"Harry, I am not impressed by your attitude and I expect players who wished to remain on the team to put training before their other commitments," Angelina said.
"It's not his fault," Astra yelled.
"Exactly!" Harry said, raising his voice. I'm in detention! D'you think I'd rather be stuck in a room with that old toad or playing Quidditch?"
Angelina went quiet at that.
"Why are you being so unfair to Harry?" Heather asked.
Angelina paused. "Sorry," she said. She soon got lost.
"At least it's only lines," said Hermione, consolingly. "It's not as if it's a dreadful punishment, really…"
Harry opened his mouth, closed it again and nodded.
Astra looked closely at Harry. She was not sure if it was the look on his face, or his eyes, or just intuition, but she somehow got the impression that it actual was some sort of dreadful punishment.
"I can't believe how much homework we've got," said Ron, miserably.
"Well, why didn't you do any last night?" Hermione asked him. "Where were you, anyway?"
"I was… I fancied a walk," said Ron shiftily.
Astra was confused. Why didn't he tell her? She did not say anything though, because he clearly wouldn't want her too. Heather kept quiet, as well.
The evening of the next day, Astra, Starbeam, Heather, Samuel, Ron, and Ginny left the Quidditch pitch. They put the Quaffles, and the school broom Heather had used away, and they headed to the Gryffindor tower.
At the top of the stairs, Ron hid behind a statue, while the girls stood around him and blocked him from sight. After they did, Astra worried that it would look suspicious, especially since she and Heather didn't normally hang out with Ginny, but Fred and George did not seem to notice them at all. They probably would not have noticed Ron either.
The girls moved away from Ron, but Ron stayed behind the statue, as Harry showed up.
Harry looked at the girls, surprised, and then he looked at Ron. Ron was still behind the statue, but from Harry's angel he was still in plain sight.
Astra was glad to see that Harry had been let off earlier than usual today, but at the same time she knew that Ron's secret was spoiled.
"What are you all doing?" Harry asked
"Er - nothing," Ron said. "What are you doing?"
Harry frowned at him.
"Come on, you can tell me! What are you hiding here for?"
"I'm - I'm hiding from Fred and George, if you must know," said Ron, quickly. "They just went past with a bunch of first-years, I bet they're testing stuff on them again. I mean, they can't do it in the common room now, can they, not with Hermione there."
"But what have you all got brooms for, you haven't been flying, have you?" Harry asked.
"I - well - well, okay, I'll tell you, but don't laugh, all right?" Ron said defensively, turning redder with every second. "I - I thought I'd try out for Gryffindor Keeper now I've got a decent broom. There. Go on. Laugh."
"I'm not laughing," said Harry. "It's a brilliant idea! It'd be really cool if you got on the team! I've never seen you play Keeper, are you good?"
"Yes," Astra said.
"I'm not bad," said Ron, who looked immensely relieved at Harry's reaction. "Charlie, Fred and George always made me Keep for them when they were training during the holidays."
"So you've been practicing tonight?"
"Every evening since Tuesday. Today and Tuesday I practiced with these three. Yesterday I practiced on my own, so they could do their homework, by bewitching Quaffles to fly at me. It wasn't easy and the girls throwing Quaffles at me seemed like more use." Ron looked nervous and anxious. "Fred and George are going to laugh themselves stupid when I turn up for the tryouts. They haven't stopped taking the mickey out of me since I got made a prefect."
"I wish I was going to be there," said Harry bitterly, as they set off together towards the common room.
"Yeah, so do - Harry, what's that on the back of your hand?" Ron said.
Harry tried to hide his hand. "It's just a cut - it's nothing - it's -"
Starbeam rubbed against Astra, as her anxiety rose.
Ron had grabbed Harry's forearm and pulled the back of Harry's hand up level with his eyes. Astra, Heather, and Ginny all looked too. Everything was silent, as they all stared at the words carved into the skin. Eventually, Ron released Harry, looking sick.
"I thought you said she was just giving you lines?"
Harry hesitated, but then he started explaining what really happened while he was writing lines for Professor Umbridge.
While he was explaining, Astra sunk down to the floor, trembling. She cuddled up with Starbeam, as Heather sat down beside her.
"The old hag!" Ron said in a revolted whisper. "She's sick! Go to McGonagall, say something!"
"And show her your hand," Astra said.
"No," said Harry at once. "I'm not giving her the satisfaction of knowing she's got to me."
"Got to you?" Ron said. "You can't let her get away with this!"
"I don't know how much power McGonagall's got over her," said Harry.
"Dumbledore, then, tell Dumbledore!" Ron said.
"No," said Harry flatly.
"Why not?"
"He's got enough on his mind," said Harry.
"Ron," Ginny said, "maybe we should write to our mother about this."
Harry looked horrified. "No!"
Heather stood up, and looked up at Harry. "Harry, if you can't tell for yourself, then tell for everyone who's worried about you."
Harry looked down at Astra. "Fine," he said.
"Great," Ginny said. "I'll go get McGonagall."
Heather, Harry, and Ron sat on the floor, and waited in silence.
Ginny and Professor McGonagall came out. "This better be important," Professor McGonagall said, annoyed.
Clearly even more annoyed, Harry stood up. Looking down, he held out his hand for her to see.
She gasped.
Harry and Ron headed onto the Quidditch field. Astra, Starbeam, Heather, Samuel, Ginny, and Hermione were going to head to the stands, but stopped when they heard people asking how Harry got let off.
"It's a funny story," Ron explained. "Astra realized that Umbridge wouldn't know that her father hates Harry, so she went up to Umbridge and told her that she was overreacting by giving Harry so many detentions and that her father would hear about it."
Everyone laughed.
Astra was not sure how Ron had come up with that. She didn't think that would possibly work, but everyone seemed to buy it.
Professor McGonagall had simply told Harry not to show up to his detention, and not to say anything about it. They were not sure what she had done, but they were happy with whatever it was. They did not feel the need to bother her by asking.
Soon Astra was in the stands, sitting between Heather and Hermione, with Starbeam on her lap. She watched everyone try out, and it certainly seemed as though Ron did the best.
When Ron was named keeper, the girls all cheered, Starbeam purred, and Samuel hummed.
