Term wound down faster than usual, spurred on by the buzz of anticipation over the Yule Ball. Most teachers, like Professor Flitwick, let the students do more or less whatever they pleases in the final week of term, while only McGonagall and Snape were successful in sticking to curriculum — though Professor Babbling did make a valiant effort with the Arithmancy class, giving them possibly the most complicated equations and theorems they had ever worked with to calculate the probability of enchantment successes. Professor Hagrid, most unfortunately, still had faith in his students' ability to not die at the stinger of a Blast-Ended Skrewt, leading to Pansy having part of her hair singed three days before the end of term and Aurora having to take her to the Hospital Wing to have her hair regrown.
Draco had, thankfully, taken Aurora's advice to just ask Pansy, and her friend had gushed to her for nearly an hour about how excited she was, showing off her pink robes. It was fortunate that everyone else had dates too — Gwen with Robin, Daphne with Blaise, Lucille with James Urquhart, a boy in the year above them, Millicent with Greg, and Theodore with Flora Carrow in the year below, while only Vincent went stag, something he claimed to be quite pleased about, as it meant he didn't have to worry about dancing or trying to keep one girl's attention.
By the time Christmas Night arrived, and everyone had exchanged gifts and eaten more food than they really should have considering they had a most glorious feast planned for the evening, Aurora was, against all her better judgment, nervous. She knew she looked good in her robes, and told herself that she shouldn't be vain, and especially not worry so much over one boy, but she didn't just want to look good. She wanted Cassius's jaw to drop when he saw her. Not that she would admit that, not even when she and Gwen were in Pansy and Millicent's room, with Daphne and Lucille, all fussing over hair and makeup.
Aurora let Daphne and Gwen take over on the hair front, the latter trying to explain Muggle techniques of curling hair while Daphne tried out a rather experimental charm which Aurora almost thought was going to burn her hair. "It's always a little warm," Daphne said. "Do Muggles do that too?"
"If you use a curling iron, yeah," Gwen said, while Lucille and Pansy exchanged a look and Millicent pretended not to hear. "I suppose it's kind of the same thing, just powered differently. I think straightening irons feel a bit safer, but maybe that's just maybe. They're less likely to explode something, so long as you use them right."
"Well, we don't have this electricity here," Lucille said, sighing sarcastically. "So charms will have to do."
"I didn't say they didn't," Gwen said tightly, helping Daphne pin back some of the front parts of Aurora's hair. "Alright, that looks like it."
Aurora smiled, and Pansy held up a mirror for her to see her dark hair, straightened and then put into curls far tamer than her natural hair, falling down her back and over her shoulders in a way she never normally would let it. "Alright," she said happily, "thank you two."
"Do my makeup now," Millie called, clipping on a pair of pearl earrings. Aurora slipped off Pansy's bed to oblige her, taking out a warm rouge that would look nice on Millie's cheeks, and warm orange and brown eyeshadows which would bring out the green in her irises.
"So," Pansy said, as she got to work on Daphne's makeup, fussing over filling in her eyebrows, "who do we think will get a kiss tonight?"
Millicent giggled, and Aurora bit back a smile as she stilled her face. "Don't move," she ordered, "or this will end up halfway down your cheeks."
"It depends if Urquhart can dance," Lucille said, sighing dramatically as she frowned over her jewellery selection. "He's good-looking but I don't know him all that well yet and I'm certainly not going to kiss him just because I'm his date."
Aurora hummed in agreement, but Daphne laughed. "If Blaise kisses me, I am certain I will combust."
"Good way or bad way?" Gwen asked, now trying to pleat her own hair, frowning in the mirror.
"Lines," Aurora called, and she straightened her face — Aurora didn't want her to crease the powders and creams which hadn't quite settled on her forehead yet.
"Haven't decided yet," Daphne said, and they all laughed.
"I wish Draco would kiss me," Pansy said, giving a sigh just as dramatic Lucille's. "He's had plenty of opportunity since he asked me out, but he hasn't done anything, and I don't know if he ever will."
"Maybe he's waiting for the right moment," Millicent suggested, "wants to make it romantic, sneak off into the grounds after dancing—"
"I will stop you right there," Aurora said, quite alarmed by the turn in conversation. "I do not want to hear about my cousin's potential... entanglement, with my best friend."
