The next couple of days have been strange for Aurora. She still found it shocking to know that she had voiced out her opinions like that to someone that she had just known from around the school castle. But it got the Slytherin girl to think if that's what she really meant to say. Aurora strolled on one of the trails on a cloudy Saturday morning as she kept on contemplating what was the reason behind her words to Cedric the other day. Aurora brought her coat tighter around her body as the wind blew her brown strands of hair into her face. She felt burdened with these feelings inside of her, wanting to tell her friends or Draco about them but also wanting to keep it to herself for the time being.

Aurora stood up straighter as she imagined herself dressed in a black dress, similar to her mothers. Waving her wand around and causing destruction wherever she went. All around her, muggles were screaming as they tried to run away from her wrath but their legs were no use to the speed of her curses. She would turn around and see her father standing in the alleyway with a smile of approval crossing his lips, something she was hoping to see the first time she actually met him. It's something she's been craving nearly all her life and almost feels depleted, knowing he hasn't once answered her letters unlike her mother.

A person ran up right next to her and shoved her in the arm, "There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you"

Aurora looked over to see Devery with her hair brushed back as if she'd been running for a mile with her cheeks so flushed that they looked as pink as the tulips in the garden honoring Helga Hufflepuff. Aurora suddenly felt a sickening feeling as she remembered how bright and radiant the garden is and how much it blossomed in springtime. She bit her lip as she tried her best to shake off the strange feeling that she's been having all day but it seemed like it was stuck to her like glue. Aurora tried her best to ignore it the best she could as she turned and faced her friend.

"I told you that I was going out for a walk, Dev" Aurora reminded her.

"I didn't expect you to be out for nearly 3 ½ hours," Devery pointed out.

Aurora stopped, lifted up her sleeve and checked her watch and noticed that it was 15 minutes into 12 o'clock. No wonder Devery went out to look for her. Aurora's been gone since the very second she woke up.

Now that she's taken a break, she realized how much her legs and her lower back were no in pain. Aurora brought her hands up to her hips and let out a sigh.

Devery slowly cleared her throat as she waited for some kind of explanation.

"What?" Aurora questioned.

"There's someone on your mind" Devery said with a hint of a smile.

"Why would you think that?"

"Because you haven't been acting the same since last weekend" Devery pointed out, "Don't think I haven't noticed"

Aurora wondered if it was alright to tell Devery about Cedric and his recent pursuits. She wanted so badly to talk about how he confessed to liking her but something held her back. But she knew that Devery was one of the toughest pureblood Slytherin as they come, she would laugh at the idea of Cedric possibly liking her. The next thing she'll know, Devery will tell everyone and they'd tease Cedric until he thought she wasn't worth it. Aurora knew how to tell where someone's loyalties would lie and knew for a fact that Devery was her true friend, Aurora felt unsure about even opening her mouth up to talk about her current feelings.

"I'm just stressed," Aurora lied.

"I don't buy it," Devery rolled her eyes.

"I have 6 papers due in Muggle Studies" Aurora let out.

"About what?" Devery question.

"The lifespan and death ceremony of muggles around the world" Aurora brought up.

"Seriously?" Devery made a face.

"Unfortunately" Aurora sighed.

"Good luck with that then"

"I don't think luck is going to cover even ¼ of it"

Devery just did a side nod before turning Aurora around so that they could walk back to the castle. Aurora felt almost relieved that her best friend bought the whole Muggle Studies subject. It was true that Aurora was assigned 6 pages of homework about both of those chapters. But Aurora was so into the chapter that she had done the whole thing in one night and had already turned it in. It felt good to know that when in doubt, always play the Muggle Studies card to a pureblood.

"You'll get through it. Just one more year" Devery tried to be optimistic.

"It's this year that I'm mostly worried about" Aurora spoke truthfully.

"Why do you even take Muggle Studies, anyways?" Devery question.

"Makes Dumbledore believe that I'm on the right path. It's fooled him so far" Aurora winked.

"Aurora… Remind me to congratulate you if he doesn't suspect anything before we graduate" Devery chuckled.

"So where is the old man?" Aurora asked.

"Last I checked, he was talking to the Golden Boy and that Diggory clown" Devery mentioned.

"That's wonderful" Aurora let out a breath of hot air and just shook her head at the coincidence.

Aurora honestly couldn't find the irony in hearing Cedric's name in just mere seconds after getting her best friend to divert from talking about him. For a moment, she hated Cedric, she wanted to yell at him and blame him for everything that she was feeling inside as of this moment. Aurora went as far as wishing that something bad would happen to him at the World Cup but found herself holding her breath at the thought. What's going on with her?

"Aurora!" Devery yelled out.

"What?" Aurora spat out.

"You're walking too fast!" Devery complained.

"Sorry" Aurora mumbled as she slowed down to a near stop, making Devery catch up to her.

"What's up with you?" Devery questioned again.

"I told you. I've been really stressed out lately" Aurora countered.

"I know it's not just that. You've been acting weird lately" Devery responded.

"What do you mean?" Aurora asked.

"You keep to yourself, you barely go outside of the common room, and when you do leave it's like you want to just hurry up and go back inside" Aurora explained, "It could be because of the paper but now I feel like it's something more. I feel like you're tensed up because of your father. You can't keep blaming yourself for him not loving you"

"You don't have him as a father. He was vile, cruel, and unloving" Aurora decided to give Devery what she wanted, "I never wanted it to be like that. All I want is to be appreciated by him. Why is it that the only one that I want love from seems to just shut me down all the time?"

Devery wrapped her arm around her shoulder, "It's alright, when he comes out, he'll see how prepared you are to take on his name… you'll make him proud, I know you will"