In your head they are fighting with their tanks and their bombs and their guns in your head they are dying. - Zombie, the cranberries.
Astra awoke the next morning with a feeling of dread. Something was going to happen today, but she couldn't be sure just what it was. All she knew for certain was that it was going to be really, really bad. She tried to shrug off her feeling but it would not leave her. She got dressed and making sure her wand was with her she made her way to the common room. Harry was awake and waiting for the others. He smiled at Astra as she entered the room.
"Morning Astra." he smiled then as he saw her clouded face he asked. "What's wrong?" "I don't know." She said perplexed. "I just have this feeling that something is going to happen today and it's not going to be good."
"Well, we are leaving the school today. Some of us to never return. Of course it's not going to be good!" Harry chuckled. "No, that's not it." She grumbled. "It's something else Harry. But I can't explain it."
At that moment the others came down from their dorm rooms. They all said their cheerful hellos and the group of Gryffindor's made their way to the great hall for their final meal at the castle. Astra ate gingerly as she was still feeling terribly troubled by the constant feeling of dread she had. She walked with her friends out to the carriages and got into one with Neville and Seamus. Even though she was going to floo to the orders headquarters later she wanted to say goodbye to her friends at the train. As they drew closer to the train Astra's feeling got worse. She started trembling as the students clamored out of the carriages and headed for the train. Astra stood with her friends and looked about. She watched as a group of masked and cloaked people came towards the students.
"Harry!" she gasped as she pointed at the Death eaters. Harry and the others took out their wands and started to order the students onto the train.
"Astra take cover!" Harry shouted as he and the others ran towards the Death eaters. Astra started for the train and stopped Malfoy's drawl. "Where's your body guards now?" he sneered Astra turned to face Malfoy.
"You know Malfoy. They're probably on their way home. But" Astra paused as she brought out her wand. "I don't really need them to whip your sorry but!"
"So confident Astra?" He laughed. "You know I am really going to enjoy watching you squirm."
"Malfoy, why are you here and what can I do to change that?"
Draco's sneer disappeared.
"Not so confident without your two dogs are you Malfoy?"
For the first time he looked about him and realized that Crabbe was locked into battle with Ron and Goyle with a Ravenclaw seventh year. Draco turned back to Astra and scoffed. "I don't need them to take care of you pest!"
"Well then show me Malfoy!" she grinned evilly. "Stop your yapping and fight!" With that Astra and Draco both took a battle stance. They stared at each other contemplating which one was going to attack first. Draco was the first to attack. He threw a curse at Astra which she nicely dodged and threw a curse back at him. He dodged her curse as well. They flung curses at each other more regularly and dodged their opponent's curses. They went on for what seemed hours to Astra when she got what she felt was a very lucky shot. She hit him with a full body binding curse and his whole body went rigid. He fell to the floor. Astra tried to catch her breath as she conjured up some ropes and tied up with them. After she was sure that he was securely restrained she looked up and surveyed the scene about her. She hadn't noticed when exactly the teachers had gotten there or when more of the death eaters had shown up but everyone that was capable of doing battle was doing just that. Then to her horror she saw him appear. He looked just as he had in her dream and that terrified her. She knew what he was here to do. He was here to kill Harry or die trying. Astra frantically searched for Harry in the fray. She spotted him as he was walking menacingly towards Voldemort. Astra watched as Voldemort smiled evilly at Harry and they started their battle. She searched for Ron and found him still in battle with Crabbe.
'Shouldn't he be done with Crabbe by now?' she thought. 'What in blazes is taking him so long to defeat that nimrod?' Astra walked up to Ron. "Hey uh, Ron?"
"NOT NOW!" he growled dodging a curse. "Yeah but Ron?"
"ASTRA NOT NOW!" She sighed and went as close to Crabbe as she dared and yelled. "PATRIFICUS TOTALUS!" Crabbe had no time to react as he hit the ground.
"What did you do that for?" Ron growled. "Because I was trying to tell you to let me handle this galoot and go help Harry!" she snapped at him.
