Sprinting through the empty halls, Aurora, panting at the breath, attempted to arrive to her DA meeting before it ended. She hadn't been keeping track of time whilst studying with Theodore. Her entire focus had been dedicated to him entirely.
She was suspicious to say the least, Rory didn't fully trust his supposed 'truce' but by the odd chance Theodore was being genuine she refrained from faking her attitude. In fact, she didn't give him any attitude at all, she barely even spoke. Whatever words they shared were polite and quick, unsure how to act around one another.
However the very moment she had realised the time, she rapidly snatched all her things from the table and stuffed it in her already full bag, not bothering to offer Theodore a proper departing manner besides a hasty 'Um okay, bye.'
She didn't hear any reply. She didn't notice his polite response, a simple 'See you' was given, but she didn't notice, she didn't notice his held gaze as she ran off, she didn't notice how unsure he was feeling too. She didn't notice much, she wasn't half as observant as Theodore was.
What she did notice was how tardy she was and how she skidded through the seventh floor in a desperate attempt to arrive on time to her secret lessons, she was supposed to be teaching, her lateness would not be appropriate nor appreciated.
She ran with the picture of her destination planted deep in her. Mind so distracted, that as she raced through the halls she failed to notice Theodore who sat at his usual spot. He was alone that time, twiddling his thumbs as he internally obsessed over the view outside.
He had heard the padded footsteps slapping the floor from behind him, turning around, he only caught sight of Aurora for a moment. At the speed she was going at, she practically zoomed right by him. He wouldn't have been surprised if he had been covered in a layer of dust kicked behind her, hair pointing upwards at her speed.
Standing up, he jogged through the halls in search for her. As his pace slowed, he watched as her figure disappeared behind the corner of an empty hallway. Continuing his run, he turned the corner. He was met with the sight of an empty hallway.
The hall stretched outwards, long and windy, with not a single intersection or door seen. He didn't get how Aurora had managed to escape him the second time that day. During their studying he didn't bother to grasp her attention, he didn't know how to approach her, so he made a speedy trip to one of his favourite places in the castle, using the library tunnels he, Blaise and Pansy had found in his fourth year.
The hidden tunnel wasn't in the library per say, but rather across from it, behind a statue of one the past headmasters of Hogwarts. The three had been roaming around intoxicated when they ran into it and ever since they had a speedy way through the library to the Ravenclaw commons which was rather close to the seventh floor. He had assumed it was out there by Rowena Ravenclaw as a shortcut for her students to make it to the library.
Unfortunately for him, as his curious eyes scanned the empty hallway, there was no severer tunnel to help him locate Aurora then, for she had already dove behind the walls of the room of requirement and out of his sight.
Panting as she slid through, all eyes in the room shot to her. Everyone wore gazes of shock and worry, they hadn't expected anyone and all feared they had been caught by either Umbridge or Filch. Rumours had began to spread like wild fire of the secret lessons they shared and even more rumours had evoked about Umbridge's plan to arrange for a team of students to sniff them out.
Aurora feared for the time. No doubt many Slytherin students would be all to eager to hunt for them whilst they prepared for the upcoming battle.
"Rory." Harry greeted with an unsure grin, his lips formed a straight line. Aurora winced I'm response, she knew why he seemed disappointed, her late arrival clearly didn't please the chosen one.
"It's not often your late Rora." Fred spoke up from behind the crowd, George's wand grasped amongst his own, Aurora had predicted they were practicing their disarming charms.
"So sorry, I got caught up studying." She blushed at the attention she was receiving from the entire room. Aurora had very clearly been use to attention, most would usually gaze in awe at her every action, but the attention she was receiving then seemed more pressuring than usual.
She frowned when Cormac Mclaggen spoke aloud to everyone whilst trying to speak to her. "You off with that study partner of yours?" He sneered at the thought of the Slytherin boy, her eyes creased as she flinched at the thought of their last encounter.
"Partner?" Fred and George spoke in sync, a common act performed between the two red headed, identical brothers.
"Nott." Harry frowned.
A series of whispers evoked amongst the occupants of the room, Aurora wore a heavy frown as they very obviously gossiped. The room had been silence until Harry spoke they were clearly talking about her, she didn't like it.
"Yeah, Snape assigned us partners." She shrugged, brushing off all of the curious gazes and upcoming questions.
"He sucks." One of the younger boys in the room spoke aloud. "Beat up my brother and his mates a year back." Whoever spoke held a thick Irish accent, blonde hair and a pale face, she would've considered him cute if it weren't for the ugly scowl imprinted on his face.
