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Chapter Text

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.

With the loss of Ron came the arrival of Neville and Luna. Neville and Luna had proved their loyalty to the girls countless times over the years. They were there for Astraea as she navigated her new life as the sole parent to a small baby boy. The four of them decided together that they would not be returning to Hogwarts to finish their seventh year. The memories of the lives lost there were too fresh for the four of them. Neville's grandmother had died there, taken down by Rodolphus Lestrange after she killed Bellatrix, and finally had revenge for what had happened to her son and daughter-in-law. While the other three just could not return to a place that had taken so much from them; so many friends were lost within its once hallowed halls.

By the end of the war, all four of them were well and truly orphans with only each other to rely on after Xenophilius Lovegood was murdered by Death Eaters after failing to capture them when they were on the run. Memories of the war and their life on the run made it hard for Astraea to move on. Astraea still trained every morning before Teddy woke and every evening after she had put him to sleep as was her habit. It used to be her and Harry that would train together but now it was just her. They had bonded while on the run; the pair of them only having each other after her father was killed in their fifth year. At first, it was just her training but she was soon joined by Neville, Luna, and Hermione; the Gryffindors and Ravenclaw wanting to learn more about duelling and any other form of fighting that she and Harry had learned while on the run. Hermione could have trained with them while they were on the run but she was too busy trying to keep them alive and learning protective spells to join their training sessions. There were still Death Eaters out there and Astraea wouldn't put it past them to try something on her or even worse, Teddy. It seemed the Wizarding World had not learnt its lesson from last time and still let some higher-ranked Death Eaters roam free. And for that reason, she nor anyone else who sat at the table had returned to the Wizarding World unless absolutely necessary.

The three of them greeted her while a now 10-month-old Teddy waddled towards her, his arms wide open. Astraea smiled beautifully at her godson as she stooped down to his level and let him walk to her. Once he was in reach, she pulled him into her arms with a bright smile on her face and a soft giggle. She placed sweet kisses all over his face, a bright smile on the now green-haired boy's face as he hastily pulled on her dark hair. With a shy giggle, she changed her own hair to match the exact same shade of green that Teddy sported, making the little boy squeal in delight before deciding to tug a strand of her long green hair into his mouth.

"No Teddy, we don't eat hair." She managed to pull her hair from his surprisingly strong grasp and put the dummy that Hermione had passed to her in his mouth instead. The toddler settled against her chest with a satisfied sigh, babbling to her as if to tell her about his day with his uncle and aunties. Astraea listened avidly as she fed the toddler and herself from her own plate with a soft look on her face.

Astraea looked around at the people sitting at the table with a look of happiness but couldn't shake the feeling of discontent that settled within her heart. Even though she spent the first 12 years of her life feeling like an orphan with no father or mother in sight and only her grandmother for company, those 12 years compared to nothing as she felt now. She and her father only had two short years with each other but she missed him every day. Remus as well. Her eyes met Hermione's from across the table and she could tell that the both of them were thinking the same thing. They had both lost everything.

The rest of dinner passed in happy chatter as each member of their admittedly small family spoke of the events of their day. It seemed that Neville had run into Ginny while in Muggle London shopping with Teddy. "That must have been awkward," she said to him concernedly.

Neville only shrugged his shoulders before he responded, "Surprisingly, it was ok. Teddy and I just walked past and continued on with our fun day, isn't that right buddy?" He kissed the toddler on the forehead, completely unaware of the conversation going on between the adults at the table.

An hour later, Astraea had put Teddy down for the night while she got ready to train with the others. The four of them had been practice duelling for about 30 minutes when Astraea suddenly stopped, her head narrowly missing the stinging hex Neville sent her way. She gasped loudly before she ran out of the room, the others hastily following her. They found her in Teddy's room with an upset but obedient toddler in her arms. Astraea hurriedly gathered Teddy's emergency bag that she kept underneath his bed in case of emergencies. Hermione and the others stood in the doorway confused and unsure of what to do. Astraea called Kreacher and just when she was about to place the evidently tired toddler in the waiting elf's arms, Hermione snapped into action; stopping the old elf from taking the toddler.

"Rae? What's wrong? What's happening?" Luna asked her clearly upset friend as she kept trying to give Teddy to Kreacher.

She eventually gave up when the 17-year-old just kept blocking her way before she answered her, "The wards around Grimmauld Place; they're falling."

Hearing her words, Hermione ran out of the room to her own to find a single beaded bag filled to the brim with everything they would need in case something like this exact event were to happen. Hermione ran back into the room to see everyone else emotionally saying goodbye to Teddy. She hurried over as well with Neville at her side and kissed the young baby boy on the forehead. "Kreacher, if we do not contact you by tomorrow evening then it means that we have most likely been killed or taken prisoner. I need you to take Teddy to the Laurent Estate; any Black property is out of the question."

Astraea smiled sadly at the now fully awake toddler in the elf's arms with tears streaming down her face. "You are the future of us, dear one. Everything I own," she felt Hermione grab hold of her hand while Luna grabbed her other, fingers clasped tightly with Neville standing right behind her. "Everything we own.... is yours. You are the future of the Blacks, Laurents, Potters, Lovegoods and the Longbottoms. All that we have will be yours."

"We love you." the four of them said together. And with that, Kreacher and Teddy disapparated out of Grimmauld Place; most likely to never return to its halls.

The group immediately sprang into action. They always said that if something like this ever happened then their first order of business was to flee and run, leading their pursuers as far away from Teddy as they could. And they would stick to their plan. They would do anything if it meant that no one would ever find and harm Teddy even if it meant never seeing the toddler again. Just as the four of them were about to disapparate, there was a loud explosion as the door to Teddy's room was blown off its hinges throwing the four of them to the floor as rubble scattered everywhere around them.

A vicious smile appeared on Astraea's face when she saw who was standing there. Their plan had been turned to dust now that Death Eaters had infiltrated Grimmauld Place and the only thing left to do was to fight. Spells started to fly, bright colours filling the darkroom as the three 17-year-olds and one 16 year old fought against at least 10 Death Eaters. Astraea could see Alecto and Amycus Carrow amongst the 10 while she could not pinpoint their identities.

They battled for what seemed like hours as they brought down Death Eater after Death Eater; the Carrows having met their end by the sharp side of Hermione's knife. Their win seemed guaranteed as they watched their enemies fall to either their spells or by the mistake of getting too close to them when a siren sounded. The living Death Eaters immediately disapparated, leaving the four of them in the room alone.

"Something's not right," Neville said. "Death Eaters don't just retreat." She nodded her head in agreement. Just as they were about to leave, a blinding light appeared in their vision followed by a scorching heat that seemed to burn them from the inside out. Astraea managed a single look at her friends before the darkness took over.

Astraea woke with a loud gasp, her grey eyes taking in her surroundings. She looked around what appeared to be a hospital with only herself and her friends as its patients. Standing from her bed, she rushed over to each bed next to her trying with all her might to wake her friends to no avail. She couldn't even find her wand. Astraea was about to call for Kreacher when a handsome man walked in. He had the palest skin she had ever seen; almost deathly pale with dark gelled down hair, only one strand curled on his forehead. His eyes were this brilliant blue colour; almost the same colour as the ocean if she had to compare it to something. He was wearing, well if she had to describe what he was wearing then she'd say that the only person who would ever be caught dead in what he was wearing was Professor Snape.

"Who are you?" she demanded. "And what have you done to my friends?" With no wand on her, she grabbed the next best thing; the book placed on her bedside table and held it as if she was prepared to use it to defend her family. The man only seemed amused by her antics, blue eyes following her closely.

"Your friends are ok, simply sleeping so that they may heal as for who I am; I'm Death."

Astraea stared at the man in disbelief then grabbed her pillow and screamed into it loudly. Death missed everything she said but caught what sounded like 'Curse the Marauders! and their strong genes of trouble!'. This couldn't be happening. This couldn't be happening. She's just dreaming is all she could think as she laid on her bed, contemplating her very strange and overwhelming life. This is what she gets for being the daughter of a Marauder.

"I know you don't believe me but I have no time to prove to you that I am who I am. Instead, I need you to listen," Death said as he made his way towards her. Her friends had each begun to wake up as Death began to speak to her. "When that man," he uttered the word man as if it left a dirty taste in his mouth. "created all those Horcruxes, he went against the very law of nature."

"Tom has been dead for some time now. I don't know why we need to keep talking about him-"

"Because while he is dead as you say it, Miss Black, he has not moved on into the afterlife. I cannot reap a soul as damaged as his. The Horcruxes have damaged him beyond comparison, essentially turning him into a shade."

The four of them looked at the frustrated entity as he spluttered and paced in front of them, her friends having woken up due to all the noise he was making; the entity no doubt planning a long and painful afterlife for the Dark Lord. "My sisters and I have tried all we can to try to rectify his hold to the mortal realm; that's why we created the prophecy in the first place after our first attempt with one Regulus Black...."

Astraea stared, well more like glared at the immortal before she asked, "What does this have to do with my Uncle?" she demanded to know. While she did not know her uncle, she had heard stories; from her grandmother and father alike. While her father and her uncle never spoke to each other because of school animosity, family problems and eventually being on opposite sides during the war; her father had only ever told her good stories about his younger brother. Stories that spoke of two young boys stuck in an abusive household with only each other to love. It was Regulus and Sirius against the world her father would tell with an almost wispy expression of pain, guilt, and longing on his face. Just Regulus and Sirius. Not Regulus the Slytherin or Sirius the Gryffindor. In that townhouse on Grimmauld Place, they were Regulus and Sirius Black; brothers.

"That day I left Grimmauld Place will always be the best and worst day of my life," her father told her one late night while everyone else slept as the two of them sat at the dining table in Grimmauld Place, nursing cups of warm tea in their hands. "I finally got to leave this hellhole. This place was never home to me but I left my little brother here, alone with my vicious parents. That day I gained a brother but I also lost one." 

"I will never forgive myself for that."

Death sighed looking surprisingly tired for someone who had to do this for an eternity, "Your uncle was our first attempt at destroying his Horcruxes. We thought that with the knowledge he had then he'd turn to your father or maybe even Dumbledore for help but instead, he ended up dying and sacrificing himself." Astraea could only stare at Death in disbelief. Is this man really the one that our afterlife is entrusted to? This man? She didn't know what was worse; that he clearly had no idea what he was doing or the fact that he actually thought that was a good idea. By the looks on Hermione, Luna and Neville's faces, they were also questioning whether or not Death was alright in the head.

"Are you out of your mind? You thought you'd risk the whole magical civilization on the slight hunch that maybe my uncle would ask my father or even worse Dumbledore for help?" she repeated his words just to make sure that she got the gist of what he had just said. Death merely nodded at the 17-year-old in certainty, making the young lady groan in exasperation as she slapped a hand to her forehead in disbelief.

"You really think my uncle would have asked either of them for help? Please have a long deep think about your words." Death merely shrugged his shoulders before agreeing that he and his sisters thought that that was how the events would play out only for them to not.

She sighed before explaining herself to the clearly confused entity, "You forget who my father and my uncle were at this time. They hadn't spoken since my father was sorted into Gryffindor, especially since my uncle was sorted into Slytherin when he came to Hogwarts. My father used to bully my uncle in school for being a slimey snake; his words, not mine, and then when my father was 16, he left Grimmauld Place. Escapes from their abusive home life and what does he do? He leaves my uncle behind," she told everyone in that room, her heart going out to the young boy she had never had the chance to meet. "I don't know if my uncle would have left to go with my father but that doesn't change the fact that my father never even thought to ask him or beg him to leave with him. Instead, he packed all his things and left without a second thought. Leaving my uncle with their terrible and very abusive parents."

"There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that my uncle didn't even think of my father during those moments. Why would he ask for help from someone that had constantly let him down?" Astraea didn't like thinking about the man that loved her so deeply and unconditionally that he sacrificed himself for her like this but even her father had been open with her about his faults as a teen. And if he could be open like this then so could she.

"As for Dumbledore, my uncle was a Slytherin. I know that in the scheme of life, which Hogwarts house you are sorted into means nothing but, that does not change that he was a Slytherin and Dumbledore has never been kind to us," her eyes sort out those of her best friend. She knew that the Headmaster and Hermione had been close once but even Hermione had admitted that the old man had some very big glaringly obvious faults. "My uncle went to school with the Marauders. He watched them bully people in the name of pranks. He watched his brother almost kill a fellow Slytherin student but yet he faced no consequences. Only a slap on the wrist and forgiveness."

A look of rage crossed her face as she thought of her own years at Hogwarts. While her fellow Slytherins would never touch her especially since she was a Black, that did not mean she wasn't free real estate for the rest of the school. Everyone hated her for being the daughter of a mass murderer and constantly showed their hatred through their constant bullying of her. The bullying only stopped after Harry saved her from a pretty vicious ‘prank’ in first year. They became friends and then family. He had known who her father was but still decided to defend her. Harry would always come to her defense and as payment, she would always be loyal to him. Even with Harry at her side, things still weren't easy yet the Gryffindors never got in trouble. "Dumbledore has proven himself to us Slytherins to be someone to not be trusted. Someone who will always stand by while we suffer and to think that a single Slytherin who has attended school while he was Headmaster to trust him even a little bit is idiotic."

Death stared at the impassioned Black with a look of interest before he simply nodded at her words. "It seems that my sisters and I had a momentary lapse in judgment but I do not think we are wrong this time in asking the four of you for help. Two of you have already been on a journey to destroy his Horcruxes. You have all the knowledge that you need. We will send you back to 1976 so that Tom may be destroyed before his soul is too warped to be reaped by yours truly and in doing so save all your family and friends."

Hermione's mind was already moving as fast as possible as she listened to Death's words, trying to go over all the ways that this could all go wrong for them while Astraea stared at Death in shock, unable to believe what Death had just offered all of them.

"Time travel is dangerous. What if something happens to us? What if one of us isn't born or even worse?" Hermione questioned Death.

"That will not be the case for the four of you. You all will essentially exist outside the timeline; the only things that will surely change are those that you wish to change but, you need to understand this; people are shaped by the people they interact with, the choices they make, the environments they find themselves in. You will have to accept that with the help of the four of you, things are bound to change. Some people may never end up together, others that were the best of friends in your timeline may decide to let go of their friendship in this timeline. You will need to understand that the people that you all know will only be known by you. Your parents will not be your parents; simply people that look and speak like them but not them. Some of your own friends might never be born because of you being in this timeline but that is the price that must be paid if you want to live in a world free of Voldemort's influence."

Neville narrowed his eyes, "And what of our appearance? I know that you said that our parents are not our parents but if we suddenly appear looking like we do now then people will suspect that we're at least their siblings or something?"

"And what about our last name? If we are trying to change the timeline then we're going to have to change things inside our own government but how can we do that if we have to pretend to be muggleborns?" Hermione questioned Death, continuing on from where Neville had stopped talking.

Death rolled his eyes, almost as if he was offended that the four of them had no faith in him. He simply stared at Astraea as if to say well go on then. "We will all take the Laurent name," she told her friends who only gaped at her in surprise. "You all know the story of my mother's family; they will not be suspicious of members of the Laurent family appearing out of nowhere because they themselves do not know who they are. My ancestor hid our name so well that even his own descendants have forgotten who they are."

And wasn't that a wild thing to find out? Imagine coming from a family as prestigious as the Laurents. A French family; the Laurents are considered Royalty in all of Europe and even other parts of the world. They weren't actual royalty but the family's name is so famous that not a single person of high birth hadn't heard of them. The Laurents were famous for producing people of great intelligence and power; with each member of the family having achieved some amazing feat in their lives. There was even a rumour that her family were descendants of Magic herself for how could a single House achieve such amazing feats without having help. This of course placed a huge target on their backs with people either wanting to kill them or wanting to try and marry into the family just to learn their secrets. Her ancestor, Jean Laurent, had been the last 'known' member of the Laurent Family. Jean was 38 years old when a Dark Lord rose from the depths and he seemed to have an unhealthy obsession with the Laurent name and the fame the name would give him. He demanded that Jean handed over his then 16-year-old daughter, Esme Laurent; a name that she found her own mother shared, to him in exchange for peace. Jean refused. He and his family were constantly in danger so to protect his family, he faked his and their deaths. In order to protect themselves from the Wizarding World and any others that would try and use them for greed, they fled to the Muggle World in London and resorted to living as if they were muggles. And so their lives began as harmless muggles with no knowledge of the Magical World. They would go on to live as if they had no idea that magic existed; as if they were not magic themselves. Only one thing gave them away and that was the violet eyes that all those of Laurent blood shared. The same violet eyes that Astraea herself had. The ones that her grandmother had told her to hide using her metamorphmagus power as soon as she was old enough to understand. She never understood why she had to pretend like she had the grey-coloured eyes that the Black Family were known for until a few months after Tom had been defeated. She was happy that her grandmother had protected her. Astraea shuddered to think what Tom would have done if he knew who she really was. Sometimes she thought that whenever her grandmother looked at her, she saw someone else. One time she even swore that her grandmother called her Sirius once but the old lady gave no reaction to her words so Astraea thought that she had misheard.