"Harry?" Ron blinked at her. "Yeah! Voldemort just showed up and they're battling somewhere over there!" she pointed in the direction of the last place that she had seen Harry in.
Ron nodded at her and ran in the direction that she had told him. Astra conjured up more ropes and tied Crabbe up with and floated him to where she had Malfoy tied up. He had come to and started to yell at her as she approached.
"YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS!" he screamed. "WHEN THE LORD WINS I'LL ENJOY WATCHING YOU DIE!"
"If he wins Malfoy. If." She smiled sweetly. "And by the way. Didn't Sarul ever tell you that I don't play well with others Malfoy? It seems that they have a problem with losing." Astra laughed as she moved her two captives out of the line of fire. She had placed them in the locked compartment of the train and waited for some sign of what was happening.
Astra grew impatient as she heard commotion in the train's corridors. 'That's it!' she thought as she got up out of her seat and opened the compartments door. "OI!" she hollered to the students up the corridor. "Any of you lot know basic defense?"
A few nodded but one stepped out of the crowd. It was Kaden Mullett. He walked toward Astra smiling. "You need someone to watch those two?" he asked as he reached her.
"Yep." Astra smiled. "Think you can handle them?"
"piece of cake." Kade smiled. Astra raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. She nodded and turned to go back outside.
"Do you have their wands?" he asked. Astra nodded.
"Right then. Good luck Astra." he called to her retreating back. R Astra joined the fighting once again and found herself facing an actual death eater.
"Why don't you go home little girl and leave the fighting to adults." The death eater chuckled at her. "Why don't you make me?" she growled and raised her wand.
"You don't know what you're doing!" the death eater hissed. "This is serious." "Yeah well so am I!" she snapped back.
"Very well but when I am done with you you'll be crying home to mommy." "Don't bet on it!"
Astra threw a curse at the death eater which he dodged. He threw minor curses at her and watched her dodge all of them. With amusement growing in his eyes he threw harder curses. Astra dodged curses left and right but no matter how hard she tried she couldn't avoid being hit by one. She was hit with Expeliarmus and her wand flew out of her hands and fell to the floor. The death eater laughed cruelly and picked it up.
"Go home little girl." He said throwing her wand back at her. "You don't belong here." He turned his back on Astra and started to walk away. This was a very big mistake on his part. Before he knew what was happening to him he was hit with a full body binding curse. She knew that he was a more powerful wizard and her curse would not hold him for long so she quickly conjured up ropes and tied him up. She then made him weightless and floated him to the train compartment with her other hostages. Kaden looked very shaken as she brought in the death eater. She had gotten him into place when shouting outside caught her attention. She would have been more alarmed had the shouting been a sound of horror instead of the joy she heard now. Astra and Kaden exchanged looks and ran out of the compartment with Astra pausing for a brief moment to ensure that it was locked. Then they joined the others.
"What happened?" Astra asked as soon as she located someone that had been in the midst of the battle. It was McGonagall that she had found first.
"It's over!" McGonagall gasped joyously. "Harry has won! Voldemort is dead!" Astra gaped at her professor. "Are you sure?"
"Yes! Harry just came in with Ron. Harry collapsed but Ron told us what happened as Harry was taken away, Ron watched with his own eyes as Voldemort died." McGonagall gleefully told her. "We won!"
'We won?' the thought rang in her head. 'We won!' Astra squealed with delight as she hugged Kaden's neck. He gasped for air but other than that he wisely kept quiet. Who was he to ruin her moment of happiness? Astra's thoughts then turned to her hostages. She quickly let go Kaden and went in search of Dumbledore. She found him gathering the rest of the death eaters and placing them in chains. Goyle was among the chained.
"Professor?" Astra tapped Dumbledore on the shoulder. Dumbledore turned to face her.
"I have three captives that you might be interested in." she told him. "Oh?" Dumbledore looked at her inquisitively.
"If you'll follow me please." She motioned and Dumbledore followed leaving his prisoners in the hands of the others. She took him to the compartment and opened the locked door. In there was a very angry looking Draco Malfoy who was tied to a very surly looking Crabbe. Sitting all by himself was the death eater Astra had defeated. Dumbledore moved to the death eater's side and took off the mask. Staring defiantly at Dumbledore was none other than Peter Pettigrew.
