★ ★ ★
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN:
THE AFTERMATH
★ ★ ★
"So Harry you threw a Quaffle at Nott because......?"
She didn't remember how exactly she ended up in her father and godfathers office after the fight. She also couldn't remember half of the things that they had been talking about since arriving. Everyone else was back in the dormitory and the pitch was cleared as she was leaving. She remembered Sirius quite literally pulling her away, as if she was a child.
She remembered seeing the horrified look on James' face when she went to attack Lucinda again after being pulled into the classroom with Harry, Theo, and Lucinda. She sat in the corner of the room, metres away from the three, arms crossed.
Sirius and James were both trying to get some sort of understanding of what exactly went on tonight.
To be honest, the two of them didn't know whether to laugh or not l.
They view ahead of them of the four teens sitting down was preposterous. Harry was sat furthest away in the room, eyes casted fixedly downwards at the ground. The left side of his face was bruising and James thought it looked incredibly painful. His jaw was clenched and he hadn't looked in the direction of any of them. Across from him, Theo was glaring at him. He had a piece of tissue held up to his nose to stop the bleeding. Theo had also been brushing but not as bashfully. The two of them seemed to have gotten a few good hits in.
Across from them, sat two girls who looked as though they would murder one another.
Lucinda was sitting crossed legged, arms folded over her chest. Her eyes searching the depths of the green eyed boys in the room whose eyes only glanced up for a second to scan someone else's face. The girls face was Aurora who was examining her nails. She had one bruise on her face but it was a bad one, underneath her eye.
They weren't getting any answers out of any of them. James had found it absolutely hilarious unlike Sirius.
Sirius discreetly handed Aurora his jumper and she put it on.
"We've been here for an hour. Can I go back to the common room? I'm tired, I don't feel so good-"
"We need to write up what happened here and since no one will speak about anything that's kinda hard." James comments eyes flickering from her over to Harry. He points between him and the Slytherin boy. "What were you two fighting over?"
A silence filled the air and Aurora removed her eyes from the window, towards the two boys who made it incredibly obvious what it was they were fighting about.
Who they were fighting about.
One heavy brow slanted in strong disapproval at the both of them and she focused her attention back to her nails.
"Right, I see." James muttered, eyes flickering between both boys. He rolled his eyes. He then turned to the two girls. "Can either of you tell me what you two were fighting about?"
Aurora unintentionally glances towards Harry but quickly replaces her words by saying: "I was fighting with Lucinda because she's an inconsiderate, aggravating bitch who-"
Harry's eyes lifted and when he saw the bruise under Aurora's eye, instantly made a face when realising his girlfriend was the one who put it there.
"Aurora." Sirius quickly says. He'd never seen her with the temper she had right now. "That's enough. You need to calm down."
Something in his tone told her that he wanted her to continue but his ethics as a professor told him otherwise.
"Right you can all go, one by one though to make sure that you can all contain yourselves." James comments tiredly standing up. His eyes flickered over to Lucinda first. "You can go first."
Apart from feeling incredibly sick right now, all she wanted to do was go back to her dormitory.
Lucinda rose to her feet and almost looked as though she was about to fall over, her hand clumsily reached out to the door and she left.
"Alright." Sirius said taking a deep breath. "Nott you can go."
"Right." Theo mentions standing up, he throws the bloody tissue into the bin. His eyes flicker to hers and gives her a wink to let her know he was okay. He leaves them.
She waited for her dad to say she could leave but he didn't. Instead him and James both let out sighs.
"This needs to stop." James tells them.
"It makes sense." Sirius comments lowly, eyes flickering between the two of them. "I never thought you two were a good match. If anything I'm glad you broke up, I don't think the two of you could have lasted long."
"I agree." James hummed.
Aurora was offended immediately. What did he mean by that? If anything she was sure when she was dating Harry that he would be the last one. And as someone who didn't really believe in marriage, her saying she wanted to marry Harry was a big deal for her. Her months with him were the best of her life. He'd changed her perspective on relationships.
