'Dear Ria,

I don't know if you'd be expecting this letter or not. But I hope you open and read this, because I realised that I had come to the wrong conclusion.

The comparison that I gave you of the Obscurus and the rebellious dog? Get that out of your head. I have a more sensible one this time.

The Obscurus, is like a child.

I promise this one makes better sense.

It's not something separate from you, but something linked to you. It's born out of your magic. 

Whenever you're in distress, it's in distress too. Think of a child being in discomfort when its parents are in a bad mood.

So, this child always stays with you, and its moods depends on yours. If it is around the people it likes, it stays happy. If it doesn't like something, it will throw a tantrum.

I know I'm not being very helpful, but if you're looking for advice to control it, this is the best I can tell you.

Write to me anytime you wish to,
Esther Goldstein.'

Asteria decided it was better to count the number of names on the list again. She skimmed silently over them, trying to remember old or new faces, whilst trying to take a sip from her goblet. 

But she kept missing, or failing to take a sip whenever she saw a name that would make her go 'why on earth might this one be trying out for Quidditch?'.

"Do you know where I might find Theodore?" A girl's voice made her and Blaise— who'd been sitting beside her— look up.

The boy's eyes skimmed over her features— her pin straight brown hair, dark eyes— fixating on the blue and bronze scarf around her neck before moving to her face again. "No..?"

"Oh.." Her face fell with disappointment. "I just.. I wanted to give him this book."

They two of them glanced at the cover; it had some magical creature on it. "He mentioned he was looking for it, some days ago. And I just happened to find it. I thought he might like it."

Ria tilted her head with interest. "You're in our year, right?" She tried to remember. "Arbutus?"

The girl nodded. "Yes. It's Willow Arbutus. I'm Theo's partner in Care of Magical Creatures."

"You are Theo's partner.." Ria glanced at Blaise, but instead of meeting his eyes, she noticed they were still on the Ravenclaw girl. 

"Sorry, but we really have no idea where he is." She looked back at her.

Willow pursed her lips. "It's okay, I'll just give it to him lat—"

"We'll do that, you're welcome." Blaise took the book from her with a smile and then began to read the newspaper.

"Erm.. okay, then. Thank you."

And when she walked out of sight, Ria turned to Blaise. "Oh, Theo's partner did not just happen to find the book. She looked for it. I could bet on it."

But her expression fell. Blaise Zabini did not seem bothered by the prospect at all.

"What's got your wand in a knot, this morning?"

"Nothing." He simply shook his head, then slid the book towards her. "And give this to Nott."

Ria blinked. "Why did you do that? You should've let her give that to Theo." She said. "And you took it from her. Can't you give it to him yourself?"

"I don't see him around much anyway, these days. You see him more than I do." He said nonchalantly.

Ria sighed. Yes, for Merlin's sake, where was Theodore?

She had rarely seen him after the welcome party.. only during classes they shared, barely for breakfast, lunch and dinner, or in free time.

She was concerned.

She hoped he was spending time with that girl.

"They'd look good together, don't you think?" She muttered, but only to get another boring response.

"I guess."

It made her give up, really, find her drink-filled goblet again and look back at the list. The counting and inspection continued for another while before—

"These just.." Tired, she finally placed the goblet on the table with a huff, looking at Blaise. "How are these close to forty? We barely had seven last year?"

"Well.. you're certainly in the talks, this year, for sure." She looked up at Hermione and Ron settling in front of her.

How come there were only two of them? Where was the third one?

Ria tipped her head a little, ignoring the redhead who had just stolen her drink. "And whatever that's got to do with trying out?"

"What do you mean? They're trying to get close to you, most likely." said Hermione, as a matter of fact.

"...they didn't want to do that, for the last four years?" Ria raised an eyebrow. 

She'll never let that grudge go, not even if it came to her life.

Hermione sighed. "Well.. what I believe is that they think you'll provide them protection if something goes wrong—"

"Dead wrong." Ria quipped.

"You're Azrael. You were at the Department of Mysteries. You're supposed to be the Curse breaker. And you've only grown prettier."

"Dead on with that last one." Blaise commented, gaining a side-eye from both Hermione and Ron.