Pansy blushed, but Lucille looked over to her, eyebrows raised in a way that made Aurora deeply uncomfortable. "And you? Have you and Warrington kissed yet?"
"No," Aurora said sharply, cheeks heating up at the thought. "And I don't know what might happen tonight."
She knew what she might like to happen certainly, but not whether she could take that leap. Something as innocuous as a kiss could be construed as something far deeper by a lot of people in society, and while the general consensus among the girls was that this was their one opportunity to have a ball that was about what they wanted, not what their families wanted, Aurora rather felt that the two had to be one and the same for her, and she wasn't sure of where the balance ought to fall. Still, she was fifteen — a kiss wasn't a promise, and she trusted that Cassius wouldn't push her to anything. If she wanted to kiss him, would it really be so bad to do so?
"You're so blushing," Gwen said giddily. "It's so cute!"
"It is not," Aurora said, watching Millicent dutifully restrain a giggle as she dusted a light golden glitter over her eyelids. "What about you and Oliphant?" At that, Gwen went pink and Aurora smirked in victory. "I thought so. Shall I tell him I expect you home by midnight."
"Shut up, Aurora," Gwen said, though she was grinning, however reluctantly.
Aurora threw her a smirk before returning to Millicent, who said, "I don't know if Vincent would kiss me. I think he just wanted to go as friends. Maybe he'll regret it, 'cause Greg's going on his own."
"If he regrets it, he's an idiot," Aurora said promptly, and Lucille voiced agreement.
"Vincent is a fool," she said, "if he ditches you, I'll definitely manage to find a Beauxbatons boy to dance with you. You do speak French?"
"Obviously," Millicent said, and Aurora smiled at her.
"Keep your eyes open," she instructed, taking the small pot of black lash cream and small brush. "This should work alright, the instructions say that the potion clings to lashes and curls them, without residue."
Lucille huffed. "If I had a galleon for the amount of times I've seen something claiming that..."
"You should really just use mascara," Gwen sighed, staring in a mirror. "Works way better."
"I'm not using a Muggle product."
"Me neither," Pansy agreed, "I'm certain it would not agree with me. It might make my lashes fall off."
"It wouldn't," Gwen huffed, "but if you all want to keep at the potions, fine by me."
"Alright!" Pansy declared. "We now officially only have fifteen minutes, ladies."
Millicent's eyes widened and Aurora nearly poked her in the eye. "But that isn't nearly enough time!" she cried.
"Keep still!" Aurora shrieked — she had still to put on her jewellery, perfume, and finish off her makeup.
"We can be fashionably late," Lucille said, "it's fine."
"It is not fine!" Aurora reprimanded. "Is it, Pans?"
"Absolutely not!"
Aurora finished off Millicent's eyelashes quickly, bring out a light, warm pink lipgloss. "You can do that yourself, I have to sort my jewellery. Pans, which earrings did you say looked best?"
"The small amethyst ones," Pansy replied, "they bring a more delicate touch, but have that little drop so still stand out against your hair."
Aurora nodded. Her bracelet was a delicate silver chain dotted with small amethysts, so all her other jewellery was silver, but she hadn't settled on pearls, diamonds, simple silver, or the matching amethysts for her earrings. The necklace she had chosen — though she hadn't told anyone the story of its origins, and doubted Draco would be observant enough of her outfit to notice — was the one her father had sent her last year, which had belonged to her mother. This would be the first time she was wearing it, a thought which made her rather nervous. She eyed the crescent-moon pendant with a degree of wariness, as if people would care awfully about her wearing it. It was only a necklace, she reminded herself. It was pretty and it was her mother's and it felt appropriate for the outfit and for Yule. Pansy always had more of an eye for jewellery than she did, and she liked it — so she reassured herself that there was nothing wrong with her wearing it.
The next ten minutes were a flurry of excitement and high drama, but Aurora took a moment, once she had clipped her earrings on and moved her necklace into its proper place, to appreciate her reflection. She often thought that she didn't look like anyone in particular — people always tended to say a child looked just like its mother or father, but she could not recall anyone ever saying that to her. But staring into the mirror, she felt oddly, that she looked rather like Andromeda, and the thought made her proud.
