A/N: I only own my OC's, anything you recognize from the world of Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling.
Disbelief is what I felt, re-reading the letter over and over until the words finally sank in. I, Aurora Black, was a witch. Those school kids would have a field day if they learned the rumours had been true all along. It explained so much about why I could do the things I could, yet at the same time left me with more questions than I had answers for. What happened to my family? And why didn't I end up with a magical family? Did wizards not believe in adoption? Not that I didn't love the Goldman's, it was just, a lot of questions ran through my mind that day.
Valerie had told me that they had wondered about it for years, but did not want to say anything to me on speculation alone. She had explained to me how she knew only bits and pieces of what her brother had told her over the years. His name was Brandon, and he had attended Hogwarts, he was the only wizard in their family that they knew of. She also told me how she had been fraught with jealousy when her letter never came. He had married a witch he met while working for the Ministry of Magic, the wizard government as Max had put it.
"He was a wonderful man." She reflected, "He died 15 years ago when…"
Her voice became laced with tears, and unable to continue, Max held his arm around his wife as she hid her head in her hands and he finished speaking for her.
"There was a war… it went on for a long time. A bad wizard and his followers… well, they didn't like wizards born to non-magical folk, wanted to 'keep the blood pure' is how he put it..." He sighed running a hand through his salt and pepper hair. "Brandon didn't get the chance to explain much to us… just told us he was in danger and him and his wife were going to leave the country… but… they never made it out. It's… not an easy subject for Val… as you can imagine."
I sat there, unsure of what to say next, and I felt scared. "Is… the bad wizard still around? I don't know if I want to go to Hogwarts…"
"We know as much as you do Aurora." Max said, "But there's bad folk in the magical world and non-magical world alike, living a life in fear is no life at all, remember that sweet girl."
I felt a little better after his words, he was right after all. There was good and bad everywhere you went.
"Do you think… my parents were killed by the bad wizard?" I asked as I recalled the bangs, the strange words uttered by my mother, the shouting, the crying and the hours spent in a dark closet.
"We don't know dear... but, it is safe to assume so." Valerie said getting up to wrap me in a hug. "Perhaps, someone at that school will have some answers for you, and you can get some closure."
The year passed by quickly, and we had all but forgotten about the conversation of dark and evil wizards, but, we had not forgotten the news that I was magical, and soon enough, the summer of 1990 was upon us. An owl arrived at the house in the middle of July; perching itself on the ledge of the kitchen window, it frantically pecked at the glassas if it were a woodpecker. Valerie, seeming completely unfazed, opened the window allowing the brown barn owl entry. In its small beak it carried two envelopes, one was addressed to me, and the other to 'The Goldman's'.
"What a strange way to deliver mail." I mused, scanning the envelope that had my name and address written out in elegant calligraphy.
"I thought so the first time to." Valerie said, chuckling at the memory. "Gave us quite the fright when a big fluffy grey owl came barreling through the window with a letter from Brandon… we got used to it though. Surely it will be your supply list and your train ticket, go on open it then!"
I watched Valerie open the letter with their name on it, her eyes scanned over the parchment, brows furrowed she quickly folded the letter and put it in her pocket.
"What did it say Valerie?" I asked, curious.
"Never mind what it says, I want to know what yours says!" She sounded excited, but her body language said something else. I could tell there was something she read in that letter that bothered her.
Dropping it for now, I gently tore open the envelope, and unfolded the parchment inside. I read the letter out loud as my eyes scanned over the words.
"Dear Miss. Black,
Please note that the school year will begin on September the first. The Hogwarts Express will leave from King's Cross Station, platform nine and three-quarters… Nine and three-quarters?... at Eleven o'clock. Please find enclosed a list off all necessary books and equipment.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress"
Carefully I opened the enclosed list mentioned in the letter, which also included my train ticket. I thought it odd that wizards would travel in such a seemingly normal way, you would think they'd travel by broom or something else magical.
Valerie seemed to sense what I was thinking as she watched me reading the ticket.
"Brandon always said one of the things he most looked forward to was riding the train to school each year. I think you will find it to be just the same."