"Because of this, when you travel to the past, you all will experience changes in appearance except for Astraea. You all will have violet eyes which will be the biggest change whereas the other changes will be more subtle," Death told the group. "We might also have to de-age you guys a little bit so that you’re not older than your parents not parents. Things will be different but I feel that I must warn you all. Taking the Laurent name will place more scrutiny on the four of you but it also means that others will be less likely to go against you all, especially the purebloods."

"It will be your decision to make."

The four friends looked at each other before Astraea said, "I lost my father, godfather, and uncle because of this war. We lost Harry. I don’t think I’d be able to forgive myself if I knew that there was a chance for us to save Harry, give him a better life than the one he lived and I didn’t take it.”

“Maybe because of us there won’t even be a Harry James Potter but I think Harry would be ok with that if it meant his parents wouldn’t have to die and that Tom would die….”

Neville placed his arm on her shoulders, "My parents were tortured to insanity. They never got the chance to watch me grow up, go to Hogwarts. They deserve a better life than the one they lived. I don't know what's going to happen. Maybe my parents will never get together in this timeline. Maybe we'll never see Teddy again...." At his words, small tears fell down Astraea's cheeks; the young girl mourning the baby; the only source of light in her life for the past year that she will most likely never see again, and even if she does, he won't be the same Teddy. He won't be hers. "But that is a price I'm willing to pay. A price that I know we are all willing to pay."

The firm nods that he got in return was all Death needed. With a wave of his hand, the four of them suddenly felt faint as a piercing headache made itself known. Death spoke to them one last time, "You all will appear at the Laurent Estate. I suggest looking in a mirror when you arrive and maybe going to Gringotts. Oh also expect a surprise." With his last words spoken, everything went black.

Chapter Text

Astraea woke with a start; her violet eyes greeted by the twinkling stars of the night sky. A splitting headache made her wince as she sat up, looking around at her surroundings. A tiny grin appeared on her pink lips when she saw the mansion in front of her. The Laurent Estate; the home of her ancestors. A loud groan pulled her from her thoughts as she looked for who made the noise. Hermione, Neville, and Luna lay a few feet away from her, each of them struggling to sit up. Astraea rushed over to them, helping each of her struggling friends to sit up.

The four of them stood before the beautiful mansion after a few moments of rest. It was weird for Astraea to look at her friends and see eyes that looked exactly like her own. Their hair even changed a little with Hermione and Luna's having the biggest transformation. Gone was Luna's pale blonde hair replaced with hair that is almost the exact shade of dark brown as Neville and Hermione. Hermione's hair was tamer now, no longer falling in the riotous bushy curls she was known for. Now it looked much like her own beautiful shiny curls. Neville was the only one whose changes were about as subtle as hers; his hair becoming a little more finer but staying the same dark brown as before.

With a glance at her friends, she led them into the home that her ancestors had abandoned so long ago. It was made of beautiful dark marble with dark wooden doors. She could see the excitement on all her friends' faces, each of them excited to take in the mansion and its beauty. The four of them walked through the tall doors and were immediately ambushed by an overemotional elf with a crying toddler in their arms.

"Mistress Black! Kreacher was so worried for Mistress and her friends," Kreacher cried, losing all decorum that the elf was known for as his small arms wrapped around Astraea's legs, holding the toddler out to her. Her instincts came over her as she reached for the crying baby; rocking him until his crying had stopped. Realizing who it was that she was holding the young woman froze. She pulled the toddler away from where he was resting his head on her shoulder and stared at the kid, trying to see if this was some dream or something. The baby stared back at her, his hair still the same vibrant green from last she had seen.

Astraea burst into tears as she cuddled the confused toddler to her heaving chest. She didn't realize for how long she had been sobbing until she felt warm arms wrap around her and Teddy. Pulling away, she looked at the tearful eyes of Hermione and Luna; her friends each happy that Teddy was with them, with her again. The two girls both pressed a loving kiss to Teddy's before they pulled away. Neville rushed over next, a teary grin on his face as he pressed multiple kisses to Teddy's face and then to hers. Neville and she had bonded after Harry had been killed. The sweet boy stepping in to be the now only male presence in her life besides Teddy with her father, Remus, and now Harry gone.

Once Neville stepped away, she pulled the still crying Kreacher into her arms now. She embraced him tightly, happy to still have her most loyal and courageous friend by her side. "Kreacher is so happy that Mistress is ok. Kreacher was so worried but Kreacher is happy now." Astraea could only grin widely before kissing the elf on the forehead and thanking him over and over again for protecting Teddy; even if it meant having to leave her behind to face danger and possibly be killed.

The six of them are pulled from their little circle by a loud voice demanding to know who they were and what they were doing in his home. Astraea walked confidently towards the portrait of her ancestor that hung in the front hall but faltered at the last moment, remembering that in this time she had not yet met him and that not a single Laurent had returned to this house in over 90 years. With these thoughts in mind, she cautiously approached the man, silently preparing herself for the gruelling that she had also received the first time she had come to this house and had seen his portrait hung on the wall. She appeared in front of his portrait and waited for the questions..... that never came instead the man greeted her and Teddy happily. He must have seen the shocked look on her face because his questions of why she had not visited him in so long died down slowly.

"Wait, you know me?" she asked. "How do you know me?"

Jean stared at Astraea as if she had lost her mind but if he knew what she did then maybe he wouldn't be looking at her like that. "What do you mean little one? You were just here talking to me not two weeks ago..."

Astraea stared at the man before looking to her friends for help but even they looked just as confused as she felt. She didn't understand. She had never met Jean in this year or timeline so why did he remember her? Everything was too confusing. Seeing the confusion on her face, Jean began to piece together that something had happened. "What's wrong? What happened?"

She sighed loudly and sat down on the chair that Kreacher had pulled over for her. Sitting down, she rubbed her hand across her face in frustration. If her grandmother was alive then she'd be getting the lecture of her life about how she was being unladylike amongst other things that she doesn't care to remember right now. Astraea decided to tell their story to him from start to finish. Not once did the man interrupt her story, instead choosing to sit and listen to her somewhat unbelievable story. When she was done, Jean simply stared at her for a few minutes before he spoke, "Is that it?"

"What do you mean is that it? I just told you that I met Death and that I've just travelled from the future?"

The man sighed before giving her that stare. For a portrait, her ancestor knew how to make her feel like a little kid who didn't know anything when she was around him. "Sometimes I forget that you were not raised by a Laurent. I am unsurprised because you have not been the first Laurent to time travel nor meet an immortal entity," he told her matter of factly. "The Laurents have always had a close relationship with Mother Magic. While the rumors of our line being descended from her bloodline are false; we are her chosen. Just like how Harry Potter was The Chosen One because of the prophecy, the Laurents was chosen by Mother Magic herself since the dawn of time. That is why we have been involved in every major turning point for the Magical World since the first families of Magic were brought to pass."

Hearing this shocked Astraea. She of course knew that the Laurents were a very powerful family but, to be chosen by Magic herself, well that's going to take a while to get her head around. Jean smirked at the shocked looks on not just hers but all of her friends' faces. He spoke up again, "You have a lot to learn about what it means to carry our name," he looked at her friends next, "You all do now."

"Now that the four of you," his eyes looked down at the relaxed toddler in her arms. "Five of you carry our name, you must carry the name with pride." Her eyes darted to Teddy quickly. She gasped as soon as she saw the identical eyes that she had reflected in his. Although Teddy was a metamorphmagus, he was never able to change his eyes to the beautiful violet that Astraea had. She wondered if that was because Mother Magic did not want her chosen to be mixed up with others? Well, she didn't know but what she did know was that Teddy now had the same coloured eyes that she did.

Astraea was embarrassed to admit that it took her a few minutes; maybe 30 to process everything that was going on. The most shocking being the fact that she was supposedly chosen by Magic just because she was of Laurent blood. While all five of them are considered Laurents' now in this time, she was the only 'true' descendant of the Laurents since it is in her blood. She didn't know if she could handle all of this but she would. She was a Black and Blacks do not fail. While Astraea wasn't sure of herself, she would not let that deter her away from her main goal which was the total annihilation of Voldemort and a new, reformed, and happier Magical World.

With a sigh, Astraea stood and gestured to her friends to stand as well. "Well, this talk has been enlightening but Death did say that we should go to Gringotts so we better be off," Astraea pulled Teddy close to her before silently casting a warming charm on the toddler. "We'll see you later Grandpapa." Astraea smiled brightly at the portrait, remembering when the man had affectionately told her to call him Grandpapa. Eager for any type of connection to her mother's family, she agreed quietly. But after many visits to the estate and many conversations and lessons with the man, the girl and portrait have managed to become closer.

Leaving Kreacher behind, the group left the mansion, walked out of the wards of the estate, and with a loud crack, they appeared in Diagon Alley. The group kept themselves away from the crowds, sticking to each other and making sure that the five of them never met the eyes of anyone lest someone recognizes their eyes. They wanted to make it to Gringotts in one piece. They approached a bank teller in silence with Astraea stepping forward to speak for them but as soon as the bank teller caught a glimpse of their eyes, they were immediately taken from the lobby and presented to the King of the Goblin Nation himself; Ragnok.

They spent what felt like many hours in that room as Ragnok demanded a blood test from each of them to prove that they were indeed Laurents. With a drop of blood and a little bit of their magic, each of their parchments glowed gold as small words formed on the parchment. There was nothing new that appeared except for who the names of their parents were. It seemed that she was officially not a Black now. Her mothers' name stayed the same while her fathers' name was now Chadwick Sayre; an American wizard whose family was directly descended from Salazar Slytherin himself. It seemed that while Voldemort was descended from Slytherin, he was not a direct descendent unlike their father and now, their family. Being the eldest of their newly formed family, Astraea was the one who would take up the Headship of the Laurent name. Neville; her now younger brother would take up the Slytherin Lordship. She knew that once news of Neville being the Lord Slytherin got out then the already big target on their backs would only get that much bigger. So for now, they decided to hide his Lordship from everyone except themselves and Ragnok.

The biggest change for her was looking at her parchment and seeing Teddy listed as her son although who his father is, she wouldn't know. She looked at her siblings in shock before they schooled their expressions into ones of indifference. With a small smile, she looked at the blubbering toddler in her arms fondly. Astraea gasped when she felt a sliver of Teddy's magic connect with hers. Her eyes watered as she felt a fierce protectiveness and overwhelming love come over her. She had only felt this way when she was around one man; her father. When she had first met him that night in their third year, she had remembered the burst of love and happiness she felt when their magic first connected, and now she had just felt that with Teddy; her son. After a quick visit to the Laurent vaults and the still very empty Slytherin vaults thanks to a certain line of their 'family, they immediately left Gringotts. Each of her siblings decided to go back home directly from Gringotts while she decided to stay behind for a little and explore 1976 Diagon Alley with Teddy. Just because they were here to destroy Voldemort and change things did not mean she wasn't going to make sure her son didn't have a good and happy childhood. Honestly, a small part of her wanted to just run with her family and leave Magical Britain to its own devices but, she wanted Teddy to grow up here. To go to Hogwarts and be sorted into his house and make a lot of friends. And the only way for that to happen was for them to go through with their plan.

Walking out of Gringotts and into the bustling crowds, Astraea averted her eyes to the wide-eyed baby in her arms; the small toddler absolutely fascinated by all the bright colours and magic around him. Diagon Alley in their time was still operating but the war had stolen its beauty and wonder, leaving behind an empty shell of what it was when Astraea was a child herself. Looking around in wispy wonder, Astraea did not notice the looks of awe being thrown her way by the sudden crowd of people that had stopped to stare at her. Her eyes caught the sight of a brightly lit store with a broomstick in its display window. Without even noticing, she slowly wandered over to the store, her violet eyes shining as she looked at the broomstick on display. She had always loved flying. The feeling of being free, the wind blowing through her hair plus her and Harry had spent a lot of time flying and having fun. Those were some of her favourite memories with the boy.

As she looked at the broom, aptly named the Nimbus 1001, Teddy tugged at her dark hair, his tiny fist reaching out towards the broomstick as if he wanted her to buy it for him. She giggled at his cute behaviour before she excessively pressed kisses over every part of his face. The toddler cutely pouted at her, his violet eyes still staring at the broom longingly. The girl didn't know where he picked up this love for flying considering his father hated flying and his mother couldn't even walk on the ground so flying was out of the question but she guesses that it was her influence. While she had grown up with her grandmother training her to be the perfect pureblood princess, Walburga had never withheld things such as Quidditch from her. She wondered if that was her fathers' influence again.

She was pulled from her thoughts by a soft tap on her shoulder causing her to stiffen, her hand slowly inching towards her wand in its disillusioned holster. Turning around, she was met by the sight of pale blond hair everywhere. Knowing immediately who it was that she was dealing with, she threw a clearly fake but hopefully pleasant-looking smile on her face. Her eyes met the cold grey of a young Lucius Malfoy's. She hated him in the future and hated him now. After her grandmother had died, the asshole had tried to write up a betrothal contract between her and Draco. And while her cousin was pleasant enough to her, she wouldn't be caught dead as his wife. Astraea wouldn't have any of that and put an end to that as soon as she could. She was just lucky that her grandmother had declared her emancipated in her will, making her a full and legal adult with the ruling power of House Black in her hands.

"Yes?" she greeted the family of two, her eyes meeting those of Abraxas Malfoy; not flinching at all.

His grey eyes narrowed before he smiled at her, well at least what he probably thought of as a smile. "Greetings. Abraxas Malfoy," he held his right hand out to her, his lordship ring glinting brightly in the light.

She grabbed his hand in her tight grip, the Laurent Family Ring glinting beautifully on her right hand. Astraea noticed his eyes widening when he caught sight of her ring and with a slight smirk at the nervous-looking man she pulled her hand out of his grasp. "Astraea Laurent," she greeted the pair of them.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Laurent."

Astraea simply nodded her head at his words. As a Laurent and said Head of their family, she held precedence over the man even if he was older than her. She smirked at the young Malfoy heir when it looked like he was about to speak even though he had not been addressed yet. "I find myself surprised to meet a Laurent especially one so young," he told her, clearly having a dig at her age. "It was thought that your family had passed into fable."

The 16-year-old simply smiled at the man's words before she replied, "We are Laurents, Lord Malfoy. If we do not wish to be found then we will not be found."

"Indeed." The Lord merely nodded his head, his brain clearly trying to come up with what to say to her that could hopefully lull her into a false sense of security but what the man didn't know was that while she carries the Laurent name now, she was raised by a Black woman and no one can fool a Black woman. "This is my son, Lucius. If you are to attend Hogwarts then it would be good for you to have someone watch out for you."

Astraea held out her hand to the boy, waiting for him to kiss her hand as was custom. Lucius simply stared at her as if she was scum underneath his shoe which didn't surprise her one bit. It wasn't like Draco was born an egotistical asshole, he had to get it from somewhere. Abraxas roughly grabbed onto the back of his sons' shirt and then glared at him. With a roll of his eyes, he pressed a chaste kiss to her hand then looked away, clearly uninterested in whoever she was and wondering why his father was acting like this towards some girl. Looking at the baby in her arms, he wondered where her house-elf was? Surely if she was so important then she would have a house-elf that could carry it for her.

"Do you not have a house-elf?" Lucius asked her, interrupting whatever it was that his father was about to say to her. He either was blind or ignorant of the glare that his father was sending him.

Astraea's violet eyes stared at him, "I do but I don't see how that is relevant to our topic of my attendance at Hogwarts at the moment."

Abraxas couldn't believe what an imbecile his son was being at this moment. His Lord would not be pleased at all with Lucius if he did not shut up soon. "Then why do you not have your elf come and hold the ugly thing?"

