Today she had potions and as she had done for the past month, she was dreading it. The only thing she was looking forward to was that she would be sitting with Hermione, who's company was greatly appreciated.
Today they were to brew a simple drought and she tried her best to be as subtle and unobtrusive as possible, so that her father would see no reason to insult her or even talk to her, something he hadn't done in almost three weeks. It had worked her last couple of potions lessons, but now her plan failed as they again finished first even after taking into consideration not to work too fast. She tried to seem busy and as if they were not yet finished, but she could only stir the potion so many times before it became suspicious. So it wasn't long until he sauntered over, the ever present scowl on his face as he glanced down at their potion with his hooked nose.
"I despise a show off, and it seems you are trying your very best to be one in my class. 5 points from Hufflepuff." He drawled harshly.
The surrounding Hufflepuff's groan at the loss of points and her entire face lights on fire, shame and embarrassment making her stomach drop.
"But I wasn't trying to sho-" she tries to defend herself but gets interrupted by her father.
"I don't want to hear it. All you've done since you arrived here is disappoint me, anything you have to say will most likely make it worse, so I suggest you stop speaking." He said in a low voice.
"Professor!" Hermione said in shock, coming to her rescue.
"Stay out of this, Miss Granger." He says warning her. Hermione doesn't say anything else and Aurora cant help but sigh in relief. She doesn't want her getting in trouble because of her.
Once class ends she almost runs out after saying a rushed goodbye to Hermione. It's the last class of the day and she just wants to curl up in bed for the rest of the evening. As she makes her way to the Hufflepuff common room she is stopped by Malfoy and his gang. Hurriedly she dries her tears but he's already seen them.
"What a pitiful sight. Did daddy finally realize the scum you truly are, you filthy bloodtraitor." Malfoy jeers, his friends agreeing loudly from behind him.
"Stop it, Malfoy. You've had your fun, now get over it." She said, trying to appear more composed than she truly was. She refused to look at them and let them see how hard she was trying to keep the tears at bay.
"I don't think I will. I quite enjoy making fun of you because there is so much to chose from. You're a bloodtraitor and a Hufflepuff, ugly and short, and your father hates you and won't talk to you. You're probably my favourite person to be around just for the pleasure of informing you of all the bad things happening in your life." He said, winking at her and then sauntering of with his friends following.
She kept trying to draw a breath, to regain her composure so that she wouldn't break down in the middle of the empty hallway, but suddenly found that she couldn't. Fear gripped her and her breaths were coming in short pants and her throat felt like it was closing in. Her head was spinning and the pit of her stomach was churning. Everything Malfoy had said was true. Her father hates her. He really did. Potions today proved it. She had no one in the entire world who cared for her. The only family she had was her father and the only friend she had was Hermione, but she felt it was too good to be true. Why would Hermione want to be her friend? She was ugly, a disappointment and could hardly do anything right, just like Malfoy said.
She slid down the wall and landed rather roughly on the stone floor, tears streaming down her face and sobs racking her body. She completely forgot where she was and could only partly make out Hermione shaking her frantically. She disappeared shortly after, but Aurora hardly noticed. She was too out of it. All the bad thoughts were swirling in her head. She could hear her father calling her a disgrace to the family name. She could hear Malfoy calling her a bloodtraitor and his friends calling her ugly. She was sobbing in despair at the fact that she was alone in the world and that anything mean anyone had ever said to her was true. She had no idea how to help herself and began to panic at her state when suddenly he was there in front of her, showing the most expression she had seen on his face since the summer. His mouth was moving but she couldn't make out what he was saying, it felt like she was underwater. She was hyperventilating too much.
She was picked up and she noticed they were walking down the halls to somewhere she had never been before. She didn't notice the forlorn looking Hermione watching the Snape's walk away.
"You're okay, Aurora." his voice sounded distant but she could understand him now. It felt like she was breaking the surface of the water, finally coming up for air. She could feel the coldness of the room and felt the texture of the sofa beneath her as he laid her down.
"Can you hear me? Aurora?" She nodded slowly at his question and looked into his dark eyes that were wide with worry. She hastily blinked away the tears that were still running down her face and wiped them away. She tried to stand up to leave, to get away before he could insult her, but the second her feet had to carry her weight she collapsed back onto the sofa.
"What do you think you are doing?" Her father asked incredulously and confused. "You can't possibly stand up after that. Lie down and I'll get you some water."
"No. I have to go." she whispered. He hated her, she couldn't stay. She didn't want him to say mean things to her again.
"Whatever do you mean?"
"I'm sorry. I'll go. Let me go!" she exclaimed in despair as her father gently held her down."Let me go!" Tears were streaming down her cheeks. Being close to him reminded her what she had lost, how lonely she was, how much she missed him.
"Aurora, you are not going anywhere until I am sure you are perfectly well. Now lie back down while I get you something to drink." His stern voice must have convinced her to stay because she didn't move from the spot until he returned with a glass of water. He handed it to her and she drank the whole thing in one go.
He sat down across from her and stared into her blue eyes identical to his lost love.
"What happened?"
"Nothing."
"Aurora."
"I said it was nothing."
"Don't lie to me. I am your father, I have the right to know." he said sternly.
"I don't want you to say mean things to me. Dads don't do that. You're not my father. You said so yourself. You don't care about me anymore, you hate me. I don't want to tell you because you'll be mean again." She looked down into her lap to hide her tears. "I don't want you to be mean again." He didn't say anything for a while and she couldn't bare the silence anymore, so she spoke up again, taking his silence as anger.
"I'm sorry. I'll go now." she stood up, head bowed and was about to leave when he spoke up.
"Sit down." she looked at him through her tears, contemplating whether she should listen before sitting back down on the edge of the sofa.
"I do not hate you, Aurora. You are still my daughter, nothing can change that. The same goes for the fact that I am your father."
"But you said tha-"
"I am aware of what I said, and I realize it was wrong of me to do so." He sighed. Her words had struck him. He had been such a fool to let frustration and prejudice cloud his job of protecting his daughter and taking care of her.
"I was...frustrated... and I took it out on you. For that I am truly sorry." He struggled to find his words and put his head in his hands.
She wasn't quite sure what to do. He didn't hate her and she was so relived, so glad that her father still was her father and that she wasn't alone.
"But why did you say those things to me? It made me really sad." she whispered forlorn, a stray tear running down her cheek. He took a deep breath and sighed, wiping away her tears with his thumb while picking her up and placing her in his lap, pulling her into a hug. He wore a pained look on his face.
"I was confused. I never anticipated you would be sorted into Hufflepuff. It simply caught me by surprise since your mother and I were both in Slytherin, but I am sorry for saying those things to you. I was being prejudice and taking it out on my one and only daughter and again I am sorry. You are not a disappointment, nor are you stupid. I care a lot about you, Aurora, and your mother did to. Your mothers death effected us both, but I fear I have been taking my grief out on you. I hope you can forgive me. I forget sometimes that you also lost someone that night." She nodded, glad he wasn't angry anymore. He was also right that her mothers death had effected her too. She still missed her terribly, and would cry at night sometimes, wanting to hug her, after a bad dream but knowing she would never be able to do so again.
"Your potions were spectacular, better than any first year I've ever seen." he whispered, the hints of a smile on his face.
"You really think so?" she asked, a smile crossing her face.
"Yes, they were well made. You and Miss Granger make a good team."
She couldn't help but smile. She was so happy right now. Malfoy was wrong. She wasn't a disappointment and her father didn't hate her. She launched herself at him and gave him a big hug. Now that they weren't in public he hugged her back properly.
"I love you, Aurora, don't forget that. I could never hate you."