Not answering that question, of course. I'll let you guys judge my cover!

~~~~

The next few days weren't as bad as I'd been expecting. The trial wasn't half as exciting since I would only hear the verdict afterwards, and now my family didn't seem so loathe to give me information. Teddy even disclosed that Wren had been moved from St. Mungo's (where she'd been treated for "neglect" or something) though he didn't know where to. I'd actually read most of that in the paper that morning (the story had finally come out), but I didn't tell him that.

James hadn't sent me a letter since the night of the party, and Albus explained that he'd been grounded from sending owls to anyone because he wouldn't shut up about wanting to go to the trial, and begging their dad to change his mind. I'd considered that as an option, but the last thing I needed was to be grounded from my own owl, and I didn't really expect to change my aunt's mind at all. She was as stubborn as I was. Maybe it was a Black thing. I'd appealed to Teddy and Victoire to talk to her, but they'd both agreed with her, much to my dismay. Apparently, going to that trial would give me some sort of incurable disease that would make me a sad, broken, dying person. Why couldn't they see it was the other way around?

I'd been dreaming about Wren every night. I couldn't tell if they were just dreams or not, and something told me it was a combination of normal dreams and what Colette had deemed "Legilimens dreams." Mainly it was just flashes of her in a cell somewhere, or just a dark room, and I didn't know what to think. I honestly couldn't tell if they were real or not, because they were so short and disjointed.

About a week after the party, the Potters' owl arrived during breakfast bearing two letters. It flew past me and alighted next to my aunt, which was a little strange. She took the two letters from its leg and glanced at them, then handed one to me as she opened the other.

"So, Astra, are you excited for this year?" Teddy asked, looking up from the paper for the first time since he'd sat down.

I raised an eyebrow. "Excited? Why?"

Teddy and Victoire exchanged an amused look. "I guess you'll find out..." Toire said mysteriously.

I rolled my eyes at them and opened my letter. From Albus, of course (James hadn't responded like his parents had hoped and was still grounded, apparently). The paper seemed more crumpled than normal.

Dear Astra,

James says it's still a no, and there's no news about you-know-what. Dad's been really busy lately, though. I think he's worried.

Fred and Roxanne came over yesterday. Fred spent the whole time ranting because he's not Quidditch captain this year. Roxanne said she was really happy because if he wasn't captain she'd have a shot at getting on the team.

Right, I almost forgot, Dad and Mum said you could come spend a few days with us! If your aunt says yes, of course. Mum sent her a letter. Lily's having Eviana over, too. If that's too hard for you, of course, we understand, but

The handwriting abruptly changed, and I had a feeling James had taken the paper from his brother. That explained the crumpled paper.

But nothing. Astra, do you know how boring it is with just my siblings here? It's terrible. You'd better come or I won't let you come when I find a way to sneak out to the you-know-what.

Again, the handwriting changed.

James doesn't know what he's talking about. Neither of you are sneaking anywhere, don't listen to him.

The paper was ripped a little here, but Albus's writing continued so I had to assume he'd won the tug-of-war.

Anyway, can't wait to see you, don't listen to James, and don't get in trouble before tomorrow!

Love, Albus

Once more, the handwriting changed.

Wow, Al, is something going on I don't know about? ''Love," is it? Anyway, see you soon, Astra!

Albus's handwriting took over one more time.

Shut up, James.

I grinned in spite of myself. I really missed being around the Potters, even when they argued. I glanced over at my aunt excitedly.

"So, the Potters want you to spend a few days with them," Aunt Andromeda said, smiling at me over her own letter.

"Can I go?"

"Well..."

"I don't know, she's a bit of a troublemaker," Victoire said, smiling.

"Yeah, who knows what sort of trouble she'd get up to with Albus and James?" Teddy teased.

I rolled my eyes at them and turned to my aunt. "Please? I won't go anywhere alone or anything, and—"

"Of course you can go, dear," Aunt Andromeda cut me off, smiling. "And I'm sure you'll have a marvelous time."

"Thank you!" I jumped up and went to hug her, something that definitely wasn't normal for me, but I was really excited. At least I'd get to be with Al and James while the trial went on, and I'd be around my friends.

Aunt Andromeda seemed surprised (for good reason, I never really hugged any of them), but hugged me back after a minute.

"How long is she staying?" Victoire asked, standing up.

"Four days. Today through the tenth. You'd better go pack," she told me. I didn't hesitate, and dashed upstairs to shove everything into a bag.

