Aster didn't really sleep that night despite the excitement of the day. Knowing that she was in a dorm with two other girls, with the other three in an adjoining room, set her on edge. There was minimal fuss from the others, it seemed that as Pansy was willing to talk to her she got an immediate pass. One girl with red hair, Lily Moon, seemed to be snubbed quite openly - which she seemed to think wasn't an issue and above. The other girl who was also held at a distance was Tracey Davis. She had a cold demeanor, ignoring the others and headed straight for Moon.
Aster had no idea how the decision that she was acceptable was made. She wasn't as prim or tidy as Davis, her hair wasn't perfectly made and curled like Moon. So how they got the boot but she didn't was beyond her. All she could think was that it may be due to Pansy speaking to her happily.
Aster spent her first night at Hogwarts tossing and turning, curling her fingers in Binky's fur when he turned up already curled up on her appointed bed. She had no idea where Clacker was. The little sleep she did have were plagued with flashes of purple cloth seeped in blood, a stone held in a pale hand, and a high pitched cackle that reverberated down her spine.
Curling up around her Cat after the last dream jerked her awake, she trailed her hand through his fur, making him purr loudly and headbutting her. She looked through the gap in the curtains around her bed, looking through the glass and into the murky waters of the lake. Shadows moved about in the water, making ripples which Aster could almost hear and soothing her panic from her nightmare. She stared for about an hour before her eyes slid shut, still curled around Binky and unaware that a Creature had swam up to the window, staring at the glimpse of the girl it could see before the Cat beside her turned its bright eyes and growled in warning, scaring it away.
She jolted awake when she heard movement in the room beyond her, listening as the two girls with her stirred and argued who could use the bathroom first.
She pulled back the heavy drapes, pulling their attention to her.
"Oh good you're awake. We were just discussing who should use the amenities first." Pansy declared. "Daphne here thinks she should be the first. What do you think?"
Aster blinked then yawned. "Who takes the longest? I don't take that long to be honest." At their looks she rolled her eyes. "I get clean, I just tend to linger in a bath rather than a shower." She informed them, after having the choice of either at first the Cloak and Wand and then at Mynydd Hall, she found she could relax a lot more with a bath, especially if it had bubbles and a lavender scent added.
"Well you go first then, Aster - I can call you Aster can't I?" Pansy instructed firmly before ushering her into the bathroom.
Aster looked around, noticing how the floor was a dark wood, with a copper bath on a dais, but gave way to coffee brown tiles at the walk in shower inset into the room, with nothing but a sheet of glass to stop the water getting everywhere.
She saw that there were towels already folded up on three individual shelves with the initials of PP, DG and AP embroidered into the material and carved into the wooden shelves themselves. Each shelf seemed to have their own personal belongings, Daphne having the most with creams and make up lined up neatly, Pansy's had a fair bit as well, but seemed to be more shower based products. Then there was Aster's with the standard shower and bath products but with an abundance of hair ribbons.
Admiring the room she turned on the shower, and had to quickly realised it didn't immediate warm up to the right temperature as the one at the Inn or home did. Nor did the tiles warm up particularly well. Shivering she ducked under the water as soon as it got to a relatively warmish temperature and began to lather herself.
As she got out she wrapped a towel around herself and her hair, before grabbing a brush and ribbon for the day. She stepped to go outside to put on her uniform when she realised it was already sat on the counter where the two sinks were. Complete with underwear.
Feeling a bit perturbed, she quickly put on the uniform before dashing out, clutching her brush.
"I hope you don't mind that I put your clothes in there. You were in a bit of a rush you left them out." Pansy said from the comfort of her bed without looking up as she flicked through a magazine.
"Err. Thanks." Aster replied, "I think." She muttered.
"Don't worry," Pansy smirked, "I didn't see anything." Well that made her feel better.
Nodding to her she went to the dressing table in the room to brush her hair and plait it, making sure to try and tame it as much as possible for her first day. She spent an unwarranted amount of time trying to smooth it down before giving up.
