They say that twins naturally possess an odd ability to sense each other - when one is in pain, the other feels it, when something is wrong, the other somehow knows. Those moments between Io and Aster were few and far between. As teenagers, they enjoyed their individual lives too much. Aster was naturally more social, ingraining herself within many circles of people who she didn't necessarily enjoy. Io was on the quieter side, and only those who knew her well enough could recognize the subtle changes in her face that would give away different emotions.

When the twins were younger, they were inseparable. They'd run off with mischievous grins, making snow fall in one room while making the other hot as a summer day. The childish fun never dissipated as they grew older, but the factors outside of the rooms they used to play in have done their job.

Over time, the saying proved to be true, but neither of them knew how to go about approaching the other about what they felt.

Professor Snape took Draco, now limp but well, to the infirmary. Aster walked around the bathroom, putting everything back in its place - the shattered porcelain sinks, the pipes bent in different directions, and the charred spots that stained the walls. Once everything looked back to normal, she realized Io had run off.

She found her sister in a different bathroom just across the hall. Io was furiously scrubbing her hands, every inch of skin, each finger - she continuously pumped soap, letting it sud under the motions with hot water. The steam rose up, fogging the mirrors.

Aster watched, and for the first time, she didn't know how to comfort her sister. Through the building steam, she felt Io's pain, heartbreak, and panic. It seeped into her skin like a shrapnel piercing her chest. It was such a foreign sensation, and she found herself clutching her chest to ease the pressure.

Io didn't speak as she scrubbed her hands raw. Her flesh looked tender and sore.

Aster called her attention, but she didn't stop, only pausing momentarily before continuing with the ritual she was determined to repeat until she could no longer feel the stain of Draco's blood under her nails.

"Hey," Aster inched forward, reaching out with hesitation. "Talk to me."

Io continued. Her hair was dripping with water, and the motion of her furious cleansing concealed the smallest tremble from her shoulders.

"Talk to me, please." Aster now finally got a good look at her twin's face.

Io's eyes were shut tight; she was keeping everything out. When the water started sputtering, interrupting her focus, she threw her hands down, slamming on the sink. The mirrors rattled.

Aster rushed over, wrapping her arms around Io. She laid her head against her sister's back, now feeling the full force of her body's tremors. She squeezed tightly, letting the quake move through her until both girls were now moving as one.

When the shaking slowed into heaving deep breaths, Aster loosened her grip. She turned Io to face her, and pulled out her wand from her pocket.

"Let me see."

Though Io wouldn't meet her gaze, she understood, moving a lock of hair and tucking it back.

Aster raised her wand and let it rest on Io's temple.

The scene played through Aster's mind like a rush of cold air - Io walking into the bathroom, stepping through the puddles on the floor. The sound of Harry's curse from the other side of the stalls, and the sight of Draco's body hitting the ground. But seeing the look on his face when Io had his head in her arms made her pull away, backing out of the memory and back to the fog filled bathroom. It was an expression she'd never expected to see on such a cold face, always intent on being still as stone. Draco's eyes didn't leave Io's even as the blood drained from his cheeks.

"Fuck," Aster cursed through her teeth. "I should have stayed with you. I'm sorry I…"

"If you didn't leave, Professor Snape wouldn't have gotten there in time." Io's voice cracked. "And if he didn't, then Draco would have… well. You saw."

Aster started to fix Io's hair, now a little dryer than before but still clinging to the latter's face like lace. "He's fine now. He's okay."

Tears dripped down to the tip of Io's nose, hitting the floor in faint taps.

Aster thought back on the memory, and a thought dawned on her. In a way, this should have been obvious, but considering her own situation, she seemed to have completely overlooked what was happening.

"The Amortentia just before Christmas… It was his scent. The apples…"

Io began to pace from one sink to another, avoiding her sister's comment.

"You love him, don't you."

