The air was cold and dark. There was a rotten smell. Aurora was in a place she had never seen. A small scary room, with peeling walls and no windows to feel any light. Aurora was afraid to make a move, but she couldn't just stand there. She walked, slowly, investigating her surroundings. The smell wouldn't disappear, only get stronger. She felt her skin getting colder, with shivers running down her spine.
Aurora thought that she saw something laying down on the ground. It was too dark to see, so she stepped closer. Aurora stood there with her eyes widened and trembling. Her whole body shaking in fear. She saw a body, covered in blood. It was a small body with pointy ears and dark eyes. His face was deformed and his skin almost completely scarred. But to her surprise... It wasn't the only one. More and more bodies she saw across the room, piled on top of each other, like garbbish thrown away. Some didn't have arms or legs and others were completely decapitaded. She could only see blood, splashed on the walls, on the ground, everywhere. She screamed, with disgust. She was terrified.
Aurora sat up on the bed, almost automatically, with tears in her eyes, panting. Small drops of sweat covered all her body. She was in her dorm, still in her bed.
Aurora noticed the looks upon her, with confused and alarmed eyes. Her screams woke up the girls.
"Are you okay, Aurora?" Espen dared to ask.
Her heart was still beating furiously and her breath kept coming out in rush.
"I-I'm..." She stuttered.
Without finding the strenght to speak, she just nodded her head, really fast.
It was just a nightmare... It was just a nightmare... She kept telling herself.
Kimora jumped on her bed, running her tail around her arm. Her soft white fur calmed Aurora a little bit.
The other girls went to sleep.
"Are you sure that you're okay?" Espen asked once again.
"I'm okay." Aurora replied, not believing her own words.
Espen, still not so assured, laid down on her bed, trying to sleep.
Aurora, somehow, hoped that she wouldn't and that she would stay up with her until she fall asleep, or maybe that she invited her to sleep together, so that Aurora couldn't fear anymore. But she was ashamed to ask.
Aurora couldn't sleep. Everytime her eyes closed, she was afraid that she'd see that place once more. It was far from a dream. It wasn't a nightmare, neither. It was a monstrosity...
Once green rays of light came from the window, Aurora immediatly got out of bed and changed from her pajamas to normal clothes. She chose to wear simple jeans and a black knitted sweater. It was cold down there.
After the nightmare, she didn't sleep at all. She just stood there, laying on the bed and staring at the ceiling. The good thing was that morning seemed to come earlier.
Aurora grabbed her spell's notebook and went to the common room. Today was saturday, so almost everyone would go to Hogsmeade. Unfortunally, first years weren't allowed to go there, only when they reach their third year on Hogwarts. She decided to spend the day training spells and reading, untill it reaches night, where she will have to go to the Forbidden Forest, because of her unfair punishment. She hoped not to see Professor Fuscus soon in the morning.
Aurora decided not to wait for her friends, so, instead, she headed first to the Great Hall to have breakfast.
She walked across the dungeon corridors and then through the moving stairs, which were complicated as ever.
"Everyday it's the same damn thing..." She mumbled, waiting for the tricky stairs to line up correctly.
It was told to her that the stairs liked to prank the first years, so, once she finishes the year, the stairs will be obedient. But, even so, what strange stairs, acting like they were sentient.
Suddenly, Aurora heard a giggle.
She found a small man, with black hair, malicious orange eyes and a fixed big grin. He was wearing an orange polka dot sweater, green pants and curly toed blue slippers. On his head was some kind of striped jester hat and a red bow tie on his plump neck. His taste of fashion was worse and weirder than Professor Ackerley's. He was flying in midair. He didn't seem like a ghost, given that he wasn't transparent.
Aurora was amazed to see such strange little man. She had never seen him before. Were there more of him?
"That's Peeves." She heard someone say.
Aurora looked behind and saw Leo, who walked to her side, staring at the supposed 'Peeves'.