I was halfway through packing my school robes when I remembered that I lived here now. I could leave things behind if I wanted, and they wouldn't get thrown away. I'd be back in a few days, which was completely new. I didn't know how long it would take getting used to the fact that I had a home, a real home, but it hadn't happened yet.

"Astra!" Teddy called up the stairs. "Hurry up! I'm taking you by Side-Along Apparition on my way to work!"

"Coming!" I shouted, and threw everything I didn't need back into my wardrobe. I could sort it out when I got back. For now, I slung my bag over my shoulder and ran down the stairs.

Teddy was standing by the door, perusing the paper again. He glanced up when I entered the room. "Ready?"

I glanced at Victoire and Aunt Andromeda. Now I had to say goodbye. Was I supposed to hug them? Just wave? I didn't know, so I simply waved. "Bye!"

"Goodbye, dear," Aunt Andromeda said, smiling warmly.

"See you later, Astra. Have fun. Don't let James make you too wild," Victoire said, then blew a kiss to Teddy, who grinned and pretended to catch it and put it in his pocket before I shoved him out the door.

"So, how does side-along apparition work?" I asked as we walked out into the lawn. There were trees surrounding us, and it was really pretty and peaceful, but ignored all of that. I was about to apparate! Even if it was only side-along.

Teddy offered me his arm. "Just hold on tight. Don't let go, whatever you do, or you'll end up splinched, and that would be really painful and inconvenient."

"All right." I took his arm, and clutched right to my bag. "Will it hurt?"

Teddy looked down at me, as if trying to decide how I'd measure up against it. "Probably. But it's fast. Ready?"

"Of course." I tightened my grip on Teddy's arm ever so slightly.

"All right. Three, two, one, go!"

As he said that, he turned on his heel and everything went black. I was pressed down on from all sides. I couldn't breathe. It was like I was being forced through a wire, or a tight tube. Suddenly, the sensation was gone, light was back, and I fell to my knees on the ground, feeling like I was about to vomit.

"Everything all right?" Teddy asked casually, standing above me.

I nodded, breathing heavily, and pushed myself back to my feet. "That was fun."

Teddy chuckled. "I'm sure. Come on."

I looked up and saw, not my house, but the Potters' house, complete with its countless window boxes full of colorful flowers and magical rooster weather vane that was strutting about the roof. As I was taking it all in, the front door burst open, and James, Albus, Lily, and Eviana Clausen came running out to greet me.

"Teddy! I didn't know you were coming!" James said as they reached us.

"Just dropping her off," he said, grinning.

"We thought she'd just Floo here," Lily said, staring at me in awe. She was holding her fluffy orange cat, Peregrin, but held him out to me as she spoke. I stroked his head as James started talking.

"You apparated? No fair," James said, shaking his head. "Teddy, can't you apparate with me somewhere?"

"Maybe if you were my poor, friendless little cousin..." Teddy grinned as I punched him in the arm.

"I'm not friendless! And I wouldn't call myself poor, either."

"Okay, okay, sorry kiddo. Anyway, I've got to be going. I'll see you later, all right?"

There was a chorus of goodbyes as Teddy turned again and disapparated, leaving the five of us alone. Lily and Eviana quickly pulled me into the house and upstairs to the guest room to put my bag and Peregrin down. Then, I let them lead me downstairs to the kitchen, where Mrs. Potter was sitting at the table, typing on a laptop while a pot stirred itself on the stove.

"Mum, she's here!" Lily exclaimed.

Mrs. Potter looked up from her work, then stood up to greet me. "Oh, Astra, how nice to see you." She gave me a hug, then held me at arm's length. "Good, Andromeda's taking care of you."

"What? Why wouldn't she be?"

"Oh, no, that's not what I meant." Mrs. Potter shook her head. "Those Lewises, though..."

I squirmed uncomfortably, and threw around for another topic. "Um... I didn't know wizards used laptops..."

Mrs. Potter let go of me and turned back to her computer. "Oh, right. Well, most of them don't, but I find typing is a lot easier than any spell. I've got almost the whole Daily Prophet onto it, now."

"Mum's revolutionizing the art of news-making," James said dramatically. "If only she'd use all that influence to get us into that trial..."

"I'll revolutionize the art of mothering and make you sleep on the roof for the rest of the holidays if you don't stop that, James," Mrs. Potter said, rolling her eyes. Eviana and Lily exchanged a confused look, then left as soon as possible. James rolled his eyes at me from behind his mum's back, then made a face.

"James, I saw that," Mrs. Potter said, turning to frown at a boy who looked completely innocent now.

"Hey, Mum, when's Colette coming?" Albus cut in, sending James a warning look.

