✦✧✦
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
THE RETURN
✦✧✦
When she came to the realization she was in awake, she felt like a thousand needles had been stabbed in her neck. The twinge lingered in her neck, and she subconsciously let out a whimper in pain. She vaguely heard the sound of something bubbling below her.
She couldn't remember anything.
She also didn't feel like she was standing.
Struggling to open her eyes, a flicker of orange passed through them. It was then she realized that she was hanging, and she tried to move.
She opened her eyes.
The first thing she noticed was the orange liquid below her, which was sizzling brightly. It was only inches from her head. The rope kept her hung to a statue. If she would have tried to move, the statue holding a knife would have slashed through the rope and put her in the bubbling liquid.
Panicking she tried to move but that failed when she realized that wasn't the smartest option.
She was inside what appeared to be an abandoned graveyard. It was foggy, she noticed, with many graves around it. She remember much about what happened before this, she remembered helping Luke out of the water and that was it.
And for the first time in her life, she felt scared but not for her, for Luke.
"Luke." she screams, although no one could have heard her over the sound of the liquid below her bubbling. Her voice was horse. "LUKE!"
Nothing.
Her eyes scan the graveyard as she saw no sign of any other person other than her. Her eyes landed on a curve on the ground. She stopped for a second before realizing that, that wasn't just any curve, it was Luke Murphy's body.
And he wasn't moving.
"HELP. ." with each word she screams, she realized no one was coming to help her. For a second Aurora contemplated on landing in the cauldron, but for all she knew that could have been something to burn her. "Luke. .help. Someone please, Luke he needs-"
"Black! Oi Black!" a voice bellows. "Harry it's Aurora!"
It was Cedric Diggory.
She could barely see him through the fog, but when she did she saw his blonde hair full of sweat, he was wearing a yellow long t-shirt, his face full of worry as he reached her.
"S-Stay there. I'll be right back."
"Well I can't move so. . .yeah."
Cedric ran until she couldn't see him anymore and for a second she thought he had left until he came running back with someone else.
And it was Harry.
"Harry-" His eyes landed on her.
Harry reached up as he pulled the knot out of the rope. Cedric reached out as she landed in his arms. She noticed a trail of blood along both of their faces as he set her down a few feet away from the cauldron.
The moment her two feet landed on the ground Harry had her wrapped in his arms. The only thing that mattered in the moment was the other. Knowing Harry was standing in front of her made her feel somewhat safe.
"You're safe." she vaguely heard him mumble, as he pulled away. "Y-You're okay. You've been missing since yesterday evening. I thought you were dead. What happened?"
"I don't know. I can't remember anything."
"Are you alright? Why are any of us here?" Cedric questions.
Aurora, sprints over towards Luke as she pulls the brown haired boy into her lap. He was breathing, just still unconscious. That was most likely from the exhaustion from the full moon.
She pulls his unconscious heavy body in behind one of the graves.
She notices a dark blonde haired man walked towards them holding something wrapped in a blanket in his arms, looking like an alien whispering something to the man holding him.
She stands up and goes behind Harry.
Harry suddenly screams out in pain as he let go of Aurora's hand and fell down onto the ground.
" Who are you? What do you want?" Cedric pointed his wand up defending himself as the person whispered something to the man.
Aurora leans down cupping Harry's face as the pain evident on the boy's face was terrifying.
Unknown to her Harry felt the pain ease.
" Avada kedavra!"
No one could have expected what happened next. Flashes of green flooded her side vision and then Cedric dropped to the ground, dead.
Cedric Diggory was dead.
The proud Hufflepuff who had put his name into the goblet of Fire not expecting the outcome. Cedric, who begged to have a rematch back in third year when Harry fell off his broom. Cedric Diggory the kind Hufflepuff who every girl had a crush on due to his personality. Cedric Diggory who was just an eighteen year old whose life was supposed to be ahead of him.
Aurora couldn't tear her eyes away from his eyes that stopped seeing.
An eighteen year old boy was dead.
Voldemort had returned.
Harry and Aurora were about to die.
Harry's body went straight up into the air as Aurora's vision flew from blurry to normal, when she opened her eyes she saw that Harry was being trapped by a guardian angel statue, he struggled to move as he tried to get down.