Astraea glared at the idiotic boy as the fake smile slowly dropped from her face. Looking the boy right in the eye she spoke, "First, Heir Malfoy, whether I want to hold my son or not is no business of yours so please hold your tongue before I remove it from your mouth. Second, I am the Head of my House while you are a measly nobody that will only become Head of his House after your father has died so you do not get to speak to me in that tone or at all from now on."

She nodded her head once at Lord Malfoy before she strutted away from the man and his son with an oblivious Teddy who was still whining for the broomstick. Astraea could hear as Abraxas chewed out Lucius, no doubt the boy will be hearing it from his father. With her experience of Diagon Alley slightly ruined now by the band of pale blondes, she decided to cut their trip a little shorter but not before buying her and Teddy some ice cream from Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. Settling for the generic chocolate flavoured ice cream that they both loved, she sat at a table close to the front door of the ice cream parlour.

Astraea went about her day feeding Teddy and giggling at the toddler, oblivious to the many looks of admiration and awe they were receiving. Seeing the bright blue ice cream that one of the customers were eating, Teddy changed his hair to the exact same shade. She was so happy to see that he had not lost his metamorphmagus ability and with a shaky sigh, she also tried to change her hair colour to match his. Astraea sighed in relief when she saw her hair change colour as well. Astraea was just happy to see that while her last name had changed, she didn't inherently change too much of herself where even she would find herself unrecognizable.

Teddy then changed his a bright green with her copying him. Soon the two of them had started their own little game where Teddy changed his hair colour only for her to copy him, gaining attention from the many patrons of the parlour as the two showed off their extremely rare ability but the two were in their own little world. Their infectious laughter made everyone there feel a little giddy from the pure happiness rolling off the pair. "Ok Teddy my love, that's enough. Our ice cream is going to melt if we don't eat it soon."

The toddler let out an infectious giggle before accepting another spoonful of chocolate ice cream from his mother. After a few minutes, their ice cream was done so Astraea decided it was time for them to leave. She realised that they had probably gained enough attention and that Tommy Boy probably already knew about her existence which was great. The more attention she gathered from the madman, the least likely he is to focus on her siblings and anything that the three of them will be working out in the background. Gathering all of their things, she walked out of the ice cream with a smile and a wave to Mr Florean Fortescue who bid her and Teddy goodbye with Teddy waving excitedly at the old wizard.

As they walked towards The Leaky Cauldron, she caught the eyes of many wizards and witches who were watching her and Teddy. Some of them she recognised as parents of her old classmates but most she didn't recognize at all. She didn't know if that was a good thought or not. The young woman walked inside the Leaky Cauldron and stood calmly by the floo, waiting patiently for when it was her and Teddy's turn. She silently watched people arrive when a fairly old couple stepped out of the floo. They looked familiar to her but she couldn't quite pinpoint who they were. The man looked around the Leaky Cauldron, his wife softly brushing off any soot on his robes when his hazel eyes met hers. Astraea gasped out loud as the man also looked at her in surprise. She knew who this man was.

Astraea was pulled out of her musing when two boys were spat out of the floo, looking as if the pair had been fighting when they had entered and were continuing their fighting out here in public. These wrestling boys were followed by two others, one calmly watching the fighting pair in quiet disapproval but amusement while the other simply seemed skittish at the amount of attention his friends were gaining.

"Sirius! James! Will the two of you please stop?" The lady reprimanded the pair of teenagers, her husband still frozen in place only to pull himself together once he heard his wife's words. Astraea's eyes strayed to the dark-haired teen laughing loudly with a boy who she knew that if she caught a glimpse of his face would look exactly like her best friend. Her heart plummeted when his grey eyes met hers but she felt none of the usual familial love and overwhelming happiness she felt around him. She guessed that what Death had said was right. This teenage boy was not her father, no matter how much she hoped and wished that he was.

With a final glance at the group, she entered the floo, not noticing two pairs of hazel eyes that had watched her and Teddy leave.

Chapter Text

The Laurent siblings had been busy for the past few weeks. They were lucky that they had arrived in early August of 1976 so they had some time to prepare for when they returned to Hogwarts. Many pureblood Lords and Ladies had tried their hardest to get in contact with Astraea; it seemed that Lord Malfoy wasn't just a blood purist, he was also a notorious gossip. She had heard no news or rumour of her son so either the man wasn't paying enough attention or he didn't want to say anything about Teddy which didn't make sense to her at all but to each their own. She however had turned down each invitation for an audience with her, claiming that she wanted to settle into her home before meeting with anyone. No one knew about her siblings yet and she wanted to keep it that way for now. This would afford them a little more privacy when they ventured out into Magical London each of her siblings wearing eye contacts to hide their violet eyes for now.

She and Hermione had been working hard with trying to create a timeline of events from 1976 to 1981; the year that James and Lily Potter had originally been killed and Harry hailed as the Boy Who Lived. The two girls tried to document everything from deaths that had occurred to laws that were passed throughout those years. It was stressful work but necessary. While the four siblings knew that they could not save everyone, they wanted to know that they had at least tried.

"I'm dreading having to be around Dumbledore again." Astraea groaned as she fed Teddy his bottle, humming a sweet lullaby that her father had sung her to sleep with after the disaster that was her fourth year at Hogwarts.

Hermione rolled her eyes at her older sister, a teasing smile on her face. "Please, you know that as soon as we get to Hogwarts, you will be forgotten in favour of Neville since he will be in Gryffindor," Hermione told her. "Even if you technically wear the Laurent Ring, others will always just assume that out of the four of us, Neville is really the one with 'the power' as they would say."

Astraea couldn't help but agree with her younger sister. The Laurent family weren't patriarchal at all nor were they matriarchal. Instead, the Head of House Laurent would always be the eldest child from the direct family branch, no matter the gender of said child. So that's why once she stepped down as Head of their Family, Teddy would take up his Lordship after her. The Laurents while traditionally purebloods favoured knowledge and family loyalty over anything else.

"We have so many things to prepare for and so little time it seems," Astraea said as she laid Teddy down in his cot in the corner of the room with a soft press of her lips to his right cheek. Hermione came over to stand by her as the both of them simply stared at the toddler. Neville and Luna were currently looking into the policies that had been passed in the Wizengamot in the last ten years and writing down any that they knew would be passed in the later years. While the siblings knew how to defeat Voldemort, they decided that they also wanted to change the Wizarding World from the inside out and the only way to do that was to use the pureblood power against the very ones who were abusing it. If the war had taught them anything, it's that while Voldemort had risen of his own volition, he was only able to do so because of the stupid laws passed by their own governing body. That was going to change.

They hadn't yet enrolled into Hogwarts, the four of them decided to wait till the last possible moment as they didn't want Dumbledore trying anything with them before they were properly prepared. "Are you sure about your plans for Teddy?" Hermione questioned her.

Astraea thought about her decision momentarily before she nodded, "Yes. It's best for him to stay here with Kreacher. While I would rather him near me, I can't risk anyone trying to use Teddy to get back at me because of some petty school rivalry," she replied. "I'm just lucky that our Kreacher no longer answers to House Black. I know that Kreacher would never betray us but, I'm still happy to know that he's no longer bonded to my grandparents because then things would have gotten messy."

The two girls left her room and went into the shared office where Neville and Luna were currently working away. Astraea watched as the pair worked around each other, not a single pause as they ran around jotting things down or sticking something somewhere as they worked tirelessly so they could execute their plans. She was so happy that she had them with her. This would have been a lot harder if she were alone. Neville looked up noticing the pair and beckoned them closer. Hermione and Astraea sat down on the brown couch in the room and watched, waiting only a few minutes before they were joined by their brother and sister.

"Working hard?" Astraea asked with a small grin on her face.

"Yup. We're working hard while you're hardly working." Luna quipped, a smirk on her face.

Hermione giggled at their youngest sister while Astraea only rolled her eyes, Neville with a matching smirk on his face. "Anyone else want to just stay home and not return to Hogwarts?" Neville chuckled lowly, an apprehensive frown on his face.

Grabbing his hand, Astraea squeezed his hand tightly in hers, the same apprehensive look on her face. "I know what you mean. And a small part of me wants to stay home as well but that would be a waste of the one chance we have. Might as well use it."

"Besides, you won't be alone. You have us now." Luna told him with a dreamy look on her face. They all looked at each other and took in a deep breath before looking at each other with determined looks on their face. They were in a different time with no allies besides each other and with a last name that says come and get me. But they were determined, and that's all that mattered at the moment.

Astraea was exhausted. She had spent the last two weeks helping Neville go through the finances and properties of both their houses. It seemed like the Laurent House was the richest in Europe, having investments in both the muggle and magical world while the Slytherin House was dirt poor if she was being honest. The Gaunt Family did a number on the wealth of the Slytherin Family who was only rich in name at this point. Things were hectic and tiring. Not wanting to exhaust her brother too much, Astraea would push him to rest, leaving her to work even late into the night with little to no sleep. The only breaks she had was when she cared for Teddy and any naps she had with him. That was until right this moment. In no shortage of words, her three younger siblings had kicked her out of the manor, telling her that they would care for Teddy and do any leftover work while she was forced to take a day off.

Astraea sighed as she walked out of the Leaky Cauldron, a blank look on her face. She didn't want to come here but she didn't have anywhere else to go. It's not like she had any friends that she could hang out with so she decided to aimlessly walk around Diagon Alley. Her heels clicked lightly on the gravel floor of Diagon Alley, violet eyes looking around casually trying to find anything of interest. Just as she was about to give up and just grab an ice cream and go home, her eyes found that broomstick again. Deciding that this time she would at least go inside the store, she opened the door and stepped inside.

The hustle and bustle of the store immediately brought a smile to her face. Astraea watched as little kids ran around, giggling to themselves with their very worried parents following close behind them. Her eyes once again caught sight of the Nimbus 1001 still placed right at the window and with a determined step, she walked towards it. Violet eyes admired the beautiful, sleek wood and while knowing it wouldn't be quite as fast as the Firebolt that she had left behind at her Grimmauld Place, she still couldn't help but want it. She must have been admiring the broom for several minutes when a deep, gravelly voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Beautiful isn't it?" Astraea startled, her violet eyes flinching away from the broom and turning to meet a pair of hazel eyes. She heard a pair of gasps come from behind the man but ignored that person for now. Harry had never gotten to meet his grandparents, the both of them having died from dragon pox a few years before he had been born. Her father had spoken very highly of Lord Potter and now she was meeting him. With a shy smile, she nodded her agreement. She looked behind the man, seeing clearly that the man was not alone and had his wife and son with him. She did not know where Sirius was but Astraea was happy that he wasn't there with them. She was tired and did not know what her exhausted brain would make her say or do if she was faced with her teenage father. Instead, her eyes met those of hazel. James Potter was very handsome as everyone had said but even he was hard to look at. The loss of Harry was still not one she could think long-on.

"Fleamont Potter," Holding out his hand for her to take, his Lordship ring shined brightly under the store lights, the Potter House insignia stood out proudly on the surface of said ring. "At your service, my lady." Lord Potter smiled widely at her, his voice spoke warmly.

Astraea decided in that instance that she liked the man. She daintily placed her hand in his strong grip, the man bending swiftly to place a kiss on her right hand. Her Ladyship ring stood out, the Laurent insignia proudly displayed. "Astraea Laurent," the young woman curtseyed to the man as soon as he had let go of her hand, showing him respect unlike when she had spoken with Lord Malfoy.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Lady Laurent," the man spoke before pointing to his companions. "May I introduce my family? This is my wife, Euphemia," a beautiful lady with short honey brown hair stepped forward, her head already bowed. Lady Potter had a warm smile on her face, one identical to her husband and with a smile of her own, Astraea greeted the older lady. Lord Potter then pointed to his son as James stepped forward, chest puffed out and a proud smile on his face.

"And this is my son, James. Sadly, our other son, Sirius is sick at home." A small part of her was happy that Sirius was not there. She didn't know how she'd respond when faced with the teenage version of her father. James bent down to take her hand and placed a chaste kiss on her hand. A happy smile lit up his face, one that Astraea returned although a pit of sadness settled in her stomach. Harry had never gotten to experience this. He had no memories of his father whatsoever; only those that her father had told him and even those were few as the grief of losing his best friend had taken its toll on Sirius.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Lady Laurent." James greeted her, his eyes holding an innate cheekiness that she unfortunately knew could turn deadly. "Although this is not the first time I have seen you. I believe I saw you a few weeks ago, at the Leaky Cauldron but you had a baby with you. He was so cute."

Astraea smiled brightly as she always did whenever someone spoke about Teddy. "The pleasure is mine as well, Heir Potter. As for the baby, that's my Teddy," James noticed that she spoke of the toddler fondly, a smile making its way onto his face as he heard the unmistakable happiness in her tone. He wondered if Teddy was her little brother or something? "Unfortunately, he stayed home today. I was only supposed to pop into Gringotts quickly but as you can see, I found myself distracted by the new Nimbus 1001."

James walked towards the broom in the display window, the pair talking amongst themselves, having completely forgotten about the presence of James's parents. "Do you play Quidditch?" James asked curiously. With a bright smile on her face, Astraea nodded excitedly then answered him, "I don't play as often as I use to but yes, I play Quidditch. I love flying."

The young Gryffindor watched as the Lady Laurent started rambling about Quidditch and flying, a smile making its way on his lips. She was beautiful, beautiful enough where she could even be mistaken for a veela if it wasn't for the lack of allure although it certainly felt like she had cast some spell on him at least. All last year he had been trying even harder for Lily to give him a chance to no avail. James had put his heart and soul into trying to be the kind of man that Lily would want but, it was like he was never enough for her. He had spent half of his holidays sad and hung up over a girl that simply didn't want him. He was lucky that the Marauders wouldn't let him be sad any longer and was able to pull him out of the rut that Lily had put him in.

So caught up in his thoughts was he, that he didn't even notice that she had asked him a question. "Um sorry, what was that?"

Astraea smiled, "I asked if you played Quidditch?"

A proud smile made its way onto his face as he puffed his chest out. "Gryffindor chaser since third year," he told her proudly. She nodded her head impressed but not surprised by his words. Astraea of course already knew that he had been a chaser.

"Impressive," she replied. The two of them talked some more about Quidditch, even getting into a fierce debate about who was the better team in the league with Astraea being a huge Harpies fan while James loved Puddlemere United which she could not understand at all. Mostly, Astraea just laughed with the teenage boy, the joy she felt almost overwhelming. She had not been this happy since Harry had died. Being around James, she couldn't help but compare him to Harry. She and Harry also use to have arguments about Quidditch teams which ironically enough, Harry loved Puddlemere United as well. It seemed the boy didn't only share similar looks to his father but also similar Quidditch taste. Harry also used to crack silly jokes to make her life. But while they were similar, she also couldn't help but notice their differences. The most obvious one being their eyes but, while James seemed almost larger than life, Harry had been more timid, cautious almost. Years of having to look over his shoulder and having the Dursley's as guardians had made Harry a little shyer compared with the James she was talking to. She couldn't help but wonder if Harry would have been more like James if he had had the chance to grow up with a father or a mother or anyone in general who were supposed to love and care for him. She guessed that she would never know.

As she laughed with the boy, her violet eyes caught sight of the darkened sky outside, realizing that she and James had been speaking for quite some time, his parents off to the side just silently watching and waiting for them. Deciding that she had been at Diagon Alley long enough, she started to say her goodbyes. "Well, it is getting late so I best be on my way," James grabbed her hand again, placing a kiss there with an almost soft smile on his face. "It has been a pleasure speaking to you, Heir Potter."

"Please, call me James," He said with a silent hope in his tone, Lady Potter having gasped at her sons' audacity. Astraea stared at him blankly, silently balking at the offer of casualty between the two of them. James had just offered her to use his name casually even though this was only their first meeting. With a smile of her own, she responded, "Then please, call me Astraea."

A radiant smile appeared on James's face as he heard her words. Astraea turned to Lord and Lady Potter who both bowed to her as she muttered a farewell to the both of them and walked out of the store. She did not expect this at all when she left her home this morning but it seemed that Fate had other ideas for Astraea.

Tomorrow was the day that they would arrive at Hogwarts. They had sent an owl to Hogwarts three days ago for their enrolment and had only gotten a response just hours ago from Professor McGonagall. Returning to Hogwarts was something that all four of them had decided against in their time and now they were in 1976 and going back.

