"Jupiter was supposed to be a star, but failed..."
In 1943, Aurora just wanted to get through her fifth year without being noticed. That was, until, she attracted the attention and inevitable obsession of an older, enigmatic student called Tom. In t...
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June 1944
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In the shade of a large willow tree, leant across the grass, Aurora drew a daffodil, and it immediately materialised in her palm. She gently prodded the delicate petals and sniffed it. It wasn't real, so it didn't smell of anything.
Tom sat in the gnarled knot of roots by the bank of the lake. The sleeves of his schoolshirt were rolled up past his elbows and he tilted his head back to bask in the sunshine and listen to the singing birds.
Summer was Aurora's favourite season, and Tom's too, evidently, as he seemed to be in a better mood since the days got longer, the sun brighter, and the air warmer.
She tossed the flower aside in a pile of materialised drawings: bracelets, earrings, chrysanthemums, a small, fire-breathing dragon.
"What are your plans for the summer?" Tom asked.
Aurora looked up from her sketchbook. "Edinburgh. And then I might visit my grandparents in Aberdeen. I don't think I'll be going back to London this summer. Until the muggle war is over, at least. The air-raid sirens piss me off."
Tom scoffed. "They are the worst sound in the world. Other than your voice, of course," he added with a smirk.
Aurora dug a handful of grass from the earth and threw it at Tom. "Says you and that annoying English accent." She smiled. "What about you? What are your plans for the summer?"
"Wool's," he said exasperatedly.
Aurora looked at him sympathetically. "I'm guessing Headmaster Dippet isn't allowing you to stay in Hogwarts then?"
Tom shook his head. "I've requested stay so many times these last six years and the answer has always been the same. I don't know why I expected it to be any different this year."
Aurora bit her lip. She put her pencil down on the paper. "Nonsense. It's complete and utter rubbish. Come home with me, Tom. Come to my family's estate in Edinburgh."
Tom raised his brows. "What? I-"
"Please. Come to Edinburgh with me. My mother will be more than happy for you to stay. And you'll get to meet my little brother and the cat, too. We live in a house far too large for just the three of us."
"Does she know about me? Your mother."
Aurora could hardly tell him she'd been sending her mother letters talking about Tom and Edmund.