Io shook her head furiously, uncharacteristically sounding offended by the statement. "Don't be stupid. I couldn't. I can't. Why would I -"

"You don't have to know why!" Aster spoke over her. "Does anyone ever know why? Io, I can feel your heart breaking like it was my own chest, and it's the most painful thing I've ever felt in my entire life. You thought you were going to lose him just now, and you held him in your arms and comforted him. You don't have to know why, you don't have to understand it, but if you're really going to sit here and tell me that all this is just for some boy you like, then you're… I know you're not that naive."

Aster pulled Io over to see her face. She wasn't crying anymore, but she looked numb.

"I saw how he looked at you. We're not children anymore, Io. And you should know more than anyone that he wouldn't have looked at you like that unless he was scared he'd never look at you again. You don't have to be so strong, not all the time, not now. I know that even back when we were kids, you were the strong one, and right now, I'm telling you this at the risk of pissing you off, that if there were ever a moment when you should let that bullshit go… it's right now."

The notion of such a simple statement added a heavy weight to Io's shoulders, and yet she felt elated putting words to it. If she loved Draco, it put substance to why she felt close to him despite the few words exchanged. There was a reason behind the tension, a reason why when he was near, she felt this need to hold him, keep him close to protect him from whatever secrets he couldn't bear to battle on his own.

Didn't it matter that it was only a feeling? Didn't it mean anything, the few interactions that were less about learning, but more about silent glances to see who would speak first? Whatever this feeling was, it wasn't based on words but experiences. Their duel wasn't a fight to prove one was better than the other, it was a match between equals meeting for the first time.

Despite the burning in her chest, Io fought the urge to deny everything. "He's a Death Eater, Aster. I wouldn't… No, I couldn't." She shook her head again.

"No one said this was going to be easy."

"This isn't why we're here."

"And yet it happened anyway! You know as well as I that from the moment we stepped foot in this God-forsaken castle, it was never going to be that simple."

"Dumbledore… do you think he knew? Even back then?"

"Yes, he knew, and still, he told you not to waiver. That has to mean something!"

The fog that filled the bathroom wafted forward as the door opened. It was Professor McGonagall who took a moment before speaking, knowing that she interrupted a very intense conversation. She had Io's discarded robe draped over in her arms.

"Both of you, come with me. Professor Dumbledore wishes to speak with you."

The twins followed in silence all the way to the stone griffin. Professor McGonagall said the password, and motioned for them to go up without her.

The large door swung open before they could knock. Dumbledore looked at them thoroughly, noticing Io's damp hair and the stains on her socks. They could only hope that he was already aware of what happened, so there would be no need to explain.

"Mr. Malfoy is resting in the hospital wing as we speak. I understand you two were present for the altercation."

"Yes, sir." Aster answered for both of them.

"I see." Dumbledore walked out from behind his desk, and opened a glass cabinet. It was filled with small glass vials, all holding what looked like silver strands of hair, suspended in clear liquid. "It is regrettable that we had to speak at a time like this, but from my understanding, it must be done now considering all that you've experienced this far."

Aster stepped forward, looking at the stone table. "Professor, is that a Pensieve?"

"It is," he nodded. "You must forgive my haste, but the sooner this is done, the sooner you both can know where we must go from here. You are aware that I was searching for information, and we are now at a point where you must know what Mr. Potter and I have found. But there is something you must see first."

The mention of Harry's name made Io shake, remnants of anger still coursing through her veins.

"Do either of you know what a Horcrux is?"

The girls shook their heads.

"It is, to be simple, how Lord Voldemort has survived all these years. Pieces of his soul scattered about the world, keeping him alive, but in a state no one would wish for."

"What does that have to do with us?" Io said.

"There will come a time when the war will reach the castle walls. There is an aspect of this war that you are connected with, and it is my assumption that should the opportunity present itself, the Dark Lord will find interest in you. I would have liked your uncle to be present for this, and I believe he will be here momentarily. What you are about to see will not be easy - in fact, it will be painful, but you need to know."

