Chapter 5: Padfoots journal
Happy the man, and happy alone, he who can call today his own, he who secure with in can say "tomorrow do thy worst, for I have lived today."
Astra left the great hall in a better mood then she had in a while. She had humiliated her brother in front of the whole school and she had the entire weekend to look forward to. She had started for the Gryffindor tower to retrieve her kitten for some leisure recreation when she heard her father's voice.
"Astra!" Snape shouted. Astra froze, and then tentatively turned to face her father.
"What in Merlin's name were you thinking? You told me that your intentions were good." He scolded. "Apparently I cannot trust you to do what you say you are going to do."
"Now daddy. I never said I wasn't going to prank him. I just said that my intentions were good." She smiled sweetly. "And at the time they were."
Snape gaped at her, and then went red in the face. "Well apparently we have a different definition of good intentions." He shouted.
"You don't need to shout daddy. I'm right here!" Astra snapped. Oh how he wanted to take her over his knee right now and giver her a good spanking. But he was a professor and no matter if she was his child or not he had to abide by the rules.
"Snape! 20 points from Gryffindor for talking back and detention for pranking." Snape said icily. "Now, the points I understand. But you can't prove it was me that did the pranking." She said bluntly.
"But you knew how to get to the Slytherin common room." Snape scolded. "True." Astra said calmly. "But I could have told any number of people that information, and they did the prank. All you have on me daddy is that I can't keep my mouth shut."
Snape glared at his daughter astonished at her cheek. "Tell me this daddy. How do you know that it wasn't Potter or the Weasly's?" she smiled sweetly.
"Because I know my daughter!" He spat.
"Right daddy. But right now I am your student and not your daughter, so you can't use that against me. Besides, mom would never let you use it against me." With that Astra spun around and stalked away.
"Bloody hell! I hate it when she's right." He muttered under his breath and stormed off to the dungeons.
Astra entered the Gryffindor common room and noticed that Harry, Ron and the others were huddled in a corner. Ron looked very upset, she was curious as to what was going on that she moved close enough to hear what they were saying.
"I tell you I heard it!" Ron growled. "I heard her ratting us out to her father on the prank!" Astra's anger flared. "For your information Ron, I did not rat you or anyone else out. My father knows it was me. But I told him 'how could you be sure it wasn't potter or the Weasly's?'."
Ron interrupted. "See! She admits it!" "Don't interrupt me Weasly!" Astra growled. "If you had stuck around, then you would have heard my father's response."
"You see Ron. I told you that there was more to it than that. Go on Astra." Hermione prompted. "My father's response was 'because I know my daughter.' But he is my professor in this and not my father." She said smugly.
Hermione grinned widely "So he can't use his personal knowledge." "Exactly." Astra smiled back. "And I told him just that. What Ron heard was me making a point in a battle of the wills."
Ron's mouth formed a silent 'o' and he blushed a brilliant shade of crimson. "Now, if you'll excuse me I have things to do." She said glaring at Ron. She chuckled inwardly and climbed the stairs to her dormitory room and briefly paused outside the door. For a moment she thought she might want to go back down and tell Ron off again but she decided against it and entered her room. She was glad that it was day time so she would not have to waste candles to get light. She looked for the familiar black and white ball of fluff that was Starla. She spotted her on the pillows. That seemed to be Starla's favorite place to sleep. Astra went toward her desk to finish her almost forgotten potions essay when she heard a creek in the floor.
'Now I don't remember my floor creaking.' Astra thought bewildered. She bent down to examine the floor boards and noticed one was loose.
'Now I know that it wasn't loose before.' She said mentally. Astra played with the loose floor boards bringing them up enough so that she could see underneath them. She saw a dust covered book under the boards. Picking it up, she pushed the boards back into place before turning her attention to the book. She looked down at the book and blew away the dust that had collected on the cover.
On the cover appeared the word: Padfoot. 'Padfoot?' she thought then mentally shrugged and sat down on her bed and opened the book.
September 1st, 1978
Well, here we are again. Another year about to start,
Another year to humiliate Snivellus. Since this will
also be our last year here it has to be the best. That is
why I am writing I am writing in this journal. This is
going to be the last year of the marauder's reign. Every
time we prank Snivellus I will put in this journal and
those of you lucky readers who get to have it passed
down to you? May you use these pranks to your own
advantage.
Padfoot.
Astra looked up thoughtfully.
'Who is this Padfoot?' she thought. 'And more importantly who is Snivellus and the marauders?' She had to find out more. She moved to the next entry.
