THE MOON AND THE STARS

Astrid always looked pretty, whether she was studying or speaking lively – just looking at her made Regulus’ stomach flip. He was not used to talking to girls this way, especially girls he liked. Mimicking her smile, he stepped into the alcove, lessening the space between them. “I don’t think I’d be very good either,” Regulus began, considering the scenario. “But who knows? We might make a good team.”

Astrid had always enjoyed Regulus’s company, and she couldn’t help but feel that she desired to spend more time with the other, something about him making her heart flutter like there was no tomorrow. “No? We could learn to hunt together I’m sure.” She replied, her warm smile beginning to widen as she offered him space to take a seat as she took one herself, tilting her head as she laughed at the thought before replying, “I’m sure we would. But can you imagine living in little huts we would have to make ourselves? I’m sure that would be quite the feat!”

Magnolia Caroline Grace had always been a social butterfly, and a move to England and drab clothes were certainly not going to change that. For being a secret party, the hosts had certainly blabbed about it enough, and after figuring out just how to get into the Room of Requirement, Maggie had graciously accepted a drink, before setting her eyes on the crowd. It wasn’t long before her eyes landed on a brunette, and Maggie could have sworn her stomach dropped out of her in that instant.

She made her way over as quickly as she could. “Aren’t you just the sweetest thing. And stunning.” She was still meeting the Hogwarts student body - how had she missed her?! “I’m Magnolia. Most people just call me Maggie though… you can pick.”

Astrid’s eyes had enlargened the moment her eyes had set forth upon Maggie, the way from her seemingly effortless grace to her obvious beauty. Her lips forming to part a perfect ‘o’ as she gazed at the girl before her, she began to timidly reply, “You’re too kind. My name is Astrid, pleasure to meet you Maggie.” How had she never met the girl before? Perhaps she was a recent transfer, her American accent slightly giving away that she hadn’t always attended Hogwarts before.

Regulus clutched the cigarettes in his hand, not wanting to show them to Astrid. If he could have done it without raising suspicion, he would have dropped it immediately - quickly, he threw it behind him and forced a smile, stepping inside. He whistled quietly, as he stood next to Astrid, painfully aware of the distance between them. Regulus had never really liked a girl the way he liked Astrid - he wasn’t too sure what to do about it. “Berries. We could learn to hunt. Muggles do it for fun, you know.”

Astrid was pleased that Regulus had remained unaffected in the attacks; worrying about his safety and for how he might have had to participate, if not for his allegiances because of his family. Stepping aside to allow him entrance into the alcove, her smile began to widen as she stepped closer towards him, tilting her head slightly as she remarked, “That sounds rather interesting. But berries alone might be a rather tedious diet, you’re right we would have to hunt. I’m ashamed to say I’d rather probably be not a very good hunter, but I’m sure I could learn.”

He was looking for a spot to decompress from everything. The year was taking a toll on Regulus, the stress of being a new Death Eater in the midst of all these attacks was making his anxiety skyrocket. He had dark circles under his eyes, which were constantly red. Regulus kept rubbing his eyes whenever his hands needed something to do – a bad habit that had made him look like he had been spending a great deal of time smoking. And he really did consider smoking, so he got his hands on a pack of cigarettes. Regulus nearly stumbled over his feet as he heard a familiar voice. He peeked his head into the alcove, considering what Astrid had said. “We could run off and live in a forest.” 

There were only a minute handful of individuals outside Hufflepuff that Astrid truly knew, and were close to. And she worried for them; for those who would be most affected by the war; and for those who had been injured by the attacks. She had never followed the lifestyle that her parents had set out for her; and she was largely aware that they expected things to change once she stepped out of Hogwarts — and that was a large fear that was at the back of her mind. But at the forefront, she wondered if there would ever be a moment where they would have peace, and for once not have to worry about any of these attacks. They were just children. Yet as she heard a familiar voice begin to reply to her words, a small smile began to appear upon her lips as she remarked, “And what would we survive upon?”