It seemed as though Aurora was in a state of shock as she looked back at Cedric's body.
The chubby man dumped the body wrapped into the cauldron, then threw a bone ontop of it.
"Pure blood of the enemy." he reached up slicing across Harry's bicep as he let out a loud scream, trying to struggle away.
Aurora barely understood half of the words he was saying as she squinted her eyes looking around for her wand. Her entire body felt frozen.
"The Dark lord shall rise again!" stepping out of the way, the cauldron set on fire.
And that was just the beginning. The cauldron then exploded a moment later as a figure came bursting out of the cauldron.
Whiter than a skull, livid scarlet eyes, a long black drape shielding his body as he floated down onto the ground, his hands roamed through his head getting used to his new form. And then his eyes flicked open.
It was the Dark lord and he had risen again.
And for the first time in her life, Aurora didn't know what to do. Moving away she crouched behind one of the graves ignoring her beating heart.
"My wand. .wormtail."
As she moved back, her hand lands on a branch that appeared to be curved. She picks it up realizing it was her wand.
"Hold our your arm. Your other arm wormtail!"
And like that the Death Eater mark casted into the dark sky, and then suddenly masked figures begun looming around the graveyard.
Aurora jumped as a death eater landed directly in front of her.
Presuming the masked feminine figure was about to grab her and bring her over towards the dark lord. She went to stand up only for the women, to walk right past her. She let out a shaky breath as she saw a piece of blonde hair sticking out of the women's hair and instantly she knew exactly who that was.
Narcissa.
"Welcome my friends, thirteen years it's been and yet here you stand before me as if it was only yesterday. I confess myself disappointed. Not one of you tried to find me." she heard him rip of the masks of the death eaters, " Not even you, Lucius."
"But lord if I detected any sign, whisper of your whereabouts-"
"There were signs my slippery friend and more than whispers."
"I assure you my lord. I have never renounced the old ways."
"Such a handsome boy." he sneered as he reached his foot out pushing Cedric's head to the side. Aurora's hand covered her mouth in anger.
"Don't touch him!" Harry screams rawly.
"Harry. I almost forget you were there. Standing on the bones of my father. I'd introduce you but word has it you almost as famous as I am these days. How lives have fed your legend, Harry. Should I reveal what really happened that night thirteen years ago? Should I dive out how I truly lost my powers? It was love, you see when sweet Lily Potter gave her life for her son, she provided the ultimate protection. I could not touch you. She got help of a powerful witch perhaps more powerful than myself. Which to my knowledge of the day, no longer existed. A different type of magic, older magic. But now things have changed!"
Before he could react, he screamed with all mightily, " I can touch you now!"
And Aurora swore she was the one being tortured by his screams. Hearing Harry in pain, hearing his screams, it was horrible. His screams went on for a few more moments.
But then the sound of clapping made Voldemort and the Death Eater's stop.
And out walked Aurora. If she was going to die, she wouldn't spent her last moments in fear.
"Nice grave. It would be a pleasure if something bad happened to it."
Everyone looked towards her.
" Bombarda Maxima!"
Before anyone could react Aurora had thrown a spell right below where Harry was, smashing Lord Voldemort's father's grave into a million pieces and dropping Harry onto the ground.
Harry appeared proud of her briefly.
"You - you!" his eyes went towards his father broken grave as Harry stumbled up from the ground.
But then it seemed as if all his anger washed away as he stared at her, a mixture of confusion and fear lurking behind his eyes;
"An Aleksander, daughter of Magnolia!"
She rarely thought about her mother but hearing the Dark Lord speak about her made her question the way he said her name and how he knew she was an Aleksander. His eyes burned into her's as if waiting for her reaction.
Harry and Aurora glared at him.
" And now.....Crucio." the spell was screamed Aurora's way but in the split of the second Harry had jumped in front of her, his body plopped onto the ground as a scream erupted from his shriveling up body.
She dropped to the floor, attempted to help him.
"That a boy, Harry. Your parents would be proud especially you're filthy muggle mother-"
When he went to go to Harry, something strange happened to her. She felt a burst of anger arise in the pit of her stomach. She couldn't control her anger for a moment.
