November 1st 1993

Aurora woke up the next morning feeling refreshed. She hadn't slept so comfortably since the last time she had slept in the Slytherin dorm with Astoria.

Aurora felt safe sleeping next to the Harry, Ron and Hermione, or the "trio". They, at least, were nice to her. Along with the Weasleys, Demelza and a couple of other students, but certainly not the rest of the other first years.

The purple sleeping bags were promptly vanished with a flick of Dumbledore's wand and the house tables re-appeared in their proper spots.

Aurora scowled as she sat at the Gryffindor table, she put a bit of porridge on her plate, but didn't really look at anyone.

"How was your sleep?" Aurora jumped and turned to see Demelza sitting on her right, piling eggs and sausages onto her plate.

Aurora shrugged "fine."

Demelza nodded, but the conversation had ended.

Aurora wasn't in the mood. She was rarely in the mood.

She was always sad, always hurting, always confused.

"They didn't find Pettigrew last night" Harry said gloomily.

"They'll find him soon." Hermione tried to soothe "Hogwarts is the safest place, remember?"

Harry stabbed at his sausage in reply.

"Not all that safe if Pettigrew could just apparate on Hogwarts grounds" retorted Ron.

"Honestly, Ronald" Hermione snapped. "How many times do I have to tell you? You can't apparate on Hogwarts grounds. It's in Hogwarts A History."

Ron groaned "I know, I know I forgot, okay?"

"Well you would do good to read."

"Mione." Ron rubbed his temples in exasperation.

"At least you two get to go to Hogsmeade today" Harry said, pushing his half eaten plate of food away. "Pettigrew's not after you two."

"You could just use your Dad's invisibility cloak to sneak into Hogsmeade" Ron suggested.

"No!" Hermione said frantically looking into Harry's eyes.

"Please don't."

"I-"

"Harry, please."

"I don't know, I-"

"Promise me. Pettigrew's dangerous, Harry."

"Alright, alright I won't. I promise."

Hermione sighed in relief, but Ron looed taken aback.

"I'll be okay." Harry reassured Ron.

'"We'll bring you back Honeydukes" Hermione said earnestly.

Harry smiled at his two best friends.

"We better go line up." Ron said checking his watch.

"Have fun" Harry said also standing up, but instead of following Ron and Hermione he turned to Aurora

"Want to maybe go for a walk?" He asked her.

Aurora's green eyes lit up ever so slightly and she nodded.

The two of them walked out of the Great Hall and into the Hogwarts grounds.

"Want to go to Hagrid's? He's a good friend of mine and teaches Care of Magical Creatures." Harry asked.

Aurora remembered hearing about how Buckbeak had bitten Draco and seeing his armed all bandaged up from the attack. She had never been introduced to him, other then after the train journey to Hogwarts when he took the first years on the boats to get to the castle.

"That oaf?" She found herself sneering up at Harry in distaste.

"What? No! Why would you say that?" Harry stopped walking and turned around to look at her.

Green eyes locked on green eyes.

Aurora's look was distant, Harry's confused.

"I-well he is half giant" Aurora justified uneasily.

"So? That doesn't mean anything." Harry snaped exasperatedly.

First Gryffindors and then half giants? What would her father say?

"I'd really rather not-" Aurora began, crossing her arms across her chest.

"Please, just give him a chance…"

"Fine!" Aurora snapped hotly, proceeding to continue walking.

Harry sighed in relief and moved so he was beside her and gestured "his hut's that way." Aurora nodded as she turned to the right to follow his direction.

They walked the rest of the way in silence and when they reached Hagrid's hut, Harry knocked on the door, while Aurora hid behind him.

Moments later, Hagrid came to the door.

"Ello, Arry!" He said enthusiastically as he opened the door.

"Hi, Hagrid!" Harry said brightly.

"And who've you got there?" Hagrid asked, gesturing with his hand to where Aurora stood behind Harry. With being a giant and able to see over things (and people) when they were so much smaller than you reminded Aurora that she really couldn't hide from him at all.

