Christmas-1
Over the next few weeks, Astra feels empty. She doesn’t know why.
But soon she gets to go home for Christmas. She gets to see her parents, her uncles and aunts. She gets to see Tyson and Nova again. She should be excited right? But instead, she feels numb and empty.
“Astra?” she hears her name.
“Huh?” she mumbles.
“You alright?” it's Ginny.
“Mhm,” she mumbles again.
“Ok, well I'm going to go finish packing for Christmas, you coming?”
She nods and follows Ginny towards the dorms.
They finish packing in silence and start walking outside to the train.
She sits in a compartment with Ginny and Luna.
“Astra, are you alright, you seem… out of sorts now,” Ginny tells her.
“I’m worried about Harry,” She says back.
“Oh, well…. Um you know it’s okay to be worried about him right? I mean he’s your brother,” Ginny replies.
“I know” Astra gives a weak smile.
They all talk together and by the end of the train ride, Astra is feeling much better than when she got on the train.
They hear the train pull to a stop and Ginny jumps out of her seat.
“Oh my god, we’re home!” Ginny yells, running to the window.
Astra chuckles and they get off the train together.
“OK, bye Girls! I’ll see you in January!” Ginny says.
“Group hug!” Yells Astra.
Her Ginny and Luna all come together in a group hug.
“You coming with me Luna?” Astra asked.
“Yes, my dad said I'll be with Mum,” Luna replies.
They both turn around to see their parents all there. Poppy and Phoenix are already there waiting.
“DAD, PAPA!” Astra yells, running towards her parents.
She envelopes them both in a big hug.
“We missed you, Astra!” Dad says.
“I missed you too!” She says.
“How was Hogwarts?” Papa asked.
“Oh my god, it was amazing!” Astra said.
After a while, Harry and Xaiden are there and it is time to go home.
“Come on, let's go!” Lily yells.*
Back at the house Astra settles back in her room and unpacks.
As she's unpacking she hears her door creak open.
“Astra!” comes a little voice.
She turns around and sees Tyson and Nova there.
“Oh my god, you guys! I missed you so much! How are you?” she says and gives them each a hug.
They’ve grown a bit since she's last seen them, and she tells them about Hogwarts. About her time there, but never about Harry’s quest to go into the chamber of secrets. That's not hers to tell.
“Dinner!” she hears.
“Come on guys, let's go get food,” Astra says.
“Food!” They both yell and run out of the room.
Astra chuckles and follows them out of her room.
“What's for dinner tonight?” she asked.
“Tonight we have steaks,” Uncle Pads said from behind her.
She didn't know he was there, and the random voice from behind scared her.
“Oh my god!” she says and clutches her chest.
Laughter surrounds the room and she turns around.
“Are you serious?” she asked.
Uncle Pads grinned. Oh no. Why did she have to say that?
“I’m always Sirius,” he said.
She groaned and sat down at the table, but still smiling nonetheless.
After dinner, everyone went to the lounge room. Out of the corner of her eye, Astra saw Harry talking to Poppy and waved her over.
She made her way over and asked,
“What's happening over here?”
“Harry wants to tell them about the chamber,” Poppy says getting straight to the point.
Oh. Right. His quest.
“Okay,” she mumbles
But they get interrupted by Tyson.
“What are you doing over here? Come on! Let's go!” he says, tugging on Astra's arm. Astra laughs and follows him into the lounge room.
Everyone is in the middle of playing Monopoly when Phoenix bursts out,
“Hey, Harry what was that thing Dumbledore wanted you to do? Go into the chamber of….” his voice trailed off.
Dammit, Phoenix.
“Oh um…”
Everyone's eyes are on Harry.
“The chamber of what,” Aunt Lily asked.
“Not the Chamber of Secrets?” Papa asked.
The room was deathly silent, you could hear a pin drop.
Harry nodded. “Yeah…”
Aunt Lily let out a muffled shriek, While James stayed still. He looked pale.
But Tyson and Nova just looked confused.
“What the Chamber of Secrets?” Nova asked.
“A dangerous cave,” Aunt Mary filled in.
“What does this mean?” Uncle Padfoot asked
Harry was still silent, so Poppy replied to him. “Dumbledore has asked, that Harry go into the Chamber of Secrets, to get… what was it again?”
“Tom Riddles Diary” Harry finally spoke.
“Thank you,”
“Tom Riddles diary… You mean Voldemort?” Papa asked.
Everyone shuddered at the name.
Astra’s confused.
“How are they connected?”
Barty filled in for her
“Tom Riddle was his name before Voldemort”
Oh.
Astra doesn't know how long the silence stretches on, but eventually Aunt Lily says
“Ok, children bedtime,”
There are still no words as Astra and the others get up and go to bed.
She gets into her pyjamas and into her bed when the door opens.
It’s Papa.
“Hey,” she says.
“Are you ok?” He asked.
She nodes “mhm”
He gives her a sympathetic smile and walks over to her bed.
“Can I hug you?”
She doesn't say anything but instead jumps into his arms. He chuckles and hugs her back.
“Does Harry, have to go?”
“I’m not sure,”
Astra hugs him tighter.
“Can I go with him?”
Papa chuckles
“No, Soleil, you can’t”
“Ce n’est pas juste”
“I know Ast”
She says goodnight, to Papa and goes to sleep.
But, she wakes up not long after.
Astra looks outside and sees it's still dark out, and the time is only 11:30.
Ugh she thinks I’m parched
She gets up and heads downstairs, to grab a glass of water, but on her way down she overhears something.
“No, he can't go.”
Dad.
“It’s Dumbledore's orders. He has to.”
Aunt Mary.
After listening, for a while, she recognises three other people in there.
Papa, Aunt Lily, and Uncle Padfoot.
“I don’t care what Dumbledore says. Honestly, why can’t he go in there himself?” Lily asked.
“Because he's a manipulator,” Papa says in a singsong voice.
“What the Fuck is that supposed to mean Reg?” Uncle Padfoot says.
“You all never listened to me. I told you something like this would happen.”
“He’s right,” Uncle Moony. He has been quiet this whole time because Astra hasn’t heard him until now.
She listens in more.
“How do we know that his diary is in there?” Dad asked.
Silence filled the room.
“He could be risking his life, for nothing!” Lily shrieked.
“Shh, lils it… 11 o’clock and night” Aunt Mary shushed
“What happens if he gets stuck in there?” asked Uncle Padfoot.
Astra swallowed, but she had forgotten how thirsty she was. She stopped listening in on the conversation and kept walking downstairs.
When she came back upstairs again, everyone left the room. It was silent.