Aurora Rosier & the Year of the Snake

Midnight Discoveries

Aurora peeked her head inside, cringing as the door gave a soft groan upon opening. It was hard to make much out, but besides the plaques and displays, she didn't see anything. The room was empty.

She sighed, wishing she had a watch of her own so she could keep an eye on the time. She wasn't sure how long it had taken her or how long she would have to wait. But she had beaten Harry and Ron there, and that was the most important thing of all.

Good, she thought, gently shutting the door and sinking down onto the floor of the corridor. She glanced down the lengths of the hall on either side of her - they were empty except for the stripes of moonlight painting the floor, shining in from the high windows. She noted a tapestry nearby that, if needed, she could hide herself behind. It made her feel more at ease, to have an escape plan if Filch turned up first.

Thankfully, she didn't have to wait long. A soft scuffling sounded farther down the hall, and Aurora launched to her feet, wand out and ready. But instead of Filch rounding the corner, Harry and Ron emerged, followed by - to Aurora's utter shock - Hermione and Neville, who both seemed less than pleased to have been included. Ron skidded to a stop first, the other three crashing into him, but they all managed to remain upright.

"Aurora?" Hermione questioned quietly from the back of the group, standing on her tiptoes to cock her head. She took in the girl's pajamas and raised wand, confused. "What're you -"

"What do you want?" Ron asked in a harsh whisper. He drew his wand, as did Harry, and stalked closer, eyeing Aurora carefully. "Guarding the door so your boyfriend has more time to prepare?"

Aurora put her wand away and held up her hands, shushing the group as she glanced down the corridor again. Mercifully, it remained empty and silent.

"I'm here to stop you from risking your necks," Aurora whispered. At their confused looks, she continued. "This is all just a trick to get Harry into even more trouble."

"Liar," Ron scoffed, trying to move around Aurora, who stood firmly in front of the door to the trophy room. "Bet Malfoy's just scared. Told his girlfriend to stand guard and to try and scare usaway instead. Too bad it won't work, snake."

"I'm not lying, why would I lie about this?" Aurora grit her teeth, trying to keep her voice from raising again. "And I'm not his girlfriend."

"Then let us in."

Ron didn't wait for an answer. He shouldered Aurora to the side, knocking her out of his way. She stumbled to the side, caught by Hermione, who grabbed her hand and squeezed, eyes wide with worry and confusion. Ron and Harry tiptoed into the trophy room with their wands drawn, the others following behind.

"We need to get out of here," Aurora whispered, more urgently this time. She flinched as the door shut behind them, and suddenly felt as if she had been locked in a tomb. "We shouldn't even be here in the first place. Filch could be here any minute."

"Malfoy..." Ron sang quietly, ignoring Aurora's pleas. He and Harry took opposite sides of the room, fanning out to search the dark corners. It seemed as if they had planned their search in advance; if she hadn't been so terrified, Aurora might've been impressed. "Come out, come out..."

"He's not here," Aurora hissed, growing more and more annoyed with the both of them. Ron let out a harsh "Shhhhhh!", as if he hadn't just been talking too.

Aurora rolled her eyes and allowed herself a moment to inspect the trophy room. It was the first time she had been inside, but she refused to venture in farther than she needed to. All around them, crystal trophy cases glimmered in the moonlight, occasionally casting sparkling hints of light across the walls. Cups, shields, plates, and statues winked silver and gold in the darkness. If they had been visiting in any other situation, Aurora would have taken her time and explored, checking each award to see if she could spot either of her family names - Fawley or Rosier.