Asteria and Cedric had only spent seven days together, but Lord, had strengthened their bond like never before.. When the holidays had ended and he had returned to Hogwarts, Ria found her mind shadowed by a cloud of gloom.

Mind you, she had just found her family. She craved to spend more time with them.

And even her uncle, he had been there for her constantly. He even took days off from work sometimes, when Isabella was off for job interviews. Ria would tell them she would be okay, but that made no difference. Amos would be there, making sure his dear niece never felt alone.

Unlike while in the pandemic, her days living here had turned into a healthy schedule. It included catching up with her first-year portion (since she would join second-year directly), reading other hits in the Wizarding World, reading some of the fictional books she had brought, refining her baking skills, trying to improve her flying and Quidditch overall.

And when none of these activities bored her, she knew she was going to fit in here and do good.

Valentine's Day; her birthday had been a highlight for her. She had received a letter and some sweets from Cedric. Ria, Isabella, and Amos had celebrated the birthday with a nice dinner outside and then a movie; The Beauty and the Beast.

Yup, the classic, animated one.

Crazy, right?

The movie that Ria once thought was made way before she was even born..

She had watched it. In a movie theatre.

And it was only one of the few things she had realised and experienced till now.

By the time Isabella had found a house for them, it had been the end of July. Cedric had returned already. And even though Ria had spent much more time with him, she was upset about leaving their house.

"Wow.. we're gonna be living really far.." said Asteria distastefully. The bus ride from her uncle's house to this spot in Brighton had been almost two hours long. And even though they had arrived in the neighbourhood, they were still walking.

"You can always apparate to their house. You know that, right?" Her mother asked.

"It's not the same as living with them, though, is it?" She responded.

When the house finally got in their sight, she couldn't help but frown. "We're living here?" She looked at her mother.

"Yes.. Why? You don't like the house?" asked Isabella, her face decorated with concern.

Ria shook her head quickly. "The house looks really nice. Don't get me wrong.. But living here looks.. I don't know.. a bit lonely?" She admitted. It was a secluded, lone house at the edge of the neighbourhood. "And it's nowhere near the beach."

Isabella tilted her head, looking at her daughter with an amused smile. "I thought you hated seas and oceans."

"I don't! I love playing by the shore, in the shallow part." Ria justified. "I just.. don't like the deep, dark, mysterious, unexplored part of it.. or of any water body in general." An invisible shiver crept up her skin.

Isabella's eyes widened for a moment, and she turned to her bag to find the key. "Then let's hope you don't end up in Slytherin."

"What— Why?"

"Just do the math of our conversation."

Ria's eyes widened in horror at the different scenarios in her head. "You should not have told me that.." She whispered.

The images disappeared when a satisfying click opened the door. Isabella sighed loudly. "Home sweet home."

"Oh.. I'm blinded by the lights." said Asteria in a poetic manner, squinting her eyes at the white painted walls. Too bright..

The house was not small, but not too big either. It was nice overall. Though her prior room was painted dark grey, and the Diggory's house had pretty neutral beige, brown colours, so she was not accustomed to an all bright white house.

Isabella shook her head with a small chuckle. "Come on, let's see it."

The two roamed the house for a few minutes. It had a moderate living room, a kitchen with dining space and three bedrooms; one on the ground floor and two upstairs. Ria's room was upstairs, and almost the same size as her old room. She didn't mind it; it was perfect for her.

After a while, they came back down. "Well, it might look too big, because there's no furniture yet. And of course, we need to get a paint job. But do you like the house?" Her mother asked.

Ria nodded. "It looks good."

Isabella did not buy it. She could see on Ria's face, there were some thoughts running in her head. "Are you sure?"

Ria nodded again. "Yeah! Like I said, I like the house.. but there are no houses around, so.. looks a bit lonely."

"Well.. you'll be off to Hogwarts for most of the year.." The slight quiver in her voice made her realise she was not ready to be away from her daughter. 

