"Do you have everything?" Harry asked Aurora, and she nodded. He had just finished shoving the last of his items into his bottomless backpack. She had one, too. They headed downstairs, and Harry looked around one last time. The wallpaper was horrid, but he loved it anyways. He grew up here. He stepped over to the staircase, opening the small door. He turned on the light and looked around inside. Aurora watched him. He thought about how he originally thought his life would turn out to amount to nothing. Instead, he was the Chosen One and was going to destroy Voldemort once and for all. He had to believe he would. Otherwise, there was no point.
"Maybe you can get a cupboard under the stairs in your new house." Aurora offered with a slight smile on her lips. Harry chuckled at her lightly. At least she was being somewhat positive. He walked over to the door, and it opened to reveal the others.
"Hello, twins." Hagrid greeted them. Ron ran in, attacking Harry with a hug. Hermione did the same to Aurora.
"Oh, my." She said, taken aback at first. She quickly hugged her back, though. Hermione and Ron switched, hugging them both, then.
"You're looking fit, Harry." Hagrid remarked.
"Yeah, he's absolutely gorgeous!" Moody rolled his eyes. "What say we get undercover before someone murders him?"
"Hey, don't forget about Aurora!" Fred and George said at the same time, walking over and pulling her into a group hug. She'd forgotten how much she missed them all, not only Draco. It'd only been a little while since she'd last seen them, but it was enough. They all headed into the living area, then. The others were talking a look around, having always wondered what Harry's home looked like.
"Kingsley, I thought you were looking after the Prime Minister." Harry commented.
"You and Aurora are more important." He smiled at them both. They just nodded, as if to thank him.
"Hello, Harry, Aurora. Bill Weasley." Another red-headed boy from the Weasley family greeted them. He stuck his hand out to Harry.
"Oh. Pleasure to meet you." Harry nodded, shaking his hand.
"Likewise." Aurora said, and Bill took her hand and kissed it. All she could think about was how, if Draco was here, he wouldn't have liked that at all. She smiled slightly at the thought, recalling the time in the library with Ben, and the other time with Pansy.
"He was never always this handsome." Fred snickered.
"Dead ugly." George added.
"True enough." He shrugged. Harry and Aurora's faces fell when they saw scars down his face, as if he were scratched. "Owe it all to a werewolf, name of Greyback. Hope to repay the favor one day."
"Well, you're still beautiful to me, William." The blonde girl next to him smiled, pushing herself up on her tiptoes to kiss him. Everything was reminding Aurora of Draco. It was hard to stay positive. Harry smiled fondly at them, and Aurora forced one.
"Oh, uh, this is Fleur Delacour. Fleur, this is my sister, Aurora. We try to keep that bit a secret, though." Harry introduced them. Aurora shook her hand.
"Harry and I met a while back, during the Triwizard Tournament. I will never be able to repay him for saving my friend despite possibly sacrificing his placement." She spoke fondly.
"He's been known to have a big heart." Aurora smiled. "You are just stunning."
"Me?" She scoffed. "Look at yourself! I would kill to have such beautiful eyes like yours!"
"Thank you." Aurora said kindly. She nodded.
"Just remember, Fleur, Bill takes his steaks on the raw side now." Lupin commented as he walked in. They all chuckled at that.
"My husband, the joker." Nymphadora shook her head at him, although she was wearing a smile. Aurora wanted a love like theirs. It was so hard considering her situation, though. "By the way, wait till you hear the news. Remus and I..."
"Alright. We'll have time for a cozy catch-up later!" Moody interrupted them. "We've got to get the hell out of here! And soon! Potter, you're underage, which means you've still got the Trace on you. Black, you're lucky you've been kept a secret all your life."
"What's the Trace?" Harry asked.
"If you sneeze, the Ministry will know who wipes your nose. Point is, we have to use those means of transport the Trace can't detect: Brooms, Thestrals, and the like. We go in pairs. That way, if anyone's out there waiting for us, and I reckon there will be... They won't know which Harry Potter is the real one." He explained, but it only left them a little bit more confused.
"The real one?"
"I believe you're familiar with this particular brew." He pulled a corked bottle out of his jacket.
"Polyjuice Potion." Aurora remarked, and he nodded.
"Too smart for your own good, you are."
"No. Absolutely not." Harry's eyes widened.
"I told you he'd take it well." Hermione half-joked.
"No, if you think I'm gonna let everyone risk their lives for me, I..." He stuttered.
"Never done that before, have we?" Ron commented as they all looked at Harry, agreeing.
"No. No! This is different. I mean, taking that, becoming me. No." He shook his head.
