—————S—————
October 13, 1996
Under the pitch black of night, Severus walked out to the edge of the Black Lake and placed his wand tip on his Mark. He hissed, not particularly enjoying the burn the request caused, but knowing it was needed. With Miss Bell's transfer to St. Mungo's, it wouldn't be long before the story hits the papers, and Severus had every intention of reporting to his "Lord" before he demanded his presence.
He waited, looking out over the lake, hearing the squid skim the surface. He thought of his family in the castle, his children asleep in the dorms, his wife sitting with Min while pretending not to be nervous. They were safe, and he was bolstered by that knowledge. No matter what happened to him, his family was safe, and there were people who would care for them should the worst happen. Not that he expected it, but one could never be too sure with the way the Dark Lord was these days.
The burn of acceptance ripped through him, though now he was prepared and barely gave more than a grimace in response. He pulled up his hood, pressed his mask to his face, then placed the tip of his wand to his mark once more, Apparating to the Dark Lord.
When he landed, he immediately dropped to his knees.
"Risssse, Severussss," he said, and Severus did so, looking around the room and seeing a few other Death Eaters already there, unmasked. He took off his own, removing his hood. They were in the Malfoy ballroom, and it would seem this was the place the Dark Lord had settled on for his throne. The meeting seemed informal, a gathering of those who were supposed to be hiding from Aurors or those without family to return home to.
"My Lord," Severus bowed.
"You have assked to sssee me?" Voldemort said with intrigue, a slight tilt of his head, his posture relaxed in his grand chair. "I had not expected to hear from you so soon."
There was a quiet cackle off to the side, and Severus' eyes darted to a pleased-looking Bellatrix, who was barely keeping it together.
Severus frowned, then turned back to Voldemort.
"My Lord, there has been an incident at Hogwarts that I felt you would like to be made aware of."
"Go on," Voldemort said with a wave of his hand.
"Yesterday afternoon, a Hogwarts student came in contact with this," he said, removing the now-neutralized necklace from within his frock coat.
There was an interesting reaction among the audience: a few flinched away, a few drew closer, and Bellatrix giggle-cackled a little louder.
"Interesting," the Dark Lord said, leaning forward in his throne.
"Indeed," Severus said, rolling the opals in his fingers. "Aurors at Hogwarts sent for a Curse-Breaker, who neutralized the object."
Alastor had been called in, probably by Hermione or Minerva, and he'd asked William Weasley to leave Gringotts a moment to come and give them a hand. He had no idea if his grizzled former mentor was actually already in Hogsmeade or not, but he was grateful it was someone who didn't believe and follow Dumbledore's every whim.
"How was it that a student came in contact with such an item?" the Dark Lord asked, his red eyes piercing into Severus'.
He'd prepared for this. He wanted to keep Aurora, Potter, all of them, out of it.
So, he had gone and asked Miss McInnis.
"We went to the Three Broomsticks, and when I went to get us some drinks, Katie saw Fred Weasley. She went to say hi, chat with him for a bit. I got distracted, and she disappeared. Fred said she'd gone to the washroom, and she'd be back in a minute. Except, when she got back, she was eager to get back to the castle. I tried to convince her to stay, but she wouldn't listen. She wasn't acting like herself. So, I relented, I thought maybe she wasn't feeling good, but then she kept hold of this package. I thought she got it from Fred, but that didn't seem right. Then, when we were heading back to the castle, we were arguing and ..."
Leann McInnis broke down into tears, her speech unintelligible .
Voldemort withdrew from Severus' mind, and stared at his spy with a pondering gaze.
"How did the girl get the necklace?"
"I am uncertain, my Lord, but I do believe she acquired it when she went into the lavatory at the Three Broomsticks. She was under the influence of the Imperius Curse."
Bellatrix laughed a little too loudly that time, and Voldemort shot her a warning look that silenced her in an instant but did not tame her mad grin.
"You were able to check the corpse?" he asked Severus.
"The girl lived. A mere pop in the seam of her glove allowed her to touch the necklace, as it was carelessly bundled in a scarf. No one knows who it was intended for. I would have thought it a mediocre assassination attempt by young Mr. Nott, but he and I were in the process of making plans when I was summoned to deal with the curse."
"And who was the girl?" Voldemort asked.
"One Katherine Bell, my Lord. A pureblood."
" WHAT !" Bellatrix screeched, and Severus turned to look at her as she seethed with rage.