"In us?" Aster looked at her sister then back to the headmaster. "Sir, I don't understand. Is there more to the prophecy that we don't know about?"

Ignoring her question, Dumbledore asked. "Do you have the trinkets your uncle gave to you?"

The girls reached into their pockets, both pulling out small stones dangling from chains.

"Professor, when you say he'll find interest in us, what does that mean?" Io asked.

Dumbledore reached for Io's first, revealing a very charred looking hand. They were stunned, shocked they never noticed it before. The tips of his fingers were black, and the marks stopped just short of his palm.

Once the tip of his wand touched the moonstone, it shattered. A similar silvery strand emerged from its core, dripping into the Pensieve. He motioned for them to move forward. "I'm sure you know how this works."

The girls looked at each other, placing their hands on the bowl. Cautiously, they lowered their heads into the clear liquid, unsure of what they'd see.

With a swift motion, their feet landed on solid ground. They were no longer in Dumbledore's office, but instead in a castle of white stone. The architecture was different from Hogwarts. Light cascaded into the corridor they stood in, and students in pale blue silk uniforms strutted around them.

"Where are we?"

Io walked around, studying the white walls adorned with paintings of pale women in Victorian dresses, each with a gold name plate on the frame. The drapes were all the same shade of pearl blue. "I think… we're at Beauxbatons Academy of Magic."

"Beauxbatons? For what…"

At the end of the corridor, a door swung open. The first thing to emerge was a dainty foot wearing a petite blue heel. It clicked on the marble floors rhythmically. Aster watched, eyes wide open, as a young girl made her way towards them. Her long icy blonde hair was tucked behind her ears, and her eyes, pale as moonlight, glimmered. It was almost like looking into a mirror as the girl ran up, nearly crashing into them. She stopped just short of the twins with a grin on her face. She held her arm out.

Io reached up but just before her fingers connected with the girl, another hand appeared. It was a handsome young boy with black hair with a charming smile and hazel eyes. He took the girl's hand, and they walked down the hall together.

"Maman…" Io was breathless. "Papa… Aster, it's them."

The twins ran after the ghosts of their parents but the corridor disappeared with each step they took.

They were in a dorm room, and the two teenage versions of Ion and Aeris were sitting on a bed facing each other. Ion caressed Aeris's face, small and fairy-like. Her eyes were a delicate shade of gray, fluttering closed as she sighed into his touch. He admired her with clear affection, fingers entangled in her hair, studying her features. He cupped her cheeks, kissing her sweetly.

Smoke filled the dorm. The room aged before them, looking quite different with posters of Quidditch teams and photos of Ion and Aeris hung on the walls, years of their relationship gone by.

Ion was alone, and he was writing a long letter. He looked a little older, more mature. His jaw was stronger, and he had the faintest hint of facial hair on his chin. Aster peaked over his shoulder, reading aloud. "Maman et Papa, je vais déménager à Londres avec Aeris."

"They moved to London together?" Io repeated.

"It says he's writing to Uncle because he knows he wanted to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts, and that maybe he could work at Hogwarts so they could be near each other."

"Uncle never mentioned working at Hogwarts…"

"Apparently he never mentioned a lot of things."

The room warped in the same smoke, the floor changing into the stone of a moving elevator with gold gates. When the gates parted, the adult Aeris and Ion walked in, bundled in winter coats. A few more people entered, and various conversations filled the elevator - talks of the Aurors office, questions of a vacation to the sea.

Aster and Io quickly followed after their parents as they made their way through the Ministry of Magic. They still held hands just as they did when they were at Beauxbatons, gold bands sparkling on their ring fingers.

"Altair will be joining us tonight. He said they've finished up exams, and he can get away for a bit. I hoped we could tell him the good news." Ion looked down at his wife with fondness.