"I'm going to wait in the common room." She turned round, seeing that Daphne was back in the room dressed, putting on her tights and shoes.
"I'll let Pans know." Was her absent response. Whether she would do so remained to be seen.
Making her way down the stairs she entered the large circular common room. She had made sure to not gape at the place the night before, taking note of the rather snobby older occupants, instead opting for flashing her gaze at random things as she listened to Professor Snape explain things.
The room was draped in a light green hue from the lake, with the reflection of ripples projected on the dark wooden floor. There were scrolled armchairs in dark brown, with emerald and silver cushions and throws dotted about.
Tapestries and the occasional portrait hung on the walls of various subjects. There was a fair few that featured snakes, understandably, and over the large fireplace a painting stood of a man holding a snake in his arms with a shield by his feet. Weirdly this painting didn't seem to move overly much, more like it was on a loop of action instead of the more free movement of other paintings Aster had seen.
As she went down the few steps into the common room she saw Nott sitting by a dark skinned boy who seemed to be amused by something. Deciding that going to them rather than waiting like a ninny, she slid up to them.
The other boy noticed her before Nott did.
"Alright, Potter?" He drawled, his lips still in a half smirk, making Nott look up at her and smile.
"Mornin'." She mumbled at them.
"Potter - "
"Aster. You can call me Aster. Otherwise feel like I'm fifty." She blurted, sick of all the surname calling.
Zabini looked at her more closely, his smirk deepening. "Well then, name's Blaise." He sidled to her, holding his hand out relatively close to his side, and when she went to shake it he flipped it so he could kiss it instead, making her and Nott roll her eyes.
"Then call me Theodore. Anyway, I was going to ask your opinion on Longbottom."
She looked at him askance.
"Any particular reason?"
Blaise chuckled, "We were discussing on how many are going to fawn over him. Even the Slytherins."
Aster wrinkled her nose. "Well you can count me out. He seems prissy. Like he needs someone to tie his shoes for him."
The boys chuckled and Blaise pointed at her, "I like you." He declared before swinging to look at Theodore. "I'm afraid you've been replaced. It was nice knowing you."
The boy rolled his eyes at him again, "I met her first. How do you know I didn't replace you first?"
Blaise gasped, "Without notifying me first? You pig!"
Aster looked at the two of them. "How about I back away slowly and nope out?" Both boys turned to look at her.
Blaise shook his head sadly, "It's too late for that now, sorry. You are now well into the Pit."
"Welcome to Slytherin." They said at the same time, making Aster blink and pulling a face causing them to laugh.
"Aster! There you are! You know you could have waited upstairs in the dorm." Pansy cried as she skipped down the steps.
"But if she did that then we wouldn't have been able to adopt her, Parkinson." Blaise quipped.
"Oh find a mirror and get lost Zabini." Pansy sniffed. "Where's Draco?"
"Here." The platinum haired boy said, making Pansy spin around in delight. He looked around at everyone, his gaze lingering when it landed on Aster, an eyebrow raising at her. Aster serenely returned his scrutiny with her arms folded.
Blaise clapped his hands together sharply. "Right! Now we're all gathered, I'm going to breakfast with Aster here." He announced, throwing an arm around her shoulders and dragging her out the portrait hole.
"Don't worry," he whispered to her. "Draco always tries to intimidate new people. Thinks he's royalty cause he's a Malfoy." He murmured to her, making her look at him out of the corner of her eye, as she mumbled a thanks at him.
Behind them Pansy inspected them, narrowing her eyes at the familiarity that Blaise was showing to Aster.
"She said to call her by name." Nott told her, making her jump. "They only met this morning." He told her with a smirk before jogging to catch up the two up front.
The majority of the Slytherin first years trouped into the Great Hall, finding their area on the table as the same from the night before. Blaise sat on her right, Pansy to her left and Theodore in front of Aster.
They spent the majority of the meal discussing trivial things, stuff that helped each other to get to know one another. Things such as:
"Do you want the coffee or tea?"
"You don't eat meat?"
"Who has kippers for breakfast?!"
"Do you want anymore?"