Hermione had to wonder if they were going to be ok? Or if they were only pretending to be? Hogwarts had once been a sanctuary for all of them. It housed their friends and their happy memories but now it was also a symbol of loss and regret. She just wanted to know if they were ready or if returning to Hogwarts would just reopen wounds long thought close?

"Your mind always did run a million miles an hour," Astraea said as she walked through the door and sat down next to her, Luna and Neville following close behind her.

Hermione snorted, "You know I can't help it. I have been known to be a bit of a know-it-all."

"Do you think we're ready for this?"

Neville answered, "We've prepared as much as we can. We can only hope that our plans run smoothly though knowing us, probably won't happen."

Hermione half chuckled-half sighed then said, "I just- I'm so nervous and a little scared."

"At least I'm not the only one who's scared of going back to Hogwarts," said Astraea as Luna giggled from beside her.

"Hogwarts will certainly be different this time around," Luna told them, the usual dreamy look on her face.

"Honestly, a small part of me doesn't want to go back," Astraea told her younger siblings. "It was so easy for us to lose ourselves here with no hint of the outside world but now we have to go back to Hogwarts and I just don't know how to do this. How can I go back and try to be a normal, smiling teenager when I can remember the war so vividly? Don't you remember Hermione? The looking over your shoulders. Living on the run. Not being sure who you can truly trust."

"How can I be happy when Harry is dead?" Astraea immediately started crying, her heart still aching for her Harry even if he had been dead for at least a year now. Luna pulled her into a tight hug as the young girl cried in her younger sisters arms. "I don't want to go back and make new memories at Hogwarts that don't have Harry in them. I don't want to forget him. Please don't make me forget him."

Soon the whole group was crying after hearing Astraea's words. All of them fearing this as well. Their oldest had always been the bravest one of them all, never shying away from her emotions and always saying what others were too afraid to say. After a few minutes, they each wiped their tears before Hermione spoke, "Harry wouldn't hate you for being happy. You are his best friend," Astraea went to say that so was she but Hermione kept talking. "Yes so was I but what you and Harry had... It went so much deeper than what he and I had ever had."

"You know this one night when we were on the run after Ron had left us, I remember talking to Harry and you know what he told me? He said that he could do this without Ron and me. That if I had decided to leave with Ron when he did then he'd be fine," Hermione told the group. "I remember being so angry at him. How could I not be? Do you know what else he said? He said that if you so much as walked away from him then he'd be destroyed."

"He would have chosen to give himself up to Voldemort if you had given up on him," The group gasped at Hermione's words. "But you never gave up on him. You gave him the strength and love that he deserved and now you need to lend some of that fierce strength to yourself."

"You were his best friend. His soulmate. His person" Astraea smiled tearfully. "And when you have someone like that in your life then there is only ever one thing that you want for them, and that is to be happy."

Luna spoke next, "We all have people that we want to remember Rae but we can't let their memory stop us from living our lives. We can only hold them in our hearts and move forward as we have always done."

Astraea muttered, "Endure and survive as we have always done."

The group decided to sleep together in the front parlour by Jean's portrait to try and calm their somewhat racing hearts and overwhelming nerves. When they woke tomorrow, they would be faced with many faces; new and old but their only hope was that everything would be okay this time. The time for preparation was over for them and now it was time for war.

The siblings were up early the next day, wanting to at least have a few hours with Teddy before they were to leave for Hogwarts. Astraea had spent all morning holding the toddler tightly in her arms. She had not spent so long away from him since Andromeda had died and now she had to spend at least two months away from the babe. Those few hours flew by fast as the siblings, Teddy and another elf named Tinkey arrived at Kings Cross having left Kreacher behind as to not cause a scene between themselves and the Blacks.

The four of them were met with wide-eyed stares from the purebloods and any magically raised halfbloods while the muggles and muggleborns simply wondered why everyone else was staring at them and who they were. At least these purebloods had been trained better than Lucius. The group ignored the huge crowd of people and instead focused on Teddy, each of them becoming a little teary-eyed. While Astraea was the sole one to raise Teddy, that did not mean that her siblings had not helped her when she had needed a rest or just some alone time.

Hermione, Neville and Luna each kissed the babe sweetly on his forehead and said their goodbyes before leaving their sister alone with Teddy, Neville taking her trunk with him. Astraea held Teddy close to her chest as she pressed small kisses all over his face, the boy giggling in his mothers' arms. The two of them were lost in their own world although it was hard for Astraea to ignore all the stares and whispering happening around her.

Pulling herself away from Teddy, she placed a quick kiss on his cheek and quickly handed him over to Tinkey. As soon as he was out of his mothers' arms, the toddler started to wail and struggling the elfs arms. Bending down until she was at the same height as the elf and babe, Astraea said, "Shhhhh, Mama will be home for Yule, my love. No more crying," she wiped his tears away softly. The toddler still continued to cry and with another quick peck to his forehead, Astraea nodded at Tinkey with a few last orders to come to her if anything happens to her son and with that, house elf and baby apparated away.

Turning away from the gathered crowd, she climbed onto the Hogwarts Express. Teddy was safe at home and now it was time for them to put their plans into action.

Chapter Text

Once on the train, Astraea immediately left to find her siblings. She walked what felt like the whole length of the train, not seeing a single sign of them. Just when she was about to walk past a certain compartment, she heard her name being called. Looking to the compartment to her left, she was met by the sight of James Potter. A bright smile made its way onto her face as the boy gestured for her to come into his compartment. Astraea entered, a little nervous as she knew what she was getting herself into.

James grabbed a hold of her hand as soon as she entered the compartment, kissing it softly before he greeted her with a soft smile on his face. Astraea returned his smile although she had no idea as to what she had done to receive such a greeting from the Potter Heir. "Hello James," she smiled at the other three people in the compartment, each of them staring at her in shock and a little bit of awe. Sirius's grey eyes flickered between her face and where her and James's hands were connected.

The young boy stood, making a small bit of anxiousness leak inside her but Astraea stood firmly and faced Sirius head-on. This is not your father Astraea constantly reminded herself but, she guessed that she missed him so much that she would take any part of him even if it was a 16-year-old version of him who also had no idea who the hell she was. She slowly watched as Sirius sauntered over to her, a certain confidence that he hadn't gotten back in her time in his step. A roughish smile appeared on his face, one that she found herself returning and he said, "Well hello there!" she could see the glare that James threw his way but she couldn't help chuckle at the boy's ways.

Sirius grabbed her other hand as James was still holding her other, the one that she wore her Laurent Ring on and pressed a brief kiss to her hand. She saw the way his eyes widened at the Ring but he pushed his surprise away for the moment. "Pleasure to meet your acquaintance, Lady Laurent." Astraea did not curtsey to the Sirius as was custom but she did smile quite brightly at him.

"It is a pleasure to meet you too, Heir Black." His smile immediately disappeared from his face. Sirius slowly retracted his hand as a closed-off expression appeared on his face. She had expected this. Even in her time, her father didn't like who he was but she had shown him that while both of their names were Black, they could be different. They were Blacks in name only, their actions didn't need to reflect that of their family.

"I am no Black," Sirius stated. "I have been disowned." Which he hadn't. Walburga had certainly tried but she was not Head of the Black Family; that power was with Arcturus Black, her great grandfather and he had never approved of Sirius's disownment.

Astraea stared at the boy, not wanting to upset him but "I am a Laurent, Heir Black. We make it a point to know every person in every House so while you might think your parents have disowned you, our sources say otherwise."

"Do you feel the absence of your family magic, Heir Black? If that were the case then you would find your magic to be much weaker than before." She told Sirius, the teenage boy looking severely troubled by her words. Sirius couldn't deny that he hadn't felt any difference in his magic since he had all but fled from Grimmauld Place last summer. His magic has felt much the same as it always has.

"That makes no difference to me. I am not a Black neither am I the heir," He told her, his voice bordering on almost shouting at her. Astraea discreetly cast a silencing ward in their compartment. This was not a talk for everyone to hear.

"Was your brothers' heirship announced in the Daily Prophet? No, it wasn't and that is because he is not the heir," Astraea stated, knowing why Sirius was fighting so much. She looked the impassioned boy in the eye as she spoke. "No matter how much you try, you cannot deny that you are a Black but, that does not have to mean anything to you. It is merely the name that you carry, it is not who you are. It is your choices and your actions, they are the true judge of your character."

"Being a Black does not mean you will follow the same path that so many of your family have chosen." The Marauders all looked extremely shocked at her words. Their mouths seemed to permanently hang open now. Sirius however looked thoughtful, Astraea could see that at least some of her words had pierced his stubborn mind. "You can be different but not deny who you are."

Sirius only nodded at her words, clearly still lost in his thoughts then sat back down next to Peter. She stared at the rat boy unsure of what to do. This wasn't the man that had brought so much heartache to her and Harry. This wasn't the boy that had betrayed his friends... and after some deep thinking, they had decided that if Astraea and her siblings had anything to do with it, Peter Pettigrew would never become that man. Astraea smiled at the boy widely who blushed red before slowly introducing himself under his breath. Remus introduced himself next and looking at the teen in front of her, she couldn't correlate the boy that was speaking to her with her godfather. He looked happy now. Happier than he had been in their time. Friendships and love can change people for the better.

James still stood at her side, his hand somehow still holding hers. Astraea looked at their hands for a moment before staring at James confusedly. The boy looked embarrassed and was about to let go when someone interrupted them. "There you are!" Neville exclaimed, the door of their compartment having been opened by him. "We've been looking everywhere for you, Rae. I was scared something had happened to you."

She smiled widely at her younger brother as she pulled away from James and grabbed onto Neville's hand tightly, pulling him into the compartment. Seeing who was in the compartment, her younger brother immediately put his arm around her shoulders and pressed her close to his side. His actions were protective but not of the people there but of the memories that might be flashing through her mind. Neville noticed the glare that someone that could only be James Potter was giving his arm and smirked inwardly. His sister always had a way of collecting people and having them completely wrapped around her finger. It was probably a good thing that his sister was so oblivious of the effect she had on people. It reminded him of Harry at times. The ability to rally people to her and make them want to follow her anywhere. It was something they both had.

"Everyone, this is my younger brother Neville." James immediately relaxed as the whole compartment seemed to finally notice that the both of them had the same eyes. "Nev, say hi." Neville rolled his eyes at his sister but still greeted every boy in the compartment. After the pleasantries, he turned to Astraea and told them that he had found a compartment nearby and that it was probably time to go and sit for the train ride. He smiled goodbye as he left, Astraea saying her goodbyes as well.

"It was nice meeting you all," she said. "I hope we can remain friends." Especially with what house she was going to be sorted into she thought as she waved goodbye and walked out.

"Luna Laurent!" The siblings watched as their youngest walked gracefully towards the chair. They all could hear the excited murmurs from the students, each of them wondering why four older students have transferred to Hogwarts so late in their school life. The muggleborns were interested but mainly because they were new whereas the purebloods or magically raised halfbloods were interested for a whole different reason. They understood the significance of their eye colour and their name.

She was sorted into Hufflepuff. They clapped happily before they each hugged their sister as she moved to sit with her new housemates. Hermione watched as she was immediately welcomed by the Puffs. She knew that their sister would thrive in Hufflepuff besides, they had absolutely refused to put Luna back in Ravenclaw after the bullying she had faced in that very house in their time.

"Neville Laurent!" The girls watched as Dumbledore practically glowed with interest as Neville walked towards the chair, a confidence that he hadn't had in their younger years at Hogwarts showing clearly. Astraea swore she saw the whole crowd of students sigh when Neville smiled at her and Hermione, his smile sweet.

"Gryffindor!" the Sorting Hat shouted, the House of Lions bursting into loud applause. She flinched at the loud noise, still hating how loud the table could get but happy that Neville was getting such a loud welcome from his new housemates. She and Hermione watched as Dumbledore clapped heartily for their brother, two tiny smirks on their faces as they quickly glanced at each other.

"Hermione Laurent!" Astraea grabbed her sister's hand quickly and squeezed it before letting her go. She lose focus of what was going on around her now that she was standing by herself besides, she already knew where Hermione was going to be sorted. She was pulled from her thoughts when she heard the polite clapping from the Ravenclaws, her sister swiftly moving to their table and sitting down, her housemates already trying to introduce themselves to the beautiful witch.

"Astraea Laurent!" She walked towards the chair, a beautiful smile on her face. She made quick eye contact with her siblings and then surprisingly, James. Astraea hoped that the two of them would remain friends after this but, she wouldn't hold out hope. James Potter was notorious for his hatred of Slytherins. She wouldn't be surprised if the Marauders pranked her. She just hoped that Neville would be able to rein them in. There was no applause for her sorting except her new housemates and her siblings which didn't surprise her. Purebloods were some of the most prejudiced people she had ever had the displeasure of meeting but, Hogwarts students could be just as prejudiced to House Slytherin. Everyone thought that if someone was sorted into Slytherin then they were immediately evil and Death Eaters. The House of Snakes weren't innocent but not every student sorted there was evil. She hoped to change the universal opinion of the Slytherin House while she was at Hogwarts.

Astraea confidently walked towards her house table, the students immediately making space for her in the centre part of the table, closest to the Slytherin King who looked to be Lucius Malfoy and his Slytherin Court which consisted of Avery, Evan Rosier and Mulciber. She was happy that Bellatrix had already finished her education at Hogwarts lest she might kill her at first sight. Even if this Sirius never died like her Sirius had, she would always hate Bellatrix for being the one to take him away from her and Harry.

She really didn't want to be sorted into Slytherin again but had to admit that she was the one who knew the inner workings of the House better than anyone. Astraea had never tried for a shot as Slytherin King, well it would have been Queen if she had gone for it and won but with her association with Harry in her time, she wouldn't have had much support from her peers plus she didn't want to be in charge of their House. She instead chose to blend into the background all the while knowing that as a Black, no one could touch her. Her eyes met those of Malfoy for a moment before she rudely turned her head away from him, clearly giving him the cold shoulder but making it seem like she simply did not know of the existence of the hierarchy in Slytherin. She just knew her grandmother would be rolling in her grave if she saw her right now but she did not care. Astraea needed Lucius to challenge her to a duel and preferably tonight after the feast. This year was imperative to the Dark Lords rule as nearly every person 6th year and up would join his service the coming Yule holidays or were thinking or being pressured to join him. Some Death Eaters after the War had been won, expressed regret and said that they would not have joined if they had known what they were getting themselves into. Many of the purebloods just wanted the freedom to practice their traditions and the Old Ways. To them, it's because of the muggleborns and bloodtraitors that they have lost this right. That's what many of them were fighting for but after they joined and they saw Voldemort kill off whole pureblood families like the McKinnons and the Bones Family, they began to question him but by then, it was too late. 

Looking at who was sitting in front of her, she had to quickly mask her shock. This boy looked exactly like her father. Regulus Black. Regulus held his hand out to her introducing himself, the girl placed her hand in his. "Pleasure to meet you, Lady Laurent." he kissed her hand, making the girl smile. He even sounded like Sirius. The Black Family genes were certainly strong. She plastered a pleasant smile on her face, "There is no need to use my title while I am here at Hogwarts, Young Master Black. Not unless I say otherwise."

Regulus simply stared at her before he nodded his head in agreement. Regulus in turn introduced his companions, Severus Snape; who while not entirely sitting with their group, still sat fairly close to them and surprisingly, Narcissa Black. Each of which was offered the same courtesy as well. Astraea enjoyed talking to the Black woman. The Narcissa she was talking to was very different to the one from her time. Narcissa was happier, more strongminded than her Aunt had been. She guessed that living under Voldemort's servitude twice took its toll on the young woman. Astraea was on the fence about Snape. While he had ended up being a good man, a small part of her still resented the man for the way he had treated her and Harry even if she had been a Snake, he could not look past who her father was like the rest of the school. But, she resolved to give him a chance. This Snape was not the same bitter Potions Master from her time and if she had her way then he never would be.

The four of them spoke for some time with varying topics of politics to even potions. Astraea and Severus spoke at lengths about the possibility of there being a potion that could hopefully combat the effects of the Cruciatus Curse while Regulus and Narcissa made small inputs wherever they could. She knew that Neville had been researching this and other possible remedies for other Dark curses. Neville had certainly come a long way from their first year in Potions class.

