The Astronomy Tower was the highest point at Hogwarts, and lessons were held at its very top.
Astronomy itself was a peculiar subject—no standard textbooks, no endless theory. All students needed were a telescope, a quill, and parchment.
The climb was punishing. The spiral staircase wound upward endlessly, and by the time the group had reached what felt like the eighth floor, everyone was dizzy and breathless.
"What floor are we on?" Alicia panted.
"Eighth," George replied, pointing to a painting of a drunken knight. "Last time Fred and I came here, we saw him topple into the river."
"How could a painting drown?" Angelina scoffed.
"Watch," Fred said with a wicked grin. He cupped his hands and shouted, "Ah!"
The knight startled, staggered, and—much to everyone's astonishment—tumbled into the river of the adjacent painting. A painted woman shrieked and tried to haul him out.
The group stared, mouths open, until nearby portraits began glaring at them for the disturbance. They hurried on, laughing breathlessly.
"Almost there," George wheezed.
Albert checked his pocket watch. "Good thing we left early. Class is about to start."
"What if it rains?" George wondered aloud. "We won't see anything."
"Then Professor Sinistra will drown us in homework," Angelina muttered, pushing open the heavy wooden door.
At the top, the wind was sharp and cold. Professor Sinistra stood waiting, her robes billowing, having just dismissed another class. The Gryffindors huddled together, shivering, until the Hufflepuffs arrived—Cedric Diggory leading them, flushed and smiling.
"This tower's impossible to find," Cedric admitted cheerfully. "We nearly got lost."
"Gather round," Professor Sinistra called. Beside her stood a canvas-covered object. With a flick of her wand, the cloth fell away, revealing a glass dome encasing a miniature solar system.
Gasps rippled through the students. The sun blazed at the center, planets and moons orbiting gracefully, shimmering with enchantment.
"This is the Solar System," Sinistra explained, tapping Earth with her wand. "This term, you will learn to chart the night sky, locate the nine planets, and record their positions."
Albert suspected half the wizard-born students didn't even know the planet was called Earth.
Sinistra guided them through the basics—planetary movements, star charts, and how to mark positions. For Albert, it was simple. For the others, it was overwhelming.
"Wrong—that's Mars, not Jupiter," Albert corrected Fred, who scowled at his parchment. George wasn't faring much better.
Once the charts were drawn, Sinistra instructed them to use their telescopes. Wizarding telescopes, enhanced by magic, revealed the heavens with startling clarity.
"Found Mars yet?" Sanna asked, squinting through Albert's telescope.
"No," Albert admitted. Even with Sinistra's guidance, picking out Mars among thousands of stars was no easy task.
The professor moved among them, adjusting lenses, correcting mistakes, her calm voice steady against the wind.
Albert's thoughts wandered. Could magic ever take us beyond Earth, into the universe itself? He doubted it. Wizards were few, and genius rarer still. Perhaps the Department of Mysteries toyed with such ideas, but for now, it was only speculation.
He shook off the thought and returned to the stars. For the first time, he truly saw the sky—vast, endless, glittering.
By the end of class, few had found all nine planets, but Sinistra didn't mind. The homework was simple: remember the names and approximate positions.
"It's nearly curfew," Lee Jordan reminded them.
"I'm starving," Albert said, checking his watch. "We've got twenty minutes. Let's raid the kitchens."
"We're coming," the twins said quickly, tossing their bags to Lee. "Bring you back something, promise."
"You—!" Lee sputtered as they dashed off. "You three… bastards! Don't leave me behind!"