"Well, well Mr. Pettigrew." Dumbledore said patiently. "I was wondering when we would find you." Peter glared at Dumbledore but said not a word.
"It looks like Azkaban is going to get to enjoy your company after all." Dumbledore smiled. With a flick of his wand the ropes dissolved and chains formed around the three hostage's hands and feet. "I would also advise you not to try and transform into your animagis form." He then forced them to stand and follow him. As they passed Astra they all shot looks at her that would have made any normal person wince. She however was not a normal person so she just smiled sweetly and followed. Shortly they were joined with the other prisoner's as they waited for the auror's to appear. The ministry's Auror's appeared a short time later. They took the prisoner's and a body (that Astra assumed was Voldemort's body) back with them. She would never know for sure if it truly was his body or not.
As the years passed after the final battle life seemed to get back to normal. One year after the battle's end Hermione and Ron were married. They now had a set of two year old twins, Marcus and Darion Weasley, and a three month old daughter named Jalisia. Harry and Ginny did eventually date and were married two more years after that. Ginny was expecting their first child any day now. Her parents got their jobs back and the following year Astra had a new sibling. His name was Calendeil Mason Snape. Where her parents had gotten that name was beyond her. Hogwarts had returned to normal and now it was graduation day for Astra. Sarul was now a sixth year (only because he had to take his first year over again) and Nari was just turning nine. Cal had just turned five recently as well. Astra had continued seeing Aiden much to her father's dismay. And last night he had asked her to marry him and she accepted. She had just gone through her Graduation ceremony when Aiden came up behind her.
"Hey there raven haired beauty." He murmured in her ear. Astra turned to greet him with a very passionate kiss.
"Wow! If that's the greeting I'm going to get all the time then I say we get married tonight!" "Aiden you know we can't do that! Father doesn't know we're engaged yet and he'd kill me and you if we just run off and get married with out the family." She warned. "Besides I want a planned wedding not a rushed one!"
"I know love. You've told me a hundred times before!" he rolled his eyes. "And I'll tell you a hundred times more if I have to!" she chided him.
Ron and Hermione Weasley came up behind Astra at that moment. "Hey Astra!" Ron smiled. "So, you finally made it to full wizard eh?"
"Yep!" she beamed. "Bet you didn't think I could do it huh?" "You? Nah never had a doubt." Ron chuckled.
Hermione embraced Astra "So. What were you two love birds chittering about?" she asked. Aiden cleared his throat and excused himself as Astra muttered. "Nothing!"
"Now I know you better than that Astra Snape! You're up to something and I aim to find out." "Hermione I assure you that we are up to nothing."
Hermione looked at Astra speculatively. "You're engaged." She stated. "What!" Astra looked at Hermione in surprise.
"That's what you're hiding. You're engaged to Aiden." "Okay, who told you?" she whispered.
Hermione chuckled. "No one. But congratulations Astra! Does Snape know?" "No not yet. Please don't tell anyone." She begged.
"Your secret is safe with me. And good luck with telling daddy." She winced. "Thanks, I think."
Ginny and Harry came up behind her. "Hey Astra congrats!"
"Huh!" Astra jumped "Okay who told you?" "Told us what?" Ginny looked from Hermione's chuckling face to Astra's panic stricken one. "Okay what's up?"
"Oh nothing honestly!" Astra paled. She felt like she was going to be sick. She ran from the great hall leaving Hermione to explain what was going on.
"She's just nervous about telling daddy that he will soon have a Longbottom for a son in-law!" Hermione could hardly contain her self.
"Oh poor Astra!" Ginny giggled. "So Astra is marrying Aiden eh?" Harry asked.
"Uh-huh." Hermione beamed. "And Snape is going to have a litter of kittens for sure when she tells him!" The friends chuckled at that thought. Astra however ran all the way to the Gryffindor tower. As soon as the portrait opened she bolted to her room and buried her head into her pillows. She began to wonder if it wasn't to late to say no to Aiden. She loved him but she couldn't bear to face her father and tell him she was marrying Aiden.