"Well, none of us really fancy it, mate." George began.
"Yeah. Imagine if something went wrong, and we ended up a scrawny, specky git forever!" Fred joked, and they all laughed slightly.
"Everyone here is of age, Potter, besides you and your sister. They've all agreed to take the risk." Moody told him.
A man who was watching out the window with Kingsley and Lupin cleared his throat. Aurora didn't think she recognized him, and she was right. "Technically, I've been coerced. Mundungus Fletcher, Mr. Potter. Always been a huge admirer."
"Nip it, Mundungus." Moody scolded. He seemed like such a harsh man, but obviously he cared. Otherwise, he wouldn't be here right now. "Alright, Granger. As discussed."
She walked up behind Harry and ripped a piece of his hair out. "Blimey, Hermione!"
"Straight in here, if you please." He held the bottle out, and Hermione placed the hair in the potion. You could hear it bubbling loudly. Some of them began to gather in the room, seemingly the ones who were taking the potion. That included Aurora. "For those of you who haven't taken Polyjuice Potion before, fair warning: It tastes like goblin piss."
"Have a lot of experiences with that, do you, Mad-Eye?" Fred asked him, and Moody clearly wasn't amused. "Just trying to diffuse the tension."
He took a drink, gasping out as it tasted awful. He passed it to George, who took a drink, then. They began to change instantly, getting shorter and developing his facial structure. It was odd to look around the room and see a bunch of him. "Wow, we're identical!" Fred and George spoke at the same time.
"Not yet, you're not." Moody shook his head. He dumped out the bag of clothes, which were all the same outfit of Harry's. They began grabbing them, putting them on.
"Haven't got anything a bit more sporting, have you?" George asked.
"Yeah, I don't really fancy this color." Fred continued.
"Well, fancy this, you're not you. So, shut it and strip." Moody told them.
"Alright, alright!" Mundungus sighed.
"Bill, look away. I'm hideous." Fleur said with her back turned towards him.
"I knew she was lying about that tattoo." Ron laughed.
"Harry, your eyesight really is awful." Hermione commented as she put the glasses on.
"Right, then. We'll be pairing off. Each Potter will have a protector. Mundungus, stick tight to me. I wanna keep an eye on you. As for Harry—"
"Yes?" They all chorused.
"The real Harry." He rolled his eyes. "Where the devil are you, anyway?"
"Here." He raised his hand.
"You'll ride with Hagrid, and Aurora will be with Tonks." He told them.
"I brought you here sixteen years ago when you were no bigger than a Bowtruckle." Hagrid reminisced. "Seems only right that I should be the one to take you away now."
"Yes, it's all very touching. Let's go." Moody ordered, and they all began to file outside. Harry let Hedwig go so that he could meet them at the Burrow. Aurora had sent Aspen through the Floo Network at her house. "Head for the Burrows. We'll rendezvous there. On the count of three."
"Hold tight, Harry!" Hagrid told him.
"One... Two... three!" He counted what seemed so slowly. They all set off quickly, Moody hurrying to go behind them. Things were alright to begin with, until a storm formed. They knew what that meant. As soon as they flew into the dark cloud, hundreds of Death Eaters began flying around and attacking him. How did they know?
"Which one?!"
"Where are you?!"
"He's on your right!"
"He's over there!"
They began flying their best to avoid them, and firing spells back at them. Their main priority was getting Harry and Aurora safe. "Hagird, we have to help the others!"
"I can't do that, Harry! Mad-Eye's orders!" He said back, then hit a button that made them blast off quickly. Harry held onto the bike quickly before he flew out. They crashed onto the road, going the opposite way of traffic. Harry worked to fend off the other Death Eaters, but they caused lots of wrecks. "Hang on, Harry!"
They drove into a tunnel. Hagird hit a lever, and he drove up the wall and on the top of it. Harry hung upside down off the bike, barely hanging on. Finally, they were back on the road. But, then, a Death Eater sent a spell at Hagrid, knocking him out. Harry rushed to grab the wheel and save them from the oncoming traffic. He just hoped the others were alright, especially Aurora. They flew up into the sky, avoiding them. They saw Hedwig, who went back and attacked the Death Eater. All the sudden, Harry saw a gust of green light hit Hedwig, sending her falling to the ground. The Killing Curse. "No, no!" He looked behind him to see the Death Eater staying behind after that. Voldemort had found him. All the sudden, he heard an ear piercing noise. He knew it was in his head, though. Still, it hurt all the same. He cried out, almost losing consciousness. "Harry..." He heard. Something overcame him as he lifted his wand, countering the Killing Curse Voldemort was firing at him. He held it as best he could, and it was good. His power outdid his, traveling down the wand and cracking it into a million pieces. Voldemort watched with wide eyes. A large explosion happened, and Harry took that moment to hit the button on Hagrid's bike, making them take off. Voldemort yelled out in anger, making all the nearby electric poles and wires spark and fall to the ground. He watched as the power went out all around. Finally, Hagrid awoke, and they flew into the protective barrier around the Burrow. Then, as the bike lost power, they crashed into the puddle outside. Hagrid wasn't too happy about that. Harry was just thinking about the experience he just had with Voldemort, and about the others.