"Stop admiring yourself," Pansy said, coming to join her in the mirror and do the very thing that she had just chastised her for. "You do look good though." She propped her chin on Aurora's shoulder. "We're so cute."
Aurora smiled, trying not to laugh too much, as the others grasped frantically for purses and necklaces. "You're very cute," she told Pansy. "You definitely have the frilliest robes."
"I like it!"
"So do I! They suit you! And I'm sure Draco's going to think you're very cute too."
Pansy's eyes dropped slightly and Aurora turned to slip an arm around her shoulders. "Hey, he is. What's wrong?"
"Nothing." She smiled but Aurora could tell it was forced. "Just nervous. This is important, you know? And I don't want to muck it up, or do anything wrong. I want to go with Draco. And I'm excited but I can't help but worry... Well, I can't get my hopes up. About anything. I don't even know if I..."
She couldn't find the words, but Aurora knew what she meant anyway. "And that's alright," she assured her friend. "Listen, Draco already likes you so you aren't going to muck anything up. Just, enjoy the night, see how you both feel about it. You don't have to do anything else. And I don't want details if you do," she added, making Pansy giggle. "See, you'll be fine. I'll see if you and Draco can sit at a table with Cassius and I — I think he wanted to sit with Montague and his date too, so you'll fit right in with the Quidditch team. But Montague's date apparently only watches Quidditch for him," she added, "so you won't have to be bored by us all going on about it, if Montague isn't exaggerating for the sake of his ego, which he is rather prone to do."
Pansy laughed, leaning her head against Aurora's shoulders. "Okay, you're right. It'll be fine."
"More than fine, I'm sure," Aurora said, beaming. "Now, perfume. Finishing touches. Do you want that vanilla and passion fruit one, my raspberry one or my pomegranate one?"
"Vanilla," Pansy said, "it's sweeter, it just... Feels pink. Like the dress."
"Fair assessment," Aurora said, reaching for the bottle and spraying Pansy's neck lightly for her, then her wrists. "I'm going raspberry and rose."
"Also slightly pink," Pansy said, and Aurora grinned.
"You know what they say about pink?" Gwen sang, coming over to them with her own perfume in hand. Aurora and Pansy looked at her blankly. "Is it only — makes the boys wink!"
Aurora shook her head, laughing as she took her pale crystal perfume bottle and sprayed herself in the raspberry scent. "Well, at least it rhymes," she said, grinning.
"And with that," Pansy said, glancing at the clock on the wall, "we really need to go."
"Oh, come on then," Gwen said, bounding over to them. She was wearing robes of pretty turquoise blue, rather bright for winter in Aurora's opinion, but they suited her well, and the skirt drifted lightly around her, rippling like sea waves.
Pansy sighed, linking her arm through Aurora's, as Millicent and Lucille fussed over one anoher's hair for the millionth time. "You all look just fine," Aurora said, looking at each girl in turn. Daphne's robes were a soft lavender colour, embroidered with white and blue flowers on the bodice; Lucille's a cranberry red, made of heavy material with grey fur cuffs; and Millicent's deep green, with a thick silver belt at her waist. All in all, she thought they all did look rather lovely, and with that thought her smile leapt on her face, a giddy feeling in her chest.
"Let's go then, ladies," Pansy said, stowing a tube of lipstick in one of the deep pockets of her robes, alongside her wand.
"I love dress robes so much," Gwen commented to Aurora as they did the same, headed for the door, "they have pockets! Muggle dresses never have pockets and it's so annoying."
"Point one to wizards," Aurora said, and Gwen giggled. "How do you even survive without pockets? What about when you have to put things away?"
"Handbags," Gwen said, "boys have it just fine, but girls? Pockets are tiny if they even do exist. It's honestly a disgrace."
Laughing, Aurora took Gwen's hand with her free one, tugging her along in step with her and Pansy, who was beaming as they came to the common room. People were already milling about inside — Leah MacMillan in pink was trying to console Sally-Anne Perks, whose hair kept slipping out of its updo, Lewis Stebbins and Apollo Jones fretted nervously with ties, the latter giving Aurora a curt nod as she passed, and Davis and Drought whispered in the corner, looking out for their dates — but Aurora was only looking for Cassius.
