Chapter One
13 years later; beginning of Harry's 4th year
Harry sat, carefully down on the bench, trying to ignore the pain from the injuries his uncle had inflicted the night before and smiled at Hermione before turning to speak with Ron, waiting for the first years to arrive for the sorting.
Aurora began to tap her foot impatiently as she stood outside the great hall of Hogwarts with the tiny first years. "This is so freaking annoying," she breathes so no one could hear her. "What does that crazy, old coot thinking, sorting me with the first years?" The older woman with a severe face and glasses from earlier opened the doors to the great hall, motioning for them to follow her inside.
Aurora walked along behind the little ones and looked around the great hall, eyes lingering for a moment on her father who sat at the head table. 'Poor Daddy,' she thinks pushing her hands into her pockets, listening to the clink of the chains on her pants as she walked. 'You won't be sad for much longer, I promise.'
Harry stared at the older girl at the back of the group of first years and she glanced towards him as she past the Gryffindor table before looking towards the head table. "We got a transfer student," the twins say at the same time and Harry shrugs, in too much pain to care, looking over the group of first years.
"American by the look of it," Hermione says looking over the new girl with an annoyed, clinical look. "She has a very blatant disrespect for the rules... Not wearing her robes."
The girl smirked like she heard Mione and added a little skip to her step to make the chains on her clothes jingle louder. "She seems to be a chipper one," Ron says looking supremely bored. "Hope she isn't a Slytherin."
A small, musical giggle slipped from her lips at his words and she looked back at them over her shoulder. "A.J. you'll be sorted after the first years," McGonagall says and the elder girl nodded, stopping a little away from the first years, seeming to bounce in place, like she couldn't wait for something.
Aurora did all she could to keep from glaring daggers at Albus Dumbledore, she didn't want to ruin the surprise with him figuring out who she was and stopping her. She concentrated on the fact that her father was in the room, that he would soon know that she wasn't dead and Albus was a lying, old bastard. The first years were done and Aurora stepped forward as McGonagall motioned for her to do so. Sitting on the stool, she blanked her face and let McGonagall set the talking hat on her head. 'Hello, young Aurora Sanape, nice of you to return the second you could,' the hat's voice says inside her head and she smiles, looking up at the ceiling.
'Nice of you to remember me, Sorting Hat,' she thinks back tapping her fingers on her jeans-clad legs.
The hat seemed to be going through her memories at a fast pace so that he'd be able to talk to her without anyone thinking they were taking too long. 'You make your father's house proud, tricking your adoptive parents into letting you become emancipated. I almost feel sorry for Albus, his lies are starting to catch up with him and are winding around like a spuder's web.'
'He deserves it though, doesn't he?'
'True,' he says and she could tell he was smiling from his perch atop her head. 'Be careful with the Potter boy, he doesn't know the truth but he doesn't trust Dumbledore anymore either and out of his two friends, only Granger is true.'
'Thank you for the warning,' she says looking back forward, 'but I think Albus is starting to get suspicious.'
'Right,' he answers moving around atop her head. "Slytherin," he shouts out loud and she smiles, lifting him off her head as the Gryffindor table groaned in unison and the Slytherin table clapped politely. "Welcome home Aurora Snape, welcome home." She turned towards the head table with a small smile on her lips that turned into a smirk at the angry look on Dumbledore's face before glancing at her father, the smile returning.
Aurora watched as her father's face went through a whole list of emotions, ranging from shell-shocked to relieved before settling on happy, a small smile pulling at the corners of his mouth. "If you wouldn't mind heading to your table, Aurora, you may catch up with your father later," Albus says, fake happiness filling his words and Aurora skipped to the Slytherin table, taking a seat between the fourth and fifth year students.
"Hello cousin," Draco breathes giving her a small smile and she smiled back, tapping her nails on the tabletop as Dumbledore made all sorts of announcements for the year.
"Yay, Triwizard Tournament," she mutters under her breath and Draco snickers, causing the girl that had been hanging on him to scowl before glaring at Aurora. Looking her over, Aurora smirked, "Problem, Parkinson?"
Draco glanced at the girl before rolling his eyes, looking around the room and bumping Aurora's arm. "You're being watched," he snickers and she glanced in the direction he was indicating.
The whole Gryffindor table seemed to be glaring at her with angry expressions, all of them except a pair of red-headed twins and Harry Potter. "A very social bunch you've got there," she giggles chewing on her lip ring as she ran a hand through her hair.
A huge, seventh year laughed at that and Aurora looked down the table to see who it was. "I think you mean anti-social," he snickers looking at her with amused, steel-grey eyes. "It's been a long time, Rora."
