Following the harrowing hours of going through memories, Dumbledore notified the professors that the twins would not be attending classes this week. It seemed like the only reprieve he could provide, time away from any burdens outside of what they now knew they were meant to do. At first, they slept. They laid in bed, in between sleep and reality, tossing and turning, each in their own world hoping to escape this one. Pansy and Blaise would do what they could, bringing snacks back to the dormitory or popping a head in to see if they were alright. No one inquired about the cause of their lethargy.
Aster was the first to snap out of the shock. She didn't want to be in the dormitory or in the castle, so she walked to the Black Lake every morning. She left Io to her thoughts, knowing that she had a lot to think over.
The tangled forest smelled like spring, damp and warm. Aster would sit, feet just at the water's edge, for hours until one morning, she decided it was time to prepare.
Unlike her sister, Aster had only ever spoken to Harry briefly. She knew that ever since the incident in the bathroom, he would be weary of her and rightfully so. Despite that, she was willing to pretend like it didn't even happen. She needed to know more about the group - Dumbledore's Army - that she'd inevitably join and teach until the time was right. Dumbledore gave her the condensed version of everything that happened at the Ministry last year, how the Death Eaters attacked Harry and his friends, and how Harry had gathered over a dozen students to teach them how to defend themselves against the Dark Arts. Aster only recognized a handful of names: Luna Lovegood, Ginny Weasley, Neville Longbottom, to name a few.
She pushed the thoughts of being separated from Io out of her head, knowing that the least she could do was keep Hogwarts safe as best as she could while Harry, Hermione, and Ron did what they had to do.
Someone's footsteps snapped a branch behind her. She turned slowly, ending up face to face with someone she'd only ever heard about in passing.
"Neville, right?"
The boy nervously smiled, waving his hand weakly. He held a stack of books in the other, precariously placed. Aster just watched as he fumbled, books falling to the ground one after the other.
Aster stood, taking one of the books and handing it back to him but not before reading the cover. "Winogrand's Wondrous Water Plants?"
Neville nodded, taking the textbook silently. "You're Aster. I saw you duel Pansy."
"I am, and I did." Aster held her hand out, and he shook it clumsily. "Hey, you're… You're friends with Harry, right?"
He nodded again.
"I hope this isn't a well-kept secret, but I recently heard about something called… Dumbledore's Army."
Neville started to look nervous, but Aster did her best to reassure him.
"I'm only asking because I want to join."
"Well, we haven't… really done much since last year. I don't know how much I should be telling you this."
"No, it's okay! I get it. I wanted to speak to Harry about it at dinner tonight, but I figured I would, y'know, ask you. I suppose this is a little weird since we've never spoken before." Aster was able to laugh just a little for the first time in days. "I'm not nearly as ferocious as a Venomous Tentacula, but I can duel. I can definitely duel."
She could tell he appreciated the nod to his affinity to Herbology. While he was not part of the photos they studied before coming to Hogwarts, she learned from Dumbledore what happened to his parents. Bellatrix Lestrange was a name she wouldn't soon forget, and she crossed her fingers that Io would not get on her bad side.
Aster and Neville parted ways amicably, able to exchange little bits of fun Herbology facts, and she promised she wouldn't mention him when asking Harry about Dumbledore's Army.
The Slytherin common room was fairly empty as the last classes of the day had just started. Aster opened the door to the room gently, peaking in to see if Io was still in bed, and she was.
Io stayed quiet, still in between sleep. She kept her eyes on the window as if she was waiting for something to happen.
"Are you hungry?" Aster asked.
Io raised her head, looking over her shoulder. "No. Thanks."
"Still, you should eat something. Should I bring you back something from the Great Hall?"
"No. Thanks."
Aster suddenly felt guilty. Even though Dumbledore made sure to emphasize that her staying at Hogwarts was imperative, she still knew that Io's task was far more serious. However, of the two of them, Io was much more capable at hiding her feelings and would be much more successful. That's probably why Dumbledore chose her after all.
She sat at the edge of Io's bed, resting a hand on her sister's thigh. She patted softly. "Do you want to go to Hogsmeade this weekend?"
Io shook her head.
There was little to say that could console her. She had to think of something else. Draco had been resting in the infirmary for the past few days, so the small optimistic thought that maybe a conversation with him would help ease Io fizzled away.
Giving Io's shoulder one last squeeze, Aster slipped out and made her way to the Great Hall.
It was almost comical seeing everyone smiling and laughing. No one knew of the danger that would inevitably penetrate the Hogwarts gates, and perhaps it was better that way. It was a comfort to see Blaise and Theo, chatting away.
"Hey," Blaise motioned for her to sit. "Where's your sister?"
"Still not feeling well," she lied.
Theo passed a goblet full of juice to her. His hand was now fully healed. "We were just talking about how Draco and your sister seem to be getting along pretty well."