"He's beautiful." One of the witches spoke aloud, she received many nods of agreement.
"Doesn't make up for the fact he's a royal arse." Another girl spoke, spite evident in her voice and expression, more nods followed after that particular comment.
"Are you dating him Rory?" A curious third year spoke up.
The group conversation had become extremely bothersome, everyone felt free to ask questions and make up whatever assumptions they wanted, no one seemed to bothers by it besides Aurora, that wasn't until the previous comment.
At the thought of Aurora dating Theodore, Harry spoke up vastly. "No." His voice rose, not to a yell but loud enough to drown out the other voices. "No she isn't." He glared.
"Okay okay okay." Aurora calmed everyone down with those simple words she didn't ven have to raise her voice, attention would always sway her way, wether she liked it or not. "How did this meeting become about Theodore Nott?" She chuckled.
Various chortles followed after. Her close friends didn't seem amused for they were curious themselves.
"Roars wouldn't date a git." Ron spoke aloud. "And we shouldn't' be talking bout one."
Aurora payed half her mind to the faint protest that played in the back of her head. Theodore's mannerism was one not to be admired of course, but she couldn't just brush him off as some common git either, he had after all helped her. Though she knew she wasn't going to do anything about it for he did treat others poorly and she didn't want to particularly risk her reputation for the likes of him.
The class continued on and Aurora felt a certain weight lift from her shoulders as the rope that had knotted in her gut release. She slouched through the room and began to examine others techniques.
As she trailed through the classroom no one brought up any sign of conversing about Theodore Nott, almost as if it never happened. Her instructive thoughts near convinced her the entire conversation had just been a trick of her mind and had actually taken place in her head, that was until Harry who had been trailing behind her evoked a question that had obviously been on his mind for quite some time.
"So Rory." He drawled out his words in feign disinterest, his eyebrows furrowed at his feet. "Nott." He cleared his throat. "You better not be dating him." He grunted.
Auroras eyebrows shot up, nearly meeting her hairline. She frowned. "No, Theodore and I are not dating." She cringed. The voice in her head was going hysteric, screaming like a banshee, scolding her for allowing Harry to use the phrase 'you better not be' as though it was his choice. But she was worried that if she were to act on such emotions the situation may backfire on her.
She was then reminded of Theodore and how he would be furious. He hated when she refrained from speaking her mind, she knew that by then. She knew that if it were him she was chatting with he would accuse her of withholding emotions and therefore proving his 'fake personality' theory true. She should've spoken her mind after the thought of him. But he wasn't there and she didn't want to risk anything.
She didn't attempt to progress with the conversation, unfortunately for her it didn't exactly come to an end when more participants provided Harry and Rory with their candor.
"I agree." Fred wrapped his lanky arm around Harry's shoulders a sluggish grin resting on his cheeks.
"Stay away from Nott." George chimed in after his twin.
She was a single strand of hair away from frantically waving her arms around and admonishing her friends for believing they had the right to order her around.
"You do know it is my decision right?" She mumbled.
"Oh yeah of course." George nodded.
Fred's words of wisdom following. "But you won't date him." She clenched her jaw and fists in one, furiously agitated by their choice of words and demands.
"Look." Harry sighed "He's bad news. You know this from experience." Fred and George tensed from besides the younger wizard. "And for that you will keep your distance.
"Blimey Harry, she's her own person, surely capable of making her own decisions." Ron sang from behind her. In that moment Rory was close to giving him a sloppy kiss in his right cheek, ever so thankful for Rons words of wisdom which was surprising to say the least for usually Ron spoke the words of his temper.
"And those decisions won't involve Theodore Nott." Harry presented them with a shocking stern tone one that wasn't often portrayed by him. Ron raised a bushy brow in mock confusion. "Ron you don't know what that tosser did."
"What'd he do?" Hermione joined in on their chat that took place whilst the class diminished after being dismissed by Hermione herself once she noticed Harry was too preoccupied to do it himself.
"That's no one's concern." Aurora dismissed their curios questions.
Harry nearly exposed the truth the and there, the only thing stopping him was due to the fact that it wasn't his place to say. His lack of words made their group think the very worse.
Great. Aurora spat internally.
"Rory what'd he do?" George interrogated. Rory was only thankful Ginny had fallen with the flu and couldn't make it to the DA lesson and in hand the questioning Aurora was currently experiencing. If she was there Rory feared all hell would break loose.
"It's fine, in fact he and I are on mutual terms." She shrugged her shoulders. The looks they all reflected didn't surprise her in the slightest. Ron and Hermione seemed surprised themselves, whereas Harry and the twins looked furious.
