Sorry this took so long! I'm taking my permit test Monday, so I've been studying for it! And for some reason it took me forever to get this chapter started.

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Those detentions were probably the worst I'd ever had. Not because I had to do anything hard - I spent the whole time dusting Professor Pouri's office the muggle way - but because Professor Pouri spent most of that time lecturing me on the importance of rules and why I needed to change my attitude towards them (and my attitude in general, really). Of course, that only made me even more determined to break every rule I possibly could.

The worst part of the detentions, though, was that they were scheduled so I missed Quidditch practice, which Jaycee Bell was not happy about at all. With our first game against Slytherin coming up, and a new Chaser to train, I really needed to be there. Sure, Brooke and Albus could fill in for me, but neither of them was fast enough to be a Seeker. There was nothing I could do, though. As long as I behaved at least until our first game against Slytherin - just one week - everything would be fine.

"Behaving" was a lot harder than sounds.

The day after my last detention, Al and I were almost late to Defense Against the Dark Arts. It was most definitely Jaycee's fault, because she stopped us in the hall to tell me that if I didn't show up, she'd have Ryan Ham come back lead practice, just so he could yell at me. I told her that that sounded awesome; I loved Ryan. Jaycee just sighed and told me I needed to be there.

When Albus and I walked in, the only remaining seats were near the front, or one in the back next to Colette. We chose the front seats, of course. As we sat down, Professor Potter cleared his throat.

"Thank you for joining us," he said, frowning at us.

Albus's face got red and he slid down in his seat. I just smiled and said, "No problem, sir. Happy to."

Professor Potter shook his head at me, giving me the half-amused look he gave James whenever he was acting up like that. "Anyway, students, please open your books to chapter 5. We will be studying werewolves this week."

He paused as the rustling of pages turning filled the room. When it was fairly quiet once again, Professor Potter asked, "Does anyone know what a werewolf is?"

I glanced to the side to watch Rose raise her hand. Normally, she was one of the only ones who ever answered these questions. Most people were either not paying attention, or didn't want to answer in front of the class. At least, I hoped those were the reasons. Surely everyone knew what a werewolf was...

"Yes, Rose?"

"A werewolf is a human being who becomes a fearsome and deadly near-wolf every full moon. This is caused by infection with lycanthropy, also known as werewolfry."

"Very good," he said, smiling. "Your mother would be proud." Rose beamed.

The professor turned to address the rest of the class once more. "What Rose said is exactly right. Werewolves are humans who, through absolutely no fault of their own, turn into a near-wolf once a month, on the full moon. Now, today we're going to be talking about how they aren't truly dangerous normally, and how the prejudices against them are outdated and wro-"

Ciara's hand flew into the air.

Professor Potter raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"I thought werewolves were highly dangerous," she said steadily. "They can kill you. They don't even recognize their friends or family when they're wolves."

"And are they always wolves?" asked Professor Potter.

"No, but they're still a threat. That's why they have a hard time making a living, my father says. Because they're a threat to themselves and everyone around them. And, of course, they aren't fully human.."

"They are about as much a threat in human form as I am," Professor Pitter said coldly. "And humans, werewolves included, have the amazing capability of determining when the full moon is, Miss Malfoy. As I was going to mention a few minutes ago, with a Wolfsbane potion, werewolves can even retain their human brain while transformed. Take Remus Lupin, for example. I'm sure you've all heard of him." Most people nodded. "He was a werewolf, and yet he was the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher the school had had in thirty years. Never once did he put any of the students in danger."

"But he was still a werewolf... And aren't a lot of them uncivilized, like that Fenrir Greyback in the War? Don't a lot of them hate normal people just because we don't have their...condition? And my father said Mr. Lupin was fired when everyone found out he was a werewolf. If Dumbledore fired him-"

"Dumbledore did not fire Remus Lupin. If you would like to know about him, or werewolves in general, I suggest you go talk to your cousin. I don't think Teddy would appreciate anything you've just implied about his father, Miss Malfoy." It seemed like Professor Potter was having a hard time not snapping at her.