So what the fuck did Sirius mean by that? Harry also seemed offended by what he said.
"I wouldn't necessarily say that was true, if not for my powers-" she began.
"Really? Did you even really like Harry?" Sirius interrupted with a scoffed. "Seemed a little forced if you ask me."
"I mean Harry when did you even know that you actually had feelings for Aurora?" James scoffed.
"What?"
James shrugs. "I'm just saying that it's clear you never really liked her and just enjoyed the chase-"
"The chase?!" she shouts. "You did not just say that I was a chase-"
"The chase? No, I didn't just like the chase." Harry spat out. "I liked her from the minute I got to know her! She was always the first to defend me even over Ron and Hermione. Every time something broke out about Voldemort she'd try and take my mind off it because she knew how much I hated the fact everyone thought I was lying. She was the only one who knew what it was like to have parents and never judged me for anything. Okay? She's kind, sweet, insanely lovable, and literally the most selfish person I know-"
"I think you mean selfless, Harry." James corrected, giving him a look. He wondered how drunk his son was.
"Right." Harry corrected, "selfless. So, yeah, dad I didn't just enjoy the 'chase'."
It was a big confidence boost his words and the words made her want to cry. She looked over towards him but he didn't look in her direction.
"Right," Sirius nods, "Its a pity it was unrequited though."
At this Aurora's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean unrequited? Our relationship wasn't one sided! It was never one sided, I might have spent longer at realising my feelings but it wasn't one sided." she told them, before quietly adding. "It was never one sided."
"Right." Sirius said, giving them grins for some reason. "You can both go."
"What?"
"You can leave."
"But-"
"We need to find out who started this party." James mentions, rolling his eyes. He turns to Sirius. "Were we that bad? I don't think we were ever that bad? I mean starting a fight without magic? Who does that?"
Sirius thought back of the time he encountered Evan Rosier after what he did to Magnolia. "Yeah. . .who does that."
Aurora had realised exactly who started the party and how it was all a scam to get her and Harry together.
She rose to her feet angrily and left the room. She wanted to slam the door but couldn't as it was about six o'clock in the morning and everyone was either sleeping or going to sleep. She was angrily muttering to herself as she made her way to the common room.
"How are you the one that's mad?" someone asked and she didn't need to turn around to know who it was. "If anything I should be the one who is angry."
"Oh my apologies for interrupting you getting laid tonight!" she shouts turning around and facing him. "My sincerest apologises, Harry!"
She walks away. Harry was right at her heel as if expecting her to do that. "What? That's not what was going to happen-"
"Whatever! I don't care-"
"Let me explain-"
"I don't want to hear your explanation. I don't care-"
"No of course I wasn't going to sleep with her!" Harry shouts and next thing he'd pulled her back by her hand to him. Instantly the same feeling she'd always gotten came but she was too angry to take notice of it. "She was incredibly drunk, broke her shoe and was complaining that she couldn't sleep in her own dorm because of Otis! She said she wanted to go and report him. So in return I told her she could sleep in my bed and I'd sleep in the couch!"
Now she was wishing she hadn't judged so quick. That was extremely embarrassing.
"Whatever!" she knew how dramatic she must have looked when she flung her hands up and turned on her heel. Sirius' dramatics must have been catching up on her because her hair swooshed across him.
"Whatever?" she heard him say. "That's all you have to say!"
She turned around, arms folded. "What else is there to say? You've chosen to date a girl who is nothing but an arse to me, what else is there for us, Harry?"
His eyes focused in on the bruise on her eye. "Do you think if I would have known that, that I'd still be with her?"
"What?" she asked, brows furrowed. What did he mean by he didn't know? At this stage, she just wanted the comfort of her own bed. "You know what? I don't care. Goodnight."
She sends him an almost glare, and quickly heads down the stairs and onto the next floor. She rolled her eyes when she heard he was following her.
"God you're like an infection!" he shouts in frustration. She blinks and gives him a scoff. "I want to move on but I can't because you always end up bloody coming back and stronger! I can't get over you. I'm trying really hard to forget about us, I am but every time....I just can't. I don't look at you anymore because I know what will happen if I do-"
She pauses, and stops glaring at him.