"And it's a Muggle neighbourhood, so lonely house?" she chuckled. "More like fewer chances of a Muggle walking by your window and seeing you lift your sofa with a wand and screaming, and then you needing to perform a Memory Charm to make them forget so they don't tell the church." She chuckled.

Ria stared at Isabella in shock, opening and closing her mouth helplessly like a fish in water. "Okay.. what?" she said hesitantly.

There was a weird silence, where she kept staring at her while Isabella tried to look around and avoid her gaze.

"Did you really-"

"What? No! Of course, not!"

Lie. It had really happened.

"Just.. an example.. That's all!" Her mother quickly answered.

Ria moved her gaze away with a slow nod. "Okay.." She shook her head in a 'let's move past that' manner. "Anyway.. You said we were meeting someone after we saw the house."

"Oh, yes!" Isabella said, softly slapping her forehead. "How did I forget? He's a friend of mine, from Hogwarts."

Ria nodded nonchalantly as they walked out of the house.

"And he also happens to be your Godfather—"

Ria's eyes snapped towards her mother. "I have a Godfather now?!"

"You know what, Mum? This slow reveal game is getting really annoying." said Ria, her eyebrows knitted in irritation as she sat alongside her mother in Estrada's; a Muggle Restaurant.

The twist to that was.. Estrada's still existed in the future. The two had visited the place several times before. And it was the place that, according to Ria, had the best hot cocoa she had ever tasted.

So obviously, a part of her felt that Bella had brought her there to convince her.

"Like- just tell me everything already! It's annoying not knowing something about yourself when someone else does!"

"Oh, trust me, I know how that feels.." Isabella muttered to herself and closed her eyes tiredly for the umpteenth time. "Ria, I swear, I thought I told you. I've been telling you so many things over the last few months.. It just— it must've slipped my mind."

Ria slumped back in her seat, arms folded over her chest. "You did tell me about a Godfather, but about the one that died some years ago. Not the one that lived."

Isabella pursed her lips. "Yeah.. I made him your Godfather when you were seven.."

"And then, the time-travel happened." She said, and Isabella nodded in response. "That's why I probably don't remember him."

"Yes.." Her mother sighed.

"Well.. what about a Godmother? Do I have a second one as well?" She asked. She knew about her first one, Marlene McKinnon, who had died too. It made her wonder if her first Godparents were married and got into an accident together or something.

Isabella shook her head. "Nope. Just Marlene."

A waitress stopped by their table. "Sorry to keep you waiting. Your take-out will be ready in a few minutes.. Would you like to order anything else, ma'am?"

"Yes, please. A hot cocoa, with marshmallows, if it's available?"

The waitress smiled. "Sure, ma'am."

Ria squinted her eyes at her. "I know what you're trying to do."

Innocently, Bella looked at her with her watery, amber eyes. "I am sorry?"

Her daughter huffed, uncrossing her arms. "It's okay." She hated how well Estrada's hot cocoa worked for her.

"Mum.." Asteria called out, which was responded by a 'hmm'. "It's 1992 right?" She asked.

Her mother surveyed her face, not knowing where the question was going. "Yeah, why?" She asked.

Ria nodded. "Say if I really wished to visit Wales.."

Isabella nodded in realisation. She knew exactly where it was going.

"Honey, you can't track people down."

Ria's expression dropped at this, but she quickly retrieved them back. "Who said that? Wales is just a really beautiful place. It's known for beaches, mountains.. and the culture.."

"And a certain Miss. Marina Diamandis?" Isabella gave her a daring smile. "I love her songs, too. But no."

Ria pouted angrily at how her mother had exposed her. "Okay, then, maybe Doncaster-"

"No, we aren't kidnapping Louis Tomlinson."

Ria threw her hands in the air, frustrated. "Are you a mind reader or something?"

Isabella chuckled at her question, though Ria didn't know if it was out of amusement or nervousness. "I'm your mother, Asteria Marlene. I know you more than you know yourself."