Pansy squealed when she saw Draco, standing in all black robes with a high collar, and nearly tugged Aurora's arm off as she hurried over to where the boys had all gathered together, Blaise, Robin and Vincent all smiling at their dates as they approached. Theodore stood waiting for his own date, in sweeping dark robes that fit his elegant self perfectly, and Aurora grinned as she caught his eye.
"Evening, Nott," she said, winking, and a pale blush came over his cheeks.
"You too, Black," he said, then cleared his throat hastily, gaze darting away. "You look... Good. Waiting for Warrington?"
She nodded, coming to a halt by his side to look around the room. "And you, Flora? Yes?"
He nodded. "Yes." Clearing his throat again, he said, "My grandfather thought it would be a good idea. My mother's excited though — so's my sister."
"That's sweet," she struggled to say, unsure what the proper response to that was, and he shrugged.
"Yeah. Yeah, I guess it is. I, um — I think I see Warrington over there?"
Aurora turned quickly to follow the direction he nodded in. There Cassius was, eventually, near to the fireplace by the window, talking in a low voice to Graham. Her heart picked up against her will and a smile flickered on her face as he looked up, saw her, and broke into a broad grin before walking over.
"Oh." Aurora turned quickly to Gwen, who was beside her with Robin, and clutche her arm. "He's coming this way."
"Don't tell me about it!" Gwen told her, laughing. She caught Robin exchanging an odd glance with Theo. "Go, turn, talk to him."
Fighting the butterflies in her stomach, Aurora turned to see Cassius striding towards her, and eventually reaching his hand out to take hers. She had never held his hand before, and it engulfed hers, but in a pleasant way — it was warm, and comforting, and he squeezed her hand slightly in a way that made her feel like she was going to combust. "Hi," she said, the word trembling slightly. She coughed, shaking her head. "Hi," she said again, less foolish sounding this time.
"Hey," Cassius said, eyes twinkling in amusement as he stared at her. "You look great."
Her heart fluttered. "Thank you. You — you too." And he did; grey robes rippled with light, woven with silver thread, while his purple tie matched her own robes perfectly. His long blond hair, which usually brushed his shoulders, was pulled back in what Gwen would have called a 'man-bun' and Aurora had to admit she rather liked it. His eyes sparkled too, though that possibly had more to do with her imagination. "Well." She swallowed and licked her lips.
Cassius, smiling, nodded to the doors and said, "Shall we?"
Aurora nodded, relieved. "Yes." She glanced back to Theodore to check if he'd managed to locate Flora, but he had already disappeared alongside Gwen and Robin. "Would it be alright if Draco and Pansy sat on the same table as us and Graham and his date?"
"Of course," Cassius said, looking over to Draco, who was regarding him with suspicion, and Pansy, who was wiggling her eyebrows. He chuckled. "So long as Draco doesn't hex me."
"If he does, he knows I'll hex him right back," Aurora said primly, feeling a rush when he laughed again. "Come on then. Tell Graham to get himself over here and we can find a decent table."
Grinning, Cassius gestured for Graham to join them with his date, a tall red-haired sixth year in emerald robes, who grinned at Aurora when she approached. "Marie Vaisey," she introduced herself.
"Aurora Black," Aurora said, and Marie laughed.
"I know. I think everyone knows who you are." Someone, Aurora didn't think that was a compliment, but Marie smiled. "Let's get on then, Graham."
Graham flushed and took her arm, leading the way out of the common room. Aurora and Cassius filed into step behind them, part of the mass of people already heading for the Great Hall.
The Entrance Hall was even busier than the common room, people crowded round the main staircase as the Gryffindors and Ravenclaws descended, the lions as loud and obnoxious as ever. Aurora caught sight of Potter and Weasley looking greatly awkward as they walked with Parvati Patil — Weasley had been rejected rather bluntly by Fleur Delacour, while Potter had inevitably delayed his asking out of Cho Chang long enough that she already had a date, Cedric Diggory, whom Aurora thought would have been a superior choice anyhow.
"Into the hall," Professor McGonagall called, trying to shepherd the students, "champions over here, Mr Diggory — Mr Potter, do stop staring — everyone in, the ball will start soon. Seven o'clock was not merely a suggestion. Thank you!"