I smiled, feeling a little more excited I started to read the list of supplies I was required to bring.
"...Three sets of plain black work robes…. A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot… The Standard Book of Spells, Grade One… one wand, one cauldron… may also bring one owl, or a cat or a toad?!" I skimmed through the list, excited at the prospect of getting to bring a pet. "Though… I don't think I'll be wanting a toad."
Valerie and I laughed together as Max walked into the kitchen. "What's this I hear about a toad?" He asked and I showed him the letter.
We were excited for a short moment, until my face suddenly dropped.
"What's wrong Aurora?" Max asked me, sounding concerned.
"It's just… this is a lot of stuff, where do we even find these things? And how are we going to pay for it all?" I frantically rambled. Was there some sort of Wizard shopping mall I didn't know about? How expensive would it all be? I couldn't ask Valerie and Max to spend their savings on a bunch of equipment just to send me to magic school.
Valerie sighed and hesitantly she handed me the letter that was in her pocket. "I don't think you
have to worry about that dear."
I raised my eyebrow and began to read the piece of parchment. In somewhat messy scrawl, it read:
'Dear Mr. and Mrs. Goldman,
I write to you in regards of Miss Aurora Black. Firstly, I would like to thank you for taking care of her all these years, I am forever grateful she came into your care. I was a good friend of her parents, and there are some things she should know before beginning her first year at Hogwarts. Important things, regarding her family history and her father's whereabouts.
If you will allow it, I would be more than pleased to escort her to Diagon Alley to purchase her school supplies. Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, has given me the key to her family vault at Gringotts bank, there is more than enough left for her to cover the cost of her supplies. He has trusted me to do this task, I am certain Aurora will have a lot of questions, and I am much obliged to answer them all.
If you could please reply to this letter by 31 July, I will meet with you at Charing Cross Road in London's West End, just outside Myrtle's Antique Bookshop on 25 August at 10 o'clock in the morning.
Kind regards,
Remus J. Lupin
P.S. the owl is a stubborn fellow, he won't leave unless you give him a saltine.'
"My father's whereabouts?" I questioned. Looking up from the letter, I held back angry tears. "Does that mean that he's alive?!"
They held onto me tightly as I broke down at the news, hot tears streaming down my cheeks. I felt angry, did my father not want me? Where was he? All these years I thought…
Suddenly the burners on the gas stove behind us turned on, and bright orange flames that matched my anger danced on the stovetop.
"I'm sure there's an explanation." Max explained, stroking my hair to calm me down, and the flames behind us diminished as I took a deep breath. "It seems that this Mr. Lupin can tell you what you need to know, that is if you wish to meet with him."
Wiping away my tears, I pulled away from their embrace and nodded. There were some things I needed to know, and it would be nice to learn a bit more about the magical world before I attended school in September.
"I'll write him back then." Valerie said, grabbing a pen and paper she scribbled down a reply and handed it to the owl. The owl did not move, his amber eyes unblinking. "Oh for god sakes! Max bring me some bloody saltines."
The owl nibbled at the saltine, putting the leftovers into a small pouch attached to its leg. He let out a loud squawk, picked up the letter with his beak and flew out the open window. It seemed to me things were going to get stranger from there on out.
I woke up on August 25 with an anxious feeling in the pit of my stomach. Though I longed for answers to the questions I'd had for most of my life, part of me was frightened of what those answers might be. Maybe ignorance was bliss, and I was about to demolish it like a steel wrecking ball crashing into an old brick building.
I could barely eat my breakfast that morning, my stomach was so full of nerves. Staring down at the plate I pushed my eggs around with my fork. After taking a couple more bites of food, I excused myself from the table, taking my plate into the kitchen and dumping the leftovers, before I headed upstairs to my bedroom.
It was a warmer day, so I opted for a fitted black and white striped t-shirt, and a denim overall dress that ended just above my knees. I grabbed a light grey jumper from my dresser and tied it around my waist, just in case it cooled down later. Then I began to brush the knots out of my thick shoulder length hair which wasn't cooperating. Glaring at the dark tresses in the mirror, I gave up and threw it into a messy top knot, securing it with a purple scrunchie.