"Plus, you look a bit intimidating, which Slytherins tend to like and admire, for some reason." She continued. "And pretty sure, they must've noticed the distance between you and Harry."

Blaise sputtered. "So, they're trying to get with her? Salazar, those poor folks have no chance."

"Why's this pumpkin juice so bland?" muttered Ron.

"It's water." Blaise answered, focusing back on the newspaper. For what reason, Ria didn't know. Maybe his mother was trending again. For her seven husbands.

Ria wondered if she should tell Blaise to read 'The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo'.

He'd probably poison her cup or something.

"Why water? Don't you always have pumpkin juice every morning? No matter what?"

Ria stilled. Damn you, Hermione Granger, for noticing every little thing.

She had to change the topic, knowing damn well Hermione would question it again if she told her she'd been feeling nauseous since morning.

Good thing she didn't have to fly much as a Captain on the day of tryouts.

"I watched the Gryffindor tryouts yesterday, by the way. Good job, Ron. You played well."

"And Potter did well too, for his first time as a Captain." Blaise mused in, silently glancing at his best friend with a little smile. "Even Ria said that. She told me herself."

Her cheeks were warming up, and she could feel those three hold back a smile.

Damn you all, trying to conspire against me.

Damn me, falling for Harry Potter and his stupid pine-scented shampoo that he hasn't changed since fucking third year.

She had been successful not thinking about the whole Amortentia incident on the night of the welcome party, being too focused on finding whatever clues she could of the Seer's Curse.

But the next Potions class had been a reminder of a slap on her face. And now it hid in some corner of her mind, appearing once in a while like a jumpscare and then finding another corner to hide into.

And damn that jumpscare too!

"You had tough competition, too." She said to Ron, trying to compose herself. A switch up was necessary, she believed. "McLaggen was good, but you were better. Certainly."

"Oh.. thanks." Ron wasn't red in the face at the compliment, but for some reason, Hermione was. "It's— It's thanks to you, really. You really helped me with Keeping practice las—"

"Good morning, Ron." A girl chirped from behind him. Lavender Brown, she was grinning at him, her brown eyes twinkling. "Congratulations on making the team."

"You— uhm— you did that already, yesterday." Hermione reminded her, and Lavender's smile faltered a little.

"Oh— did I?" She chuckled nervously. "I must not have realised."

"No worries. Thank you again." said Ron, and the smile returned to her face before she rushed away.

"Anyway." Hermione huffed. "Erm.. the reason we were here, yes, we wanted to wish you luck, of course, we'll be there to watch too."

"But also.. Harry wanted to talk. He wanted to know if you were alright with talking after the tryouts."

Ria blinked, her mind blanking out on her for a moment. "Right after?" They nodded. "And he isn't here to ask me himself because..?"

Not that she wanted to see him, obviously.

"Because.. he's studying." Ron answered.

"Harry's studying? On a free day?" asked Ria, rhetorically. That doesn't happen, usually, unless we're dead close to exams. "Studying what?"

"We don't know, actually. He'll be there to watch the tryouts though, definitely." Hermione answered with a small nod of her head, tapping Ron on his hand. "Come on, Ron. Let's get breakfast."

"Yeah, of course." They got up together, walking towards the table where Ginny, Dean, Neville and the rest of them had been sitting.

Ria was still thinking. "Harry.. studying.. what?"

He could be reading his new textbook.. the Prince's book: she wondered. But he could read it anywhere. 

Apparently he carries it everywhere, now-a-days. 

Maybe I should be jealous.

"What's so surprising about the Chosen One not studying?" Blaise snickered.

But she couldn't figure out if he was taunting Harry or asking a genuine question.

"You're taking his side." She figured it out.

He scoffed. "Pfft— no!"

"No, you are." She set the list down. "How come? You always take a jab at him, whether he's in front of you or no—"

"Asteria." The two looked up again, and very similar expressions dawned on their faces.

"Good luck for today." said Bonheur, his lips pressed in a small smile.

For a second, Ria forgot that she was supposed to reply. She was too in shock, seeing him approach her all of a sudden.

"Thanks." She said. And he only nodded politely before leaving.