Laughing, Aurora went with Cassius into the hall. It had been decorated since lunch, and rather than the usual gaudy, cozy decorations that would be strung up for Christmas feasts of the past, the Great Hall was this time covered in frosted silver lights which blinked around the room. The tall pine trees were strung with silk ribbons of silver, dusted with false snow, and mistletoe hung in random places around the hall. Where the staff usually sat was a large round table with a pale blue-white tablecloth, presumably for champions and guests, but around the hall were dotted another hundred or so smaller tables, each with crystal lanterns and between six and ten seats around them.
"How about one by the windows?" Cassius said, squeezing Aurora's hand as she stared around. "We can get a view of the Quidditch Pitch."
"Sounds perfect," Aurora and Draco said at the same time, while Graham nodded enthusiastically. Pansy and Marie exchanged a look, then laughed at their expense.
The table they managed to find for themselves did indeed have a view of the Quidditch Pitch, though it was only half-visible due to the dark and the position of the towers between them. Its stands were dusted with snow though, just like the trees of the forbidden forest, ghostly in the distance.
"Ludo Bagman looks excited," Cassius murmured, nodding to the top table where Bagman was rushing about talking to a rather pasty-looking Barty Crouch, wearing bright violet robes dotted with bright yellow stars.
"He always looks far too excited for his own good," Aurora whispered back. "Though I really do not rate his choice of robes."
"No," Cassius agreed, "I'm not sure what he's going for there. I think I prefer his Wimborne Wasps uniform."
"Ah yes," Aurora drawled, "an even brighter shade of yellow. Just what we need for Christmas."
"It's not very seasonal, is it?" Cassius said. "But I guess I can't really talk, I'm just playing it safe with grey."
"Yes, but you look handsome," Aurora said, before she could think about the words, and felt embarrassment heat her cheeks again. "Grey suits you, I mean. Whereas Bagman just looks awful."
"Snape on the other hand..." Cassius said, drawing her attention to the other sound of the hall, where Snape was talking to Professor Karkaroff, looking deeply annoyed by his presence. He was wearing black robes, and glaring at everyone who passed him as always.
"Not particularly festive," Aurora said, wrinkling her nose. "Perhaps he could take lessons from Bagman, on styling. If they came to a compromise, it might save all our eyesight."
Cassius chuckled, just as the doors to the Great Hall opened again and everyone sat up straight, hearing faint music begin. McGonagall, in red tartan robes and looking very stressed, led the way for the three champions and their guests. In front was Fleur Delacour with the Ravenclaw Quidditch player, Roger Davies, who looked rather astounded to be there at all, followed by Cedric Diggory and Cho Chang, and then Viktor Krum with a girl in robes of periwinkle blue. Aurora frowned, leaning forward, as people muttered around her.
"That isn't Hermione Granger, is it?" she asked, and Draco looked up sharply.
"Where?"
"With Krum?"
Everyone at the table turned to eye the procession more closely, staring. The girl on Krum's arm looked like she could be Granger, if Granger cared about styling her hair and wearing makeup, which Aurora never thought that she did. When she turned to wave at Potter and Weasley — both of whom looked rather put out sitting at a table with the Patil sisters, Neville and Ginny Weasley — it seemed to be confirmed.
"No way he'd ask her," Draco said haughtily. "He's a Quidditch player! He's famous! What's he doing with her?"
Pansy sniffed. "I don't know, Draco, but you don't have to stare at her."
"I'm not," he said quickly, "I'm staring at Krum. And Diggory — Merlin, he looks pleased with himself."
He did rather, Aurora thought, watching as the procession made its way to the large table at the top of the hall. Potter, she noticed, was staring enviously at them, much to his own date's apparent displeasure.
"Right," Cassius said, looking at his plate and the small menus they had each been given. "Do we just say what we want?"
"I think so," Aurora said, frowning at the options. Steak pie was appealing but she didn't want the mess of a flaky pastry, so she settled on the lamb dish, with a glass of butterbeer to drink. She and Cassius tapped glasses together and when she drank, she caught Pansy's eye with a grin.
