Invisible String

1.

She knew he was in distress and wish there was more she could do, externally. She wished he would come to her.

But Harry and Aurora did not see each other until the end of the week.

Harry had found himself angry, upset, and wanting to be alone. Not that laying in his dorm in the middle of the night with his friends wasn't peaceful. He went and got his Marauder's Map, just to look around. Who would he find wandering the halls tonight?

He was thankful to find someone he wanted to see. Not caring about the consequences, Harry grabbed his invisibility cloak, put it on and rushed to the Astronomy tower. Rushing up to the top of the tower, he caught his breath. Harry wasn't sure if he wanted to even reveal himself, but that choice was made for him.

"Hey, Harry Potter." Aurora was leaning against the rail, looking out to the clear sky.

Harry was stunned. How did she know...?

"What are you doing out and about at this time? You know it's not safe." She turned to face him, as he dropped the cloak hiding his body. He was finally able to get a good look at her, and Merlin, he was thankful.

She was glowing in the moonlight, and hair was lightly bouncing in the late-summer-night breeze that met them at the top of the tower. She looked like a Goddess.

"I don't need to add you to the list of people who are so concerned for my safety that they won't let me have some peace and quiet." Harry scoffed. She smiled.

Harry then remembered why he came up there in the first place. But he wasn't sure how to bring it up, because Aurora did not know about the Marauder's Map.

As her name reached his thoughts, she smirked and asked him, "How'd you find me?"

"I, um," Harry trailed off. "I come up here sometimes. I didn't... know you were going to be here," he lied.

"Hm. I've never seen you up here. You'd think that after over 4 years of attending the same school, we'd be bound to run into each other at least once." Aurora lifted her weight off the railings and sat against the wall that shielded them from the winds. Harry couldn't stop himself from joining her.

"Well, what brings you here? What's on your mind?" She turned to him, as he sat a little closer than they did earlier that week.

"Honestly? I just wanted to get away," There was no way he could tell her any of his intentions tonight without telling her about the Marauder's Map, he realised. "My roommate doesn't believe me, and it's a bit suffocating to be in the same room as him."

Aurora looked at him as he continued to speak. "People acting like I'm lying is, at the end of the day, going to affect them the most. It's so frustrating and... I just..."

Harry's breathing was shaky. He didn't realise how hard it was to talk about his feelings like this, especially considering he'd never done so before, nor did he know why he was even talking about it.

Shit. He was talking about his feelings. To a Slytherin. A girl he's known for a week. Harry's eyes shot open to awareness and looked at Aurora. She was carefully examining his face.

"I... sorry, I should go." Harry got to his feet. She stayed sitting, looking up at him with pure concern.

"Why? Is everything okay?"

"Yes. I just, I don't know you. You're a Slytherin and I'm not saying that all of them are bad but- but- I don't know, okay? I don't know why I'm sharing all of this when I barely know you and- and what if you're not who I think you are?"

Aurora smiled, and patted where he had just been sitting, "You're right. I'm not who you think I am. But I can tell you anything you want about myself. You'll come to realise we're far from strangers."