The landscape passed before her eyes. The green hills, whose grass was sometimes yellowed on that last day of August, the woods, the mountains in the distance. A few old-fashioned looking country villages sometimes aroused her interest. Pastures, meadows and rare forests crossed the train's path. The first hour was entertaining, Aster was not used to taking the train, a new and exciting experience. But now boredom was setting in.
She looked away from the window and let herself rest completely against Hermione's comfortable chest. Despite the fact that the compartment was empty, and therefore there was no shortage of room on the comfortable benches (thanks to the locking spell and notice me not.) Hermione had insisted on taking her on her lap. She had wrapped an arm around her waist, rested her chin on the top of her head and placed a book on her lap, turning the pages periodically. Hogwart a history, the book was called. A fascinating story according to Hermione but one that Aster had quickly grown tired of, more concerned with the terrible realisation that had hit her.
Hermione would soon be fourteen, on the nineteenth of September to be exact. She was in the middle of a growth spurt and puberty. She had grown so much since they met in Ulthar... Aster was happy for Hermione, really, but that didn't erase the fact that Aster had only grown half a centimetre in several years... in the period that was supposed to be her growth peak. Her premature vampiric ascent had really screwed up her normal development. How many centuries would she have to wait to reach her final adult form? It was infinitely frustrating. Especially since Hermione seemed to enjoy this state of affairs far too much and took advantage of it far too often for Aster's taste. Like right now... but Aster didn't have the heart to make her displeasure known. After all, a significant part of her appreciated this arrangement more than was reasonable.
The railway track must have taken a turn, the sun was now shining through the glass, Aster could feel its bite on her sensitive skin. "Hermione, close the curtain please." She said immediately. There was no way she was going to arrive at Hogwarts looking like an overcooked lobster, no matter how delicious the lobsters were. Hermione grumbled and reluctantly pulled her arm away from Aster's waist to draw the curtain. "Thank you." Aster sighed, relaxing again.
"Are you sure Hufflepuff is the best house for the plan? It would be more natural to go to Griffindor, that's what the common folk expect." Aster asked. The question of which house to force the Sorting Hat to put them in was cause for debate. Slytherin had been automatically excluded under Severus' advice for obvious reasons. In his opinion, Dumbledore was extremely biased as to which house his students were sorted into. Poor Slytherins immediately earned the label of potential threats and untrustworthy people. Ravenclaw had also been excluded, although it was the most natural house for her and Hermione, being Ravenclaw went against their plan. In this house, she and Hermione would be watched, dissected, she could not act with the discretion required to successfully obtain the stone.
The debate therefore placed them between Hufflepuff and Griffindor. Aster had initially really leaned towards Griffindor, which is where Dumbledore expected them to be according to Severus and would give them points of trust in Dumbledore's eyes. Besides, suspicious behaviour would be expected from reckless idiots in this house. But Hermione had some good points for Hufflepuff. "Aster, that may be the case, but Severus said he thought Dumbledore was preparing some kind of test for you, something to do with the stone, something to check if you fit the prophecy. The first phase of this test is your placement in Griffindor. If we're there, Dumbledore will pay far too much attention to us, he'll want to watch his little heroine. In Hufflepuff, he will lose interest, think you are weak, and be much less suspicious. Besides, you may find that we can make more reliable allies there than in the other houses.
A few days earlier, Aster would have responded with her own list of arguments for Griffindor, such as, according to Severus, the reputation of the Hufflepuffs for always moving in groups, which could hinder their plans. But today it was time to decide, and Aster had to admit that Hermione had more of an argument than she did. "Well, alright, let's go for Hufflepuffs." She sighed as she pressed herself further into Hermione's chest. This position was certainly humiliating, but firstly, no one was there to see it, and secondly, it was bloody comfortable.
"I like it when you admit you're wrong." Hermione whispered mischievously in Aster's ear.
"Shush, or I'll bite you," Aster growled.
"You know I like that..." Hermione whispered with a blush. Aster couldn't help but laugh at her poor troubled friend.
"By the way Aster, when are you going to let me do my first array?" Hermione said in a commendable effort to change the subject.
"You're not ready yet. You've got the basics down, but without a full understanding of the more subtle interactions of the different functions that make up arrays, trying to create one is far too dangerous." Aster said firmly. She knew Hermione wouldn't like that answer, but she had to be firm.
Hermione pouted." In that case, you have to teach me more array. And can't you just supervise if I create one?"
"Well, okay, but I'm supervising and you're not injecting any magic into it until I give the go-ahead. Anyway, this year we're mostly going to be learning about twig waving."
"Aster it's wands... don't be so bitter about it." Hermione said, rolling her eyes.
"I know, it's just frustrating." sighed Aster as she pulled out her wand and twisted it back and forth between her fingers. The piece of wood singing with joy in her hands like an impatient puppy. "Yes it's convenient, yes the magic is easier, smoother, a few words, a few movements and voila. But the power... I feel like I'm pushing my magic through a pipe that's far too thin. Neither the power nor the subtlety of a magecraft array. It's just... frustrating."
"I know exactly what you mean, Aster, but think about it. We have a class called transfiguration. Imagine what you can do with a few wand movements that would require a complex array in this area. You're too dramatic. Using an array for something you can do with a wand would be like... I don't know... instead of turning the knob to open a door, you blow it up with a ton of explosives. Either way works, but one method is just overkill."
"I know... it's just..."
"Frustrating and much less exhilarating than what you're used to. But Aster, right now I just feel like I'm with a magic junky who realizes she might be going through a withdrawal period. Try to think of something happy... going to potion class with your godfather? Knowing you're close to bringing Anna back?"