Okay, if he really is the Carrow child, what the fuck is going on in his mind?

And if he isn't, still, what the fuck is going on in his mind?

"What is he thinking?" Blaise whispered to her, and she was back again for a moment— to their prior discussion.

"Wait— I'm not done yet. You always take a jab at Harry, so why—"

He left his seat with a small grunt. "I'm going to go and see if Amelia is done threatening each and every one of the names one the list—"

"She's what?"

"See you on the field, Captain!"

She watched him walk out the Great Hall with an expression of pure confusion.

Suddenly, everyone around Ria was acting weird and avoiding answering, when she was supposed to be the one doing that.

Just as she stood by the entrance of the field, she decided she would not have any of her other tags bothering her: Azrael, Curse breaker, Seer, Obscurus.. whatever. She was only going to be Captain there.. on the field.

She still had a stupid, petty bet to fulfil. The one with Marcus Flint.

Maybe she should start holding back on the childish pettiness.

Ria shook her head. No. Only Captain. Nothing else.

Before she could enter the field though, some called out. "Asteria Edwards."

She turned around, remembering the face from yesterday's Gryffindor tryouts. "McLaggen."

"Cormac." He smirked, holding out a hand. Ria shook it. "I have to say, you look even sharper up close in that Quidditch gear of yours."

Ria refrained from rolling her eyes. "Appreciate it."

"You also manage your team quite well." He grinned with a tilt of his head. "Which is rare.. looking at your previous Captain."

"I'm sorry, but I'm getting late." She interrupted him. "Arriving late doesn't make a good impression, you know?"

"Oh, come on. You're the Captain. Sure, they could wait a while." He shrugged. "And it's always better to make sure they know you take the call. That they can't complain."

Ria felt annoyed now. The conversation was not headed in a sensible direction.

"Excuse me, but you, as someone who didn't even make the team, shouldn't be giving advice to a Captain who's played for years now."

She stayed for a second just to watch his face contort, before turning right back around, but he grabbed her wrist. "That was just rude, you know?"

But she only glared down at where his hand was, and then moved her gaze to his face. "Who said you could touch me?"

A muscle in his jaw ticked, but then he noticed her darkened eyes. The grip loosened. He took a step back.

Without another word, she proceeded to enter the field. For Merlin's sake, he had interrupted her revision of planning for the tryouts. She tried to get back to where she was, but the boy in front of her distracted her again.

"Theodore!"

He looked back, continuing to walk while Ria hurried to catch up with him. "Hey! Where have you been?"

"Here. Where else?"

She would resist the urge to smack him with the handle of her broom, but why? "Ouch!" He clutched the back of his head. "Your violent tendencies haven't changed, thank Salazar. Couldn't imagine Ria Edwards without those."

He then looked at the shining new broomstick in her hand. "Firebolt.. Ms. Diggory's gift." He realised. "You opened her letter?"

They stopped at the entrance stairs to the seats.

"No.. not yet." Not so soon.

Theo blinked. "There's a possibility it won't burn or explode like normal Howlers do.. you know that, right?"

She nodded with urgency. "Yeah— Yeah, I do."

But it was only a possibility..

"Why aren't you trying out?" she asked instead.

"You look like you have plenty of good ones this year though. Don't really need me. But if you do, though, need extras, I'll be there." He chuckled quietly.

"Don't say that." She frowned. "You're a good player. You can be a regular."

"And you don't need good players. You need the best ones."

"Theo—"

"I just don't want to.." He admitted, his tone soft. "Please."

She managed a nod. "Of course.."

"You'd tell me if something were wrong, wouldn't you?" She asked before he could leave.

He pursed his lips in a half-smile. "If I couldn't handle it on my own, of course."

Ria spun on her place and finally strode towards the crowd that had turned up for the Quidditch tryouts. 

First looking around to find familiar faces, she found Amelia and Blaise standing besides each other and immediately missed Adrian's tall and confident frame. She found Maryam Shafiq too: the now fifth-year that had replaced her as Keeper while she had played Seeker last year.

She couldn't see the blonde she saw every year for tryouts, and as much as she was intrigued, she was glad too.

