Astra Black is the twin sister of Sirius Black. Unlike her brother, she was sorted into Slytherin. That didn't break their bond but it separated their friend groups.
What happens when James Potter and Astra Black get mixed into each other's lives...
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sitting down at her desk, astra pulled out some parchment, ink and a quill. it was care of magical creatures and, oddly, they were inside instead of outside. astra assumed professor kettleburn was teaching them more to do with theory than meeting new animals. more students began to flood into the class, james sitting himself beside astra before phoenix had a chance.
"morning." james smiled, going to reach into his bag.
"hello." astra hummed, sliding a quill across the desk to him, already knowing he wouldn't have brought one yet again.
"you're a lifesaver, thanks." james whispered.
"you're not copying my work." astra said when he opened his mouth to speak.
"what? why?" he asked, outraged.
"because i need this class the most and if get accused to cheating, i will chop your hair off in your sleep." astra mumbled and he gasped, holding his curls.
"can you help, though?" james pleaded.
sighing, astra nodded, "fine. i don't know why you don't just listen. this lesson isn't as bad as arithmancy."
"while that may be true, listening is so boring." james replied, beginning to doodle on his parchment with astra's quill. "at least sirius let's me copy him."
"and that's why you think a pegasus has a horn." astra mumbled.
"they don't?" james questioned, shocked.
"no. they just have wings. unicorns have horns and no wings. horses have neither." astra muttered. "and giraffes are weird."
"what's a giraffe got to do with anything?" james inquired.
"nothing." astra shrugged. "i just think they're weird."
james chuckled, staring at astra's side profile before asking, "how's your patronus coming?"
"still pathetically wispy." astra sighed. "although i thought i saw a leg starting to form the other day. probably just wishful thinking."
"also probably not." james assured, reaching under the desk to squeeze her thigh gently, the oddly lovely familiar sensation of goosebumps tickling the back of her neck as he did so. she mentally thanked merlin her hair was covering them. "it'll form, astra, don't worry."
"hm, maybe." astra nodded.
"you're very pessimistic." james observed.
"and you're far too optimistic." astra replied. she smiled slightly, tilting her head down to write on her parchment as she whispered, "i find it quite charming."
grinning down at the table, james' cheeks flushed pink, his finger coming to poke his glasses back up into position before they could slide off his nose. the lesson started finally, james asking for help every so often, his hand resting comfortably on her thigh the entire time.
once the class had finished, everyone gathered their things and made for the door, it being their last subject of the day. friend groups split away from the class and james turned to astra, "wanna come to the black lake?"
"no, i've got to do something. i'll see you later." astra replied, walking away, down to the dungeons.
she strolled through the southern common room, going into her dorm. placing her things down at the desk, which was there for everyone in the dorm to use, she pulled out a book she'd grabbed from the library the day before. astra thought it could help her with her patronus. so, she started reading the thick book.
after flicking through for a while, astra found it only told the person what a certain animal meant about the person who'd cast that patronus. irritated, she closed to book and stuffed it back into her bag, pulling out a book harley had leant her instead.
while halfway through reading a chapter, a pecking was heard at her bedroom window. she glanced up and to see a rather evil looking owl that she knew to be her family's. it held a black letter in its beak, it's yellow eyes demanding the window to be opened. so, she stood and opened the window, the owl flying in and dropping the letter on her pillow perfectly.
picking up a small owl treat, she held it out, watching the bird snatch it from her. he stayed on her bed, blinking. "i've given you a treat, piss off now." still, it stayed and she realised her parents probably told him to until he had a response from astra to give back to them.
scowling at the bird, astra sat down beside it and picked up the letter. she pulled off the green wax that sealed the envelope and pulled out the parchment inside. in her mother's meat handwriting, the letter read;
astra,
you will be home for the easter holidays. this is an unusual demand, but it is necessary. if you do not get onto that train, your father will make sure you come back here himself. regulus will not be coming back for the easter holidays, only you. it will be better if it is just you so we can get to the point of why you are coming back.
- your mother
"love you, too, crazy bitch." astra muttered and the owl nipped her wrist so she glared back at it, going to write a short response to her parents.
the letter she replied with simply said, i'll be on the train - astra. she handed it to the owl who immediately flew back out of the window.
"why've you got a face like a bulldog chewing a wasp?" harley inquired as she walked into their dorm.
"i've gotta go back for easter." astra sighed. "it's all very ominous, i don't even know why i have to."
"just don't." harley suggested with a shrug.
"apparently, if i don't get on the train, my father's going to come and get me himself." astra rolled her eyes.
"dumbledore could stop him." harley said before they both laughed at how stupid that was. "mcgonagall, maybe."
"they can't stop a parent taking a student away unless there's clear signs they shouldn't go home. they can't stop me going back on a hunch." astra explained.
"so tell them." harley suggested.
"i can't do that. there's enough going on that they've got to think about, what with voldemort and all that." astra hummed. "it's nothing i haven't experienced before."
"but you don't have to keep experiencing it." harley assured. astra didn't reply. "i wish you'd let someone help you."
astra gave her a convincing smile, "it'll be fine. i'll be back in a week and it'll be over. maybe they'll drop dead, too."