Ciara raised her hand again. "But, still-"

"Would you please allow me to teach my class? Ten points from Slytherin."

Ciara muttered something and crossed her arms.

"What was that?" Professor Potter asked.

"Nothing."

"I thought so. As I was saying, a Wolfsbane potion can help a werewolf keep his human brain during a transformation." Professor Potter went on to explain how werewolves really aren't that dangerous, and that the Ministry of Magic had even passed pro-werewolf laws to fight back at some of the long engrained prejudices.

I listened, not really paying a lot of attention. I'd heard all about werewolves from Teddy over Christmas break last year. He said he didn't care if his father had been one, even if some people did.

After class, as Albus and I gathered our things, I overheard Ciara complaining to Nico about the lesson.

"If my father knew what kind of garbage Professor Potter was teaching, he'd get him fired."

"I doubt that," I said.

"I bet your dad wouldn't do anything at all," Al said boldly.

Ciara turned to us in surprise. "Was I talking to you?"

"If you want a private conversation, don't have it in public."

"I suppose you'd know all about private conversations," Nico said, smirking. "Well, maybe not any more. Did James Potter lose interest?"

I blinked. What was he talking about? It took me a second to remember. I'd almost forgotten about those rumors...

"Shut up!" Albus said, pointing his wand at Nico. "Those are all lies!" I'd never seen Albus do anything like that, and Nico hadn't either. All of us stared at him, shocked.

Nico was the first to recover. He grinned, and rolled his eyes. "I'm not scared of you, Potter."

"You should be," I said. "Albus has top marks in this class." It was true. Al's best class was Defense Against the Dark Arts. Which was surprising to just about everyone.

"So leave Astra alone!"

Ciara rolled her eyes. "Come on, Nico. I'm going to be late for practice." They both left quickly, leaving Al and me behind.

"Practice?" Albus wondered out loud.

"Come on. I'm going to be late for Quidditch."

Albus, as a back-up player, was required at every practice. He normally wouldn't have a lot to do, but he and Brooke Hall had been switching out on taking my place while I was gone. Albus had been keeping me informed on what I missed. Normally, I could have counted on James to do that, but he seemed to be spending more and more time chasing after Mackenzie, and forgetting about his other friends. Was this what all people who were in love acted like? It was so annoying.

When Albus and I got to practice, Jaycee hugged me then set me up on my broom. Most of the team hadn't even shown up yet, but Jaycee released the Snitch and told me I had to make up for lost time. I spent the afternoon chasing the Snitch. By supper, I saw a little golden ball whenever I closed my eyes.

The next week was spent practicing for the game and trying to stay on top of my assignments, which I hadn't been doing well with. I really needed Wren... Last year she had always made sure Albus and I got our work done. Now, I suppose I had Rose, but she had been spending a lot of time trailing Victoire. She wanted to know how a Headgirl acted so she could be one in her seventh year.

The night before the game, though, I convinced her to help me with our Astronomy assignment. I knew nothing about the stars, and she did, so I was perfectly fine with letting her give me the answers. We sat on my bed as I copied from her chart. Rose was going on and on and the constellations, and I was half-listening. I supposed I should be very interested in the stars, based on my name, and I thought they were beautiful, but I couldn't care less what they were called or how they fit into constellations. It interested me about as much as the Goblin Rebellion of 1734.

Luckily, Lacy and Iris walked in, making Rose cut off her oh-so-interesting astronomy lesson to say hello. Iris simply waved, but Lacy smirked and said, "Hey Rose. Hey Astra, did you know your boyfriend's downstairs flirting with Mackenzie?"

"I don't have a boyfriend," I said irritably.

"You and James were made to be."

I rolled my eyes. "It's not going to happen."

"Whatever, Astra," Lacy said, smiling. She grabbed a book off her bed and headed for the door. "When it does, I'll make sure to say I told you so."

