A/N: Okay... I had to split up Chapter Thirteen because it was gettin' too damned long! Here's Chapter Fourteen to appease yer appetites! HA HA HA!

Good lord.... This thing was only supposed to be two chapters long. This is what I call getting carried away. ACK! I hope she doesn't sound like a Mary Sue! ::shivers at her worst nightmare:: By the way, how does one make a cannon character a Mary Sue or a Gary Stu, or what I lovingly call Gary Sue. These are creatures that are a cross between dear Gary and Mary.


Chapter Fourteen


After Christmas had gone, there was still time left for vacation. On the morning before The holidays were over, Astra woke up to hear someone opening the door to the girls dorm. She sat up and grabbed her wand.

A pale face peered in that looked oddly familiar. The man looked around the same age as Mr. Weasley. He grimaced at Astra and walked into the room. Astra put her wand back onto her nightstand and smiled up at him. He was frightfully tall.

"I hate being here..." she heard him mumble. "Can you tell me where my wayward son is, Miss?" He seemed to sneer at Astra with a sort of hatred.

"Are you Draco's dad?" Astra asked.

"Yes."

"He's right here, then!" she smiled up at him cheerfully. She pointed to the lump beside her. "Although he's doing an awfully good Rip Van Winkle impersonation."

"Draco!"

Everyone in the room sat bolt straight in their beds. Draco glanced bleerily at his father and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. "I hate female beds. They're way too fluffy." he yawned.

"As if there's a gender attached to sleepware." Astra said. Nevaeh coughed a laugh.

"Draco... I'm here on business... I thought I might visit you." Mr. Malfoy said quietly.

Draco lifted the covers up off of him and got out of bed. "Well... you'll have to wait until I get dressed."

"And me..." Astra mumbled to no one.

Everyone else flopped back onto their beds. Nevaeh sighed a good morning to Astra as she picked up her Weasley sweater and put it on. Draco put on a gray sweater this time, but wore a similar pair of tight blue jeans.

They both walked out of the dorm and walked down the stairs to the common room. Mr. Malfoy was sitting in front of the fire. Astra tied her black ribbon around her head as she followed Draco to the couch.

"Draco, son... Why are you fraternizing with Gryffindors? I thought I taught you better than this." Mr. Malfoy said quietly. He glanced at Astra and sneered at her again. His cold gray eyes made her remember that night in her fifth year. He had tried to tie her to a tree and her foot met with his face.

"It wasn't my choice, father... I got forced into it." Draco yawned as he sat down in front of the fire.

"You always have a choice in the matter, Draco. That was one of the first things I taught you."

"I was hit with a rubberband charm. Both of us were. We can't go five feet without snapping back like a rubberband." Draco yawned again.

"You could still have slept in the Slytherin boys dorm instead of this Gryffindor hellhole." Mr. Malfoy indicated all around him. "You are a Malfoy and with that name comes certain privalages and responsibilities."

"He's a human being and a teenage boy who can make choices on his own, not based on his family name." Astra said quietly.

Mr. Malfoy turned and glared at her. Then, he turned back to his son. "I take it, SHE forced you to sleep here."

"Yeah, I did... but I have a valid reason. If I had gone to Slytherin, I would be a target and I really don't appreciate that too much. At least here he doesn't need to fear being a target.."

"Was I talking to you, mudblood!" Mr. Malfoy growled at her. He turned back to his son. "I have heard grave news from my dear friend, Mr. Parkinson. He told me that you had told Pansy that you two were breaking up."

"I said no such thing, father."

"That's true, he barely said anything at all." Astra said quietly. Mr. Malfoy ignored her. "Though I do believe moaning is an opperative word here."

"She was accusing me of cheating with a Gryffindor. I merely corrected her and she raged at me. Nothing more." Draco said. His gray eyes seemed to have lost the coldness that Astra usually saw. The firelight danced in those silver orbs with amusment.

Astra absently played with the star locket pendent at her throat. The reflection off of the stone shone onto her glasses, letting her see a briliant red and gold dance.

Mr. Malfoy glared at Astra again. The red and gold glinted off of his eyes.

