The Second Chance | James Potter

Chapter One - Walburga's Redemption

If you're looking for something that would adhere to your idea of canon then I would click off right now. Things are going to be shaken up although, the events of Harry Potter have all happened except let's put Astraea into all of the Golden Trio adventures. Also, Walburga raised Astraea. Walburga will still be a bitch as is canon but she did love her granddaughter. Orion died his canon death but Walburga lives a long time without him. She died the summer before Astraea's third year. Losing her whole family somewhat softened Walburga. She still raised Astraea to be the pureblood(even if at the time, her blood status was unknown)heir of the Black House and would not accept a Black being in any house bar Slytherin but she no longer sympathized with the Dark Lord after both her sons were wiped out while in his service (note: she does not know that Sirius is not a Death Eater)

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The night was cold as a girl of seventeen walked the dark, empty streets of London. The stars seemed to not want to shine brightly tonight, not even for one named after them. Instead, the sky was black. Dark. Empty. The girl was troubled, wanting a distraction from her dreadful thoughts but not finding any that evening. Her feet carried her towards her home, once empty but now alive with life as four others bustled within its walls. Looking up from the asphalt of the pavement, she saw her....home. Number 12 Grimmauld Place. She had lived there her whole life, finding comfort in its silent walls, away from all the death glares and the hate-filled looks for something that Astraea had no control over.

Letting herself into the house, she was met at the door by Kreacher; a faithful elf, an even better friend. "Welcome home, Mistress Black."

Astraea sighed out loud before she said, "Kreacher," Astraea lifted her hand and placed it on the elf's head, softly petting him. "You know that you do not need to call me Mistress. At least not while we are home." Kreacher grabbed her coat from her hands and put it away for her before following her as she moved towards the dining room knowing that dinner would be waiting for her on the table.

She briefly glanced at the blank spot on the wall where her grandmother's portrait once hung. Astraea loved her grandmother. How could she not when Walburga was the only person she had for all 12 years of her life before her death? But she could not stand the chaos and her screams of blood traitors, filth, and dishonour whenever so much as a tiny sound woke her from her slumber so she had her removed and instead placed her in the hallway to the Head of the Family's office with the rest of her ancestors. At least she would have the company of the rest of her family to bicker and fight with instead of any guests she had over.

Stepping into the dining room, a huge smile appeared on her face when she saw who else sat at the table. Neville, Luna, and Hermione. Neville had moved into Grimmauld Place just this morning. After the war, the three of them had bonded over shared traumas and experiences. The war had done a number on them. Harry had died. Killed in the final battle. Sacrificing himself like the hero he always was. Sometimes she wished that she had been able to convince him to run with her but she wouldn't have loved him so much if he wasn't himself. In the end, he had made the ultimate sacrifice and it was her that stepped in to kill the one man that had taken everyone she loved from her. Remus was killed as well, leaving a baby boy behind, naming her and Harry as his godparents. The grief became too much for Andromeda after the passing of her daughter and son in law so she too passed a few months later, leaving a 17-year-old Astraea as the sole guardian of one Teddy Lupin. With the death of Harry came the end of her relationship with the Weasleys, their link because of Harry now gone. This left Hermione in the middle of both groups. She spent many weeks trying to convince Ron to come around but he was too stubborn so in the end, she broke up with him, choosing to instead stick with the girl that had been there for her through everything. Astraea saw how much that decision destroyed her friend and immediately begged for her to move into Grimmauld Place with her and Teddy. She accepted right away wanting to be close to her friend since she still had not been able to find her parents after the war. Hermione was crushed over her ended relationship with Ron while Astraea only mourned her friendship with the rest of the Weasley clan. Astraea and Ron were never really close. Her being a Slytherin and a Black being the main factor as to why they never bonded.