With a clear of her throat, she began. "Morning. I'm Asteria Edwards, the Slytherin Quidditch Captain." She received a moderately loud greeting from them. "There are supposed to be forty of you?"

"There was a group of seniors from other Houses." Amelia answered with a proud smile. "I kicked their arses out."

Ria gave her a single nod. "Thanks for that. Now, time for some instructions before you dream about making it in the team.."

"No misbehavior of any kind will be tolerated in my team." She'd made a similar speech last year too. And there were fewer words this time, yet more threat. "And that includes everyone.. on and off the Quidditch field."

"Piss me off, and you're out of the team. I'm sure some of you have seen me kick players out of the team for the stunts they have pulled." she smiled. "So there's no room for doubts."

Taking a look around, she agreed with Severus when he said that some names on the list looked like they weren't even familiar with the sport.

Though there was a little hope. There was a saying that went 'don't judge a book by its cover'.

But I'm a reader, unfortunately. I always check the cover first.

She divided them into four teams; Chasers, Beaters, Seekers (where Maryam stood, surprisingly) and Keepers (for back up), and then made three teams with each of the kind. The ones she knew were here for passing time went in one team, and the others made two. 

"I want four laps around the pitch, and then we'll have a match."

The trials took almost all morning. Ria first got rid of the students that had shown up just for the sake of it by testing them herself.

"IF YOU CAN'T PLAY, STOP WASTING MY DAMN TIME!" She'd yelled from where she had been hovering in the air.

It was safe to say the rest of them didn't try to test her after that.

The two teams then went against each other. And Ria was pleased to spot good players, even keeping aside team members from last year. Honestly, she almost teared up a little.

Maryam Shafiq was the best Seeker she'd seen for Slytherin. But she was also a good Keeper.

"I thought you'd play Keeper.." She'd told her, but had only received an unsure tilt of head.

"I don't know which one I like better. And I think we'll need you as the Keeper to win. You're the best at it."

And heavens, Ria had blushed at the compliment.

There was another like Maryam. Judas Harper, a curly-haired raven from second year. Good at both Keeping and Seeking for his age, but not good enough to be on the team yet. He was the youngest, after all.

"You better make it officially on the team next year and stay till you graduate, Harper."

Ria made a note to include him in practice sessions. Him and Theodore both. He wasn't getting away.

She refrained from jumping with joy when she saw the dirty blonde pair that had shown up for the Beaters' position. A fifth-year named Charles Fawley, and his sister from third-year, Clea Fawley. Perfect. And being siblings, they had good co-ordination as well as entertaining banter.

"Where the hell have you been, all this time?" Why weren't they here to save her from her misery, last year?

"Ah.. I was waiting for my sister to be prepared, Captain." He patted the back of her head. "I promised her we'd try out together.. She's a bit of a crybaby, you see." He whispered the last part to Ria only, but his sister seemed to have heard it.

"And he was a bit of a wuss, you see! Pissing his pants when he saw Crabbe and Goyle standing for tryouts, last year."

Ria could already tell who the tame one was.

Amelia and Blaise were already better than the rest of the Chasers. And she'd never find another Adrian Pucey, but she'd found a gem with good potential. Dale Raywood from seventh year, with long auburn hair that reminded her of Bill Weasley.

"Again.. where were you last year?"

He chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head. "In the hospital wing for messing with a Grindylow?"

Her mouth fell. She had heard about that.

"That was you?"

"Oh.. am I famous?"

"Kind of."

"Stop tapping your foot, Harry, she'll be alright."

A scowl adorned his face as he glanced at Hermione, then back at the field. "I'm not worried about her." He said with dismay. "She can handle herself, surely."

"Look at how they're crowding her though.." Ron tried to add fuel to his fire.

Asteria had just declared the result, and the Slytherins that had been there with hopes that they'd make it on the team did not look happy.

"They look pretty strong this year, don't they?" Ron said again, but Harry didn't answer, being too busy looking at the crowd, as if worried someone would jump on the girl.

Most of them didn't like her already..

"If you want to make it on the team, learn how to play first, you fucking morons!"

Hermione laughed at the now-parting crowd. "See? Told you she'd handle it."