"Peeves?" She asked, also averting her eyes again to the flying little man. "He looks like a gnome."
"Trust me, gnomes are entirely different than that." He informed. "He's a poltergeist."
Aurora's eyes widened. It was her first time seeing one.
"What do we hav'here? A firstie witchy and an aloof?" Peeves asked, grinning.
"He speaks!" Aurora was surprised. "Do you know him?" She asked Peeves, pointing to Leo.
Leo shoved her finger down. "Don't speak to him, he's a troublemaker." He said, indiferently.
Peeves rolled his eyes, smirking, like he was proud of that title.
"Really? But he seems so cute."
Leo frowned surprised. Peeves' eyes widened and his face became red, like it was about to explode, literaly. Then, he suddenly started throwing tomatoes at them. "If ya say that, then i'm gonna be embarassed."
"See?" Leo spoke. "Protego!"
All of a sudden, the both of them were shielded from the flying tomatoes.
"Let's go." Leo grabbed Aurora's hand and dashed across the stairs, heading to the Great Hall.
When they reached it, they sat on the Slytherin table, eating breakfast. The Great Hall was almost empty, with only a few people here and there. Aurora grabbed a toast and passed butter on it. Then she filled her plate with some bacon and her goblet with pumpkin juice.
"I don't think i'm going to eat tomatoes today." She said pointing to a plate full of them.
She laughed. Leo let out a small grin, stiring his bowl of cereals. She was happy that she could make him laugh, seeing that he always has a stern look on his face.
"You woke up early." Aurora said.
"You too." He replied.
"I couldn't sleep."
"Me neither."
She glanced at him.
"What are you doing today?" She asked.
"Maybe i'll go to the library to study." He took a spoon to his mouth.
"I'm going to study there too, then I'm going to train some spells outside. We can go together if you'd like."
He looked at her. "I don't mind." His eyes returned to the bowl.
Aurora smiled. Maybe he could teach her about things that she didn't know. And she could take advantage of the situation to start knowing him better.
"You really thought that Peeves was cute?" Leo asked. "Seriously?" He grinned.
"Don't judge me. I have a thing for poltergeists, aparently." She laughed. "But he was kinda cute with his outlashing clothes and old appearence and jet orange eyes..." She sighed, profoundly. "I think I'm in love, Leo!"
He almost choked with the cereals.
Aurora laughed seeing the way he reacted. "I'm joking."
He swallowed. "I know that."
"So, how is school going?" She asked.
"Normal and yours?"
"It's going great." She said. Of course it wasn't true. It has just been a week and she already made a scandal in the Great Hall, was accused of trying to kill a boy, been stupefied against a stone wall, been the talk of the town and been punished by a teacher, who detests her. Who would see that as 'great'?
He looked at her, with disapproval in his eyes. He must know that she's lying. However, she didn't dare to say the truth.
"And how is your training for the Quidditch team going?" She asked, changing the subject.
"Normal."
"Could you give me more detail?"
"Like what?" He asked.
"I don't know!" She answered. "Have you been training alone or with other people?"
"I don't need to train with other people." He said. Aurora knew he would say that. "I'm trying to be a Seeker, so I'm concentrating on getting faster."
"And are you?"
Leo stared at her.
"You like to ask a lot of questions, don't you?"
"I completely adore." She replied. "So?"
"I guess..." He said.
Somehow, he seemed nervous. Maybe he really liked flying. Well, who wouldn't? Aurora knew what the feeling of riding a broom was. It was always like the first time. The feeling of excitement would never wear off.
With all that talk, Aurora remembered about Professor Melchior's proposal. She still hasn't decide about accepting it or declining.
"Would you like to have me as a teammate?" She inquired.
"Why ask that all of a sudden?"
"No reason at all. It just crossed my mind."
"No." He answered, averting his eyes to the table.
Aurora looked at him, bewildered.
"Why?"