Ria sighed and crossed her arms again. "You're no fun."

But then, the hot cocoa arrived.

Oh, Estrada's hot cocoa..

"Thank you." Isabella politely nodded at the waitress. She looked at her daughter and slowly slid the mug towards her. With a roll of her eyes, Ria lifted it to her mouth. And the first sip transferred her to heaven.

"God, it tastes the same! It's so good!" Isabella smiled at her daughter in adoration.

Soon enough, the bell on the restaurant's door tinkled, indicating that someone had entered. Ria was too focused on the hot cocoa, but her mother's eyes quickly averted there. She gave him a small smile.

"Long time, Isabella.." She said as she left her seat to hug her friend.

Ria's eyes finally moved onto her godfather. She whimpered, jumping in her seat at the sight of dark hair, black clothes and a crooked nose. Her mother instantly looked at her in concern, and the man just raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, jeez.." She rested her hand on her chest, trying to calm her racing heart. "That was so horrible of me. I— I'm so sorry, I didn't mean that. Just— Just got a.. bit of a jumpscare." Ria chuckled nervously.

He looked at Isabella, who just pursed her lips in a line to hide a smile. "Ria.. Meet Severus Snape." she said. "My old friend from school, and your Godfather."

Asteria gave him a tight smile and an awkward wave. And from Severus, there was what someone would call a horrible attempt at a smile.

So.. this is the Godfather who lived? She thought.

Severus turned to her, again with his small smile. "Yes Asteria, I am the Godfather, who lived."

Ria snapped her head in another direction. Oh, snap..

Isabella looked down at his clothes with an amused smile. He was wearing a black shirt and black trousers. "No shadow cloak, today, Severus? Warming up to the Muggle trends, I suppose?"

Severus gave her a subtle glare. "I am not wearing this ever again." He said, emphasising on every word in his bitter tone.

Bella chuckled, then looked at her daughter. "Come on, our order's probably ready. We're going to his home for lunch."

Ria nodded slowly, drinking the rest of her cocoa and getting up.

"You two go ahead, I'll take the food and catch up." said Isabella, leaving her daughter to bond with her Godfather.

There was an awkward silence, where neither knew what to say. Ria couldn't help but judge him by the way he looked. And she felt horrible about that.

But then, she noticed how greasy his hair was..

He could use a bit of hygiene, though.

Finally, Ria decided to break the ice. "Hello."

Severus looked at her, almost surprised that she had spoken to him. He nodded in response.

Though that didn't satisfy her. She had expected more than a nod.

"Uhm— hello?" She greeted him again.

Silence..

"You know, I would've appreciated a proper response." She said in all honesty.

He still didn't reply. He wasn't used to proper interaction with children, other than teaching, of course.

Ria sighed in defeat. "So.. what happened?" She asked, almost curiously.

Severus slowly looked at her. He didn't know what she meant.

"Something definitely happened." Ria said, her tone insisting. "Was it an accident? A murder attempt? Or a silly, embarrassing incident?"

He refrained his eyes from widening. "I don't understand."

"Your damaged voice box, since you speak that little." She answered in an obvious tone.

Snape rolled his eyes and began walking. He couldn't understand if her tone was serious or sarcastic. Merlin, it was like dealing with Isabella all over again.

"If you're only going to speak at my funeral, I better die right now." Ria caught up with him. "I'm not patient enough to wait for another 70 years or something."

Again. Silence.

"Oh Lord, what a witty and clever response. Nothing. So philosophical." She commented, making him throw a pointed look at her.

"Come on! Lighten up. What's wrong?" She asked, truly intrigued.

He stopped quickly. "I don't share my problems with children, so now if you're finished making your nonsense jokes, let's leave." He snapped at the girl, shocking her.

"You can talk? And you can talk fast?" She asked in disbelief, trying hard to hide her witty smile.

Snape suppressed his frustrated sigh and began walking again. And yet again, she followed.

