Kindness is a strength

Hannah Abbott did worry. Sometimes, it felt like it was ALL she did. It didn’t matter how grown up she’d become ( though, 22 wasn’t quite grown up but after all she’d lived through it felt quite grown up ), it wasn’t something she could conquer. Her anxiety consumed her at times, even after years of therapy, it was like it was wired into her DNA – Hannah Abbott was a worrier. 

Though, she was not worried when Astoria bumped into and spilled the contents of her tea all over her. Sure, the feeling of warm tea wasn’t exactly welcomed but she’d felt worse, especially when the timeclash first happened. Almost everything changed, she didn’t know if it was for the better or worse and it was the uncertainty of it all that made her head spin, it was everything new that both thrilled and terrified her. 

“Oh, it’s really alright, Astoria, we’re lucky we’re wixen.” Even though Astoria had just offered to do a spell to clean the mess up, Hannah still found herself FUSSING with trying to wring out the liquid on her dress. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen you, though! Everything’s been absolutely mad since the time crash? Timeclash? Not sure what they’re calling it now.”

While over the past couple of weeks, Astoria had run into old classmates and familiar faces. And sometimes faces she wish she had forgotten or faces that looked almost but something was off about them. And Astoria was a social creature, loved being around more people than being alone, but this was quite a few more than she was used to.

However, bumping into Hannah was a bit calming in a way. Hannah had that air about her that made Astoria relax her shoulders and even smile a bit wider at her. A familiar face she was actually happy to see. While the two girls weren't neccessarily best friends, sometimes being in different houses was difficult, Astoria enjoyed being around the girl and considered a friend regardless

❝ I swear I'm not usually like this, ❞ she said with a smile as she took out her wand. Soon enough, Hannah's clothes looked good as new. ❝ I know! You're quite the sight for sore eyes. ❞ Everything was so chaotic now and it made Astoria miss her life back in 2001. Even if she wasn't trying to think too much about it or spend time worrying about it. ❝ It's hard to believe how much has changed in over 20 years. ❞ There was no way she could keep up with it all, while she enjoyed modern and nice things, the new technology truly baffled her.

Daphne was one of her best friends, so she always made it a point to be polite to Astoria. Sure, they would never be like sisters, but she could still tell she was probably hiding something. Probably married some sorry sod and was to embarrassed to tell her. That was fair she supposed. “Don’t worry, we will eventually get back. I fully intend to raise my children properly. I would hardly want to miss it.”

Astoria wondered how exactly Pansy would react when she found out about...everything. She briefly hoped that someone else would tell her just so she didn’t have to be around for Pansy’s reaction.  She sighed, there was nothing she wanted more than to be back in their own time. ❝ I would like the chance to meet my son when, you know, he’s actually born and not...older than me. ❞ She laughed quietly.

❝ You’ll make a great mother, Pansy. ❞  Astoria thought that Pansy could probably be a great anything if she wanted. Even if they didn’t hold...exactly the same beliefs. 

The first thing Scorpius did when he heard about the time clash was ask anyone he could think of to let him know if they heard anything about his mum. When a family friend gave him the address of the place she was staying he wanted to apparate there right that moment. Hug her and tell her how much he’d missed her, but then it hit him– it wouldn’t be a reunion for her. She’d never met him. He had no clue if she knew he existed. He decided to waite and write a letter explaining and asking if she’d meet him at his favorite cafe the next day

She said yes, so he didn’t understand the uncertainty flowing through his veins when he got to the cafe. He sat and stared at the clock until the ring of a bell turned his attention to the door. There she was; not like he remembered but just like the old pictures he’d seen. He sat there dumbfounded for a moment before remembering that she didn’t know what he looked like and waving and waiting to see if she’d turn and walk back out the door.

It didn’t take long for Astoria to find out that she did not belong here. Not just in the sense that it was over 20 years in the future, but the fact that she had been dead for 10 years. She did not want to find out how she died. At least not yet. She was almost actually jealous of the other people from 2001 in that regard. 

