Threatened.
Did Karkaroff seriously think he could threaten her?! The thought alone was completely ridiculous.
Aurora's mind was spinning, running around in circles as she tried to figure out this mess she seemed to have gotten herself into. The second trial of the Triwizard Tournament was almost upon them and she was left wondering what exactly was going on. Something wasn't right. It was as if there was this palpable tension in the air. The sensation that something was about to happen.
Who had put Harry's name in the Goblet of fire? Who wanted him dead? Was there anything she could do to stop it? What was Karkaroffs part in all this?
Aurora didn't think him capable of coming up with such a complicated plan on his own. If he could at all. Maybe he was just a pawn. Maybe he had an accomplice. Or maybe he was just at the wrong place at the wrong time. After all, bad people existed everywhere, right there along with the good people. One just had to make sure that that didn't take away one's chance at being happy. Dealing with the hand that life dealt you was a necessary evil, and right now it all felt a little surreal.
She was still deep in thought, thinking about all that had happened, as she made her way to the Great Hall to get some breakfast the next morning. She was a bit distant towards Fred and George, but it couldn't be helped. She had things to think about.
Her mind wandered freely as she took a tasteless bite of her toast, forgetting to chew as she thought about her current situation. Which, at the moment, also involved the rather complicated case of Severus Snape.
Why did he have to be so nasty? Why did he have to resort to mean and cruel japes every time she figured she was making headway?
Even more importantly, why did she care?
Even after Aurora made the conscious choice of letting the whole 'Potions Master' thing go, it still haunted her mind more often than she would like to admit. Especially after Igor bloody Karkarov had decided to do her bodily harm after her overhearing him talking to no other than the Potions Master. How was she supposed to ignore the damn man when his problems kept being shoved right in her face? It wasn't as if she could ignore the fact that a known Death Eater was seemingly quite familiar with the Potions Master. Or that said Potions Master was perhaps playing some dangerous game as a spy or double agent. Her mind wandered again to perhaps calling on Albus to get an explanation, but she knew her Godfather well enough to know the man played his cards close to his chest and wasn't very fond of sharing information.
Looking down Aurora realized with a startle that she'd been sitting at the table for a good ten minutes doing nothing more than looking out into space. Her toast lay on her plate, untouched.
After breakfast she needed to hurry to her next class, Transfigurations, and she was already running late. Getting up Aurora gathered her things rather hurriedly before heading to her next lesson. When she got to the Entrance Hall her path was blocked by a mass of students all hurrying to their respective classes. Cursing under her breath about her own tardiness Aurora started shouldering her way through the crowd.
Damn it all to hell!
Was she really worried about school, of all things? Or was this just her obsessing over something, anything else but the situation with Severus? Knowing her own nature, with the over-thinking and over-analyzing, that was a very likely possibility. But then, was she ready to face the possibilities as to why that might be? Could she deal with the fact that there was something going on that had more to do with Severus than she would like to admit?
Lost in thought, she didn't pay any attention to her surroundings. So it wasn't a complete surprise when someone slammed into her, Aurora cursing loudly as her backpack was torn from her side and its contents spilling across the floor at the same time. The sharp sting of the impact caused her to clutch her hip at the painful bruise she could already feel forming there. She whirled around, ready to give whoever it was that had almost bawled her over a piece of her mind, but the hallway was crowded with students, all of which were wearing black robes and variations of the various house colours with different coloured trimmings at the cloaks and robes. Some were looking at her as she tried to gather her belongings, while others just hurried past without giving her a second chance.
Aurora caught a figure disappearing into the crowd from the corner of her eyes, and as her head whipped around trying to catch a better view, she realized the pointlessness to her endeavor as everyone around her was dressed nearly the same and among the hustle and bustle there was no way to know for certain who had slammed into her. Seeing a hooded figure disappear around the corner, her brow furrowed in confusion, but there were more students with the hoods of their cloaks pulled up, so that wasn't what caught her attention. No, it was this gut-wrenching feeling that something was terribly wrong.
Shaking her head at her own paranoia Aurora continued down the hallway, barely making it into her Transfigurations lesson, earning herself a disapproving glare from professor McGonagall.
A few hours later Aurora was on her way to lunch when the smells of food from the Great Hall hit her with the force of a sledgehammer. And as her stomach churned and rebelled against the thought of food, she decided it was better if she skipped lunch today.
After spending some time in the library working ahead on some subjects and completing some homework for other classes, Aurora called it a day, her head still whirling with thoughts. Particularly about a certain Potions Master whose lessons had now become the most dreaded part of her day. She wasn't sure how long she'd be able to put up with Severus if the two of them continued to behave the way they did around eachother.