She felt excited. Generally, she liked people that matched her energy, and Severus was not one of them. But trying to break him out of his shell was going to be the real adventure of their relationship.

"What do you do? You know, as a job?" She asked genuinely. He didn't answer.

Rude.

"Can I call you Sev?" asked Ria. Severus stopped again and looked at her, dramatically flipping his hair while doing so. Ria found this action of his quite entertaining.

"Absolutely, no." He said, continuing his walk again.

"But—"

"I said no."

Now, her tone was a bit alarmed. "At least listen, Sev—"

He stopped and looked at her again, making her stop abruptly. "Don't." He said in a dangerously slow tone. Ria nodded slowly.

Severus nodded in response and walked straight into the glass door, slamming his forehead. Asteria let out a loud laugh, but snapped her mouth shut when he glared at her, rubbing his forehead.

"I was— uh— I was going to.. warn you about that.." She answered, still trying to suppress her smile.

Severus shook his head in disappointment and walked out. Ria sniggered. 

Oh, this was going to be fun.

Some minutes later, Asteria found herself at the dining table in Severus's house along with her mother. The three of them were having their lunch peacefully.

Peacefully.. that was only Isabella.

Asteria was thinking of numerous ways she could use to get Severus to talk about his phobia or allergy to children. She had even come up with a song at one point. While Snape was wondering what was going on in the little demon's head.

No, he hadn't tried to read her mind again. He knew if he did, her mother would know.

And she could be pretty scary if aggravated.

"So!" Ria's excited voice surprised him, but he didn't show. "I know you are friends since Hogwarts.. but how did you actually meet? Like— what's the story behind?"

She was actually really curious.. because she knew her mother's taste in people.

And Snape did not fit the category.

"Hmm.." Her mother nodded, gulping the food in her mouth. "You see.. we have actually been friends since before Hogwarts... since we were nine, actually."

Ria nodded, turning to Severus. He stared at her, a little taken aback that she did not seem to have devilish thoughts behind her innocent face.

"We lived a few blocks away from each other." He answered. She did not taunt him back. And Severus felt like talking a bit more. "We used to play together until—"

"—we moved." Isabella completed the sentence, making both of them look at her. "Until our family moved away."

"Wow.." Ria chuckled softly. "And then you met each other in Hogwarts again? Must be great, right? Reuniting with your friend?"

She smiled with a small nod. "Yeah.. I was on cloud nine when I saw them again."

Ria didn't register what she had said until some seconds passed by. But Severus quickly did, and he gave his friend a look.

"Them?" asked Ria. "Who were the other friends?"

"Only one. Her name was Lily." Her mother smiled. "One of the kindest girls I ever met in my life. And one of my close friends too. In fact, I met Severus because of her—"

"Pardon me." Severus interrupted, leaving his chair and swiftly walking out of the room. And through the awkward silence, Ria looked at her mother with a raised eyebrow.

"While in school.." she started, "Lily and I fell out with Severus. It was a nasty argument. But years later, Severus and I decided to leave it behind.." Her eyes started tearing up. "But he didn't get that chance with Lily. Too late.."

Asteria reached out to hold her hand, which made Bella smile softly as she blinked her tears away. "It was an unfortunate. I reckon that still pains him." She said.

"Fair enough." Ria nodded, retrieving her hand. "Was he always like this.. or?" she trailed off.

"Kind of.. But family problems, influence, other things.." Isabella answered with a sigh. "They all added to it."

She felt bad for every falling out she had ever had with a friend. Some of them turned into strangers, some into enemies, some of them were lost forever. She had all the time in the world to process the grief. But it felt like anything other than holding on wouldn't be enough.

Isabella looked at her daughter. Every time she looked at her, she saw his face. "Can I ask you for something?"

Although intrigued by the question, Ria quickly nodded. "Sure."

"No matter what House you're sorted in.. no matter what kind of people you're surrounded with. You wouldn't let them change you, and you know what kind of change I mean by that."