After that, Astoria then found out about Scorpius. Her son. A child. Or at least, at one point he was probably a child. By now, he was an adult. And from what information she was told, he was currently older than her. Which was...something she couldn’t quite wrap her head around. ( still, there was some joy in finding out she became a mother at some point. that she got married and raised a child for however long she was alive. )

It took her a day to respond to the letter. A day to finally tell him “Yes, I would like to meet you as well”. And it was the truth.

Still, when that day came, there was an anxiety in her chest that she hadn’t felt...since the time clash. She wasn’t his mother, not the mother he knew anyways. What if he hated her? 

Her first thought was he mostly takes after his father. She found herself stuck in the doorway for a moment, before smiling faintly and made her way over to his table. ❝ Hi, ❞ She said softly, as if she’s still in complete awe. A wave of sadness flooded over her as she remembered she doesn’t have anything to remember about him. ❝ I wish I could’ve met you sooner. ❞

jamie wasn’t entirely used to this new status quo. he had decided that he wasn’t going to think too deeply about what anything meant. he was sure that once he sat down and really did consider the consequences it would only lead to him worrying and for now he didn’t see much of a reason for that. surely the ministry would get everything cleaned up, right? in the meantime well, he couldn’t just ignore everyone who seemed a little bit out of place. it was a bit rude.

and jamie was sure that they just wanted to go home. he couldn’t personally imagine what it would be like to suddenly be thrown decades into the future with no forewarning. at least 2029 was familiar to him even if the sudden influx of faces was not.

and jamie would be lying if he said he wasn’t even the slightest bit interested in meeting the younger versions of people he knew. it was just a niggling curiosity that he couldn’t quite ignore. which had always been his downfall.

he wasn’t particularly paying attention to his surroundings which was always a bad thing for him. the lack of sight in his left eye made it slightly more difficult for him to judge where people and objects were compared to where he himself was. so getting a cup of tea spilled down his shirt for his inattention was probably the least of all the possible evils that could have happened.

“no no, i’m sorry. it’s my fault i didn’t see you over there.” jamie apologized immediately.

Since the time clash, Astoria has tried to get her life back to some normalcy. She went back to nannying or is trying too ( there are so many new things that it boggles her mind at times ), she’s going out and celebrating whatever there is to celebrate these days.

Being alive, apparently. 

Unfortunately, there were lots of things in this timeline that she didn’t like. There were lots of uncertainties that she tried to push away. There were so many things that were different that at times Astoria felt more lost than ever. It was as if her future was already planned out for her here and that...

That was something that she really did not like. Having other forces decide her fate. She hated it enough when it was her own damn parents.

She shook her head, forcing herself back into the present conversation, the person currently in front of her with her tea spilled over him. Fantastic, she thought. Then, wordlessly, took out her wand and with a swish of her wrist, the stain was gone. It was a spell she used all the time on the children when they would spill things on themselves. A spell, mostly useless in nature, 

An almost blank look in her eyes.

The person didn’t look familiar, unlike a few people she had already met. She wondered what time he was from. The past? The...current present? Judging by the clothes, the present. But even Astoria had started to make the switch into more modern clothing just so she would fit in. 

❝ There, ❞ she said, her face starting to brighten up again. The familiar cheerfulness starting to flood over again. ❝ Good as new.❞ 

And then, as if she forgot, ❝ I’m Astoria...Greengrass, ❞ she was a bit hesistant to throw around her last name, considering the whole being dead thing.  ❝ Are you from here? Or the past? It’s hard to keep track anymore. ❞

Junk Shop

For a moment Astoria thinks. On a shelf, instead of books (not that Astoria has too many of those), she keeps small items given to her by the children she nannys or silly items she and Daphne found when they went on vacation as children. ❝ One of the girls I nanny once gave me this little plastic snake, because I was in Slytherin.❞ It’s clear that Astoria is holding something back in the story by the slightly worried look on her face.

The Leaky Cauldron

Astoria opens her mouth and then closes it again. She likes being around people, is naturally extroverted that way. But when it came to actual friends? ❝ I’d rather have a lot of friends. I don’t think it particularly matters if we’re all super close. That’s not what necessarily makes someone friends, in my eyes at least.  ❞ She’s smiling, but it doesn’t quite reach the eyes.

