Coldness eloped the leering walls of Hogwarts. Draped in silks of exhaustion and dullness, the school found itself trapped within the yawning pit. Life refused to thrive within the stillness. As light refused to glow within the pitch darkness.
Hope had been vanquished, replaced with the blank sense of death that waltzed through the hallways like any other student. Playing as a constant reminder that the dark lord had returned, and each and every one of their lives was bound to cascade further through the wild descent into wickedness.
A particular grey exhaustion had coloured the space. The grey sought to have any positivity evading the atmosphere, to have any goodness slither through the hair width cracks and from them. Simultaneously moods and attitudes dropped and withered along with the livelihood of the castle. Petals fell, stems rotted and trees sunk lower. The entire castle embraced in a waft of misery and depression.
Buds of positivity occasionally peaked through the cracks in the walls, like beams of sun rays peaking through the trees a smile every once in a while was urged.
The tiredness had latched its' inescapable hold through Auroras limbs and curves, tugging harshly at her attitude much like it did everyone else. She viewed Hogwarts as a soft and dying beige colour, the gentle gleam of light dimming progressively, until it would become a simple flicker. Eating dinner the previous night she could have sworn she noticed the candles of the ceiling begin to die out. Snuffing out whatever brightness the castle offered, her mood soured.
The world seemed as though she viewed it through a fogged glass panel, louring her perspective day by day. And to think, her mind often whispered, the first day back seemed so happy until Dumbledore gave his anual speech. Students at Hogwarts talked, the sight of his charcoal tainted fingers were no exception. As though death had disguised itself as black soot and begun its journey through his hand, destined to rot up his limbs, through his body until he remained nothing but a withered corpse.
How negativity had allured to them those days like a sluggish spell had been cast upon them, hypnotising the youthful witches and wizards of all those dark and peculiar. Aurora would often shiver at the thought.
It didn't help when the grieving process would visit her, eloping the witch with a wave of thick sadness, aloneness. The mere absence of Sirius flaying her sagged figure around much like a rag doll. Mourning showed no mercy during the bad days. Thankfully that day was not one of them.
Influenced by such, Aurora smiled softly, the only display of affection she could willingly display at the sight of her previous years results. Grasping the flimsy sheet of frayed paper, she read its contents with a dying grin.
Flores & Nott : O, 96.8%'
An 'Outstanding' was certainly an achievement, especially if she had received such results from a potions assignment. However, no matter how appropriate it would be if the girl flayed and propelled her arms around, she could not find it within herself to celebrate as such. Instead, she settled for a simple gnawing of her chapped mouth, sucking proudly on the peach coloured flesh that was her bottom lip.
Walking through the crowded hallways, a particular bounce produced within her stride, following along the moving girl as she walked to potions class. Accompanied by such positivity evoked a larger grin to pull at her lips, she had missed the feeling dearly.
Leant comfortably against the sandstone wall as he awaited entry into his potions classroom, Theodore stared dully at the empty wall before him. Reminiscing on snippets of regret and guilt fractions of memories wizzed through his mind, reminding him of his absent soul. His essence of which he had sold to the eager clutches of Voldemort himself. Such thoughts often passed through his slow mind, his stiff hand caressing the unforgettable patch of tattooed skin through the cloth of his shirt.
In a sedated pace, his eyelids opened wider, the blue hues raising with them at the sound of hurried footsteps. Only Auroras presence could evoke a grin of his own during such times. He smiled daintily up at her, his expression so delicate he feared it may shatter.
Flashing the quietened boy the sheet of paper, marked with their final potions result, her smile widened nimbly. "We achieved the highest mark in the class."
In a soothing tone, he spoke. "I guess that decrees the official end of our study sessions." He drawled, irritation seeping, not so inconspicuously, through the spaces between his words. His eyes followed as her matching dainty smile faltered. Despite the realisation, the luminescent shine she carried like a halo ceased to fade.
"I'm sure we can continue." She spoke stoically past his head, before she walked along and into the awaiting classroom, the door, Theodore only just realised, left ajar.