Aster was beginning to think that they would be there for the next seven years still figuring each other out if this was how they found information out. Although, she thought, there was something about it that wasn't so daunting, more natural than asking point blank of things like favourite colours and other inane questions.
Aster had just finished her porridge and toast, longingly thinking of Eppy, when a flurry of owls and flapping wings came zooming in and dropping letters and parcels everywhere.
Aster noticed her grandfather's falcon come swooping in, landing on her outstretched arm and moving to her shoulder, nipping her ear gently as she fed a couple of grapes to him before he flew away. Another grey owl came and zoomed past, throwing a letter at her before continuing on without stopping.
"Was that a falcon?" Malfoy gushed.
Aster glanced at him as she broke the wax off from the letter. "Hmm," she acknowledged, "Yeah he's my grandfather's." She told him distractedly, taking in the contents of the letter, that her Mum wished her well and hoped she slept relatively alright on her first night, her dad telling her to be 'chill and let them come to you. If you're anything like your old dad then they'll come flocking to you'. Ifan sent similar sentiments, along with a warning to be careful to not declare her Fae heritage so as not to face discrimination. Smiling to herself, she folded it and slipped it into her bag to reply to later.
Turning to the other letter, she didn't recognise the handwriting, and after poking it she opened it up.
Aster,
I hope this meets you well. I know you should be at Hogwarts now, so I wanted to
reaffirm that I'd be more than happy to receive letters from yourself.
It may have been a fair while since I went there myself, but I can tell you things about that place that I imagine not many know. I'd be happy to divulge the castle's dirty secrets to you. My only condition is that you keep them to yourself unless someone worthy of them can be brought into the fold.
Your grandfather would likely admonish me for this, but screw it. He'd likely tell you to be wary of revealing your heritage, and I agree, but don't be afraid to use it. You have abilities that shouldn't be hidden and if they are, it could make them lash out, for lack of a better word. Not to scare you, ungadh an bháis, but best to know.
Keep your eyes down and your ears open.
Mita
Aster grinned at the letter. She hadn't really thought that the Witch in Knockturn Alley meant it when she wanted her to write to her.
"Ooh, what's got you grinning like a fool, Potter?" Malfoy taunted, before trying to swipe the letter only to let out a yelp as he got stung by the parchment. "The hell? Who jinxed the letter?"
Aster shrugged, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "She's a bit paranoid." She commented before making an internal note to ask for how to do it. That would be bloody brilliant to do. Rolling her letter up and stuffing it into her bag along with the other one, she went back to nursing her second cup of tea, wrapping her hands around the china, sighing as the warmth settled against her.
It wasn't long before Professor Snape came swooping down the table, handing out pieces of parchment to each student in sharp movements. Once he reached their group, he paused, staring at them with narrowed eyes, lingering on Malfoy and Aster, before he shot out their own parchments and moving off.
Glancing down at the sheet she noticed it was a timetable.
"Looks like Transfigurstion first." Theodore said to himself before grimacing and asked, "anyone know how to get there?"
"Could always ask the portraits?" Aster said, and when they all looked at her, she frowned, "although probably ones which seem to be more Slytherin inclined. If what I've been told is right, and three quarters of the school are gits towards us, I wouldn't be surprised if the paintings are the same."
Blaise was the first to break the silence, chuckling and slinging an arm back around her, "Brains and beauty? Be still my heart."
Aster rolled her eyes before looking at Theodore, "Shall we?"
"We shall." He nodded before they both got to their feet and leaving all but Blaise at the table.
They managed to figure out a way to find the Slytherin portraits relatively early on - someone had carved small S's next to them in the stone. As such they found their way to the room without too much issue and were the only ones to arrive except for a lone girl with bushy hair. She barely looked up at their approach as when the trio got close Aster heard her muttering under her breath about things in the textbook.
Blaise and Theodore shared an amused glance before ignoring her completely.
"So, Aster," Blaise began, leaning against the wall, and lolling his head to look at her. "What'd you know about Transfiguration?" At her confused look, he continued, "Well you're not Pureblood are you?"