Soon, dinner was over and the Slytherin Prefects, two students whom she didn't recognize at all led her and the first years to the Slytherin Dorms even though she knew exactly where they were. "The password is cunning. Every month the new password will be posted on the noticeboard in the common room." The male prefect said as their group walked inside the room being met by the sight of Lucius Malfoy and his Slytherin Court waiting for them, the rest of the House also there. She smiled quickly at Regulus and them before following the group as they were led before Malfoy.

The pompous boy was staring right at her, a certain gleam in his eye. Astraea smirked to herself. Malfoy had no idea who he was going up against. His pride and arrogance would be his downfall. She dismissed the rest of the things that the prefects were saying, knowing that they were the usual ground rules before they would certainly hand the time over to Malfoy to talk. "Now, Slytherin House has a hierarchy with the Slytherin King and his Court at the top. The Slytherin King outranks even the Head of House but when we are with the rest of the school, we must keep face and pretend that this hierarchy does not exist," the female prefect said as she looked back at where Malfoy and they were sat. "Our current Slytherin King will speak to you about his expectations."

Malfoy stood, an aura of confidence taking over him. He spied the little witch that had made his Father punish him and he would get his revenge. He did not care if she was a Laurent and technically, outranked him. In this school, he was at the top of this House and she would learn to bow to him. He stared right at her as he started to speak, her gaze meeting his unwaveringly. Oh, he couldn't wait until he had her begging on her knees in front of him.

"Didn't think I would meet you again, Laurent." He spoke, walking from his seat towards her. Laurent dared to yawn as if he was nothing to him. He would show her.

"Yes well if I had known that you would be in this House, Malfoy, then maybe I would have asked to be sorted elsewhere," she said snarkily, channelling her best impression of her dear cousin Draco. She heard the small gasps from the crowd, all of them clearly in shock. The cardinal rule in Slytherin was to never go against the Slytherin King and she had very clearly put herself on the opposite side to him. Astraea did not expect any support from anyone. They were Slytherins. And Slytherins never went against the majority of the House lest they become pariahs. "Things in Slytherin must be bad if they have you leading them."

Avery growled from behind Malfoy, his eyes gleaming with rage at her disrespect. Astraea did not care. This whole hierarchy thing in Slytherin was stupid and meant nothing when it came to war. It did not matter if you were Slytherin King or a simply first year. In war, it's either you die or you live. Your status in their society has nothing to do with your humanity. But, she and her siblings had come to the decision that if they wanted change then they had to play by their rules which is why she wanted to duel Malfoy for his throne so much. She wanted change for Slytherin House. Her siblings wanted it too. They did not want the reputation of being a Slytherin to burden people. Being a Slytherin does not make you evil. Being evil makes you evil. Plus, if she had control of Slytherin House then maybe she could slowly sway people from choosing to follow Voldemort from inside the very pit of potentials.

"You will hold your tongue, Laure-" Malfoy held up his hand, stopping Avery from speaking any further. The boy moved till he was directly in front of her, their eyes locked in a fierce battle of wills. The rest of their House looked on in fear and silent awe of the Lady Laurent. Not many had had the balls to go up against Malfoy yet she did so without hesitation. One had to wonder if that was a smart move or extremely foolish.

Looking away from her, Malfoy called out, "Rosewood!" the female prefect was startled from her spot by the first years before coming forward. "Get Slughorn. Tell him we have a challenge. Everyone else, prepare for the duel."

The arrogant git smirked at her, "It seems that you don't know your place, Laurent," he said, the confidence practically dripping off of him. "You'll wish you never disrespected me once I'm through with you."

"I think I would worry about myself if I were you, Malfoy," Astraea told him as she undid her outer robes, leaving her in her Slytherin uniform. Their banter was interrupted by the appearance of Slughorn and Rosewood, the latter looking almost frantic in comparison to the vacant expression on Professor Slughorn's face. The man immediately started erecting layer after layer of protective wards around her and Malfoy, the rest of their House looking on.

Slughorn spoke up, "Now, all spells are permitted except the Killing Curse. There is no way that we will be able to explain why a student went missing. There are no rules except one which is there will be no help from any outsiders. If you interfere then you will find yourself a pariah in the House," These words he directed to their audience. 

Her eyes met those of Regulus, Severus and Narcissa, the three of them looking slightly worried for her. She discretely nodded at the there of them, almost as if to say calm down. If the three of them were shown openly supporting her then that could cause problems for them right now. "I assume you know battle etiquette, Laurent," Malfoy said, bowing, his cold eyes trained on her form. Astraea nodded before bowing back, her violet eyes never leaving him.

Narcissa watched slightly nervous. Astraea was a Laurent which meant that she was bound to be powerful but, Malfoy had been taking duelling lessons from his father since he was young. It was a well-known fact that Abraxas Malfoy had been taught by the Dark Lord himself when they were schoolboys. She just didn't know if Astraea had enough experience to go up against Malfoy. What Narcissa didn't know was that no one in this room had more duelling experience than her.

Malfoy shot the first spell, the bright red of his spell sailing towards her. She gracefully sidestepped the incoming spell, "Surely you can do better than that, Malfoy". She taunted, making the boy glare at her. Malfoy hurtled curses and hexes at her, both light and dark, not caring about anything but embarrassing the disrespectful witch in front of him and keeping his throne. The crowd gasped as his spellwork became more and more erratic the more she avoided his spells and taunted him. Astraea was surprised. She thought that a pureblood would at least have a semblance of a plan when going into a duel but it looked like he was just throwing spells around hoping to hit her.

She simply danced around, dodging all of his attacks with what looked like no effort. The more she dodged his attacks, the angrier he became until he was practically frothing at the mouth. "Stupefy!" he yelled.

"Protego" She spoke calmly, stopping the spell from hitting her. The first time since the duel started that she had used magic.

Deciding that now was as good as a time to go on the offensive, she threw spell after spell at Malfoy. Astraea could tell that he was becoming more frustrated the longer they duelled, clearly thinking that this would be an easy win. His cutting curse just managed to chip her on the shoulder as she heard the sound of the sleeve of her shirt rip, the white quickly turning red as her blood gushed from its wound.

Malfoy smirked in triumph which she didn't know why, she had had much worse done to her. "Good one, Malfoy," she told him, the crowd eagerly listening in to what she would say. "I was beginning to think that your inbred self was all talk." Malfoy had certainly seen better days. His long blonde hair had been severed because of her cutting curse while he was bleeding vigorously from the wound on his forehead. His skin was dyed a red and his wand hand was bleeding, his blood slowly dripping onto the floor of the common room.

Malfoy growled as he sent another spell, "Confringo!" Well, it seems like the boy did not care if he killed her or not now. That was fine with her. She wouldn't lose to the likes of him.

"Expulso!"

"Locomotor Mortis!"

"Avada Kedavra!" She heard the gasps come from the crowd and could even hear what sounded like Slughorn cursing up a storm but she ignored them for now as she put her plan in action. Astraea rolled out of the way of the curse, landing almost directly in front of Malfoy. Using the momentum from her roll, she flung herself onto her feet and kicked Malfoy right in the face, sending him sprawling. The Malfoy Heir went down with a cry as their fellow Slytherins gasped in surprise, unused to hand to hand combat being used in a duel. Some would even consider it low class for a Lady of her status to hit someone as she had but, Slughorn did say that there were no rules except don't kill each other and she hadn't killed him yet.

Malfoy lay sprawled out on the ground, his nose now at an odd angle as blood gushed out. Deciding to end their duel, she wandlessly and wordlessly lifted the Malfoy Heir into the air, the tight grip she usually had on her magic broken as her thick magic filled the air around them, almost choking the Malfoy Heir. The wards may have protected the crowd from any stray spells but it didn't stop Astraea's potent magic from filling the room to what seemed the very brim. Many gasps of surprise were heard as the Snakes felt the strong and somewhat oppressive magic connect with all of theirs. The room fell into an almost domineering atmosphere, Astraea's magic so strong in the air that no one dared to make any noise.

The crowd watched as Malfoy hung in the air helpless, his eyes wide in terror and slight fear. Narcissa couldn't help the small sliver of awe she felt as she gazed upon the girl, no, the young woman stood within the duelling circle. Looking at her companions, she knew that they also felt the same way. No one in Slytherin had seen such control of their magic where one person could wield it seamlessly like Astraea Laurent was displaying. Narcissa saw Avery, Rosier and Mulciber looking at the scene in front of them in disbelief and rage, the three of them staring at Astraea. With her left hand still held out in front of her, Astraea stared at Malfoy quite bored with their situation. To prove her point, she lifted her other hand and uttered a single word.

"Stupefy" the red spell grew in her right hand for a few seconds before it flew and met its target, flinging Malfoy back as he crashed into the protective wards and crashed onto the ground. He did not get up.

Astraea met the eyes of those in the crowd as Slughorn slowly dispelled his protective wards. Not knowing what to do and still dumbstruck at the fact that Malfoy had lost his throne after being King for three years, her fellow Slytherins stayed where they stood. The only sound was coming from the one who had won the throne in the first place, the sixth year student walking over to where she had put her outer robs down and putting them back on.

With a loud sigh, she said, "Professor Slughorn if you could please take Malfoy to the Hospital Wing. I will speak to you one day soon, Professor." The man acknowledged her words passively as he levitated Malfoy out of the dungeons.

Looking towards the throne that Avery, Rosier and Mulciber still stood around, she walked towards it all while staring at the three boys. Knowing that they were not welcome, they removed themselves from around her throne. With an almost put upon sigh, she sat gracefully upon her throne looking out at her House. The students in this House were hers now. She did not think herself a ruler but, she did rule this House and as long as she sat on this throne, whatever she says goes.

"Well wasn't that an interesting way to welcome in the New Year," she smiled, trying to put the crowd at ease but it only served to do the opposite. "As the new Slytherin Queen, I have several expectations."

"First, I don't care what your blood status is. You could be a pureblood, halfblood, muggleborn, I do not care. While I rule this House, there is only one thing that we should identify as. And that is as Slytherins. Keep your blood prejudice out of everything or you'll find that I can do so much more than I did to Malfoy. Remember that." Astraea looked at the group, seeing fear, awe and even looks of respect on some of their faces. It seemed that even if she had intentionally alienated a large contingent of Purebloods, she had somehow gained the respect of many of the others gathered. The rest of them would come around and if they didn't, then they would see that she could and would go through with her threat. Astraea didn't want to completely rule Slytherin with fear but she knew Slytherins. At one sign of weakness, they would usurp her but she didn't want to be like Voldemort. She wanted the Slytherins to follow her because they were loyal, not because they feared her. She however knew that that might never happen. Slytherins followed power and as long as she had that power, they would fall into line.

"When we sit for breakfast tomorrow morning, I also expect everyone to sit in their year levels instead of your blood status."

"Which brings me to my next rule which is to look after our own," Astraea looked everyone in the eye, trying to gauge people's reactions to her first rule and expectation. She could see some looks of loathing from people like Avery and Mulciber but ignored them for now. Astraea would deal with them later. "I know that I was only sorted into Slytherin mere hours ago but the rivalry and prejudice found here is legendary. Outside of our sanctuary, we will be vulnerable. You will need to learn that your word will always be dismissed in favour of your peers whether you are telling the truth so cover all of your bases. You cannot be punished for something if the teachers cannot implicate you. This is where the rules of this school will be of use to you. Protect any of our Snakes that need help especially our younger years who will be more at risk than the older years. Travel in groups at all times."

"We will present a united front when in front of the other Houses, no exceptions."

"Third, all malicious acts towards the other Houses will stop now. The only time you react is in defence," she told the gathered group. The shock was clear on all of the students' faces. "We are the House of Cunning. What better act of cunning than to reflect our bad reputation on to others. Soon, this school will see that just because we value other things compared to their precious Houses, does not mean we are inherently evil."

"Now, it is getting late so you may all go off and do your own thing," she told them all, watching as the Slytherins cautiously walked away when she looked at the first years. "Except the first years, I want you all to stay." Astraea saw the looks of fear cross over each of their faces as they looked at the Prefects and then back at her. She could see that the two of them did not want to leave the first years but with a look from her, they walked away, presumably to their dorms.

Astraea stood from her place on her throne and walked towards the 12 first years in front of her. She didn't recognise a single one of them but that did not matter right now. She gestured for them to follow her as their small bodies sat down on the group of couches in front of the fireplace. A small boy tentatively sat down next to her, his back tense and hands clenched on his lap. He looked at her like she would bite him at any moment which saddened her a bit. This was why she wanted to speak with them.

"There is no need to fear me, little ones," Astraea smiled sweetly at the small gathered group. She heard small whispers of 'wow, she's so beautiful' and others things causing her smile to widen. "You are the future of our House. Everyone, all the older years, they will eventually leave and you all will be left behind. You will find no punishment here if you wish to make friends in the other Houses," With these words, she stared at the boy next to her whose eyes were filled with happiness. She had seen the look of sadness on his face from the Slytherin table as the boy he had been talking to when they were standing to be sorted was sorted into Gryffindor.

"But, my father said that we are supposed to hate the other Houses because they hate us!" One of the little girls that sat in front of her said; she reminded her a little of Hermione if she was being honest. The girl shrunk away from her as soon as she met Astraea's violet eyes, mumbling an apology and looking down at her lap.

Astraea removed herself from her seat and knelt in front of the small girl with a soft smile. She couldn't help it; she had always loved children. "Well, what your father doesn't know won't hurt you, will it? Besides, I am Slytherin Queen. I decide what is the fate of our House, not your father." The little girl looked at her in awe, a huge smile on her before she threw her arms around her neck. With a smile of her own, Astraea hugged her back before she sent them to bed, Rosewood and the male prefect whom she now knew as Smith having come to take them to their dorms after Astraea had sent for them.

Each of them hugged her before they walked away, leaving her alone as no one dared to move close as she had not called for them.

"Narcissa. Regulus. Severus," She spoke, her voice heard over the small chatter of any students that had chosen to stay in the common room which stopped as soon as she spoke. "Come sit." Small gasps were heard as her words registered in everyone's minds.

Astraea heard cautious footsteps coming towards her from where she sat looking at the fireplace. She lifted her head to look at the three people that were walking towards her. They stopped as soon as they saw her gaze on them. Astraea gazed appraisingly at them, taking each of them in. The girl noticed every little detail. While the group of three looked impassive, she saw the slight shake in each of their hands, the twitch of their fingers as if to stop themselves from reaching for their wands and the almost imperceptible quiver in their shoulders. She nodded to the couch in front of her, inviting them to sit. Astraea pretended to not notice the small sighs of relief they each let out.

They each cautiously sat in front of her, Narcissa even going as far as to start smoothing down her robes. "You wish to speak to us, my Queen?" Regulus addressed her. Astraea looked around at the common room, every student in there were trying to listen in to their talk but didn't want to show that they were for fear of her reaction. She wandlessly erected silencing and privacy wards around them, not wanting anyone to listen in.

"You may call me by my given name when it is just us, Regulus," she smiled at the Slytherin. "The same for you two as well, Narcissa, Severus."

"As you wish, m-" Severus cut himself off. "Astraea."

She nodded at him before asking, "What did the three of you think of tonight's proceedings? I want you all to be honest."

Narcissa spoke up first, "I think it is about time that this House lived up to its true values. Malfoy has been ruling this House since our third year and has done nothing but to successfully alienate us from each other," She snarled when speaking Malfoy's name. As if it left a dirty taste in her mouth and wasn't that different. It looked like Narcissa and Malfoy would not marry in this timeline.

Severus spoke next, "Narcissa is correct. The younger years fear us cause of the actions of Malfoy and his cronies. Slytherin's House has turned into this madhouse filled with backhandedness and cheats. I am glad that his rule is over."

Astraea saw the way Regulus looked at Severus after his words, clearly still on the fence about whether he could truly speak his mind with her or not. He seemed to have come to a decision when he spoke, "I also have to agree. I admit that I did not know if you were about to become a pariah and on your first day but it seems I severely underestimated you. As did the rest of the House."

She smirked, an almost crazy look in her eye before it returned to her normal smile. "I appreciate the three of you telling me the truth but, I am tired so I shall retire for the night. Narcissa, do you mind showing me the way?"

Astraea dissembled her wards, "Yes, my Queen."

She nodded goodnight at everyone as they took their leave.

Severus and Regulus watched as the two females walked away from them, the both of them knowing that change was coming to Hogwarts and maybe even the Magical World but as their eyes followed the Laurent Lady, they knew that they would follow her wherever she led them.