Ria nodded with a smile. "Yeah. I won't."

Isabella smiled proudly, reaching her hand out to ruffle her hair. "That's my girl."

"I.." said Snape as he returned to the table. "Had a Potion on the boiler. I had to attend to that."

"You brew Potions?" Asteria's surprise was clearly laced in her tone.

"Oh, yes, he does." replied Isabella, "One of the best Potion makers I've ever met.. and he's also the Potions' Master at Hogwarts."

Ria looked at him with an excited smile, and Severus prepared himself for another snarky comment. "That's so cool!"

Her compliment didn't sit right with his ears. Had he heard her right?

"Pardon?"

"I said, that's really cool!" Ria repeated. "How do you make them? Can you teach me?" Her enthusiasm was brewing out of her mind's cauldron.

Severus scrunched his eyebrows in disbelief. "You want me to teach you..?"

Ria tilted her head, staring at him with a judgemental face. "Duh! Aren't you a teacher?" she asked. "And yeah! Of course! Who'd best teach me Potions than one of the best Potion makers my Mum has ever met?"

He looked at her mother, who gave him an apologetic look. "She's a bit competitive." she whispered to him.

Severus's lips curled up ever so slightly. Could she do well in Slytherin?

"Right after lunch, then?" He asked, and his goddaughter eagerly nodded.

She joyously turned back to her lunch. She always wanted to brew a Potion that granted her three wishes.

Severus cleared his throat and leaned slightly closer to her. "There is no such Potion."

The tip of her ears tinged red. "Oh— okay."

While their conversation continued, Isabella had been frozen in her place, thinking about something. "What date is it today?"

"The 28th of July."

Her mouth fell open in realisation. She had been so busy with their new house that it had almost slipped her mind. "Severus, can I borrow your owl for one quick letter, please?" She asked. "It's really important that I send it today."

"First room down the hallway." He answered, and almost immediately, Isabella rushed out of the room.

"Can I be honest?" Ria asked with a sigh. "I'm sorry for being so annoying earlier. I just like to keep people in my life entertained, so they don't get bored with me and leave." She chuckled.

Snape choked on his juice, taken aback by her humour. That was slightly concerning for a twelve-year-old..

"Anyway.. let's start new, yeah?" Asteria asked, putting her hand forward. "You first."

Snape looked at her hand, then her face, and then her hand again. He then shook hands with her. "I am Severus Snape. Your Godfather." His statement had the tone of a question.

"Hello, Godfather." She greeted back with a smile. "I'm Asteria Edwards, your Goddaughter."

Severus was going to retrieve his hand, but Ria kept speaking, her grip tighter than before. "And as my Godfather, there is something you should know about me; one of the many things I dislike with burning passion, is invasion of privacy!"

His eyes widened at her sudden shout. " You, Severus Snape, have outdone yourself not once, but twice, by looking into the mind of a twelve-year-old! Do you know how creepy that is?"

Severus opened his mouth to speak, but Ria hadn't finished yet. "Now, you swear to me, that you will never read my mind, ever again!"

"Asteria—"

"Now!"

"You have my word." He said quickly, just so she could stop whining.

Ria leaned a tad bit closer to him, glaring up at him. "And trust me, if you do. I'll know. And I'm not kidding."

It was true. There was something about Ria's subconscious.. She had the most precise intuitions in unfavourable conditions. It told her when to confront and when to back out.

Now she knew it was because of her magical nature, of course.

But she always listened to her intuitions.

Severus did not dare to look through her mind again, for some reason. Maybe because he had known some of the brutal-natured wizards from her bloodline; the prime example being her mother and her grandmother. But then again, it might be the fact that he had never interacted with a child that had any sort of relation with him, other than that of a teacher-student.

"Great." Ria chirped, her angry face flipping into a cheerful one as she left her chair. "Come on, now! I have one month left to catch up with first-year Potions. We've got to work fast!"