Madam Malkin’s

Astoria wakes up on August 7th, 2029 thinking it was a completely normal day. Going through the typical steps in her routine; shower, make tea and breakfast and then read the Daily Prophet.

The headlines...don’t make sense. There’s nothing that talks about things that happened yesterday or mention people she’s even familiar with. For a moment she thinks she might be sick. But, her stomach is fine and she doesn’t feel like she has a fever or anything. It takes her reading the entire paper for her to come back to the front page. The small, but still bold, date. The year that definitely is not 2001. And then Astoria feels like she may be sick.

Her neighbors are not recognizable nor do they recognize her. The panic starts settling into her stomach.

She goes to the house she’s supposed to nanny at and they look like they’ve just seen a ghost when they see her at their door. They mention that this prank is cruel and unfunny. She tries to get more information out of them, but they slam the door in her face with such a force she almost stumbles backward.

The panic settles into her chest.

There’s chaos everywhere. She notices a few people she went to school with who look just as confused and worried. But then her thoughts take her in another direction.

( It's almost like Hogwarts. It's almost like that May. The chaos, the uncertainty, she thinks. The people shouting and mass confusion and worry. )

Daphne.

Is her sibling also here? Where would they even be? Their apartment?

Her thoughts are racing and her heart is telling her to at least try the apartment first. Maybe they hadn’t left yet. Maybe they slept in. But it had also been a while since the last time she visited. Where was it again? And her body felt so weak. Tingling and suddenly on high alert. But.

Astoria couldn’t allow her anxiety to stop her now. Especially not now. No, she had to find them. She had to.

I mean, Astoria thought, they had to be here. Where else would they be?

“Of course I am.” Pansy had mostly done gossip columns, but she also had her name on the occasional serious editorial. They were not nearly as fun, but they always seemed to piss people off, so she was clearly doing something right. “Have you met any of yours yet?” she asked, with forced politeness. She didn’t really care who Astoria ended up with, but the girl clearly liked kids and likely ended up with a platoon. Maybe they had done something shocking in the last decade. “I can’t wait to meet mine. I hope I had a big family.”

Astoria took a gracious drink of her tea in the hopes that that would buy her some time before answering Pansy’s question. ❝ No, I haven’t. I know I have one son, but I haven’t met him. ❞ It was the truth, it was just very vague and offered no real answers. Or at least, in her eyes, not the answers that Pansy was looking for. But knowing Pansy, she was sure to try to dig deeper. ❝ It’s a bit weird knowing that we have children that are our age running around here. We completely missed out on being mothers... ❞ And that was something that Astoria, almost desperately, wanted to be. 

Pansy had never thought much about Astoria, aside from the fact that she was related to Daphne and a little optimistic in a mildly annoying way. However, she had never given her a reason to be rude and came from a good family, so Pansy was going to be polite. “Oh, I wonder if someone finally locked down Cassius Warrington.” She didn’t mention how she had refused to go to the Parkinson home.

They may not have been in the same year at Hogwarts, but being in the same House gave Astoria a front-row view of the force that was Pansy. She never hung around the girl or her clique, the blood purity spiel turned her off. But, Astoria also didn’t want to cause a scene in the cafe. ❝ I’m sure there’s plenty to talk about here. Some people have children here, some are married now. You’re smart enough to figure a story out. ❞ A bit of flattery never hurt anyone in Astoria’s eyes.

Dae’s starting to think he’s cursed. Starts accumulating a list of all the people he’s even remotely unfriendly with and tries to narrow down who the fuck would have done this to him. But he can’t think on it too long because fuck, she found me again. Oddly enough though, as he straightens up he notices she’s certainly not the same as before, not needy or obsessive. It calms him just a fraction.

But he still wishes that it was at least someone he could tolerate that popped up beside him. “Yep.” He sounds awkward and stiff, certain she’s implying something in her words but he keeps his paranoia under the surface. “Four years.” But dae certainly doesn’t want to think back to Hogwarts, while he enjoyed most of his time there, the ending was so sour it made him want to forget the whole experience. 