Harry only half-nodded, involuntarily letting out a sigh of relief. As a Captain, she had become more commanding than last year. She was this good already, he wondered how she'd look playing professionally like she had always wanted to.

Probably breath-taking.

"Let's go." said Hermione, getting up. "You wanted to meet with her, didn't you?"

"Hmm.. yeah." They climbed down the stands, making their way to Ria.

"Did you find the book on ancient magic that you wanted?" She asked him. She'd told him herself where in the library he'd find those.

Harry shook his head. "No."

"No?" She asked, exasperated. "Did you look properly? I'm pretty sure I told you all the shelfs you could possibly find books in ancient magic from—"

"I found the books, Hermione." Harry sighed. "They didn't have what I was looking for."

"Oh.." She wondered. "Well.. what are you looking for? If you told me clearly, maybe I'd be able to help you."

"No." He was almost too quick to answer. "No, I'll find it on my own."

Slightly offended, Hermione tried to find words, but she couldn't. She only looked at Ron who had been beside her.

When they drew nearer to Ria, Harry spoke up. "You stay here. I'll talk to her." He didn't wait for their answer, just walked away quicker.

Hermione pouted. "If he's really trying to know more about the Azraels, like you said, why doesn't he just ask me?"

And Ron found his eyes fixated on her lips for just a moment, before he shook himself out of it. "Uh— Uhm, he— he told me he knows the basic things." He answered, staring at his front where he could see Harry and Ria talking. "He wants to know the important stuff."

"Important stuff?"

He nodded. Maybe Harry was afraid; Ron wondered. 

Maybe he was afraid Ria would forget about her own curse while trying to get rid of the one on the world.

Harry saw her, face flushed, eyes alight as she laughed at something Amelia had said. It had been a while since he had seen her like that. It was as though Quidditch had breathed life back into her.

"Hey! You wanted to talk?" She breathed out, and he was glad that the grin on her face hadn't left yet. That he had the chance to adore it for a while.

She raked her fingers through her hair, freeing the ends which had been clinging to her neck. And Harry realised she'd been waiting for his answer.

Merlin, focus.

"Ye— er— yeah.. if you're alright with that.. right now." Maybe he'd need a good second or two to find words again.

She nodded without hesitation. "Sure.. But why didn't you just ask me directly? Instead of telling Ron and Hermione to do it."

"Because you've been avoiding me like plague since the welcome party?" He said, as if it were obvious. Though he didn't know if he'd spoken the wrong thing or hit the nail right on the head after seeing her expression stiffen.

It was probably the second one.

"I'll— Why don't you wait till I change out of my Quidditch gear? Yes— I'll be back—" She didn't waste even a second rushing past him and into the changing rooms.

And then Amelia patted his shoulder with a sigh. "Don't worry, mate. Shit happens."

He watched her follow Ria inside with a look of confusion on his face. What does she even mean by that?

It took her only five minutes to return, now in her Quidditch jumper while her hair was pulled back in a messy braid. 

Harry wished the butterflies fluttering in his stomach at the sight of her would stop. It was serious talk he wanted to do. And they weren't helping.

"D'you— D'you wanna walk?" 

Man, just pull yourself together, it shouldn't be that hard.

She shrugged. "Sure." They began strolling out of the stadium. "Everything okay?"

Harry exhaled before reciting the story to her. "Marvolo Gaunt and his son, Morfin Gaunt, both heirs of Slytherin were convicted and thrown into Azkaban for breaking the International Statute of Secrecy, and attacking a Muggle."

Ria stared at him with confusion, but he only continued. "It happened when the Head of Aurors visited their house. Marvolo also found out that the man Morfin attacked, Tom Riddle Sr., had his Squib daughter Merope's attention. Things got ugly, and they were taken by the Ministry for trial."

He refrained from smiling when he saw the look of realisation on her face; her wide blue eyes and parted lips.

He continued. "After their conviction, Merope disappeared. Turns out, she might have drugged Tom with a love potion and gotten pregnant." He had a look of pity on his face. "After a while, maybe she thought he'd really fall for her, so she stopped giving him the love potion. He didn't. He left her before their son was even born."