Rose raised an eyebrow at me as the door swung shut behind Lacy and Iris. "You might be able to fool Lacy, but I'm not buying it."

I rolled my eyes. "You're crazy."

Rose giggled. "Astra, it's obvious to everyone, except James, and you. Just admit it. You like him."

I stared at her. Maybe...maybe she was right. Maybe I did. "Is it really that obvious?"

"Almost as obvious as me with Scorpius."

I smiled at that. If Rose could admit it, I could too. "All right, then, I like him." After a pause, I fixed a glare on her. "If you tell anyone, I'm hexing you into next week."

Her hands flew up, and she started laughing. "Your secret's safe with me."

It felt relieving to finally admit that to myself. I liked James Potter. If only he liked me, too.

The next morning, I was in the Great Hall before most of my classmates. Jaycee wanted us down at the pitch early, and I didn't want to rush through breakfast, so I had settled on simply waking up earlier than normal. As it was, the Gryffindor table was just about empty when I walked in. I caught Anna Longbottoms's eye and walked over to her.

"Hi!"

"Hey, Astra," she said, smiling shyly. I don't think she had quite gotten over the oh-my-gosh-I-know-the-girl-who-saved-the-school phase yet. A lot of the first years hadn't, really. River was the only who acted normal around me. Most of the others were star struck, I think, whenever James or I talked to them.

"Your game is today, isn't it?" Anna asked suddenly.

"Yeah. You should come! And maybe get Alyssa and some of her Ravenclaw friends to come cheer us on, too!"

Anna lost her smile when I mentioned her sister, and I briefly wondered if something had happened to twins. Did they get in a fight or something? "Are you okay?"

Anna looked surprised. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"You looked kinda upset..."

"I'm fine."

I didn't really know Anna well enough to push further, so I shrugged and smiled. "All right."

I didn't really know what to say after that, and apparently Anna didnt either. We sat in an uncomfortable silence for a few minutes, then I excused myself and ran down to the pitch.

I walked towards the large hedges Colette had hidden behind, slowing down and trying to catch my breath. I had time to walk, for sure. The match wasn't for another two hours. I hoped Anna didn't know I didn't need to be out here for a while...

Suddenly, someone jumped out right in front of me, yelling like a wild person. I screamed, and instinctively pulled my wand out, dropping my broom. Once I recognized the person, though, I pointed my wand down and frowned at him.

"James!"

James was too busy laughing to respond for a few minutes. "I...so got you..."

"That was mean!"

"And funny!" James smirked at me. He bent over to pick up my broom. "I didn't scare you too badly, did I?"

"Of course not!" I said indignantly. "You didn't scare me at all."

"Yeah, right. And that's why you screamed, I suppose."

"I didn't scream!"

"You did! You sounded like... Like Albus when he sees a spider."

"Hey!" James turned and ran as I started chasing him, waving my wand but not casting spells. By the time we reached the pitch, we were both laughing. Jaycee was the only one there, so James hopped on his broom and raced off to sky. I smiled and grabbed my own. I saw Jaycee shaking her head as I chased him through the the air.

We only landed when the rest of the team showed up. James and I tried to stop laughing as we walked over to the changing rooms. The rest of the team was disappearing through the door. Mackenzie stopped just inside it and turned back, apparently waiting for us. She looked the slightest bit upset, which made me happier. Which was wrong, but I didn't care. Unfortunately, James seemed to notice her too, and sped up. I had to sprint to keep up.

As we reached the door, James breathlessly said, "Hey, Kenzie."

Her smile looked forced as she said, "Hi, James, Astra." When she looked at me, I could clearly read her expression. Stay away from him. I smiled at her, acting oblivious. James didn't like me, so I was going to act like normal. Normal was a sibling-like relationship. So, I needed to act like I was Lily, and she was asking me to stay away from James. Basically, that needed to be a ridiculous idea.

Mackenzie and James walked through the door side by side, leaving me alone. I didn't really want to follow them, though I did anyway. I tried my best to stay as far away from Mackenzie as possible. That's easier said than done in a tight changing room with four girls.

