A/N Reviews are much appreciated
Searing rays of yellow and gold flooded the room, prickling Astrid's skin as beams of light bled through the curtains framing her bed, an orange glow licking up the fabric. Astrid's eyes fluttered open, the heat tickling her skin as she propped herself up on her pillow, stretching her arms out as she stifled a yawn, her fingertips grazing the scratchy material of the ruby curtains. Peeling back the duvet, Astrid yanked the curtains open, letting the blazing light soak her crumpled sheets as she swung her bare legs over the edge of her bed. Sliding her feet into her slippers, Astrid tugged at the hem of her sleep shorts and rose to her feet, patting down her unruly hair. A creased square of parchment lay folded on her bedside cabinet and swiping it up, Astrid rubbed her bleary eyes, another yawn rising within her.
"Astrid, we decided to head down to breakfast early and after the night you had, we didn't want to wake you. Come find us around the grounds after you eat, okay? Love Angelina, Alicia and Katie." Astrid murmured, reading the note aloud as her eyes scanned the yellowing parchment. Tossing it aside, Astrid padded over to the window, bathing herself in golden light as she peered out at the Hogwarts grounds. The sun was beating down fiercely on the grass, with students littering the space as they lapped up the September sunshine, giggling as they lounged around, sprawled across blankets as they enjoyed the first Saturday back at school.
Retreating away from the window, Astrid took her time in getting dressed, sliding on a simple black pinafore over a crumpled white shirt as she considered her options for the day. She'd quickly disparaged the idea of rushing down to the Great Hall to catch up to her friends, opting to make the most of her alone time, soaking in the silence. She distractedly gazed out of the window, watching the students frolicking in the grass as she completed her look with her signature striped tights and army boots, both items being things she had taken to wearing years earlier as a form of rebellion against her uptight mother, who detested such clothing.
Twirling across the hardwood floor, her balance shaky, Astrid halted in front of the ornate mirror adorning the wall, rocking from side to side as she got caught in a dizzying sway. She raised a hand to her forehead, steadying herself as she massaged her temples.
Smooth. Real smooth.
Batting away the voice, her eyes flickered to the dusty mirror, scanning her appearance. It occurred to her that it was undeniable that her features were unmistakably that of a Black and as her gaze roamed her reflection, she found herself drinking in every detail; wild, raven curls, sprouting from her scalp and tumbling down her back in ringlets, framing her heart-shaped face; smooth, ivory skin, a faint scar marring the complexion as it ran from her nostril to her upper lip; wide, mischievous sapphire eyes, alive with electricity, beneath hooded lids, done up with smoky eye make-up, fringed with long, dark lashes, a smattering of freckles sprinkling the narrow bridge of her nose; the sculpted eyebrows, set in a defined arch; the petite, slender frame; the amused smirk – all of it screamed 'Black' to her.
Grabbing her satchel, Astrid scurried out of the room and bounded down the stairs into the Gryffindor common room to find it almost deserted, a lone fifth year student sat at a desk in the corner, mulling over his Charms homework. He glanced up, startled at the sound of her boots thumping against the floor as she hopped down from the last step, swinging her satchel over her shoulder. In a gesture of friendliness, she raised her hand in a wave and smiled warmly at the boy as she passed his desk, with him awkwardly returning the gesture, his cheeks flushing in embarrassment.
Astrid didn't run into any familiar students on her journey down to the Entrance Hall, with the corridors sparsely filled as most students filtered out into the broad daylight, enjoying the warm weather. A few Slytherin girls, led by Pansy Parkinson, were loitering in the Entrance Hall, hovering outside the doors to the Great Hall, and they all shot Astrid snide looks, sneering as she paused beside them, hesitating over whether or not to enter. Deciding against it, she detoured out of the open doors, casting a glare over her shoulder as she bounced down the cobbled steps, rays of sunlight igniting her skin as she scarpered down towards the lake, ignoring the glances being shot her way from other students as she descended the hill, her boots chopping through the emerald grass.
The area circling the lake was deserted, most students having been too lazy to venture much further than the grass surrounding the castle, when a panting Astrid reached the edge of the water, tossing her satchel down on the grass as she flopped down in the shade of a tree. Letting out a gasp of breath, Astrid closed her eyes, tipping her head back as a gentle breeze whispered through the leaves, the cool air tickling her face as she trailed her fingertips over the ground, twirling a blade of grass between her thumb and index finger. Stretching her legs out in front of her, she opened her eyes, shielding her face as she squinted in the sunshine, soaking in the sight of the lake. The dark, murky water glistened incandescently, rippling in swirling loops as the water shone brightly, reflecting the fierce golden orb that hung high above as it beat down on the lake. Warm globs of moisture bubbled at the surface, only to be popped by insects as they skated across the water's burning surface, a splashing trail swirling in their wake. A giant tentacle was jutting out of the water, ringlets rippling across the surface surrounding it as the tentacle flopped lazily over the edge of the lake, rolling around the grass as its slippery flesh sizzled in the heat. Hours passed, time ticking away as Astrid relaxed, unwinding in the late summer heat.