His glassy vision fogged as they walked through the doorway. The warm and steamy mist that emitted through the bubbling liquids engulfing the room in an uncomfortable humid texture that had them sweating immediately.
A plump man stood smiling at the front of the classroom. His square jaw remained slacked as he examined the students who walked through the door and into the premises, passing silent the assessments that ran through the Professors mind. Only one student failed such an internal examination, the man's jaw hardened, suffused with judgement as he evaluated Theodore Nott, a known descendant of an infamous death eater.
His nose upturned as the boy walked boredly into the warm room. Frowning in distaste as the boy carelessly shrugged his bag off his shoulder and onto an empty chair, much like every other student had done.
The elder man grinned at the sight of the girl who walked before him. Aurora Flores was a spitting image of her flawless mother. Rory's association to Adriana Flores scored her a pretty reputation.
The two students sat beside each other in the remaining empty spots. Occupying the furthest table, towards the very back of the classroom. "Oh! Miss Flores?" Professor Slughorn called.
The girls lips pulled outwards into a half grin, as she glanced up from her bag and towards the teacher. "Hmm?" Her head tilted sideways.
"Would you be more suited to a seat nearer the front?" He attempted to rescue his student from the likes of a potential death eater.
Both Theodore and Aurora paused, neither oblivious towards Slughrons true intentions. "I'm okay, thank you." She huffed begrudgingly to herself. Theodore, who stood towering beside her smiled smugly down towards his newly polished leather shoes.
"Alrighty then." The potions teachers smile not once evading him. He seemed a man of foe mannerisms, polite but never necessarily kind or of pure intention. "Well, as you fine students can predict, I am your new Potions Professor. I expect the very best from this class." He endearingly looked upon all of them.
A hand raised from a few seats down. "Uh, yes?" His eyes slimmed as he attempted to look at the face of whatever girl had raised her arm, restricted by the faultiness of his aged vision. "Miss?"
"Allen." The girl smiled. "Joe Allen." Her mannerism faded as she eyed the brewed potions that sat before them. The man smiled in anticipation, almost as though he had been awaiting someone ask the question. "What are those?" She pursed her lips and leant over her bench, stealing glances over the black rim of the cauldrons.
"Ah." He chuckled nasally. "A few special potions of my own. Please, come forward." He gestured for the whole class to migrate across the classroom with a rapid wave of the arm. "Don't be shy children. Come, come."
They formed a small mob before him. "Can anyone tell me what this is?" He gestured towards the sluggish brown bubbling potion. Which appeared to be filled with clumps of vegetables, Aurora's face shrivelled up in slight disgust.
"A Poleyjuice Potion." The same girl from before spoke proudly.
"Yes, yes." He smiled, his interest piqued upon the outspoken witch. "Now can anyone tell me it's effect?"
The girl broke out into a creative monologue, describing the ability of such a potion, the professor ate up her every word fascinated by her opinion entirely. Everyone listened eagerly as though it wasn't apart of their syllabus the year before.
"Very good." He then manoeuvred towards the second cauldron. "Now, can anyone distinguish this one?" He smiled cheekily upon his selected group of students. A loud silence fell upon them.
Eyes shifted along the room, hopeful any of them could answer. The professor searched for certainty through the chatty girl from before, she merely shrunk into her shoulders unsurely. His mouth opened disappointingly to speak, but was briskly interrupted by an intense voice from the near back.
"Amortentia." Theodore recognised the concoction.
"Yes." Their teacher responded quickly, desperately trying to withhold his dissatisfaction. With his lips pushed forward he spoke fast. "It's effects?" He tried a wiggly smile.
"It's a love potion." Theodore leaned his hip against the bench beside him, his arms crossed before him. "Supposedly smells like what attracts one the most." He grunted.
Slughorn searched for the right words, the polite words. "Would you like to describe what you smell?" Slughorn raised a hand towards the potion.
