Book 2: Astoria Greengrass and the Haunt of Azkaban
Song rec: "Rainin'" by Sponge

Christmas morning started early for Astoria, for sleep had not agreed with her the whole night. After sitting in bed and contemplating the events of the ball, she decisively travelled to Rhiannon's door and rapped her fist against it. There was no response, so Astoria tried again. Rhiannon opened the door as though she had been awake long before and had simply ignored the first set of knocks. It was then that Astoria lost everything that she had planned to say. Rhiannon met her with equal silence. If either one of them would apologise, it might have relieved some of the apprehension, but neither felt they were guilty. It was more appropriate to communicate than to apologise.

"I had no idea," Astoria began. "I don't want to repeat myself, but please understand that I had no idea about your feelings."

Rhiannon did not respond.

"I didn't seek you after that exchange because I felt you would not want to talk."

"Yeah, same."

Even two words from Rhiannon felt relieving after Astoria endured the expression she was receiving from her.

"I'm sorry for hiding after that. It was a wreck of a night," Astoria said. "But I've done all my crying now, and I am here to listen to anything you need to say."

"Whaddaya think I'm gonna say?" Rhiannon asked aggressively.

"I think you really ought to say the rest of the things I don't know about you, since you're my best friend, and I don't think I could take another misunderstanding on this level," Astoria steadily responded.

"Think you know just about everything about me now," said Rhiannon.

"You resent me," Astoria said softly.

"No, I wish I did."

Astoria wished that it wouldn't be inappropriate to hug Rhiannon. A hug could have said more than these words, but it would also sting Rhiannon. Astoria stayed in place.

"I'm always tempted to make up for disagreements by giving gifts," she said quietly, almost to herself.

"I don't want your things. I don't want stuff," Rhiannon said frustratedly.

"No, you don't. And that is what makes you such a great friend. You aren't after me because of my family. You only wanted someone good for you. I was not good for you last night. I was bitter because of Philippe, too bitter to justify my behaviour toward you. Later, I found out that I broke your heart and still have no idea what to say. I feel horrible and I don't know what to say…"

"God, Astoria, don't get upset because you're straight. That's just weird," Rhiannon sighed.

"I'm not upset because I'm straight! I'm upset because we're quarrelling!" Astoria retorted. "And over something stupid like this! I want things to go back to normal. Is that selfish of me? To want the friend I've always had back?"

Rhiannon was merely staring at the floor.

"Well," Rhiannon said gradually, "we'll get back. But, I mean, it's, er… Well, let's say you're gonna have to make a better effort to hack me off, so it's, y'know, easier to not like you."

Rhiannon concluded with a nervous, choking laugh. It was a painful sound to hear.

"I spent two hours with Draco Malfoy last night after he caught me crying," Astoria said cooperatively.

"Well, that's a flying start!" Rhiannon hooted.

There were a few words about morning plans between the girls, but overall, Astoria left Rhiannon's door barely satisfied that anything would be okay. She stayed close to Rhiannon's side at breakfast as if Rhiannon was still there to support her when Philippe entered the room. Rhiannon mostly observed Astoria's actions at the table; sympathy was a scarce resource, and Astoria received hardly any. It made it difficult to be near Philippe. She felt like she was stuck between running away and throwing her food at him. He was able to act like Astoria did not exist. She wondered how much of his concentration that required. She thought she might say something to him before church, but decided to let him keep his guilt.

Astoria's relatives were parishioners of a disproportionately small church that could fit no extra people without an Undetectable Extension Charm. That Christmas morning, the charm had to be implemented to make room. Plenty of family members were there that morning to see Astoria inevitably tear up when that church music played. They always knew she was the "crying one" in the family. Rhiannon was unforgiving and kept staring at Astoria as her hymnal tears fell, but it later seemed that seeing Astoria acting so silly had softened Rhiannon.

Only after seeing a gift addressed to her from Philippe did Astoria realise that she had entirely forgotten to buy him a Christmas present. Bitterly, she thought to herself that it no longer mattered. She resolved to make no display of giving the still-wrapped present back to him. She merely left it under the Christmas tree. He was a re-gifter, she was sure. It didn't matter what the gift was, anyway, since clearly he had ideas about what her gift to him should have been.

Reaching for Rhiannon's messily-wrapped gift made Astoria nervous, for she felt that Rhiannon would resent her anew for taking the gift. The internal nervousness became a noticeable shivering when Astoria opened a jewellery box from Twilfitt and Tattings to find a fabulous moonstone necklace.