"You are seeing him aren't you?"
"He doesn't deserve mutual terms."
"Don't associates with snakes."
The three cursed a list of profanities, all disappointed and angered by her words.
She merely sighed to restrain herself. To leash herself. It failed. She shook her head profusely. "Don't you get it? You can't control me like this!" Her voice raising by the second to levels they had never witnessed. "He and I are on mutual terms of respect and that has nothing to do with you!" She was panting at the breath her vision crimson. "He apologised and I forgave him and that is that!"
They all stared jaws dropped to their knees eyes wider than the wingspan of an eagle. She didn't allow for them to provide anymore of their opinions before she briskly collected her things and stormed out.
She was left in an enraged state, lashing out at her friends was a mere consequence of her anger. Once her fury had settled she was left with a wave of guilt one she chose not to act on. It was humiliating really, she didn't want to turn around and apologise because of Theodore himself, she thought of him when she yelled and she felt as if she was proving him wrong.
I'm reality Theodore wouldn't have appreciated her actions, true surely but still under false pretences. She did it to please someone regardless if they were aware or not. Theodore planned to teach her how to be real for herself, not for popularity not be right. That was why he loathed her to begin with, her tendencies to create rapture for everyone was an ugly sight. One he planned to demolish.
Aurora didn't speak to her group for three days. She was in a different year with them all and didn't have to associate during lessons, all she had to do was evade the bunch drying break times, a tricky task but one she was determined to accomplish.
On day four it became suspiciously easy not to run into any of them, she didn't see Harry, Ron, Ginny nor the twins at all, they hadn't even tempted to find her. She was confused as much as she was relieved.
She despised how quiet it had become the lack of jokes and laughter saddened her, but they had crossed a line and she wasn't willing to forgive for the time being. Safe to say her current emotions wouldn't last long.
Sitting in Professor Umbridges classroom, Aurora kept her head down as per usual, though she would be lying if she said she hadn't already received punishment for existing. Umbridge was ever so creative when thinking up excuses to humiliate her in front of the class.
Scribbling down her class notes Aurora compared the theoretic work to the practical lessons held in secret, she brainstormed ways to convert what they learnt to physical spells for her to teach during their secret Dumbledores Army lessons.
She was however interrupted by her writing when a mock came at the door, professor McGonagall stood, expressing her natural demanding demeanour by simply standing the way she always did. Though her intimidating persona was somewhat broken by the trouble look she adorned.
"Miss Flores." She spoke after knocking twice. The class stopped in what they were doing to observe the scene for themselves. Theodore, who sat a few rows behind her, was all the more eager to examine the situation. "May you come with me."
The lady who fashioned she'd signature green dress robes was interrupted by the other lady who fashioned fugly pink blazers and knee length skirts. A little cough and giggle was heard capturing everyone's gaze. "Miss Flores is in class. May it wait." She giggled again.
"No." The taller witch shook her head. "She is desperately needed. The pink toad scowled as Aurora began to collect her things, quickly shooting up out of her chair, excited to escape the clutches of Dolores Umbridge.
Theodore was the only individual in the entire classroom, including Aurora herself, to notice the Granger witch who stood behind McGonagall. Her eyes were red rimmed and puffy, the girl had been crying.
Theodore wouldn't admit the pang of guilt he felt when he suspected Aurora would almost definitely be found in a matching state within a few minutes. He ignored his empathy for the girl anyway and continued writing, not without side eying the girl through the door that had been left ajar.
Once outside, Aurora took notice to Hermione and her state, she had been crying she noted, dread filled her insides. "Is everything alright?" She murmured, fearful that something was anything but alright.
"Arthur Weasley has been attacked." The Professor spoke solemnly. "Nearly killed the poor fellow. He now resides in St Mungo's under critical condition."
Aurora allowed for a single choked gasp to release before covering her open mouth with her palms, rapidly shaking her head in thick worry. Hermione patted her shoulder gently in comfort.
"You shall be going to theirs for this upcoming Christmas regardless." The woman spoke softly. "Mrs Weasley requested she'd meet you at the train station, the Weasleys and Potter have already left.
Theodore who had been watching from the outside frowned despite not actually hearing anything, he knew something was terribly wrong.
He examined how he flinched as he watched the Auroras hands raise to palm her mouth which had dropped in shock. He examined how thick tears formed in her eyes. He examined how she struggled to banish the salty water from escaping her hues. He hated it all.
Whatever was going on had Aurora in a troubled state and surprisingly he frowned at that.
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AN
Eeehhhh idk about this chapter anyway
Hope you enjoyed
- Sofia xx