Astrid’s eyes enlarged as she entered the room, awed by the decorations that had been set up by the famous party trio, cautiously avoiding the various couples as she made her way to get herself a drink. Yet just as she was about to pass through to look for Reg — someone who she actually knew in the midst of these individuals, a certain blonde haired individual began to catch her attention. Mouth slightly opened in wonder at the beauty of the girl, she moved slowly towards them as she stated softly, “Excuse me — but you’re just the most gorgeous human I’ve ever seen.”

So much pain. So much chaos. And in the midst of it, Astrid had felt conflicted; wanting to go to her cousin and find out as much information as she could; despite the reports leaking out that she was a Grindelwald supporter, not much mattered to her when it was in the situation of life and death. Thus she sat there, wringing her fingers together for what seemed forever as a sharp sigh escaped her lips, wanting to be able to do something — just anything, when it seemed that troubles upon troubles had been happening this term, and there was nothing they could do to stop it. Would good ever arise out of this? She very much doubted so, but she couldn’t help but hope, and it was why she mused into the open air, “Just for once, it’d be nice if we could all get a break from this.” After all, she feared that Charlotte was very much still at large out there, and the danger she posed to her friends was a very real one.

Astrid Flint was in the same realm as her cousin Sirius: an outcast of pureblood society. Be it the fact that she was sorted into the lowliest of houses- Hufflepuff truly was an emotional mess- or the company she kept- Ted, Addie Ivers, and the other idiots with hearts. Bellatrix always preferred Astrid’s older brothers to the girl, at least they were interesting. The older Flints were known for being cold and vindictive, with each pledging their allegiance to the Dark Lord. Unlike Astrid. Perhaps she simply didn’t have the same survival instincts as her siblings, or maybe she simply oblivious to the nature of their world. Either way, Bellatrix didn’t find herself scrambling to converse Astrid. As far as she was concerned, the Flint girl had little to no use to her.

Like so many other purebloods, the Flints were regular guests at Black Manor. Donned in their finest attire, the families attended every ball. Every tea. Every dinner. Heads of households discussed business and the children took to playing in the garden. A long time ago, friendships were made and held dear. But now? Even Rodolphus Lestrange, one of Bella’s oldest friends, was on thin ice with the eldest Black girl. Bellatrix cast her eyes on Astrid, swatting away whatever summer memories tried to flash in her brain. “And yet you have, Astrid.” She said, a splash of annoyance coloring her voice. Bellatrix knew of Astrid’s friendship with Regulus. Her many little birds reported back on anything the Blacks were doing. From what she’d gathered, dear Astrid had landed a kiss on her youngest cousin during Valentine’s Day.

Letting her eyes gloss over the words in front of her, Bellatrix lazily turned the page. She’d read her textbooks over a hundred times now, nearly memorizing every sentence. Great things were expected out of the Black family heir, and to accomplish them, it meant delivering home only O’s on every N.E.W.T and O.W.L. But with the arrival of the youngest Flint and recent romantic developments, Bella’s concentration was skewed. She let out a sigh, closing the book before turning her attention to Astrid. “Coming out to the courtyard, after curfew while a murderer is on the loose. I never took you for a thrillseeker.” Bella muttered, giving the girl a once over look.

Astrid had known that she would be treading in dangerous territories when she had escaped the castle in search of somewhere where she could think in peace, undisturbed. She had many things upon her mind; her family, Death Eaters together with Regulus. Despite being ostracised by her family as the outsider, they still had certain expectations of their youngest daughter — pledging her allegiance as one of them. She feared this day tremendously, especially when she had never believed in the same things that they had. And she dreadfully despised the word mudblood. However as her eyes cast over Bellatrix, she began to compose herself into the same mask she used whenever she came home; displaying little to no emotions upon her features.