Aster's face went blank. "Is that an issue?" She asked thinly.
"Gods no!" He laughed before Theodore elbowed him in the stomach and hissed at him.
"Careful!" His eyes flashed to the other girl in the corridor who kept glancing at them now that they were stood and talking.
Blaise waved a hand at him, "Nobody's here, Nott. Don't be so paranoid." He dismissed before staring at Aster with raised eyebrows until she huffed and wrapped her arms around her middle.
"No, I'm a Half Blood. Dad was a Pureblood, Mum was a Muggleborn." She replied through gritted teeth. "If it's not an issue," she asked stiffly, "Why are you asking?"
Blaise shrugged lazily before looking at the other boy who sighed and looked around.
"So we know if we need to ... be prepared." At the narrowing of her eyes he rushed on, "Prepared to back you up, that's- that's what I mean." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Our House is a bit..."
"Racist?" Blaise suggested as Theodore hesitated and making him nod.
"Yeah. I mean, it's a fifty-fifty chance on whether you'll have it easier as your dad was a Pureblood, or it be worse cause of your mother, and he being a so called Blood Traitor."
Aster looked at the askance for a moment before accepting what they said, with a generous pinch of salt. At that point other students came loudly walking down the hall, and the door by them opened as the Professor from the previous night lead them into the room.
Aster chose a seat towards a back corner, allowing her to see the room and only exit easily. Theodore took the seat next to her and Blaise sat in front, as Malfoy sat in front of him, and the others scattered about around him.
They seemed to have been sharing the class with the Gryffindors only as they came loudly tripping info the classroom and taking their seats.
Once everyone was in and sat down the Witch moved to the front of her desk.
"Good morning. My name is Professor
McGonnagall, I am your Transfiguration teacher for the next five years, and possibly seven if you choose to progress with it into your NEWTs.
"Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts," She lectured with what Aster was quickly learning to be her usual stern expression. "Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned."
With that she turned around and began her lesson, flicking instructions on the chalk board, and soon only the harsh Scottish accent was accompanied with the scratch of quills on parchment until the door banged open.
The entire class jumped, and turned to look at the perpetrators; the Weasley boy and Longbottom. They were crowing over their success at finding the right room, making Aster grit her teeth at the grating noise of pre pubescent idiots. Well, she was until the Weasley boy said something about how it was fine as McGonnagall was the there, and then Longbottom posturing that she wouldn't do anything to him.
Clearly the cat sitting on the table had heard enough. As she leapt off the desk she transformed into the stern Witch, piercing them with a sharp look over her glasses.
"Bloody hell! That was brilliant!" Weasley cried.
McGonnagall gave him a dead pan look. "Ten points from Gryffindor. You're twenty minutes late."
Longbottom scowled, "We got lost!"
"Then perhaps you should have asked for a map." She retorted, before pointing to two empty seats, turning away from them as they ambled their way over before shouting, "five more points from Gryffindor, Mr Longbottom!"
"What? Why?!" He sputtered as he stopped taking his quill and parchment out.
"For talking disrespectfully while behind a teacher's back. Now get to it. You are now...twenty five minutes late." She replied without inflection.
Aster smiled to herself, as she copied down the information needed, her grin widening as she heard Blaise mutter "what a prat" to himself.
The day progressed rather quickly, Aster and the boys making use out of the marked portraits to find their way around to their classes. Their second class was Herbology and so was the only one which was more difficult to find due to the lack of portraits near the greenhouses, but they managed to find it with enough time.
As it got to dinner, Aster found herself firmly attached to Theodore and Blaise, slowly joining in their banter and laughter. It was nice, to have people her age she could talk to. She loved her family - how could she not after her first Stage Act of her life? - but there was something about being able to connect to other children that seemed to be satisfying in a way she had never considered nor realised.
The boys too enjoyed the easy flow that it was to bring Aster into their friendship. The others were great, but they had a sheep herd thought process. Pureblood good, Half Blood suspicious, Muggleborns and Muggles bad.
