Disclaimer: World of Harry Potter not mine. For the second season of the Quidditch League Competition, Finals.
Team: Falmouth Falcons
Position: Chaser 2
Position Dialogue Prompt: "It must unscrew this way... No, that way..."
Prompts: (word) blush; (color) salmon; (word) bleeding.
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Impractical Princess
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Aurora Sinistra was a strong, powerful witch, within her own right. She'd always thought herself as bright and intelligent, though perhaps at times a bit oblivious and even scatterbrained.
However, as she knelt in her sitting room, staring at the frame of a new bookcase, she couldn't help feeling overwhelmed and defeated.
"It's just a bookcase Aurora! This shouldn't be so difficult!" the twenty-three year old witch reprimanded herself as she twisted a shelf this way and that, while trying to blow a stubborn lock of black and wavy hair out of her face. She could feel sweat beading at her hairline and neckline, much to her added annoyance.
Aurora had never much cared for moisture and stickiness. In fact, she had great distaste for anything wet or sticky making contact with her skin, with of course the exception of water when she was showering or on those rare occasions when she felt in need of a relaxing bath.
"It must unscrew this way... No, that way..." Aurora mumbled to herself, twisting the screw of a bookcase rather stubbornly, trying to dislodge it after she'd placed it mistakenly into the wrong slot.
Why her father had seen fit to gift her with the muggle bookcase, Aurora would never know. Being the dutiful and respectful daughter she'd always been, she'd been far too polite to point out that she could probably allocate a ready and constructed bookcase from the castle on her own.
And she'd been far too proud to accept her father's offer to help her set it up. After all, what did he take her for, being completely inept? Besides, it would only prove mother's point...
A yelp escaped her raspberry colored lips, as the screwdriver slipped from the screw's top, jamming into a finger on her left hand and pinching it painfully.
A stream of curses immediately followed as Aurora dropped everything in her hands and stuck her now bruised and throbbing finger into her mouth. Aurora wasn't sure why she always did that when she hurt or got cut on her fingers, even if she was bleeding. It was an automatic response she'd had since childhood.
In her head, she could hear her mother's voice criticizing her as she always did, for as long as Aurora could remember, "Aurora Luthien Sinistra! Such a disgusting habit of yours! Stop that this instance!"
Aurora growled as she got off the floor, scowl fully etched on her face as she gave up. Turning around, she stalked out of her tower rooms. She was not going to be defeated by an inanimate object!
She was simply going to have to seek reinforcements!
X
"Severus!"
Turning slowly where he stood, Severus raised a brow as the new Astoronomy Professor came striding towards him, a flurry of gossamer, bright-colored robes fluttering in her wake, contrasting sharply with her dark hair and olive skin.
Severus couldn't help blinking at the young witch marching very quickly towards him in what he was sure classified as light salmon, robes.
Severus wasn't sure he'd ever seen Aurora Sinistra in anything but dark blue or black robes and to see her in something so lightly colored was startling. Though, not in a way that was detrimental to her appearance.
Although, Severus personally found anything resembling pink as garishly awful, the robes went very well with her fair skin that had tinges of tan to it... as if they lent to her skin a lovely glow.
Her dark hair that fell several inches past her shoulders, was of the darkest brown he'd ever seen, that it resembled obsidian and was just as shiny. It fell in loose waves, instead of being tied in it's usually severe bun. As it was not parted down the middle, strands of her hair fell and partially obscured her left eye.
Not for the first time, Severus wondered how Aurora could be so oblivious to how gorgeous she was.
Even when they were students together, though Aurora tended to fade into the background to most people, Severus had always felt acutely aware of just how attractive the dark-haired witch was. How alluring she was even in her silent and anti-social tendencies.
Most people tended to take Aurora's serious countenance and quiet as bitchy haughtiness; she'd earned a reputation for being an Ice Queen, one Severus knew was undeserved.
Aurora wasn't an Ice Queen... she simply felt awkward and unsure of herself around most people. People misconstrued her because she often spoke so little, was reserved and rarely smiled.
"What are you wearing?" Severus asked, brow arched when the witch came to a stop before him, his eyes flicking over her robes.
A blush infused Aurora's cheeks as her deep blue eyes- wide in surprise at his words- flickered down at herself self-consciously. "What? What's wrong with my robes?" Aurora asked, her voice startled and worried.
"They're so... bright. I didn't know you owned anything that wasn't dark blue or black," Severus replied, causing Aurora to look up at him with her face relaxing, as if relieved that he hadn't been asking because she looked a fool.
"Oh... well it's summer. These are lighter than my regular robes and don't adsorb so much sun," Aurora replied with a wave of her hand.
"Well, what do you want?"
"Oh," Aurora said, as if she'd forgotten what she'd wanted. She suddenly looked uncertain and nervous and Severus couldn't help feeling intrigued. "I was just wondering, if you'd do me a favor. You see I have this bookcase, but it's a muggle thing, and I'm having some trouble getting it to come together. I was just wondering if you would give me a hand. I know this is an awful inconvenience..."
Severus raised a hand, stopping the witch before she started to babble. Though he'd never been particularly close to Aurora, in spite of their having been in the same year and house when they were students, he'd spoken to her enough in those seven years to know that Aurora rambled when nervous.