Severus sighed at yet another one of her mood swings.

But then the realisation hit him. He looked at her, eyes squinted.

"What? You're coming, right?" She asked, waiting for him at the doorway.

She didn't have any interest in Potions.. she just wanted to cover her syllabus.

Ria caught the look on his face. Her smile disappeared. I should not have said that. She thought.

She sighed. "In my defence, I don't think you would've agreed if I had directly asked for help."

Severus nodded to himself. She would do well in Slytherin.

Pretty ironically, all that was left in her syllabus to be completed was Potions.

And pretty honestly, Asteria had never shown any interest in the concept of Chemistry. The mere description of it pushed her away the day her teacher had mentioned it as a branch of science. She had thought Potions were its magical parallel. But quite opposite to her opinions, she liked Potions. Not just liked, she enjoyed it.

Though the moment Ria and Isabella had returned from his house, Isabella had asked her daughter to mentally and physically prepare to move out of the Diggory house. That had, again, set a cloud of gloom over Ria's head.

You know the feeling of sadness that comes over when you have to leave something that you have wanted your entire life? You have never had it, but when you get it, it's hard to let go?

That was exactly what Ria was feeling.

At moments, she felt like she was exaggerating, but she really wasn't.

So when the two had settled to make a list of what they needed while shifting, Isabella could see it on her face. She somehow had to cheer her up.

"Hey.. honey." She called out as she got up from her seat. Ria looked at her with a questioning look. "This morning.. I found something I thought you'd like to see."

She looked into her cupboard for a while and then pulled out an enormous book with a leather jacket. She placed it in front of her daughter.

"Your Dad and I, along with your Uncle Amos and Aunt Kora, we all lived together in Magnolia Crescent for some years when we got out of school." She said, opening the book to a picture of a young Isabella and William Diggory.

A small smile tugged at Ria's lips as she inspected the moving photograph. Her mother, who looked around her age, had been crying. But her frown had disappeared after seeing a big pot of cinnamon rolls placed in front of her. Ria suspected that was where their family tradition had started, when she had been 10.

"So, when our house caught fire, there wasn't much left of anything." Isabella continued. "But thankfully, Mum and Dad had another album or two in this house."

Ria flipped the page to a photograph of Isabella jumping with a letter in her hand. A young Amos beside her covered his ears, and another young boy rolled his eyes. "Is that.."

Isabella nodded. "That's your Dad." Ria smiled, taking a closer look. He looked so different.

"He was at our house most of the summer holiday. And Merlin, I don't know how Amos put up with him. Daniel was an annoying child.." She chuckled.

There was a picture of Isabella and Amos flying together in their backyard. Another picture of her with a platypus-like creature on her shoulder. Isabella told her about Nifflers, and how they liked shiny things.

"That's Marlene." said Isabella, pointing at a blonde. The two were singing into their glass butterbeer bottles. "It was 1976. ABBA's Arrival album had just come out, and all of Gryffindor was wasted because of a Quidditch match victory."

The next page made Ria forget that her parents were divorced, just for a moment.

"He always loved singing his heart out.. something that everything, and he himself adored." She explained. "Your Dad's brother, Abel, had opened a restaurant with a bunch of his university friends in Dublin. And he asked Daniel to perform on their opening night with a band he had hired, in front of an invited audience. He invited us too.."

The joy in Asteria's eyes didn't go unnoticed. Her Dad was standing on a table, bent down towards her Mum who was right in front of him, standing on the floor, grinning. "And he sang a song to you?"

That made her want a relationship like them.

Isabella nodded, reminiscing the old days with no regret. "Yeah.

Ria flipped to the next page, but it was empty. And Isabella quickly flipped through a bunch of other blank pages, confusing Ria.

"Why are they blank?" She asked curiously.

Isabella gulped, staring at them as if the memories were instead etched into her mind. She slowly shook her head. "Some memories are better forgotten.."