"Late this afternoon. In time for dinner. Now, shoo, I need to write."

I followed James and Albus out of the kitchen. "I didn't know Colette was coming."

"Oh, yeah, she's staying for dinner with her dad," Albus said, shrugging.

"Perfect." I grinned. "Maybe she'll think of a way to get us to that trial."

We spent the afternoon playing Quidditch. I hadn't been able to play since the holidays began, because with Teddy gone all day and Victoire (the only other person in the house fit to ride a broomstick) not caring to play, I'd been quite alone whenever I'd wanted to ride. It was nice to zip around the Potter's garden, tossing the Quaffle back and forth.

Lily and Eviana were walking around outside, but declined our offers to let them join us. Quietly, I asked Albus how Lily had been coping. He shrugged. "Well enough, I suppose. She's a lot quieter. I've caught her crying at night. But she's trying to be brave."

I couldn't help the twinge of guilt I felt every time I saw the two girls. I'd been assured by everyone I knew that it wasn't my fault Evie Haughland had died at the end of last term, but I knew her ghost would always haunt me (metaphorically, at least. To my knowledge, Evie hadn't come back as an actual ghost). Lily and Eviana had obviously taken her death the hardest. I didn't know how to help them, though I wished I could.

"Colette's here!" James shouted around six. We quickly stowed our brooms in the Potters' shed and ran towards the house. I'd missed Colette, too. She was a very nice person, in spite of her bluntness and lack of sympathy. As we ran through the kitchen door, out of breath and hot, she simply met us with her eyebrows raised in amusement.

"Lovely to see you all. Might I suggest a little more exercise?"

"Oh, shut it," James said, breathing heavily. "It's not a short walk..."

"Up a hill, too!" Albus added.

Colette rolled her eyes, then hugged me and shook hands with the boys. "I'm sure it was a very difficult run, don't mind me."

James rolled his eyes, then turned to see his mum. "When'll dinner be?"

"Twenty minutes. So don't run off and start a new game of Quidditch or something."

James nodded and led the way past Mr. Potter, who smiled at me as I passed, and Colette's father, out the kitchen door. From there, we ran up two flights of stairs, then the spiral staircase leading to the circular tower room. As we emerged at the top, Colette asked, "What's the news, then?"

"Well, of course you've heard about the trial," James said, and Colette nodded affirmation. "Well, we've got to find a way to sneak in, because Dad and Mrs. Tonks said we're not allowed to go. I was think—"

"Whoa, hold on." Colette shook her head. "If they don't want you to go, then you shouldn't."

"Are you going?"

"Of course not. I didn't even know Wren."

I somehow always forgot that. I knew Colette had come during second year, but over the past year I'd gotten so used to her that it seemed like she'd always been there. It was a bit strange to remember that there was a huge part of my Hogwarts life she hadn't even been there for.

"Wait, are you actually agreeing with Dad?" James was asking.

"Of course. None of you should be there. It wouldn't do any of you any good."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked.

"It will simply make you upset. Especially if this goes the way everyone thinks it will go, and she winds up in Azkaban for life."

My eyes widened. "What? Azkaban? But... She's just a kid! They can't do that to her!"

"They can do anything they want. And with the new minister, she couldn't have chosen a worse time to get caught."

"Would they really do that?" Albus asked, staring at Colette in horror.

"It's happened before. Not here, in Britain, but internationally. And since Hestia Carrow was a huge supporter of those laws about underage use of the unforgivable curses, you know she'll make this a big deal. Get the whole Wizengamot involved. And she can, too. Because she's the minister."

"But..." I glanced helplessly at James and Al. "Wren doesn't stand a chance?"

"Well, not much of one. I mean, if your dad actually plans to defend her, she might—"

"He does," James cut in.

"—but otherwise, not really." Colette fidgeted a little. "Honestly, though... Isn't that for the best? Sure, Azkaban is harsh, but she did terrible things..."

"No, she was forced to do terrible things!" I exclaimed. "There's a difference."

Colette sighed. "But how do you know she was really forced?"

I stared at Colette. Was she serious? Had my dreams proved nothing? But, we still didn't know what my dreams were. I quickly gave the answer I'd always given before my dreams. "She wasn't able to torture James."

"Exactly," James chimed in. "She tried, but she didn't mean it."

Colette rolled her eyes. "She could have been acting! We already know she was a liar. Why couldn't that have been one, too?"

"You weren't there! She wasn't lying!"

"Astra, I know you were close to her, but you have to be rational!"