"I'll fall completely back in love with you!" he wasn't shouting anymore, he was ranting. "Can't you see what you're doing to me? And no one tells me Lucinda is a horrible person until I witness it first hand myself because no one wants my feelings but guess what? My bloody feelings have already been hurt because I'm completely hung up on you."
"I have to go." Aurora whispers turning away from him instantly once he stopped talking. He didn't stop her this time.
She went to bed that night wondering one question, why was everything so complicated?
★ ★ ★
As the snow began to fall, the days leading up to the end of the term were approaching. Everyone was glad they were approaching. The Professors were not going easy on any of the sixth or seventh years after what happened and they were all being watched like hawks.
It had been about a week since the night happened.
She didn't dwell much on the argument between her and Lucinda. Neither did the girl as it seemed. Lucinda completely avoided her and stopped making comments, however she did glare at her when she though she was looking. Since that night, a lot of people were hitting on her and making small talk, mostly boys. Her and Harry also didn't speak since that night.
People were acting as though she was back ready to date again, which not only was she not ready to but she also didn't want too.
Aurora was outside in the snow, her lashes swept up covered in snow as she blinked at Hagrid, who was putting a snow-white star on the tree. It was a Saturday morning and everyone else was asleep but she was avoiding Ron and Harry so she got up early to bring Otis for a walk.
That's when she encountered Hagrid who was decorating the last Christmas outside.
"I've never decorated a Christmas tree before this is so cool." she told him softly leaning up on the balls of her feet to attach the golden and red decorations. Her eyes lit up. "I love doing this."
Hagrid noticed the expression. "Never did this at your grandparents?"
"Huh? Oh no."
"Well next yer you can help me again and you can choose whatever colours you want!"
"I can?" she questions.
"Of course." he smiles widely and brightly. "Harry, Hermione and Ron not with you?"
"Oh, not the minute. Here Otis!" she called and the dog comes running over to her with a stick in his mouth. He was getting bigger but was still able to fit into him coat pocket when she snuck him out every morning.
Luke never snuck him out, saying he didn't care if anyone found him and that he'd put up a fight if they tried to take him.
Aurora picked up Otis who barked at Hagrid.
"I should probably get heading, don't want Otis to get cold." she mentions sending him a small smile. Hagrid opens his mouth to speak but Otis cut him off with a bark, like he did everyone. "See you Hagrid."
She put Otis in her coat who stuck his head out at the top and examined the people. Thankfully, it was pretty empty. Aurora headed back up to the common room, brushing the snow off her hat and shoes. She placed them at the door of the Common Room as she entered. She picked off the snow in her braid as she entered the busy room.
Otis jumped down from her jacket, and ran past the people. She couldn't see him and pushed past the people to try and find him.
"Yes, I'm meeting Cormac at eight and we're-" she heard Hermione saying to someone. Ron let out the smallest of coughs. "were going to the party together."
She made it to the middle of the room where Dean, Seamus, and Neville were sitting the fire. Lavender, Fay and Pavarti were all standing by the couches speaking to Hermione. Her eyes flickered down to Harry and Ron who were sitting on the couch. Phoebe and Ginny were on the same couch laughing.
Otis jumped up into Harry's arm letting out the smallest of happy yaps at him. Her eyes flicker down to Harry who was holding Otis. He glances up at her but before anything could be said between their eyes, she focused in on the conversation going on between Hermione and the girls.
"Cormac?" Parvati repeated. "Cormac McLaggen, you mean?"
"That's right." Aurora mentions with a grin. "The one who almost became Gryffindor keeper. Blonde hair."
"Are you going out with him then?" Parvati asks wide-eyed.
"Oh - yes - didn't you know?" Hermione asked, and Aurora could hear the mockery in her voice that no one noticed.
"Wow you like your Quidditch players, don't you? First Krum, then McLaggen...."
"She likes really good quidditch players." Aurora corrects. "Don't you Hermione?"
