𝙫𝙤𝙞𝙙. // 𝙜.𝙬𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙡𝙚𝙮

.xxx.

The whistle of the train sounded and Aurora got up from her place to get on with duty. They were supposed to be lining up first years and leading them towards Hagrid so they can be taken up to the castle in boats just like she remembered from when she was in her first year at Hogwarts. However, there were other things going on in her head at the moment. She couldn't shake off her own behaviour with George. She didn't know what made her react like that towards him, even if it was the pent up frustration from all that had happened during the last few days of Summer; it was still not justified. But how was she even to blame with all that was going on? It wasn't her fault that everything had been significantly worse for her during summer and to top it all off, the drastic end that made her go down another spiral.

"Aurora, come on," Draco said while slightly shaking her shoulder, making her snap back to reality as she nodded at him and slowly and got up to follow him out of the train where the first years were lining up. Crabbe and Goyle were following behind Draco as always, she absolutely hated them. Even the look on Pansy's face upon seeing her with a Prefect's badge didn't bring her the satisfaction she'd expected it to bring. Daphne was, on the other hand, doubling over while talking about it and didn't stop imitating Pansy's face for most of the train ride which Blaise and Aurora found quite amusing.

Aurora expected to hear Hagrid's voice summoning the first years but her eyebrows scrunched up when she didn't. She craned her neck to look ahead but saw the familiar bespectacled Care of Magical Creatures teacher, Professor Grubbly-Plank. She recalled Harry telling her about a secret mission that Hagrid had to go on so she guessed that he was probably still not back from that. Her eyes landed on Harry who was standing near the other door, his eyes were also darting around in search for Hagrid eventually landing on her and she shook her head at him knowingly before he went after Hermione and she took after Draco.

"First years, move ahead, please" she said importantly, beckoning the new students towards Grubbly-Plank.
"Come on, let's go" came Draco's voice from behind, his hand was resting on the small of her back, guiding her towards the carriages where all the older students were taking a carriage to get to the school. Her eyes locked with the familiar ginger, standing only a few metres away from her. She could see on his face how disappointed and upset he looked, she wanted to go up to him but she couldn't. George looked away from Aurora and followed Fred and Lee into a carriage that stood just ahead of the one Draco, Daphne, Blaise and she was getting into.

"How was summer for all of you?" Daphne asked them all once they had settled inside and Blaise released an airy chuckle.
"You've already asked that," he said making her scrunch up her face at him.
"Fine, I'm only asking Aurora" said Daphne while motioning her hand towards the girl sitting in front of her next to Draco. Draco's attention raptly turned towards Aurora to find her wearing an unamused smile, it seemed as though he was expecting to hear something.
"Brutal," she replied bitterly. Daphne and Blaise's smiles faltered upon hearing that, they glanced at each other before turning back to Draco who was shrugging at them as they waited for Aurora to give them more of an explanation as to what she meant but she didn't go on.
"You had a hearing, didn't you?" Draco asked making Aurora's head turn towards him while Daphne and Blaise sported confused looks. Aurora raised her eyebrow at Draco, it wasn't common knowledge that she had a hearing. It wasn't anywhere in the Daily Prophet, the Ministry had kept it on the low including the Dementor attack.

"How do you know?" she asked him skeptically.
"A-a hearing?" Blaise continued.
"Father works at the Ministry. He saw you" Draco replied with a nonchalant shrug. Aurora continued to look at him with her raised eyebrow. Even if Draco's father saw her at the Ministry, she wasn't that significant that he would go home and tell his son about the person he happens to hate the most. Aurora's eyes then landed on Blaise, he was wearing a playful smirk and looking between her and Draco.