His Obsession

My Sister Scarred

Aurora had not been given direct permission to use the library, but had also not been told she couldn't. Normally she would have spent her days either in company with Mrs. Malfoy, or outside in the gardens, enjoying the crisp winter air. She wasn't in much of a mood to play the lady with Mrs. Malfoy today, and the garden held fresh memories of sorrow for her. More tears welled in her eyes and spilled forth over her lashes. She wasn't even surprised at their appearance, they have become such a common occurrence. 

On top of the betrayal of her father, Snape had tormented her soul further by completing his vial deed. When she had allowed herself a moment of reprieve from the heart break of her tempestuous life, just a minute of rest, he had scarred her even more. 

The Malfoy's library rivaled the one at her house, and may even be a bit larger. When she first entered, there was a seating area in the shape of a large oval. At the far top of the oval space was a fire place, that already had a hearty fire burning within it. In front of that, on either side were two grey sofas sitting across from one another. In between the two couches was a long rectangular table, the dark mahogany of the wood reflecting the flames of the fire. Above the sitting area was an arched bridge that connected the two levels of the second floor together. On either side of the bridge was a thin circle of floor lining the upper walls. Only thick enough to hold three shelves in vertical order, but long enough to hold rows all the way around. On the bottom floor there were shelves extending beyond either side of the ovalish center. She wasn't entirely sure how many shelves in total were on the main floor, but she knew the number wasn't small.

Aurora stood in the center of the room and looked directly up, she sucked in a gasp at the tall domed ceiling. There were several glass panes lining the top and showing her an excellent view of the light blueish grey sky as the dawn slowly spread across its surface. It was the most beautiful thing to her at that instant, and not really knowing why, a small ping of happiness rises within her at the sight. 

Aurora sat on the couch and curled her feet underneath her. She propped her chin in one hand and tilted her gaze up to the sky once more. She watched wistfully as birds flew across the sky, chirping cheerfully to one another. Aurora had always admired birds, not only for their graceful beauty, but for the freedom their wings afforded them. There had been more times than she could count in her childhood where she had wished for the escape a pair of wings could give her. She imagined how the wind would feel against her face, the air lifting her up and all her earthly burdens shed away. 

Childhood naivety is a gift, something that she mournfully wishes she had never lost. Everyone is forced to grow up eventually. The thought feels bitter as she thinks it, her childhood had rarely been fun. Sirius had done his best to make sure it was lively and full of laughter, but she had quickly grown tired of the pain from their parents punishments. While it had incited Sirius to openly rebel, it had only made Aurora try to seek other ways of getting away with things. 

By the time they were ten, Aurora had mastered the art of stealth. She learned the different ways to step so as to not make much noise, and all the different areas she could hide and not be seen. It was on one such occasion, when she was desperately seeking cover from her mother's wrath, that she hurriedly ducked inside her father's study. She curled herself tightly into the cupboard underneath the grandfather clock that he had off center from his desk, and held her breath. 

When she first had her brilliant idea to hide inside her father's study, she had not thought about what would happen should he find her there. The idea had seemed like an impossibility, but he had entered via floo network several moments later, and he had not been alone. He stepped through with a beautiful blonde witch. Her honey blonde hair was tied back in a tight chignon, and she had angular features, that were soft enough to give her an angelic appearance. Aurora's eyes had been drawn to her pouty lips as she had looked alluringly up at her father. Her exclamation of surprise when her father kissed the woman vigorously is what gave her away.