Hermione nods at everyone. "Completely, right Aurora. I love them."
Aurora gestured for them to go upstairs and called Otis, who jumped from Harry's lap up into her arms. She gave a small glance towards Ron, who was quiet. She held Otis, praising him as they walk up the stairs.
"Are you going to Slughorn's party, Aurora?" Dean questioned when she was half way up the stairs.
She slowly turned around, eyes narrowed into a glare at them all. All of them were eagerly looking at her for the answer.
"Why, thinking of trying to set any more people up? Going to host an entire party dedicated to my love-life?" she asked before glaring at them all and heading up the stairs.
★ ★ ★
After everything that happened, the last thing she wanted to do before the holidays was attend Slughorn's dinner party.
Her legs were crossed and she sat in the bathroom with Hermione who was curling the back of her hair, and letting loose curls flow down against the fabric of her dress. Her dress in question, which was royal blue.
"Do y'reckon Harry is going to be there?" Aurora asked her quietly, she felt as though she knew the answer. "Slughorn loves him but I haven't seen him at any of the other dinner parties."
"If he does go we can ignore him." Hermione suggested. "Same with Ron."
Aurora was almost positive that something happened the night of the party but Hermione wasn't sharing it. She was fine with that though, the girl would talk when she was ready.
The two of them eventually got ready and left the common room. When they made it down there and left the room, she was greeted with Theo.
"Hey." he greeted softly leaning forward to allow her to slip her hand into his. He gave a small nod to Hermione to let him know he was acknowledging her presence. "You look nice."
Her and Theo weren't dating at all. That wasn't it in any way. If anything they were just doing what they did before except more publicly. He wasn't her boyfriend by any means. Theo was being there for her at a time that she needed it, she needed someone. She wasn't using him either, she'd declared that the night after the party. She didn't want to use anyone after what happened with Beckham. She didn't want to toy without anyone else's feelings.
She wanted something easy, a relationship that wasn't entirely consuming and Theo was given that to her.
"Thanks you do too. Should we head over there now?" she asks, and she nods softly. Hermione meets McLaggen half way there and the two go ahead of them. Theo then tells her how much she hates him.
They enter Slughorn's ferociously large office which was full of other students. They both enter and glance around. Her eyes search the room and land on her father who was chatting with some of the other professors, hand in gland laughing. He must have seen her from the corner of his eye because he glanced over. His expression held something, something of an inspection. He send her a small smile before returning to his conversation.
She didn't know his full opinion on the incident that happened. If she had to guess, she'd presume he was on Harry's side. It would have made sense, Sirius always had a soft spot for him. Plus he seemed to dislike any other guy she was with that wasn't him.
Even with that being said, Sirius still wasn't pleased about their relationship.
The two of them made their way towards the drinks table where Theo took a handful of chips and ate them in one go. She laughed softly as she made a drink. However when she brought the drink to her lips, it was taken from her fingertips by Sirius.
"I think you've done enough of that for everyone last week." Sirius commented, eyes flickering between her and Theo. "Anyways, we'll be talking the eleven o'clock train tomorrow, alright? Figured we might as well get the earlier one so we're back in time to put up a tree."
She'd almost forgotten that Sirius had gotten a house for the two of them, Luke included naturally. Since Remus was back and fourth between work for the Order, he'd be staying with them. Since September, Remus had been acting as though he was Luke's parent. He was the one who sighed his Hogsmeade papers, his emergency contact, everything. Aurora was happy to see that someone was there for him. She knew her stuff was in the house but since Sirius and James arrived in October neither of them were able to put up a tree.
The worst part about it was the fact she vaguely remembered James saying maybe he and Harry would stay there with them. It was an six bedroom house. However that was before her and Harry broke up so she didn't know.
"Great." Theo mutters to her. "I'm taking the same one."
She glances up at Theo sending him a small smile before noticing the look on her fathers face. Sirius' eyes move between the two of them and he gives her a look. Was she suppose to introduce them? Is that why he came over here? Was she overthinking it that she should introduce them? It's not like they were dating anyway. Why would she need to introduce them?