"Well... I assume that when this charm wears off, that you'll go straight to Pansy and appologize, am I correct?" Mr. Malfoy said flatly.

"Yes, father... I understand." Draco sighed.

Mr. Malfoy walked out of the common room and through the portrait hole. Astra walked over to Draco and sat down on the couch. "Understand what?"

"If I don't do what he says, he'll take away my allowance." Draco said gruffly.

"Oh goody... blackmail, eh? Such a KIND father to have. Makes me glad that I grew up in the family I did. Even with my antisocial sister." Astra said pulling her legs to her chest. She watched the fire dance in the darkness.

"What is your family like?"

Astra was taken aback. His voice rang so clearly that it sounded like someone had put reverb on it. Astra stared at him. He turned his gaze away from the fire a watched her, the fire illuminationg his face.

"M-my family...? What would you care about m--"

"I'm curious.... that's all." He straightened again, like he was uncomfortable asking.

"Well... there's my sister.... whom you've already met. She once told me that she sees people's futures when they get to close to her. That explains why she's such a pill about half the time." Astra smiled. "Though... she does have her normal moments. Like when she sees Kennedy."

"I don't have any siblings. I really wonder what my life would be like with a sister or brother to have to keep an eye on." Draco said. "What about your mother."

"My mom? Uh... I truely believe that elves aren't all knowing. Either that, or she's a throwback. She's ditzy as the day is long, but she's great really. I may complain about her from time to time, but she's really nice and sweet. I don't know about her fighting abilities, but I have heard a few stories from my grandmother about her protecting my father a few times."

"Your father? Tell me... where is he?" Draco prodded.

Astra turned quickly and grimaced. She didn't want to tell him about her father. She felt like Draco would make fun of her at the best opportunity. Like Harry had told her how he ridiculed him.

"You become awfully quiet when he's mentioned." Something like amusment played across Draco's features. "Is there something scandalous about him that you don't want anyone to know?"

"I figured you'd exploit me if I said anything." Astra said glummly. She rested her head on her knees and gazed into the fire.

Draco sighed and grimaced. "Oh all right... I solemnly swear that I'm not going to exploit you." He said in a huff.

Astra reguarded him a moment. She turned back to the fire and sighed. "My dad died when I was two. No one knows how. About the same time Voldemort was defeated the first time."

"Do you remember anything about him, oh mighty Harry-Potter-wannabe?"

Astra glared at him and Draco put up his hands in defeat. "Bits and peices, that's all. I remember him letting me sleep on his chest."

"That explains that one morning."

"And I remember playing horsie and things like that.... and I see..." Astra paused. She thought about that one dream she always saw. The one where she saw her father die. The one where Harry's father was screaming for him to run back. "Not much more than that, I'm afraid...." Astra said quickly.

While walking to breakfast, Astra stopped talk to Cho Chang, a pretty Ravenclaw seventh year. She was talking to Astra's younger cousin, Rachel. "Hey Cho... how are you?" Draco sighed behind Astra impatiently.

"I'm fine... I was just talking to your cousin here." Cho said cheerflly.

"I was just wondering if you were going to beat Gryffindor for the Quidditch cup." Astra smirked.

"Funny... I was wondering the same thing." Rachel said with a grin. "I'm on the team as a chaser."

"GREAT! Another Quidditch player in the family!" Astra shouted with glee.

Suddenly, Something brushed through her hair at the nape of her neck. Like a gentle breeze. She felt chilly air on her neck and not her hair swishing against it. Rachel and Cho both stared wide eyed at her. "Oh my God...." Rachel said fearfully.

Astra tenatively reached her hand to her hair. She felt from the top of her head to the ends. It ended too quickly. Cho squeaked. "Astra... something has happened to your hair!"

Astra ran to the nearest bathroom, dragging Draco behind her. Her heart beat in her elfin ears as she walked into the bathroom and stared into the mirror. Her hair in the back was incredibly short. It stuck out in every direction it could, reminding her of Harry's hair.

"M-my h-hair... my hair..." She stared into the mirror at her reflection. She loved her long hair. It made it look less like a disaster zone than it did when it was cut short.