Mackenzie kept frowning at me from across the room. Every time I looked in her direction, she quickly looked away. Once the team had gathered, dressed in our robes, she sat down right next to James, who looked immensely pleased with that. My gaze kept wandering over to them. I felt jealous. That didn't even make sense. It wasn't like I had a right to be jealous...

Needless to say, by the time the match was supposed to start, I was dying to get out of that room. We filed out, and I felt a lot better once the cool fresh air hit my face. I looked anywhere except for at Mackenzie and James. It didn't take long to spot Rose, Scorpius, and Albus in the stands. They were all waving at me, so I waved back. It was kind of funny to see Scorpius with his face painted Slytherin green, and Al with his painted Gryffindor red, sitting right next to each other. Rose had skipped the face paint, apparently, but made up for it by levitating a giant banner with her wand. Go Gryffindor!

I gave a Rose a thumbs up, and she beamed at me. Her red hair certainly fit her House, and negated the need for face paint, really. Wait, was she wearing a Slytherin scarf?

I didn't have time to double check. Caroline Long was holding my broom out to me, and Madam Hooch was waiting on us. I quickly followed Caroline over to the rest team.

I looked at our competitors for the first time then. I remembered most of them from last year, even if I couldn't remember their names. I really only knew Benjamin Flemings, the Headboy. Oh, and there was Caleb Goyle, the Seeker. He'd inadvertently taught me some tricks last year by fooling me with them a few times. For some reason, he had a Beater's club... 

The teams lined up, and Caleb took the place of a Beater. But... If he was a Beater now, who was-

Oh no.

As the rest of the team shook the hands of their rivals, I stared at Slytherin's new Seeker.

Ciara Malfoy looked immensely pleased with herself. She held her hand out civilly, but I only stared at it. How on earth had Ciara gotten on her team? How had I missed that?

My senses came back, and I quickly shook her hand. "Nice to see you," I said sarcastically. "I hope you like to lose."

"I don't think I do," she said, smiling sweetly. "It's not like I'm going to."

"You wish. I suppose you bought your way onto the team, like your dad did?"

Ciara glared at me. "No, I did not. I tried out and beat everyone else."

"Did anyone else try out?"

"Shut up."

I rolled my eyes. "If you were anywhere as good as me, you would have gotten on your House team last year, anyway."

"There weren't any openings last year."

"Poor baby," I said, trailing an invisible tear down my cheek with my finger. Ciara's eyes narrowed, and she looked like she might draw her wand. Before she could, Flemings called her over to the rest of the team.

I stomped over to ours, frowning. Today was just getting worse and worse.

James walked over to me, frowning. "That was Ciara, wasn't it?"

"Yep."

He half-smiled. "Hey, just imagine her face when you catch the Snitch before she does."

I smiled back, still a little nervous. Ciara and I together were like a ticking time bomb. I really hoped we wouldn't get into a fight in front of the whole school. Most of Gryffindor already knew I was the source of a lot of missing House points. I could only imagine what would happen if we got into a gust fight in the middle of a Quidditch match. Not that I wanted to imagine that.

Before I knew it, Madam Hooch was blowing her whistle, and we were all flying. I zoomed high above the actual game, searching for the Snitch. Ciara was across the pitch, copying my actions. I half-listened to Patrick Shaw's commentary.

"Slytherins take the Quaffle right off-Webb passes it to Miranda Wolfe-she Ducks a very good shot with the Bludger from Fred Weasley-should've hit her-she passes it to Flem-NO! JAYCEE BELL STEALS IT! GO JAYCEE! Bell throws it to new Chaser Mackenzie Walker-oh... Walker drops it... Gryffindor Caroline Long snatches it-she's getting near the goals-she throws it-YES! GRYFFINDOR SCORES!"

The score stays about even. We scored ten points, the they did, and the cycle continued. The Snitch was no where to be seen. I kept diving to keep Ciara on edge, and it worked incredibly well for a while, before she started ignoring me. All the better - once I saw the Snitch, she'd think I was just faking again.