It becomes very clear to Astoria that he is incredibly uncomfortable. And of course he is. She truly should have known better, but...this time clash (or whatever they were calling it) has left her looking for familiar faces. It just so happened this time it was Dae. She takes a few steps back and takes a drink of her tea. Maybe it would be a better idea to find someone else. After all, he did say that everyone made the jump. And she's smart enough to know when she should cut her losses. Or at least she is now.

She doesn't like thinking about it. Four years ago she was, technically, at Hogwarts. And yet, here she is now over two decades in the future. ❝ I'm sorry for... ❞ Astoria chuckles, ❝ Well. Lots of things, I suppose. But especially for being so...obsessive. Don't worry, I'll leave you alone for real this time, promise. ❞ She grins and tosses her to-go cup in the trash.

Before he can remember the name that goes with that voice, Dae jumps out of his skin, drops the newspaper he had in his hand. Like his body was accustomed to feeling panic at that sound. When he turns to look at the person next to him, his heart sinks into his stomach “A-Astoria?” *Shit*. He needed to get out of here. Sure, it had been a while since he’d been running from her, never quite understood her infatuation. He was certain he’d never given her a reason to be interested. 

“You’re… you’re here too.” Of course she would be, of course she’d find him. “Uh. Yep. Pretty sure… this mess sucked up everyone.” He’s only really being polite so she keeps smiling, because Astoria Greengrass without a smile was a terrifying thing to behold.

Astoria does her best to hide her amusement as he drops his newspaper. It was hard to tell if he was just jumpy because she was also here or if it had to do with their Hogwarts days. Something about remembering Hogwarts made her frown, but just for a moment. A blink and you'll miss kind of deal. Her mind apparating her back to her day's of following Dae around, flirting with him and hoping he'd take her to Hogsmeade. It felt like ages ago. A silly teenage crush. Well, maybe not that silly.

❝ Looks like I am, ❞ her voice a bit soft, quieter than she had planned on it being. Astoria looks around, as if trying to figure out who else she knew was here. Everyone was a lot of people. She smiles a bit wider, her melancholiness passing as quickly as it came. ❝ It's...been a while, hasn't it? Bit weird thinking about being back at Hogwarts. ❞ She laughs a little bit as she reminisces.

Astoria Greengrass did not worry. At least, not over things like time travel. In her eyes, after everything, life was too short and she could be spending that time having fun and (trying to) enjoying herself. That was her life after her OWLS and it was her life…or she was trying to make that her life after the war as well. She had spent too much time worrying about what her parents thought, school, and then survival.

Even here, decades past anything she remembers, she wasn’t worrying. People kept talking about solutions and how long it would be before everyone was back in their correct timeline, but…Astoria wasn’t focused on it. That was the Ministry’s problem. Not hers.

However, there was something that kept nagging in the back of her mind. And no amount of alcohol was making the thought disappear. Even in her dreams, it appeared to her. And while she was no inquisitive Ravenclaw, she truly did want some answers. Or at least a face she recognized.

While distracted by the crowds and children running around (she almost wanted to go join them. she already missed the children she was taking care of in 2001), Astoria bumped into someone, spilling her tea everywhere.

❝ Oh shit! I really am so sorry about that! ❞ She exclaimed while bending down to grab her cup. ❝ Here…I know a spell to clean that right up ❞

NATALIA DYER? No, that’s actually ASTORIA GREENGRASS from the GOLDEN TRIO ERA. You know, the child of ELIJAH GREENGRASS and ELIZABETH GREENGRASS (NÉE ROWLE)? Only 20 years old, this SLYTHERIN alumni works as a WIZARDING NANNY and is sided with THE NEUTRALS. SHE identifies as a CIS WOMAN and is a PUREBLOOD who is known to be JEALOUS, FRIVOLOUS, and MATERIALISTIC  but also DIPLOMATIC, CHARMING, and NURTURING. 

Warnings: PTSD, slight alcohol abuse, depression