Aeris parted her coat and placed a delicate hand on her stomach, taking Ion's hand and putting it atop hers. "Very good news. I'm sure he'll be ecstatic to find out he'll be an uncle"

"To two children, no less."

When she turned around, the girls could see the bump under Aeris's shirt. Her fingers tapped on the bump, tracing invisible swirls and patterns like she was wishing for something.

In the midst of the sentimental moment, Aeris's eyes grew dark, looking at a stack of newspapers. Each held headlines of a dark wizard's rise and the Ministry's efforts to keep the public calm.

Aster read the worry on their mother's face before looking at their father whose brow was laced with the same troubled expression.

The ground vanished, swirling into lush green grass in front of a small house. The twins walked inside and were greeted by a piercing scream. Aeris was sitting in a pool of water, Ion at her side. Her chest was heaving, exhausted and weak, but she still smiled as he held her hands. Another witch was there, presenting them with a small bundle, a tuft of black hair peeking out from the blanket. Not minutes later, there was a second bundle, this one with thin wisps of blonde.

Io stared at her infant form as her father cradled her to his chest. There were tears in his eyes, and the small drops soaked into the baby blanket. Aeris held Aster and beamed at her like she'd never seen anything so small, so precious, cooing and stroking her hair with the fondness they never got to experience as children.

Before the twins could relish in the moment, everything changed again. They were in a manor with dark walls and high ceilings. There were portraits everywhere, witches and wizards in grand emerald robes.

Their mother no longer looked whole. There was age in her eyes, and she looked distraught. Ion stood next to her, holding her hand tightly.

"It's a shame we have to have this discussion, Ion." Another man said. He had long blonde hair, similar to their mother's, but he held his head up with pride, cloaked in black robes and a black cane.

"Thank you for having us, given the circumstances." Ion responded. "We don't know what to do. There was nothing we could do."

"The Imperius curse, yes? And on a muggle, no less."

"He charged at us in the streets. He was drunk, threatened our girls with a knife."

Aeris's strained face was despondent as if she was reliving that moment again. She trembled, gripping her husband's hand tighter.

"She had no choice, Lucius. I'd have done the same."

"As would I, my friend." Lucius moved about the room with confident strides. There was a woman sitting in the room with them, and she sat silently, listening to their parents' plight while cradling a child in her arms. "Wouldn't you agree, my dear?" She nodded, stroking her child's hair.

"When the Ministry finds out, they'll send her to Azkaban." Ion's voice started to shake. "Our girls - they can't survive without their mother."

"There is another way, Ion." Lucius rose his cane then brought it back down on the floor with a cracking thud. There was the sound of an iron gate swinging open, and two men emerged. One had tousled brown hair and a crooked smile, and he was dragging a man by his collar, his face covered by a black sack.

The first man removed the sack.

"Lucius!" Ion cried out, stumbling back at the sight of the familiar man.

"Thank you, Dolohov." Lucius's face did not look kind or pleased, but it was still in anticipation. "This is the man, is it not?"

"Yes," Aeris whispered, eyes wide with shock.

The drunken muggle was alert now. As his eyes cleared, he began to recognize the couple, and his face contorted with a rage that could only be fueled by drink. "YOU!"

Aeris flinched, and Ion wrapped his arm around her shoulders to steady her.

The muggle continued his tirade, screaming profanities, shaking furiously.

"As you can see… I don't believe he's as understanding of a parents' worst nightmare as we are, Ion."

The man's shrieks were incoherent, but in less words, he was hellbent on killing the twins, convinced they were something other than innocent children. He yelled and screamed until he was red in the face, the veins on his neck pulsing.

"Dolohov," Lucius made a subtle motion with his cane, and the man named Dolohov released the drunkard from his shackles.

He charged towards Aeris and Ion. In the seconds that proceeded, the twins watched as their mother raised her wand, lips parted, but Ion was faster.

"Avada Kedavra!" There was a green light that flashed from the end of Ion's wand. The muggle dropped to the floor - cold, still, dead.