"Because Quidditch is a dangerous game. You might get hurt."
"And so might you." She said, frowning.
"It's different." Their eyes met.
"How sexist of you." She replied. "Unbelievable..."
"I'm sorry for worring about you." He said it so calmly, that Aurora almost didn't feel the sarcasm.
He sighed. "I'm just worried. But it's not like you can audition, so it's okay."
She sneered.
"Actually, I was requested to audition for the team, given that I have great potential for being a Chaser." She informed. "Not so frail now, don't you think?"
"How come? You're a first year." He asked, surprised.
Aurora shrugged her shoulders.
"Maybe because this girl here is so good that they didn't want to wait until she was a second year to put her on the team." She was being a bit full of herself, but only to piss Leo off.
"Now you're speaking about yourself in the third person?"
Aurora raised her eyebrows and shoulders.
"All right. I understand." He sighed. "Just because you're a girl, doesn't mean you're weak."
She smirked. "Thank you! Glad I made my point."
Aurora learned that he can lose his serious mask when something pisses him off. So Leo also has a limit to his patience.
"Do you intend to audition?" He asked.
"I don't know. I still haven't thought it through."
He rubbed his forehead, grabbing his books. "Shall we go study?"
Aurora nodded.
↢ * ↣
"What are you going to study?" Aurora asked, taking a seat on the farthest table. Leo sat across from her. They were the only ones in the library, excluding the librarian.
"Charms and you?" Leo responded, opening a book that he was carrying before.
"Some spells." She replied, looking at her notebook.
Most of those spells she already knew, but there were still some where she needed to train more. Some of them would come out incomplete or wouldn't obey her. But she was in a library, so she couldn't perform them, so she decided to memorize their names and functions.
She glanced at Leo, who was focused on his book. Aurora stared at it, trying to read the words upside down.
"Pa... Tro... Nus... Charm?" She asked, bewildered.
Leo looked at her.
"What is it?"
"It's a defensive charm. The most powerful that exists." He answered. "But extremely difficult."
"What exactly does it do?"
"It creates a Patronus, some kind of protector. It can have two forms: an incorporeal Patronus, where, when casted, you see only a wisp of silver, like mist, or smoke, or a small haze hovering in the air. The other form is a fully corporeal Patronus. It's form is defined, very different from an incorporeal. It takes a form of an animal." Leo explained.
"Why is it so difficult?" Aurora asked. To her, that spell, seemed amazing. Having your own guardian.
"It's an advanced magic, that only skilled wizards or witches are capable of performing, however, it doesn't only take great skills. When casting the spell, you have to have a pure intention. You can only cast it, by remembering your happiest memories. Most people, who are consumed with dark thoughts, can't perform this spell."
"That seems incredible..." She spoke, amazed.
"It is commonly used against Dementors. That's why I find it really hard to think of happy memories, when facing this creature. It sucks the life out of you. To think about something happy in the middle of this agony, is really difficult."
A Dementor. She thought.
Mr. Ollivander spoke of it when she went to buy her wand. He said that the obsidian was good against Dementors. Maybe he was refering to this spell, instead.
"Can you do it?"
He looked at her.
"No." He answered, calmly. "Like I said, I find it hard to think about happy memories."
She understood how complicated it was. She wondered how the sensation would be to encounter a Dementor or to perform the spell itself.
Leo returned to his book, while Aurora dashed through the pages of her notebook to find more about that spell.
Expecto Patronum. She read. Even the incantation was amazing.
Aurora raised her head.
"What kind of happy me- What is that?" She asked, when she looked at Leo's book. It wasn't the same before.
She observed a small humanoid, with pointed ears, long feet and hands and dark eyes.
"This?" He pointed to the creature.
Aurora's heart was racing. That thing... Was the one from her dream. But how could she dream about something she had never seen before. How could she dream with something that was real, but didn't seem to her at that time?
"It's a goblin." He answered.
