We Will Shine {Book 6 in the Star of Gryffindor Series}

Chapter 60 - And Found

~Astra~

Stillens could show me as many visions of utopia as he wanted; using the cruciatus curse on me was going to snap me out of it every time.

Somehow, though, he had shown me a utopia. For a moment, I hadn't been in that dusty old sitting room with too many portraits on the walls and a fire that didn't manage chase away any of the darkness lurking around the edges of the room. Instead, I'd been in the middle of something almost like paradise. Everywhere I turned, everything was bright, happy, beautiful. I was helping to create a new world order, one based on justice and peace and equality. My father was out of Azkaban, reaching his arms out to me...

Of course, it was a lie the whole time. Stillens didn't care about my father any more than it suited his interests, and even if he had cared more, siding with wizard Hitler just to get my father out of jail was the definition of morally corrupt.

Anyway, the vision Stillens showed me was only almost like paradise, because he couldn't even hide his anger enough to include Wren in the lie. That concession, that this perfect world wouldn't be as perfect as it appeared, was enough to make the entire dream world crash down around me. The next thing I knew, I was in blinding pain.

I could hear myself screaming, or maybe that was just the sound of pain in my head. I couldn't feel anything, and at the same time I could feel every single nerve in my body exploding at once. I felt like I was dying, but I wasn't dying quickly enough.

Then it was gone, with just the echo of pain like ringing in my ears. I'd slipped off the couch, I guess, because now I was on the floor, Albus kneeling next to me with a panicked expression on his face. Beyond him, I could see Stillens, still seated in the same chair, with an annoyed expression as if I'd interrupted us in the middle of brunch by dramatically falling to the floor. I glared at him as I pushed myself up. "You're a coward, Henry," I snapped. "Can't even sit around and be insulted by a sixteen-year-old girl without using an unforgivable curse. Kind of pathetic, honestly."

Stillens looked at me with that specific type of adult expression that conveys both annoyance and long-suffering at once, like Aunt Andromeda gave me whenever I tracked mud into the house after practicing on my broom and forgot to clean up after myself. I didn't feel like these were comparable situations.

"You are very powerful, Astra Lestrange," Stillens said, in an off-puttingly calm tone. "I think there may be more to you than you even realize. I can help you reach your potential."

"If that's what it takes, I'm fine with mediocrity," I said, shrugging and settling back on the couch, feigning a confident calmness that I hoped didn't look as fake as it felt. The truth was, I was having a hard time not shaking.

Stillens had sighed. "What are they teaching you at that school? To be fine with mediocrity is to be fine with the world never changing, Astra. Do you not want the world to change?"

"There's more than one way for the world to change, and I'm all for anything that doesn't involve you."

Stillens studied me for a moment. I rolled my eyes and looked up at the ceiling. Under normal circumstances, would not being able to keep eye contact with my mortal enemy have been weak? Yes. But normal circumstances didn't include my mortal enemy being able to read my thoughts when we made eye contact. I couldn't do occlumency like Wren could. It would be better not to give him chances to see into my head at all.

"You're pathetic," he finally said. "A weak little girl, playing with powers she doesn't understand. Do you not see how little choice you have? As we speak, your beloved DA is being overwhelmed, right underneath us. Who do you think is going to come save you?"