𝑬𝑼𝑷𝑯𝑶𝑹𝑰𝑨|| 𝐉𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐒 𝐏𝐎𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑

~19~

As Christmas came closer, it got terribly cold. As the castle was located in Scotland, it was much colder than England however Asteria had gotten use to it.

Because the sun didn't rise until later in the day, Asteria woke up when the sky was still dark. Part of her morning routine was to let her owl out of the tiny window in her dormitory however it had been frozen stuck so she could only let it fly around her dorm whilst she got ready.

She was yet to name the animal as she hardly sent letters unless it was howlers from her father. The creature had large yellow eyes with a sharp orange beak. The feathers of the owl were a mixture of chestnut brown and gold. Her father had bought her it just before her 1st year and she had only sent a few letters since then.

She was certain that her father would never buy her such a majestic owl nowadays. Obviously, her owl was not happy about not being let outside so it squawked at her as pulled her skirt up or applied her lemon lip balm.

Asteria straightened her septum piercing before calling the animal back into its cage and leaving the dorm after pulling her robe over her shoulders.

As it was so cold the night before, she hardly got any sleep so she was too tired to make breakfast for herself. Therefore, she headed to the Great Hall.

She let out a huff when she saw she had to pass the Gang of Slytherins to get to the Hufflepuff table. Asteria kept her head down, a few strands of her curly hair falling into her face.

"I'm getting the newest broomstick this Christmas." Lucius bragged to his friends. The greasy-haired boy beside him suddenly smirked evilly when he saw the Hufflepuff girl.

"Parkinson would know nothing of presents since her father hates her too much to get her any." His voice was uncomfortable to listen to and extremely nasally. This comment made all the others around him snicker.

She knew she should have just left it but she couldn't help it. "Get a grip. At least I don't act like a pureblood just to have friends." She replied. "At least my mother is alive." He hissed back.

Her fist clenched and she pulled her arm back before throwing it forward, punching the boy in the nose which was an easy target as it was so big. "You bitch," He hissed as he attempted to cover his nose with his hand.

Because she had punched the boy in the Great Hall in front of the Professor table, Slughorn had seen the entire thing and stood up. "Detention Miss Parkinson." He announced which made her roll her eyes before leaving the hall without getting any breakfast.

-☘︎︎-

Asteria sat alone in an empty classroom for her detention. The small classroom consisted of 4 desks and one desk at the front where the professor sat.

Sitting at the desk for her detention was Professor Binns. The ghostly Professor looked ancient and shriveled, he looked like an old tortoise when he pursed his lips. He wore glasses, which were small and thick, and had a dry, reedy voice.

Asteria sat with her back to the wall and her feet up on the seat beside her which the teacher didn't notice as he was snoring away in his grand chair.

The Hufflepuff drummed on her knees, waiting for her detention to finally end. She was constantly glancing over at the clock until a sudden alarm rang which made Professor Binns jolt up.

"Your detention is over. You can leave for your common room." The yawning Professor told the girl. She nodded as she got up but suddenly her chestnut and gold owl flew into the classroom and dropped a single letter on the desk she sat at.

The Professor who was off snoring again did not see the owl fly in so he did not question the girl. Instead, she inspected the back to see the address where the letter was from.

'Parkinson Manor
Aristotle Lane
Oxfordshire '

The envelope to the letter was a bright red, indicating that it was a howler. Asteria let out a sigh, knowing that the howler was about her detention, before putting the letter in her pocket and leaving the classroom.

However, she didn't head to the dormitory to open it as she didn't want anyone hearing it. Instead, she headed down to the Great Lake which was empty as it was late and freezing outside.

She closed her eyes for a few moments before she ran her finger under the wax seal. The letter suddenly came to life and her father's voice started to play loudly.

"I thought I warned you to stay out of trouble or there would be serious consequences. If you are only acting so embarrassing because of your mother, you need to get over it! She's dead!"

Suddenly the letter burst into flames and the ashes of the parchment fell on the pebbles which lined the edge of the water.

She felt the front of her eyebrows point upwards as her eyes started to sting and become glassy. She felt tears collect on her waterline and with one blink, they fell down her cheek and fell off of her jaw.