The holiday ended quickly, almost too quickly.
Aster had visited Gringotts before returning to Hogwarts, gold tucked into his pockets, but it wasn't the coins he noticed.
It was the feeling.
Something was with him now, something besides the locket whispering in his thoughts, something other than the magic he'd conjured beneath the Ministry's foundations. It clung to him like a shadow, not quite heavy but undeniably there. He could feel it when he walked, when he blinked, when he breathed.
He was the shadow that had attacked the Knight Bus. Or rather, he could become it now. It wasn't just instinct anymore. It was choice.
He hadn't told Susan that.
She stayed by him throughout the break, watching with quiet eyes as he tested what little he could of this new form. He hadn't shown her the transformation, but she knew something had changed. She wasn't stupid. She never had been.
He could fly now, no broom, just raw magic. He could move with impossible speed, slip between spaces like fog through cracks, and hover above streets where no one could see him. If he'd used even a fraction of that power during the troll incident…
It wouldn't have been stunned. It wouldn't have survived.
But something else still gnawed at him, his conjurations.
The ring he gave Susan had worked. The magic had been real.
But now that he was away from the thing buried beneath the Ministry, the silent source of whispers and strange dreams, he couldn't summon anything more.
Not yet.
Maybe I just need to learn, he thought. Maybe I'll be able to do it on my own soon.
Susan watched him while he thought like that, sometimes offering a dry comment or a sarcastic jab to ground him. Other times, she was quiet. Maybe even proud.
They went shopping on the last day. Aster didn't say much, but he made sure to buy:
A thick leather-bound book on advanced enchantments and logic spells for Hermione.
A full set of Quidditch gear—secondhand but well-maintained—for Harry.
And new robes for Ron, a deep navy blue with silver trim, something just slightly nicer than Ron would have dared to buy for himself[1].
Hermione returned to Hogwarts with them.
She was quieter than usual, not the bookish, focused quiet she wore when studying, but something else. Something distracted. She kept glancing sideways, almost like she'd lost something, yet couldn't put into words what it was.
Aster noticed. Of course he did.
As the train rumbled over the countryside, he leaned toward her and told her what had happened during the break.
"There was… a dark cloud," he began. "It attacked the bus we were on. The Knight Bus."
Hermione blinked, confused. "The what bus?"
Aster tilted his head. "The Knight Bus. It's a magical transport, sort of… chaotic. You summon it by sticking your wand out on the street. It comes when you're stranded or need fast travel."
"Oh." She frowned. "That wasn't in any book I've read. I suppose… It's one of those things no one teaches until you need it."
"Yeah." Aster paused. "It's… strange magic. It shifts and squeezes between streets. I still don't really understand how it works."
She nodded slowly, lips pursed, clearly filing the information away to research later.
Then Aster started to say, "And after the attack, I made something. A ring that—"
But Susan's hand subtly touched his wrist, and he stopped.
It wasn't forceful, just a quiet signal.
He looked at her, confused, but said nothing more. Maybe it was a Ministry secret. Maybe something about conjuration, or about what had happened beneath the floor of the Ministry building.
He didn't question her further.
Hermione narrowed her eyes at the pause but didn't press either. She only shifted again, gaze falling to the window, watching the countryside blur by as if it might offer her the answers Aster hadn't.
They finally arrived at Hogwarts. Thankfully, they didn't need to cross the lake this time; something about the cold and the stillness in the air made even that short journey feel unwelcome.
Inside the Great Hall, golden light and the scent of warm food wrapped around them like a comfort spell. Aster, Hermione, and Susan made their way straight to the Gryffindor table, where Harry and Ron were already seated.
Ron looked up, his mouth full, and nearly choked when he saw Aster.
...
"You, you were attacked? On the Knight Bus?"
Harry leaned forward, eyes wide. "A dark cloud, you said?"
"Something like that," Aster said calmly, sliding into a seat. "It wasn't natural. Whatever it was, it broke the barrier around the bus like paper."
Ron shuddered. "Remind me never to ride that thing again."
"I thought it was just supposed to be fast and ridiculous," Harry said. "Didn't know things could attack it."
"It didn't even leave a trace," Aster muttered, half to himself.
But Harry was already leaning in again. "Wait till you hear what happened here."
Aster raised an eyebrow. "Someone attacked Hogwarts?"
"Yep," Ron said. "During the winter break. Guess where it happened."
Hermione didn't miss a beat. "Third floor. Forbidden corridor."
Ron and Harry both nodded, impressed.
"Of course it was," Hermione muttered. "It's always the most obvious 'secret' place."
Aster crossed his arms. "So that's why Dumbledore had to come back early."
He stood abruptly, already calculating. "I need to talk to him."
Ron blinked. "Now?"
Aster didn't answer, he was already heading for the exit of the Great Hall, eyes focused, something urgent blooming behind them like a storm just beginning to gather.
Hermione watched him go, her fingers tightening slightly on the edge of the table.
Susan said nothing.
But her hand brushed against the ring on her finger.
It pulsed, ever so faintly, as if it knew he was near.
[1] Just stating facts.