"Thanks Hermione... I'm just on edge right now, I can feel the tension rising in the order of the Asphodel, we're entering hostile territory, under the nose of the enemy, and I'm going to have to cut myself off from the pleasure of arrays..."
"Me too, Aster. But remember, we're in this together, and Severus is our spy and ally in place with Dumbledore's full confidence. We are not alone, you even have Ulthar's official support now."
Aster smiled Hermione had a habit of always knowing what to say to cheer her up. Trying to spare her young friend any more stress, she said. "By the way, did you read the potion book?"
"Of course."
The discussion then moved on to the differences between magecraft and wizardry potion making methods. Hermione launched into a passionate speech about the difference in the basic concept of how to make a potion. Perhaps the journey on the Hogwarts express would not be as unpleasant as Aster had feared.
oOOOo
The lake was dark and deep. Its waters black and smooth reflecting the starry sky. Nostalgia gripped her heart, it had been a long time since she had been to the edges. The tall, twisted trees of the great forest bordering the lake took on whimsical shapes, their black silhouettes standing out against the blue of the night. Ominous noises rose from the woods, and Aster thought he saw a pair of yellow eyes peering out from between the reeds on the shore.
The flotilla of small boats glided along the waters, the silence disturbed only by the lapping of the water on the wood and the muffled chatter of children getting acquainted or continuing their anxious discussions, wondering what was going to happen to them on this first night in the ancient school.
At the head of the fifteen or so boats, a man, half-giant if Aster was right, was leading the way, wielding a lantern of dark metal and smoked glass lighting the way, slicing through the darkness and night mists with its flickering flame.
Aster was sitting comfortably in the boat, her head resting on Hermione's shoulder. Two young girls had just climbed into the boat with them. A girl with blonde braids, a rosy complexion and an anxious look on her face held the hand of a tall girl with a round face and big brown eyes complementing her long red hair tied in a long braid. The redhead, obviously braver than her friend, smiled and held out her hand. "Good evening, my name is Susan Bones, and you?
Aster returned her smile and took her hand in hers, squeezing it firmly but not forcefully. "Aster Potter, a pleasure to meet you." Susan and her friend gave a little squeal of surprise in unison.
"Really? Dumbledore declared you dead years ago." The little blonde asked before blushing and adding. "Sorry, I'm Hannah Abbot." And they exchanged a handshake as well. Hermione cleared her throat, and held out her hand to both girls. "Hermione Snow, a pleasure." The two girls, ashamed to have forgotten Hermione, lost in their surprise at meeting Aster muttered some apologies.
Once the introductions were really over Aster rolled her eyes. "Yes, Aster Potter, in the flesh," she said sarcastically. "Declaring me dead was Dumbledore's plan to ensure my safety. He had noticed that some of the followers of you-know-who had escaped justice were starting to threaten me." Aster said, bringing up the story that she, Hermione and Severus in dialogue with Dumbledore had concocted for this case.
Hannah and Susan nodded together, seeming to swallow the story. "Where have you been all this time then?" Susan asked curiously.
"In another country with my foster mother, on the continent. But enough about me, you know there's not much interesting about me except that I had the misfortune to be in the same room as a madman at the time he failed his spell hard enough to blow himself up."
Susan, sensing Aster's desire not to elaborate on this turned to Hermione. "Did you two meet on the train, or did you already know each other?"
Hermione shrugged. "Aster's mum adopted me a few years ago... My muggle parents weren't too keen on magic. We've been friends for a few years." Hannah and Susan winced simultaneously, stories of muggle born parents not taking well to the particulars of their children were fairly well known among mages dealing with muggle born. "What about you? You look close," Hermione asked, not wishing to dwell on a subject that obviously made both girls uncomfortable.
"Yes." Susan said, nodding and clasping Hannah's hand in hers. "We practically grew up together. Mum... sorry, Auntie Amelia and I are neighbours of Hannah's parents' restaurant. Malina, Hannah's mum used to work from home and watch me and Hannah when Auntie Amelia was busy."
"Amelia... Like, Amelia Bones? The head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement?" Aster asked.
At this, Susan looked surprised. "Yes, she is. You know the heads of the departments?"
"Yes, mum insists I know a bit about the politics of the country because of all the 'girl who lived' bullshit." Aster gave an imperceptible nod of her head to Hermione. As far as she knew, after studying the important government figures, Voldemort had exterminated the Bones. She had known that Mrs. Bones had a niece, the only survivor of her family, but unfortunately had not been able to find her name. Mrs. Bones had been careful to protect her niece. Gaining Susan's trust and by extension forging a bond with Amelia had become a priority. What better way to make an ally of one of the few strong and reliable personalities in the corrupt slump of British politics than through her dear niece.
Hermione had apparently got the message or had the same thought, for she went on the attack. "I hear she's an admirable woman, one of the few to stay away from Malfoy gold and not suck up to that idiot Fudge." Said Hermione with a smirk and a conspiratorial air, as if sharing a secret. Aster couldn't thank Severus enough for writing them a handbook elegantly called "The British Political Slump for Dummies." A five-page document that could be summed up as 'it's a miracle this country is still standing. When the time came to bring the Asphodel Order out of the shadows, having the right supporters would be paramount, and Amelia Bones seemed to be one of those possible supporters.
Susan blushed noticeably and cleared her throat. "Which house do you think you'll end up in?" she asked, both flattered and embarrassed by Hermione's comment. The conversation then returned to less troubled waters. Apparently Hannah and Susan had both expected to end up at Hufflepuffs and seemed delighted to hear that they had too. Aster was shocked to hear that her godfather's reputation was so abysmal, Hannah was terrified to even attend a potions class because of the man's reputation even though she hadn't heard much about him, having never set foot in Hogwarts.