Astra decided that it was best to just come out and tell her father about her engagement. It would do her no good to worry about his reaction because every time she did she lost her nerve. She took a deep breath and walked into her parents room. They looked up as she entered.
"Mom, daddy I have some news for you." She started. "Yes dear?" Serena looked at her daughter.
"Aiden and I." she faltered. "Yes?" Serena prompted.
"Well, Aiden and I." she faltered again. "Oh just come out and say it will you!" her father growled.
"Aiden and I are engaged!" she squeaked. Serena gasped in pleasure as Severus nodded knowingly. "I've know for a bit now Astra." Severus told her. "He cam and asked me my permission a few month's back."
"And you gave it to him?" she asked. "You're engaged aren't you?" he said raising an eyebrow.
Astra nodded. "Who am I to stand in the way of love?" Severus smiled. "I have only ever wanted you to be happy and if I stood in your way then you would never be happy."
Astra hugged her parents. She couldn't believe that her father had just given her his blessing. She was ecstatic but she was not about to look a gift horse in the mouth (so to speak.)
The day that Astra had been waiting for her whole life had finally arrived. It was her wedding day and she was so nervous. They had picked a beautiful white lace gown for her that came off her shoulders. it also clung nicely to her body. Her hair was done in a loose curl at the back of her head and had wisps of hair flowing around her face. She also had white flowers entwined into her hair. She surveyed herself in the mirror. Even to herself she looked like an angel. Ginny and Hermione were there in their bridesmaid dresses of lavender and gold. Ginny's and Harry's son Allen Sirius Potter was a year old now and Ron and Hermione's twins were four and a half now and were sprouts just like their father, they were running around while their mother got ready. Jalisia was a little over a year now and was in a play pen with Allen playing blissfully. Un aware that her brothers were causing havoc.
"Darion! Marcus!" Hermione yelled as the twins knocked into a table and sent it crashing to the floor. With Jalisia and Allen being locked in the playpen, at least they couldn't cause much trouble. But the twins were more than enough trouble by themselves.
"You know Hermione." Astra started to say.
"Don't you dare say it Astra!" Hermione warned.
"What?" Astra smiled sweetly. "Don't you dare say how much they remind you of their uncle's Fred and George!" she growled. "I swear if you say one word about it I'll hex you!"
Ginny giggled. "Don't worry Astra, she's just upset that you'd be right if you did."
"I heard that Ginny Potter!" Hermione yelled from across the room. She had run over there to prevent yet another table from crashing to the floor.
Astra and Ginny giggled as a knock came on the door. Ginny answered it and in came Ron and Harry. "Were here to take the kids to my mum." Ron announced.
"Thank Merlin!" Hermione groaned as Ron picked up Jalisia. Harry picked up Allen and took one of the twins by the hand. Ron grabbed the other twin and they left with Hermione slamming the door behind them.
"If I knew I was going to have a set of twins like Fred and George, I would never have had children!" she growled. "Oh you love them and you know it Hermione!" Ginny laughed.
Just then the organ began to play. "Well my dear." Severus said as he opened the door to her parlor room. "let's get you married." He then held out his arm for her.
Astra took his arm and as Ginny and Hermione made their way down the aisle her stomach began to tie into knots. Then it was her turn. Severus led her into view of the church as everyone stood.
Aiden looked at his bride to be in awe. He had never seen such a lovely creature and at that moment he felt like the luckiest man alive. With every step they took closer to him his heart would beat even faster in his chest. He couldn't believe that she had said yes to him when she could have any man she wanted she chose him.
fin
Author's notes: well that was it. Please tell me what you think of it. And to those of my loyal readers and those that want to read more of my stories I am writing a crossover fic called dreams of old. Check that one out. Also after a few of you called for a sequal...alright there was just one. but hey I figured why not? so soon to follow will be the sequal to this story...called Havok. it takes off with Ron and Hermione's twins starting Hogwarts. so keep an eye out for that one.