Theodore leant forward half a meter. His eyes shifting upward in concentration. Then he paused. Eyes widening, he leant back. "No." He didn't attempt to come off as nice, a luxury Slughorn at the very least tried to do.
"Oh." The teacher awkwardly redirected the classes attention towards the final potion. If anything Aurora hardly cared what was going on as she shuffled near the front of the classroom, leaning forward in the slightest and took a deep inhale.
Listing the scents within the walls of her mind, she enclosed such thoughts deep within her head. Hopeful no one would ever attempt to steal a peak as to what she realised. Shoving her realisation to the very back of her mind, she was entirely distracted by the uncomfortable tinge she added to the air.
"What did you smell?" Theodore asked quietly from beside her, as though he too had been neglecting their teachers discussion. Eagerly, his eyes roamed her.
"Uhm." Her eyebrows furrowed as she pouted exaggerating. "I'm not really sure." She girl spoke. "You?" She tried.
"Same." He concluded, before walking away and back towards their desk concealing and finalising the conversation entirely.
Aurora gazed down at her shoes. Her eyes trailing over the jagged lines of her striped socks as they peaked from the rim of her shoes. She had smelt a familiar combination of things. Ranging from a fresh book to her old perfume, but somewhere buried snugly between the varied mix she could differentiate the scent of the very friend that walked away from her then. Tormenting her entirely, she happily evaded the boy throughout the duration of the lesson.
Entirely oblivious and ignorant as to how he too happily avoided her.
• • •
Her dull eyes sleepily processed the cynical words of the daily prophet. Neglecting the negativity her eyes skimmed over the moving pictures, not at all interested she in-took a large gulp of porridge.
Chewing slowly on her flavoured grains she kept her head in her hands, eyes roaming the the newspaper disappointingly. News of disappearances and mystery played upon the twisted writing of Rita Skita, Rory never cared for the lady, she was much too fake, but it was only when she began to spread her bent lies and rumours about Harry that she truely developed such a loathing.
Finally, her mind processed the finishing sentence of the article. Free of such a story, she looked up from the paper before her. Across from her, Harry fiddled with his Felix Felices potion and gazed past her head and across the hall. Shifting her torso, she achieved the view of Malfoy sitting miserably upon his table, amongst his chatting friends he remained quiet, unbothered. A peculiar sight indeed, she found he was often the source of chatter from within his friends, proven wrong she turned back to Harry who had failed to draw his eyes away from the Slytherin boy.
Reasons why he may be staring evaded her, especially since the wizard Harry's eyes roamed happened to be the one who had given him a 'friendly' kick to the face and a bloody nose the first night back. "You okay there Harry?" Rory smiled down upon the boy. He snapped his gaze from behind her and smiled back at her reassuringly.
"Oh yeah, brilliant." She recognised the way his eyes continued to falter from her held gaze and back towards the Slytherin table.
"Something has stolen your focus." She concluded. "A certain Slytherin." She frowned.
"Oh, Harry." Hermione sighed from her spot across from Rory. "We've gone over this, he isn't a death eater."
The shrill words inspired a foreign quiver to creep up through her spine, resting it's petrified weight uncomfortably upon her stiff shoulders. An emptiness slithered through her gut, forcing the cold sickness into her stomach; where it tormented her. Her mind hadn't fathomed the thought that a possible Death Eater may be roaming the school halls, but as she processed the likelihood, she found herself squeamish. "Death eater?" She frowned.
When no one spoke up, Hermione sighed again. "Harry's got it in his head that Malfoy's a death eater." She attempted a bored smile, but instead a grimace pulled at her face.
"Oh?" Rory looked back down to the newspaper. "That's...." She faltered. "That's ridiculous." She fiddled with the flimsy sleeves of her school shirt. "Unrealistic." She really tried to sound more convincing, instead gave off desperate.
Gazing back down at the news article she wished then that she had never looked up from it, never initiated conversation and never heard of her friends conspiracy. Like the work of a demented poltergeist, she froze, her mind dragged away from reality. Confined within such a state, she dazily walked away from her friends, wordless.
