The Great Hall buzzed with its usual breakfast chatter. Astra Potter was sitting at the Gryffindor table, barely paying attention as she jabbed her fork into her scrambled eggs, lost in thought. Her emerald-green eyes occasionally flicked toward the Slytherin table, no doubt plotting some scheme involving Malfoy and his obnoxious posse.
Unfortunately for her, Fred and George Weasley were plotting something entirely different.
“She’s been too focused lately,” Fred muttered to George, holding up a small vial of shimmering pink liquid.
“Far too serious,” George agreed with a grin. “Time for a little… love in her life.”
Fred nodded sagely. “For her own good, really.”
With the stealth of seasoned troublemakers, they leaned over while Astra was momentarily distracted and tipped the love potion into her eggs.
“Morning, Potter!” Fred chirped loudly. Astra gave him a suspicious glance but didn’t notice the tampering.
The twins exchanged a victorious smirk as Astra, oblivious, stabbed her fork into the food and took a large bite.
For a moment, nothing happened. Then her expression went from indifferent to dreamy as her fork clattered onto her plate. She blinked, her gaze sweeping the room… and then it landed on him.
Draco Malfoy, lounging at the Slytherin table with his trademark smugness, was the unfortunate recipient of her enchanted affection.
“Oh, Merlin,” Astra whispered, her voice dripping with sudden awe. “He’s… perfect.”
The Weasley twins froze mid-laugh, their faces lighting up in simultaneous horror.
“Wait, Malfoy?” Fred whispered.
“We didn’t think this through!” George hissed back.
Before anyone could stop her, Astra rose from her seat with purpose and strolled confidently toward the Slytherin table. Every Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff in the room turned to watch, sensing that chaos was about to unfold.
Draco noticed her approach and immediately scowled. “What do you want, Potter?”
Astra stopped in front of him, tilting her head as if seeing him for the first time. “What do I want? Malfoy, how could you not know?”
Draco blinked, caught off guard. “What are you talking about?”
She leaned closer, her voice dropping to a soft, almost seductive tone. “You. It’s always been you.”
The entire Slytherin table froze. Blaise Zabini actually spat out his pumpkin juice. Pansy Parkinson looked like she might explode.
“Excuse me?” Draco choked out, his pale cheeks turning pink.
“Don’t play coy,” Astra said, plopping herself into the seat beside him as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “I’ve seen the real you, Malfoy. The depth.The… soul.” She clasped her hands dramatically over her heart.
“The what?” Draco sputtered, his voice rising an octave.
At the Gryffindor table, Fred and George were torn between hysterical laughter and mild panic.
“This is so much better than I imagined,” Fred gasped.
“She’s going to murder us when it wears off,” George wheezed, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes.
Back at the Slytherin table, Astra was now twirling a strand of Draco’s platinum-blond hair between her fingers. “You’ve got the most gorgeous hair, you know that? Like sunlight on freshly fallen snow.”
Draco jerked away, looking thoroughly horrified. “Get your hands off me, Potter!”
“Don’t be shy,” Astra cooed. “I know you’re just hiding your feelings. But it’s okay. You don’t have to hide from me anymore.”
By this point, the entire Great Hall was in chaos. Students were howling with laughter, some cheering Astra on while others jeered at Malfoy.
Pansy finally snapped. “Potter, you’ve lost your mind!”
“Oh, Pansy,” Astra said sweetly, waving her off. “I’d say you’re just jealous, but it’s okay. Not everyone can handle someone as complicated and magnificent as Draco.”
Draco looked like he wanted the floor to swallow him whole. “Potter, if this is some sort of twisted prank, you’re dead. Dead.”
“It’s not a prank,” Astra said with the utmost sincerity, leaning so close that their noses were almost touching. “It’s love, Draco. Love.”
At that moment, Dumbledore appeared at the entrance to the Hall, surveying the scene with his usual air of bemusement. “What seems to be the commotion here?”
Fred and George immediately ducked under the table, trying to avoid his notice. Astra, still under the potion’s spell, turned to Dumbledore with a radiant smile.
“Headmaster,” she called out, “you should congratulate us! Draco and I are soulmates.”
The Hall erupted in laughter so loud it nearly shook the enchanted ceiling. Draco let out a strangled groan and buried his face in his hands.
Finally, Astra blinked, the effects of the potion beginning to wear off. She looked around in confusion, her gaze landing on how close she was to Malfoy and how her hands were still tangled in his hair.
“Why,” she asked slowly, her voice deathly calm, “am I sitting next to Malfoy?”
Draco immediately shoved her away. “You tell me, Potter! You were just proclaiming your undying love for me in front of the entire school!”
Her eyes narrowed as realization dawned. She turned her head, locking onto Fred and George, who were peeking out from under the Gryffindor table.