Suddenly Lord Voldemort stops talking as he hand flew up to his throat which seemed to have tightened. His eyes flickered over towards Aurora.
But then he stopped.
Aurora didn't know what happened her left hand shakes, and next thing it was risen up. Lord Voldemort drops to ground.
Then she drops, she feels blood dripping from the corner of her eyes. It runs down her cheek as if tears.
Harry looked at her in shock.
Next thing she knew her hands was grabbed by two Death Eaters forcing her to not move. She attempted to, but it wouldn't work.
"I'm going to kill you Harry Potter. I'm going to destroy you. After tonight no one will ever again question my power. After tonight if they speak of you they'll only speak of how you begged for death and how I, being the merciful lord, gave."
And just as he was about cast the spell, Harry had shot a spell at the Death Eater holding Aurora. She immediately ran to Harry, who guided them behind a stone wall.
"Don't you turn your back on me. I want to see you. I want to see the light leave your eyes!"
Harry and Aurora looked at each other.
This was it. This was there last moment on earth.
Aurora had so many things to say but she couldn't form the words. Harry had all the words but couldn't form them.
She still didn't know if what she felt. . .what she was feeling was even what she thought.
" Aurora. I love you."
He was looking at her like saying those words would mean everything. Like he wanted to say them. She probably never looked as shocked as she did right now. Her heart skipped a beat. In the moment, she decided to not worry about what context that was meant in. Although she knew he only meant it as-
Her mouth opened. "Harry I-"
However she never got to reply for Harry pilled her off the ground, and once again went to face Voldemort.
"Expell-"
"Avada kedavra-"
A red spark shot out of Harry's wand and a bright green sparked out of Voldemort's. Screams from the death eaters were heard as they saw this. And then shockingly enough Voldemort squirmed slightly.
And then three figures shot out of the wand in a light form.
"Aurora!" she turns around as Luke was standing behind her. Immediately she hugged him. She was terrified of loosing him. She didn't realize exactly how much she cared until she saw him. He had the cup in his hands, "What happened? Where are we? Are you okay-"
"No time to explain. You alright?"
A shaggy black haired man appeared, with a face that resembled Harry in so many ways. It was almost weird. He had a pair of circular glasses plopped half way down his nose, he was tall as well, like a moose.
Then a brightly colored red haired girl appeared beside him. She didn't look like Harry although she had his eyes, or he had hers? She looks proud as she stared at Harry. Her eyes flickered to her and she gave her a smile of adoration.
It was James and Lily Potter.
"Harry love, when the connection is broken you both need to get to the portkey. We can linger for a moment but only a moment. Do you understand?"
Harry numbly nods, his emerald eyes focused on his mother, then his father.
"Let go. Sweetheart, you've done brilliant, Harry let go."
Aurora who had her left hand on Harry's hand let go as James Potter glanced down with raised eyebrows and a smirk.
"I'm sorry!" Aurora calls out. Both of them turn and look at her. "I'm sorry for what he - my father did to you. For killing you..."
James Potter smiles at her. "Your father loves you so much, Aurora."
Aurora stops, unsure. "What did you say?"
He turns to Aurora with a wink, " Give Padfoot my love. I will see him soon if you have anything to do with it."
Her eyebrows knit in pure confusion.
"Harry," It was Cedric's ghost. He looked at peace. "Take my body back to my father."
"We love you, Harry. Stay brave Aurora. We will stand by you both always."
And like wildfire James and Lily Potter disappeared, and the connection between broke.
And with that after grabbing Cedric's lifeless body, Aurora, Harry and Luke all disappeared.
✦✧✦
The days after the return of Voldemort and the death of Cedric Diggory were nothing short of somber. Harry hadn't been seen. He spent his days in his room, barley eating.
He hadn't come to dinner once.
When she enters the Great Hall she spots Hermione and Ron, but once again no Harry. She walks over towards them, more like limps because she got her leg stood on by one of the Death Eaters.
"Are you serious, again? Where is he?"
"Dormitory." Hermione answers.
"Aurora just leave him!" voices Ron although she had already left.