"Is this about Voldemort's parents?" Ria inquired in a low mutter. "How do you know all this?"

Harry nodded. "Dumbledore has been calling me for private lessons."

She looked at him instantly, an eyebrow raised in question. "Private lessons?"

"He wants me to know about Voldemort's life." He answered, watching her reaction carefully. "So we could find out how he's still alive.. and how he could be killed."

The statement must've made goosebumps run down her skin, judging by the way she rubbed up and down her arm.

Ria then looked at him again, brows scrunched together ever so slightly. "Memories?" He nodded. "Why didn't he call me, then?" 

Harry sighed, Dumbledore's words in his mind painfully embarrassing. "Oh, and Harry. Let Asteria know about our sessions too. I entrust you with the duty to tell her the memories you see here."

"Perhaps, it might also give you a reason to talk to her." He had added with a small smile.

And Harry had his cheeks turning red, looking down at the floor instead of his smiling face.

"Dumbledore wants me to focus on Voldemort.. and for you to focus on Lagarde."

There was a glint in her eyes, but he didn't let her have that hope for long. "On the Seer's Curse.. on breaking it." He said, feeling a little bad as her face fell. "He didn't get the chance to have much about her after she cursed the world. Only information he got was through—"

"Through Mum.. yeah, when she went there as a double agent." She chewed on her lower lip, thinking.

"He still wants to see you, though, Dumbledore." He let her know. "He said there's something important you need to know."

Ria didn't waste another second, nodding right away. "I'll go see him immediately—"

Harry stopped her by her forearm. "He's not in the castle. Hasn't been for some days." Realising the glance she cast down, he let her go. "And— uhm, get some rest before you go, so you keep your focus when you meet him."

And Ria's face scrunched with a bit of frustration. "When will he be back, then?"

"He'll let you know." said Harry, then his hand dipped in his pocket and he handed the big old folded parchment to her. The Marauders Map.

"You left it behind last year. I think you'll need it." He said, and she nodded.

"Dumbledore also said that he could've just called you.. but he wanted you to be informed first." Harry gulped nervously. "So you'd be prepared."

Ria breathed out shakily. "Prepared for what?"

That question of hers hadn't been answered, because Harry hadn't known either. And Ria only spent the rest of her day in her room, going through random books, reading her and Lagarde's journals, skimming eyes over star-charts, inspecting her homework again.. everything she could to try to distract herself.

She still remembered how she'd begged Dumbledore for help.. for a chance to kill Carrow. She wondered if..

No. No, she was being too hopeful.

Though her restlessness seized when finally, during dinner, a first-year Gryffindor walked up to her with a piece of folded parchment in her hand.

'Dear Asteria,
I wish to discuss some important things with you. Kindly come along to my office at 8 p.m.
Yours sincerely,
Albus Dumbledore.'

So she'd been patiently waiting in her room, doing whatever she got her hands on to pass her time.

Thankfully her nausea from morning had disappeared. And she had finished her homework already. She always did, even though they had more work to do now. But having free time, only five classes, and a resolution to ignore people the best she could certainly helped.

When the minute hand was just eleven minutes away, her patience strayed away, abandoning her completely, and she grabbed her jacket and the Marauders Map before rushing out of her room.

Back in third-year, when Ria had been told that she would need to live in a separate dorm, she had accepted it. Even though she hated the idea of living away from her friends. 

But slowly, she had come to grow glad of it. She'd even realised she wouldn't be alone, really, since her room was kind of in the middle.

None of the House common rooms were farther away than the others, and neither were the offices of the Professors she was concerned with.

Right in the middle.. so if she needed help, no one would be too far away.. so if she was about to fall, someone was close enough to catch her, or even witness it.

It took exactly a four minute stroll to get from her dorm to Dumbledore's office— two if she were rushing.

So when Dumbledore heard a familiar voice mutter the password and stomp her way up to the stairs, he wasn't surprised that she had been about eight to nine minutes early.

Though he had expected her to burst into questions as soon as she entered. He was a bit surprised when she didn't, when she only released a breath and walked to his table.