The next morning, Astraea woke bright and early. She had been provided with her own room as she was Slytherin Queen. Malfoy's things had been cleaned out of her room by the house elves as soon as she won their duel. There were rooms surrounding her own for her Slytherin Court that were also empty as she had not chosen anyone to join her Court yet.

She and her siblings had spoken for an hour over mirror after she won her duel just going over plans and checking on their progress within their own respective Houses. They also helped her with making decisions about who she should ask to be a part of her Court. Neville had been roomed with the Marauders but had been shunned by the group minus Remus and surprisingly, Peter. James and Sirius had not taken her being a Slytherin well. She expected it but, it didn't make it hurt any less. Astraea just hoped that they didn't cause any problems for her and her siblings. If they proved to be a threat to their plans then she would be forced to remove them.

Luna had made friends with the Bones siblings; Edgar Bones, who was a seventh year having taken a liking to their eccentric little sister as did his sister, Amelia. It seemed that they had taken Luna under their wings and her siblings were happy that their sister had made friends with such a loyal family. Hermione had made friends with Emmeline Vance. Emmeline had been a member of the Order in their time and a courageous witch before she had been murdered by Death Eaters.

They all bid each other goodnight after that.

Astraea made her way down to the common room and waited for the rest of her House to gather so that they could all go to breakfast together. She patiently waited and read a book on the complexities of the Cruciatus Curse in front of the lit fireplace. It was half an hour later when everyone had gathered, even Avery, Mulciber and Rosier were there when she put her book away and moved out in front so that she could lead them. "Remember my rules," she said.

"Yes my Queen," they all answered even the little first years. With a single nod, they left for breakfast.

When they arrived, the only tables almost as full as theirs was the Puffs and the Claws, the Gryffindors preferring to arrive a little bit later. She could feel the eyes on them as they arrived, the sight of them certainly different to what it had been for the past few years. The Slytherins each remained standing, waiting until she sat but she had something else she needed to do first. "Narcissa, Severus, Regulus," the three of them tensed as they each looked at her.

"Yes, Astraea?" Severus said, remembering that they were out in the open with the other Houses and teachers around and so called her by her name as she had permitted him to.

"Come," she gestured to the seats around her. "The three of you will sit with me from now on." The shock was clear on their faces before they remembered themselves and simply nodded in agreement.

"Narcissa, sit to my right. Regulus to my left and Severus, you may sit in front of me." The threesome immediately listened and each sat in their spot given by her. She heard Narcissa and Regulus sigh almost inaudibly from beside her while Severus simply stared at her from his seat. She could see the confusion on his face but, she could also see just that small amount of gratitude. Even the places where she chose to seat the three of them had meaning. With Narcissa and Regulus, for them to be chosen to sit next to her, it meant she had chosen them to have her back. They would be the ones to protect her from any sneak attacks or any secret plots against her. They were essentially the spies of her Court, tasked with making sure that while her back was turned as she tended to their House then no one would usurp her. Whereas with the placement of Severus, she had made him her advisor of sorts. Astraea would of course listen to any counsel given to her from any member of her Court but, Severus would be her primary Advisor.

As soon as the four of them had sat, everyone else immediately sat with the seventh years sitting closest to the teachers' table, followed by the sixth years then the fifth years. She and her Court sat in between the fifth and the fourth years. Next to the fourth years would be the third then the second and then the first years would be seated the closest to the door.

Soon the Gryffindors began arriving, loud and as boisterous as ever. Astraea saw a small first year Slytherin stand from his seat recognising him as the boy who sat next to her last night, his fellow Slytherins urging him to go. The boy quickly looked back at his friends before he called out to his friend in Gryffindor. The two boys ran to each other and embraced tightly. She saw how happy the two of them were together and felt a small piece of her heart break. She missed her Harry. The Slytherin Queen gently watched as the Slytherin invited his Gryffindor friend to their table, even gesturing behind the Gryffindor to a small girl with brown, mousy hair and the boy next to her who was quite tall for a first year who must be his new friends in Gryffindor.

The four of them tediously approached the Slytherin table together, not noticing the utter shock and silence around them. When they arrived at the table, the other Slytherins stared at the first year, some of them outright glaring at him but, Astraea put a stop to that. She gestured for the fourth years to move closer to where she and her Court sat, the rest of the years following suit and making room for the four first years. The first years welcomed the newcomers, some of them going so far as to hug the Gryffindors as well. Astraea glared at a seventh year Slytherin who looked like she was reaching for her wand but immediately sat back down when she felt her gaze.

Almost as if sensing her gaze, the group of first years all shyly looked her way. She smiled brightly at the group, some of them even staring dazedly at her and nodded at the group in approval. Her act of approval made them sit up that much straighter before they turned away from her and began eating breakfast and laughing amongst themselves.

"You are certainly going to shake things up," Severus said to her, Regulus and Narcissa nodding in agreement. Astraea simply offered the three of them a smile in response before going back to her scrambled eggs and bacon.

With a quick look to the other tables, Astraea met the eyes of her siblings and sent them each a bright smile. Her violet eyes met James's from across the Hall and she sent him a tentative grin. The boy only looked at her confusedly before turning back to his conversation with Sirius. Astraea sighed inwardly, the conflict within herself strong in regards to James and Sirius. They were good people, extremely strong but they were young.

Young, dumb and extremely prejudiced.

Hopefully, they would change sometime soon or even with her and her siblings here, they still might make the same bad decisions as before.

Chapter Text

They had only been a month at Hogwarts and Astraea was done. She thought that her Slytherins would be the hardest ones to put in their place but it seems that two boys by the name of Sirius Black and James Potter took that cup. She and her siblings were making great progress, each of them showing great talent as Astraea slowly but surely drifted into the background. While it was no secret that she was the Head of their Family and a metamorphmagus, everyone including Dumbledore had concluded that she was of no value nor a threat. The Slytherins however knew the truth. That she may look innocent and sweet but she was powerful. Well, powerful for a schoolgirl is what many of them thought. She was lucky that there was an unwritten rule that no word of the Slytherin Court was to be spoken about to those not of House Slytherin unless it came from the Slytherin King or Queen themself or maybe Dumbledore would have shown an interest in her. James had not spoken to her after the first time she had tried to speak to him since her sorting. She had been met with two wands in her face and an exclamation of how she was a slimy snake and that she no longer had to right to call him by his name. She grimaced at the disgust on his and Sirius's face before she walked off, a grim feeling settled in her chest. Neville, of course, had taken their words personally and resolved to never speak to James or Sirius again unless they apologised. They refused and now the tension in their dorm was palpable with Remus and Peter caught in the middle. They hadn't pranked her, probably because of Neville but their 'pranks' against the Slytherins were becoming more and more malicious. And as usual, Professor McGonagall did absolutely nothing about it.

Astraea had become rather close with the other two Marauders, the Slytherin studying with the pair every Wednesday and Thursday before dinner. Both of them were smart and sweet people. They had tried to apologise to her for James and Sirius's behaviour but she only shook her head at them, stating that she would accept no apology unless it came from their mouths. They never brought the two of them up again after that. Soon, Narcissa, Regulus and even Severus began to join their study sessions. Severus was still uncomfortable being around any Marauder but even he began to warmen up to their presence.

One night it was just her and Severus studying, the rest of their group having other things to do. Astraea was studying for her Ancient Runes test the next day when the sound of footsteps interrupted their studying. Looking up, she saw Lily Evans cautiously approaching their table. She watched the expression on Severus's face; it was completely a smile but she could tell that he was happy to see the girl. Astraea nodded in greeting at the beautiful muggleborn witch. She could see why James was so infatuated with her; she was very beautiful indeed, maybe even the most beautiful witch she had ever seen. If only Astraea knew that according to many, that was her title. "Do you mind if I sit and study with the two of you?" she cautiously asked, her emerald eyes looking at Severus before they flickered to her, the caution shining brightly in her eyes. Astraea realised that Lily was probably cautious of her because she was a Slytherin. And many of the Slytherins had not been kind to her at all since she had come into their world.

Astraea decided to put her at ease, smiling brightly at the girl and removing her bag from the seat next to Severus. "Of course, Miss Evans. Please sit." She replied to her. Lily looked at her in shock before turning back to Severus who nodded at the chair next to him. Lily sat and pulled all of her things out of her bag slowly, quietly assessing the Slytherin girl seated across from her. The muggleborn witch had been curious of her ever since her first day here. Lily had seen many pureblood witches and wizards bowing to her or trying to have a small bit of her time. This behaviour wasn't limited to her though, her siblings were treated the same way as well. She finally broke and asked a pureblood Gryffindor in her year named Marlene McKinnon why everyone was fussing over the Laurent siblings only to find out that the four of them were practically royalty in the eyes of the Wizarding World High Society. Astraea's family were famous for producing some of the greatest Witches and Wizards of all time. There was even a theory that they were descended from Magic herself. The Laurents were very famous when their family suddenly disappeared.

Lily, of course, asked how everyone knew they were the real deal when their family had disappeared over two centuries ago. Marlene had told her that it was the eyes. Their violet eye colour that Lily thought looked beautiful was the only true way to prove that one was a Laurent as even metamorphmagi were unable to replicate the eye colour. Even the Polyjuice potion wouldn't work. The muggleborn was practising the exercise from their Transfiguration class today but she was still finding it hard to change the simple matchstick in front of her into a jewellery box. The only thing stopping the redhead from cursing everyone and everything out was the fact that she knew that besides the girl in front of her, no one, not even Potter who had always excelled at Transfiguration was able to change their matchstick. At least she wasn't suffering or potentially failing Transfiguration alone.

She quickly glanced at the Slytherin girl who seemed to be deeply entrenched in Ancient Runes, even going so far as to mumble the information she read under her breath. "Do you wish to ask something of me, Miss Evans?" Astraea spoke, lifting her violet eyes from the book in front of her.

Lily blinked from her reverie, her cheeks tinted red from embarrassment. "I-ah-sorry but, um-ah-I was wondering if you could help me with my matchstick from Transfiguration today? It's ok to say no, Lady Laurent. I can see that you are busy...." The redhead trailed off, clearly embarrassed. Astraea was pleased with the little training she had been given on their customs and protocols as the young witch had referred to her as Lady Laurent. It seems that the Slytherins were wrong. Some muggleborns were not willing to learn the ways of their society while others had simply not been taught it but were willing to listen.

"It is quite fine to call me by my given name, Miss Evans at least while we are both students here," she told her. "I do not hold my status over peoples heads unless I say or I must."

Lily nodded at her and told Astraea that she was also free to use her name instead of calling her Miss Evans. "Could you please show what it is that you do when trying to change your matchstick?" Lily grabbed her wand and did the spell, following the correct wand movements and even enunciating the word properly but her match still didn't change.

"I don't know what's wrong?" she mumbled, a little downtrodden after failing yet again. "My wand movements are correct. I'm even overenunciating in some parts of the spell just to make sure that I'm saying it properly but it still isn't working."

"Hmmm. I'll help you but I want to ask you something first. What do you know about Magic and its history?" Lily looked at her weirdly, considerably confused by her question but answered anyway, saying the usual things like Light and Dark. Good and Bad. Merlin and Morgana. And some other things.

Astraea nodded, "Good but unfortunately completely useless knowledge which is not your fault. It is merely because of the education you have received and your lack of pedigree," The Slytherin saw the Gryffindor scowl at her words but she simply lifted her hand to stop her from speaking. "I am not coming for your blood status, Lily. It is merely a fact. You are a first-generation witch whereas my family have been witches and wizards since Magic first graced this earth. It is a given that I would know more about magic than you, is it not?" Astraea stared blankly at the properly scolded muggleborn who reluctantly agreed with her.

"Now, back to what I was saying, while some of what you have said is true, nearly all of it is woefully false," she told Lily and the now extremely interested Severus who had abandoned his work sometime during her scolding. "Firstly, there is no such thing as good or bad magic, magic simply is. The type of magic someone practices does not automatically mean they are evil, this is just the type of magic that that witch or wizard is more compatible with," she told the pair. "You'll find that families like the Blacks and the Malfoys are more suited for Dark magic as that is the magic that their families have been practising for Ages. Even their Ancestral Homes will be soaked in Dark magic after having generations practice that specific branch of Magic."

"But, Dark magic is evil! Everyone knows th-" Astraea glared at Lily, not happy with being interrupted again. "Please, hold your tongue, Miss Evans and wait till I have finished speaking," Lily flinched at the absence of her name being spoken by the witch and meekly nodded her head in agreement.

"As I was saying, the Dark families have all been practising Dark magic for Ages and that is why they are better suited for Dark magic while families like the Potters and the Longbottoms are renowned Light families and so they find it easier to cast Light magic,"

"Now, there is one more branch of Magic, can you guess what it is called?" Lily simply looked confused at her question, looking to her Slytherin friend for help.

Severus nodded and answered for her, "Grey magic."

"Grey magic? I've never heard of that." Lily told the group.

Astraea shook her head at the muggleborn, "You wouldn't have. There has only been one family in the entire history of Magic who has ever been able to practise Grey magic, and that is the Laurents." The Gryffindor gasped in shock. The Laurents must be very powerful and unique to be the only family to ever be practitioners of Grey magic.

"Now, here's the difference between each Magical branch. Dark casters will never be able to cast a Light spell which is the same for Light casters but the other way around," she told the enraptured pair. "This rule however does not apply to those able to wield Grey magic. Grey casters can use both branches with ease. There are of course certain Grey spells that both Light and Dark wizards and witches will be able to cast like the Patronus charm. While the masses will make you think that the Patronus charm is a Light spell because it repels a Dark creature, that is not true. It is a Grey spell and both Light and Dark wizards will be able to cast it because the only requirement for the spell is a happy enough memory to fuel it."

"Which brings me to my next explanation, Magic is neither good nor bad, it simply is. What I mean by that is that magic is all about intent, Lily," Astraea answered. "The magic one practises isn't inherently evil or good, it is all about the intent of the wizard. My Papa used to say that to call a certain branch of magic evil is to call Lady Magic herself evil and I personally never want to call her evil."

Lily still looked confused while Severus looked thoughtful, "Anyways, let's say if one wanted to kill someone, what would be the most obvious spell to use?"

The Gryffindor looked severely uncomfortable when she spoke, "A-Avada K-Kedavra."

"Exactly. The most obvious answer would be to cast the Killing Curse, a Grey spell actually but I could as easily use the Levitation spell, a Light spell and levitate you over the edge of a cliff and let you fall to your death," she told the slightly disturbed witch and wizard at the mental image she painted but they were both beginning to understand what she was saying. "Magic is a living, breathing thing inside all of us and with the right amount of practice, one will be able to bend it to what you want."

"So we've established that Magic is not good or evil, the wizard or witch is and that Magic is all about intent. I want you to try the spell again but instead of just focusing on the wand movements or saying the spell properly, try to envision in your mind what you want your jewellery box to look like. Make your magic transfigure the matchstick into the jewellery box you want." Lily picked up her wand, closed her eyes, took in a deep breath and tried the spell again. She imagined a beautiful silver jewellery box with emerald embellishments on it. Her name was emblazoned on the lid of the box. She was met by silence from the two people seated around her.

"What? What happened? Did I do it wrong again?"

"Why don't you see for yourself," Astraea told her.

Lily gasped as she saw the beautiful jewellery box in front of her. A happy squeal escaped her lips as she rounded the table and hugged the smiling Slytherin, thanking Astraea over and over again. Even Severus gaped in surprise at the beautiful jewellery box Lily had been able to transfigure the matchstick into. He had watched as Lily had become increasingly more frustrated as she tried the spell over and over again in class but not have her match change at all. He was also very frustrated with his lack of results and so he took the matchstick still hidden in his bag and tried to follow the instructions Astraea had given Lily. He slowly watched as his matchstick changed into a jewellery box, a small smile on his face.

Astraea pulled her wand and matchstick out, "With more practice, maybe you'll be able to transfigure your matchstick wordlessly," With that, she changed her matchstick wordlessly before changing it back into the matchstick. "Then maybe even wandlesssly," The pair watched as she put her wand down beside her and transfigured her matchstick wordlessly and wandlessly in awe. Severus knew that the Slytherin was powerful especially after her duel against Malfoy but to be able to perform a Transfiguration spell without the use of the spell nor the wand is something that he imagines not even McGonagall would be able to do because of how insanely risky it is. Someone could be trying to transfigure a matchstick but end up transfiguring their friend instead, that's why a wand was always used. To prevent a spell from going awry but Astraea Laurent had just proven that wandless and wordless magic was possible if one was strong and trained enough.