Aurora remembered the cold dead body thrown on the floor, and the several others, which seemed to never end. She recalled that massive carnage. It was a bloodbath. She remembered their bruises, scars and wounds. Their arms and legs ripped off of their body, and their headless figures.
Aurora closed the book and stood up, nauseous.
"I'm going outside to train. See you later." She said, hasty.
Leo nodded, watching her go away, leaving him in the library.
Aurora stopped in the bathroom to throw up. Her stomach was upset, due to that atrocity.
She went to the Clock Tower courtyard and sat near a fountain.
The clouds were starting to gather and the breaze was colder than before.
"Oh, Aurora."
She heard her name being called. She raised her head and saw Professor Ackerley, with his unusual suits. This time it had a light pink colour and a shiny belt.
"Good morning, Professor." She greeted.
"Why are you here alone?" He asked.
"I came here to train some spells." She answered. "By the way, Professor, have you ever seen a Dementor?"
"A Dementor?" He spoke. "I've seen quite few. Why the sudden interest?"
"I was reading about this spell... The Patronus Charm. And it said that it was a good spell to use against these beings. But I've never seen one." She explained.
"And it's better that way, believe me. They are despicable creatures. They desire to steal all the happiness from you, all your warm and caring moments, and leave you with nothing more than despair."
"Why?"
"It's in their nature." He said. "But you won't find them here. In the past, they were under the control of the Ministry. The Dementors used to guard Azkaban. It's a prison. After the Second Wizarding War, they were dismissed, but some of them are still used secretly by the Ministry, because of the sudden revelation of the organisation Dark Revolution."
Aurora's mother's organisation.
"How do you know all that, sir?" She inquired. "About the Ministry, I mean."
He kept silent, staring at her. For a moment, his eyes seemed sad.
"Just things that I hear here and there." She didn't quite believe it.
"Professor, are you able to cast the Patronus Charm?" Aurora asked.
"After years of training, I was able to do it." He said. "An incorporeal and a corporeal one. It appears in the form of a falcon."
"That's so cool." She said.
She wondered what would be her Patronus if she was able to cast it. Maybe a cat? She liked cats, but she also liked dogs. Maybe it would be neither.
He laughed. "Well, I have to go now. Be careful not to catch a cold."
Professor Ackerley left, leaving Aurora in her thoughts.
↢ * ↣
"I haven't seen you all day." Espen said. "Even at lunch, Lynx said that you ate really quickly and then left."
Aurora sat on the table on the Great Hall, being face to face with Espen, who approached her with questions.
"What were you doing?"
"I was in the library and then outside, studing and training spells." She informed.
Actually, Aurora spend her spare time trying to perform the Patronus Charm, which, to her disappointment, was a big failure. Not a single light came from the tip of her wand. She couldn't tell that to her friends, even thought it's perfectly normal for someone her age and with her skills to not be able to do it. At least she tried.
"And what have you been doing?" Aurora asked, filling her plate with roast potatoes, a steak and gravy, and her goblet with the usual pumpkin juice.
"I was with Hillary, Caspar and Lynx. We studied before coming to dinner and in the morning we just hang out in the common room."
"Could you pass the treacle tart?" Hillary asked Espen. She gave it to her.
"About your nightmare..." Espen spoke. "Hillary told me that it wasn't the first time."
"Gee, thanks, Hillary." Aurora said, sarcastically. "Everybody has nightmares."
"That's true... But not everyone wakes up in the middle of the night screaming and crying."
"Could you..." She said immediatly. "Not ask?" It wasn't a question, but a request.
Espen sighed, taking a bite on her roast beef.
"So, Aurora." Lynx spoke, dragging his words. "Are you ready for your little trip to the Forbidden Forest?"
She rolled her eyes. "Why? You want to come with me?"
"Gee, I wish I could. But, unfortunally, I have to keep Caspar company." He said, slapping Caspar's back.
Caspar raised his head, confused.
