'Canes Venatici' means 'hunting dogs' in Latin. It is a constellation in the Northern sky, and represent the dogs of the herder Bootes, named Asterion and Chara.

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🤍

"You will report to us if you see anyone behaving out of order. Is that clear?" Alecto Carrow's voice clanged around the Muggle Studies classroom like iron on iron. The students bowed their heads, averting their gaze from her. Angel couldn't help but be reminded of Dolores Umbridge, but unlike Umbridge, Alecto's voice was low and grating, unashamed in its viciousness. 

"IS THAT CLEAR!"

"Yes, Professor Carrow." Everyone but the boy seated next to her replied in unison. Alecto prodded Neville's chest with her wand. "I didn't quite hear you, Longbottom."

Neville glared at the Carrow sister. "Where's Professor Burbage?"

Alecto smirked. "Let's just say it'll be quite some time before she comes back. Now, are we clear?"

Angel nudged Neville's knee under the table. "Crystal." He narrowed his eyes at Alecto.

"Perfect. Now," she turned back to the class. "Can anyone tell me why we're not allowed to practice magic in the Muggle world? Anyone? Come on, I haven't got all day! Mr Nott?"

"Because we could hurt them?" Theo offered unsurely.

"Exactly! That's how powerful we are, children. Remember that. The power we hold is... extraordinary. Think about it! We could bring down buildings, bridges, the stupid metal contraptions they call... planes. All with the flick of our wand! Isn't that just something?" She had a wishful look on her face.

Angel glanced around the class to see their reactions and caught Hannah's eye a few tables across.

After class, Hannah pulled her aside. "This isn't right, Angel. What she's teaching us. Listen," she whispered just loud enough for the two of them. "I heard they're looking for muggle-borns. If they find out about your mother..."

"Which is why you're not going to call me by my last name," Angel warned. "Don't call anyone's name out loud in the hallways or in class, alright?"

"It's not as if they don't already know most of our names!" Hannah squeaked, her eyes wide with worry. "Have... have you heard? You know, from..."

Over the past few days, word had spread about Draco and her, undoubtedly from the skirmish at the Tower. Some of the DA had given her strange looks, but thankfully, they had enough sense not to gossip outside their small circle. She's our friend. We trust her, Neville had said, with Hannah chiming in- "Anyone says a bad word about her and I'll jinx you."

"No." She felt strangely empty without him, like someone had scooped out part of her insides, leaving her hollow and gaping.

They fell silent as a trio of Ravenclaws strolled by, their eyes cast to the floor sullenly. Walking some ways behind them, Neville rounded the corner. "Four o'clock," he said to them as he passed, his lips barely moving.

Hannah gave her a quick hug before they hurried back to the common room. No lingering in the corridors was another one of the rules the Carrows had implemented.

It seemed like they were doing everything in their power to stop students from gathering in groups, just like Umbridge had.

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"We have to do something!" Ernie said with unusual ferocity as Neville and Ginny paced in front of them. They stood in the Room of Requirement, all eyes on the two for leadership.

"You're right, Ern," Ginny said. "This is not what Dumbledore would have wanted. We have to rebel. We have to show them that Hogwarts won't stand for this!"

A murmuring broke out as all the members of Dumbledore's Army voiced their agreements.

"Now that Harry, Hermione, and Ron are gone, it's up to us to fight back. We will not take shit from the Carrows or Snape. Justice for Dumbledore!" Neville shouted, and they repeated after him, thrusting their fists in the air.

"We're going to need to defend ourselves better, so we're going to practise the Impendiment jinx today. But this time, we're going to do it non-verbally. Go on, Luna."

Luna stepped forward and pulled out her wand, pointing it at one of the dummies. She slashed the air, and a jet of blue light shot out from her wand, hitting the dummy squarely in the chest.

They all formed a line, and the room glowed a brilliant blue as one by one, they fired the spell at the dummy. The atmosphere was different now. No one joked or laugh. They didn't cheer anymore after each successful shot.

This was more than merely defying an uptight Ministry member or the Inquisitorial Squad. Something bigger was coming, and they had to be prepared.

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🖤

He stared at the dark canopy over his bed. The moon was fully out and the house was deathly quiet. Ever since the Death Eaters arrived, the familiar sounds of crickets and frogs in the garden had ceased.

His eyes glazed over as he looked into nothingness, afraid to close them because then he might see her, laughing next to him. Zoning out, he didn't even hear Narcissa knock and open his door.

"Draco?" She called softly through the darkness. "Are you alright?"

He ignored her, and instead started to imagine the night sky on the heavy black velvet that hung over his bed. The pitch black now glittered with dozens of stars. No, hundreds. He searched for Orion - his favourite - or perhaps Ophiuchus, but he still wasn't able to find either. Why hadn't he listened to Angel more? Why hadn't he bothered to learn? He had just assumed she would be beside him forever, pointing them out for him instead.

The mattress sunk down as his mother sat beside him. "You were not at dinner again. You haven't eaten anything in two days." Still refusing to look at her, he searched the stars again. There's Anilak... but what were the other two? He squinted in the darkness, trying to remember their names.

Narcissa leaned in, her whisper cold and unsympathetic. "Draco, you can't carry on like this. He's going to notice. I will not have your priorities swayed now. Not after how deep we are in this. We're barely hanging on by a thread. He will kill us all if he finds out you've fallen in love with a... a Mudblood girl back at Hogwarts. Do you wish us dead? Is that it?"

"Don't call her that." He turned onto his side. As much as he loved his mother, he couldn't bear the sight of her right now. It just reminded him of loneliness, misguided loyalty, and Death Eater meeting after meeting. She was as much a harbinger of death as any of them.

"Forget her, Draco. Or I will make you." With that final warning, she stood up and left, the door closing behind her with a gentle click. Draco closed his eyes, unpausing the memories that had been replaying in his head since his departure from Hogwarts.

There's a place in the world for every one of us. We have the right to belong.

You're in the stars, Malfoy!

Is that what you think? That you have to do something to deserve love?

You do not get to blame me for your family's choices.

He felt his lashes wet as a single tear burned down his cheek.

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A/N:

Omggg Draco crying absolutely breaks my heart. 

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