"Aye, aye, Black!" A familiar voice called, interrupting said relaxation, and Astrid whirled her head around to see two familiar red-heads jogging over to her, identical grins dominating their freckled faces.
"Ah, Mister Weasley and Mister Weasley, how lovely to see you," Astrid replied, a smile spreading across her face as the duo flopped down on either side of her.
"Why, Miss Black, I must say you look positively smashing this fine morning," Fred remarked.
"Absolutely ravishing." George chipped in.
Astrid giggled, "You two look rather dashing yourselves,"
"Well obviously, I do. Him, not so much." Fred responded, puffing out his chest and jerking a thumb towards his twin.
"Arrogant git." George grumbled, reaching over to give Fred a shove.
"Now, now boys, play nice." Astrid smirked, looking from face to face.
"Hear that, Freddie? You have to play nice," George grinned.
"Actually, Georgie, I believe she told you to play nice." Fred shot back, a matching grin spreading across his face.
"You two are insufferable," Astrid laughed, shaking her head.
"Now who has to play nice?" The twins replied in sync, smirking at her as she shook with laughter.
"Oh, sod off!" Astrid gave them both a playful punch on the arm as they all burst into fits of laughter.
"Astrid?" A female voice interrupted the good-natured laughter of the trio, and all three heads whipped up to see Angelina, Alicia and Katie stood a few feet away, having decided to take a stroll around the grounds.
"Oh, hi guys," Astrid waved, trying to hold back another wave of laughter as it fought its way up her throat.
"We were gonna come looking for you," Katie said, smiling warmly, "We're just heading up to the castle for lunch. Wanna join us?"
"I'm actually enjoying sitting here." Astrid shrugged apologetically, "Is it alright if I catch up to you in a bit?"
"Sure, of course that's okay! We'll see you up there then," Alicia replied cheerily.
"Yeah, we'll only be a minute or two." Astrid nodded, shooting them a winning smile to show that she wasn't avoiding them.
"Great!" Angelina chirped cheerfully, "See you then!"
Waving, the three girls retreated away from the lake, climbing the steep hill back towards the castle. The trio watched the three girls go, giggling and pushing each other as they went.
"Fred?" George shot his brother a pleading look, raising his eyebrows.
"Go," Fred chuckled, waving his twin away.
Grinning, George scrambled to his feet and shot his brother a thumbs up before dashing up the hill, following the girls.
"What was that about?" Astrid enquired, glancing at George's retreating back.
"He's got a thing for Angelina," Fred explained, his eyes also trained on the dot that was his brother, "He's desperate to ask her out, the sappy sod. But he feels bad about it, since last year she and I had a bit of a thing – she was my date to the Yule Ball. I don't really mind it though – she and I were a terrible match." He shrugged, glancing over at Astrid who was listening intently.
"Did Fred Weasley just answer a question seriously?" She mock-gasped, a smirk tugging at the corners of her lips.
"Shocking, right?" He laughed, smiling at her.
"Don't worry, your secret's safe with me." Astrid replied, returning the grin, "If anyone asks, I'll say you responded with a trick wand and a dungbomb. Some kind of elaborate prank that really knocked my socks off."
"Aha, that won't be necessary, nobody would even believe you if you told the truth." He grinned.
"Ah, fair point." Astrid giggled, "So why weren't you and Angelina a good match?"
Fred shrugged once again, looking out at the lake, "There was no chemistry." He paused, before chuckling, "Okay, there was some chemistry."
Astrid's face contorted as she made a disgusted face to signal that she certainly didn't want to hear about Fred's sexual escapades with her roommate.
Catching a glimpse of this face, Fred laughed heartily, "Any more questions, Miss Black?"
Astrid pondered this for a moment, looking up towards the sky, "Yeah, I've got another question for you. You were the one that kept being all weird and staring at me when I got here, weren't you?"
Fred chuckled, colour tingeing his freckled cheeks, "Would you believe me if you said that was George?"
Smirking, Astrid shook her head, "The 'sappy sod'? Nope. Wouldn't believe that for a second."
"It was worth a shot." Fred replied, ducking his head down to hide his flushed cheeks.
"So, why were you staring? Did I have something on my face? Did I have bad breath?" Astrid asked, shuffling closer to him and given him a playful nudge with her elbow.
"Ah, I've got to keep some mystery about me, Miss Black." Fred replied with ease, before jumping to his feet and offering Astrid his hand. "Now I believe people are expecting us for lunch. I'd hate for us to disappoint, my lady."
Smiling, Astrid slipped her hand into his, hoisting herself to her feet, "Why, we can't have that. Lead the way, kind sir."