"How convenient." She said.
Aurora heard steps entering the Great Hall. Professor Caput was strolling in the middle of the room, heading to the High Table. His sharp blue eyes met Aurora's. He gave her a delicate smile and kept walking. He sat beside the Headmistress Imogen, who didn't even notice him.
Aurora averted her eyes and finished eating, trying to get mentally prepared for what would come next.
Night finally arrived, and Aurora was walking down the steps, that led to the gamekeeper's house, with Professor Fuscus by her side. It was really dark outside and the only lights she was able to see were the lights from the castle and the one from the lamp on Mr. Phileas' pale hand.
"Good night, Professor Fuscus." He greeted.
"Phileas, you will be in charge of this girl, tonight." Fuscus said, completely ignoring Mr. Phileas' greeting. "You will make sure that she catches whatever you like, as long as it's in the forest."
She thought that, that man, wanted her to die in the forest.
"Yes, sir." Mr. Phileas spoke, calmly.
Professor Fuscus looked at Aurora. "If you dare to flee or cause any trouble..."
"I won't." She said.
"Don't interrupt me." He sneered. "Let's see how special do you think of you, now. Little Miss Mortem, in the forest, defenseless." He grinned.
He got close to her, whispering in her ear.
"As long as you're in this school, I assure you that it will be hell from me."
Professor Fuscus stepped away and walked to the castle.
Mr. Phileas handed her another lamp and a small bucket. "Let's go."
Aurora, walked behing the tall man, grasping her hands on her sweater, angry. Whenever she was feeling good about herself, that man would immediatly bring her down.
"What do I have to do?" She asked.
His cold eyes glanced at her.
"Go find mushrooms." He said. "Go that way, I'll go this way."
The both of them parted ways. Aurora walked, observing her surroundings. It was really dark and cold, and the light from the lamp was weak. Mr. Phileas was used to roam around in the forest, but Aurora wasn't. Wherever she looked, she could only see huge trees and shadows, lurking in the dark, watching her.
"Mushrooms, Aurora." She told herself. "You have to find mushrooms."
Speaking to herself would make her feel less lonely and scared.
Aurora moved, slowly, on the moisty ground. The wind blew the trees, making them sway.
She suddenly heard a voice, or so it seemed. A dragging voice, with a sound like a death rattle. She looked behind, but didn't see anyone.
Aurora started running more into the forest, tripping on a root in the way. She fell on the ground, breaking the lamp. The glass scattered around her, hitting her cheek and leaving a small bruise. She stood up, cleaning the dirt from her clothes.
The voice sounded again, lounder. It was getting close to her. It was too dark to see. Her body felt like it was freazing. She could see her cold breath coming out of her mouth. The atmosphere around her felt heavy, and her body was shivering. She felt fear running through her veins, without a reason. She sensed something approach her. It was too cold for her to move.
Suddenly, she sensed something breathe near her. The same rattling sound.
"Lumos." She said, turning around, after grabbing her wand. A bright light shone.
A few centimeters from her face, was a tall figure. It had a black hood covering it's head, and it's body was covered with a ripped cloth, swaying in the air. It was floating a little above the ground. It's skin was grey and decayed, resembling a corpse decomposing.
Aurora fell back, lowering her wand. What was that... Thing?
She felt her body petrify. Her heart was being slowly frozen and her mind envolved by fog. It was like her soul was being ripped from her body, slowly and painfuly.
It sucks the life out of you
She remembered Leo's words.
It was a Dementor! It must be a Dementor. That feeling of emptyness.
Happy thoughts! Happy thoughts! She thought, hard.
Leo was right. It was hard to recall some happy memories.
"Expecto... Expecto Patronum." She spoke, falling on her knees, pointing her wand to the hooden figure. But nothing happened. No bright light appeared.
It kept sucking her soul. Like all the happiness that she ever felt in her life untill now, was slowly disappearing. That was the sensation of an encounter with a Dementor. And there she was wondering what it would be like. How naive.