"Bella, what is the meaning of this?" Voldemort demanded, rising from his throne.
Bellatrix stormed toward them, her wand pointed at Severus menacingly. "It was your brat! The blood traitor spawn told the barmaid that he was hoping to see your ugly little half-blood."
"Pure-blood," Severus corrected her. "I believe my wife's status nullifies my blood's own inferiority."
"She was supposed to have the necklace! She was supposed to die!"
"Enough!" Voldemort silenced her. The room was deathly still, silent as a grave. "Are we not striving for a world of purity?" he asked the room at large, a put-upon casualness to his tone. "This is why we do not attack the school. While there are filthy, thieving Mudbloods infesting the halls of such a fine institution, we allow the children to obtain their education, however lacking it is. Children are our future." He turned to Bellatrix, caressing her cheek before grabbing her neck and squeezing. "But they can't be the future if they are dead, can they?" he asked her through clenched teeth.
"No, my Lord," Bellatrix crooned as much as she could while barely able to breathe.
"Did you truly intend to murder Severus' daughter?"
"Yes, my Lord."
"Why?"
"Because he is disloyal to you, my Lord," she gasped, her face beginning to turn purple. "He is not yours."
"I have seen his mind, Bella, no one can hide anything from me, and he is mine !" He threw Bellatrix to the ground, and the witch gasped and coughed, curling in on herself.
Voldemort straightened the collar of his robes as Nagini slithered out from behind the throne and encircled Bellatrix.
"Severus, my loyal, trusted, faithful servant." The Dark Lord gave Severus a facsimile of a smile as he put his hand on his shoulder. "I am sorry, for I fear if Bellatrix had succeeded, you'd have lost your child. I trust that you are looking into a good candidate to take the place of young Lord Malfoy, now that the betrothal is over?"
"Indeed, My Lord," Severus said on the fly. "I had, actually, considered Mr. Nott for the position, should he succeed in his task."
Voldemort nodded. "A reward indeed." He glanced at Bellatrix. "Our dear Bella attempted to wrong you. In doing so, she has shown disloyalty to me, to your brothers, to the cause." He patted Severus' shoulder, turning away. "Punish her properly, Severus."
"With pleasure, my Lord," he said, turning to the sadistic bitch and drawing his wand.
He thought of what it would have been like had it actually been his daughter writhing in the hospital wing, sent to St. Mungo's indefinitely for treatment. " Crucio ," he hissed, and the way the witch flopped on the floor proved just how much he meant the spell.
He didn't hold it long, she was already weakened from the Dark Lord's grip around her neck. He used the spell just long enough to ensure she knew the consequences should she attempt it again, sanctioned or not, and he turned to Voldemort.
"Your control is always a wondrous sight to behold, Severus," the Dark Lord said with a nod. "Lesser wizards would have seen her near mad with the pain."
Severus said nothing, merely tilting his head in thanks.
"The boy. Nott, you said you spoke to him."
"I have, my Lord, but not long enough for us to plan."
"Ensure that he does, Severus," Voldemort said as he retook his place on the throne.
"Yes, my Lord," he said, and at the wave of the Dark Lord's hand, Severus took a few steps back and Apparated away.
November 2, 1996
Severus stared at the garment in his hands, a sneer curling his lip. Just touching it felt wrong, utterly and completely, yet he knew in his heart it was something he must do. He didn't want to and had paid good Galleons in the past to avoid doing it after losing a bet, but that wasn't going to get him out of it this time.
"Oh, Severus," Hermione sighed, smiling affectionately at him before she kissed him on the cheek. "It's not going to hurt you, I promise."
"I'm not so sure about that."
"It's for your daughter," she reminded him.
"Who knows I support her," he countered.
"It's her first game, Severus. And every time Slytherin plays—"
"I'm aware," he snapped, and when she raised her brow in warning, he deflated. "I'm aware," he repeated more calmly. "But this seems extreme."
Hermione stared at him for the longest time in utter disbelief. "It's a bloody scarf, you git. Wear it for your daughter. You know damn well that if Leo had any interest in Quidditch and had managed to join the team in his later years, you would be wearing blue and bronze as proudly as you would green and silver."
"Ravenclaw is not a house rival," he retorted.
"Oh please, every house outside our own is a rival," she countered before there was a knock on the door to their rooms.
Severus frowned. "Enter," he called, wondering which of his children felt the need to knock.