“You two,” she growled, her tone lethal. “Run.”
The twins bolted for the doors, Astra hot on their heels, wands blazing as the Hall erupted into cheers and applause.
Draco, still red-faced and mortified, glared at Blaise. “Not. One. Word.”
Blaise smirked. “Whatever you say, soulmate.”
The laughter in the Great Hall echoed through the corridors as Astra stormed after the Weasley twins, her wand gripped tightly in her hand. Fred and George, well-practiced in the art of fleeing from enraged prank victims, ducked and dodged through the crowd of students pouring out of breakfast.
“Astra, it was just a joke!” Fred called over his shoulder, his voice betraying a hint of panic.
“Yeah, you seemed like you could use a little fun!” George added, skidding around a corner.
“Fun?” Astra’s voice was sharp enough to cut steel. “You think making me the laughingstock of the entire school is fun? I’m going to hex you so badly, your grandkids will feel it!”
Fred and George exchanged a panicked glance. “I think she’s serious this time,” Fred muttered.
“When isn’t she?” George shot back.
They darted into an empty classroom, slamming the door behind them. George quickly waved his wand, locking it and casting a hurried charm. “That should hold her for a bit.”
There was a deafening silence.
Then Astra’s voice came from the other side of the door, eerily calm. “You do realize I know how to undo locking charms, right?”
The twins froze as the lock clicked open. Astra pushed the door with deliberate slowness, stepping inside with the kind of predatory grace that made even them nervous.
“I really hate to admit this,” George whispered, “but I think we’ve met our match.”
“Hate is such a strong word,” Fred muttered back.
Before they could bolt, Astra flicked her wand. The door slammed shut behind her with an audible snap, and the twins’ wands flew out of their hands.
“Now,” she said, her voice dripping with faux sweetness, “what do you two think would be a suitable punishment for ruining my entire morning?”
Fred grinned nervously. “Astra, come on, think of the legacy! The Weasley twins and Astra Potter a trio of legends!”
“Legends, huh?” Astra raised an eyebrow, pretending to consider. Then, with a flick of her wand, a jet of purple light shot toward Fred.
Fred yelped as his hair turned a sickly shade of neon green and began growing at an alarming rate. Within seconds, it pooled around his feet like a swamp monster.
“Creative!” George blurted, his voice strained. “Fred’s always wanted longer hair!”
Astra smirked, her wand turning on George. “Don’t worry, you’re next.”
“Wait, wait, WAIT!” George held up his hands. “We’re sorry! It was just a bit of fun! No harm done, right?”
“No harm?” Astra gave a humorless laugh. “Malfoy is probably planning my public execution as we speak. And I have to live with the fact that half the school now thinks I’m in love with him.”
Fred, still struggling to manage his rapidly growing hair, peeked out from behind the green curtain. “In fairness, you were very convincing.”
The glare Astra shot him could have set the classroom on fire.
“Alright, alright!” George pleaded, inching toward the door. “What if we make it up to you? Publicly, in front of everyone. Well..uh.. we’ll tell everyone it was a prank! We’ll clear your name!”
Astra considered this, tapping her chin with her wand. “And?”
“And…” George hesitated.
Fred, still tangled in his own hair, chimed in. “And we’ll throw in a week’s worth of free products from our joke shop future inventory included!”
“Two weeks,” Astra countered.
“Deal!” the twins chorused.
Astra lowered her wand, a victorious smirk playing on her lips. “Good. Now get out of my sight before I change my mind.”
The twins bolted, Fred dragging his hair behind him like a grotesque wedding train. Astra leaned against the now-quiet door, exhaling slowly.
“Potter.”
She jumped, spinning around to find Draco Malfoy leaning against the far wall of the classroom, arms crossed and a smirk firmly in place.
“How long have you been standing there?” she demanded.
“Long enough,” he drawled. “I must say, that little love confession earlier was quite… heartfelt. I didn’t know you cared so deeply.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Don’t push your luck, Malfoy.”
He took a step closer, his smirk widening. “Relax, Potter. I know the twins were behind it. But the look on your face when you stormed toward me? Absolutely priceless.”
Astra groaned, burying her face in her hands. “I’m never going to live this down, am I?”
“Probably not,” Draco admitted, his tone almost… amused? “But, for what it’s worth, you’re lucky it was me and not someone worse.”
She peeked through her fingers, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Oh, yes, lucky me. If you’re done, I’ve got things to do.”
Draco hesitated, something flickering in his expression. “For what it’s worth,” he said, his tone quieter, “you handled it better than most would.”
Before she could respond, he turned and strolled out of the classroom, leaving Astra to wonder what in Merlin’s name had just happened and why her cheeks suddenly felt warm.