They could not blame her.
Throughout the slow days, the moist lowly attitude of the castle had settled. Smiles, pulled but rarely, yet when they did, a simple grin had the abilities to entice a tangled warmness throughout Aurora. But the previous interaction cruelly snatched the calmness from her, replacing it with a sickly feeling she hoped to be rid of soon.
Her feet, she did not realise, synchronously followed another's. Her gaze planted to the floor, she followed Draco Malfoy out of the hall, he thirty steps ahead, found Theodore Nott.
The platinum blonde spoke to him harshly, whispering his sharp words as they penetrated heavily through the older boy. Theodore continued to play uninterested. "I don't care." He drawled on as Aurora walked into view. "In fact" he looked down at the boy. "I don't care so much that I'm not going this afternoon, good day." He nodded before following in Auroras decent through the hallway.
Draco watched hopelessly as the nonchalant boy brisket away the hair on his neck most definitely standing straight.
Theodore jogged to catch up with the girl. "Aurora." He greeted, shrugging the recent coldness off from his shoulders.
"Theodore." Her tone cynical, eyes narrowed as suspicions raided her. Show up to what? Her mind accused.
"What?" He turned to her. "What is it?" The waver in his voice outed him, Aurora could see he was fearful of something. Her frown deepened. Theodore rapidly attempted to conceal such fear, for the only thing that scared him in that moment was losing her, but she didn't need to know that. "Bloody hell Aurora it's always like this with you" He tried again with feigned carelessness. Her expression dimmed.
Nostalgia and regret hit him harshly as they walked in silence. The dreaded mix had him immediately apologising. "I'm sorry." The words fell dumbly through his clenched teeth. "I'm sorry." He uttered twice. Apologies had never been his strong suit. He hated feeling wrong, but he often did when she was around. A shocked look overtook her expression and soon enough she was grinning so widely, one could assume she had won the lottery. Her smug grin infested a distaste writhing within him. "Shut up." He quietly snapped, turning his head the other way, to withhold his embarrassment.
"You should take your own advice." Her words inspired such surprise. His head shot to look at her. The remark urged a tiny grin to sketch itself upon her face, she had never been one to speak up but as she did it, and as she watched as Theodore's eyes widened for a moment in offence before softening to a look that left evidence of proudness, she felt her tiny grin widen.
"Feisty." He grinned boyishly. Her eyes lowered to the badge he wore proudly on his sweater. His smile widened. "You're looking at Slytherins new Quidditch Captain." He adjusted his tie proudly.
"Funny." A cheeky look displayed flawlessly down her face. "I thought you were afraid of heights." She loved how alarm cascaded down his expression.
"Ridiculous." He scoffed, aware how much he feared distance from the sanctuary that was the ground. She did not drop her wryly look. He sighed. "I trust my broom. The staircases at Hogwarts are treacherous and vengeful, let me assure you they do not like me."
A laugh bubbled from within her chest as satisfied bemusement unfurled through her glassy, hazel eyes.
His shared jovial expression dimmed as a blush betrayed his olive cheeks. In a fit of shame his eyes attracted down towards the tiled floor. "Uhm." He chewed his lower lip. "Would you maybe - erm - like to watch me run tryouts for the team this afternoon?"
Pausing hesitantly a decision wracked through her head. Assessing the pros and cons she decided what to say. Initially, yes, she wanted to go, but the suspicion bound to occur swayed her mind. Then a beautiful thought hit her, The Slytherin team would be training minutes following the Gryffindors, which she had already made plans to watch, so she agreed with a satisfactory feeling.
"Sure." She smiled gleefully. Walking in reverse as to face the boy.
• • •
She sat warmly, snuggled tightly into Hermiones side as the girls assessed the match. Anticipation hurdled within their tight chests as they clutched each other by the wrists.