"I am being rational!" I shouted, but quickly lost momentum as I continued. "You didn't see her! I did! James did! You... You weren't there, all right?"

Colette shook her head. "All right. Believe what you want. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get you worked up."

Albus scooted a bit closer to me. "Whatever is true, Dad'll find out. And he'll make sure everything turns out all right."

"Exactly." James grinned. "And I don't care what you say, Colette. Albus, Astra, and I will be there to see it."

For the rest of the evening, the topic of Wren was avoided all together. My friends interrogated me fully about my aunt and Teddy and Victoire. I, in turn, had them explain about their holidays down to the minutest detail. By the time Colette left, we were getting along as if nothing had ever happened.

Of course, as soon as she was gone we started going through possible options. Unfortunately, there weren't many. The only way we'd be able to get there was by Floo powder, because the visitor entrance to the Ministry wouldn't work unless we were supposed to be there, which technically, we weren't. Anyway, James and Albus didn't know where it was. And once we got in the Ministry, it was a whole new kind of trouble. James and Al were incredibly recognizable because of how much they resembled their dad. I wasn't in too much danger, but anyone who remembered my face from a few weeks ago in the Prophet would probably wonder what I was doing at the Ministry alone, too.

So, the next three days went by, and our ideas got increasingly wilder and more implausible. By the afternoon before the trial, even James had almost given up.

"We could plant a small, controlled explosion in one fireplace and sneak in through another in our disguises," James suggested half-heartedly.

"What disguises?" Albus asked, bored.

"And how would we do that without getting caught?"

James sighed. "This is hopeless."

"I wish I was seventeen," James said after a minute. "I'd be able to go and Dad wouldn't be able to stop me."

"I just wish it was over," I said, leaning back against Al's bed. "I'm sick of waiting."

"Dinner!" Lily shouted up the stairs. Lethargically, we all stood up and trudged down to the kitchen, where Mr. and Mrs. Potter seemed more distracted than I'd ever seen them. Lily and Eviana were the only ones immune to the waiting, it seemed. As Mrs. Potter levitated plates over to the table, Mr. Potter skimmed a piece of paper, his lips moving silently as he read. Albus, James, and I sat down, and James didn't even ask about going to the trial.

"Harry, can you put that away while we eat?" Mrs. Potter asked quietly once we were all seated.

Mr. Potter looked up, and seemed surprised to find food on the table and the rest of us gathered around it. He put the papers to the side, though. "Right. Let's eat."

I'd only just taken a bite of my shepherd's pie when someone rapped on the back door. We all stopped to stare at it. "Who could that be?" Mrs. Potter wondered aloud.

Mr. Potter got up to answer it. We all watched curiously as he opened the door, and I heard an audible gasp when we saw who it was.

Our headmaster, Professor Pouri, was standing on the step, but he quickly stepped inside. "Harry, I need to talk to you. And Ginny, too."

Mrs. Potter was standing up, a worried look on her face. "Is everything all right?"

Pouri glanced at us. "It will be."

"Here, my office," Mr. Potter said, leading the way out of the kitchen. Mrs. Potter and Pouri followed, leaving us quite alone.

As soon as they were out of the room, James jumped up and ran to the door. Instead of going out, he pressed his ear to it. After a few seconds, he looked up. "Coast is clear. Come on, I've got some Extendable Ears upstairs."

"You're not allowed to have those!" Albus exclaimed.

"Fred gave them to me." James shrugged. "It's rude to refuse a gift. Anyway, we need to know what they're talking about."

"No, we don't, or they would have discussed it right here, in the kitchen." Albus crossed his arms, frowning at his brother.

"Fine, you stay here, then. Astra and I will go by ourselves. Come on." I got up to follow him out the door. We were already halfway up the stairs when Albus burst out of the kitchen door and quietly caught up with us.

"Shh," James cautioned, though we didn't really need the warning. We crept down the hall and into James's room. There, he pulled up a floorboard that was loose and pulled a box of extendable ears out of the hole beneath. He handed one to each of us and shoved the remaining back in the hole, then quickly replaced the floorboard as we started downstairs.

Once we'd reached the office door, we put the ends of the flesh-colored strings into our ears and shoved the extendable ears under the door. In a few second, Mr. Potter's voice was heard on the end of my string.

"Brutus, I don't know..."

"If your evidence isn't enough to convince them, and I hate to say that it probably won't be, they'll settle for nothing less than eyewitnesses."

"Can't they just write the testimonies out?" Mrs. Potter asked. "I don't want James to see the trial. And I know Andromeda won't want Astra there."

