Astrid was dreaming again, she knew that. But everything felt real, everything looked real. She was crying and the man in front of her wiped away her tears with his rough thumb and it left a dirty smudge on her snow white cheek.

"Uncle James?" She choked. "Is it really you?" James smiled at her sadly, shaking his head slowly.

"I haven't much time Tris, but please, protect my boy. He knows not of the danger that lays ahead." James smiled at Astrid sadly one more time and just like that, James swirled and the world before her turned black momentarily before she awoke. Astrid rubbed her eyes and noticed that she was crying. She sighed and slipped out of bed. There were voices downstairs, some of which Astrid knew and some of which she didn't.

She found them all huddled around Sirius in the kitchen and she tried her best to sneakily pour a glass of water for herself but she failed, because Remus heard the little groan the wood gave under her weight and Astrid sighed, silently cursing him for his heightened senses.

"Oh dearie!" Molly said, forcing her to take a seat. "I hope we didn't wake you. I've been trying to tell your father to hush it, but he won't listen to me!" She huffed out, plunging herself next to Astrid, who gulped her water down, hoping this would be a clear indication that she doesn't want to talk to them. She nearly cried when the last drop slowly made its way towards her mouth. She set the glass down.

"Oh no Molly, I assure you, you guys didn't wake me. I just had a—" She stopped, thinking whether or not to tell them. But James seemed so serious. She knew James was a trickster but whenever he would be serious, he was really serious. "I had a dream." She huffed out and instantly, everyone went silent. One of the ladies she didn't recognize winced, Astrid couldn't miss that, even if she wanted to.

"What was it about?" Remus carefully asked, noticing the layer of tears in her eyes. Astrid sighed, the tears falling and she wiped them away.

"Uncle James." Her eyes flickered to Snape's, to Sirius', to Remus', to Molly's and she sighed. "He was— he was asking me to protect Harry because of the danger that lies ahead."

"Anything else?" Astrid shook her head. "The children are upstairs, if you wish to join them." She weakly smiled at Remus before she disappeared up the stairs, knocking on the door before it opened and Ron ushered her in.

"Lovely night, isn't it?" Ginny asked as Astrid made herself comfortable on the mat next to Hermione.

"Yeah." Astrid huffed put, running a hand through her dark hair. Hermione shook her head at Ginny, who got the message and sat across them.

"How are things between you and Oliver?" Fred asked, using his elbows to prop himself up.

"We're taking a break." Astrid said, sighing. It seemed that was the only thing she could do right. She couldn't love right, she couldn't protect her friends right, she couldn't use her magic right, she couldn't talk right, she couldn't sleep right, so she sticked to the only thing that she could do right. Sighing. "We had a huge fight yesterday afternoon at practice, and we decided to call it a break. But I'm scared he'll decide to leave me for a girl whose lips are fuller, curves are curvier, eyes are brighter, skin is healthier, a girl who knows who her real parents are." She sighed again.

"Isn't Sirius your father?" Ron whispered and Astrid shook her head.

"No, and don't tell him I told you." She sighed again. "I know who my real mother is, but she doesn't want me. She's disgusted by me. She wrote me a letter, telling me how she never was going to write to me in the first place, only doing it now because she was sick. But that's okay, I guess. I'm sure it's normal for eighteen year olds to receive letters from their mothers telling them that they never wanted them in the first place."

No one spoke for a while until Hermione clasped her warm hand around hers, smiling softly at her. "We're here for you Astrid, and your mother is a—"

"A blundering idiot." Fred grinned.

"A blabbing bumbling baboon!" George added with a smile so bright.

"A smelly old shoe brush." Ron smiled.

"She's a—" Ginny trailed off, not knowing what to say.

"A very bad book with a beautiful cover. But still very bad!" Hermione concluded and Astrid burst into laughter, soon forgetting all her worries, feeling as though she was happy now. She didn't need Andromeda, her real family sat downstairs and around her at the very moment.

*

It had been days Astrid had the dream and she didn't have another. It worried her. The last time this happened, Cedric died. This meant Harry could possibly die or get injured a great deal. And she wanted neither of that. James had entrusted her to protect his one and only son. She couldn't disappoint her uncle James. Not when Peter had betrayed them, resulting their deaths.

"But dad! I'm eighteen! I deserve to fight!" Astrid yelled angrily at Sirius. He refused to let her join the Order and this angered her. She was old enough to make her own decisions.

"Ell, you have to understand how dangerous it is. He's out there, you're not safe, I'm not safe, we all are not safe." Remus calmly said but Astrid wasn't having any of it.

"No uncle Remus! I have to fight! You think I don't know what he's done? I lost a fucking friend to that noseless son of a bitch but I guess that doesn't count, does it?!" She crossed her arns over her chest and stared at the two men. "You hide everything from me, but one day, you'll realize that you can't hide everything. Somethings will air out." She sighed.

"Astrid—"

"Dad, you don't understand how guilty I feel." Astrid said, cutting Sirius off. He looked angry at first but he said nothing when she said, "I saw Cedric die every night of my life two years ago but I did nothing, thinking it was but mere dreams. I saw it dad, every day, it haunted my mind. But I did nothing, my best friend died and it's all my fault, so I'd appreciate it if you could just let me join. It's the least I can do. For Cedric. And for Harry! Uncle James had entrusted me in protecting Harry, I can't disappoint him."

Sirius swallowed thickly. This is what he had feared. Astrid partaking in the fight. He didn't know how messy it would get, just that he didn't want her anywhere near the fight. His star couldn't die, he wouldn't be able to live with himself if she did. "I'll speak to Dumbledore." Astrid attacked him with a hug, thanking him over and over again.

"I promise you won't regret it!" She smiled at them.

"That's good to hear." Remus smiled back.

"There's someone I'd like you to meet Astrid." Sirius suddenly said.

When she stepped through the door, greeted Sirius and Remus as though they were old friends, Astrid swore she could hear her heart beating in her ears. Astrid swallowed hard, shaking her pale hand and staring into the eyes she saw in her dreams. They seemed to twinkle even more in person. Nymphadora smiled at her.