Sirius was looking at her like he was waiting for her to introduce them but what she was suppose to say? Hey, dad this is my friend Theo who at the minute I've been not dating but snogging. . .
How does she introduce that?
Theo was finished with the bowl of chips, and looked at her brows raised. She felt his fingertips against her hand and he hesitantly picked it up and brought it to his chest.
"Right. Theo and I have to go and talk to Slughorn he was looking for us...." she began trailing off.
"Oh, yeah he was looking for us. I forgot about that." Theo agreed, going alone with the lie.
Sirius looked between the two of them, brows raised but before he could speak again the two of them quickly turned around and walked away. She groaned loudly and in response Theo started laughing. He pulled her to his side.
"Have you spoken to Potter since the fight? I don't know if you noticed this but my nose has cleared up. Imagine if he'd damaged my face."
"I am really sorry about that by the way." she told him again, reaching up to softly place her hand on his cheek. She remembered noticing how the both of their faces were bruised for days after the fight. "I hope it wasn't too painful."
"I'll admit, he has a good punch, but it was fine. Besides, it made me look macho-"
"What is it with boys resorting to physical violence to assert their dominance?"
"I'm sorry, did you see yourself and Lucinda at that party? You got more hits in than me and Harry combined. I'll admit it, you can be a little scary when you're mad."
A small smile tugged at her lips. "Just a little?"
"Maybe more than a little."
She was about to reply but suddenly loud shouts were coming through the air and Filch arrived coming through the door with none other then her cousin. Draco was yelling at him to take his hands off but it didn't work.
"Professor Slughorn!" Filch shouted and most eyes in the room went towards them. "I discovered this boy lurking in an upstairs corridor. He claims to have been invited to your party and to have been delayed in setting out. Did you issue him with an invitation?"
Aurora stepped away from Theo, eyes zoning in on the tight grip Filch had on her cousin.
"All right, I wasn't invited!" he said angrily. "I was trying to gate crash, happy?"
"No, I'm not! You're in trouble, you are! Didn't the headmaster say that nighttime prowling's out, unless you've got permission, didn't he, eh?"
She didn't know what happened. She couldn't figure out where her emotions came from, but something about seeing Filch grabbing Draco reminded her off her grandparents. Everything around her slowly fell down and she couldn't hear anything anymore. Her breathing became increasingly faster and she struggled to catch her breath.
Her grandparents clouded her mind again, like they were doing more everyday.
Her eyes lowered down to the ground. The carpet was red, bright red, and her mind travelled back to the floor of the basement in Aleksander Mansion.
She quickly went forward, "Take your hands off him!" she snapped angrily. "He's heard you now. So you can let go."
"You stay out of this-" Filch began.
Sirius came over, sending a warning look to him. "Watch yourself Argus, she's right. Let the boy go. Everyone had catch crashed a party at least once."
There was a look shared between Draco and Sirius and she caught it. Her brows furrow but she thinks nothing of it. She didn't really have a chance to because Slughorn set aside his drink and went over.
"That's all right, Argus, that's all right. It's Christmas, and it's not a crime to want to come to a party. Just this once, we'll forget any punishment; you may stay, Draco."
Draco met her eye for a split second before replying to Slughorn who was speaking to him. "He always spoke very highly of you, sir."
"I'd like a word with you, Draco." the cold and demanding voice of Snape came into her ears, and he joined them.
"Now, Severus," Slughorn said. "it's Christmas, don't be too hard -"
"I am his Head of House, and I shall decide how hard, or otherwise, to be," Snape told him coldly. "Follow me, Draco."
Glares were being sent his way by her father and James who were speaking in low tones a few feet away. At first, she thought they were going to go after him but remembered they were warned by McGonagall. They didn't go into detail about the discussion that went on between Snape, James and Sirius.
McGonagall was also guarding the door so they wouldn't make a move now anyway.