When it opened, the answer should have been obvious: the blond non-biological one.
"Uncle," Draco greeted.
"What do you need, Draco?" he asked, a smirk lightly playing at the corner of his lips as he pretended to sound annoyed.
"A favor, if I could," he replied, hands behind his back, posture straight.
"Oh, and what would that be? If you're asking for me to somehow rig the match in Hufflepuff's favor..."
Draco scoffed. "Hardly. When I go up against my boyfriend, I want that match to be one that matters. As close to our own score, or leading would be preferable when I inevitably win."
"Boyfriend?" Hermione smiled. "Is it official, then?"
"I suppose as official as any relationship between us could be," he replied, turning his attention to his aunt. "Sirius knows and approves. My mother is aware. At least, I've written her about it..."
"Much as I adore hearing about the intricacies of teenage relationships, you didn't come here to sing Mr. Potter praises, despite how short the song would be. You want something and the game will start soon. Speak."
Draco glanced at the scarf still in Severus' hands and had the audacity to smirk. "It's my understanding that Horace Slughorn made his sixth years brew a complicated potion for the chance to win a vial of Felix—"
"No," Severus said flatly.
"You don't even know my question."
"If it involves Liquid Luck, then no."
"Not in the way you think it does."
"Explain."
"I want to trick Weasley into thinking he drank it."
"Why?"
"That's sweet of you, Draco," Hermione said, and Severus turned toward her, confused. She smirked. "I've seen a couple practices with Minerva. All of them have moments, of course, it's natural. But Ronald has been utterly atrocious. Honestly, it's almost as if the reason he even made it on the team to begin with is because Cormac McLaggen was jinxed or something."
He smirked. "Anything you wish to confess, wife?"
She snorted inelegantly. "Please. I like Ronald enough, I suppose, but certainly not to the degree that I would Confund a boy to get him on a team. He was much better at tryouts."
"Weasley has always been better than he's been," Draco said. "I'm beginning to wonder if the incident at the Ministry took more out of him than we thought."
It hadn't really occurred to Severus that the boy could be carrying scars beyond what was visible. He glanced at his wife, seeing her chewing her lip. She hadn't considered it either.
"We'll have Madam Pomfrey look over him again. But... I suppose in the meantime," - he extended his hand, silently accioing a vial from the depths of their sleeping chambers. The shatter-proof container landed with a smack against his hand - "do not actually put a single drop of this in his drink," Severus said, handing him the half-empty vial of Liquid Luck. "It's nearly twenty years old, he'd be poisoned if he actually drank it."
Draco smirked as he took the potion. "I knew you won it back in the day, but I didn't think you would still have it. I never thought I would get the real thing, albeit too old to use. Why is it only half empty?"
"I used it for silly, frivolous things in my youth. Getting your aunt to fly with me." He gestured to Hermione with a slight smirk. "Gambling against Karkaroff when we were apprentices together. But I never liked the idea of boosting my chances of survival or success with the Dark Lord with a potion. So, it went bad. It retains its consistency and color, of course, but the ingredients are more likely to cause pain and discomfort than luck. It might lead to death. Which, I suppose, depending on whose drink you were to put it in, it could still be considered lucky."
Draco snorted. "Indeed. Thank you, Uncle," he said with a bow of his head, smiling at Hermione with a wave, and left.
As Severus watched Draco leave with what he once thought was his golden ticket to life, a thought occurred to him: why couldn't he, they, use it as a means of boosting their chances of survival? There was a terrible, horrible future ahead of them, and Albus seemed to have little interest in changing that. So why couldn't he brew a small batch? Give a small amount to each of the children with the strict warning not to use it for idiotic things like Quidditch or dating? A vial each to the sub-Order, in hopes that when Albus passed, the entire thing didn't fall apart.
"Severus." Hermione caught his attention, suspicion in her eyes. "Are you really considering it?"
"I think I am," he said, not even questioning how she knew what was on his mind. He wrapped the scarf around his neck absently, his mind still processing his plans. "It's not the solution, of course. But it might be the edge we need to make sure the children can get through this."
"Perhaps it is," Hermione said as they left their rooms and passed through his office. "It would make me feel better to think that they'll be okay if they had to leave us for a time, and well, I wouldn't worry so much."
"You, Molly, Sirius, Cissy, all you mother hens," he teased.
