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The Astronomy Tower was quiet. The wind slipped past the stone in low whistles, carrying the faint scent of damp moss and distant lake water. He liked it up here. It reminded Ousmane a little of the open terraces at Uagadou, where the sky had always felt impossibly wide.
He adjusted the strap of his satchel on his shoulder and crossed to the edge of the tower. Below, the grounds rolled out in shadowed blues and blacks; above, the heavens glittered in silver pinpricks. He tilted his head back, eyes tracing constellations he'd learned years ago.
A small smile tugged at his mouth as he reached into his pocket and drew out a folded piece of parchment covered in neat notes and tiny star sketches. Homework, technically. But he didn't mind Astronomy assignments. They felt less like work and more like a conversation with the universe, with time, with things far older than Hogwarts' walls.
Ousmane set the parchment aside and turned to the brass telescope fixed near the tower's edge. The metal was cool beneath his fingers as he adjusted the angle, tightening the knob with careful precision.
He leaned in, closing one eye as the other met the lens, and slowly twisted the focus until the blur of light sharpened into a crisp scattering of stars. A quiet breath left him as they became more distinct and steady.
"Betelgeuse," he murmured quietly in French. "Te voilà."
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