Though not usually one to help anyone, Severus had a weakness when it came to pretty witches when in school, and as much as he hated that, he hadn't fully outgrown it. Besides, he couldn't deny that he was curious to see Aurora's tower quarters.
"Just as long as you don't ramble incessantly, I'll help," Severus replied tartly and while most women might have been offended, Aurora was merely relieved and offered him a smile.
"Thank you, Severus!"
X
Aurora sat on the back of her couch, watching Severus who was seated before the bookcase, affixing the shelves with far more ease than she'd had. Aurora couldn't help pouting slightly at how easy the man she'd once known as a lanky youth, made it seem.
'He's still lanky,' Aurora thought to herself. Though, his frame seemed a little more filled in than it used to. He wasn't quite as gaunt as he'd once been, and he was starting to carry himself as if he was comfortable with his height and growing into it.
Aurora chewed on her bottom lip for a moment as she watched Severus work.
She hadn't known Severus was working at Hogwarts when she'd applied for the job and still found it strange. Severus had always been acerbic, ill-tempered and even cruel. What was he doing, working with children?
However, Aurora didn't dare ask. It seemed far too rude, and she and Severus were more of acquaintances, in spite of the fact that Severus had helped her on numerous occasions in Potions which she'd always been atrocious at. Besides, she hadn't seen him since they'd finished school, perhaps he'd changed a lot.
Though, she doubted it. He seemed as sarcastic, mean and blunt as he'd always been.
"So... teaching, Aurora?"
Snapping out of her thoughts, Severus looked over in surprise at Severus, but he was still working on the bookcase.
"What about it?" Aurora asked.
"Well I'd never pictured you for the type. I thought that like half of all Slytherin girls, you'd get married to some rich pureblood and have children. You were after all, a bit of a princess," Severus replied, placing emphatic disdain at his last word.
Aurora felt herself flush at that, wondering what exactly it was that he said that she felt the most offended at.
The moniker of princess, which she'd heard thrown in her direction from all quarters when in school, hurt a little coming from his lips, though there was no reason that it should.
The idea that he thought that she wanted nothing from her life but a rich, pureblood husband and children was offensive on various levels as it seemed to imply that she was a shallow, materialistic and prejudiced woman good- for nothing but tending to her husband and his offspring.
Not that Aurora thought that women who picked that life to be useless, but she didn't think she could take that kind of life. It wasn't for her, even if she could find a man she could commit to.
Perhaps that was what was most mortifying. That while Aurora had experience enough, had more than one relationship that lasted for over a year, she'd yet to meet a man she would want to call husband. Because in truth, she'd never really met a man who seemed to shift her entire world off it's axis, made her heart skip a beat, or filled her with bone-deep passion.
"I'm sorry, but is the sadistic mistanthrope asking me, what I'm doing dedicating my time to teaching children?" Aurora couldn't help retorting, in spite of the deep red infusing her cheeks and neck.
"It was just a question, no need to get defensive," Severus replied in an infuriating tone, because she could tell by it that he was laughing at her. That there was a smirk plastered underneath his overly large, hooked nose. "Although, it's good to know that the princess's tongue is sharp and her mind still quick."
Aurora merely crossed her arms over her chest, but did not reply, not sure what to say. Not sure if there was even a point in arguing further.
"You know, you look too young to be a Professor. And I certainly hope none of your teaching robes are as... inviting as the one you're wearing now. Unless of course, you delight in attention from hormonal teenagers," Severus went on, his focus still on the shelves before him. He was affixing the last of the shelves, just screwing it in.
Aurora rolled her eyes. Though she couldn't help flushing at what was the closest thing to a compliment as possible, coming from Snape, even as she looked down at herself with confusion.
'What's so inviting about my robes?' she wondered.
"It's really a wonder what dark make-up can do to a woman's face. I look five years older with just slightest bit too much makeup around my eyes and with my lips painted," Aurora responded with a flippant wave of the hand, having already discussed such matters with Septima Vector. "And I don't know what you mean about my present robes being inviting, but I can assure you my teaching robes are more... conservative. Not that these are indecent by any means."
Aurora frowned, looking down at herself, wondering again what Severus meant. While they were form-fitting, they loosened at the hips, the skirt falling halfway down her calf. No cleavage was on display as the sweetheart neckline fell to just below her collarbone. Sure, the sleeves left the majority of her arms on display, but Aurora hardly saw that as indecent.
X
Severus didn't reply as he merely got up and started to test the sturdiness of the shelves he'd placed. Nodding to himself in satisfaction, he turned around to face the confused witch, trying to keep from sneering at her perplexed expression as she stared down at herself.
Being equal parts vexed and endeared by how obtuse Aurora was about her appeal, he merely walked up to the witch, stopping before her.
"It's done," he told her, causing her to jump and look up, reminding Severus that he was a good head taller then Aurora.
A pink flush tinged Aurora's cheeks, though Severus was uncertain why. Perhaps he was standing too close to her?
"Thank you, Severus," Aurora stated, chewing on her lip as she warred with herself over something. Severus wasn't sure what though as they stood awkwardly before each other like a pair of teens.
Severus wondered what the year would have in store for them. Because the strange tension between them, he was sure, would only become worse.
TBC...