Blaise scoffed then grinned. "Don't take this the wrong way, but if she's ill, Io should go to the infirmary. Give Draco a heart attack."
"He'd get all red in the face, and we'd be the butt of all his sour behavior for the next week." Theo jested.
Aster made a face, helping herself to some food. "What do you mean? Has Draco said something?"
"Is it worth spilling his secret if it means he'll hex us in our sleep?" Theo raised an eyebrow. "I reckon it'd be a laugh."
Blaise shook his head. "It'd be a laugh, but he won't be kind about it later."
Aster rolled her eyes. "Please fill me in before I stop being kind."
"What they're trying to say, albeit poorly," Pansy appeared, sitting next to her. "Is that Draco fancies your sister even though he aggressively denies it. He's been a bit off all year, and we never know what he's up to. But on the off chance we see them… interact, he's always in a mood afterwards."
"He told you that?"
"In a few words, yes." Blaise smirked. "He threatened to push me into the Black Lake if I ever brought it up again."
"But," Theo spoke with his mouth full. "I heard from one of the Prefects that she saw Io coming out of the bathroom after that incident with Potter. He, unlike Draco, was unscathed, so naturally, we assumed that she was there with Draco. A bit of naughty activity in the boy's lavatory."
Aster threw a piece of bread at Theo's head, knocking him out of his pleasant mood. "Could you be classy for once?"
She couldn't be angry with them for not knowing what Io had seen. It was difficult hiding her annoyance, but regardless, if she was on the other side, she might've made the same crude joke.
Pansy nudged her under the table. "Tell me," she said in a hushed voice. "Does Io fancy him? I mean, actually?"
Aster debated silently. It wouldn't hurt to push the envelope just a tad, and they'd all know she was lying if she tried to deny it. "I uh… Her feelings are complicated."
"So she doesn't?"
"No, I think she's just sorting out exactly how she feels. Io is complex, she cares very deeply, but she doesn't show it. I doubt she'd ever outright admit to anything."
"She sounds a little too much like Draco. Show enough, but never all of it. It'd probably take them another year before he ever says how he feels out loud."
"That pretty much sums up my sister perfectly." She chuckled. "Have you ever actually seen him fancy someone before?"
Blaise pushed his empty plate forward, wiping his lips. "A few times. He fooled around in our fourth year, but I don't think he actually really gave a damn about any of them. There were some girls who tried, trust me."
"Draco is the pickiest bloke here." Theo rolled his eyes. "I doubt he'd ever think a girl was worthy of more than an hour in a closet. I'm actually surprised he hasn't done anything yet - no offense."
Aster noticed Blaise smirking beneath a napkin. She hit his arm. "What are you laughing about?"
"Nothing." He feigned innocence.
Pansy gasped, "You know, don't you! He told you they snogged!"
Aster grabbed both of their arms, ignoring Theo who nearly coughed up his roast. "Speak before I hex both of you.
"Well," Pansy cleared her throat. "I saw them after our duel. B-But Io didn't know I was there! Neither did Draco. I didn't tell anyone, I swear. If Blaise knows then -"
"He told me. Sort of." Blaise smirked. "But I didn't tell anyone either."
"Excuse me," Theo was shocked. "Did everyone know about this? Have they been together this entire time?"
"No!" Aster shrieked. "Io is not the type to fool around, and as far as I'm concerned, he's the one being difficult. I doubt he actually likes her -"
"Oh, he does." Blaise eased her grip off his arm. "The fact that he's holding back the way he has been must mean he's got it bad."
Aster sat back. Dumbledore was actually right. He said Draco could be saved by love, and if his friends noticed this much of a difference, there must be more than she assumed. It was one thing to see Io stress over him so much, but knowing that Draco was fighting it just as much as she was changed everything. Thinking back to the whole conversation, Dumbledore must have known that everything would play out this way. They needed to see how much Draco could bear to care before turning his back on the Dark Lord.
From the corner of her eye, Aster finally spotted her entire reason for forcing herself to be social. Harry stood by the doors to the Great Hall, talking to Neville. She excused herself and hurried off, quickly bringing a small sandwich for Io with her.
"Hey!" She called out as he was about to turn the corner.
Harry stopped, looking at her like she was the last person he'd ever expect to call him so casually. "Hi."
"Hi," she nervously repeated. There was an awkward moment of silence as the two tried to find the best way to come off friendly. "Look, I know things have been a bit tense, but I need to ask you about something."
He checked over his shoulder, still confused. "Okay."
"I was speaking to Professor Dumbledore recently. Seems that my duel back in the fall was not very well hidden."
"Did you get in trouble?"
"No, but he suggested I talk to you about Dumbledore's Army." She lied. "He said that if I was to practice my dueling skills, it would be best to talk to you, and -"
"Look, I never meant to hurt Malfoy, okay?" Harry started to argue, catching her off guard. It must have come off like a joke, bringing up dueling when their last encounter was a duel gone horribly wrong. "I feel awful that Io had to see that."