With Theodore's love of books he had secretly expanded his literature to that of Muggles, drinking in their ideas of fiction and how their world worked. Blaise had the advantage of his mother being well travelled and bringing her son with her as she worked. Her work entailed that they immerse themselves into Muggle culture, allowing him to see from a young age, just what they could do.
So, the rhetoric that Malfoy spouted with the attention and agreement of the others felt uncomfortable. The knowledge that they were unable to express or argue any points grated across the boys, knowing that the vaunted sources they quoted were their parents who were so bias that they tilted.
As such, of course they were thrilled at Aster being a Half Blood, and being able to keep up with teasing barbs directed at one another, and not taking offence if she didn't understand an inside joke.
The first years sat in the same formation as they did in the morning and lunch. Aster piled the food on her plate without abandon, ignoring the astonished looks around her and the disgusted noises made from Greengrass, Davis and Moon further down the table.
"Er, Aster?" Pansy hedged, once Aster looked at her, fork halfway to her mouth she continued, "what - what are you doing?"
Aster looked down at her plate before frowning at the other girl. "Eating?" She said, although it came out as a question, making Blaise snort into his goblet, and Theodore laugh silently.
Pansy glowered at the boys. "Yes I can see that. But, you're not, er, going to eat all of that are you?" She asked in a pleading tone.
Aster shrugged, "Don't know yet. I haven't finished." She went to take another bite before she paused and looked back at Pansy. "Is something wrong with that?"
Pansy hesitated, biting her lip, but
Greengrass interjected. "Yes. Girls shouldn't pile their plates like that. Its not proper." She sniffed.
Malfoy rolled his eyes at them, "Oh leave off, will you? So she eats. At least she isn't a damn bird picking and choosing things slowly." He interrupted in a snooty tone, making the other girls fall silent and go back to their own plates.
The rest of dinner progressed uneventfully, and they soon moved to the common room where Aster claimed a table to write to her grandfather and Mita.
She had just finished her response to Ifan when Pansy sat down with her.
"I didn't - I didn't mean anything, you know. At dinner." She stammered, folding her hands on the desk. Aster glanced up at her, frowning before her expression cleared.
"Oh. I know. Don't worry about it." She shrugged before she continued to write.
Pansy sighed. "I just...Its been ingrained into me, and Daph as well, what is expected of us." She said quietly, her eyes darting about the room.
Aster's eyes softened. If there was something she could relate to, it was harsh expectations. She put a hand on Pansy's, with some hesitation and expecting it to be thrown off. "Seriously, Pansy. I'm not offended. I promise." Pansy looked at her for a long few moments before nodding and squeezed her hand and then standing up to move back over to the group huddled around a circle of armchairs.
She had been staring off into space for a few minutes, trying to think of where she could find Clacker to send her letters when the chair in front of her was dragged and Theodore dropped into it.
"You alright?"
Aster glanced at him, "Yeah I'm fine. Just thinking." She frowned and gestured at the envelopes on the table, "I need to get these sent off."
"Use my owl if you want." He offered easily.
"Nah, I've got my own bird. Just dunno where the hell he's gone." She moaned putting her head on her fist.
Theodore frowned. "If you've got an owl then it'll be with the others in the Owlery."
"He's not an owl." She distractedly muttered as she shook her head. "Ah well, he'll turn - off!"
She suddenly had a face full of feathers. Pulling the bird off her face she scowled at Clacker.
"There's a raven in here!" Someone yelled making Clacker nip the air in indignation.
"He's a crow, you moron." She bit back, Clacker clacking his beak in agreement.
"Er, Aster...is this your bird?" Theordore asked casually as he leant away from the table a bit.
"Mhm, he sort of just turns up when he wants. Don't you, Clacker?"
"...Clacker?" He asked confusedly.
"Yeah cause he cracks his beak - like that. And that, and - yes you can stop now, he gets the picture." She scolded the crow, before running a finger down his back lovingly. "Now, I have two letters to be sent. You good to send them? Yeah? This one is for Mita, you remember her? And this one is for grandfather. Got it?" At his final clack she scratched under his beak. "Good boy. Now, fly my pretty." The bird took off, flying out from wherever he came from, and Aster turned to see Professor Snape standing at the table with his arms crossed.