"Wow... You're amazing," Lily said, watching in awe as Astraea changed her jewellery box back into the matchstick. Astraea smiled in thanks at the muggleborn. "Umm, you know what you were saying about Light, Dark and Grey magic, what about muggleborns? How do we decide what magic we practice?"

"Well, when a wizard or witch is in their teen years, this is the time when our magic is still learning and growing. You'll find that all Hogwarts students magical cores right now would be Grey but still with a leaning towards their dominant magic so people like Malfoy, his core would be a Dark grey colour while someone like Longbottom would have a Light grey core. That's why during our formative years, we are sent to Hogwarts so we can learn magic away from our Ancestral Homes without the magic in our homes warping with our magic and making it unstable."

Lily had a pout on her lips, the girl confused once again. "But I thought you said that no one but your family can practice Grey magic?"

Astraea nodded in agreement, "And that is still true. When I say that the students here would have Grey cores, that does not mean it will stay that way. As soon as they reach their majority, their cores will revert to their dominant magic so while Longbottom might have a Light grey core right now, as soon as he graduates from Hogwarts, his core will turn Light as that is still the more dominant magic in his core because of where he grew up and who his parents are."

"And muggleborns? We don't come from Ancestral Homes saturated in Magic nor are our parents magical."

The Slytherin frowned a little at the question but answered anyway. "With muggleborns, it's different since you don't inherently have dominant magic since your parents are muggles," she told the captivated best friends. Severus especially looked very interested. "This is where your education comes in. Since Hogwarts is mainly a Light magic dominated school, you will most likely end up being a Light witch as that is the type of magic you have been practising for the past 6 years. That is also why you are so good at subjects like Charms and DADA while those like Severus and Rosier would dominate at subjects like Potions as Potions was traditionally known as a 'Dark Art' when Magic was still very new as it involved the killing of animals."

"Schools like Durmstrang strictly teach Dark magic. Beauxbatons strictly teach Light magic while Ilvermony which is a school in America has one of the most well-balanced curriculums amongst the Magical schools, teaching both Light and Dark subjects."

Lily frowned, not very happy that the type of magic she can use has already been decided for her simply because she didn't know better. She felt like this was something that should be taught to muggleborns before they even attend school. "But wouldn't that mean that the students coming from Ilvermony will be Grey witches and wizards?"

"You would think so but no. Except for those of pureblood or magically raised halfbloods, their magic will choose for themselves which will be better suited for them," Astraea explained. "The only ones to ever truly be Grey witches and wizards are those from the Laurent Family. That's why so many think we are descended from Magic herself because our magic is just as balanced as she is."

Astraea quickly cast the tempus spell and gasped before standing and quickly gathering her things. "It's been lovely speaking with you, Lily and Sev but I'm sorry, I must go. I was supposed to meet with my siblings. I'll be eating dinner at Ravenclaw tonight, Sev." Her fellow Slytherin nodded at her words, indicating that he understood and that he and the others would look after Slytherin.

"Wait, sorry but um, do you have any books that I could read about the branches of Magic and how I can maybe make the control of my magic better?" Lily pleaded with the Slytherin when Astraea smirked at the Gryffindor.

"And what will I get in return?"

Lily looked confused while Severus laughed at her question, clearly finding her amusing. "I'm still a Slytherin Lily and Slytherins do not do things for free so what will you give me if I do this for you?"

"Ummm, how about a favour?"

"Deal." The Slytherin said, holding her hand out so they could shake on it. Lily shook her hand and a golden light surrounded them for a moment before disappearing.

"What the hell was that?"

"Magic has deemed our agreement true and unbreakable. I'll see if my sister has a book for you, ok Lily?" Astraea smirked at the muggleborn as she turned away from the pair, walking away from their table. She heard Lily say something along the lines of 'I'm going to regret this later, ain't I?' with Severus agreeing with her. Astraea let out a little giggle and gave them both one final wave before she left through the door.

Astraea was walking towards the Ravenclaw dorms so she could wait for her sister and they could go to dinner together but at the last moment, she decided to go to her room and drop off her books since she didn't have any classes after dinner tonight. Turning around, she was walking towards the dungeons when she heard what sounded like whimpers and crying coming from one of the hallways that led to the Gryffindor Tower. Stopping, she decided to go and see if the person who was crying was ok when she heard a familiar voice growl in the mostly silent corridor. Quickening her steps, she turned around the corner and was met with a very disappointing sight. It was James and Sirius with their wands out and pointed at the three first-year Gryffindors that had become an almost permanent fixture at their table every morning for breakfast. The three first years had even started showing up to breakfast early just so they could be there at the same time that the Slytherins arrive in the Great Hall.

Standing in front of the three crying Gryffindors was the little first year from her House; Louis Casta was his name as she had learned. The little Snake also looked like he was close to crying but was still willing to defend his friends. Standing at his side were two second years from Slytherin as well, she, unfortunately, did not know their names but after seeing the way they had come to Louis's aid, she would make sure to remember them. "You slimy snakes infect everything! Lily and Snivellus and now you and your little friends," Potter snarled at the group before he shot a spell at one of the second years, changing his skin colour to a bright red colour and making boils appear all over his skin.

"I don't know how the three of you can even stand to be around him. Everyone knows that Slytherins are evil and wannabe Death Eaters," Black went to shoot a spell at the other second-year but Astraea was faster, a simple Protego protecting the young girl. The three Slytherins looked in her direction and immediately bowed, the happiness and relief clear on their faces.

Astraea glared in disgust at the two Gryffindors in front of her. "Black, Potter. As if you could sink no lower than you already have," Black shot another spell at her which she easily deflected. For a few minutes, it was only the two of them duelling when a stray spell shot towards her which she luckily ducked out of its way. Her violet eyes met hazel and all she felt was overwhelming sadness. The Potter in front of her was not the one she had met at Quality Quidditch Supplies.

The young Slytherin sighed as she took on the both of them, telling the six students behind her to leave and bring back a Professor. They duelled for what felt like hours but was only a few short minutes. Even with two people against her, Astraea wiped the floor with them, proving that while they had the numbers, she was the more skilled duellist. Soon, she had the two of them bound with their wands in her hand.

"I knew when you were talking to me on the train that you were full of shit! And to think that I was going to try and talk to my little brother but as soon as I saw you be sorted into Slytherin, I knew I couldn't trust a single word you said to me." Black growled, the loathing in his eyes deep. She didn't even know what she did to warrant such treatment from the boys? Except be sorted into Slytherin?

Astraea didn't think she could take any more of this foul treatment. It was honestly getting on her nerves and a small part of her just wanted to let the pair of them go as in her eyes now, they were lost causes. "You know what, Black, Potter, all I have been trying to do since I arrived here was to be your friend. It is not me that is at fault, it is the two of you."

"The two of you are such bullies. I have only been here a month and yet, you are attacked nearly every member of my House maliciously. Some of them I can understand since they are downright assholes but to attack children; three of them from your own House, that's low even for the two of you." Astraea did not hear the hurried footsteps that had arrived in the middle of her rant nor did she hear the gasps from the gathered group behind her, too lost in her tirade. "I have watched you ill-naturedly attack Severus and why Potter? All because Lily will give him the time while she can't even stand to breathe the same air as you?"

The two Gryffindors looked at her in anger, opening their mouths as if to yell at her but she quickly silenced the pair. "Be quiet! I am talking."

"I am sick of your shit; from the both of you," she snarled, the rage clear in her voice as she looked at them like they were the dirt beneath her shoe which after this event, she truthfully thought that.

"You're apparently 'in love' with Lily right, Potter? Well, I'd say she'd sooner kill you than be with you and honestly, I can understand why. I have only been at this school for a month and you have proven yourself to be a pathetic little boy who thinks he's entitled to everything. Lily doesn't love you Potter so get over it. You think you're doing a grand gesture for her but you're only embarrassing her and yourself. You are entitled to Lily's love and affection Potter. Get that through your thick hair. Did you really think bullying her best friend would put you in her good graces?" Potter looked properly chastened after listening to her words.

"And Black, I have never seen a bigger hypocrite in my life. What happened to the boy on the train that claimed to not be a Black? You preach about wanting others to see you as more than your family name yet you don't offer the same courtesy to the Slytherins. Not all of us are Death Eaters, not all of us love and praise Voldemort. I'm sure with your pedigree that you know exactly what those types of people looks like," At this point, Astraea was standing in front of them, looking down at them from the tip of her nose.

Astraea's eyes watered as she looked down at the boy that looked so much like her Father but wasn't him. This little boy wasn't him. "You want to be more than a Black but all I see is a Black." Black flinched after she said this, his skin ghostly pale as her words registered in his mind.

"I shouldn't be surprised with the reputation your mother has for tearing down those who aren't purebloods. Mummy certainly must be proud to know that her son loves to tear down Slytherins because he has the power to do so. You are turning out exactly how she wanted you to."

Turning away from the two of them, she found Professor Dumbledore and McGonagall watching her with Louis and his group next to them. Astraea headed straight towards the group of first years and two second years and immediately started fussing over the group, checking if they were ok or if they needed anything from her. Not even looking away from them, she held out Black and Potter's wands to Professor McGonagall and simply waited to see what punishment they would receive. If Dumbledore so much as tried to let them off easy then she would not stand for it.

She felt the Professors slowly approach her, pulling her away from the story that Louis was telling her. "Astraea, my girl, I hope you know that magic is not allowed in the hallways, I'm sorry but we will have to remove poin-"

"Firstly Professor Dumbledore, I have not given you leave to speak my name and I am not your girl so please do not speak to me so familiarly. Secondly, I don't care about the points, all I want to know is what punishment will they be facing?"

Dumbledore frowned at her, "I have decided that they will have detention for a week and 50 points each will be removed from their House,"

Astraea full-on glared at the Headmaster, disappointed but unsurprised at the turn of events. "You mean to say Headmaster that those two," she pointed at the two boys now stood behind the Headmaster, the both of them looking down at the ground in shame. "bullies were able to attack a group of first years; three of which are from their own House then when two second-year Slytherins decided to help, they then decided to 'teach them a lesson' as well."

"And you have decided that their lives are only worth a week of detentions and a few measly points for a House Cup that has lost all relevance because of certain people." At this point, Astraea did not give a shit and looked straight at Professor McGonagall. The Slytherin Queen watched as Potter and Black pranked her Slytherins maliciously and McGonagall didn't do a single thing. Yes, she scolded them but she never actively punished them. Another thing was, she has and will always be biased towards any House besides Gryffindor. "They should be suspended, no less expelled from school."

Dumbledore sighed, looking thoroughly disappointed with her. "My girl-"

"Once again Dumbledore, I will have you call me either Miss Laurent or Lady Laurent. I may be sixteen but my name and title still deserve respect," she cut the old man off again. She didn't want to hold her title over anyones head but this man still put her on edge even after his death in her sixth year.

"Well, Miss Laurent, we cannot punish them as we do not know the true events of what has conspired here." Dumbledore tried to placate her but his words only made her angrier. It was always the same shit with the Headmaster.

"Have the victims of their bullying not told you what has happened?" She gestured to the group huddled together behind her. 

Dumbledore nodded, "Yes, they have told us their version of events but we are unsure of whether their words are true as it is clear they are not of a right mind as of this moment."

Astraea saw red as soon as he said those words, his violet eyes furious as she stared at the spineless, brainless, biased faculty that still ran the school. "They are not in their right minds because they were attacked by Black and Potter. That is why they are not of the right mind."

"Two sixth years-I don't even want to call them students because that would be an insult to the rest of the student body-attacked them, shot spells at them, persecuted them because of their friendship with a Slytherin, made them cry. All evidence is right in front of your eyes and you still won't believe them,"

Dumbledore moved towards her, obviously trying to shut her down but while she was a Slytherin, she was a Laurent. And Laurent's were always loyal and fought in the face of injustice. "I am sorry, I just do not feel comfo-"

The young girl cut the man off again, "Please Headmaster, we all know the real reason why you haven't punished Potter and Black is that they are Gryffindors. You have been biased towards my House since I started here and it is clear to me that you are not fit whatsoever to lead a school,"

Dumbledore dared to look disappointed in her although she could see the rage in his eyes while McGonagall spluttered at his side, saying that she had no right to speak to the Headmaster that way. "Shut it, Whiskers." Astraea glared at McGonagall, the Professor slowly quietened down, staring in shock at the Slytherin student who dared speak against her.

"If you will not believe their words then will you believe their memories? I can remove theirs and my own for further investigation."

The Headmaster shook his head at her words, "We will not be sure if their trauma of the event will have warped their memories. I'm merely thinking of their mental health. They are children after all."

"Then take mine if you're so scared for their mental health," she said sarcastically, knowing that the Headmaster was talking out of his ass. "I assure you that these two little boys have not traumatised me at all. I have faced and seen much deadlier things than two bullies."

Dumbledore appeared thoughtful, "And how do we know that you have not tampered with your memories? You seem very hostile towards Mister Potter and Black."

"I am hostile towards them because they have attacked a group of first years and second years. They are children as you yourself have said," Astraea couldn't believe the audacity of this man. "Also when would I have had the time to tamper with my memories as you have both seen, I was duelling Potter and Black when you arrived and then immediately walked over here to speak to the both of you."

"Unless I can suddenly do all this without my wand." She glowered at the two Professors and teen boys. Astraea actually could if she wanted to but it's not like Dumbledore knew that. "Also if you wish, I'm sure someone from the Ministry can be called to verify the validity of our memories."

The Headmaster simply shook his head at her words. "They are just kids, Miss Laurent, surely you can forg-"

Astraea was frothing at the mouth at this point, her violet eyes shining brightly as if her rage had ignited a fire within her. "Forgive them?!? I could forgive them if it was simply a mistake. If they had not intentionally gone after the real kids in this situation, Headmaster. But when I came upon them, they still tried to throw spells at them. These are not actions of those who should be forgiven," She glowered at the hunched pair of boys standing in the back behind the Professors. "These are actions of those who should and deserve to be punished."

"I am a Slytherin, Headmaster and while we may not be known for our loyalty like the Puffs, Snakes will always protect their own and these children," She pointed at the scared and shaken students that had huddled close to her. "They are a part of us even the ones that wear red and gold." The Slytherin Queen had watched as the younger years had slowly opened up to the three Gryffindors. The only ones who still seemed to have a problem with them were the older years but it didn't matter. They were leaving Hogwarts soon anyway. Astraea felt a hand slip into hers, squeezing it. Looking down, she saw a scared Louis looking up at her in awe, the rest of the group looking at her the same way.

"If you will continue to be biased and not punish them Headmaster then you leave me no choice," Astraea stated, a stern look in her eye as she looked at the Headmaster, Professor McGonagall and finally, a grim-looking Potter and Black. "As the Head of House Laurent, I will be contacting Lord Potter and telling him what a disappointment his Heir has been. To be an Heir of your House is to be a representative of your Family name, Heir Potter and in my eyes, you have besmirched your Family name beyond recognition."

"That will not be nec-" Astraea silenced the Headmaster, in no mood to listen to his bullshit.

Potter and Black looked at her in shock, the pair wanting to protest but slowly, they accepted their fate.

"I will also be sending a copy of my memories and the memories of every child behind me to the Board of Governors, maybe then you will see fit to punish your students according to their actions, no matter their House." And with that, Astraea herded the young group of Gryffindors and Slytherins away from the scene, wanting to get them all to the hospital Wing as soon as possible.

Dumbledore seethed behind her, the anger and rage clear on his face. This girl had no right to speak to him this way.

By breakfast time the next day, everyone in Hogwarts knew about what Potter and Black had done. Astraea did not hold back in telling the truth of what had happened, consequently making the rest of the school turn against them. While the Laurent cared for them, it was hard to go against her base instincts which were to protect her own and destroy those who had come after them. That was at least one lesson that her grandmother had taught her that she had always adhered to. When she was in her fourth and fifth year, there had been a lot of pranks against her fellow students in Harry's name. Her best friend and moral compass if she was being honest, stopped her from going after Diggory as he had never put Harry down even though in her eyes doing nothing is just as bad as doing something but she listened. Everyone else however was fair game those two years.