The discussion died as soon as the castle appeared from behind a wooded hill. A titan of shadow standing out against the blue night, broad and thick at its base, an impregnable fortress of thick walls yet with multitudes of tall towers and spires soaring skywards of impossible architecture. The tallest of them all towered far above the others, its pointed top haloed by the rising full moon. Aster couldn't lie to herself, the sight was striking. Especially for her, her Lagaelis eye almost twitched, the castle was enveloped in swirls of thousand-year-old magic swirling peacefully in and around the tall gothic architecture. Far below the building, Aster could feel a slow pulse of magic, heavy and powerful, ancient and overwhelming, like the very slow heartbeat of an immense sleeping beast.
Aster shuddered, Hogwart might have more to offer than a few twig handling lessons, connections and a nice stone that would bring Anna back.
oOOOo
It was the second time today that Aster was exasperated, and for the same reason as a few hours ago. In the midst of the crowd of young people waiting to be assigned to the different houses, she felt like she was surrounded by giants. Fortunately, Hermione was right behind her with her arms over her shoulders, her hands on her chest saving her from certain and excruciating death by trampling. From this unfavourable spot, Aster could only see black robes and the enchanted ceiling. The latter offered a welcome distraction, as Aster could ponder how the ceiling offered such a splendid view of the starry sky in real time rather than trying to bore a hole in the back of one of the annoying, pompous little blond man's lackeys with her gaze alone. Aster was of the opinion that there was an artefact at the top of the highest tower that absorbed the image of the sky and replicated it on the ceiling, whereas Hermione defended the view that it was space magic and that by flying away one could actually leave the castle through the ceiling and find oneself somewhere above the surrounding hills.
Aster had tried to determine this by sight alone, but the magic of the castle was so concentrated in its walls that it was impossible to determine any function. Swirls of magic of unspeakable colours danced through the structure in currents, sometimes calm, sometimes raging. The chaotic nature of the magic was surprising, but not completely unexpected. Aster had a few theories as to why this was so, which she would enjoy testing in her spare time later on.
Hannah and Susan had been called for a while, Susan had shown great confidence but Hannah had been more than a little anxious, terrified of being in a different house from Susan. Both had promptly joined the proud black and yellow ranks of the Hufflepuffs. Aster didn't understand the contempt the Badger House was being shown by the other three. From what she understood, Hufflepuffs was the freest house, the one that best trained its members for the real world by not constraining them to the restrictive stereotypes of the other houses. From what Severus had said, the Hufflepuffs had the least trouble finding work and integrating into society after Hogwarts. Frankly, Aster found the very idea of a house system based on the characteristics of its members counterproductive at best.
The two boys Aster assumed were half-trolls and Hermione thought had Gramrok blood, the professional bootlickers of the little blonde noblion who had been thrown into the snake pit after less than a second under the hat brim had joined their master in Slytherin. Sorting people by their characteristics seemed to be increasingly bull-shit for Aster. The hat seemed to be sorting more by affinity between people and wishes than anything else. The two troll children whose names Aster did not wish to learn were proof of this. They clearly didn't belong with the snakes. They didn't seem ambitious or cunning. Or maybe it was a carefully crafted facade to be underestimated, but Aster doubted that thirteen year olds would set up such a plot. Hermione agreed, something about Ockham's razor and the simplest explanation being the best.
Suddenly, Aster looked away from Hermione to the teacher's table. The tall, stern-looking lady in charge of the hat had just called Potter. It was strange to be called by that name, it felt... completely impersonal.
A deathly silence had fallen over the hall. All heads turned in her direction. Or at least in the direction of the group of young people who had not yet been sorted into their respective houses. Aster doubted that she could be seen among the other new students. Aster sighed and reluctantly pulled away from Hermione before stepping forward in the direction of the unlucky hat. An almost imperceptible smile spread across her face. If her suspicions about the artefact she would be under in a few seconds turned out to be correct, she would finally have some action and fun in this far too long and tiring day. She sat down on the old wooden stool that looked as old as the hat itself. The tall professor watched her like a hawk, a glint in her eye that Aster found hard to interpret. Every pair of eyes in the hall was on her, the situation was becoming uncomfortable. Fortunately, the hat was placed on her head at that moment, its far too wide brim cutting off her sight.
She heard a voice in her head, outside her occlumency barrier of woven souls. "Oh... oh... sweet Merlin. Holy shit, by Godric's balls, I... what... Morgana... what are you?" said a squeaky voice of deep terror.
Aster didn't bother to answer and immediately went to work. Like the many times Sonya had explained to her how to devour a soul, she manipulated the barrier around her soul to reshape itself, the structure of it made of a thousand souls broken by the soul eaters serving as hooks and barbs to harpoon the imitation, artificial soul of the object on her head. She planted her metaphorical claws there, ignoring the artifact's panicked pleas. The enchantments woven and criss-crossed in the old leather hat were now laid bare before her, exposed.
"Monster! You're not human, you don't belong among children, thing! I can't let you have your way!" the hat said in a terrified voice in her head. Meanwhile, Aster was inspecting the complex and exciting enchantments and magical network that formed the structure of this thousand-year-old mind simulacrum.
"Fascinating." She finally said in a neutral tone. "You are well done, unable to tell anyone anything about our little exchange. Surely the founders were keen to ensure that the privacy of the young students remained that way."
"I can't let a soul eater loose among children!" The hat screamed in her skull.