"Astra and James are probably the best chance the girl has. They witnessed several of the attacks, interrupted a few more; they were the first ones on the scene when she claimed her memory had been modified, and they saw her escape. If anyone knows anything that can convince the Wizengamot, it's them."

I was staring at James, a feeling of dread forming in the out of my stomach. Them wanted us to go testify. James turned to me, an opposite light of excitement in his eyes. It quickly was replaced by confusion when he saw my expression.

"Ginny, he has a point," Mr. Potter said, sighing. "I've been considering it too, actually."

"Harry, no—"

"Think about it. They're old enough to see this. They'll be all right."

"They are not old enough to see it! Astra is only thirteen, and James is fifteen, and that's not old enough for anything that goes on in a court."

"They won't be the only children there. Rose has to go. The Minister is requiring all victims go to testify."

"Well, screw that, because James and Astra are staying right here. I feel bad for Hermione, but I'm not letting James go!"

"They're key witnesses!" Pouri exclaimed. "Are you going to let Hestia Carrow sentence a little girl to Azkaban? When you could have stopped it? Will you have that weighing on your conscience?"

There was silence. Finally, I heard Mrs. Potter sigh. "Fine. Just... Harry, don't let them see anything that would hurt them."

"Of course I won't."

"Wonderful!" Pouri exclaimed. "I've already talked to Andromeda—"

"You have?"

"—and she agreed that this would be the best thing we could do. Well, I'll see you tomorrow, Harry. Let's pray all of this doesn't fall on deaf ears tomorrow."

Footsteps were coming closer. James, Albus, and I tugged the ears out of the office and quickly scrambled back to the kitchen, stuffing them our pockets as we went. James was practically skipping. Albus looked more disappointed than I'd ever seen him, but I didn't have time to say anything, because as soon as we'd sat down, the kitchen door opened and the three adults came back in.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay for dinner?" Mrs. Potter asked as Pouri walked towards the door.

"No, no, I'll let you get back to your family." He smiled at us, then walked out the door. We heard the pop of him disapparating as Mr. and Mrs. Potter sat down.

For a long moment, there was silence. The two adults seemed to be waging a silent war across the table, probably decided who would break the news. Finally, Mr. Potter gave in. "Well, Professor Pouri came to tell us that we were missing some key witnesses," he said, running his hand through his hair. "Two, in fact. Astra and James... You two might need to testify tomorrow..."

James jumped up, knocking over his chair, and did a victory dance. I could only stare at Albus, sitting across from me. He was staring down at his plate, blinking quickly.

"So, you two will be leaving with me tomorrow. Just answer anything they ask you truthfully—"

"Except if she was under the Imperius Curse?" James asked.

"She was under the Imperius Curse, so I don't see why you'd have to lie about that," Mr. Potter said warningly. I remembered the cover story Professor McGonagall had told us about first year. We were supposed to say she'd been under the Imperius Curse, because that was the only exception to the law.

"Right, of course," James said, grinning.

"Can't Albus go, too?" I found myself asking. He glanced up, smiling gratefully at me.

Mr. Potter seemed to study Albus and me. Mrs. Potter answered before he could. "Absolutely not."

"What? Why?" James asked.

"Because he doesn't have to be there, so he won't be."

"That's not fair!"

"You're going to tell me what's not fair?" Mrs. Potter narrowed her eyes. "James, I can still choose to keep you here. Astra can go by herself. I will not have all my children out at that trial. You have to go, but Albus doesn't!"

James sighed and crossed his arms. He only remained upset for a moment, though. A second after he was just as excited as before. Albus, meanwhile, was glumly moving his corn around on his plate with his fork.

Dinner was very awkward. Mrs. Potter seemed quite annoyed that James and I would be going. James had turned oblivious to his brother's disappointment, and was talking away about what he thought it might be like. Lily and Eviana were ignoring everyone and whispering together. Mr. Potter was checking his notes in his lap under the table. Albus didn't eat anything at all. However, when I asked him if he was okay after dinner, he was quick to say yes and smile. It didn't reach his his eyes.

I had mixed feelings. Of course, I didn't want Al to stay behind. And I didn't exactly feel excited about testifying in front of the entire Wizengamot. However, my excitement at going was quickly trumping all that. As I climbed into bed, I already knew I wouldn't sleep at all.

~~~~

Question of the Day: Which would you prefer: Jastra or Astralbus? Why? I've asked it before but I'll ask it again now, because it's been a while and I want to see how your feelings have changed.

Vote and comment! Anyone excited for the trial?

~Ellie