"Io is fine, Harry." Aster spoke calmly, trying to diffuse the tension. "I didn't mean for this to come off like I was mocking you and what happened. I'm being serious, I'd like to join you if I can."
"... Dumbledore really told you about the DA?"
She tried to think of another excuse, but ended up just nodding, hoping he'd fill in everything on his own. There was always a chance he'd question why Dumbledore would trust her with any of that information. If he really was skeptical, he was doing a good job at keeping it to himself. No doubt, he'll be telling his friends.
Harry peered over his shoulder again. "I can't say I blame him for telling you. We all saw you duel Pansy, and it'd be a reason to call everyone back after all this time. Everyone has been so stressed about passing Apparation."
"Io and I did that last year with our uncle, so we're exempt from those classes. Do you send owls to everyone?"
"No, we use galleons." He pulled a large gold coin from his robe. "Some kind of charm Hermione drummed up. We can send messages to each other. I don't have an extra one, but you can take this one -"
"No, it's fine." Aster smiled. "I can ask Hermione myself, if you wouldn't mind telling her I'm interested. I'll see her tomorrow in Herbology. Do you practice in an empty classroom, or something?"
"We use a… it's a room in the Astronomy Wing. Bit of a Hogwarts secret, really. It only appears when you ask for it." Harry had a funny look on his face. He put the coin in his pocket, shuffling anxiously. "How is she? Your sister. I haven't seen either of you in DADA this week."
"She's doing well. Just sleeping a lot mostly." Aster waved the awkward sandwich in her hand. "Not eating regularly, but I'm trying to fix that."
Reaching into his bag, Harry pulled out a small pouch filled with gold foil-covered candies. "Could you give this to her? I know it's not… Well, it's not an apology. I'd hoped to see her at the library to give her those. Maybe talk about something positive."
Aster accepted the little bag, nodding to herself. "She'll forgive you, Harry. I know you two are friends, and she cares about you. I'll head over to the dorm now, and give these to her with your apology."
She always admired the way Io made friends. Though she didn't have many, Io always managed to form very strong bonds, never settling on superficial connections. Deadly curses aside, seeing Harry stress over their friendship made her feel relieved. That was one less situation to deal with.
Io was sitting in bed when Aster got to the dormitory. She watched as Aster placed a sandwich and the small bag at the foot of her bed.
"I saw Harry," Aster sat. "I don't know how you feel about him, but he asked me to give you that. He wants to apologize."
Io pulled her knees up, resting her cheek on her knee. "Would you forgive him?"
"I can't speak for you."
"But would you?"
Aster pushed Io's hair back, seeing the stress wearing down her usually serene expression. "I wasn't there, but from what you mentioned, that curse he used, I don't know if he actually knew what it would do. You saw his face. He looked just as shocked as everyone else."
Io nodded, leaning back with a sigh. "I'll talk to him tomorrow, maybe."
"Listen," Aster took her hand. "I know when I asked you before… You said you could do it. But you never told me if Draco was worth it."
The twins sat staring at each other. There was an odd air to this topic as to be expected since they hadn't dared to speak of it since that day. The look on Io's face revealed nothing, just that she carefully considered how she could answer.
"I've never been in love, not really." Aster mustered a soft smile. "But I imagine it's something I'd never be able to imagine. Not in my wildest dreams. So maybe if I asked you something different, we can figure it out together."
The oldest of the two still stared, waiting for the other to continue.
"When he kissed you, what did you feel?"
Io chewed the inside of her cheek, unknowingly placing her fingers on her lips as if recalling the memory. "I felt numb at first, and then… I felt everything. It was like we'd been on either side of the same string, soaked in gasoline, and when we kissed, that just set it ablaze until we were burning together."
Aster had never seen this look on her sister's face before. It kept her on the edge of her seat on baited breath.
"And the Amortentia… I did smell him, and I don't think I've ever smelled something so damn intoxicating in my life." She smiled into her hand. "I feel so stupid when I think about him because he makes it so hard to think of the right words. And maybe that's it - there aren't any words. So when I saw him fall to the floor like that, every awful possibility raced through my head, and I couldn't think of anything to say, anything to do, except to just be with him.
"Loving Draco Malfoy would mean I have to relinquish control of everything I'd ever known, show him everything I never let anyone see before. That's terrifying. It's so terrifying. He's arrogant, he's rude, and he's… he's just so sad. And yet, when he lets me see his pain, it takes everything in me not to drown in that sadness with him - just so he won't be alone."
"Tell me then - do you love him?"
Io's eyes met hers. "You know, I've never been in love either. But I think that'd be the scariest thing to say out loud because when I do, I'll never be able to take it back. That would make it real. Let me keep it from being real - if only for a moment."