The try-outs were proving to be a nail biting performance. Rory and Hermiones eyes followed the movements of Ginny as she performed effortlessly, the witch brought them no anxiety. Assured the youngest Weasley would be selected, their worries stemmed from the participants of the Keeper position.
The infamous Cormac Mclaggen was undoubtedly talented. Despite his crude behaviour, he certainly had a knack for such a game. He played with a sharp hand eye coordination, diving towards the goals and defending them gracefully.
Rory and Hermione chewed on their nails as Ron struggled to keep up. He was certainly defending the goal, and doing so just fine, but it was not much in comparison. The Weasley brother played with a particular clumsiness, he barely managed to withhold himself.
A grimace drew circles across her face as she noticed the continuous fleeting glances Cormac desperately tried to give them. Whenever he performed a stellar movement he did not fail to look their way, only Aurora noticed how his eyes zeroed on Hermione constantly. At this realisation she wished to shield the younger girl.
A smug smile threatened to pull at her features when she overheard the faint whisper of a spell. Hermione blatantly sabotaging Cormac, Ron in hand achieving the position as Keeper. Cheers flooded the wide and empty space. The team finishing their game before their provided time came to an end. Collecting themselves the group migrated to the change rooms.
Hermione shot up from her seat and offered a gloved hand toward her friend. "Meet them outside the change rooms?" She smiled.
Politely Aurora declined. "Oh. I actually think I might sit here for a bit, you know? Relax." She chuckled lightly and scavenged for a book within her packed bag. The younger witch nodded once before descending down from the stands and towards the changing rooms where she would await her friends.
As the Slytherins maintained the empty space of the Quidditch pitch, she noticed as the populated stands quickly grew empty, a limited amount stayed eagerly behind. Aurora, trying not to look like one of them, glanced down at her open book. She peaked over the rim, stealing a glance as the large group of Slytherins began to stretch. She withheld her cheeky grin from behind her novel as Theodore stole a fleeting glance towards her from down bellow.
The golden trio walked along the side lines of the grassy field. Their gazes found Theodore as he glanced eagerly above the tall stands. The Sixth year Gryffindors, raising their own view, found their Rory with her attention buried within the contents of a book.
A book of which was upside down.
• • •
Theodore stood centre field with his arms draped effortlessly behind his back, hands interlinked as he studied his team.
An afterglow shone across the fogged field, it calmed his fast paced mind, gave him opportunity to collect his thoughts and assess his friends. He considered himself lucky, gifted with the chance to simply look up and see Aurora Flores herself smiling back down at him. He could see as she fought to conceal such a cheeky grin, yet she failed miserably, he could see it clear as day. Such a thought inspired a beam of his own.
Theodore watched as Blaise glided through the misty air in an effortless manner. Like the broom matched his soul and substituted his other half, Theo wandered why it was not he who received the role as quidditch captain. However the Nott boy was not one to complain, nor question.
Conjuring his broom, he soared through air the wind caressing the contents of his blushed cheeks, the cold air stimulating the rosy colour. He could see his own breath as it puffed from within him, bursts of mist tickling past his ears, as he flew through it, leaving it in his wake.
Aurora did not attempt to hide her bewilderment as he played. Placing the novel upon her lap, she watched as he worked himself. His quidditch uniform working it's feeble effort in covering the boy up. His movement, and the lining of his muscles peaking dangerously through the linen.
She pried her curious gaze from him.
Fumbling through the pages of her book, she refused to look back up. It wasn't until Theodore himself approached her did she do so. The stadium entirely empty, silent and dark as the night crept up through the horizon, an array of stars peaking through the navy airspace.
He offered a gloved hand. This time she took it.
Pulling her from her seat the girl stood before him, chest to chest, she could see the faint layer of sweat as his cascaded down his neck. He had yet to change. "I see you must be my biggest fan, waiting after dark for me, huh?"
She scoffed, her eyes dancing past her eyelids and towards the back of her head.
His cocky smirk did not leave him. With a tilt of the head he gestured they leave. "Let me walk you back." He grinned charmingly, his iconic charisma tinting the colour of his smooth words.