"Oh stop, you would worry yourself sick as well, and don't say you wouldn't," she said, pausing at the door. "Leo may be your tiny duplicate, but Rory has always been the one who has you wrapped around her finger. It's why you let Fred Weasley court her. It's why you gave Neville permission to do the same, despite how much I know you wanted to torment him. You would do anything to make Aurora happy, and if she left—"
"Hush, witch," he said with a fake scowl. "I will not have these erroneous accusations of me having a heart and caring spread around. I have a reputation to maintain." He opened the door, setting his spine rigidly and swinging his arms in such a way that his robes billowed.
When he saw the group of Slytherins on the stairs, ready to head out to the pitch, had stopped and stared, he scowled. When he realized they were staring at his neck, he glanced down at the garish red and gold.
"If I hear one word, you'll all be in a detention so long and so detestable, it will be legend to your children should you be released from it in time to have any."
A chorus of "yes, sir," was mumbled as their eyes immediately averted.
"Quite the reputation, husband," Hermione taunted, her hand on his shoulder, a light grin playing on her lips as her eyes crinkled with mirth.
He grumbled, taking his wife's hand and tucking it into his arm so he could escort her to the pitch to watch their daughter's first game.
—————A—————
Aurora was nauseated. She was pretty sure the entire team was, but since no one had said anything outright, so she supposed she could be the only one. No, that was a lie, because Ron looked like Death. They'd gone up to the pitch early for one more round, one more practice, but like all the other times this week, Ron had been lousy. She supposed she should consider themselves lucky that Slytherin wasn't their first match, as was tradition. No, they were too busy trying to break in their new Chasers and had asked to have the Hufflepuffs play first. At least they didn't have to face Draco first go. He and Harry hadn't been together long enough yet to have to contend with Quidditch competitiveness.
"Well, you lot look like you're just eager to get out there," Draco said as he strode into the locker room.
"Not now, Draco," Harry sighed.
"I'm not here to torment you," he replied. "In fact,"- he snapped his fingers, and Dobby appeared, eagerly hopping from foot to foot, a tray of pumpkin juice in his hands- "I propose we drink to you all and wish you the best of luck today."
"I don't think I can drink anything," Ron said glumly.
"You especially need a drink, Weasel. Come on, drink up," he encouraged, grabbing the eighth goblet off the tray after Dobby had given everyone one. While the majority of the team took a sip or a gulp, Aurora's fellow Beater Ritchie looked at Draco suspiciously over his drink.
"Why should we trust you aren't poisoning us or something? How do we know we're not just going to forget how to fly or something?"
"I'm not going to poison my boyfriend," Draco sneered. "I'm merely offering you a bit of luck."
"Wait," Aurora said, looking down at her drink, seeing the glimmer of gold in the pumpkin juice. She looked back at Draco. "Did you spike this with what I think you did?"
"Did I?" Draco said, removing something from the inner pocket of his blazer. He smirked at the half-empty vial of golden liquid. "I suppose that depends on what you think this is."
"What is it?" Ritchie asked.
"Liquid Luck," Draco said, looking from him to Dean, who was taking over for Katie. "Won it in Professor Snape's potion's class by brewing Draught of the Living Dead."
"Right," Dean said, nodding while still frowning. "Suppose I'll see you all out there in a min?"
"Is... is it safe?" Demelza asked, she and Ritchie both unsure.
"It's safe," Aurora said, drinking back the rest of her goblet while maintaining eye contact with Draco. "Just makes it taste a bit like ginger."
The pair gulped it back and hurried out with Dean.
Harry sipped his while Ron chugged his back. "All right," Ron said, nodding as he looked at his now-empty glass. "I feel great. Lucky. Really lucky. Come on, Harry. Let's get out there and get started before this stuff wears off." He charged out the door, only to immediately return for his broom, gave them all a goofy grin, and hurried back out.
"What's really in here?" Ginny asked when it was just the four of them.
Draco looked at the Dobby, gesturing for him to go ahead.
"Former Master Draco asked Dobby to make pumpkin juice look spiked, miss. He said it had to be sparkling, like golden potion, so Dobby be putting in special dust from the kitchens we elves use at the holidays. It's really harmless, miss. Dobby just added a little ginger and honey to make Harry Potter's orange-haired mister friend not be so green. Dobby has seen what students of Hogwarts are like when they are green, miss. It's not pleasant."
"So where did you get that?" Aurora asked, pointing to the vial in Draco's hand.
"Your father, of course."
