Alright!!! We're back up and going on this story! Sorry it's taken so long to get back up.

I do not own Harry Potter or any of J.K. Rowling's characters. Although I proudly claim my own characters in this story.

Prologue

Aurora marched into her room, shut the door, locked it and went to her bed. She threw herself down and rolled over to her bedside table, opening the top drawer. From said drawer she took out old pictures and letters of her mother's from her school years at Hogwarts. Picking through them, she found one of her favorite pictures, one from the day her mother had graduated from Hogwarts, and leaned back onto her pile of pillows to look at it, tears making her vision a little blurry.

The picture had seven people in it, the group her mother had spent most of her years at school with. There were four young men in it and three beautiful young women.

Aurora looked into the face of the boy furthest to the left, who her mother had told her was named Peter Pettigrew. She never liked the look of him and so she had never really liked him; he looked to be scared of almost everything. 'He looks too much like a rat,' Aurora thought as she looked at him 'I've never liked rats…' She proceeded to the young man standing next to him.

The young man was oddly lean, as if he had often been ill throughout most of his life, and had something of a haunted look to his friendly blue eyes. Dirty blond hair, almost dark enough to be considered more of an odd shade of brown, fell messily about his face, it almost gave him the air of someone who had long given up on personal appearance. Aurora didn't know why, though perhaps it was the kind smile on his lips, but she had always figured him to be a good man-Addie had even told her once that he was an even better friend.

In Remus' arms was a witch who looked almost the same as she did today, though her warm brown eyes had a happier sparkle then Aurora had ever seen in them. Something about the pale young woman exuded happiness, you could almost tell by the way she clung to Remus that her world all but centered on him. Aurora had always wondered whether or not Brie Haun was still in touch with Remus-they looked so happy together. Brie had always been there to help Aurora out for as long as she could remember, which was quite a long time mind you. It was always fun to just have fun with her; Aurora couldn't help but smile as she thought of some of the things they'd done.

Aurora looked at the next young woman who her mother had dubbed Lily Evans. Bright green eyes sparkled with laughter from beneath twin arched brows-Addie claimed that James had whispered something odd into her ear moments before the picture was taken-and a curtain of red hair fell down to the base of her back. The strong arms wrapped tightly around her waist belonged to her future husband, James Potter.

James was a pretty good looking guy, Aurora had to admit that much. He had messy jet black hair and dark umber eyes. He had a look about him like he was where he was meant to be, though the goofy grin made him look a little like a cocky idiot. Nevertheless Aurora had always thought that he would have been a fun guy to hang out with.

Next to him was her mother, Adelyn Zyme. Addie had always been beautiful, but this picture was the only one where she appeared truly content. Something about the loving glow in her eyes was so different from the haunted pain that had long since replaced it; Aurora often wondered what had caused her mother to be so devastatingly tragic in her beauty instead of the glowing creature she had once been.

Aurora shifted her midnight blue eyes to the last young man, one that drew a particularly sad look on her mother's face whenever mentioned. He was very handsome, with strong features that gave the impression of someone entirely able to protect you from just about anything the world could throw at you. Long black hair was pulled into a loose ponytail; it always seemed to be his little way of rebelling against…well, something. Everything bespoke of someone who was a prankster, something of a gentle heathen. Out of the group he was the tallest, standing at about six feet and three inches-Brie had supplied that information, much to her mother's ire-and had the type of body that women tended to drool over…he was after all broad shouldered, tan, and entirely muscular. This was Sirius Black, the infamous Prisoner of Azkaban. Aurora had dreamed of meeting him since she was a child, her mother had promised her that she would meet him; but now it was too late…

Putting the picture aside, she piled everything back into the drawer, wondering for what seemed the millionth time what had caused her mother and Brie to leave that friendship…'Oh well…I doubt Mom would go to the funeral anyway…' She got up and crawled under her pile of warm blankets, tears finally surfacing as she settled down. Shaking with silent tears, she cried herself into exhaustion and finally to sleep.

Aurora woke to dazzling sunlight on her face and a soft knock on her bedroom door. 'And here's Belle.' She thought to herself, a little annoyed but grateful all the same. Belle, who was only a year younger than she was, could always sense if anyone was having strong emotional conflicts, although Aurora didn't envy her for her Empathic abilities. Brie had adopted Belle when she was just four; Addie and Brie had found her one cold winter's night wandering the streets all alone.

"Aurora? Are you alright? Something's bothering you, I know it." Belle's worried voice filtered in through the closed doorway.

"I'll be alright, Belle." She did her best to sound like she meant it, although she knew her attempt was futile nonetheless. "I just need some time alone."

"Quit lying, Aurora. You know it's pointless, so just open the door and let me in."

"Fine, just give me a minute." She crawled out of bed and opened the door for Belle, while at the same time turning around to throw herself down on the bed again, face-planting it into her pillows. Belle watched her as she came in, locking the door behind her then going to sit on the bed beside Aurora and gently putting her long soft hand on her shoulder. At this gesture, Aurora got up to sit beside her, looking at the floor with her hands clasped together.

"What happened, Aurora?" Belle asked, gently placing her arm around her. "What's gotten you so depressed?"

Aurora tried to keep herself from crying again as she attempted to explain to Belle what her mother had told her the night before, but as soon as she opened her mouth to speak, all that came out was a cough that turned into a sob. She turned her face to Belle's shoulder and cried it out all over again. Belle only pulled her into a comforting embrace until she calmed down enough to talk.

"Aurora, tell me what happened." Belle urged her gently.

"It-it doesn't make any sense…" Aurora sobbed out gently. "He's…dead."

"What? But…how?"