She stared at him for a second before a small memory flashed before her mind's eye. 'Marcus, who hurt you?' a small Aurora asks pressing her small hand to the side of the older boy's face to look at the bruise on the other side. 'No one Rora, my brothers just play rough,' he breathes patting her on the head. "Yes, a very long time, Marcus," she breathes playing with the gold streaked curl hanging on the left side of her face. "Or should I say, Marky?"
The tops of his ears turned red and he tried to glare at her before it turned into a smile. "Do you enjoy embarrassing your eldest friend?" he asks and Aurora gave him an innocent smile. "I don't believe that look for a second." She smirked, raising an eyebrow at him and crossed her arms over her chest, sticking her tongue out at him. "Yeah, that one's much more believable, especially with all the piercings."
She gave him a grin, waggling her eyebrows at him. "I have tattoos, too, wanna see?" she chuckles and his eyes widened the tiniest bit before his whole face turned beet red. "That's an interesting reaction."
He growled at her, opening his mouth to comment when Albus chose that moment to summon dinner. "You okay there, Flint?" a guy sitting across from Marcus asks, drawing Aurora's attention to him and the guy next to him snickered, causing Marcus to bang his forehead against the table in front of him.
"I think we just met the betrothed," the one who'd snickered says and Aurora sighed, sending stinging hexes at the two guys sitting across from Marcus before standing up.
Aurora walked over to Marcus and gave a polite smile to the guy sitting next to him while motioning him to scoot down. When he did so, she sat beside Marcus, noticed he had his eyes closed and grabbed a handful of hair as he went to bang his head against the table again. "Rora," he growls glaring at her as his eyes flashed silver for a second and she smiled, releasing her hold on his hair.
Aurora combed her fingers through to straighten out the part she'd messed up and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him. "I missed you, Marky," she breathes laying her head on his shoulder and he sighed, arms wrapping around her waist to hug her back.
Thunder boomed from the enchanted ceiling above the great hall and Aurora jerked, arms tightening around Marcus' neck. "Shh," he breathes rubbing her back as someone shot a spell at the ceiling to calm it down.
Ron yelped in surprise as the ceiling started acting all wonky and Hermione glanced at him, eyebrow raised in amusement before she turned back to glaring across the room. "When did Flint and Snape's daughter get all cozy?" he asks and Harry shrugged, barely picking at the food on his plate.
"Somewhere between your second plate and your overflowing dessert bowl," Fred snickers and Ron sneered, flicking a pea at him.
George knocked it out of the air, raising an eyebrow at his younger brother. "When are you going to stop acting like a five-year old, Ronnie-kins?" he asks and Ron narrowed his eyes before glancing up as a spell was cast at the ceiling.
Aurora looked over her shoulder as the shuffle and thump footsteps past the Slytherin table, eyes going blank as Alastor Moody walked by. Whispers started throughout the room as everyone realized who he was and Aurora rolled her eyes, turning to lay her head back on Marcus' shoulder. "Auror Moody gets to play Defense Against the Dark Arts professor this year," Marcus snickers and she closes her eyes, hoping to fall asleep. "Aurora, you're supposed to meet with your Dad later so you can't go to sleep yet."
"Damn," she breathes letting go of his neck to snuggle into his side as she picked at the food on his plate. "I'm already starting to miss French fries." Marcus snickered, running a hand through her hair and summoning a new plate, silverware and cup for her. Rolling her eyes at him, she grabbed the cup and smiled happily when it filled with warm lavender and chamomile tea.
Aurora took a sip of her drink, glancing around the room to focus on the bushy-haired girl sitting beside Potter. "Hermione Granger, Muggleborn, she's been staring at you since you sat down," Draco says, lips barely moving, and Marcus growled lowly before glaring back.
"Let her stare, it's not like I care," Aurora snickers waggling her fingers in Hermione's direction and the girl's eyes narrowed before she looked away. "There, she's not staring anymore."
Marcus shook his head, wrapping an arm around Aurora's waist waist and chuckled. "Normally," he breathes, "you would've made that extremely uncomfortable for the other person."
"I was going to blow her a kiss but I assumed you wouldn't have liked that very much," she snickers and he growls tightening his hold on her waist. "That's what I thought."
Snuggling into Marcus' side, Aurora glanced around the room and couldn't help the small smirk that touched the corners of her mouth when she realized Albus was staring at her with an angry glint in his eyes. "Patience, little mate, patience," Marcus breathes in her ear, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "He'll get what's coming to him."
"Snape's little girl seems very close with Marcus Flint," Moody says to Albus, loud enough to be heard by the whole of the head table.
The small smile Snape had, had on his face faded into an annoyed scowl as he glanced at Moody out of the corner of his eye. "They would be, they've been betrothed since Aurora was a baby," he says and a disgusted look flashed across Albus' face for a brief moment before it was suddenly gone. "They were also the best of friends before Aurora was taken from me."
Moody made a face as his eye whirled and spun in its socket, scanning the room. "Only Dark wizards and purebloods betroth their children that young," he says and Snape raised an eyebrow before shrugging, turning back to his dinner.