"Oh, calm down. We're just passing through, we're not going to do anything to the children you feel responsible for."
The hat was apparently not reassured by this statement. "I can't see anything of your monstrous soul except that it's hidden behind a wall of a thousand broken corpses of dead souls! How can I believe you? Thing! Never before have I seen such a creature as you pass beneath my rim!"
Aster was getting really exasperated with the hat's lack of cooperation, the fatigue of the day wasn't helping to calm her nerves. "You know what old hat, listen. If you don't do as I say, I'll rip up and devour the pathetic imitation soul you're made of." She heard the hat yelp in fright in her head. "What do you know of the Philosopher's Stone that is kept here?" Aster asked in an authoritative tone, both outraged and annoyed by the old artifact's attitude.
"I knew that bringing the stone here would not just attract the wraith to our walls," the hat growled desperately. "Damn you Albus!"
"Answer old leather!" thundered Aster in her head as she dug her mental claws deeper into the artifact's artificial soul structure.
"I beg you! Stop, I'll do anything you want, please, just don't hurt the children, a creature like you has no business being among them." the old hat groaned. "Albus keeps the artifact somewhere in the castle, he uses it as bait for a servant of the last dark lord. I don't know where, or how the stone is kept."
Aster sighed, she would get nothing more out of the poor traumatized hat. "There's a girl who hasn't been sorted yet, her name is Hermione Snow, née Granger. You will place her in Hufflepuffs, or I will find you and destroy you. Now, let's get this over with and put me in Hufflepuffs." Aster thought with a tone of finality before withdrawing her mental fangs from the poor thing's soul. The moment the hat was free, he yelled to the room, "HUFFLEPUFFS" with an imperceptible tinge of desperation in its voice.
It was an exhausted but satisfied Aster who rose to join Hannah and Susan at the table of children in yellow and black, clapping happily as she approached. The Griffindor table seemed as terribly disappointed that she had not joined their ranks as they were shocked to learn that the last Potter turned out to be alive.
Aster dropped down onto the bench to Susan's right, making sure to leave a space on her own right for Hermione before exchanging a few words with her new acquaintances and a few greetings with the other members of her new house, all of whom seemed to be overjoyed at the prospect of welcoming her into their midst. Now seated and with the view of the hall no longer obscured by all those people far too tall for her taste, Aster could finally take the time to observe the faculty table while waiting for Hermione to arrive.
Her eyes immediately fell on her godfather. He was his usual impassive self, but Aster could see the few details she had learned to notice about the man in the few weeks since they met. He seemed... relieved. Not surprisingly, Severus had doubted Aster's ability to end up in a house other than Slytherin, which would have been dramatic for their plan. Aster was forced to admit that since their meeting, Severus had done his best to find a place for himself at her side. The poor man seemed to go from shock to shock, ever since his discovery and introduction to the Order of the Asphodel and his request to participate in the plan to recover the Philosopher's Stone. But surprisingly, he seemed to be coping admirably. Aster had of course been extremely suspicious of him at first, but the man had agreed to let her inspect his mind from top to bottom. She had found far too extreme feelings towards her birth mother, but more importantly, no trace of malice towards her, and only surface loyalty to Dumbledore's cause. At this rate, Aster was beginning to believe that Severus would be one of her most important keys to gaining access to the stone.
Dumbledore was sitting directly to Severus' right. Aster shuddered, this was the first time she had really looked at him and she hadn't expected it. Just by the column of raw, clear, blindingly bright magic, so powerful that it dwarfed that of any of the other professors, Aster could tell that Dumbledore was more than deserving of all his titles. His decision to go small and sneaky to get to the stone had never seemed more right than it did now. The old wizard must have been a real monster of magic on the battlefield. Aster immediately looked away as she felt the touch of Dumbledore's legillimency against her defences. Aster knew they were impenetrable to such intrusions, but it was important that he didn't realise what he was really dealing with. Then the whole charade would be exposed.
Aster blinked several times. Since when were Hogwarts professors supposed to have multiple souls? Especially when one of them seemed to be slowly devouring the other. Was this an Edaxis-Animae? An Obscurus in the making? It didn't seem to be that, the two magics were too different from each other. More like a case of possession. Moreover, she recognized this magic, as if its taste was familiar to her... Aster was beginning to have serious suspicions as to what this professor's problem might be. Perhaps she could turn the situation to her advantage. She would have to discuss it with Hermione.
The rest of the professors were far less interesting, apart from perhaps the huge half-giant crying his eyes out for some reason, the half-goblin giving looks that if they could kill, would have reduced Dumbledore to ashes, and the tall, stern witch with the drawn, tired look on her face whose magic looked a lot like that of a cat for some reason. Was she of feral heritage? Perhaps she could ask her at the end of one of her classes.
Finally, Hermione Snow was called to be sorted. There were only a handful of students left in the queue. Seconds after Hermione sat down on the stool, the hat screamed Hufflepuffs and Aster smiled feeling particularly snide. Hermione came to sit next to her and received an equally warm welcome from the overly enthusiastic badgers. Once seated, next to her, Hermione hissed in her ear. "What have you done to the poor hat? It sounded terrified!"
Aster shrugged. "Just a quick question, then I kindly asked him to put you in Hufflepuffs with me. Nothing more."
Hermione's eyes narrowed. "You can tell me the whole truth later."
Aster nodded simply, there was no need to argue with Hermione on this kind of point. She just had to hope she hadn't angered her friend too much by traumatising the hat. Who would have thought that she would ever think that sentence?
