Star of Gryffindor - Book 1

Chapter 13 - Happy Birthday, James!

I never got a chance to get my revenge on Ciara.

I walked into the Great Hall that night, halfway through supper, head held high. For a moment, Ciara and Nico looked stunned, but for some reason, that look quickly turned into two smirks. I couldn't imagine why, but I really didn't care. I had beat them at their own game, and I was proud.

Wren looked horrified when I told her, Luna, and Albus the story, but Albus gave me a high five and looked incredibly jealous.

"I never would have been able to do that!" he exclaimed breathlessly.

Luna tilted her head. "They are quite rude, I think. But Astra, you started the rumors about Ciara."

"I didn't know there were rumors about her!" I said loudly, drawing stares from the students sitting around us. I quickly lowered my voice. "Are there really?"

Luna nodded gravely. "No one in Ravenclaw knows who started it except me, but I won't tell. Barely anyone believes it."

"Do you think she'll tell McGonagall?" asked Wren, glancing over at the teacher's table.

"I hope not...I've already been to her office once, and I'd prefer not to go back."

Unfortunately, Ciara and Nico's smug looks meant exactly that. Before I could get up to leave, McGonagall herself came over to the table and told me to wait. This brought about a lot of "oooooh"s and snickers.

I had to wait until the Great Hall cleared out, and a lot of the Slytherin first years seemed reluctant to go for some strange, unknown reason. They kept finding excuses to walk past me, barely holding in their laughter. It was humiliating. Finally, McGonagall told them to go to their common room unless they wanted detention, and they scurried out.

"Now, Ms. Lewis," McGonagall said, turning to me. "My office. Come, come."

She turned and strode away, and I jumped up to follow. She walked purposely through the halls, with me following reluctantly in her wake.

As we walked, I kept going over the possible scenarios in my mind. Maybe she'd let me off with a warning? I sincerely doubted it. She wouldn't be that lenient. I had a very dreadful certainty that I was going to get expelled.

I couldn't be expelled! I didn't have anywhere else to go! Mr. Lewis had made it very clear that I had no home with them anymore. Hogwarts was my only home! It was the only place where I'd ever felt special, and loved, and accepted. I couldn't lose all of that!

And unlike most of my classmates, who could be homeschooled by grudging parents if they were expelled, being expelled for me meant the end of being a witch. The end of magic.

The end of my friendship with Albus and Wren and James.

No muggles in their right mind would let me have an owl, and send notes to a witch and a wizard with it. They'd lock me up in an asylum, and then I'd never see any of my friends again.

I was trying my hardest not to cry as my whole world crashed down around me.

We reached the corridor with the gargoyle, and Professor McGonagall said, "Peppermint," in a tone that sounded like she sincerely hated peppermints, which didn't make me feel better. We mounted the stairs to the circular office.