"Yes, but it's not real Liquid Luck. He doesn't brew it."
"It is. Was. It's the one Uncle Severus won when he attended Hogwarts."
"So, you actually could have poisoned us," Ginny noted.
"Yes, but I want you to win," Draco said. "Good luck," he said with a smirk and an affectionate squeeze on Harry's shoulder. Harry reached up and held Draco's hand there.
"Thanks," Harry said with a nod, gesturing for Ginny and Aurora to follow him out.
The sun was bright, the air was cool, and now the team had confidence. It may just be a better game than Aurora expected.
—————L—————
He hadn't intended to sit with Aurora's friends, but he liked Luna and had followed her to the pitch when everyone had started migrating for the game. He was already friendless, he didn't think it would be the best idea to hole himself up in the library while everyone else was at the game. Plus, his sister was playing, and that was something he was interested in seeing. He was always a bit jealous of the ease with which Aurora took to sports, something he himself hadn't ever come close to excelling at. It didn't seem fair that she was athletic and smart. Well, he was technically smarter than her when an age-by-age comparison was made, but it wasn't as if she was a dunderhead, either.
He sat down a row in front of Luna, noting the bloke his sister took to the ball a couple years ago was there, saving spots for them all.
"I'm nervous," Leo heard the bloke say to Luna. "I'm not sure why I'm nervous, it's not like I'm playing."
"It's Gin and Rory's first time playing," Luna replied. "And Harry's first time as captain. Really, it's quite a big day for them all."
"Yeah, yeah that's why," the bloke said, and Leo rolled his eyes.
"Neville, have you made Leonidas' acquaintance?" Luna said, gently laying her hand on Leo's shoulder, making him look over his shoulder and meet the wide-eyed gaze of the bloke. Neville. He'd have to remember that.
"We've been introduced, sort of."
Neville paled. "He dressed up like Professor Snape and answered the door when I picked up Rory for the Yule Ball."
"Oh," Luna said. "That must have been fun. You do look a lot like your father."
All right, he really liked Luna. Leo smiled, nodded, straightened his tie, and was about to turn to face the pitch when he noticed Draco making his way toward them.
"Successfully tricked Weasel into thinking he took luck potion," Draco said as he sat down next to Luna. "Now he just needs to not muck it up."
"Explain to me why you want them to win?" Neville asked.
Leo watched as Draco smirked. "It's more fun when Harry and I have something to be competitive over. And if Weasel makes them lose the match, it puts us on uneven footing."
"Is this so neither of you is ever dominant in the relationship?" Luna asked.
"Relationship?" Leo asked in confusion.
"Yes," Luna said as Draco flushed. "Draco and Harry have begun a romantic relationship. Wonderful, isn't it?"
"I suppose." Leo shrugged.
"You're young yet," Neville said, and Leo turned slowly and glared at the boy. Neville flinched. "You're only eleven, aren't you?"
"My age means nothing, it's merely a number."
"You're young, Leo," Draco said. "A year or two from now, you'll start to see girls or boys in a different way."
"If you say so," he grumbled, turning back to the field.
He watched, understanding the basics and the rules, even knowing which blurry shape flying by was his sister. It was very fast, much faster than he thought a school game would be. He glanced at his parents and aunt in the teachers' box. His mother had her fingers between her teeth, looking a strange mix of nervous, terrified, and proud. Aunt Min and his father were both nearly out of their seats, watching intently.
"And Snape nearly takes out Smith with that back swing," the announcer said, and Leo felt a pang of jealousy at this father's smirk. He didn't need to be next to him to know there was pride in his eyes.
"Rory's going to have the teams quaking," Draco said, also sounding proud. "Everyone is underestimating her."
"Because she's a girl?" Leo asked incredulously.
"Girls don't normally take Beater positions unless they're big and broad," Draco explained. "Aurora's small. But like Ginny, she has a lot of upper arm strength. Not many would think it upon looking at her."
"She's bloody amazing," Neville swooned.
"Calm yourself, I don't carry smelling salts," Leo quipped, earning a laugh from Draco.
"It seems like such a brutal sport!"
Leo turned to the girl sitting next to him, and his nostrils flared in humor as she looked completely appalled. "Is this really all there is to Quidditch? Flying around on a broom and throwing a ball, hitting other balls at people on purpose?" She turned to look at Leo. "Do we have to play it in flying class?"