Dumbledore had stood up and was reciting 'power words' in a clear attempt to make himself look like a fool and be underestimated, or maybe the old headmaster just liked to see the surprised and dazed faces of the first years not knowing if he was crazy or if there was some deep truth of the universe behind those few words. Then he clapped his hands, and the food appeared on the table.
The start of the meal went smoothly, with Susan, bless her heart, taking it upon herself to answer the obvious questions from the table about Aster's supposed death and the fact that she had just reappeared and was clearly not dead at all. (Maybe there was some truth to the news of her death, but it was none of their business.) Susan relayed the explanation of the extreme security measure put in place by Dumbledore.
Hermione was not spared either, but she was faring much better than Aster.
Once the few curiosities were satisfied, (yes, it's a real enchanted arm, and yes losing an arm hurts. Aster was flabbergasted at having to answer that last question, fortunately for her sanity, the young man who had asked it seemed to realise his stupidity and shrank away).
Just as Aster thought she had finally survived the avalanche of curiosity she had just endured, a first year boy addressed her. "So Potter, how come you're so small? I've never seen that before."
Aster raised an eyebrow, these questions were really starting to wear on her, especially the absolutely tactless ones like this. "Perhaps you should introduce yourself before asking a rude question," she said, staring into his eyes.
"Ah sorry, where are my manners, my name is Ernest Macmillan." He said, holding out his hand. Aster shook it with displeasure, the blond man squeezed her fingers far too hard, before releasing his grip. "So, why are you so small?" Aster let out a long grunt of despair, the evening would be long and made worse by that disgusting pumpkin juice.
After the meal, Dumbledore spoke again, something about a forbidden forest, therefore forbidden, a certain Mr. Filch who enforces order by terror, and a forbidden corridor of certain death, but about which an announcement is made to the whole school in defiance of the curious or foolhardy... Maybe the philosopher's stone wouldn't be so hard to find…
oOOOo
Aster was alone, sitting in a comfortable chair in a most surreal room. Not as surreal as Kav-deb's third red room, but still. The place was a chaotic, ordered mess of artifacts and other small magical objects with strange functions that Aster couldn't identify. One shelf was literally overflowing with old leather-covered volumes whose old parchment scent she could smell from over there, most disturbing was the systematic use of socks as bookmarks. If Hermione saw this, she would faint. One of the most striking details was the magnificent phoenix with its fiery plumage looking at her with a mixture of contempt and curiosity. One of the only tidy places in the room was the desk in front of her, a large piece of solid wood furniture carved with lion's paws, one of them with a boot on. And behind it, the reason for her presence in this place.
Aster and Hermione were on their way to the dormitories, as they had expected, Severus had come to fetch her, announcing that she had been invited to go to the Headmaster's office for some private business. Aster had expected this, but she would much rather be with Hermione discovering the wonders of Hogwarts bedding.
Dumbledore sat behind his desk, his features drawn, dark circles under his eyes, his robes a dull grey-brown in stark contrast to the brightly coloured fabrics he had worn to the opening banquet of the year.
The old headmaster let out a long sigh before raising his blue eyes to her. "Good evening Aster, I hope the ride and the banquet were pleasant." He said in a neutral tone.
Aster nodded. "Good evening Headmaster, I must admit that Hogwarts certainly doesn't disappoint."
"I'm glad to hear it." Dumbledore replied with the ghost of a smile on his face. "I'd offer you a lemon drop, but I doubt this discussion is suitable for that kind of sugary distraction. First of all, Aster, you have my deepest apologies for placing you with your mother's sister, and for abandoning the search so hastily. I should have listened to Minerva's advice or at least set up regular visits."
Aster simply waited in a detached manner. Her treatment at the hands of these people was a distant memory.
Receiving no reply, Dumbledore continued. "I am glad to have you back, and thank you for agreeing to relay the explanation behind your disappearance that we chose, in these difficult times, Britain needs its stability, and as one of the guarantors of it, my fall upon the masses discovering the true depth of my error would have had disastrous consequences. I'd like to release you now, but there are a few details we need to get straight. Severus told me that you lived for several years with Anna Karrasinqi after she saved you by turning you into a vampire on one of her trips to England. How was the life with her?"
"Well, she treated me like her daughter, she cared for me and loved me more than anyone before." Said Aster, sticking to what she had to disclose to Dumbledore. She wanted to ask him some questions too, like what right did this man have to throw her in with people totally unsuited to take care of a young witch, but she had to try not to make an enemy of him, not now.
"I see, and what happened after the ICW attack?"
"I fled to Ulthar, on the way there I met Hermione, we were made servants of a Matagon family before Hermione and I discovered a plot and told our mistress about it, which earned us our freedom. Nailla, a Nymph in the service of the family we work for, adopted us. A few years later, Severus found us and the letter from Hogwarts reached us." Hopefully, with that statement, all her bases were covered, the story was sufficiently tinged with truth that Dumbledore had little reason to investigate, and even if he did, he would be off on the trail of Ulthar, where the Matagots would be more than happy to corroborate Aster's story. The Order of the Asphodel would remain hidden, and if Dumbledore ever started snooping in that direction, Aster could just ask Severus to put the headmaster on the trail of deaths eaters rather than the Asphodel.
"Thank you Aster, I'm grateful for your honesty, can you tell me a little more about Anna?" Aster felt like rolling her eyes so hard that she could see the inside of her skull, of course, the principal would want to know what kind of destructive and dark influence the terrifying Anna Karrasinqi had had on her.
"She was gentle, kind, and rarely told me stories about her past, presenting them to me as youthful mistakes, things not to be repeated. She loved to read, and made a living selling her enchanting skills to a few trusted clients. I don't know who, she was quite secretive about her work. She used to homeschool me, I miss her very much."