Suddenly, I heard someone yelling my name, and looked down. James was maybe thirty yards away, screaming something at me. I couldn't hear him over the noise of the crowd - Slytherin had just scored. He was pointing behind me, though. I whirled around in time to see a black ball barreling towards me.

I narrowly missed it by literally flipping on my broom so I was hanging from it. I quickly regained my seat, but by then Fred was on one side of me and James was on the other. It took me a second to figure out why.

Slytherin's Beaters had started targeting me. I saw Goyle whiz away after the Bludger I'd dodged, and hit it back. James and Fred kept blocking them. It didn't take long for everyone else to notice.

"Goyle and Sullivan are targeting Gryffindor Seeker Astra Lewis with the Bludgers! Good save, James-there's got to be some sort of rule against that...No...There isn't? That's insane!"

What was going on? I barely had enough space to fly. I could only hope Ciara didn't see the Snitch while this was happening. She was calmly going about her business, apparently unaware of her teammates.

Fred hit one Bludger extra far out. Goyle didn't even bother chasing it down; he zoomed straight for us, wielding his club. Fred flew at him, yelling obscenities. James yelled for him to come back, but he didn't listen. Soon, one of the Slytherin Chasers flew up to Fred and started yelling at him.

The rest of our team was making a valiant effort to keep the game going. The only Slytherin who seemed at all upset by any of this was Flemings, who occasionally yelled for his team to get back to playing. They ignored him. Fred and the Slytherin Chaser were now simply flying around, screaming at each other, while Goyle had gone back to targeting me and James.

"Astra!" James yelled over the noise.

"Yeah?"

"When you see the Snitch, don't go directly for it, okay? They'll send the Bludgers towards it if you do. Five the opposite direction first, and then dodge the Bludgers and grab it, okay?"

"Got it!"

I scanned the pitch with renewed vigor. This game was probably the wildest I'd ever been in. The crowds were yelling at each other, the players were yelling at each other, and the Beaters were trying to kill me. I really just wanted this game to be over.

There! A flash of gold in my peripheral vision. I almost dove for it, but remembered James's advice. Dive the other way. So I did.

After about ten seconds, long enough to hit a Bludger at me, I turned sharply towards the Snitch. From the other direction, I saw Ciara speeding toward it. No. I was going to get the Snitch. Especially after all this.

Someone was yelling my name again, but I didn't pay attention. I stretched forward and held my arm out, reaching as far as I could. My hand closed around it, and I looked up to see the air clear in front of me. Wasn't Ciara coming from this direction?

I didn't even have time to realize we'd just won before something slammed into the back of my head and everything went black.

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Hello! How are you guys?

You all annoyed* me with your reasoning on the last chapter's question, about what House you're in! 😂 It was all so perfect and stereotypical. But hey, I'm the biggest hypocrite there is. I'm a Ravenclaw because I'm a real-life Hermione without the courage! So stereotypes are there for a reason and I love the fact that you all know where you belong!

Question of the day: Did Snape deserve his redemption arc? (If anyone doesn't know, the redemption arc was him turning out to be good the whole time.)

*When I say "annoyed," I mean that in a good way, like how friends annoy each other but it's all in fun.

By the way, remember that part in Star of Gryffindor, when Astra saw Wren for the first time after Christmas break? And Wren froze up for a second and looked terrified? A lot of people jump to the (not wrong) conclusion that she must be the attacker based on that. However, I could have had that scene whether or not she was it. It could have meant a lot of things. Maybe she was abused over the holidays. Maybe she just got some terrible news. Maybe she was not used to the noise of all her fellow students yet (after all, the two elderly people she lived with couldn't be very loud). What I don't see is how it automatically makes her the attacker! I mean, you'd think the girl who'd already used the Cruciatus Curse on her fellow first year would know better than to act like that. Care to enlighten me on your thinking?

Vote and comment please! And send in questions for the Q&A!

~Ellie