"Miss Potter."
"Er, yes? Sir."
"Come with me." He ordered flatly, before spinning on his heel and out the door, Aster hot on his tail following him further info the dungeons until he swept open a door and pulled her inside.
"Sit." He demanded, pointing to an uncomfortable looking chair. As she sat Aster shifted - it felt like it was solid wood or something.
"Care to tell me why I was called to the common room?"
"I don't think I rightly know, sir." Aster said in confusion.
"Miss Potter." He began with a long
suffering sigh, "a crow flew into the common room without effort or pause. And then proceeded to go to you, and you seemed to be well acquainted with the carrion."
"Oh. Well, that's cause he's mine." She shrugged, not seeing the issue.
For all the love of - is every Potter this arrogant? "You already have a familiar. A cat, I believe." He said slowly as if she was a moron.
"Yes, I'm aware. Ifan, my grandfather, said he'd already cleared it though? Something about there being exceptions for familiars of something." She explained, shifting on the chair again.
Severus sighed. Of course Dumbledore would have 'forgotten' to inform him. If it even happened. He stared at the girl in front of him, the first time he'd been able to really see up her close.
She certainly looked healthier than she did in the early summer when he came across her. Of course, at the time he didn't know who she was, so he didn't exactly scrutinise then - he was not in the habit of staring at children for the want of.
Her uniform was clearly new, although looked to have been made slightly baggy - likely the dressmaker had realised a need for weight gain was to be taken into account. Her hair had the trademark Potter curls which defied gravity, although it seemed to weigh itself down for the most part. The plait she had it in was halfway to falling out, with more and more tendrils
spilling out. Her skin was still exceedingly pale, making her green eyes (how did he not recognise them immediately before?) stand out luminescently.
Severus sighed again. Before leaning back in his seat, enjoying her discomfort at his silence. The fact that she did not look like she was about to interrupt the quiet both made him happy at there being at least one child who didn't feel the need to chatter incessantly, but also made his gut twist at how she brought her shoulders into herself, her knees unconsciously raising despite them dangling from the seat. Her face was ducked down, and curls of her hair swung forwards, hiding her eyes as the silence grew. He knew that position. He knew the feeling. After all, he had been a teacher for a near decade now, and before that, he used to do the exact same thing. Still did at times.
Snape inhaled sharply after what felt like a half hour had passed. "If you have the sudden need to acquire more beasts, I'll need official permission from both your grandfather and Headmaster Dumbledore, do you understand? It is...uncommon for a student to have two familiars. Let alone more."
"Yes, sir." She said, just loud enough that he could hear her clearly, but quiet enough to be viewed as obedient and submissive.
"Good. Now get to bed, Miss Potter." She flashed a surprised look at him, her eyes widening behind her glasses before she nodded quickly and rushed out a "Thank you, sir. Goodnight, Professor." And slipping out the door of his office and closing it quietly.
Severus put his head in his hands. He couldn't ignore those signs. He had hoped Ifan had been exaggerating, after all, she was his granddaughter back from the dead. Hysterics were to be expected. But with her behaviour, clearly malnourishment was not the only thing forced onto the girl.
Damn it all to the depths of Hell. He made a promise to Lily, to look after her world, and he let her slip through his fingers. And now he was faced with the embodiment of sweet Lily and that tosser James Potter, her features a clear mixture, not looking particularly like either of them. Thankfully - he didn't know what would be worse; to face a female version of his childhood school tormentor, or his best friend. But to see her there, so small, so...young...and prepared for an attack. It made his blood turn to ice and his mind boil with fury.
He needed to speak to Albus.
A/N: I know some may not like how Blaise and Theo are not purists but in this they're not going to be yelling at the top of their lungs that they're indifferent about purity – they're Slytherins after all. Plus, just because they're open to Muggles/ Muggleborns doesn't mean that they don't have their own views on things. Not a spoiler as haven't explored this yet, just a note