This was clearly not the answer Dumbledore had expected, given the surprise on his face, but his features relaxed. "Aster, I'd like to propose something to you, I imagine it must be terribly difficult to be so far away from that Nailla, but Ulthar can't be an easy place to get to, and I think in the long run it would be easier for you to belong to a respectable wizarding family. I'm sure there are many people I know who would be happy to adopt you and your friend."
Aster couldn't hold back her sharp reply. "And this option wasn't available twelve years ago?
Dumbledore looked down. "Times were different then, too many death eaters on the loose, it was the safest option.
"I'm sorry, but I must decline, Nailla will have no problem arranging for us to return home during the holidays, besides, I can't see myself in another family." Aster said in a tone of finality.
"I must insist, there are still Voldemort's minions at large who dream of getting their hands on you. You're safe at Hogwarts, but outside of school, it would be safer for you to be in my indirect custody."
Aster raised an eyebrow, the old man really didn't want to give up. "I doubt Voldemort's minions will have any hold on Ulthar."
Dumbledore sighed, "I can't blame you for your distrust, after all my failures, I understand. One last thing before I let you go, how do you handle being a vampire? I can't have you attacking other students, I'm sure I can arrange to secretly get blood bags from the ministry."
"You don't have to. I know it's not legal in Britain, but it's perfectly legal in Ulthar. If you won't let me, I'll withdraw from the school. Hermione's been my blood partner for a long time now. Besides, I'm sure you know that a blood bag will never fully satisfy a vampire's needs."
Dumbledore seemed shocked at this. Aster thought this knowledge was rather common. She didn't like the idea of offering Dumbledore more information about Vampires, but trying to deny it now would make her look even more suspicious in the eyes of the Headmaster. "No, it's not a problem, I myself admit that the Ministry is far too strict in its laws and does not take the welfare of its non-human citizens to heart. But, what do you mean, Aster, that blood alone is not enough?"
Hermione was surprised by Dumbledore's admission of the Ministry's shortcomings, was this a strategy to make her lower her guard? Or a real acknowledgement that the creatures don't have enough rights? Whatever it was, Aster wasn't going to miss the opportunity. "Blood is only part of the whole, the act of drinking blood from a person's veins is a ritual act without which, drinking blood only delays the inevitable thirst and madness. I'm sure in Britain you have regular cases of vampires going mad and draining several people of their blood before being captured by aurors."
Dumbledore nodded.
"It's a consequence of the ban, drinking from pouches can drive vampires mad, which triggers this kind of killing frenzy. I can assure you, with Hermione here as my blood partner, there is no risk. Much less risk than with a werewolf for example."
"Very well, in that case I see no other problem. I must ask you to keep your vampiric nature a secret, though, I fear the ministry could cause problems if they learn the truth." Aster saw it for what it was, a thinly veiled threat, Dumbledore had the power to make her life difficult if he wanted to. Aster pretended to be naive, however, and not to understand the implication. She needed to be in Dumbledore's good graces at the end of this interview.
"Can I still tell the few close friends I'm bound to make in Hufflepuff? She said, forcing herself to blush. "I already enjoy Susan Bones' company very much and would hate to lie to her." Aster couldn't help but gloat inwardly, the hidden message of her words surely hadn't escaped Dumbledore.
"Of course, of course, I'm just asking you to make sure your friends know how to keep a secret."
"Of course." said Aster, smiling.
"Right, off to bed now little badger." Dumbledore concluded with a look of amusement and hope in his eyes.
Aster walked out of the office much lighter, she had been dreading this meeting, and if Dumbledore's last look was anything to go by, she had passed the test much better than expected. Hermione would be proud of her.
oOOOo
Outside Dumbledore's office, Hermione and a prefect of Hufflepuff with long purple hair were having a lively discussion. The prefect was demonstrating some wand movements that caused small blue flames to appear in the air to a visibly fascinated Hermione.
The two of them obviously did not hear Aster approaching. She had to clear her throat loudly. The prefect gasped with a high-pitched squeal, her hair turning from purple to white and then to a crimson hue. Hermione turned sharply, one hand in her pocket, where Aster knew she kept the void shield array at all times.
"Potter! You scared me." Said the prefect, before regaining her composure. "Call me Tonks, I'm in charge of walking you back to the common room, all the puffs are waiting for us." She finished by holding out her hand. Aster held it out to her firmly, a slight smile on her face. "Call me Aster please. And thank you for picking me up with Hermione, and frankly, the other Hufflepuffs didn't have to wait for me."
At this statement Tonks laughed, "Hufflepuffs wouldn't be Hufflepuffs if we didn't wait for one of our own for the common room presentation."
"Thank you," Aster simply said with a blush, she would really need to work on her social interaction skills if she was going to be able to get through this. The group then set off through the long, cold stone corridors, which were fortunately regularly covered with thick tapestries and numerous paintings. Often they were portraits of people from ancient times, looking at them in a way that was mostly disinterested or even contemptuous in the case of portraits of people who were obviously of high rank. It was slightly unnerving that some armors displayed along the walls turned their helmet in their direction as they walked by.
"So? What did the headmaster wanted?" Hermione asked.
"Nothing special, just a few personal words of welcome and a question or two about how my summer went." She replied, giving Hermione a meaningful look.
"Oh, just that?" Tonks said in obvious disappointment. "I imagined he'd show you the secrets of his office or offer you detention passes or something nice."
"Unfortunately none of that, maybe our headmaster isn't as colourful as he claims to be."