I grabbed my old brown crossbody book bag which I found in the back of my closet. I would need to keep my money in something, and I didn't own a purse, so this was the next best thing. Throwing it over my shoulder I headed back downstairs, glancing at the clock on the way it read 9:22.
Max and Valerie were all ready and waiting for me by the front door. I shoved my feet into a pair of white tennis shoes and off we went.
The car ride through London was mostly silent, and I stared out the car window, people watching as we slowly weaved through the traffic. I wondered to myself, if and how many of these people going about their day were witches and wizards?
We made it to the small shopping village located at Charing Cross Road just before 10:00, and Max pulled the car into the first available spot. Two minutes later we found ourselves in front of the antique bookshop Mr. Lupin had mentioned in his letter. Other than the small crowds of people wandering the square, there was no one to be seen. Suddenly a man appeared, seemingly out of nowhere at exactly 10:00.
He wore strange clothing that was slightly tattered, and his hair was somewhat disheveled though it looked like he had tried to tame it. Turning around he spotted the three of us and made his way over, as he got closer I noticed he had several pink scars across his face, almost like scratch marks. Once my dark eyes landed on his lighter ones, I had a sudden feeling of recognition and a flood of memories played out in my mind like a montage in an 80's film.
Goodnight kisses. Loud voices. Crack. Frantic whispering. Door shut. Darkness. Bang. Screaming. Silence. Darkness. Light. A sad man's eyes. Comfort. The smell of wool and lemon. Sleep.
...a sad man's eyes. This was him, the sad man who saved me from that closet on halloween night so many years ago. Suddenly, the anxiety that had been building up all morning slipped away and I felt content.
He stepped forward and introduced himself to Max and Valerie.
"Remus Lupin." He said nervously, shaking their hands respectively, and they introduced themselves in turn. Turning to me, a sad, longing look crossed Mr. Lupin's face and he said, "You must be Aurora."
I stepped forward and extended my hand, "It's nice to meet you Mr. Lupin." I said shaking his hand.
"Likewise… though please, call me Remus." I could tell he was studying my appearance and I wondered who I reminded him more of, my mother or my father.
He turned to my foster parents, "Will you be joining us in Diagon Alley today?" He asked them.
Max and Valerie looked at each other, then at me, and Max said, "That depends… would you like us to join you Aurora?" He gave me a knowing look that only I could decipher.
We had discussed it the previous day, whether or not they would join me. They weren't 100% keen on the idea of leaving me with a complete stranger, but they understood we would be discussing personal matters and if I wanted privacy they would respect that. Ultimately we decided that we would feel it out when we met him, and that I had the final say.
When I looked at Remus I just saw the face of the sad man who carried me to safety back when I was a young girl. I felt safe then, and I felt safe now. I turned to the two concerned adults in charge of my care and smiling at them I said, "I think I'll be fine."
They nodded at me, saying they would do some shopping of their own on "the muggle side of town" as they put it; and Remus told them we would meet them in the same spot at 4:00. Turning to me Remus asked, "Are you hungry?"
My stomach rumbled on cue, as if it remembered I had neglected to feed it that morning. I nodded and he said, "Me to. We can talk over some food and a cuppa, then we'll head into Diagon Alley."
He grinned at me, and I followed him towards what appeared to be a dingy old pub that had seen better days. The sign outside the door read 'The Leaky Cauldron'. I followed him in and got my first real taste of the wizarding world.
A/N: Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. The main plot of this story will begin in Prisoner of Azkaban in a couple more chapters. Aurora is starting Hogwarts in September 1990, a year before The Golden Trio/a year after the Weasley twins. (Her birthday is October 31, 1978, making her about 7 months younger than our favorite prankster duo)
My inspo for Aurora is Lily Collins
*fun fact: Valerie and Max Goldman are named in a reference to one of my favorite movies and stories, "The Princess Bride." Can you guess who I'm referencing?
Until next time,
-Buttercup