"Oh my…" Astoria said through panic. "Oh, Rhiannon, I can't… I simply can't."

"Do you like it?" Rhiannon asked quietly.

"It's beautiful, Rhiannon, but I cannot accept this gift… You must have paid twenty Galleons for this…"

Astoria was beside herself. Sturdily but quietly, she brought herself to say, "Rhiannon, I am not the girl you should give this to. Y-You bought this when—"

"I bought it when you were my best friend, and you still are my best friend. Whether or not I have the chance I thought I might have had before doesn't matter. I don't think no one else deserves jewellery outta me."

"Well, I certainly do not!" Astoria argued frantically.

"Stop your fussing," Rhiannon said offhandedly, reaching for a gift addressed to her. "I still want you to have it as a token of friendship."

The last word Rhiannon emphasised with humour, and it was the most assuring thing she had done yet. Rhiannon was ready to stop being angry at Astoria, and it was the best Christmas present Astoria would receive that day.

Rhiannon's favourite present had been a lengthy letter from Professor Lupin, who had not been able to write to her much at all since Umbridge took over, along with an assortment of festive Christmas chocolates. She walked all over the room as she read the letter. Eventually, Rhiannon returned to her spot to grab another gift addressed to her.

A Nimbus Two-Thousand One — perhaps the most coveted of presently marketed brooms — had been sent to her by none other than Professor Sinistra. Rhiannon remained still with the broom resting atop her knees for such a long time that Astoria encouraged her to stretch out her legs.

"This is a… Quidditch broom," Rhiannon said throatily.

"Well, obviously," Astoria laughed. "What a wonderful present!"

"Well, yeah."

"What's the matter, Rhi?"

"Oh, nothing. Acid reflux."

"We have potions in the cabinet…" Astoria offered.

"No, I just… I just never told her how much I liked Quidditch. I'm a little surprised."

"She must have figured it out."

"I can't see how."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"I mean, for Professor Sinistra, I just got a stupid book with chocolate fairy cakes on the cover. And she comes back at me with a Quidditch broom. I am officially a bad person."

"Oh, don't say such a thing. How were you to know that a teacher would get you a broomstick for Christmas, or any gift for that matter?"

"I don't know about this," Rhiannon said, gently brushing the bristles of her new broom. "Did you tell her I needed a broom?"

"No, our conversations are usually about nebulas and such."

Rhiannon shut her eyes.

"Well, I'll go fly, then!" she declared before bundling up for her chilly adventure.

After putting away her Christmas presents, Astoria watched Rhiannon soaring from inside the comfort of her warm room. Rhiannon was extremely adept for someone who had only the experience from her first-year Flying class; Professor Sinistra had certainly pinpointed an excellent present.

The next morning, Philippe left the estate along with Astoria's French relatives, but unlike them, she would not see him again. The two said nothing to each other upon departure, and it felt that as he left, something had been viciously stolen from Astoria. It was not Philippe, but merely the memory of whom she thought he was. Her heart aching, Astoria went back to the room in which Draco had rescued her on Christmas Eve. All of the boxes had been cleared out and donated, and without any piles surrounding her, Astoria felt peculiarly lonely in the empty room. When she was about to leave it, however, she met her mother in the doorway. Apparently the time had come for a private talk.

"Astoria, your father and I…"

The pause was unbearable. An opening like that could mean anything.

"Your father and I have decided to have Rhiannon stay with us for the summer."

The smile her mother forced felt as close to a physical burn as psychologically possible.

"How would you like that, dear?"

It was as though she was asking a child about nothing more than a prolonged sleepover. Certainly it was many a child's wish to have their best friend live with them. But didn't her mother know that Astoria wasn't stupid? The splendour that a little girl might have upon hearing that news was unreachable for Astoria, for the reasons why such an arrangement was necessary were ghastly. Rhiannon lived in terrible poverty, and her mother abused her. Astoria's true feeling about the situation was that they should have taken her in sooner. There was no other option since Mrs Malfoy's dire news had arrived at the estate. Astoria knew it was a rescue mission. Her mother might as well speak to her like an adult.

"I think it is a wise decision," Astoria said stiffly, "as a precaution."

Her mother's expression changed. She became forthright, and Astoria could tell that she was having difficulty with it. She usually censored everything for her children.

"You heard Narcissa and me, no?" she said shakily. "I thought I sensed you crying."

Astoria nodded, and avoided making eye contact with her own mother. Sometimes her "senses" were a bit too uncanny.