That night she went to bed with her head pounding, her mind still full of unanswered questions and rising suspicions.
What she didn't know was that it was just the beginning.
Over the next few days it seemed like Aurora was coming down with something. Fred and George expressed their concern when she stopped eating regularly. The thing was, when she did eat, Aurora's stomach would soon express its discontent with the sustenance and make her regret consuming it. Bad case of the stomach flu, she figured. Tough luck that it happened to her just as the next Triwizard Tournament task was about to happen. She'd be damned if she missed that, she thought stubbornly to herself.
When the nausea and stomach aches refused to subside, she even went as far as to go to Madam Pomfrey for something against the stomach sickness and dreadful headaches that made her head spin. The Hogwarts Matron gave her a tea mixture of various herbs to help calm her stomach, seeing that she couldn't keep anything down, and a tincture of something or other to try and keep the headaches at bay.
But Aurora's condition only worsened over the next few days. Painful and throbbing aches in her back and muscles, over sensitized skin, prickling sensations in her lower limbs and tingling in both her hands and toes were only a few of the symptoms. And that didn't include the headaches, migraines, vomiting and violent coughing fits she was subjected to over the next week. When Aurora was finally willing to admit that she was truly sick, she figured that finding out exactly what ailment was afflicting her would help her find the quickest way to recovery. She was stubborn, convinced she could sort this out herself before it became too serious. After all, was she really about to go down to the infirmary, again, for something that was probably just food poisoning or the stomach flu? When Fred suggested she go see Snape for some remedy or potion that might help, she just barely refrained herself from laughing in the boy's face. She wouldn't be caught dead asking Severus for help after their last argument, especially not for something as silly as an upset stomach or some nasty flu virus.
So, she struggled on, falling behind on her school work because she kept missing classes over the next week because she wasn't feeling well. She slept for hours on end, tossing and turning in a restless sleep, and then awoke drenched in cold and clammy sweat to spend bouts of sickness locked in the bathroom, throwing up violently until her throat felt raw and there was nothing left but bile to burn the back of her throat. Fred and George got increasingly more worried, but Aurora kept reassuring them that she'd be fine, using pepperup potions and other tinctures to relieve some of the worse symptoms. The other girls in the dormitory also showed their concern, but Aurora managed to dissuade them from calling on Professor Mc. Gonagall. She felt it would unnecessarily bother the stern head of Gryffindor to drag her all the way to the common room merely for a sick student.
It was a dark and stormy evening when she finally was willing to admit she needed help. Aurora hadn't left her bed the entire day, and when she finally managed to drag herself out of bed she stood in front of the mirror, watching her reflection. Pale skin, bags underneath her eyes standing in a deep shade of purple on an ashen skin, taut lips and harsh lines marking her face. She looked tired, exhausted even. The rest of the dormitory was quiet around her, the other girls sound asleep as outside the stormy weather raged on.
Her pyjama shirt fell loosely around her tall frame, and as she shivered Aurora wrapped her arms around herself. Wincing as she hugged her chest she flinched when a coughing fit overcame her, leaving the witch grappling with one hand at the desk of her vanity as she tried to keep her balance, the other covering her mouth and nose as she coughed. Looking down at her hand in confusion Aurora was confused to see a crimson smear on the back of her hand. Glancing upwards she sighed and reached for a handkerchief at the sight of blood dripping from her nose. As the taste of copper lingered in the back of her throat, like iron or copper, she groaned, tilting her head backwards. Great. Just what she needed. A damn nosebleed.
This had gone on long enough.
After all, desperate times called for desperate measures, did they not?
Deciding that what she had in mind was the right course of action, Aurora reached for a warm cloak and slipped on some comfortable ankle boots before heading out to the common room. She was overcome by a wave of dizziness as she tried to slip on the footwear, the light-headedness making her teeter on her feet as she straightened up. Her first thought had been to try and find Fred and George, so they could help her get down to the infirmary. The common room was empty, though, and Aurora didn't want to bother them, choosing to head down to the infirmary all by herself. Barely noticing the fact that it was already dark outside she clambered through the entrance portrait and started walking down the hallways. She had to force herself to focus, as black spots danced around her vision, her legs feeling like they were being weighed down with lead, and Aurora shivered violently as she leaned against the wall for support. She'd made it down from the winding staircase down the Gryffindor tower, quite a feat given how dizzy she felt. Her hands wrapped themselves around her shivering frame involuntarily, and this time the stinging ache in her side was enough to draw her attention.