Albus chuckled, "I think you're forgetting who you're talking to, Alastor." Snape forced himself to stay blank as he finished eating, listening to them argue about the usefulness of a Dark spy.
Marcus' more than human hearing had him wanting to beat the shit out of Dumbledore and Moody as they insulted Snape and judging from the way Aurora's fists clenched on the tabletop, she could hear them as well. "Crazy old codger," she growls under her breath and Marcus nods his agreement, rubbing soothing circles up and down her spine. Staring up at the old headmaster, Aurora contained her laughter as Albus tried to push his way through her shields and thought, 'I'm going to enjoy watching your world fall apart, you old bastard.'
"He's trying awfully hard to get in your head," the guy across from Marcus says rubbing his arm where it was still red from the stinging hex and she looked away from Dumbledore, shrugging. "He's acting like you have some sort of important information floating around in your head."
Marcus snickered when he that both of them were sporting red welts from stinging hexes. "Her hexes hurt, don't they, Adrian? Hugh?" he asks and both of them glare at him before turning the same look on Aurora.
She stared back at them, a pleasant look on her face as she tapped her fingers on the tabletop. Dinner was coming to an end and Aurora looked up to the head table to see her father stand up, excusing himself before walking towards the doors. "I'll see you later, Marcus," she breathes kissing his cheek and following her father from the room.
Snape lead Aurora towards his quarters and his small smile came back as she skipped along behind him, humming to herself. "How've you been, Aurora?" he asks and she moves so she's walking beside him, giving him her own small smile.
"As good as anyone would be when taken away from everything they know," she breathes putting her hands in her pockets, watching him out of the corner of her eye. "I never stopped thinking about how to get home. When I was younger, it was terrible because no one listened when I told them I wasn't an orphan but when the people you were given to are good friends with Dumbledore, it's expected."
They came to a stop at the portrait for his quarters and Aurora waited for him to open it up. "Belladonna," he says to the woman in the painting who nodded and the painting swung open, revealing a regular dark wooden door. "Me and the others didn't even think to check outside of Europe when looking for you and now I feel like such an idiot for thinking Albus would keep you close." He motioned for Aurora to sit on the couch across from his chair and went into the kitchen area, setting the tea kettle on to boil. "Tea preference?"
"Chamomile, if you have it," she says looking around the living and kitchen area, eyes coming to a stop on a picture of Marcus, herself and baby Draco sitting on a couch in front of their parents. Lady Flint smiled at Aurora before walking out of the picture and Aurora knew she was going to the painting in the Flint mansion to tell them she was back. Lady Malfoy did the same and Aurora leant back in the cushions of the couch, looking over at her father as he continued to get the tea tray ready. "How've you been, Dad?"
The kettle started whistling and he set it on the tray before walking over to set it on the table, taking a seat in the chair across from me. "I've been going from angry to moping for thirteen years and driving myself crazy spying for Riddle," he breathes pouring boiling water over the tea leaves in both tea cups and Aurora's smile faded, leaving her looking miserable. "It only got worse as while I was spying, I was hoping to hear a snippet of where the crazy, old bastard sent you and he never slipped up around me, not once."
Aurora stood up from the couch and walked around the coffee table, sitting down beside his legs, laying her head on his knees. "I'm sorry, Daddy," she murmured trying not to cry and he sighs, running a hand through her hair.
"This isn't your fault, Aurora," Snape growls as his eyes darken in anger, "it's Dumbledore's." As he continued running his fingers through her hair, she sighed and closed her eyes. "How did you manage to come back without Dumbledore's knowledge?"
Aurora snickered, opening eyes glowing with green and silver light as she sat up, turning her head to look at her father. "I talked my adoptive parents into emancipating me," she answers an evil smirk on her lips as she stood and skipped around the coffee table, sitting back down in her seat. "It wasn't very hard, considering the fact of my inheritance coming in on my fifteenth birthday and I frighten them." Snape raised an eyebrow, looking like he wanted to ask a question and she snickered. "My magic bound them from being able to tell anyone what my inheritance was, it was interesting watching them try to tell Dumbledore but being unable to do so."
Snape smirked, taking a drink from his tea and glancing at the clock. "I have rounds tonight, we'll continue our conversation tomorrow," he says and she smiled, drinking her tea before standing. "One thing before you leave, though?" She turned back to him at the door and cocked her head to the side. "What are you going to do about Harry?"
"I'm going to help him," she breathes, "as best I can." Opening the door, she pushed open the portrait and walked out, heading towards the Slytherin dorms.