Ria tilted her head, inspecting her mother. She looked hurt.

"See? Kora and Daniel.." She quickly pointed at the next page.

"Is he crying?" Ria asked with a chuckle, watching as her father cooed to a baby in his arms while Kora smiled at them.

Isabella nodded. "That's Cedric. And this picture was taken right after Amos and Kora made us his godparents." Ria couldn't wipe the smile off her face.

"That.. is Lily, on her wedding day." Isabella said with a sigh, when a photograph of four showed up. "That's James, her husband." She pointed to a boy with glasses. "He was a really good friend too." Her tone told Ria that James had had the same fate as his wife. Her heart dropped.

Just how many people had her mother lost? At such a young age?

She saw her parents standing on either side of the couple with huge grins. "I was pregnant at that time." said Isabella, looking at her. "But we hadn't told anyone yet. When we did, some days later, James and Lily were so mad that we had kept it a secret." She reminisced about those days in awe.

And when Asteria flipped the page, the photograph made her want to live the memory over and over again, but with the mind of a 12-year-old.. just so she could grasp the moment by heart and keep it with her, forever.

Her Dad was swaying with a baby version of her in his arms. She had her head resting on his shoulder.

"This was one of those nights where you just wouldn't stop crying." Bella explained, lovingly looking at the photo. "But your Dad— he just.. he started singing, and you were.. mesmerised." She couldn't hide the smile on her face. "He was singing—"

"Blackbird." Ria completed her sentence. "Yeah, he used to sing Blackbird to me, a lot."

Though her smile slowly fainted. It was as if a gush of cold had brushed past her. She barely remembered his voice anymore..

"Mum.. when are we seeing Dad again?" asked Ria with a frowned face. Yes, she accepted that her parents were divorced. But it was nowhere written that she couldn't talk to, or meet him because of that.

Isabella sighed. "It's been a long time, hon'. It will take some time to reconnect with him." She explained hurriedly, her voice slightly breaking as she closed the album. "Come on, now. Let's start packing.."

Ria didn't argue on the topic further. She would, if she were in 2021.

The Asteria in 2021 only knew that her parents were divorced; She didn't know their history. She didn't know that from their dislike, they had grown to love each other. She didn't know how connected they were to their families, their friends, and how they had lost many of them at such a young age.

She didn't know all this, and so she couldn't imagine the pain of a couple like them going through a divorce.

The Asteria now somewhat understood the pain, the hesitation in her mother's voice when she talked about Daniel Edwards.

Maybe it was time she laid back a little. It was time Ria gave her mother the peace she needed to calm down from all the commotion.

Besides, Ria had loads of time. She would meet her father again soon.

"Well, I've got news for you, boy.. I'm locking you up. You're never going back to that school.. never.. and if you try to magic yourself out— they'll expel you!"

That is what happens when a house-elf comes to your Uncle's house and ruins his potential business meeting..

And when the blame comes on you.

Harry hated it.

He wasn't even able to take his letters back from Dobby. And now, like Uncle Vernon said, he was locked in his room. The next morning, he paid a man to fit bars on Harry's window.

He himself fitted a cat-flap in the bedroom door, so that small amounts of food could be pushed inside three times a day. They let Harry out to use the bathroom morning and evening. Otherwise, he was locked in his room around the clock.

He couldn't see another way out of this situation. And if he used magic, he would get expelled.

He lay on his bed watching the sun sinking behind the bars on the window and wondered miserably what was going to happen to him. Just when he was about to close his eyes, a piercing screech echoed outside his window.

His eyes opened quickly, and he pushed himself off his bed in a hurry. He had to make sure he had heard it right. His lips curled up in a smile when a white hawk perched itself outside his window.

He thought he had just imagined it.

He hadn't seen it in years.

"Where have you been?" He asked, his tone mostly containing joy.

