Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

Challenge fic for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Challenge/Competition

[Astronomy] Prompts: Ginger; A character must hit another character; Quote (again too long to recopy into AN); Narcissa/Hermione; Bellatrix Black; Drama; It has been in our family for generations, who cares that it's weird?; Pureblood Ball

And The Greenhouses Competition [Rose (white)]

Hermione Narcissa Malfoy

"Could you imagine what it would be like to be a star?" Hermione asked gazing at the dark night sky.

"Stars are beautiful, but they must not take an active part in anything, they must just look on forever. It is a punishment put on them for something they did so long ago that no star now knows what it is," Narcissa replied softly. "I would not like to live like that."

"You're named after a start though," Hermione says. "Why is that?"

Narcissa laughed. "It is an old Black tradition. It was said that the first Black looked up at the night sky and all he saw was black darkness until he saw the small pinpricks of light which were the stars. He wanted the Black family to be like those stars, the only spots of brightness in the dark. He wanted us to shine and be remembered forever," Narcissa said.

"How do they choose your name though?" Hermione had always been curious about this ever since meeting Sirius who was anything but serious.

"They name us according to the star closest to the centre of the sky on the night we were born," Narcissa said.

"That's weird, what if the name is the wrong gender?"

"It has been in our family for generations, who cares that it's weird, most people don't even know of it anyway," Narcissa said not answering Hermione's question completely.

Narcissa was fond of the muggleborn girl that Draco had managed to befriend through Harry Potter. She was most amusing in her quest to gain as much knowledge as possible especially since they had adopted her when her parents had been obliviated by "accident" when Severus and Lucius were doing their usual checks on the homes of the Hogwarts students that lived in the muggle world. It had been only right that they took her in as it had been their fault.

Bellatrix had not been particularly pleased by the development but had accepted it especially after she had managed to annoy Hermione enough that Hermione had retaliated and hit her so that she had spotted a black eye for the week after.

"Come, we must return to the ball," Narcissa said, holding her hand out to her adopted daughter that she had always wanted.

"I still don't understand why I have to attend. I am not a pureblood and this is a pureblood ball," Hermione said, adjusting her dress once more.

"Don't forget, you are Hermione Narcissa Malfoy now, and for all intents and reasons you are pureblood even if you were not born a pureblood," Narcissa explained patiently. "Besides, I thought you were enjoying those ginger biscuits on the snack table."

Hermione's face brightened and they re-entered the ballroom together.