"This' Harry gestured over his shoulder "is Aurora uh…er…" He faltered on his words. Even for himself, who knew that more than anyone just because someone was born into a specific family, did not mean that they were like them, still found himself having difficulty saying Aurora's last name to Hagrid. Especially after the Hippogriff incident with her brother, but Aurora wasn't Draco, despite the overlapping characteristics they shared, they were both very different and like the Weasley twins had said on the train, there was something about Aurora that couldn't place. So he reminded himself to be patient and to just say her surname when-

"Aurora Malfoy," she said politely. Stepping out from behind Harry to curtesy.

"Pleasure to meet you." She added.

Hagrid stared down at the young girl, whose green eyes looked up at him apprehensively, searching his beady black gaze for anything suspicious, or violent.

But Hagrid being who he was and not as in tune with emotions as Harry would have liked said "Merlin, you're a ruddy Malfoy!"

Aurora took a step back, in surprise. Her green eyes locked onto Harry's, who instantly felt his heart drop as he stared at Aurora. Her features laced in sadness, Like her views on giants couldn't be changed and like she had just met someone else who also hated her.

At least in the end Aurora had given him a chance.

"Please, Hagrid, she's not like her brother." Harry tried.

"Heard all 'bout her." Hagrid boomed "Yer brother is raking legal action against my hippogriff." Hagrid said, tears beginning to fall from his eyes.

"I know." Aurora said softly.

"Please Hagrid, just let us come in." Harry said earnestly. "I wanted to introduce you two."

"Al'right." Hagrid stepped aside to let Harry and Aurora enter his hut. Aurora eyed her surroundings with furrowed eye brows and a scowl. His hut was dingy, not dirty and not clean either.

"Tea?"

"Yes, please." Harry nodded, but Aurora shook her head.

"Right then." Hagrid busied himself making tea for himself and Harry, while Aurora sat stiffly across from Harry.

When He brought over his and Harry's steaming cups of tea to the table, he immediately turned to Aurora.

"Sorry bout that." He apologized. "Yer brother just gives me a hard time."

Aurora shrugged, but didn't respond.

"An' look at you!" Hagrid boomed as his eyes found the scarf and clasps on her robes "yer a Gryffindor too!"

That broke Aurora out of her stooper and she smiled sadly up at Hagrid.

"I am." She said quietly.

"Yer the first Malfoy to be put in that house."

"I know."

"That's somethin' to be proud of that is."

"That's what Professor Black said. That I should embrace being in Gruffindor."

Harry arched an eye brow in curiosity.

"I'll tell you on our way back." She mouthed to Harry.

"O' course he did! Nobody would know what that's like other than him. First Black to be sorted into Gryffindor."

"He told me that too."

Hagrid beamed.

"So, Hagrid in news on Buckbeak?" Harry asked.

"No, ministry says they'll let me know. Still waiting."

"Right."

"Well you two better be goin' up to the castle I reckon."

Aurora and Harry nodded standing up.

"Thank you for the Tea, Hagrid." Harry said as he opened the door to the hut.

"O' course."

Aurora smiled faintly at Hagrid as she left.

"That wasn't so bad," Harry said as they walked back to the castle. "Was it?"

Aurora shrugged.

"Right," Harry continued noticing her non committal response. "Tell me about your conversation with Professor Black."

And so Aurora filled him in on the talk she had with Professor Black after the Slytherin prank incident that Harry already knew about.

"Professor Black is really brilliant" Harry said once she had finished.

Aurora nodded.

"It's kind of strange to think him and I are kind of family, but not really, I mean-"

Harry chuckled.

They walked through the Great Hall and made their way up the marble staircase. Students were still in Hogsmeade.

As they made their way back to the Gryffindor common room, Harry noticed a door was slightly ajar so he turned to Aurora "Professor Black's door is open, should we knock?" Aurora nodded. Both Aurora and Harry were curious about Professor Black along with the rest of the student body for that matter.

Harry knocked slightly hesitantly on the door.

"Enter." Professor Black said, almost lazily.

Harry walked in with Aurora following behind him.

Black was sitting at his desk grading papers. Aurora noticed that his grey eyes looked haunted and had dark circles underneath them.

Professor Black put his quill down and looked at the two of them expectantly.

"Mister Potter, Miss Malfoy, what are you two doing here?"

"Er-" Harry began "I had a question about Dementors." He finished with a slightly sheepish look on his face.

Black looked curiously at Aurora, but then turned his gaze back onto Harry.

"And what would that be?"

"Well I-" Harry began "Why do they effect me so much?"

"And me." Aurora cut in.

