Augustus was rendered useless, so he stayed out of the way whilst Aurora struggled against Scarlett and Orinthia.
Aurora found it difficult to even stand with the wound on her hand and chest. She narrowly missed an Avada Kedavra from Orinthia.
"You won't win!" Scarlett yelled as Aurora ran into the ancestral room.
She blocked more hits from Orinthia. Scarlett blasted her into a portrait, Aurora falling to the ground.
"Avada Kedavra!"
From the corner of her eye, she watched Orinthia drop to the ground. Celestina stood in the doorway of the room, eyes wide with horror.
She scrambled to her feet and before Scarlett could react, she hit her with the killing curse.
She braced herself against the wall. Celestina ran to her, "Do you have it?"
"Your family, they–"
"I didn't realize what they would do. I'm sorry. Do you have the Horcrux?"
She nodded, reaching into her pocket and holding it up. Celestina sighed in relief, "Good."
They walked back into the living room. Aurora sat down and shrugged off her jacket as Augustus slowly walked in, "Are they..."
"Dead." Aurora answered.
Celestina turned to him, "I thought you were dead."
"So did I." Augustus quietly said.
She held out her hand, "I guess we're... cousins. I'm Celestina Riddle."
"Augustus Cairo."
Celestina summoned a medical kit and sat down beside Aurora. She looked at the puncture wound in her chest. The wound was slightly black, "Shit..."
Aurora leaned her head back against the couch as Augustus sat next to her, "How bad?" He asked.
"It almost looks like it's infected..."
She turned her attention away from Celestina working on patching up her wound. She looked at Augustus, "I–"
"I found out I was a Riddle just before I was attacked by Greyback. I wanted to tell you but... I didn't want you to see me differently." He said.
"It takes more than Avada Kedavra to kill someone with Riddle blood... that's why you didn't die." Aurora said, "So you were there... ever since that night..."
"Tied to a tree and endlessly attacked by Greyback, yeah. I suppose he was just a figment of my imagination."
Aurora sighed, "I'm sorry, Augustus."
He took her hand and she squeezed it tightly when Celestina waved her wand around her wound.
"So... mind telling me what's going on?" Augustus asked.
And so Aurora filled him in on everything. Celestina worked in silence from her wound on her chest to her hand.
"It takes two people of Riddle blood to destroy that?" Augustus asked, pointing to the Horcrux in Aurora's hand.
"Yeah. I think it's been cursed or something." Celestina spoke up.
"So that means..."
Aurora looked at him apologetically and sadly. She couldn't look him in the eye without guilt washing over her.
"Yeah." She quietly said.
Celestina walked out of the room, giving Aurora alone time with her best friend.
"I wish I had more to say." Augustus said, "I– I'm happy you're with Weasley. He's a good chap."
"Yeah."
Tears slipped from her eyes again. Augustus sighed, "Hey, none of that. It's okay."
"I have you back now but... I'm gonna have to..."
"Stop. I know. It's okay." He softly said, pulling her in for a hug again.
They pulled apart again and Aurora wiped her tears, "I suppose I should also tell you that Darren's gotten involved to help us."
"Really?"
"Really."
"How is he? Doing alright?"
She nodded, "Yeah. We had a close call though... Althena, she had to turn him."
He narrowed his gaze, "Like..." he put his pointer fingers to either side of his mouth and turned them down.
She smiled lightly, "Yeah, like that."
He let out a breath, "Bloody hell."
"Literally."
He studied her face, "You look different."
"Good or bad?"
"Good if you got a full-nights sleep."
Celestina walked back in with a dagger in her hand.
"The Basilisk dagger."
She gave it to Aurora. She looked down at it, taking the cover off. She traced her finger over the flat of the silver blade, looking at the latin engraving. The handle was complete emerald.
She put the cover over the dagger again, "Thank you, Celestina."
"We need to get out of here." She said, "Can you apparate us back to England?"
Aurora shrugged, "I– I should be able to. Only reason why I didn't apparate here was because I didn't have a clear visual of where I was going."
"If Scarlett and Orinthia wanted Aurora dead, why didn't they just kill her?"
Celestina sighed, "I wish I knew. I thought they were gonna help her."
Aurora and Celestina got their things together and Aurora changed her clothes. Aurora stopped back by the ancestral room and stabbed Orinthia in the chest with a kitchen knife to make sure she was well and truly dead. Afterwards, everyone held hands and Aurora apparated them to the Burrow. They stood in the cornfield, Aurora instantly taking a deep breath at the familiar air.
"How long has it been since you were here?" Augustus asked.
"Uhh, nearly 3 months?"
They walked through the field and to the house.
"It looks different."
"It got burned down."
"Oh."
Molly walked outside and to her garden, shooing away a few garden gnomes before harvesting carrots. The three walked closer to the house, "Molly."
She jumped at the sound of Aurora's name, her face instantly contorting into relief and happiness when she realized who it was. Aurora walked over to her and the two hugged one another tightly, "Oh, thank Merlin." Molly cried.
They pulled apart, Molly gasping at the sight of Augustus.
"Oh, dear."
She brought him in for a hug, "I'm sure you have questions..." Augustus trailed off.
She waved her hand, "Those can wait. I'm going to send a Patronus to everyone. Come in." Molly held Aurora's hand as they walked inside. She turned to her and put a hand on the side of her cheek, "We've all missed you dearly."
"I missed you too."
"Aurora's back!"
Loud stomping erupted as soon as Molly announced it. Arthur walked into the living room and gave Aurora a hug, "Welcome back."