He realized who she was, and he felt like a dunderhead for not recognizing her. Jane Brooks, a Muggle-born Hufflepuff who he had almost all his classes with. She often sat near the back and was very quiet.
"No," he said, wondering why she was talking to him. No one in his year talked to him, not really. "It's completely voluntary."
She glanced at the game, then back at him. "Do you play, too?"
"Not really."
"But that's your sister, isn't it?" she asked, pointing at Aurora as she slowed and stopped above them to smash a Bludger toward the Hufflepuff team. She had the Snape sneer on her face and the cold malice in her eyes.
"Yeah," he said, suddenly a little less jealous and a bit prouder. She was a bit scary, his sister. He hoped he could be that level of fearsome when he was older.
"She looks like Professor Snape," Jane said.
Leo snorted. " I look like Professor Snape. She just... projects his demeanor on occasion."
"She looks scary."
"Yes, she does," he said with admiration. He then turned his attention back to Jane. "Did you not know anything about Quidditch before you came?"
Jane shook her head. "I only had my textbooks to study, and I didn't get to read all of them before arriving. My mum knew I was a witch, and so did my dad, but my stepdad wasn't allowed to know since he's not married to Mum. I was only able to get in a bit of study here and there." She leaned in. "He thinks I'm in some fancy boarding school. He thinks my dad made me go."
"Really?"
Jane nodded. "He hates my dad."
"Huh," was all Leo could say to that, because he had no idea how to deal with this sort of situation. "I went to Muggle school," he said, and when Jane perked up, he grinned. "So, er, you know, if, uh, you er, want someone to talk to. You know, someone who's done both."
"All right," she said with a wide grin, and Leo felt his confidence rise.
He made a friend. Sort of. Maybe. Well, it was a start.
"And Harry Potter catches the Snitch! Gryffindor wins!"
Leo looked at his parents, seeing his dad beaming with pride. His mum and aunt were hugging one another. He looked at the field, happy for his sister as she and her teammates flocked together to celebrate their triumph.
"Suppose I need to tell Weasel I faked the potion now," Draco said with a sigh that didn't sound at all sincere.
"Yeah..." Neville said, sounding happy and let down all at once.
"What's the matter, Longbottom?" Draco asked.
"Well," Neville breathed shakily. "It just... well, I told myself that if Gryffindor won, I would... I would ask Aurora out. Properly."
Leo laughed, loud and long and from his gut. He laughed hard enough that Jane joined in, giggling despite not knowing why. Neville looked terrified, which only made it more amusing.
Really? Did he really think he had a chance with Aurora? Leo settled, wiping a stray tear from his eye, and contemplated writing Fred Weasley about the painfully amusing development.
—————A—————
"Have they come up for air?" Draco asked. He, Aurora, Harry, Neville, Luna, and Ginny all tilted their heads as Ron and Lavender Brown adjusted their heads and didn't stop snogging.
The party in Gryffindor Tower to celebrate their first big win with a new team had started just before dinner. The house-elves provided food so they didn't have to leave the common room, as well as copious amounts of butterbeer. Luna and Draco, invited by members of the Quidditch team, weren't the only non-Gryffindor guests. Ritchie's girlfriend from Ravenclaw and Demelza's friends from Hufflepuff and Slytherin were also there, but mixing with their own years on the other side of the room.
It was nearly an hour ago when, while the group of seven had been hanging out together, Lavender came up to them, plopped herself down on Ron's lap, and proceeded to snog the life out of him. Neville and Luna, who had been sitting next to them, had gotten up and crammed on the sofa with the rest of them before Aurora had the good sense to make it longer. They were originally merely going to wait until the kiss broke before teasing Ron and asking questions, but they didn't stop.
"Maybe they're breathing through their nose?" Aurora guessed before sipping her butterbeer.
"The way Ron gets so nasally, I'm not sure that's better," Ginny said.
"Aren't their jaws sore?" Harry asked, absently rubbing his own in sympathy.
"Depends, I suppose, on how far down one another's throats they intend on going," Draco commented.
"Gross," Neville, Ginny, and Aurora all said together while Harry grimaced.
"Seriously, we've all snogged someone before, why is this so disturbingly fascinating?" Aurora asked.
"Because it's beginning to defy human physiology," Draco replied, taking a sip of his drink.
"I've never snogged anyone," Neville said, and the group, except Ron, collectively turned to look at him. He blushed. "What? Luna hasn't, either."
