𝐀𝐔𝐑𝐎𝐑𝐀 𝐁𝐎𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐒 | h. granger

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

"Do you want to go to the Gryffindor party on Friday?" Hermione asked excitedly one afternoon as they were sitting underneath one of the trees on the Hogwarts grounds doing homework. Aurora balked at the word 'party'. Parties involved alcohol and she didn't like alcohol. Hermione must have noticed her reaction although she tried to mask it for her sake.

"What's wrong? Don't you like parties?"

"I don't know...I...there's just so many people and I don't know anyone and when people get drunk they do stupid things. It just makes me nervous." Aurora said slightly embarrassed, trailing of towards the end of her sentence. She felt quite silly for not being like every other teenager who seemed like they wanted to get drunk everyday of the week.

"There's nothing wrong about that, Rory. You don't have to be ashamed. We don't have to go at all. I was just asking in case you wanted to." Hermione smiled happily.

"If we go, will you stay with me? Like, you wont walk off or something?"

"Of course I wont leave you alone at a party, Aurora. No one should be left alone at a party. Why would I do that?" Hermione asked concerned.

"I don't know. I just don't feel like I've ever had anyone who wouldn't leave me alone. Neville probably would stay with me, but I haven't known him for very long." she admitted.

"Well you can't have had many good friends then." Hermione said pointedly. "Because I wont leave you alone, not once." She said, squeezing her shoulder. 

"Okay then." Aurora smiled.

"So you want to go? Don't feel inclined to agree now just because I'm asking you. You are under no obligation to go. Just so you know that." Hermione said seriously.

"I want to go. I do. The music part is cool, I like party music, its so confidence boosting and besides, you'll be there." Aurora said happily, but frowned when a thought occurred to her. "But.....you wont like drink.... a lot... will you? Because I - I  don't really know how to handle drunk people and -" Hermione interrupted her stressed girlfriend, encasing her nervous trembling hands in hers.

"Darling, I wont drink a single drop of alcohol if it makes you uncomfortable." Hermione said. Aurora interrupted her thought, a worried look on her face.

"But I really don't want to ruin the party for-"

"- You don't need alcohol to have a good time. I have great times with you all the time and I don't see any firewhisky bottles spread around the place." Hermione said smiling softly at her.

"You'd really do that for me?" Aurora asked, looking at Hermione in slight disbelief. She had gone to parties before and she had hated it. The people she had gone with had gotten drunk very quickly and kept on insisting she drink something too after she had denied it countless times. Every ten minuets they would try and push a drink in her face, asking and asking and asking for her to get drunk as well. Insisting they didn't need someone to watch them. She had in the end taken a few drinks to stop them from pushing it in her face and had felt a headache forming very quickly from the stress. She ended up getting extremely overwhelmed by it all and had ran back to her dorm in tears with not a single person to console her.

"Of course I would." Hermione said with a frown. She was slightly worried about why Aurora thought it was so kind of her. It really wasn't anything big and if she was so uncomfortable with it, she wouldn't do it. "It's not a big deal, Aurora. Anyone decent would do the same." she said, patting her on the shoulder.

Aurora just gave a sad smile. "Thank you, Hermione." she said sincerely. 

____________________________