"Rhiannon will be safe here," Astoria's mother said quietly, bringing her into a hug.

Astoria tuned out the rest of the dialogue. She already knew that Rhiannon would be no safer than they would. When her mother left, Astoria walked into the drawing room where only a week before, she and Rhiannon had warmed their toes by the fire and thought excitedly about the Christmas banquet.

The door bells sounded when Astoria least expected any house guest, and with all of the freshly stirred fear in her, she shrieked in fright. The stupid noise of her scream caused Prissy the house-elf to shriek instead of answering the door, and after several moments of bedlam, Dimsie answered the door for a chilled witch who had arrived on broomstick.

"The Mistress will be with you soon indeed!" Dimsie piped and showed the stranger into the drawing room.

Astoria was paranoid, unsure if Dimsie was actually expecting the guest's arrival or if she was being ignorant at the price of the family's safety. Soon it became apparent that there was not a huge risk, for the witch began removing her winter garments and placed them in the hall closet as though she knew the place. Astoria knew she had seen the woman before. She must have been one of her parents' friends, for she was their age. Astoria always made a point of recognising even distant relatives, whom this woman was not. She had short, curly, dark brown hair, brown eyes, and large, but unpainted, lips. She was not much taller than Astoria but was holding herself much straighter at the moment.

"Goodness," the woman said to herself. "I barely recognised you without those little doll ringlets, Astoria. Has it really been three years since I last saw you?"

"Erm, well, I only grew my hair over the summer…" Astoria said dumbly as she was trying to think of events from three years prior.

"Well, if it was three years, then saying 'My, you've grown' would be quite a silly thing to do. One would certainly hope you had grown in that time, wouldn't one?"

"…Oh, yes."

"Ah, you don't remember me?" the witch inferred. "I, too, cut my hair. I couldn't seem to pull off the 'old lady with long hair' look. At least I can say that I tried."

The witch patted her hair reflectively before settling into a chair.

"Oh, right — I'm Mrs Tonks, dear. Does that ring a bell?"

"Why, I know you!" Astoria smiled. "You've come to our Vernal Feast before. How nice to have you here again, Madam. I believe Prissy will bring tea shortly…"

Instead of Prissy, Astoria's mother entered, carrying the tea and speaking in French, to which Mrs Tonks freely responded.

"Andromeda, my dear, it is lovely to have you here again."

"It's always lovely to be here, Estelle. How are Adam and Daphne?"

"They are both doing well. Adam recently resigned from his job — you know the Ministry these days — but he is content to work on projects here. Daphne will be taking her O.W.L.s this year, but it seems she does not care. How surprising. How are Edward and Nymphadora?"

"Ted has become involved with politics, if that tells you anything. Nymphadora is managing."

"Managing the dinner conversations about politics?" Astoria's mother lightly jested.

"Oh, yes, that too," Mrs Tonks nodded with matching solemn humour.

The tea was nearly gone before either of the ladies dared to say anything.

"Andromeda, I only wish that you were here under more pleasant circumstances. Astoria, you will have to leave. No listening in," Astoria's mother warned.

"Let her stay, Estelle," Mrs Tonks said before Astoria could even think to react. "She is a growing girl, and she is growing up in these times. She's entitled to know."

Astoria's mother paused and contemplated Mrs Tonks's words before saying sternly, "Astoria, how much do you know?"

Only then did Astoria realise who Mrs Tonks was and why she had showed up randomly on the twenty-sixth of December. This was what Mrs Malfoy had begged her mother to do — to warn Mrs Tonks, her sister, about You-Know-Who. When Mrs Tonks faced Astoria again, the girl could see in the woman's face that she had the same lips and cheekbones as Mrs Malfoy. This was the estranged sister, the sister whom Mrs Malfoy saw in Astoria when she saw Daphne in herself. Mrs Tonks was the sister whom Mrs Malfoy could not admit regretting losing. Mrs Tonks was the sister the Death Eaters were after.

"Well, I know enough," Astoria announced.

Astoria did not know how long her mother had spoken with Mrs Tonks. It felt like it had been hours, not including the time after Astoria quietly sneaked out of the room in distress. Mrs Ciel-Greengrass's imploring did not succeed. Mrs Tonks made it clear that she would not, that she could not, leave England with her family, as they intended to fight You-Know-Who as they had done before. That was not the answer Mrs Malfoy had wanted.

Astoria asked for a hug from Daphne that evening, and despite her apparent confusion, Daphne asked no questions about it.