However that didn't stop her from muttering a quick excuse me to Theo before heading towards the door. When she did McGonagall rose an eyebrow and inspected her face. Her brows furrowed lightly and she let out a small frown.
"Your bruise healed nicely, Miss Black." the woman commented, pulling a hand away from underneath her eye. "You'll lucky it didn't leave a scar."
"She shoved me first."
"l'm not judging."
"Yes you are! I feel like you're disappointed."
"Miss Black, I am not disappointed, if anything I'm worried." McGonagall told her, eyebrows raised. The Gryffindor girl gestured for her to continue. "After everything that happened, after you dying, I would presume that you and your three friends would have come back closer, stronger but I have not seen you four together talk in months."
"That's not fair-"
"I'm aware you might be having personal issues with Miss Williams but might I remind you that you were friends with Potter for years. Friends might be a simplification of what you two are but still, you two were always the closest.
"Professor McGonagall you can't talk about my love life!" she whispers jokingly. "That's an invasion of my privacy, not to mention completely unprofessional."
Professor McGonagall looked close to laughter for the first time. "Oh Miss Black, will you give it a rest? You have been in my office for six years letting steam off about everything you've ever felt about everyone. I'm aware of everyone in this school you like and everyone you dislike so I will finally give my opinion as I see fit-"
"GonGon!"
"Dying is something that should have brought you four closer together rather than further apart. I don't care if you and Potter aren't together anymore, relationships will come and go but the friendship you four have, that's going to last for the rest of your lives. You four have been through hell together, especially you and Potter. It's been a shame to see what you four have become."
Did everyone have some sort of opinion of the fact that they weren't talking anymore? Was everyone secretly hoping that they would all become friends again? She didn't know what to think about it anymore, she really didn't. She unfolded her arms and frowned.
"Friendships break up the whole time."
"I agree they do, but that's when the people in the friendship want it to end. Do you want that?"
Her answer couldn't come quick enough in her head but the words hesitated in her mouth. They were friends for six years. They went though everything together. The four of them spent nine months of the year together for more than half the day. Neither she or Harry had a family and found comfort in their friends.
Aurora headed out the door when she felt the tears coming in her eyes. McGonagall didn't bother stopping her and probably knew she shouldn't have either.
She heads out into the hallway and tried to find Draco and Snape. However, as she headed down to the second floor she was greeted with Draco and Snape who were both leaving a classroom. They both turned in the opposite direction leaving, looking equally as mad.
When she turned she seen Harry was there, presumably listened to the conversation. Just by his expression, she knew he did.
She sighed, and walked over to him.
"I need you to tell me something and I want you to be honest." she managed to say out. She slowly walked over closer to him. "I need your complete honesty because you're one of the people I trust the most. I know you and everyone else has been hiding what is happening with Draco because you're all scared I'm going to freak out but I need to know."
Instantly Harry didn't want to say what he and everyone else knew. "Aurora, I-I don't want to hurt you."
"I need to know if I'm going to loose him." she whispers, standing in front of him. "I need you to tell me, Harry, please."
Harry's eyes were fixed on her, and when he saw the tears in them at the thought of loosing her cousin he had to look away.
"He has the mark."
"That's all I needed to know." she managed to say to him, his hand reached out to hers but she couldn't feel his touch because she knew right now she needed a set of arms to fall into. Most likely, if they were his, she wouldn't ever want to leave.
She enters his office again. She spots Luke, Edward and Sammy in the corner of the room and moved over towards them. The three of them were talking with James and Sirius and when she makes her way over to them, they all turn to her.
"There you are." Sirius mutters, extending a hand and allowing her to rest her head against his arm. She didn't care about anyone finding her right now, instead she focused on how much she needed that. "Where did you run off to?"
"Nowhere." she told him quietly, sending him a small smile. "I'm happy we're going home tomorrow. I love Christmas."
"Speaking of Christmas. I have good news!" James grins. "We'll be coming to yours for Christmas!"
Christmas was going to be eventful.
★ ★ ★
Christmas! Christmas!
Hope you enjoyed this new chapter! Tell me what you thought!