Though the first thing the hawk noticed were the bars on the window. And if there was a face of disbelief for a hawk, that was how Harry would picture it. The hawk tried to get in through the gaps, but it couldn't. It held onto a bar and tried flying away, as if helplessly trying to free Harry by pulling the bars out.

"Don't bother.. They won't come out." He said, holding onto one of them and shaking it. "They're fixed."

The hawk rubbed its head against his finger, which made him smile.

"It's— It's you, right? You're the same hawk that visited me all those years?" He asked, and the hawk nodded in response.

The cat-flap on the door rattled, making the hawk jump in surprise. A bowl of canned soup was pushed through it. Harry, whose insides were aching with hunger, jumped off his bed and seized it.

The soup was stone cold, but he drank half of it in one gulp. Then he crossed the room to Hedwig's cage and tipped the soggy vegetables at the bottom of the bowl into her empty food tray. She ruffled her feathers and gave him a look of deep disgust.

"It's no good turning your beak up at it— that's all we've got," said Harry grimly.

When he turned back, the hawk had disappeared. Disappointment settled in his heart. How could it leave so early?

But then, it appeared again. Its beak held an apple by the stem. Harry grinned again as it dropped the apple inside the room. He lifted the apple from the floor and wiped it with his t-shirt, quickly taking a bite. He gave some chunks of it to Hedwig.

The hawk flew away again, and reappeared with another apple a few seconds later. It took many trips, bringing more apples, a bunch of grapes and other fruits. Harry didn't need another second to put two and two together and figure out that it was stealing them from the Dursley's kitchen.

"Thank you." said Harry, and the hawk let out a tiny screech.

Once again, the hawk clawed the bar and tried to fly away with all its force. It tried and tried and kept trying.

"Hey.. hey!" Harry breathed. "Really, don't tire yourself. It'll be no use."

The hawk looked at him in defeat, amber eyes standing out in the dark night. It wanted to free him so desperately. But it couldn't..

Not while being like this.

The hawk closed its eyes, focusing.

But its focus was soon broken by a rattling noise. And as it saw a car floating towards the window, it flew out of the way in urgency.

Harry looked at the scene too, squinting his eyes to take a good look at what was happening. The car became much clearer. And a freckle-faced, redheaded boy looked at him—

"Ron!" breathed Harry.

The hawk tilted its head. Harry knew him?

"Ron, how did you— What the—?"

Harry's mouth fell open as the full impact of what he was seeing hit him. Ron was leaning out of the back window of an old turquoise car, which was parked in midair. Grinning at Harry from the front seats were Fred and George, Ron's elder twin brothers.

"What're you all doing here?" asked Harry, panicking yet happy at the same time.

"Rescuing you, of course!" Ron answered. "Now, shut up and get your trunk."

The hawk thanked the heavens that someone had come to the rescue.

Harry rushed back to the cupboard and pulled out an almost full trunk of his belongings. Ron hooked the window bars to the car, and within a snap— the bars were pulled off the window.

Though the loud sound of it had awakened the Dursleys. "Potter!"

Harry hurriedly passed his trunk on to Ron, while the hawk flew into the room. Vernon's key rattled outside the door, unlocking all the locks one-by-one.

Harry gave Hedwig's cage to Ron, but then the door opened.

"Petunia! He's escaping!" cried Dursley. And the hawk charged itself onto his grumpy face. Vernon tried to fight it off; he grabbed it harshly and launched it across the room. He ran towards Harry and grabbed him by his ankle. 

In the car, Harry and Ron tried their best to get off his grip. "Get off me!" Harry shouted.

The hawk screeched threateningly. It flew right out of the window, while Vernon was half hanging out of it, and swiped its claws on his face. He let out a scream of despair as his grip loosened and he fell off the balcony. Petunia and Dudley screamed after him.

"Have a good summer!" Harry shouted as the car distanced away from the house.

He looked back to see if he could get another glance at the hawk.

But like always, it had disappeared again. He leaned back in his seat with ease and comfort, hoping to see his little friend again, some day.

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