"Actually, I have," she said. "Harry and I snogged last year, just before Easter. He wasn't sure if he disliked kissing Cho because of who she was or because she was a girl."
"And?" Ginny asked, trying not to laugh.
Harry blushed. "Definitely because she's Cho. Though I like snogging Draco more. No offense, Luna."
"Oh, I don't mind. I was just happy to help you through your confusion."
"So... you like Luna, then? Or liked?" Ginny asked.
"No. It's not like, well, no... I mean, I didn't mind kissing Luna, it wasn't weird or anything. But it's not like I wanted to keep doing it, either. With Cho, I just..."
"Gotcha," Ginny said, nodding in understanding.
"And who have you snogged, Weaslette?" Draco asked with a smirk.
"Tell you mine if you tell me yours," she countered.
"Harry and Blaise," Draco replied without hesitation. "You?"
"Krum," Ginny retorted, and Aurora snickered at the jealousy in Draco's eyes. "Michael Cormac in Ravenclaw. And... Oliver."
"Oliver?" Harry frowned. "Like, Oliver Wood?"
"You snogged my uncle?" Aurora asked, trying not to laugh as Ginny grimaced. "Wait, Ollie is the older bloke you've been seeing?"
"Is that why he was at tryouts?" Harry asked.
"Yes and no," Ginny replied. "I mean, he was there for Rory, but also for me. Sort of using one to excuse the other. Sorry Rory."
"You realize if you two get married, you'll be my aunt," she pointed out.
"Not really, though," Ginny protested.
"Are we really going to gloss over the fact that Longbottom has never snogged anyone?" Draco asked.
"Yes," Aurora said firmly, and felt Draco's eyes snap to her. "What? It's really not that big a deal, is it?"
"I suppose not," Draco conceded.
All of a sudden, Ron and Lavender jumped up and ran toward the portrait hole, hand in hand, as if they had somehow had a mental conversation and decided to go for a walk together.
"Where are they going?" Neville asked.
"We don't want to know," Ginny replied.
"They're probably going to find a space to take things further," Luna said, smiling in amusement. "Dean and Seamus went upstairs about a half hour ago, they probably figured they would have the space to themselves for a while. And boys aren't allowed in the girls' dormitories."
"How close is it to curfew?" Draco suddenly asked, casting a Tempus Charm.
"Still have an hour," Harry said with a shrug.
"Want to go for a walk? Getting a bit rowdy in here," Draco asked, and Harry nodded. They set down their drinks and headed for the door.
"I should probably head back to my common room," Luna said, setting down her drink as well. "I'd hate to attract Wrackspurts by being too tired."
"I'll walk back with you," Ginny said quite suddenly, leaving with Luna.
Which left Aurora alone with Neville.
And why hadn't she realized this was something Ginny had been doing since their third year, the only exception being when she was with Fred? It seemed obvious now how often she and Luna conveniently left them alone, and Aurora was beginning to wonder if everyone saw something she didn't.
She turned to look at Neville. Really look at him, because for so long he's just been Neville, her friend. He was pretty handsome, all things considered. He wasn't the pudgy boy she'd gotten to know once he was past his fear of her father. He wasn't even really the same boy who took her to the Yule Ball two years ago. He was still shy, though now she found it somewhat endearing. And she liked spending time with him.
"R-Rory," he started. "I, er, I wanted to, uh, ask you... do you think—"
"That is not the conduct I expect from Gryffindor!" Aunt Min's voice boomed before the portrait hole opened, revealing a disheveled and embarrassed Lavender and Ron being dragged in by their irate Head of House. "Twenty-five points each and detention for a week with Professor Snape," she said, then narrowed her eyes. "Professor Severus Snape."
"Ouch," Aurora said.
"What do you think they did?" Neville asked.
"A lot more than snogging," Aurora replied, shaking her head. She turned to Neville. "What were you going to ask?" she asked, fairly certain she already knew.
"Er, well, I was er... do you think we could go down to your dad's rooms together tomorrow? It just seems weird, heading there, by myself, even if it is for your party."
"Sure," she said, allowing him the cop out. "See you in the morning?"
"Yeah, yeah, sure," he said, and he quickly got up, heading to the dorms. With a sigh, Aurora followed, hoping Romilda wasn't already up there.
She was nearly at her door when she started giggling, realizing that Neville probably made it all the way to his dorm before he realized that Dean and Seamus might still be in there together.