"You..."
Before Snape could react and the sheer, overwhelming emotion of that impossible promise could break his composure, Alister raised a hand and interrupted him.
"Don't answer me now. I don't need you to agree half-heartedly in the heat of the moment."
"Just resolve your heart. Give me your final answer the next time we meet."
Without giving him another chance to speak, Alister turned his back and moved toward the heavy wooden door.
"Oh, and I trust you will take good care of Astra while I'm gone," Alister tossed casually over his shoulder. "Keep a special eye on Drake, will you?"
He paused at the threshold, raising a hand in a lazy wave. As he did, he smoothly released his Animagus transformation.
The massive, crystalline-laced wings folded and vanished.
His horns, tail, and obsidian scales receded seamlessly into his skin, his imposing adult physique rapidly shrinking back down to that of a second-year student.
"See ya later, Professor," Alister smirked as his sapphire blue eyes returned to its normal vibrant green color. "Don't miss me too much while I'm gone."
Leaving Snape sitting completely frozen in his chair, Alister headed straight up to the Slytherin dormitories to grab his trunk before making his way down to the Hogwarts Express.
...
Just minutes after Alister and Asher had left her in the hallway, Astra slipped quietly back into the Transfiguration classroom and took her seat.
She tried to focus on Professor McGonagall's lecture, but her patience quickly snapped.
"Can you two stop being so obvious?" Astra hissed under her breath, not taking her eyes off her parchment. "At least wait until the class ends."
She was currently being subjected to two incredibly intense, burning stares from either side of her desk, one from a highly stoic Artoria, and the other from a deeply anxious Hermione.
"Okay, stop it. I know you both want to know about my brother," Astra whispered, finally caving.
"I really don't know why that dummy is so popular with girls here..." She muttered a complaint under her breath before leaning in slightly to deliver the news.
"He told me he has some 'work' to do. He's going to be away from Hogwarts for a month or two."
"WHAT?!"
Artoria had impeccable aristocratic control, managing to completely mask her shock, but Hermione was the exact opposite. The bushy-haired Ravenclaw ended up yelling the word out loud enough to instantly halt Professor McGonagall mid-sentence.
The entire classroom fell dead silent.
"Miss Granger," Professor McGonagall said, her eyebrows raised in mild surprise. "I am rather surprised that you are expressing such vocal doubt on the easiest part of the lesson, especially after all the complex theory I just explained."
Realizing the massive blunder she had just caused, and feeling the weight of every single student staring at her, Hermione's face flushed a brilliant shade of scarlet.
"S-Sorry, Professor," Hermione squeaked meekly. "But... could you please repeat that last part?"
McGonagall, assuming the girl's outburst was genuinely just academic confusion, gave a short nod and began explaining the theory again.
Astra leaned over, a highly amused, mocking smile on her face. "Wow. Hermione, you handled that situation like an absolute pro. Were you this much of a troublemaker in your primary school, too?"
"Shut up, Astra," Hermione hissed back, her face still burning red. "That was the first time something like this has ever happened to me!"
She clutched her quill tightly, her voice dropping to a frantic whisper. "My heart is still beating so fast. I honestly thought I was going to be expelled right then and there, just days after arriving at Hogwarts!"
Astra rolled her eyes, stifling a laugh. "There you go again. You're always so extreme when it comes to the rules, Hermione. Trust me, nobody gets expelled over a little chatting during a lecture."
"But seriously, how can your brother just be allowed to leave mid-semester?" Hermione whispered frantically, leaning across the desk. "Isn't that completely against the rules? How is he not getting punished?"
"Ugh... Hermione, this might hurt to hear, but rules are always flexible for geniuses," Astra sighed, resting her chin in her hand. "And that applies everywhere."
"My brother is just a monster of a genius. I bet he's already better than most seventh years."
"Besides," Astra added smoothly, "he got the headmaster's explicit permission. And as you know, the headmaster literally makes the rules."
"Urrgh... How can that even happen? Rules are... they're rules!" Hermione groaned quietly, gripping the edges of her book. "I need to increase the number of books I read daily. I have to catch up."
Astra watched in immense amusement as Hermione practically buried her face in her Transfiguration textbook, flipping pages with terrifying, renewed vigor.
'She actually took that nonsense I just spouted seriously,' Astra thought. 'Well, studying won't kill her. No need to correct it.'
Astra shifted her attention from the frantic Hermione to Artoria. The Silver headed girl was sitting completely still, staring blankly ahead at the blackboard without even blinking.
Astra waved a hand directly in front of Artoria's face.
'She isn't reacting at all. The shock actually put her into a trance,' Astra thought, her mouth twitching.
With a wicked little smirk, Astra reached over and pinched Artoria hard on the arm.
"Oww!" Artoria hissed, snapping violently back to reality and rubbing her arm. "What are you doing? That hurts."
"What am I doing? What the heck happened to you?" Astra countered, raising an eyebrow. "Don't tell me you're already missing him. It's only been a few hours since breakfast."
"Wh—What? I don't know what you are talking about," Artoria stammered. A furious blush instantly crept up her neck, her hetro eyes darting everywhere in a sudden panic, completely failing to hide her flustered state.
"I didn't know you were this exact type of trope," Astra rolled her eyes. "You clearly have no idea how to process your own feelings in this situation. Is that why you were acting like such a bitch when my brother left the table this morning?"
"T-Type?" Artoria bristled, her aristocratic pride desperately trying to reassert itself over her burning cheeks. "And what exactly do you mean by calling me a bitch?!"
"I mean, there are people who aren't able to identify what they feel, so they just aggressively deny it," Astra said flatly. "And it's true, you were being awful this morning. You had all that wounded pride plastered all over your face when you talked to him in the Great Hall."
Artoria opened her mouth to argue, but the words died in her throat. She looked down at her desk, falling into an uncharacteristic, guilty silence.
Seeing her finally back down, Astra let out a soft sigh and delivered one last piece of advice.
"Just think over how you acted," Astra murmured, turning her attention back to the front of the class. "Oh, and for the record... knowing my brother, he's probably already forgiven both of you for the drama. But don't expect me to let it go that easily."
When the conversation between the three girls ended, Alister also reached the station to board the Hogwarts express.
END OF CHAPTER
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