"May I?" She pointed at the goblet of water, and gulped it down empty when he gave a gesture of a hand. "Thank you."

"How have you been?" He asked.

And Ria found herself shrugging without even meaning to. "If I really knew that, I think I might have found the solutions to my problems by now."

She had expected a different reaction than the small smile on his face. "Glad to know the humour in you has not changed.. that you still are the Asteria Edwards I met when you first arrived in my office."

She remembered that day as well as he did.. She had not expected to see a long, white-bearded old man right in front of her after coming back from the future.

And he was right. Somehow fortunately, she still was the same girl.. with the same priorities, same dreams, and the same desire to shine.

Maybe in another universe, this is a dream. And I'm still there, living my life in ignorant bliss.

Maybe there, I will still have hope left in the stars.

"What about your visions, Asteria? Have you had any of those?" He questioned again.

She shook her head. "No.. not recently."

He looked like his face would contort into one of disappointment, but it didn't change. "How is your Obscurus doing?" He asked, half expecting her to snap at him.

"Surprisingly calm." She answered. 

She had been genuinely shocked. The thoughts about her Obscurus tormented her almost every day during the summer vacation. Now they weren't as often as before.

"I got a letter from Esther." Ria informed. "She said it's like a child. That if it feels safe, it stays calm.. or else just tries to throw temper tantrums."

"And the reason it is surprisingly calm..?" His voice trailed into a question.

And Ria just sighed with irritation. "Listen, I've been taking Quidditch trials all morning, and I'm too tired and curious to play 'guess what?' right now."

"As you wish, then." Dumbledore chuckled. "It fears you."

Another glint in her blue eyes. "Fears me?" he nodded. "Why would it fear me?" She really believed it was the other way around.

He left his chair, pacing around instead. "Obscuruses recognise souls. They sense the soul they are linked to.. the souls that could be a danger.. the souls that safeguard them."

"So.. it fears my soul.." Ria tried to conclude, though failing to find sense in her words.

"It is not just your soul you carry, Asteria."

His tone only made a shiver creep down her spine. She felt unnerved all of a sudden, feeling the Obscurus stir, feeling its power like little ripples beneath her skin.

"It fears the power your soul contains." He told her. "Not just your soul.. but your body."

Ria felt her heart race now. The nausea from morning was back. "I didn't.. I thought being a Seer was my power. But Seers are not very frightening.. are they?"

He stood in front of his phoenix, stroking his feather as he crooned with his eyes closed.

"I believe it is time you know the real story of Azrael." Dumbledore looked at her.

She didn't know why.. 

She had always wanted to know about the Azraels.. since the very day she'd heard the tale from Bonheur. But she didn't know why a part of her mind cowered in fear, wanting to run away as far as possible.

"But.. but we don't know which version is right, do we?" Her voice trembled a little. "There's— There's one Morrigan Azrael that everyone 'knows' of. Then there was another one I saw— Azrael Ackerman— in the Room of Artefacts."

The room was on the verge of trembling, like the poor girl and the turmoil within herself too. The child threatening to throw a tantrum. 

God, Ria thought, I don't think I want children.

Dumbledore leaned forward, his excitement showing just a little through his composed demeanor. "What if I tell you.. that both of them are right?"

The turmoil calmed.. so did the child. But Ria had her eyes glistening with tears. 

It wasn't happiness, or sorrow, or anything like that. It was pure frustration. 

"Only if you have the truth to tell. Only then, will I listen to you."

She was tired of it.. of always having to scour whatever she could to find things out, only for them to be wrong. For once she wanted something handed to her, fairly, without any effort, without any damn thing standing in the way.

"Of course!" He ensured. "After all, the one present during it all will only have the truth, and nothing else."

Her eyes widened. "Someone.. who was there..?"

Dumbledore's eyes averted. She followed his gaze and there, on the shelf beside his chair, sat an old, tattered Hat.

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[word count: 5574]

a/n: ya'll finally knowing about the Azraels tomorrow heheheeee

AND I FOUND AN OC MAKER ON PICREW. I'M OBSESSED. (I'll link it in the comments)

so I decided to make the Slytherin quidditch team cuz why not?

and now MEME TIME