to hate so much?" Aster scoffed. Using the back of her hand so she could wipe away her remaining tears, Aster chose to stare at George instead of Fred. "Sirius Black betrayed the Potters to Voldemort. He was sentenced to Azkaban because he was the secret keeper to where the Potters were living, and because the day after the Potters were killed he was confronted by his other best friend Peter Pettigrew, and Sirius ended up killing Peter right in the middle of the day," George's arms were instantly wrapped around her, and Aster found herself breathing in the grassy scent of his shirt. When Fred's hand grabbed her hand in a comforting way, she heard herself bitterly saying, "Oh yeah, and he killed thirteen muggles that same day. When the Ministry found him he was laughing like a mad man."
Fred's eyes met George's, and they both nodded in unison. They wouldn't let Sirius Black anywhere near their best friend. "Don't worry, Aster," Fred told her, "We won't let him get you."
"It's not me I'm worried about," Aster shook her head. Pulling her face away from George's chest, but still allowing his arms to keep her feeling safe and protected, Aster looked at Fred. "Your dad told me that the Minister heard Sirius talking about finding Harry. He kept muttering 'he's at Hogwarts,' it isn't me he wants. He wants Harry. He wants revenge because Harry destroyed his precious master. We need to protect Harry."
Fred was scowling now. "The Ministry will protect Harry enough. Let me guess – the Minister isn't even worried about you!"
"I'm not a 'he,'" Aster shook her head. "I'm fine Fred, it's Harry who's not."
"Harry will be fine," George argued. "That's so bloody typical of the Ministry. It's like just because you're the daughter of a Death Eater they feel they don't need to protect you from another bloody Death Eater."
"And it's not like Harry knows anything," Fred scoffed. "He doesn't have to worry about looking over his shoulders every bloody second."
Shaking her head, Aster dropped her voice so low that Fred had to place his head against hers just so he could hear what she was saying. "But the Ministry doesn't know that he's an illegal Animagus."
George gasped. "That's right."
"He doesn't want to kill me. He wants to make me just like him. He wants to turn me into a Death Eater like him and my dad."
Fred started to shake his head. "That's why Dumbledore wants you with us. The Ministry probably wants to arrest you."
"They fear that Sirius is going to get to me, and that I'll end up killing Harry."
George opened his mouth to most likely curse the entire Ministry, but he was cut off when his mum opened the door. Looking at the scene on the bed, Mrs. Weasley cleared her throat. It was obvious by the look on her face that her husband just filled her in on everything that he told the young with and Mrs. Weasley was now beyond livid. Telling her sons to leave her and Aster alone, Mrs. Weasley locked the bedroom door behind her then placed a silencing spell on it. Once she reached the bed she had her arms wrapped tightly around the stunned girl. This was one thing Aster loved so much about Fred and George's family – they were a family!
"I'm not going to hurt Harry, Mrs. Weasley."
"Of course you aren't, dear."
"Mr. Weasley didn't tell me everything, but I know what the Ministry is thinking. They want to arrest me before Sirius can find me."
Sighing, Mrs. Weasley pulled away from Aster. "You really are too smart for your own good," when Aster responded with only a smile, Mrs. Weasley slightly smiled back. "Albus and Arthur fought for you; along with a few other people on our side. They won't arrest you, Aster."
"But they want to."
"Albus has promised to keep a close eye on you at Hogwarts this year," Mrs. Weasley nodded her head. "The Minister is just under a lot of pressure this year. This is the first breakout that Azkaban has ever had, and seeing as how the escapee has ties to both you and Harry, he's just scared."
"I look at Harry like a little fragile brother. I'm not going to hurt him."
"We know that, dear. We know you wouldn't hurt anyone."
"What would the Ministry do if they caught Sirius?" Aster suddenly asked the woman she took like a mother. "Would they send him back to Azkaban?"
Mrs. Weasley shook her head and sighed. "He would only find a way to escape again, wouldn't he? They would give him the Dementors' kiss."
"And once he's been kissed he could never talk again, right?"
"Of course not. Once you've been kissed by a Dementor you lose your soul. Your body still lives, but you're unable to think, move, or do anything; you're forced to constantly live the rest of your life haunted by your own memories," Mrs. Weasley shuddered, "It's a life I wouldn't wish even on him."
Aster nodded her head in agreement. "Thank you, Mrs. Weasley."
"For what, dear?"
"For letting me stay here every summer," she blushed. "And for letting me stay here now. I know it isn't easy to house the daughter of a Death Eater."
Instantly shaking her head, Mrs. Weasley pulled Aster into another tight embrace. "Don't talk like that, love. Of course you're welcome here. I only wish I could adopt you so you wouldn't have to go back to that awful orphanage, but Albus won't allow it," sighing, Mrs. Weasley finally stood up. "Go to sleep, dear. You've had a long day."
Aster laid in her bed, confused. There were so many thoughts in her mind. She needed to find Sirius Black before the Ministry did. If they found him, they would have his soul sucked out and she would never get the answers that she needed. She needs to know why he didn't want her. Why did he pretend to hate his brother for so long if he was on the same team as him? Why turn away a one year old baby girl when his brother requested he take care of her? Why turn against your best friend, and then openly kill another? Why is he trying to kill Harry? Why didn't he hurt her that day at the orphanage? How did he manage to escape Azkaban? Why did he side with Voldemort? What was her dad like?
There were so many questions that Aster had for the man who killed her friend's parents, but one thought was even stronger than that. If Peter Pettigrew was dead, why was his name on the Marauders Map for the past two years?
So yayy for long chapters? What do you guys think about her relationship with the twins, Mrs. Weasley, Ginny? Her and Percy? Ron's blushing around her? Please review! I really want to know your honest opinions on this story, especially since I'm focusing more on the twins and this OC than the original golden trio.
