Author's note:

So. It's 2:27 am, in danish time. I'm tired as hell, but i just finished writing this chapter and thought i might as well post it. It's really only one scene, but it's got a lot of Asteria's inner thoughts. It's kind of setting the stage for the next chapter, which i am very exited about.

Right. On another note, i may have accidentally given Asteria my hairstyle. Minus the natural hair-colour. But anyway i thought that if any if you wanted an idea of how her hair looks you could go on google, and search for: Scarlett Johanson, Dirty Blonde. It's a pretty good match as to what i was going for. And if you want an idea about Asteria's natural haircolour. simply search: Scarlett Johanson, dream in blonde. I came across those references a while ago and thought they fit pretty well. So i thought you might like to know :D


Dorm-room Worrying

Asteria sighed in frustration. She was looking at her reflection. She had been scowling at it for the better part of 30 minutes. The dying charm she'd used on her hair had started to wear off, and her hair was nearly back to it's natural white-blonde. But it was really the least of her worries.

Yaxley was turning out to be one of the most pestering blokes she'd ever met. She'd known him for years of course. But never had she actually had too be alone with him. Now that they were 'dating' she had to spend half of her time with him. Sometimes alone. And damn it, that bloke was exhausting. Asteria sighed heavily.

"Like I need any of this." she grumbled at herself.

The Carrows had begun to demonstrate how their new 'responsibilities' meaning their torture sessions, were going to play out. Asteria shuddered. They were using students as playthings. Made them torture their friends and house-mates. Well not house-mates. So far only Slytherins had, had the pleasure of administering a detention. Even in her head her voice was dripping with sarcasm, thought Asteria. Asteria was dreading the day where she'd have to go into the torture-chamber. She could hear the yelps and cries of pain from her dorm-room at night. She was only a fifth-year. But she was turning sixteen in a few weeks, and she couldn't escape the Carrows notice forever.

That in itself was a confession of huge proportions. Her plan was working relatively well. Especially given the fact, that she had no idea if it would actually last in the long run.

"I'm dodging the Carrows. Yaxley is my traitor-shield. . . . Why am I so nervous?" she whispered frantically to herself. Why am I thinking about him?

She growled slightly. Thoughts of Draco had been creeping their way into her mind recently. It had been a few weeks since she ended things. Or sort of ended things. Whichever it was.

Anyway she had found out that the only kind of useful Mathias was in the bedroom, was basically making her bed seem way to warm and sweaty. She had been avoiding sleeping with him as much as possible. Giving up the excuses Vega had been feeding her ever since third year. I'm not in the mood, or I don't want to seem cheap, even sometimes. . . No she couldn't even think the last one. But either way he bought it well enough. He was dumb as a door, so no surprise there. She snickered a bit.

But then there was Draco. She looked at herself with a critical look. She was fantasizing about him in class, she was looking at him at the table at dinner, she was getting more and more jealous every day, since he seemed to be tolerating Parkinson's presence. And the dreams, oh the bloody dreams. She hadn't even had wet dreams before now.

"Bloody git." she muttered.

"Terri, are you having a crisis or something?" yelled Vega from outside the door.

Asteria realized she had probably been in the bathroom for a while now. It was Saturday, but Vega was up, so it must have been at least 1 o'clock.

"I'll be right out." she called, and took a step back. She looked good, as always. Not like she could help it. . . yeah maybe she was a bit vain, but it never bothered her. The mirror was in a silver frame, like everything else in Slytherin House it was shaped like a snake.

She knew how she looked in that frame. Pure-blood, Greengrass, beautiful. The perfect Slytherin.

And she would be damned if she let this war get the better of her. With that thought she turned and opened the door. Nearly bumping into Vega who was about to knock.

"Hey no need to hit me." joked Asteria. Vega snorted and walked into the bathroom. Asteria flopped down on her bed and sighed.

"So what were you doing? I heard you mumbling." asked Vega from the bathroom. Asteria grabbed a pillow and shoved it over her face.

"Okay no answer, were you obsessing over your hair again?" she could practically hear the smirk in Vega's voice.

"I do not obsess over my hair." Said Asteria angrily.

"Yes you do. Mind you I don't get it. If I had hair your colour I would never dye it."

"Well you don't have my hair. And let's not forget what happened when you tried to bleach yours." Asteria smirked. Vega walked out of the bathroom, and stood with her hands on her hips, at the foot of Asteria's bed.