"Don't you need to change?" She frowned.
"It can wait."
"No!" She shook her head. "No, I will not disrupt your routine."
His eyebrows furrowed holes through his eyelids. "Okay." He nodded stiffly. "You willing to wait?"
"Sure." She flashed a sweet grin.
The two walked lazily down the wooden stands and through the grassy plain field. Stealing slow steps as to savour the swift, passing time as it scurried from them, they walked with care. Mumbling conversation, their heads remained down towards the ground. Their hands tucked securely into their pockets, wryly grins pulling their lips upward.
Theodore effortlessly leant against Slytherin boys changing room door, his arms folded over his chest. She stood before him, awaiting his bed move. Pressing his weight upon the door it flew open, he falling with it. Wearing a boyish grin he waltzed inside.
She waited just outside. "Well, come on." He called.
"It's the boys change room." She whisper welled her cheeks swelling a coral pink.
He peaked his head through the doorway. She jumped in surprise. "I won't tell if you won't." Surprising her again, he gripped her wrist and pulled her in. With a yelp, she complied.
White tiled walls shaded them from the night outside. Despite the barrier darkness seeped through the room, Theodore flicked a light, alongside banishing said darkness to writhe within the mere shadows.
She shuffled towards an empty bench. Succumbing into herself she sat awkwardly, twiddling her own thumbs as she searched for what to do. Her eyes followed Theodore as he turned a corner and disappeared from her view.
Her shoulders tensed as a gasp escaped her, jumping in her seat, she heard the sprinkle of running water from behind the wall. Oh. She'd assumed he was just changing.
"I'm just having a quick shower!" He called. "Momentary."
"Uh Huh." The Gryffindor pursed her lips, unsure what to do with herself. From her side of the wall she was engulfed entirely within a pit of tension, as it swallowed her whole she attempted to gasp for breath and to withhold the dangerous blush as it ticked the tips of her ears and nose, dancing upon her cheeks wickedly.
Her eyes roamed the empty premises, observing the patterned walls and silver benches. Awaiting with an unkept nervousness that stomped upon her flesh as it paled.
"Uhh." Theodore drawled from behind the wall. The water came to a stop and Aurora gulped. "Aurora?"
"Yes?" She regrettably spoke.
"Is there a towel left next to you by any chance?" She could hear the flinch in his tone as she too winced herself. Stealing a peak beside her, a grey towel sat menacingly. She scowled down upon it.
"Yes." She mumbled. "Yes there is."
"Ah shit." She heard him curse. "Uh - do you mind - uhm - do you mind bringing it here?"
With raised eyebrows she squawked. "Sure."
With hooded eyes, she wandered around the tiled wall. She spotted his uniform drawled across the floor, lazily thrown aside, neglected. She swallowed. The shower stalls stood among each other, however, a puddle of water seeped from behind the one. She knew he stood bare behind it.
To conceal her vision, she raised a dainty hand over her eyes. Black eloped her senses. With a shaky breath, she pushed open the stall door. "Here." A whisper crawled out.
Theodore stood tall from before the girl. Confidence oozed from his figure, penetrating violently through Aurora as she blocked her vision. Curiosity bullied her, she chose to ignore it as it pestered her relentlessly.
Offering the towel, she felt the tips of his fingers as they brushed gently over hers. She could feel his heated gaze as he pulled it from her. He ears, on alert, heard the fabric as it wrapped around him. "Thanks." He murmured.
"No worries." She scrambled away.
He impatiently chewed his tongue as the door slammed. She had run away, certainly back to her dorm in a fit of embarrassment.
Theodore ran the grey towel gently over the heads of water that cascaded down the lines of his body. And with a frown grasped in shame, he reached for the second towel that sat right behind him.
_________________________________
AN,
Well that was interesting. Hope you enjoyed it. Spoiler!! but I reckon we're getting closer and closer to what you're all here for. Heheheh. Idk about the final little subplot of this chapter but meh. Love you all, Sofia x