Lucius walked over to the body and kicked it with his foot. "Very well, Ion."

"Lucius, I -"

"Rest your nerves. You as well, Aeris. I am not here to report you to the Ministry."

"Why did you do this?" Aeris's eyes were brimming with tears, and her voice was trembling. On the other side of the room, the other woman still sat, quite unphased by the murder that just occurred in her sitting room. Her baby was stirring, claiming all her attention.

Lucius approached them. "I knew you wouldn't let this filth insult you. Your children. Our kind."

Ion's eyes grew darker as he spoke. "This didn't have to happen!"

"Did it not? My friends, we can offer you protection. We can keep your girls safe. As you are both aware, the Guerins and the Visages are among the oldest of the Pure-blood wizard families in France, thus you are among your own kind. The Ministry doesn't need to hear an utterance of this - It'll be like it never even happened." The muggle's body was levitating behind him, drifting off and back down behind the iron gate.

"What do you want from us?" Aeris asked through tears. "You know we can never go back, not after this."

"You can most certainly go back." Lucius held out his hand. "With us, under the Dark Lord's protection."

Aster and Io felt a cold sweat soak their shirts as their father shook Lucius's hand.

"No -" Io felt herself trying not to scream, but it erupted out of her chest. "NO!"

Aster stumbled backward, her breaths erratic. "Io, they're not - they couldn't -"

The twins ran to each other and hastily made their way out of the manor, but as they met the door, the scene changed to a brownstone in the middle of rainy London. The streets were busy, and they found themselves trying to weave in and out of the afternoon crowd.

A cloaked figure was among the pedestrians, charging forward with two small bundles in his arms. He walked up to the brownstone, kicking the door with his foot.

"Ion," their uncle in his youth answered, immediately taking notice of the urgency in his brother's face.

They followed inside as he shut the door, pointing his wand to the fireplace and igniting it. The room was filled with warm air in an instant. The fire cast an eerie glow over the den, the flickers of light danced on the hundreds of books on a shelf.

Ion placed the two babies on the couch, lowering his hood. His face was worn and gaunt like he hadn't slept in weeks. Their handsome father appeared to be long gone, lost to stress and fear. "Altair."

"My God, what happened to you? Where's Aeris?"

"Brother, she's not well. Ever since… she can't." Ion rolled up his sleeve, revealing the faintest hint of a black mark on his arm. It was the Dark Mark, the serpent peeking out.

Altair held his hand up. "Stop. I don't want to see it. Not in my house."

"She's going mad. Every person who walks by us, I can see her reach for her wand. The protection the Malfoys promised us didn't help, it made her worse - paranoid."

"Why are you here, Ion? I told you that I cannot help you. You chose this - you and Aeris - to join him. He's a murderer! All this blood purity nonsense - it's a plague."

"Brother, please." Ion pleaded. "Do not tell me what I already know. There is a prophecy of a child, and I believe the Dark Lord wishes to kill him. When Aeris found out, she… She will never be herself again. To know he could kill a child so easily, it haunts her."

"Why are you here?" Altair glanced down at the twins. "What is it you've come to ask of me?"

Ion reached into his pocket, pulling out four slips of paper. "Take them. Take our girls to America."

"Ion, I can't just - "

"Please, Altair. It's the only way we can truly keep them safe."

He took the papers, counting them. "There are four tickets."

"The fourth is not a ticket. It is a note you will send to the Ministry. It has our names and a date and time."

"Ion, this is madness!"

"MY WIFE WILL NOT BE A MURDERER!" Ion screamed. "I already killed once, and he expects me to do it again. It will not be long before he requests it of Aeris, and I couldn't take it if she was lost to his dark magic forever. You will send this to the Ministry, and we will be sent to Azkaban, is that understood?"

Altair was unsettled, seeing his baby brother as a troubled man for the first time. He looked down at the twins, sound asleep. "Very well."

"Our girls are never to know the grave mistake their parents made."