"Not even privileged access to the library?" Hermione asked with a smirk, getting into Tonks' game.
"Not even. Nothing, the man is a joy-killer."
The discussion drifted from the disappointing headmaster to the various rooms and corridors Tonks showed them on the way, some of which were pompously titled secret passages simply because they were a bit hidden and served as shortcuts to getting around the labyrinthine architecture of the ancient castle in any kind of efficient way. One of the things that struck Aster and Hermione was the sheer number of rooms that were out of use. It seemed that there was a time when Hogwarts was a much larger academy. According to Tonks, out of the seven years studying at Hogwarts at the same time, there were just under five hundred students.
Tonks had gone on a long diatribe about the inbred pureblood bastards and their war that had caused the death or exile of a large part of the English magical aristocracy. According to her, there had been a kind of baby boom after the defeat of voldemorts, and the following years would see more classes arrive, enough for there to be rumours of new teachers being hired, and the possible reopening of some classes like alchemy, but nowhere near enough for Hogwarts to be restored to its golden age. What seemed to infuriate Tonks the most was that one of the consequences of the low student numbers was a greatly reduced budget to run the school. The consequences being a big saving preventing the replacement of the history teacher, and the hiring of a cursebreaker competent enough to break a curse on the position of teacher of defence against the dark arts that had caused several fatal accidents over the years.
What was worse was that the problem was getting worse, with the lack of budget and the deterioration in the quality of education that Tonks deplored, the wealthier aristocratic wizards not being as committed to tradition as the old pureblood families were increasingly choosing to send their children to other private magical schools.
The discussion returned to more cheerful ground when Aster remarked on the presence of numerous comfortable and discreet looking alcoves, prompting Tonks to recount some of the mischief she seemed to be proud of that had taken place in such places, and Hermione to declare thoughtfully that such nooks and crannies seemed awfully comfortable for a good afternoon's reading.
After yet another spiral staircase, they came to a long corridor. Tonks paused briefly in front of a still life to show them how to get to the kitchens before continuing on and taking a small, unobtrusive door on the right in a recess in the wall opening onto a large cellar. Along the wall, twenty or so large oak barrels were lined up, Tonks walked up to the fourth before knocking against its wall twice quickly, pausing, before following up with a succession of three more knocks. The wall of the barrel then opened into a corridor lit by torches flooding the entrance with orange light. Aster and Hermione entered and Tonks closed the barrel door behind them.
"Welcome to the Badger Burrow!" Tonks said as she opened the warm brown wooden door at the end of the corridor.
The Hufflepuff common room was large and round. The floor, a wooden plank covered with multiple rugs in warm colours and floral patterns. Countless coffee tables, armchairs, sofas and beanbags were available for everyone. Two large fireplaces flooded the room with the gentle warmth of a wood fire, adding to the orange-red light of a large wood and metal chandelier hanging from the ceiling covered with candles. The walls of the room were either prime locations for houseplants or books that Aster doubted had any academic depth. Numerous round windows looked out, some directly, others in comfortable-looking recesses in the wall. Aster could not guess which landscape they faced, however, as it had been dark for some time. Two doors opened in the opposite wall, Aster could bet that they were the entrances to the dormitories.
The place had a warm feeling and was really welcoming. One of the striking details was the portrait of a sleeping old witch hanging above the fireplace. The room was filled with students of all ages chatting or playing various games, one of which was cards with an unfortunate tendency to explode.
In a high-backed seat sat a small, round woman with curly hair and simple yellow robes bent over a book, Aster recognised her as soon as she entered, she was one of the teachers who had not struck her interest at the table earlier. A few seconds after their entrance, she looked up and smiled at them before standing up and clapping her hands. "Good, everyone! Now that everybody is here the welcome speech can begin!"
The games and discussions stopped and there was silence, all heads turning to the teacher in a demonstration of her quiet authority. "Good evening, I am Pomona Sprout your head of house. Welcome to Hufflepuffs for a new year. Our house is not the house of heroes, nor of great scholars, nor of ambitious politicians, and as such many make the mistake of underestimating us. Here you will make friendships and connections that will carry you far beyond these walls, here you will learn the values of work, respect, friendship and comradery. To support these values, the house has some special features. First of all, the castle elves do not take care of everything that is internal to the house. You will have to organise yourself to tidy up and clean the common rooms, toilets and bathrooms as well as taking care of your own laundry. If you exploit one of your classmates to do everything, or if I hear that the dormitories are not kept clean, you are in deep trouble. If there are conflicts between you, try to keep them internal and settle them amicably. If this is not possible, the prefects are there for that, do not hesitate to ask them. If the conflict is still not resolved, contact me directly. Once a month, a house meeting is organised in which you are invited to bring up any problems or suggestions you may have. Clubs are encouraged within the house, the list of existing clubs is posted on the notice board. First years, tomorrow Tonks and Emeline will give you a tour of the castle to show you the class locations, explain the library and everything else you need to know to start your year on the right foot. If you have any questions or concerns, I will be in the common room from time to time and I am available in my office. Well, prefects, please come forward.