"Harry, Hagrid." Molly and Ginny rushed out to greet them as they made their way to the front door. The Burrow looked a bit different after it burnt down. "What happened? Where are the others?"
"Is no one else back?" Harry asked, assuming everyone else would've already made it considering their hold up.
"They were on us right from the start, Molly. We didn't stand a chance." Hagrid told her.
"Well," She swallowed. "Thank goodness you two are all right."
"The Death Eaters were waiting for us. It was an ambush." He continued. Ginny approached Harry, who was soaked head to toe.
"Aurora and Tonks should've already been back. Dad and Fred as well." She commented. They heard a blip, signalling someone had arrived.
"Here!" They heard Lupin, who had George. "Quick, into the house!"
Harry helped him carry him inside. He was wounded.
"Oh, my boy!" Molly exclaimed, rushing over to him. The potion had worn off at this point. She knelt down next to him, holding his face. Harry just stood there, guilt filling him. All the sudden, Lupin grabbed him and pushed him against the wall.
"What are you doing?!" Ginny yelled
"Lupin!" Arthur jumped in.
He held his wand to Harry, who was panting. "What creature sat in the corner the first time Harry Potter visited my office in Hogwarts?"
"Are you mad?!"
"What creature?!" He screamed.
"A Grindylow!" He answered, and after a moment, Lupin let go of him.
"We've been betrayed. Voldemort knew you were being moved tonight. I had to make sure you weren't an imposter." He explained. Harry just nodded. There was another whoosh in the distance, and they rushed out to see who it was and make sure they were alright. "Wait!"
Kingsley and Lupin pointed their wands at each other. "The last words Albus Dumbledore spoke to the pair of us?"
"Harry and Aurora are the best hope we have. Trust them." He answered. They both put their wands down, then.
"What gave you away?" He asked.
"Hedwig, I think. She was trying to protect me." He answered, filling a ping in his heart as he thought of her death. In came Fleur and Bill. They were alright. Then, Tonks and Aurora. Harry grabbed her quickly, holding her tightly. Hermione did the same to Ron when he approached. He smiled fondly.
"Thanks." He said.
"Deserves that. Brilliant, he was. I wouldn't be standing here without him or Aurora." Nymphadora pulled Lupin into her arms.
"Really?" Hermione asked.
"Always a tone of surprise." Ron sighed out. Hermione took the glasses off his face. Aurora and Harry rushed over to them, pulling them all into a tight hug. Lastly, Fred and Arthur appeared.
"We the last back?" Arthur asked after giving him a hug. They stared at them, then.
"Where's George?" Fred asked. They walked past them, knowing what their faces meant. Fred ran into the house, and they all followed after. He knelt down next to him, grabbing his hand. Aurora's heart fell when she saw him lying there on the couch. He didn't look good at all. Her eyes welled up with tears. She couldn't take this. She couldn't take losing another person, especially not someone as amazing and kind as George. She couldn't stand here and watch these people she loved dearly lose a friend, their family. She couldn't do this. "How are you feeling, Georgie?"
"Saint-like." He answered.
"Come again?" George gave him an odd look.
"Saint-like. I'm holy. I'm holey, Fred. Get it?" He pointed to his ear, which was mostly gone. Molly smiled down at him. That was her boy.
"The whole wide world of ear-related humor and you go for I'm holey. That's pathetic." He couldn't help but smile, happy that he was okay.
"Reckon I'm still better-looking than you." He smiled. Bill stepped forward, then, once they all realized George was okay. Aurora had let out a sigh of relief.
"Mad-Eye's dead." He said. They were all shocked to hear that, and now Aurora did have a reason to cry. She hardly knew Mad-Eye, but he'd helped her so much. This wasn't fair. Lupin sat down at the news. "Mundungus took one look at Voldemort and disapparated."