Suddenly, she punched the mirror. It shattered where her fist made brutal contact with it. Tears formed in Astra's eyes as blood ran from her hand. She knew it was only the glass in the mirror that caused it.

"Astra? Astra?" came Draco's voice intoning on her murderous thoughts. She knew who it had been. She knew exactly who it was that did this to her.

"That jealous bitch...." she growled. "I'm gonna kill her!" She cried. Then, the rest of the mirror shattered and fell to the ground. It was as if she could cause damage just with her voice.

She stalked to the great hall and walked in. Her hand was dripping blood onto the ground from the cuts all over it. She walked to the Slytherin table, where Keau Cha was pointing at her and laughing.

Astra didn't hear sound. She only heard her own heart thumping in her ears. The voices in the hall were no longer important. The laughing was no longer important. Pansy was in front of her. She was tangible. She was smiling evilly at Astra.

Astra felt some tugging on her arms. She thought she heard Harry's voice telling her to come to the Gryffindor table. She thought she heard Professor Wizworth and McGonagall yelling at her.

Pansy stood up with her wand held at Astra's eye level. "Don't think you can ever get away with taking a girl's boyfriend." Pansy said. The pounding in Astra's ears grew louder. She felt like everything was going in slow motion.

"I never took him away from you, Pansy." Astra growled at her.

Pansy let out a growl and something shot out of her wand. Everything seemed to go at light speed. Astra dodged the strike. She shot back up and punched Pansy in the jaw. Pansy flew back. She hit the wall behind her.

"Oh my God! Oh my God! Somebody help!" Astra heard Keau Cha scream.

Astra stood up. She could barely feel the rest of her body. Nothing did as it should. Miss Snape growled at Dumbldore. "I told you she was a bad idea!"

Everything came in muffled noises... the shouting... Harry saying something... Astra fell back.... then.... everything went black.

Harry waited in the infirmary after they had brought Astra into it. Pansy as it turned out, was perfectly fine. She was just knocked out by the blow Astra had laid on her. She had only suffered a broken jaw, which Madame Pomfrey had fixed.

Astra laid on the bed next him, silent. Her hair reminded him of his as it sprouted in every direction it could find. Draco was not any place near, now. As it turned out, after Astra landed her blow on Pansy, Draco found out that the charm had worn off and he could move freely.

Astra moved slightly on the bed. Her silvery blonde hair in the front was as it had always been. Her bangs started moving as she opened her eyes. She breathed in deeply and sat up.

"Harry? Where am I?" she said in a groggy voice. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

"You broke her jaw." Harry stated.

She stopped and stared at him. "I did? Whoa... I barely remember it. I was working mainly on autopilot."

"I figured that. Professor Dumbledore asked me to give you a punishment, since I was watching and trying to stop you." Harry said solemnly. He thought he might as well make it less painful and hope that someone gave Pansy a harsher one.

"So... what's my punishment." Astra said.

"Let me think about it. But first..." Harry walked over to her bedside. "I ought to do something. Hermione taught me how to tranfigure hair."

Harry held up his wand to Astra's hair. He watched as it grew from wayward strands to wayward tresses. It grew until it was a little longer than shoulder length. "Oops... sorry about that. I didn't mean to make it that long."

"Nothing to worry about, Harry. Thank you!"

Harry smiled. "I wonder... what was it like to have to be around Draco all the time like that."

"Weird. He asked me about my family. He was actually nice to me every now and then." Astra shook her head to rid it of some of the stranger thoughts. "I ended up having to listen to Draco make out with Pansy."

"Oh grand! Just what I always wanted to imagine!" Harry mussed up Astra's hair. "Now I'm going to have to burn my brain!"

"Not before Ron does!"

"Or Hermione...."

"Actually, they'll be both a little busy, won't they." Astra grinned.

"Aren't they usually." Harry laughed.

"I wouldn't be surprised if they got caught in a classroom right about...."

There was a sudden screech coming from down the hall. Ginny ran past the infirmary down as Ron and Hermione ran after her. "Ginny! It's not what you think it is! We were just tying on pants!" Ron's voice rang clear.

"....now.."