September 12th, 1978
Wormtail and myself spotted Snivellus in the library
alone. You would think that by now he would have
tried to be with other's, but no. he was once again
alone and it was time to strike with our first prank
of the year. All four of us muttered a spell at him
and once they hit him he flew back. (snicker)
I know that I had hit him with a full body binding
Curse but the others? Well let me say that when
When we moved closer to examine him, he looked
Like a moldy tree with fur around the face. Not
Entirely the best looking combo but hey, what can
I say? You shouldn't be alone, you can never tell
When one of the marauders will be watching over
Your shoulder, waiting.
Padfoot.
If she had thought this next segment would have answered her questions she was sadly mistaken. It seemed to raise more questions than it answered. She looked through more and more of the segments but they never gave her a clue as to who these people are. And that frustrated her to the point that she thought she would explode. She had to know who these people were but who could she ask? Her father? No he was still peeved about her prank. It would not be in her best interests to show her face around him right now. Much less try and talk to him. But who? She continued to ponder this as the lunch bell rang. She headed distractedly to the great hall and sat down at her table. Or at least she had thought it was her table.
"Umm... aren't you at the wrong table?" a voice to her right said annoyed. Astra looked up in surprise as she realized that she had sat down at the Hufflepuff's table. She blushed furiously and muttered a quick apology as she hastily got up and went to the Gryffindor's table and sat down.
'What the devil is a Padfoot?' she kept repeating in her head. "Oy!" she felt someone bump her shoulder. "You ok?
"What the devil is a Padfoot?" she said distractedly "and who the devil is Snivellus?" "Where did you hear those names?" Harry hissed suspiciously
"Huh?" she turned to Harry. "Oh hi Harry, didn't see you there. What was that?" "I said where did you hear those names?"
"So their both names?" "You. Me. Private. Now!" Harry said and abruptly rose from the table and headed out of the great hall.
Astra followed. Hermione and Ron looked at each other, raised their eyebrows, and then quickly resumed eating.
Snape watched his daughter leave the great hall with Potter and thought. 'Oh no way in hell!'
As soon as they were out of earshot of the rest of the school Harry turned to her.
"Ok. Spill it!" he said abruptly. "What do you mean?" she said blinking in surprise.
"Where did you hear the names Padfoot and Snivellus?" he asked slowly as if speaking to a small child. "Well..." Astra said thoughtfully. "Why do you ask?"
"I asked you first!" he said impatiently. "Fine!" Astra said annoyed. "I'll tell you, But!" she shot him a warning glance. "I want your explanation when I'm done."
"Fair enough." He said as they continued to walk. "Well. I was in my room and Apon walking around I came on a loose floor board. I pulled it up and found a journal underneath. In this journal which happens to belong to this Padfoot fellow, he describes how he pranks this person named Snivellus. Well he and these marauders do. Anyway, that is where I heard those names.' She finished and looked at Harry with baited breath.
"Okay. That explains a good amount from you. And I suppose you are wanting my explanation now?" She nodded.
Harry sighed. "Ok. First things first. The marauders are Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs. Moony is Remus Lupin, Wormtail is Peter Pettigrew, Padfoot is Sirius Black, and Prongs was James Potter, my father."
Astra's look told him she understood. He went on "They were best friends in school and they were the biggest pranksters of all time, their most frequent victim was Snivellus. Whose true name was Severus Snape."
Harry watched her uncomfortably. "So your father and his friends picked on my father?" she asked a bit surprised. "Why?"
"Well. Honestly I don't know the true reason why they liked to do it but. They did." Harry said "The only excuse that I ever got from Sirius was and I quote 'because he exists'. Not much of an excuse I will admit but it was the only one he gave." He concluded.
"Ahh..." Astra said thoughtfully. She seemed deep in thought and Harry felt rather uncomfortable when she didn't say more.
"So?" Harry cleared his throat. "Shall we go back to lunch?" "No. I think I'll take a walk."
"Well. I'll just be going then." He said hastily and headed back in the direction of the great hall.
Harry entered the great hall and sat down by Ron.
"So Harry. Getting a bit chummy with that first year?" Ron asked suggestively. "Oh sod off Ron!" Harry said blushing furiously. "I just wanted to talk with her. That's all." "Uh-huh" Ron said amused "Sure you did."
"Well what would you do if you had heard the words, Padfoot and Snivellus?" Harry hissed annoyed. "Oh." Ron blushed suddenly very interested in his food. R
Astra continued to roam lost in her thoughts until she was rudely brought back by a cold voice behind her. "Well, if it isn't the Gryffindor traitor."
Astra whirled around. "What did you call me?" she asked icily. "You heard me, traitor." Draco drawled.
"Do you want me to hurt you, Malfoy?" Draco laughed "As if a first year could. Crabbe or Goyle could duel better than you." He mocked
"I never said I'd use magic." She scoffed. Draco raised an arrogant eyebrow. "You honestly think you could get one hit in?" he then glanced back at Crabbe and Goyle, when he nodded they surrounded Astra.
'Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.' Astra thought in fear.