When she makes it up to the Gryffindor common room, she meets Dean and Seamus who send her good luck eyes. Aurora entered the dormitory only to find the boy sitting on his bed lost in thought.
"You got saved and Cedric didn't, don't throw away your life."
"Please just get out." he says irritably, before sarcastically mumbling. "I don't want to talk about how I'm feeling to anyone, again."
She crosses her arms. "You're not going to push me away like you're trying to do with everyone else."
He glances away from her. "It's better if you leave. Voldemort is back. He's back. Do you have any idea of what like or danger that puts you in?"
Ignoring what he said, she says. "Harry you haven't left this room in days. I just want to know if you're okay-"
"Aurora I said a thousand times I'm fine!" when he realised he had raised his voice, he was quick to add. "I'm sorry. I just...I just don't want people to die because of me. Ron, Hermione, you."
"None of us are going to die because of you." her eyebrows furrow. He felt guilty. He thought it was his fault. "What happened wasn't your fault."
"Cedric died because of me. What happens if you were the one who died? Do you have an idea how I would feel if you died? Let alone being the reason you did?" he stood up. "I'm terrified that something is going to happen to one of you, because of me."
She frowns. "You can't protect everyone. People can protect themselves."
He turned away. "We shouldn't all be friends. Y-You need to leave me alone."
"Harry-"
"I-" his mouth opens, but no words could come out. Instead he buried his head into his hands.
At this, Aurora slowly walks over towards him, and sits closely beside him on the bed. His legs touched against hers, and she moved so close their shoulders joined softly. She reaches forward and claps her hand into his. It gains his attention. Even though she hated emitting her feelings, this time she feels as though it was necessary.
"I'm going to stand by you through anything, okay? You're not getting rid of me, or anyone else. We're your family. Harry, the worst person you can become, the darkest thought you think, I will be by your side every step of the way because I want to be. In the face of a challenge you don't just give up, you fight because that's who you are, you fight for everyone you care about, and the people he took away from you-"
When Harry begun to look away, she reaches out and takes his face into her hands...
She hadn't ever been as to close to him right now as she was.
"-Next time you forget you're the boy who lived, remember we are all going to stay through you with this. No matter how much you try and push us away, we are not going anywhere. You're not alone. You never have been. If anything now you have your very own goonies group."
There was one phrase on her lips yet but she just couldn't come out and say it.
Three words.
He had said them.
She couldn't come out with the words she wanted to.
She couldn't even say them in her head.
Harry is still looking at her with this look, as if waiting for her to. His eyes are watery.
However right now, she didn't know what was happening but she knew it made her feel strange. His hand rested on-top of her own one. Whilst she found her leg had been entangled with his. The light shined into the room bringing a soft glow across his face. She could see his pain. It was so clear.
"I-I," her mouth opens, but closes. She shakes her head. "I care about you."
He moves over closer to her, and rests his head on her shoulder.
"C-Can you just stay here?"
"Well after that speech I just gave I don't think I'm going to just leave."
Harry's smile didn't last for long, because once again his lips fell into a frown. His eyes fell to the floor. She could see him trying to hold back tears. She stood up, causing him to look at her. She smoothed her skirt out, before getting into his bed. He didn't have a chance to say anything because she took his hands, and allowed him to rest on her. He wrapped his hands around her body, holding her tightly. His head rested on her chest. He lay across her, tears falling from his eyes slowly. He was in pain, and all she wanted to do was help him. She rubbed along the back of his neck.
She held him softly, unlike him, who practically hung onto her for life.
That was one of the first times, she had wanted to tell someone she loved them, but sadly it wasn't as easy as she hoped.
✦✧✦
JAMES BEING THE BIGGEST HAURORA SHIPPER >>
I feel like the movies never showed Harry's pain to Cedric's death compared to the book. I also really wanted to write a scene of her comforting him, because some people seemed to think this ship is one sided and i'm like ohhh no...
Plus another thing lets write more guys crying in fanfics? Anyone else read fanfics where the male never cries? Like the worst thing could happen and they'd get over it after an hour!!! As well as this, tv shoes and movies need to also..
That end scene was also my favourite moment between them so far!!!!