The Slytherins were rightfully angry, well most of them and for once, the other Houses were siding with the Snakes. While she had hoped for this outcome, she didn't have much faith in the rest of the school until now. There were of course some who still wouldn't take her word for it even if she had sworn on her magic, all because she was a Slytherin. Potter and Black had been ostracised by the whole school including their own House, the Gryffindors not being able to look past their actions. Their only friends in the school were Remus and Peter; their fellow Marauders but even they were finding it hard to be around them knowing that their friends had intentionally attacked a group of first years. McGonagall and Dumbledore were also facing harsh treatment especially from Professor Slughorn who would not stand for his Snakes to be treated so and the Gryffindor House who had seemed to lose all respect for the Headmaster and their Head of House.

James was so ashamed of himself. He wasn't sure if Astraea had sent the letter to his father but he knew what was coming. James was preparing to receive the punishment of his life. Which he would accept wholeheartedly. It was just a matter of when.

Astraea sat with her siblings for breakfast at the Ravenclaw table since she had missed her chance to have dinner with them the night before. She was telling them about the events last night and explained the course of action she was taking against Potter, Black, McGonagall and Dumbledore. They agreed that this was the only way to get through to Potter and Black. "I can't believe they attacked some first years! They're only kids." Hermione ranted, her violet eyes glaring over at the pair sitting at the very end of the Gryffindor table.

Neville spoke next, "I hope that after this event they can change their behaviour. Maybe our dorm will be more peaceful after this." The siblings spoke freely, with no fear of being heard because of the silencing ward around the group. Astraea briefly glanced at the hunched forms of the Marauders. She felt a small bout of pity which immediately went away as soon as she remembered what she had happened upon yesterday. Things would have been much worse if she hadn't been there. That's the only thing she could think when she hesitated to send that official letter to Lord Potter last night. They would have kept going if she hadn't steeped in and stopped them. This was necessary. Potter and Black needed to learn that one's actions had consequences which is something that Dumbledore had failed to teach them as their Headmaster.

She watched as the bright red envelope was carried towards the Gryffindor table, towards the Marauders. And now they would be reaping what they sowed. The Hall quietened as a pale Potter and Black stared at the magnificent owl that held the red envelope. Potter hesitantly reached out for the envelope, took a deep breath and then opened it.

There was no screaming as everyone expected instead a sinister voice spoke, one that Astraea recognised as Lady Potters, "James Fleamont Potter. Sirius Orion Black," she said. "We have nothing else to say except that your father and I are very disappointed in the two of you."

"As Heir of House Potter, you need to get your act together James. Your attack against these students and Lady Laurent could have caused irreversible consequences. Your father and I expected House Laurent and any other Houses whom children you and Sirius have attacked to declare a blood feud and they would have every right to," It was only at this point that one could really hear the anger in Lady Potter's voice. Potter and Black looked down at the table in shame. To have a Blood Feud declared against your House was social suicide. The Potter name would lose all credibility it once had and no one would have been able to stop it. "We waited all night, thinking that we would receive letters from Gringotts saying that blood feuds had been issued to our House only to receive none. Imagine our surprise when we wrote to House Casta and House Greengrass, only for Lord Casta and Lord Greengrass to tell us that their children and Lady Laurent had stopped them from declaring a Blood Feud against us."

"It seems that even though you attacked them, they still seem to think that the two of you could be redeemed," At this point, James looked at the girl who was sitting at the Ravenclaw table, talking to her family without a care in the world as if she hadn't saved his House from total ruin. "This, however, does not mean that the two of you are off the hook. We have chosen a suitable punishment for the pair of you with the help of Lady Laurent and the parents of the children you have attacked and will discuss this with you both ourselves."

The Howler ended, no I love you from their mother like the both of them were so used to, only silence. They didn't understand. Astraea wanted to punish them but, she still stopped House Greengrass and Casta from declaring a Blood Feud. The only reason they could think of as to why she would do this is that their punishment was going to be much, much worse.

The doors to the Great Hall slammed open as a group of livid adults entered, amongst them the Lord and Lady Potter. Sirius and James looked at each other, the fear apparent on their faces. Behind them was the Board of Governors which consisted of Lady Augusta Longbottom, Lord Abraxas Malfoy, Lord Talmage Prewett, Lady Selena Selwyn and Lord Cypress Greengrass and the other parents of those attacked by Potter and Black. Then two Aurors in their uniform. Dumbledore immediately stood and approached the group, smiling at them as if to appear jovial.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, what brings you all to Hogwarts this day?" He questioned the angry group.

"We each received a missive from Lady Laurent with the most incriminating evidence against you and your Deputy," Lady Longbottom stared at a properly chastened and red-faced Professor McGonagall. "Two students attack a group of first and second years and the only punishment they receive is a week of detention and 50 points each taken from their House. Are you out of your mind, Dumbledore?"

Lord Greengrass stepped forward at this point, "One of those students was my youngest, Faye. She had cuts on her body and sores all over her face," the man almost yelled at the Headmaster if he didn't remember where he was. "Her skin was also turned red and I have been informed by Madam Pomfrey that it will take at least a month for the colour to disappear."

"Who knows what else those two mongrels could have done if it wasn't for Lady Laurent," He nodded his head in her direction which she returned from her seat. "who thankfully stepped in and protected the young children."

Lord Malfoy looked at her with a certain glint in his eyes. He still creeped her out from when they first met but, she needed to play nice, at least for now.

"My Lords and Ladies, maybe you all would prefer to discuss this in my office instead," He hoped they would say yes. He really did.

"No Dumbledore," One of the men from the back stepped forward. "I want to know why I wasn't even informed of this. My daughter is attacked and you don't even inform me or my wife." The man had his arm around the waist of a small brownhaired lady who looked exactly like Mary, the young muggleborn from Gryffindor. This must be her parents. It appeared like the fair lady had been crying her eyes out. "Is that how you do things here? I have half a mind to pull my daughter from this school and send her to another if I didn't know how much she loved it here."

"We only found out because the student that saved our daughter wrote to all the muggleborn parents here and gave us all something called a portkey just so we could even come here and be with our children as they recover,"

Dumbledore glared at the Slytherin student sitting at the Ravenclaw table. "Miss Laurent, you have no authority to just allow anyone on the Hogwarts grounds."

Astraea didn't even look up from her breakfast to look at the Headmaster as she spoke, "Page 104, section 10 of the Hogwarts Rulebook. Each and every parent, whether magical or muggle, is entitled to entry of the Hogwarts grounds if their child or children are endangered or injured," She took a bite out of her toast and put some more food onto Luna's plate, urging her younger sister to eat some more, noticing that she had only eaten a small handful of fruit. The Hufflepuff pouted at her older sister, only to receive a pointed stare. Luna sighed but eventually ate the scrambled eggs offered to her.

"Should I have sent them portkeys myself? Probably not and I will readily accept any punishment given to me by Professor Slughorn," Her Head of House nodded at her words but she knew that the man wouldn't really do anything to her. "I will however not apologise for doing your job, Headmaster seeing as you have proven yourself to me and the rest of the school to be incompetent." The girl turned away from the enraged man and started speaking to her brother, letting out a loud laugh at whatever joke he had told her.

Lord Malfoy stepped forward next, a paper in his hand. "This is a mandate for the suspension of you and Madam McGonagall. The both of you are being investigated and will be put on probation for now until the investigation is over," Dumbledore stared at the man in disbelief, McGonagall now standing at his side also shocked. "In your absence, Professors Sprout and Flitwick as senior staff will take over leadership as Headmistress and Deputy Headmaster. Professors Goldhorn and Ashe will takeover the headship for their Houses Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff as Madam Goldhorn herself was a Hufflepuff in school and Master Ashe was a Ravenclaw."

McGonagall squawked, "And what of my classes? My fifth and seventh-year classes will suffer because of this."

Lady Selwyn spoke next, a small smirk on her red painted lips. "I think you will find that they will not. We have hired a Young Master Errol, the youngest person in history to obtain a mastery in Transfiguration at only 27 years old to take over for you. He will also be taking over Headship of Gryffindor, after all, he was one of your Lions wasn't he?"

McGonagall's lips tightened in the corners of her mouth, a frown almost permanently etched on her face. Dumbledore didn't look any better except he looked more shocked than anything as if he couldn't believe this was happening to him. Loud laughs cut through the tension in the room as everyone turned to look at the Laurent siblings who seemed to be having the time of their lives, laughing and joking around as if two teachers weren't just suspended because of one of their own actions. The students saw the angry look that Dumbledore was shooting Astraea Laurent's way, none of the students use to the man looking so angry.

Two elves popped inside the Hall, bags in each of their hands. They placed them on the floor and popped away just as quickly as they arrived. "Please collect your things and vacate the school grounds," The two suspended teachers sighed before leaving the Hall with their things, the two Aurors accompanying them off the grounds.

Lord Prewett looked at Professor Sprout and Flitwick, "We will be leaving the school in your capable hands now." Flitwick and Sprout nodded at the Board of Governors as they each left, most of them leaving to do other things while Lord Greengrass and the other parents of those attacked decided to go to the Hospital Wing to visit their children. Lord Greengrass would leave after that while the muggleborn parents had decided to instead stay at Hogwarts until their children had fully recovered, their things already placed in several guest rooms close to the Hospital Wing.

The only ones left behind was Lord and Lady Potter, the both of them speaking to the Headmistress before they gestured for Potter and Black to follow them. The siblings silently watched, the group knowing exactly what was about to happen but doing absolutely nothing to stop it. They weren't necessarily trying to play God, they would let everyone make their own decisions but sometimes, people needed to learn a little life lesson. And Potter and Black were just about to learn theirs.

Potter and Black had been suspended. That was the rumour that everyone had heard but as they watched the two boys and their parents strut towards the school gate with their things in their hands, the students knew that it was the truth and not just a mere rumour. But that wasn't the only punishment they had been dealt. The Lord and Lady Potter had even pushed for the removal of both of them from the Gryffindor Quidditch Team. James had lost his Captaincy, he and Sirius had lost their position on the team for the rest of the year and if they even wanted to play again next year, they would have to try out like everyone else. They had also been put on probation. The two Marauders would be allowed back at Hogwarts after the Yule Holidays but if they so much as stepped a single toe out of line after their return, they would be facing expulsion instead.

Remus and Peter walked closely behind their friends, saddened at the prospect of two of the Marauders gone from Hogwarts while they stayed behind. Sirius looked at Moony and sighed. What about the full moon nights? It would just be Wormtail here to help Moony. He shuddered at the consequences of what his actions, their actions had caused. Sirius had never been more ashamed of himself than now. And he couldn't even blame Laurent because she was right. He was a bully. Sirius hated crying yet he felt his grey eyes water as he remembered her words. She was right. While it was against the Slytherins, she would have been proud of the way he was throwing curses at them. He shuddered at that thought. He never wanted to be someone that his mother would be proud of.

James walked next to his parents, his head lowered. The boy had never felt so abashed especially when he remembered how disappointed his parents had looked in him when they had met with Headmistress Sprout to fully discuss his and Sirius's punishment. He had never wanted to disappoint his parents and yet he had. They had lost all trust in him and he only had himself to blame. At the beginning of this year, he thought that he and Astraea could have been friends or maybe even more but he knew he had royally screwed up their relationship as well. She would never see him as anything but that bully that attacked some kids and then her.

The group were almost at the gate when Lord and Lady Potter heard someone call out to them. The pair stopped and looked back to see Astraea walking towards them. The pair smiled apprehensively, hoping that the fair Lady had not decided to change her mind and actually would be declaring a Blood Feud against their House but they need not worry. Astraea had said she would not be declaring a Blood Feud against their House because of Potter and Black's actions and she intended to honour her word.

With a blank glance in Potter and Black's direction and a bright smile to Remus and Peter, Astraea greeted the older pair with a smile. "Sorry, I was wondering if I could speak to the two of you before you leave? Unless you have some other pressing matter then I understand."

The Lord and Lady only shook their head before stepping a little away from the Marauders to speak. "I just wanted to tell the two of you that my House has no ill will towards yours for the actions of those in your House," she told them.

Fleamont grinned, "That is a relief," the older gentleman told her. "We admit that we thought that maybe the actions of our sons would cause a rift between us."

Astraea simply shook her head at the words, "While the two of you are the Heads of your House, you are not responsible for the actions of those in your House, only the disciplining of those if their actions reflect the House as a whole in an unfavourable light."

Euphemia smiled at the beautiful young lady, thoroughly impressed. "I must say that whoever trained you to takeover the Headship of your family certainly did a great job," Astraea smiled, she'd tell her Papa when she went home for Yule. Astraea grinned at the pair before she walked away, not acknowledging Potter or Black at all. She knew that she had no reason to be disappointed in them as she didn't know them at all in this time but Astraea still couldn't quell the disappointment that settled in her stomach.

"I'll see the two of you later, Pete, Rem," The beautiful girl waved at the two boys as she walked away from the group, appearing at Regulus's side, the boy talking to Severus and Narcissa. Regulus only smiled at her as his arm came around her shoulder, pulling her close to his side. The girl laughed at whatever Severus had said to her as they strutted away and disappeared inside Hogwarts. James and Sirius watched in shock. Sirius hadn't known that his little brother and Laurent had been good friends. Yes, he'd seen them sit together but he thought that was all it was. Snakes sitting with Snakes. James however wondered if he had truly fucked things up enough where he and Astraea would never get the budding friendship that had grown between them back. As he watched her walk away from him, he supposed not; and he only had himself to blame.

The siblings practically vibrated on their seats, the four of them excited to be going home so they could properly start making waves. The first few months at Hogwarts had not turned out as they thought. Potter and Black had gotten suspended which was unexpected. She wondered if this event had happened before or if it was their interference that caused it. Her father had never told her of such an event happening when he was alive so she guessed that this hadn't happened before.

The four of them decided not to sit with any friends they had made, choosing to sit together instead. They talked about anything and everything from their plans with their friends to the plans they were going to execute these holidays. After Yule holidays, things would really pick up with Voldemort. Multiple muggleborns were killed, their families with them. Several laws against creatures would be passed in the coming years but they resolved to not let that happen. While the siblings as a whole had not made any alliances with the other Pureblood Houses; not even the Potters, they knew that their name was enough to get many to side with them. This however would not do for the siblings. They wanted to craft a government that was able to think for themselves. Not be swayed because some big shot was there and they didn't want to get on their bad side.

"Are you sure, Rae?" Hermione asked. "Doing this could damage your image within the Wizengamot and Slytherin? But it could also mean that you garner enemies from the Dark and the Light families..."

Astraea replied, "I know but, we wanted to provide change. We can't do that without making a few enemies along the way besides, I know with the three of you at my side, nothing bad will happen." The siblings smiled at each other, each promising that if there was one thing in this world that they wanted to preserve and keep safe; it was this family.

"We still need to find a way to get information to the Order," Luna told the group. "While I'm sure we would all join the Order if necessary, I'd rather us find a method that doesn't require us to be close to Dumbledore."

Neville answered her, "Let me think on that. I think I have an idea." The girls all looked at their brother curiously but ultimately left him alone. He would tell them when it was necessary. They would instead focus on other things.

The siblings instead spoke about their plans for Yule and whether everything was ready for their celebrations. They briefly spoke about whether or not they should invite their friends but resolved to think on it later. Astraea had declined all invites to attend any Winter Balls. She had always found them boring and tedious and that would never change besides she didn't understand? If the purebloods hated the assimilation of their practices and traditions so much then why do they not still practice our ways in the privacy of their own homes? Instead they hold balls and do nothing but try to lord themselves over each other. The four of them could never understand that.

The first time she had celebrated Yule as Magic had intended for it to be celebrated was the December of 1998. The same year that the last of her family had been killed. She had only just found out about being a Laurent and had decided to visit their Ancestral Home instead of staying at Grimmauld all on her lonesome. Imagine her surprise as her Papa talked her through the correct steps for the Yule ritual, the man surprised at the fact that Astraea did not know anything about Yule and the rituals performed. The portrait had been rightfully saddened at the state of the Magical World if its own people did not remember their own Ways.

That is also something the siblings were working on. The reintroduction of their traditions and practices. Many of the Muggleborns and muggle-raised would need to be educated on their world and learn to adapt, not the Wizarding World adapt to make them more comfortable. They were coming into our world, not the other way around. But it also looked like even some magically-raised families would need to be re-educated aswell.

These were thoughts for another time as the train pulled into King Cross Station. It was family time now. And Astraea had surely missed her Teddy.