❝ Welcoming of an era. ❝
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"Aurora."
"Hm?" Aurora looks at Harry whilst helping carrying his luggage. But she caught eye of Moody scowling under his breath like a maniac while taking out the street lights using the Deluminator. "We'll talk inside. I promise." She whispers and pats his shoulder caringly.
Then his shoulder slumped, Harry wanted answers now. For the past month and recent days, all he's done was stay in his room with complete boredom and wonder of what's going on in the Wizarding world. It made him relentless, annoyed but for the most part, betrayed because he didn't know what the Order is when Alastor Moody handed him the parchment to memorize. When he looked at Aurora, she just gave him a courteous nod in return.
It means she knows and she seems like she knows for a long time now.
"The headquartes of the Order of the Phoenix may be found at the number twelve, Grimmauld place, London."
Before Harry knows it, he looks up when the dusty and mostly abandoned apartment arches began to make way and another similar one is coming out like magic. No matter how many trials, spells and duels he's done, he could never stop being amazed of this world and that he's glad he's part of it. It surely beats living under a cupboard.
"Alright, in you go." Alastor says stepping forward himself but letting Harry go up the narrowed apartment first besides Aurora. Like there wasn't even a lock on the doorknob, she opened it with ease and looks inside to see it deserted but there was constant chatterings in the dining area. "Aurora, head straight in for the meeting." He calls ahead from behind Harry.
"Meeting? What meeting? What is this
place?" Harry frowns, unintentionally looking like a lost child without answers he wants. To be clear, he did deserve the truth when it involves him. It was just that they were ordered not to tell him.
Aurora looks at Harry and sees Lupin shaking his head at her. Then she sighs, giving up and annoyed when she can't even say a word to give Harry solace comfort. Aurora was the first to enter the chatty room with a slight discomfort of the situation that she's under. "He's safe but curious." Aurora informs when eyes fell on her as she walks in for an update.
"Well, did you tell him anything?" Sirius asks, sitting on the edge of his seat the entire time besides Fleur who smiles warmly up to Aurora who returns one with half meaning.
"Don't be ridiculous, Black. You heard what Dumbledore said." Severus Snape snarls with the same tone he uses to many of his students back in Hogwarts.
"I very well know what Dumbledore says but some of us here think it's load of bull, Snivellus."
"Oh, stop it you two. Acting like children when we should be discussing what really is important here." Professor McGonagall hissed, truthfully exhausted overlooking Sirius and Severus's banter even when they were students at Hogwarts.
Aurora stood behind her father, near to Daphne whose face held worry and blankly staring at the table. Fleur looks past her own shoulder and to Aurora who nods slightly at her that made the Delacour turn back to listen to the conversation.
"I thought he was gonna show up tonight." Daphne whispers, unfolding her arms and now leaning her side on the wall whilst facing the Order who was now arguing amongst themselves. To be specific, Severus and Sirius was with heated glares and spiteful words.
"I was hoping he would." Aurora admits in a whisper, letting things unfold in the Order. If ever she even decides to speak to make them stop, she doubted that would be effective. "Do you think he's okay?" She asks.
Elias Grant hasn't uttered a word that would reach their ears. He hasn't written a letter and send it to his two friends who kept writing to him but to no avail. It made him a hopeless case that even Severus Snape told Aurora and Daphne to let him go for he is too far gone. If they won't, they'll be putting the Order in risk.
"He probably thinks we abandoned him."
"We haven't — We're trying." Aurora whispers, having her own little conversation with her friend who holds the same guilt as she has. Then she defeatedly gives in with a sullen look, shaking her head dismissively. "He'll write back."
"Aurora —"
"— He'll write and you'll see." Aurora pushes herself to move away just when Daphne glances at her, having not heard a single piece of information that would help their case with Harry is currently upstairs. She sits down next to Fleur, making the blonde sit between her and Sirius who was having a row with Molly.
"If anyone has a right to know, it's Harry. If it wasn't for Harry, we wouldn't even know Voldemort's back." Sirius pushes in a harsh whisper, tired of going at it against the Order for what he wants to do.
"He's just a child."
"He's not a child anymore." Aurora contributes deathly but only as a factor that will help her take her mind off of Elias Grant. How she missed him and the guilt of abandoning him was there.
"He's not an adult either!" Molly depicted clearly and looks at Sirius. "He's not James, Sirius!"
"Well, he's not your son, isn't he?" He fires with the same level of rage that fuelled everyday for being stuck in the same four walls he fled from when he was sixteen.
"He's as good as." Aurora shook her head, disappointed as everyone in this room was their own level of stubborn including herself. She knew it would hurt her father to hear all these but he remained stoic and face is stone cold. "Who else has he got?" Molly counters.
"He's got me. Aurora, Moony." Sirius lists off angrily, the curl on his hands on the edge of the table alarming people to the tipping point.
"How touchingly paternal, Black. Perhaps Potter will grow up to be a felon, just like his godfather."
Now Fleur quickly holds Aurora's hand from under the table, letting the spiteful words of that comment disappear like she expected it to. Aurora was about to get into an argument she knows she'd win but would rather cause an unnecessary banter with someone she should treat with respect.
Having finished discussing Harry's arrival, Aurora moved to the end of the table to avoid certain people and Fleur follows right ahead. On the opposite of the two was Daphne.
"Last of Daphne's stuff are in the apartment already. It wasn't much and it took us only five hours to sort." Fleur informs, can now physically relax after the tense atmosphere settles down when most of the Order who aren't staying for dinner left already.
"That's because I don't have any stuff to sort." Daphne defends. "If you see my room in my family's house, it'd take the better half of the day." She counters to Fleur who chuckles at that.
Because of the large family and ruckus they make every single day, Daphne desperately needed an out and break from it all. The Weasleys are only a sole reminder that she would never have this. A loving family. Struggling but loves each other to death. She missed her sister dearly and ached to write a letter to Astoria but couldn't. Not when it would put Aurora and the Order in danger, she couldn't.
So, out of an act of civil and kindness, Fleur offered the spare room in her apartment that is rarely used but storage, really. Daphne refused at first but Fleur assured her it was okay. It'd be nice living with someone for a change. Someone who isn't Aurora and Aurora felt offended by that in which lead Daphne to agree in the end.
"Are we going to stay here for the night?" Fleur asks in a whisper just as Sirius takes his seat by the end of the table, right alongside Aurora who looks her way.
"Only if you want."
"I do." Aurora smiles and nods before turning back to face Daphne. Daphne who was talking with Bill Weasley on her left, both seemed too engrossed with their conversation that made them smile like fools. "And Sirius tells me he misses you." Fleur adds.
"I've been here everyday." Aurora mutters, almost too remorseful as he looks at her father who beams at the sight of Harry who now joins them.
"Try and spend the night everyday." Fleur advices and holds her hand, their fingers interlocked casually. It baffled Aurora in wonder of how their hands fits perfectly together. "Just be there for him." She adds before greeting Harry with a wide smile.
Aurora looks down for a second and looks up to her father. Sirius who smiles at her without a worry in his tired eyes.