She thought she heard someone yell her name. She looked behind, but she didn't see anyone. The Dementor was making her crazy.
Think about that day when the Hogwarts' acceptance letter came!
"Expecto Patronum! Expecto Patronum!" She shouted, but in vain.
Suddenly, a boy appeared in her mind.
"EXPECTO PATRONUM!"
A small silver light, really small, came out from the tip of her wand. It flew from her wand like mist.
"EXPECTO PATRONUM!"
Another light, so much stronger and so much brighter, appeared in front of Aurora, which shone above her small, almost inexistent, light. The trace of silver mist protected Aurora, like a shield. She then saw something dashing through the air, swiftly. It was a beautiful silver snake. The Dementor was blown away by it's powerful positive energy. Aurora could feel the warmth returning to her body and the fear disappearing from her veins. The feeling of agony and despair was no longer there.
Still, her mind was dizzy. She couldn't stand properly.
Bit by bit, she saw the graceful snake vanish till her shiny grey-white glow was seen no more.
She let her body lay down on the wet floor.
She heard rushed steps, coming to her aid. A man with beautiful blond hair, crystal blue eyes and light skin, grabbed her body and leaned it on his arms. He was warm and she could hear his heart beating fast against his chest.
It was his voice. The person who called her name was him. She wasn't crazy.
"Professor..." She spoke, weakly, resting her head on him.
"It's okay. I'm here..."
And, by hearing his soft voice, Aurora fainted.
Aurora felt her body being carried. She opened her eyes and saw Professor Caput's face. He was holding her, carring her to the infirmary. She felt embarrassed.
He laid her down on one of the beds on the infirmary, and tucked her on the white sheets.
"Eat this." He said, giving her a piece of chocolate.
She grabbed it, bewildered, sitting up on the bed.
"It will help." He spoke, with a soft voice.
Professor Caput sat beside her on the bed. His body was close to her's.
"You called my name." She said.
"I did."
He looked at her, moving away her black hair from her face.
He tapped her cheek, near the bruise, and a bandage appeared.
Aurora thought that he was too calm for someone who just saw a Dementor trespassing school grounds. Shouldn't he report it to the Headmistress?
"I saw another light." He said. "Another Patronus. It was you, wasn't it?"
Aurora glanced at his eyes, that were swerving from both of her eyes, one to another. She was able to do it.
Unexpectedly, words from Professor Fuscus popped up on her mind. She wasn't special and she would never be. Being able to perform a Patronus once, didn't make her special, especially one that didn't even protect her.
"It wasn't me..." She replied.
"Really?" He was surprised. "It came from you. Aurora, being able to do that, in your age is..."
"It's nothing! It's nothing! It didn't even protect me!" She interrumpted. "Enough! I already know that I'm not special!"
"What are you saying? Who said that you weren't special? Everyone in this school is special, why wouldn't you be?" He said, still staring at her. "And saying that your Patronus didn't protect you... You're wrong. If you hadn't done that, then the Dementor would have left you soulless. That Patronus gave you enough seconds to live. It doesn't matter if it was small, it matters that it was there."
Aurora averted her eyes, stucking them on her hands.
A warm hand grabbed her's.
"You are so... So special, Aurora. Don't let people tell you otherwise."
Aurora's eyes widened. She had already heard those same words in the past.
She started crying, leaning against him, her hands graspings his cloak.
"I was so scared."
He caressed her hair, slowly, and they stayed there, like the time had stopped and they could stay there forever.
Aurora fell asleep in his arms.
He looked at her face. It was a little swollen, because of her tears. His hands reached to touch her skin, but he moved away, leaving her, laying on the white bed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'm sorry!!! This chapter was so short!!! I wanted it to be bigger but i couldn't write anymore!!! :'(
But I hope you like it <3 please vote and give me your opinion.
See you next chapter!!