This was awful. Every bit of it was awful. Aurora wasn't used to all this loss and death. She hated it, and it made her angry. It made her feel responsible. They all looked over at her as she rushed outside. Harry immediately went after her. She sat down on the grass outside, putting her head in her hands. And she cried. She cried for her father, she cried for Dumbledore, she cried for Draco, she cried for Moody, she cried for George, she cried for everyone Voldemort had ever hurt. She cried for everyone she'd ever hurt because of her existence. She just cried. Harry's heart hurt as he listened to her wail. She was squeezing her hands so tightly she could draw blood. Her chest and head ached from it. He walked over to her and gently placed his hand on her shoulder. He wasn't sure what to do. He didn't know she was this bad off.
She grabbed his hand and pulled him down to the ground all at once. She fell into his lap and he wrapped his arms around her. It seemed she just needed to be held. So, he held her as tight as he could as she cried out into his chest. He cooed to her comfortingly, "What is it, 'Rora?"
"I hate him." She whispered out.
"Who?"
"Voldemort." She spat out. "I hate him. He won't stop taking from everybody. And I feel like what happens to them is my fault, Moody's death, Dad's, George's ear. I'm so tired of it!"
"Look at me." He said, and she shook her head. He said it a little bit more forcefully this time. "Look at me." She pulled away and did so, tears rolling down her face in little rivulets, one after the other. He grabbed her face in his hands, wiping away the tears. "We're not going to let him take from us anymore. From anyone. We're going to find these Horcruxes and destroy them, and we'll avenge every single soul he's ever massacred— including Mum and Dad's, Sirius', Dumbledore, Moody, the whole lot of them. And George's ear."
She chuckled slightly, but her tears didn't stop. "And for Draco."
"For Draco." He nodded. "You're going to see him again. You will. We're going to do this."
"I know." She cleared her throat. "I know we are. Because I don't know what I'm going to do if we don't."
"Everything's going to be alright, but I need you back to your normal self. That may be a lot to ask, but I do. I need you back to your positive, equanimitous self. Otherwise, this is going to be challenging." He said. She nodded.
"Alright. I'll do my best."
"We'll leave tonight." He whispered. "Without the others, I don't care. But, we have to hurry now. I want him gone as soon as possible. He doesn't get to take from anyone else. Besides, if they're here, they're safe."
"Agreed." She said, and he pulled her in for another hug.
"We've got this, 'Rora. We can't lose hope." He said into her ear.
"I won't."
They went back inside, and George had been bandaged up. It pained her to see him like that, because she felt as if it was her fault. Fred came up behind her, placing his hand on her shoulder. She was brought out of her thoughts as she did, turning to look at him. "Are you alright?"
"It doesn't matter how I feel." She shook her head.
"That's not true." He pointed at her. "You're important, Aurora, and we love and care about you. I love and care about you. So, I want to know, are you alright?"
"I feel like it's my fault." She looked back at George, and he did the same. He glanced back at her, though, when she said that.
"What? George's ear?" He asked, and she just nodded once. "Don't be silly. None of this is your fault, Aurora. Do you truly believe that?"
"Yes."
He frowned at her. "We knew the odds were as good as death. Yet, we took them anyways. This wasn't your fault. We did this because we wanted to. Don't ever feel like anything is your fault. None of it is."
"Do you think he'll hate me forever? For losing his ear?"
"No! Of course not!" He exclaimed. "Do you think he cares about a silly ear? He cares that you and Harry are alright. And you are, so he's not bothered."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive." He nodded. "Come, let's get a snack. I've got some sweets up in my room that'll make ya feel better."
"Thanks, Fred." She said, following him up. They sat down on his floor and ate them.
"You heard from Malfoy?" He asked. She looked up at him quickly. "George and I pay attention to everything that goes on. We're not stupid, you know. Hard to believe, huh?"
She chuckled slightly. "No. Malfoy Manor is the headquarters for the Death Eaters. He can't risk talking to me."
"It's sweet of him, to not want you to get hurt. He's protecting you. Maybe the ol' git really does have a heart after all." He unwrapped the candy and stuck it in his mouth. He stuck his tongue out, which was now purple, making her laugh. He'd do anything to see the smile on her face. You'd never be able to tell, but Fred had always had a little bit of a crush on Aurora. George used to tease him about it. He knew she never felt the same way, though, and he was fine with that. He always felt she was too good for him, anyways.
"He does, and I've seen it. I know it seems unbelievable to you all, but it's true. I promise." She spoke quickly, and he nodded.
"I believe you. Hermione and the others say they've seen it. Harry included. No one is disappointed in you, Aurora." He assured her. She smiled and nodded.
"Thank you, Fred. It means a lot." She said.
"Of course."