Professor Black surveyed the two children in front of him before his expression softened.

"Why don't you two pull up chairs and I'll make us some hot chocolate."

"I just had tea with Hagrid." Harry admitted.

"I didn't though" Aurora said gently "I'd like a cup, please."

Aurora had never been allowed to have hot chocolate, but she had tea before throughout her childhood She was eager to try the drink, as Draco had gotten to have a cup on numerous occasions.

Professor Black nodded and flicked his wand. Two cups of hot chocolate- one for himself and one for her. She noticed with a slight smile that hers had whipped cream and marshmellows.

Aurora, unable to stop herself took a full swig of the hot chocolate and grimaced.

"Something wrong?" Professor Black asked.

"No, professor. It's just hot."

Professor Black barked out a laugh and Harry grinned at her.

Professor Black saw the delight flash across her green eyes.

Aurora waited a moment before taking another sip. This time, it wasn't so hot and she was fully able to appreciate the rich chocolatey flavour and the marshmallows. "Wow" She breathed.

Professor Black saw green eyes filled with wonder staring back at him. He recognized that look from his own upbringing.

"You haven't had hot chocolate before?" He asked gently.

Harry turned to look at her curiously with a raised eye brow, but Aurora had shifted her gaze to the floor. Professor Black new the answer withoyt needing her response anyway. He sighed before tuning back to the matter at hand.

"Right. Dementors, awful creatures. They effect people differently, but they have a significant hold over those who have experienced trauma. There goal is to torment and torture the mind. Which is why they're ideal guards for Azkaban. They're supposed to suck all the joy and happiness out of someone."

"Professor?" Harry asked tentatively.

"Yes."

"Did the Dementors effext you? When you were in Azkaban?"

Professor Black paled considerably.

"They did." He shuddered, running his hand through his shoulder length hair. "But I always knew I was innocent and so they couldn't suck out the happiness, the joy and all of my happy memories. Most importantly though, is that the Dementors couldn't take away my sanity."

Harry nodded, Aurora just stared blankly into space. Lost in her own thoughts.

"While we don't know anything about your past, Aurora it is clear that there is trauma there and Harry, of course given your past there's trauma that we're able to pin point. Which is helpful in being able to work through and understand your reaction."

"Work through? But how?"

"There is a way," Professor Black said slowly "to defend yourself against the Dementors."

"What?" Harry exclaimed. "Can you teach me?"

"And me." Aurora piped up.

"Yes, I can, but Aurora- that's awfully advanced magic."

Aurora's face fell.

"I'll tell you what…Harry, let's start your Dementor lessons the first week of December as my November is already pretty full. Aurora, you can come and observe Harry's lessons, at least for now. How does that sound?"

"Brilliant!" Harry exclaimed. Aurora nodded happily.

"Alright then, it's settled. Now Harry, why aren't you in Hogsmeade?"

"My uncle, he's a muggle…He wouldn't sign my permission slip."

A look of pain flashed across Professor Black's face.

"I'm sorry" he said evenly, "it's ptobably for the best, given the situation with{ettigrew."

"Right," Harry sighed.

"Well, I have to finish grading. Off you two go now."

Aurora and Harry nodded. Thanking Professor Black as they made their way back to the Gryffindor common room.

When Ron and Hermione came back at dinner time, they each carried a bag with Hogsmeade goodies for Harry.

"This is delicious" Harry said as he bit into a sugar quill.

Harry and Aurora had spent a good hour filling Ron and Hermione in on the day's events.

"Training on how to defend yourself against a dementor?" Ron exclaimed "Wicked!"

"Yeah," Harry said happily, placing a peppermint imp into his mouth "he's the best DADA teacher we've ever had."

When Aurora had left to chat to Demelza, Harry had filled Hermione and Ron in on Aurora's behaviour with Hagrid.

"She must be so confused." Hermione said thoughtfully "torn between her family, friends and houses."

"Yeah." Ron agreed.

"I agree with Fred and George though." Harry muttered. "There's something about Aurora and I just can't figure it out."

"Don't worry mate," Ron reassured "We'll figure it out. We always dp."

Hermione nodded in agreement.

That night, when Aurora curled herself up on the stone floor of the abandoned classroom, she couldn't help to feel warm inside. She got to try hot chocolate, she mused. How cool is that?