STRANGE LOVE | O. WOOD ✔

[15] : TULSA WHO?

Her bandaged hands made everything impossible. She was just glad she was going to get rid of them today. Astrid hissed in pain when Draco applied Dittany unto the cuts, and she watched as the cuts heal completely. He repeated this on the left hand.

"Thanks Draco." She smiled at her cousin and rubbed her hands together. They felt numb from all the days she didn't use them. "Do you think Sirius broke out to see me?"

"I haven't any idea Trissy." Draco replied as he threw her bandages in the trash can. "But if he did, why wait all these years? He could've done it all those years ago."

"Yeah, I thought of that." Astrid sighed. "I mean, why would he break out just to see me?" Before Draco could reply, Astrid had already zoomed out the common room.

She met up with Oliver and Cedric on the Quidditch Pitch. A girl named Tulsa was there as well, but she didn't tell Astrid her last name. She refused to.

"Last name?" She had asked. "Ha! You gotta work for that!" And immediately, Astrid formed a strong dislike towards her. It seemed as though she and Cedric were dating. Astrid was glad Cedric found someone, but she was upset it was her.

Astrid had mounted her broom and she noticed that it had caught dust. She made a mental note to take proper care of it even though she didn't play. She was flying lazily next to Oliver, the both of them were far away from Cedric and Tulsa, who were now kissing.

"I think they're over doing it." Oliver said, flying closer to her. "I mean sure, they're in love but do you have to kiss every five minutes?"

Astrid giggled. "They're just kids in love." She replied but pulled a face when she saw Tulsa slip her pink tongue in Cedric's mouth. "Okay, they're fucking gross!" She made a gagging noise.

"Want to get out of here?" Oliver asked and Astrid nodded.

"You read my mind." She said and they landed on the ground and went to put their brooms away. "So, your birthday is coming up and I have the perfect gift for you."

"You really don't have to Astrid." Oliver said as he spun her around and placed a kiss on her forehead.

"I know, but I want to." She bopped him on the nose. Oliver smiled to himself when she turned around to leave. "Are you coming or are you going to stare all day Wood?"

He chuckled but followed her nevertheless.

*

Ever since she had met Tulsa, she had remembered where she had first saw her. Tulsa was a fellow snake and Astrid hated herself for not noticing it at first. Astrid groaned and lowered her wand.

"This isn't as easy as you said it was going to be uncle Remus!" Astrid growled at the older man and he held his hands up in a surrendering manner.

"It will be easy if you just calm down." He shrugged and Astrid glared at him. The man did not back down. "Let's take a break." Remus didn't have to tell Astrid twice, she immediately plopped down right where she stood and groaned in frustration.

"This is torture." She whined. "We've been at this for how many weeks now? I think it's two. But I still can't fu—" Remus glared at her. "—dging get it right! Even Derrick got it right!"

"You have a lot on your mind, try to relax, ask Professor Snape to brew you a bottle of Draught of Peace or Calming Draught." Astrid laughed. Remus gave her a questioning look.

"Snape has this vendetta against me." She shrugged. "I think if I did ask him to brew me a potion, he'll happily give me Moonseed Poison or Bloodroot instead or just strangle me himself." She shrugged again. "Besides, I can brew those potions myself."

"I never said you couldn't." Remus quickly said but Astrid knew that was exactly what he wanted to say. She huffed out in annoyance.

"I need to find Oliver." She said, standing up and she waved at her uncle Remus. Then she froze up, as if she just remembered something. "Uncle Remus, do you think Sirius—?" She didn't finish the question but Remus knew what she was going to ask.

"You can't get your hopes up high Ell." Remus had gently said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I know, I was just wondering." She shrugged. "Bye uncle Remus, I really need to find Oliver."

She left this time, without thinking twice about it. She couldn't find Oliver anywhere but she found Hermione and Harry in the library.

"Has Cornelius Fudge bothered you again?" Hermione asked, noticing the Astrid's light red face.

"No, it's not that. It's just this non verbal spells—" She stopped to rub her temples. "It's really — ah — it's just sucking all the energy out of me like a Dememtor sucking the happiness out someone." Harry stiffened at the mention of Dementors but Astrid was too tired to notice. "And it doesn't help if uncle Remus keeps on giving me chocolate when I screw up. At least he had no chocolate on him today. And it doesn't help at all that my father has escaped and Cornelius Fudge is paying me visits now and students thinking I'm going to murder them." She scoffed. "Sure, I'll murder you and spend my entire life in prison and throw away the six years of education I have. That will be way more fun than living my dreams."

"Well, people are dumb. Whether you listen to them or not is up to you." Harry said, shrugging. He was still a little pale in the face but Astrid couldn't care any less.

"Right, because every time I pass a group of students I ask them if they're talking about me or my mass murderer father." She rolled her dark eyes at him. "Maybe that Moonseed Poison or Bloodroot won't be such a bad idea now." She muttered to herself.

"Harry is right you know." Hermione said, making eye contact with her for a while before looking at her open book instead.

"Never said he wasn't." She shrugged. "Where is Ron?"

"Fred, George, Peeves, Ron. Four names that will surely give you nightmares." Harry said, taking a seat. "They're trying to prank Filch and Mrs Norris."

"Mrs Norris is gross and disturbing. That's all I can say." Astrid made a face. "I think she was an Animagus and got stuck in her cat form. She knows things she should not." She leaned in closer. "She even found my favorite snogging spot. Stupid cat." She grumbled.

"We didn't need to know that Astrid!" Harry yelled, wiping his ears with the sleeves of his robes. "Our innocent ears."

The girl just rolled her eyes. "How's your private lessons with uncle Remus going?"

Harry sighed. "Same as yours."

"Can't be worse than mine." Astrid chuckled before deeming Hermione and her reading interesting. Hermione was reading a book about ever magical creature, Astrid didn't understand why. "Hold on." She said to the girl, eyes landing on a particular name. Veela.

The book had described them as gorgeous woman with silver blonde hair and if they sing, people could fall under their spell. She also read that when angry, they transform into beast like creatures and can shoot fireballs out their hands. Astrid gulped. Could the woman in her dream be a Veela? She liked to think not.