𝐔𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐁𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐎𝐮𝐭 {𝐃𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐨 𝐌𝐚𝐥𝐟𝐨𝐲}

| 𝐒𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐒 | 𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘭'𝘴 𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵

In religious belief, particularly in Catholicism, a saint is a person who has lived in a good and holy way. A saint may also be designated as a patron saint of a particular cause, and are seen as protectors.

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a m o r a

As the days wore on, my visits to Angel extended beyond the duties I was laden with. At first, she had only been a dumping ground for my worry-filled thoughts, and if you asked me where it all began, I could not say. But somewhere between convincing her to drink the Amortentia-tinged water and telling her about Erebus, I started to enjoy her company.

I began to visit her during the day under the pretense that I needed to check on her and the baby. I also snuck her things: a peach, a Fizzing Whizzbee, and even small cups of juice that did not contain the dreaded potion. But perhaps the thing that delighted her the most was when I brought my copy of The Wizards' Complete Guide to Galaxies, Constellations, and Moon Phases.

Her face lit up the moment she saw what was under my arm. She flipped the pages, saying she had memorised every single one. I sat by her, listening eagerly as she talked about the constellations and all the myths behind them.

There was one in particular she got choked up about. Ophiuchus, the Serpent Bearer. "Never mind, let's look at Ursa Major," she said quickly, and I did not press further.

The next time, I brought my quill and parchment, and she taught me about the Cosmic Ages and the best way to chart stars.

Inevitably, our conversations moved into personal territory. It started when she asked me about school. I told her it was in my third year when we were interrupted by the Battle of Hogwarts. "And you went home to your family?" she enquired. "Just my mum," I replied.

I told her about my father, how he had left to join Voldemort only to eventually be captured and imprisoned. It felt strange to discuss all this with her, in the best possible way. It was as if I did not belong to a family of Pureblood supremacists. She did not make me feel like I did.

She told me about her parents as well. Her mother had worked in the Ministry, in the very same department she was in now. Her father, from whom her love for Astronomy began. She also told me about Christmases, and how Draco had gifted her the most beautiful set of silver figurines, now displayed on her mantel.

I learned about how he and her had met - in the Astronomy Tower, when he had been tasked with killing Dumbledore, and she had just lost her parents. Their unexpected friendship blossomed into love, and she had left the boy she was with at the time - one Cedric Diggory - to be with him.

My favourite part was when Draco had prepared a date for her in the Astronomy Tower, with a proper dinner and dance. And then he performed a spell I had never heard of before. He created an entire night sky for her, right in the Tower itself. "The stars were dancing, Morie!" she told me with glitter in her eyes. "Lepus, Delphinus, Leo, all of them!"

What was it he had said to her?You told me being close to the sky felt like being close with your parents. If we can't go to the stars, I figured I'd bring them to you instead.

"You must love each other very much," I observed a little jealously.

"Maybe," she agreed, deflatedly. "But that was a long time ago. I have Codrus now. He's the best person for me." She was smiling when she said it, but the fire that had burned so brightly in her eyes just a few moments ago was extinguished.