She just had to not cower beneath the older girl, concealing all her feelings till the conversation was over. “You have my deepest apologies Bellatrix.” She replied as she began to take her own seat outside within the courtyard; a healthy distance away from the Slytheirn although enough to maintain their conversation that she hoped would be over as soon as it had began. She wondered what Regulus was like with his older cousin; especially when it came to after Sirius had left the family. Often she had wondered what it would be like to do the exact same thing; but then again she was more of a coward when it came to this. Particularly when she knew what the repercussions with her family would be.

She had heard the stories, and had witnessed the torturing in memories that had been burned into her mind of what happened to traitors. And yet, she dared herself to toe the line with being a Hufflepuff; what could happen next? However at Bellatrix’s next words she began to think over what polite topics she could discuss before she slipped away in order to avoid anymore further interactions as she began to place her own book down next to her as she raised an eyebrow at the thought of being a thrillseeker. “I just wanted a place to think, the castle has been so crowded lately.”

Amycus felt the onset of depression by just being in the presence of Astrid Flint. Could it be possible that a person truly be so boring? Amycus cocked an eyebrow, leaning in to pay close attention to her face. She seemed nervous, but she also seemed to be trying to hide that. The edges of his lips twitched into the beginnings of a smirk. Flint was right to be nervous, and she was right to try and hide it. Amycus had always had an affinity for the scared and weak. She was smart for trying to avoid that role. Still, if she were truly intelligent, she would never have dared to speak out against him in the first place. Perhaps he ought to make her pay for that? “Are you saying there’s something wrong with the way I was raised, Astrid?” Amycus said, all traces of amusement vanishing from his tone. He stepped closer to her, “You didn’t have to defend them, but you did.” He returned deadpan. “I think maybe I’ll make you cry now. How does that sound, bloodtraitor?”

Astrid’s gaze never left Amycus’s as she watched him nervously; her features composed to a cool facade just as she had been taught at a younger age. Just because she was afraid didn’t mean she was going to let him best her. Especially when she was protecting those that were younger to her. Pulling together the wits she had she calmly began to move her fingers to grip her wand, ready to defend herself in case he seemed to want to curse her. Perhaps they had been raised the same way, and she was a result of what was deemed as a blood traitor, but it didn’t mean she was well versed in her own arsenal of spells if needed; especially when it came down to it. “Of course not. But there’s a difference in being a decent human being, and a bully like yourself.” She replied sharply as her fingers began to grip tighter onto her own wand as she raised an eyebrow at his response before stating, “You can try, but I doubt you’ll be able to do so. What you think you can do is nothing compared to what my family have tried.” After all the Carrow brother had nothing on the Flint family for what they had tried to accomplish in the past few years. And these were secrets that were etched on her grave, that no one ever knew about. She had never truly tried fighting back yet, but perhaps today was the day. She had enough of hearing about how much of a failure she was; how she was a disappointment of a pureblooded witch, and how she was the typical definition of a bloodtraitor. Adrenaline rushed through her veins as she stared down Amycus defiantly, almost daring him to do cast the first spell. After all, he was not the one with the network of those who she knew would flood to defend her if she so asked. Hufflepuff was her true family. 

Did you have to do that? Amycus found his face dipping into frown. Merlin, was he cursed with encountering the most boring students of Hogwarts, one after another? He squinted his eyes at the girl in front of him, recognizing her as Astrid Flint, an almost pathetic example of a pureblooded witch. She was in Hufflepuff, and if that weren’t shameful enough, she seemed to have no problem consorting with mudbloods. Well, boring or not, at least this provided him with an opportunity to put a bloodtraitor in their place. His frown disappeared, replaced by a smile, and he stepped forward, inserting himself into her personal space. “Of course I did, Astrid. You were raised same as I, right? I’m making my father proud–” Not that he gave a single shit about that, but he was making a point here. “– nothing wrong with that, right?”