Why on earth was I feeling so terrible?!
"...Miss Beauchanan?" A voice sounded, seemingly from far away "What are you doing out here at this hour?"
It sounded like Severus. Aurora would have sworn it was his voice she heard. But my mind was slow to register his low drawl, the pain clouding her mind as she looked up into his onyx eyes.
"What on earth are you out of your dormitory?" Severus questioned, surprised at seeing the young witch take a few steps in an unsteady gait. Something was wrong. He'd been about to make some snappy remark, but then he saw the pallor to her skin, the dazed look in her eyes, the hair a tangled mess around her face, and he held his tongue "Are you feeling all right?"
The genuine concern in his voice surprised Aurora, but she couldn't seem to focus on anything in particular. Her hand fingered the hem of her shirt and almost unconsciously she staggered, her legs feeling wobbly and unnatural beneath her. Catching herself she rested her hand against the wall, trying to support herself.
"I-I think I might be ill" Aurora managed to say, the words feeling foreign in her mouth. Having stayed in bed resting she hadn't realized how truly weak she had become.
"Yeah. You look like hell" Severus agreed.
Smiling weakly, Aurora nodded. There was the dispassionate and unfeeling man she had come to know. She'd almost been worried for a moment there.
"There it is. For a moment there I thought you were worried" she said, hearing her voice in her own ears as hollow, having to force herself to say the words, as her mouth felt rather uncooperative to pronounce the words.
His eyes took in her shaking form, and to his surprise he felt concern course through him, worry about the girl's condition stopping him from responding to her jibe.
"What's wrong? Why haven't you gone to Madam Pomfrey yet?" Severus voice was demanding as he approached her.
"I'm not certain... I haven't been feeling well. Madam Pomfrey... the stuff she gave me didn't work" Aurora brought out with difficulty as she tried to remember why exactly she shouldn't be talking to him. There was a reason. She was.... angry? at him, for.... something. Shaking her head, she couldn't focus, and instead looked up at the man in dark robes who was now towering over her. He did remind her of an overgrown bat with his signature black robes draped over his imposing figure. The thought would have made her giggle, but even breathing was starting to hurt.
"Come. Let me take you to the infirmary or something to that effect" Severus growled after a few moments of silence.
It wasn't a question. It had been an order. But it hadn't been barked at her with the authoritative sneer that usually accompanied the Potions Master's words. Aurora had been about to tell him to just leave her be. To leave her alone. To say that she didn't need him. That she could manage just fine without him intervening in her life. But she couldn't find the words, and she realized with a confused sort of detachment that she didn't want to. She looked up at the man and found the genuine concern in his eyes rather disconcerting, wondering where the domineering and reticent man had gone, she'd become so used to.
"That might be a good idea" Aurora finally agreed quietly as she tried to straighten up.
She flinched at the sudden pain that hit her, like a hot knife sinking between her ribs, causing her to double over and leaving her gasping for breath.
"Aurora?!" Severus was at her side, wrapping his arm around her waist to support young witch "Aurora! What's going on?!"
Startled by his sudden proximity Aurora couldn't help the way her body leaned into his, seeking support as her legs nearly buckled underneath her. His arm was around her shoulder, and he was oh so close. She realized with a startle that that had been the first time he'd called her by her first name.
"My side... it hurts" she breathed on an exhale.
The arm that was wrapped around her shoulder shifted as Severus tried to get a better grip, his hand now resting on her hip, and just as Aurora was about to pull away his fingers grabbed onto the hem of her shirt, pulling the fabric upwards ever so slightly. He felt her tremble, and when the pale skin of her hip and stomach was uncovered Severus looked down in astonishment, shocked to see the black and purple bruise that was there.
Gasping for breath as Severus's fingers suddenly pressed against her skin ever so gently, Aurora heard him curse under his breath. But her mind was numb, like a tangled ball of yarn that was useless until it was unravelled, thought milling about aimlessly as she struggled to hold onto one in particular as she watched the small mark right there, in the middle of the bruise. A tiny hole, a puncture mark, a small spot that looked out of place with its white edges, like the skin around it was becoming necrotic.
An injection marks.
Her mind was trying to assimilate that fact when Severus looked up at her, eyes filled with worry.
Because he knew.
He understood what that mark meant.
Perfectly.
He'd grasped that fact that her own mind was still trying to wrap itself around. It all made sense now. And although the thought was frightening and terrifying, all the pieces clicked perfectly together as Aurora reached the conclusion Severus had already reached.
Poison.
She had been poisoned.