George ran throughout the house like a bull in a China shop. He enveloped Aurora in a tight hug, kissing her where he could. They eventually pulled apart, George brushing hair from her face.
"You need to stop running away from me." He joked.
"This is the last time."
They kissed one another tenderly as the front door whirled open. Althena walked in shortly after Estella and Iniya.
"About time you show back up." Althena said, finishing off her cigarette. She hugged her aunt and Althena looked at her worriedly, "Okay?"
She nodded, "I will be."
More people poured in. Remus and Tonks hugged Aurora tightly, "Thank Godric you're all right." Remus said.
The attention was quickly turned to Augustus, who was lingering in the corner.
"Is that...?" Althena trailed off.
"It's a long story." Aurora said.
Remus walked to Augustus with a look of disbelief. He brought Augustus in for a hug, catching the young lycanthrope off guard.
Everyone ended up gathering at the St. Claire Manor for more room. Augustus was given a change of clothes, and when he walked back downstairs, he was met with Luca and Darren staring at him wide-eyed.
Darren was the first to move. He brought his ex-boyfriend in for a long hug, "This feels strange." Augustus mumbled into his shoulder.
"The fact that you're extremely warm and I'm ice cold? Or something else?" He joked.
"Something else."
They pulled apart and Darren took a deep breath, "This is..."
"Yeah."
He looked past Darren and to Luca, who looked like he was going to fall apart then and there. They didn't hug one another, they didn't exchange any words.
Dinner was served shortly after and Aurora finally addressed Celestina's presence.
"This is Celestina Riddle."
Everyone stopped eating at the sound of her name.
"You're related to Voldemort?" Althena asked.
"I'm his granddaughter."
Romare choked on his wine. He coughed furiously, "Sorry, I really didn't expect to hear that."
Aurora reached into her pocket and pulled out the Horcrux, "This is a Horcrux. Dumbledore sent me on a mission to find it. I couldn't tell anyone, I'm sorry."
"Why haven't you destroyed it yet?" Remus asked.
"It has to be the last Horcrux destroyed, in a very specific way."
And so Aurora went on to describe everything again, with the help of Celestina.
Remus looked between Celestina and Augustus, "No. There has to be another way."
"There is no other way." Celestina said.
"We cannot just... let you two die." Margot quietly said as she fed Circe.
"You have to." Augustus said with a sigh. Luca looked over at him sadly, "Celestina's right. This is the only way. It'll be worth it in the end."
"Did you know your family was connected to the Riddles?" Remus questioned Althena.
She shook her head, "No."
"This Horcrux is dangerous." Aurora said, "I think it might be hexed."
"How?" Tonks asked.
"When I was looking for it, I was uh... being chased by inferi. I tripped and fell right on the scythe. It nearly hit my heart."
George was now more worried than ever. She pulled her t-shirt down slightly, revealing the wound that had black lines around it.
"It's like an infection..." Romare said.
"That's what I said." Celestina chimed in.
"Do you feel alright?" Althena worriedly asked.
Aurora took a sip of her water, "I'm exhausted, but other than that, I'm fine."
"We'll keep an eye on that." Romare said as Aurora readjusted her shirt.
Aurora held up her left arm, her forearm wrapped in bandage from where the inferi scratched her. She also raised her pointer finger, where the scythe pricked her finger, "It's strange, though. The scythe also pricked my finger, but all that happened was it bled a little."
"It could be because it's close to your heart." Maxwell spoke up.
That spurred on more worried questions and what if's. Aurora eventually got fed up with it all, "Look, if something happens, at least I'll be here."
After dinner was over and Remus, Tonks, and Althena repeatedly checking on Aurora, everyone finally went home.
Aurora and Margot showed Augustus and Celestina to their rooms.
"Feeling better?" Aurora asked Augustus.
He nodded, "Yeah. There's still a lot I want to talk about but... I think that all can wait for tomorrow."
Aurora dragged her feet to her and George's room, wishing she could go back to their home. She stripped out of her clothes and got into the shower, welcoming the warm water. Moments later, she heard the shower curtain open.
She felt two arms turn her around softly, pulling her into a warm chest that she knew was George.
"You wouldn't lie to me about your wound not hurting, would you?" He quietly asked.
"It does hurt a little." He looked at her sternly, and she rubbed the tops of his shoulders softly, "It's not that bad."
"It could be bad."
"Relax."
"A bit hard to when my girlfriend was gone nearly 3 months and I had no idea if she was dead or alive."
"George, I'm sorry. You know I had to go."
He sighed and pulled her back in, "I know."
He stroked her back, "Part of me is over the Moon that Augustus is here, but the other part of me aches knowing what's to come." Aurora said so quietly she wasn't even sure if he heard her.
"The best you can do is cherish the time you have with him."
The two got out of the shower after washing up. Aurora stood over the sink and unwrapped her arm, sighing at the sight of the stitching Celestina did. She knew it would scar.
George walked into the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. She turned to him, "That's a sight I missed."
He smirked lightly before turning his attention to her forearm, "Can I see?"
She held out her forearm, and he made sure to hold her arm in a way that wouldn't hurt her.
"An Inferius tried to pull me into a river." Aurora explained, "That's how my Uncle Regulus died: Inferi."
He brought her forearm up, kissing it ever-so lightly.
The two changed into pijamas and crawled into bed. Aurora snuggled herself up to George, and he gladly accepted her affection.
"I would want to be a little more active tonight, but frankly I just want you to hold me." Aurora mumbled.
He pressed a kiss to her forehead, "Fine by me, love."