Harry sat in the empty common room and stared at the crackling fire, not wanting to fall asleep. He was in too much pain from the beating his uncle gave him earlier this week that he probably wouldn't get very much anyway. Harry was scared of his dreams, they were so odd, one moment Voldemort is killing people and the next Riddle is trying to seduce him. 'Just what the hell is going on inside my head?' he thinks as his eyelids start to become droopy and he kicks off his shoes, laying down on the couch, crumpled up robe acting as a pillow.
Marcus pushed the portrait open so Aurora could enter, whispering the password in her ear and leading her into the common room where the whole house was lounging around talking. "How'd the talk with your father go?" Draco asks from his seat on a couch in the corner and she smiles, skipping over to sit next to him, patting the cushion on the other side of her for Marcus to sit down.
"It went well," she says cuddling into Marcus' side when he finally sat down. "Yours and Marcus' mother's portraits disappeared when they saw me so expect mail from your parents in the morning."
Draco groaned and Marcus snickered, wrapping an arm around Aurora. "Mum's probably going to send a howler just to screech about you finally being home," Draco mutters and Aurora giggles, patting his head.
There was a very annoying-sounding feminine screech when she did so and she cocked her head, looking around for the source. "Having a problem, Parkinson?" Marcus sighs running his fingers through Aurora's hair and Aurora's gaze immediately zeroes in on the annoying girl from dinner.
"Who the hell do you think you are touching my betrothed?" Pansy snarls at Aurora who raised an eyebrow at her and glanced at Draco.
"I feel so sorry for you, cousin," she snickers and Draco growls lowly, rolling his eyes as Pansy blushes bright red.
"Her father keeps sending betrothal offers and my father keeps ignoring them," Draco breathes so only Aurora and Marcus hear him. "Doesn't mean she's my betrothed but she doesn't listen very well."
Aurora made a hmm noise and slid closer to Marcus, running her fingers over the arm he had around her waist. "I don't like her, she reeks of weak blood to me," she growls under her breath and Draco snickers, Marcus smirking.
"Rumor has it she's Lady Parkinson's half-blood daughter," Draco murmurs and Aurora makes a noise of agreement. "I can't tell because my senses aren't as strong as yours yet."
Aurora shrugs, cuddling up against Marcus' side and lay her head on his ribs, closing her eyes. Realizing what she was trying to do, Marcus lifted her into his lap, placing her head on his shoulder and wrapped his arms around her, one hand combing through her curly hair. "I'm so tired," she breathes and he rumbles deep in his chest, moving his arms so he was holding her bridal style and stood up.
"Daphne, if you wouldn't mind helping me get her to the girl's dorms," he says and the girl nods, getting up from her seat.
Following behind the fourth year, Marcus inwardly groaned when Aurora shifted, pressing her face into the crook of his neck and fisting her hands in his shirt. "Your mate is very beautiful, Marcus," Daphne says glancing at him over her shoulder as her blue eyes turned red. "I see now why your parents refused my father's offer."
Marcus snarled, baring teeth that lengthened and sharpened as she watched. "My parents refused your father's offer, Vampire, because my race have predetermined mates and Aurora would've ripped your head off the second she heard about it," he snarls and Daphne scoffs, giving the girl in Marcus' arms an unimpressed look.
Aurora cracked an eye, swirling with green and silver light, open, staring straight at Daphne. There was something dangerous lurking in that eye that caused Daphne to step back, away from them and Aurora smirked before her eye slid closed again. ' I don't threaten, I promise, you try to separate me and Marcus and I'll do worse than detach your pretty, little head from the rest of you,' an angry, female voice she recognized as Aurora's, growls inside her head and she shivers, checking her shields, only to find no way for Aurora to have gotten in. Marcus took a deep breath, having felt the angry stir in Aurora's power and could only guess that she'd still been awake enough to hear Daphne. "What year is she?" Daphne asks turning back to face forward and continuing down the hallway linked to all the girl dorms.
"Fifth," Aurora breathes, not bothering to open her eyes and stretched, causing Marcus to tighten his hold on her before he could drop her. Shifting her position a little, Aurora wrapped her arms around Marcus' neck and laying her head back in the crook of his neck.
Marcus' dragon moved in the back of his mind, wanting to check on their sleeping mate and Marcus chuckled, brushing against Aurora's mental shields. Aurora shivered in his arms, cracking an eye open to glance up at him before an opening appeared in her shields and her eye closed again. As he entered her mind, he noticed that Aurora was very much asleep, her dragom wasn't and that she'd been the one to threaten Daphne, as well as allow him inside her mind. Once both dragons were assured that the other was okay, Marcus left her mind and felt her shields snap back into place. "We're here, fifth years get there own rooms, hers should have her name on the door," Daphne says and Marcus walked past her, looking over the doors until he found one that had 'A.J. Snape' painted in gold paint. Heading in, he set her on the bed, pulled off her boots and spelled her into a nightgown before covering her with the green comforter at the end of her bed. Marcus leant down and kissed her forehead before leaving the room, closing the door behind him.