Astrid had watched disapprovingly as Amycus had moved to terrorise one of the younger students at Hogwarts, a Lion nonetheless who seemed to be rather distressed at his words. She briefly squeezed their shoulder as the girl ran past in tears as she raised an eyebrow at his words, knowing just how exactly she would have been viewed in Amycus’s eyes. After all, it would have been the same as her parents, and the rest of her family. Steeling herself to be calm in the midst of her nervousness she raised an eyebrow as she replied, “Just because you were raised like that, doesn’t mean you have to act that very way.” It seemed she was digging herself into a deeper hole, and it was in this moment of time that she desperately wished someone else was here, another Puff or Reg. “You didn’t have to make them cry.” She said softly as her fingers moved to grip one another as she gauged his reaction to his words. This was not going to turn out well.

He would later realize, while lying in bed and mulling over the moment, that he should have expected Astrid to be at the dance. A pretty girl like her would have had some sort of expectation for Valentine’s Day – Regulus only hoped he was the one who had fulfilled them for her. At the dance, Regulus grinned at the compliment, knowing full well that the dress robes were slightly too big for him. “Thank you, Astrid, really.” As she stepped closer, Regulus hitched his breath and closed his eyes, giving her a quick peck on the lips. He pulled away as fast as he’d leaned in, trying to gage the girl’s reaction. “Oh – sorry – I should have asked first, I’m really sorry.”

Astrid breathed a small sigh of relief at the fact that the person that she was talking to was indeed Reg, and not some other person. She had been worried that because of the various masks that she’d had trouble differentiating who she was speaking to, but having him come up to her made it all the much better, especially when it was — well Reg. “You know I wouldn’t tell you anything else but the truth.” She replied shyly, before it seemed that Regulus began to shorten the distance between them, moving to kiss her upon her lips. Inhaling sharply, a serene smile appeared upon her lips as he seemed to instantly pull away, wishing the moment could have been longer. “Don’t apologise, that was lovely. It’s all part of the game anyways isn’t it?” She replied as she moved to lightly brush her fingers over his knuckles.

As the girl spun around, Regulus nearly dropped the rose he was holding out. It was Astrid, of all the girls in the Hall. He drew the rose back slightly. Was now really the best time to come forward with the rather new thoughts he’d been having about Astrid? He began speaking quickly. “You don’t have to – I mean, it’s not – are you playing the game?” Regulus finally asked.

Astrid clumsily twirled her roses within her fingers as she moved silently through the crowds, her back almost touching the walls multiple times because of how much she avoided the many masked figures. However as Regulus began to approach her, all thoughts were forgotten as she looked at Regulus and just how handsome he seemed to look in his robes. “Well I wasn’t going to. But I guess I don’t mind. You, well look rather handsome Reg in your robes.” As Astrid began to stammer over her words, a small flush appeared upon her lips as she began to step closer towards Regulus so that she could hear his words better, especially since the noises around them were rather loud.

Ah, there it was. They were friends, only friends. But Regulus knew that, he had known that for quite some time now. What had changed, all of a sudden? Or had his feelings toward Astrid always been the same, but he was just noticing them? Regulus didn’t know, but the joy he felt around her was incomparable. It couldn’t hold a candle to flying around the Quidditch posts, but he did feel the same soaring sensation in his chest when he was around Astrid. He chuckled to himself, giving Astrid a furtive glance. “I think you are my closest friend. Everyone else is sort of just… There.” He swallowed harshly, reminding himself of his inability to be a social being. “Well, this has been a great lovefest, Astrid. I truly am glad you’re okay with… All of this.” Regulus said, gesturing to the the situation surrounding them.

Astrid’s eyes couldn’t keep off of Regulus as a shy smile continued to appear upon her lips as she tilted her head to take him fully. She hadn’t ever truly taken the time to memorise his very features but for some reason she couldn’t help but want to. Her heart felt like it was beating like a hummingbird’s wings fluttering — a thousand beats a second just by being in the sheer proximity of Regulus, and she didn’t even know why. She couldn’t help but want to move her fingers to hold his yet again at his words, wishing others could see Reg in the same light that she herself did. “I can’t imagine my life without you in it.” She replied honestly before glancing around the pair of them, having forgotten even for a brief second the situation that they had been in. “I’ve kept you up, haven’t I?” She asked apologetically.