Chapter 7 – Audrey? Astley
Rick Astley was a young man with dreams of music.
He came from a small town called Walton and had only been discovered last year by music producer Peter Waterman, who brought him to London.
Today, he had intended to work on songwriting—but a sudden crying sound interrupted him.
Irritated, he rushed downstairs, intending to chase away the unexpected visitor. But as he approached the door, the girl's wailing—like a cuckoo crying blood—struck him in a way that sparked infinite musical inspiration.
Her voice was ethereal and beautiful, filled with raw sorrow and despair. Coupled with her exquisite tone, it was as if she were singing a tragic family chronicle…
Opening the door, he saw a small figure sitting on his stairs, her frail shoulders trembling pitifully.
"Little girl, whose child are you? Why are you crying so sadly?"
Rick asked, unable to contain his concern. The girl seemed embarrassed, stopping her full wailing and only sobbing quietly.
After what felt like an eternity, she finally turned her head. In the dim streetlight, with rain softly blurring the edges, her face leapt into Rick's heart.
It was a face he knew intimately.
How could he not know it? He saw that face every day on the enormous posters.
Audrey Hepburn's unparalleled beauty had captivated him for years. He often fantasized that if he had been born a few decades earlier, he might have had a passionate romance with her.
But why did this little girl look exactly like Audrey?
Could this be an angel sent by God in answer to his prayers?
"What's your name, little girl?"
Rick asked in his gentlest voice.
Hydrus froze. She had hurriedly switched to Metamorphmagus magic to adopt Audrey's appearance but had forgotten to give herself an alias.
Continuing to use the name Hydrus would be inappropriate. She sighed, then employed her "invincible amnesia" spell:
"I… I forgot my name."
"And where do you live?"
"Forgot."
"Your parents?"
"Forgot."
…
"It's cold outside. Why don't you come in for now?"
Hydrus nodded and followed Rick inside.
It was a small two-story house.
The first floor had a fireplace, in front of which lay a small carpet with a low table and three old leather sofas around it. Because no one had visited in a long time, thick dust covered everything.
"Wait here!"
Rick rushed into the kitchen, grabbed a wet rag, and awkwardly tried to clean the sofas and table.
It was obvious he wasn't familiar with housework—so clumsy that Hydrus felt embarrassed for him.
While Rick went back into the kitchen to wring out the rag, Hydrus switched back to her house-elf physiology. With a snap of her fingers—a household spell inherited from house-elves—everything Rick had tried to clean instantly became spotless.
She then spent five more seconds restoring her Audrey Hepburn face, quietly standing by to await his astonished reaction.
"Ah!"
Rick stared at the now-pristine sofas, confused. They had not looked like this before.
He glanced at the girl, who was now casually pressing down the carpet edges with her foot, seemingly straightening it.
So it wasn't her doing.
Had God once again smiled upon him?
Rick made a reverent cross over his chest and returned to the kitchen.
Twenty minutes later.
Hydrus sat on the edge of the sofa, leaning over the table as she devoured a bowl of oatmeal.
"You must be starving," Rick said, concerned. "Do you really have nowhere to go?"
Hydrus didn't look up, only letting out a small "Mhm" from her throat.
"If you…"
Rick hesitated, then finally decided. He felt it was God's guidance.
"If you have nowhere to go, you can stay with me… of course, I won't do anything strange, I promise!"
The man in front of her was odd. She was supposed to be the one in need, yet he seemed to beg her to stay.
"My name's Rick—Rick Astley. I'm a singer!"
Hydrus's eyes—Audrey's eyes now—widened. She had heard that name!
Rick Astley was a famous singer in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
His song Never Gonna Give You Up remained iconic even into the 21st century.
So at this time, Rick was living in such an old house?
In two years, he would rise to fame. Hydrus fell into thought.
Seeing her thoughtful expression, Rick grew nervous, fearing she might refuse.
Why did he care so much about this stranger child? Perhaps it was her Audrey-like face, her beautiful voice, the sense of closeness she inspired, or her tragic circumstances.
As a musician, he trusted his instincts. Such heartrending wailing could only come from extreme misfortune.
Hydrus looked up, her eyes clear as a young animal's. She nodded.
"All right, then. Thank you!"
"No trouble, no trouble," Rick said, elated. "But… you need a name. Otherwise, how can I call you?"
Hydrus agreed: "Fine. You can give me one."
She called him "brother"!
Rick, overjoyed, blurted out:
"How about Audrey?"
Hydrus rolled her eyes.
Because she looked like Audrey, she should be called Audrey?
"Fine," she said casually. "Audrey it is. Audrey Astley."
From that day forward, her Muggle-world name would be Audrey Astley.
Rick, seeing her accept the name and even take his surname, felt a sudden sense of responsibility—he would raise this little girl well.
Neither of them knew that Hydrus's body had been infused with magic for eleven years, naturally exuding magical energy.
Wizards might not notice, but Muggles standing near her would feel drawn to it.
"Audrey," Rick called, waving her up the stairs. "Come, let's see your room!"
Audrey nodded obediently, following her "brother" upstairs.
There were three rooms upstairs: the street-facing master bedroom, Rick's studio in the middle, and a guest room at the back.
Rick led Audrey to the guest room.
Creak! The door opened—it could easily be a horror movie set.
The girl had anticipated this, given the dusty state of the first-floor living room.
"Oh, sorry, Audrey," Rick scratched his head awkwardly, smiling sheepishly. "I didn't expect the room to be so messy. You could wait to watch TV until I clean it—"
Audrey smiled and gently pushed him into the studio, filled with musical instruments.
A simple desk was covered with papers, a pen uncapped and lying on top. He had clearly been in the middle of songwriting.
"Go ahead with your work, brother. I'll clean my own room!"
"But—" Rick opened his mouth, but Audrey smiled sweetly and closed the studio door.
The young "brother" muttered helplessly:
"You just arrived… how can I let you clean?"
In truth, the bigger issue wasn't cleaning—it was the reality of suddenly having multiple younger sisters in the house. That was the strange part.
Back in the guest room, Audrey smiled and switched back to her house-elf physiology, waving her hand.
Dust and cobwebs vanished on their own.
She opened the window to let in the damp evening air, folding her hands on her hips with satisfaction.
The modest room couldn't compare to Lestrange Manor—but it was free!
Free!
Free!
She tapped herself, instantly drying the dampness from her clothes.
Rick's soft humming came from the next room. Audrey smiled.
Fate was still on her side. On one hand, she was wanted by the Ministry; on the other, she had accidentally gained a new identity in the Muggle world.
And her rescuer seemed like a genuinely good person… though a little slow in the head.
She made a figure-eight with her right hand, resting her chin thoughtfully.
It was just past seven in the evening, and the night was long. Time couldn't be wasted.
First order of business: fetch Momo!
Explaining Momo's presence to Rick would be simple—a Confundus Charm would suffice.
Think it, do it. Want to leave, leave.
Shhh!
When she reappeared, Hydrus was back at St. Mungo's, in the stairwell of the second floor.
Five or six seconds later, she pushed open the stairwell door, now wearing Tonks's face…