three girls and three boys came forward to stand beside Mrs Sprout, proudly, heads held high. "Here are your prefects, Miss Tonks, I'll leave the rest to you." By this time, the fatigue of the day was really starting to weigh on Aster, and she only managed to listen with one ear to Tonks' rather comical presentation of the various prefects and other rules. These included no fighting, no casting spells, and other things that were probably in the school's basic rules, but also advice like not walking alone in the halls, being wary of the Slytherins (Aster had really been right to do everything she could to avoid being in that house), as well as the recommendation to set up a schedule for the division of household chores and not to hesitate to ask the older Hufflepuffs for help in learning house spells (apparently a lot of the books in the common room libraries were on the subject of household magic. )
Just as Aster was beginning to really despair of ever seeing the shadowy figure of a bed, Tonks finished her speech and directed the first year girls to follow her into the corridor behind the door on the right that Aster had noticed when she entered the hall. The corridor was lined with seven doors, Tonks led them to the third one explaining that in Hufflepuff there was a rota system. Each new year the first years would take the dormitory that belonged to the seventh years of the previous year and would keep the same dormitory until they graduated. The room was quite large and had the same aesthetic as the common room. Four-poster beds were lined up along the walls and a space at the back of the room was reserved for some seating, and a table. Next to each bed was a desk and bedside table. The walls were also regularly pierced with round windows, which made absolutely no sense given that the room was in the dungeons. The whole thing was as inviting as it was warm, really cosy. Aster raised an eyebrow, counting her and Hermione, there were six first year girls in Hufflepuff and yet Aster was seeing seven beds. Hermione had apparently wondered the same thing and beat her to it, asking Tonks the question.
"Ah, that's easy." She said, snickering. "For the first three years you will have a chaperone. A prefect who will share your dormitory and be there to help you. This year, I'm yours! Tonks looked at her watch. "It's been a while since curfew, introductions, bathroom, and bed!"
Aster picked up her courage. "Good evening, I'm Aster Potter, nice to meet you." She said. Hermione followed directly, then a small smiling brunette with far too much energy and a round face and short hair introduced herself as Leane Maywind, then Susan Bones, followed by a tall skinny girl with caramel skin and long black hair who looked slightly intimidated introduced herself as Sophia Leymill. The introductions ended with Hannah Abbot gathering enough courage to face all the other girls.
oOOOo
Aster had closed the curtains around her bed and was staring into the darkness of the canopy. It had been an incredibly long and tiring day, but a fruitful one. She and Hermione had successfully infiltrated the school, Dumbledore had apparently seen nothing of it, and the hat had even given her a lead to the stone. They would have to arrange a meeting soon with their spy on site to find out where Albus had hidden the stone in the castle and what was the thing about the deadly corridor. Once they had got their hands on it, they could disappear again and start the real work. Getting her hands on an iron chrysalis would be no small task either. Finding out what the possessed professor thing was would also be important... she and Hermione would have so much to do besides playing the good little innocent Hufflepuffs. Being busy with Hogwarts was also taking her away from running the Order of the Asphodel. With her presence now less regular, the internal unrest would increase and the pressure would rise. She would have to make a spectacle and an example of this first real insurrection which would not be long in coming. Just to engrave in people's minds that she was not to be taken lightly.
She was so deep in thought that she almost didn't hear the sound of fabric being pushed aside and gasped when she felt the mattress buckle under the weight of the person coming towards her on all fours on the bed. "Hermione?" she whispered.
The duvet lifted and she felt a chest pressed against her side, a head resting on her breast and a pair of arms squeezing her. "It's me," Hermione's voice whispered back.
"What is it?" Aster questioned.
" Firstly, I can't sleep without you, and secondly, I need some answers that can't wait until tomorrow." Hermione said softly as she hugged her tighter. Aster sighed and pulled her wand from under her pillow. She made a barred circle motion with it as she whispered "silencio." This spell had come terribly easily to her, it was one of her list of spells that she had decided she absolutely had to master before she arrived at Hogwarts. Here she could only carry discreet arrays and her wand. Her battle staff was a redflag for anyone wanting to go unnoticed in magical Britain.
"It's okay, go ahead."
"First of all, Aster Karrasinqi, what possessed you to traumatize that poor hat so much?"
Aster winced, she knew Hermione wasn't going to like this. "It was the only way to get information out of him quickly and force him to put us in Hufflepuff."
"By terrorising him that much?" Hermione asked skeptically.
"It may not have been absolutely necessary, I admit, but it was most effective."
" Fine." Hermione growled. "So, what did the hat reveal?"
"The stone is somewhere in the castle. The reason Dumbledore has it in his possession in the first place is to use it as bait for political foes, servants of the late dark lord Voldemort." Aster said darkly.
"He's completely mad!" exclaimed Hermione. Aster was really glad at this point that she had cast the silence spell. "He's putting everyone in danger! And I imagine that if the information got out, it's not just former Voldemort minions that will show up. Us, for example, other vampires, people who are simply greedy for wealth!
"Probably, in fact, there's already one in the castle. The professor of defence, he is possessed by something. Another soul, or a wraith, the hat had also spoken of Dumbledore's desire to potentially lure the wraith... We're not the only ones on the case, and it's only the beginning of the year."
"At least we have a good cover..." sighed Hermione. "the innocent little Hufflepuffs. So, what did Dumbledore want? The uncensored version?"
"He wanted to know exactly where I'd been all these years. I confirmed what I had asked Severus to report. He was not at all happy about my connection to Karrasinqi, but I think I managed to reassure him. His other aim was to try and get me into one of his minions' families, I said we were already adopted and there was no need, he tried to insist, but couldn't force it. He also expressed his concerns about my vampiric nature. He tried to put me on the infamous Ministerial blood bags."
Hermione looked angry, shocked and outraged all at once. "No, he didn't really..."
"Yes, I wonder if he really didn't know that about vampires... I'm really having trouble reading this man..."
"I guess we'll never know..." sighed Hermione. "Good night Aster, let's save the planning for tomorrow, with a fresh mind."
"You're right, good night Hermione." Aster snuggled into her friend's arms, Hermione wasn't the only one who only slept well with company.