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean." she said in her most snobby voice.

"Oh, you don't remember discovering the yellow shades of hair, or the orange, or the green after the orange or the. . ." the rest of her examples were muffled by Vega throwing herself at Asteria.

"Argh, get off you bitch!" shrieked Asteria, laughing.

"Then shut up you slut!" Vega yelled in the same laughing, high-pitched tone.

"Then get off!"

"Then stop laughing, Whore!"

"I hate too interrupt." Both girls darted up to find Alecto Carrow standing in the door of their dorm-room. Her eyebrows were raised in mocking surprise. It wasn't very often you found to Pure-blooded girls yelling insults at each other. Let alone while laughing. Which is exactly why they did it.

"Ehm, Professor, of course not." said Vega speedily, as she got up from Asteria's bed. Asteria herself remained on the bed. But sat up.

"Miss Rosier I need to have a word with you in private." Vega sank loudly, and Asteria's eyes darted over to her friend. Vega was getting more and more nervous each time she encountered one of the Carrows. Asteria found it odd and slightly unnerving. Vega never got nervous.

Vega nodded and the Carrow turned to leave. With a quick look at Asteria, Vega followed her. Asteria sank back and frowned.

Then she remembered her more pressing issues and once again brought the pillow up to her face.

"Terri." she looked up from the green silk to find Daphne standing where Alecto had stood only minutes before.

"Oh hi Daph." she said and settled the pillow behind her head.

Daphne closed the door and walked over to Asteria's bed. Sitting herself elegantly on the edge of it.

"What was Alecto doing in here?" Daphne asked. Asteria was looking blankly at the ceiling above her bed, but she knew Daphne looked concerned.

"She asked to talk to Vega." she said simply.

"I'm worried." at those words Asteria turned her gaze to her sister.

"I'm worried about you, and Theo." said Daphne seriously. Asteria didn't respond or encourage her sister to elaborate, but she did anyway.

"You've both been pulling away from me. It isn't like you. Or well it is, but not this much." Daphne looked at Asteria with a pained expression.

"He has the Mark, hasn't he?" she then asked. Asteria didn't respond at first, but then nodded slowly.

"I figured as much." said Daphne with a frown.

"I don't have it Daph." said Asteria quickly. She was surprised when Daphne snorted loudly.

"I know. As if father would let us anywhere near the Death-Eaters." She laid back with a sigh. Asteria however frowned.

"He cant control me forever, and you shouldn't let him control you. You're seventeen Daph, you ca do what you want." Daphne shut up from the bed again. Her messed up golden curls whirling around her face.

"Please Terri, promise me you wont take the Mark." she pleaded. Startling Asteria.

"Relax Daph, I wasn't going to. And I don't want to." she said in a dumbstruck tone. Daphne seemed to relax a bit at this.

"So what are you thinking about the holidays?" asked Daphne, suddenly changing the subject.

There were only two weeks until the end of term. Asteria had nearly forgotten about it.

"I don't know, it'll be like it normally is I suppose." she said.

"I don't think it will. There'll be Death-Eaters at every turn, and at the balls." Asteria couldn't care less about the bleeding balls.

"There were Death-Eaters at the functions this summer."

"Yeah, but this wont be like that. Now they're out in the open and all." Said Daphne, looking concerned.

"Of course not, what did you expect, everything to just be peachy?" Daphne gave her a hard look, and she rolled her eyes.

"Just please, don't start a fight with father." When she didn't say anything Daphne sat up and looked her square in the eye.

"Asteria Quinn Theodora Greengrass, promise me you wont start anything!" she said seriously. The use of her full name made Asteria sigh.

"Fine I promise." she said. At least not purposely, she added, but you never knew what her father might find offensive.

"So what shall we do about Christmas?" Daphne asked in a murmur.

"Well my idea was get drunk off our asses, but I didn't think you'd like that too much." said Asteria. Daphne gave her a look that clearly said. Don't-you-dare. And then got up to leave the room.

"I'll see you later at the meal." she said with her head held high.

"Whatever." said Asteria and picked up a book from her bedside table. She only read a few words before she remembered why she was frustrated. Draco. Fuck!

A/N:

So that's it for now. I'll be back soon with more. Hope you liked it, and the review button is nothing but your friend.

Also i just wanted to personally thank my reviewers:

Crazy's wat i aim 4, Karen, jjost26, snowflakebeautiful. You all are very sweet to have reviewed and i just thought i'd tell you that.