Chapter 3: A House Divided
The ear of Jealousy heareth all things.
Wisdom of Solomon, The Bible.

Astra made her way to the Great Hall for dinner. When she got there she noticed the Sorting Hat and stool was already there. With a heavy heart she sat down at the Gryffindor table beside Harry and Ginny.
"What's up, Astra?" Harry asked. "Why so glum?"
"You'll see." Was all she said.
At that moment Dumbledore silenced the school. "We have a very special circumstance here today. We have a bright young man from a good and trusted family that is going to be joining our school today." Dumbledore said with his usual buoyancy "He is only seven but is as I said very bright and we have agreed to take him in early. Professor McGonagall, will you please bring him in?"
McGonagall entered leading Sarul to the stool.
"Hey, Astra? Isn't that your brother?" Ron asked.
"Yes."
"Sarulan Snape. Please sit on the stool and place the hat on your head." McGonagall said loudly.
Sarul sat on the stool as he was told and as soon as the hat touched his head he heard a voice in his ear.
Ahh. Now this is a true Snape. The voice said. I met your sister earlier but she doesn't seem like you. You are truly your father's son. So, I believe you should be in. . . .Slytherin The hat shouted.
A very audible "YES!" was heard from Severus. And if you happened to be at the Gryffindor table you would have heard Astra's groan.
"Huh?" Ron said in surprise. "I would have thought you would be placed in the same house."
"Not bloody likely!" Astra said huffily "Sarul is a jerk and belongs as far away from me as possible."
Ron gave the others a questioning look but they just shrugged and went back to their meal.
Astra turned to watch her brother at the Slytherin table having a grand old time with his classmates and Astra couldn't help but feel jealous. He was a Slytherin and a Snape. He would be accepted immediately, while Astra had to fight to be accepted in her dorms. It was not fair. First he got to be in her year at Hogwarts. Then, he got to be in Slytherin and accepted immediately. Astra excused herself and headed out of the Great Hall. She went outside and roamed the grounds while her mind wandered.
It's not fair! She thought bitterly. Why should Sarul have it that easy? Why is it all handed to him on a silver platter and I have to fight for it?
She kicked a rock that was in her path and bit back her tears of frustration.
"Astra?"
She whirled around with anger and hurt mixed into her face. Now was not the best time for her father to approach her.
"Astra honey. Your mother wants to speak with you." he said softly.
"Well I don't want to speak with her or you for that matter." She seethed. "Did you even consider how I would feel about this? Did you even care?" She was screaming now with her hands balled into fists and tears streaming down her face.
"Honey. . ." Severus sighed "It wasn't planned for Sarul to start this year but Dumbledore thought it would be better to start him now. Besides it wasn't for you to decide no matter how much it hurts you."
"Yes but I get the rotten end of everything, dad!" She said icily. "Sarul gets everything handed him on a silver platter, his friends, his house, everything; and all because he's your son! You're the head of Slytherin, he's in your house! While I," She sneered, "I'm in Gryffindor and because I am your daughter all of them are afraid to even sit beside me or accept me as a friend! I have to fight for what friends I might make. IT'S JUST NOT FAIR!" By now Astra's shouts had carried back to the school and students and staff alike had came out to see what the ruckus was.
"Lower your voice!" Snape growled angrilly.
"Did you even stop to consider how this would affect me?" She continued to shout at her father as if she hadn't heard him. "and here I was defending you to everyone that said one miserable word about you. You see I consider your feelings about everything father and you could not even consider asking me if I wanted Sarul in my year!"
That was enough of that! "Snape twenty points from Gryffindor and Detention all week!" He spat in anger.
"You really don't care do you?" She started to walk away and yelled out "Forgive me if I don't speak to you and mother for awhile!" She called back as she ran up the stairs to the entrance, passed everyone and to the Gryffindor tower. She said the password between sobs and ran to her room. Where she flung herself on her bed and cried herself to sleep.

Severus awoke from a bad nights sleep and roamed around the dungeon rooms that his family resided in. He was berating himself for not seeing what should have been obvious. Of course Astra would be mad for them letting Sarul in school so early. For they had not even asked her how she would feel. They just told her she had no choice. Frankly it wasn't even Severus's choice but he should of atleast gave her some time to get used to the idea instead of springing it on her.
She was also right that it would be hard for her to make friends because of him. He could not even fathom how it would be to be in her shoes. A Gryffindor and a Snape to boot? Circe! She must be hating life. He had seen at lunch how everyone had been rejecting her but had not made the realization of how bad it was until he had confronted her. She blew up at him with tears pouring down her tiny face. How he wanted to comfort her, cradle her like she was his baby girl again. But she wasn't his little baby any more, to cradle when she was that upset at him and Serena. Well, it wouldn't have been a wise choice but Merlin help him, he wanted to. "How could I have been so stupid?" He growled at himself. "How could I not see what this was going to do to her?"
Severus went to the kitchen to get some breakfast but it went to waste. He found he had no stomach or appetite at the moment. He had to make this up to Astra but how could he possibly mend a broken heart of this magnitude? She was hurt by her parents and that was the worst heartbreak he could think of. But how to mend it?

Astra awoke in her room, her face streaked with tears and her raven hair tangled. She went and got fresh robes and made her way to the bathroom. She passed many Gryffindor girls on her way. Some gave her smiles and others a wink. She wondered what on earth had possessed them. These were the same people that had shunned her yesterday, yet now, they were smiling at her instead of looking at her with contempt maybe they were a little sympathetic to her because of what happened between her family and her. She got to the bathroom and found Hermione and Ginny there talking.
"I feel terrible for Astra." Hermione said "She did fight hard with us yesterday defending her father and then they get her brother into school early."
"I think the worst of it is she has been treated poorly by us because of who her father is." Ginny added. "That was very unfair of us."
Astra listened to the two older Gryffindor girls, a smile forming on her face.
"Yeah, I agree Gin. We should have tried to be her friends from the start and instead we pushed her away all because of Snape." Hermione said as she combed her unruly hair into the tamed mane of curls she now had.
Astra cleared her throat and the girls turned.
"Oh, Astra!" Ginny said smiling. "We didn't hear you come in."
"Oh. Just got here." Astra said as she went to draw a bath.
"How are you this morning, Astra?" Hermione smiled.
"Doing alright I guess." She said shrugging her shoulders. Considering that fact my dad probably hates me and Sarul now knows I'm jealous of him, things couldn't be better. She thought bitterly but wisely said nothing.
She took her bath and when she emerged she noticed all the girls had vacated the room. A little saddened by having no one to talk to and the fact this was her first weekend at school. She had been hoping they might stick around and get to know her.
Sighing, she got dressed and headed out of the bathroom. Making her way down the empty corridor of the girl's dorms, she went down the stairs to the common room. She had her head hung low as she walked and didn't raise until she heard a huge group of people yell, "Surprise!"
Astra looked up in shock as she noticed every one of the Gryffindors was smiling at her. Above them was a huge banner that read: We're Sorry, Astra!
Tears welled in her eyes as one by one the Gryffindors came up to her and apologized themselves. All she could do was nod, she was speechless. Then Hermione spoke for the whole group.
"Astra, we're all terribly sorry for the way we treated you. You may be a Snape but you're also a Gryffindor and we should have accepted you from the start. We cannot tell you how truly sorry we are that we hurt you."
Everyone nodded.
"Th-thank you." Astra Stammered.
"If you ever have a problem or need a friend we will always be here." Harry said.
"Yeah, all of us." Ron said handing Astra a butterbeer.
Everyone lifted their butterbeer up high and yelled "All of us!"
Astra raised hers along with them and for the first time felt like she belonged.