"What do I tell them?"

"Anything but this. Aeris and I…" He reached into his robe, pulling out two vials. "This will be the only proof that we ever existed to them. I hope you never have to use it, but should the time come, please, find a way to make them understand."

The brownstone disappeared, and they were back at the manor again. They could only see two rooms across from each other.

Io peered into one. Their father was standing, hovered over a black crib. He cooed at a small child with blue eyes and pale blonde hair. Ion looked distressed, but he stroked the child's cheek until it slept, looking at it with sentimental fondness. When it began to stir, he tucked the blanket tighter, instantly soothing the infant who fell fast back to slumber.

Across the hall, Aster silently watched her mother, aged and withered. The beautiful young girl who ran through the Beauxbatons halls with the glimmering eyes was gone. She was now a broken woman, ritualistically brushing her hair over and over again like she couldn't think to do anything else. Her fingers were thin, boney, and brittle.

In the other room, Io approached their father to see how he cared for this other child, his eyes never once leaving it. Yet it didn't seem that he was really looking at the child, more like he was looking through it, thinking of his children who were now on a ship bound for America.

The door behind her slammed; she and Ion's ghost ran to the door. The child started crying. Ion quickly waved his wand and a bubble encased it, muting the sobs. He reached for the door, and while the knob rattled, it would not swing open. Io pushed her hand through the wall, leaving with ease to investigate.

Aster was staring at their mother, but suddenly they weren't alone. Though she still didn't look like herself, Aeris was now in a daze, head bobbing back as if she'd fallen asleep, a gold halo around her irises. There was a haunting expression on her face, pale and grinning, but empty.

The man from before - Dolohov - entered the room, his wand pointed at Aeris with the same crooked smile. He lifted his hand, and without hesitation, Aeris rose, approaching him in her stupor.

"Wait, no -"

Io knew before her sister, grabbing the latter's hand and pulling her close. "It's the Imperius curse."

Dolohov reached for Aeris's hair, looping a lock around his finger and holding it to his nose. He inhaled, growing drunk on her scent.

The shattering blast from the other room pulled Dolohov away from their possessed mother. The door combusted into a million pieces. The child was still in its bubble, unable to hear the shards of wood hitting the walls.

Ion charged forward, grabbing Dolohov by the neck, but he just smiled, eyes glancing down at Aeris who was still under his curse. He expected Ion to hit him.

Instead their father laughed maniacally, and the girls' eyes grew wide at his erratic motions. Ion grabbed Aeris's limp hand, and with a swift motion, they disappeared from the room. The manor disappeared. The girls and the three ghosts apparated to the middle of Diagon Alley.

Dolohov's face turned to rage, throwing Ion to the ground, and breaking the curse he had on their mother. The two men began their inevitable duel as the crowd around them cowered, running into different shops. Curses flew around, ricocheting against signs, shattering windows.

The twins watched the battle charge on, flashes of green and red lights crashing around them.

There was another loud pop, and Aurors from the Ministry appeared. Dolohov was stunned and dragged away.

Ion and Aeris ran to each other, he grabbed her hand, and her eyes were wide. They pleaded to the other silently as they were pulled away, tears stinging their faces, lips parted, fingertips outstretched and desperate to hold on. Aster and Io watched as their mother, lucid out of Dolohov's curse, cried out to her husband, the man who'd been by her side for years, as an Auror struggled to subdue her. Ion hushed her. He looked content, satisfied that Altair followed through with his wishes. The Aurors had arrived just at the right moment, but in a stroke of luck, a third Death Eater was there to be taken with them.

Ion gently smiled at his wife, still crying for him. "Ça ira, mon amour." A man covered his eyes, the sight of Aeris the last thing he'll see before the damp stone walls of Azkaban prison.

Silence fell on the alley, and the girls stood still, catching every last second of their parents being ripped apart from each other until they were out of sight.

It will be okay, my love.