Conversation flowed around the table as they ate. It was perhaps the longest Aurora and Cassius had ever managed to speak without mentioning Quidditch, but she found that she enjoyed it — she found out more about his family, his two much older sisters, his childhood which admittedly, did seem to involve a lot of flying. They traded jokes, commenting on the outfits of everyone else around the room, from Crouch's boring grey robes — which they agreed were even worse than Snape's, because at least black was less bland than grey — to Madam Maxime's gown which engulfed her in diamonds and jewels.
But the most exciting part of the night was to come when the desserts were cleared away and the Weird Sisters came out to raucous applause, setting up to play on a podium at the end of the hall. Cassius sat up straight, grinning. "Used to have a poster of Myron Wagtail in my room," he told Aurora, "fancied myself a singer too, except I can't really sing."
"You can't be so bad," Aurora said, but he shook his head.
"I can. Trust me."
The band started off with a slow dance led by the champions and their partners, but before long everyone else was joining in too, and Aurora found herself getting that same excited, fluttery feeling when Cassius extended a hand to her. She had danced with people many times before, but never Cassius — never someone who made her feel like smiling so much.
He had said he wasn't a brilliant dancer, but he still held her well as they spun slowly across the dance floor, one of his hands on her back, the other holding her hand, while she held carefully onto his shoulder. It helped that most students didn't really know what they were doing, and Cassius was at least better taught than most of the boys treading on their dates' toes, which caused a few commotions across the floor. He held her politely, respectfully, grinning at her as they seemed to float through the song, the hem of her robes brushing her ankles and her heeled shoes.
"You're better than you thought you were," Aurora told him, holding his hand just that little bit tighter. "You made it sound like this was going to be a disaster."
"Well, it still could be," Cassius said. "I'm definitely better at Quidditch than at dancing."
"Most definitely," Aurora teased, "but this isn't bad either." A small smile tugged at her lips. "You're good at it, actually. It's sweet."
Cassius grinned. "Well, I'd hope so," he said, and then raised his hand for her to spin under him. As she did so, her skirts flared around her, floating in that magical way, before she returned to him, his hand landing again on her back, but closer to her waist, warm but tentative. She smiled at the feeling that ran through her, and pressed ever so slightly closer to him as the song came to and end and the band struck up a much livelier tune — Do the Hippogriff.
She almost groaned at the timing but held it in as Cassius' hand dropped from her waist and went to held her hand that had been on his shoulder. People started flooding the dance floor, pressing together in their excitement, jumping and flailing about, and the pair of them had to hold onto each other tightly in the fight for space.
Cassius drew her closer to him just as someone was about to knock into her, holding her hands so that she was curled into his side. "Oh, gosh," she said, laughing. "This is a bit crowded."
He grinned, and said, "Spin around again. There might not be as much room but we can still dance."
She couldn't help but smile back as she turned, pulling him with her, and they sank into the rhythm like everyone else, still holding hands. His eyes stayed on her the whole time, a smile lighting up his face as they danced together, spinning and swaying, while the music changed from song to song.
"One last song," Aurora said, clasping him tightly as her feet began to ache. "Then we can take a seat. And get a drink, wherever it is."
"Sounds a plan," Cassius said, and spun her around again, before bringing her back towards him. They were close now, closer than she'd intended, but Aurora found she didn't mind the close proximity, or the way his thumb drifted over her knuckles, raising a tingle of warmth on her skin. They were close enough that she could feel his warmth breath against her, that in her heels she could meet his eyes by tilting her head up slightly, that in this position their lips were closer to each other. Her heart pounded in her chest at the thought and she was sure he heard it — or perhaps he just knew, perhaps he just felt the same — because he brought her closer and leaned down, and then his lips brushed against hers.
Aurora had never kissed someone before and wasn't entirely certain of how it was supposed to feel, physically, but on an emotional level, the gesture made her heart burst as she returned the kiss. It lasted only a moment, but for that moment, the rest of the ball faded, and when Aurora drew back, holding in her smile was too much of a chore to continue. Cassius grinned at her, hands holding hers. There was a second in which they considered one another, considered their situation, where to go from there, and then Aurora gave a small, subtle nod and he held her hands tighter, beaming.
Once the song faded into the next, they left the dance floor, Aurora giddy at the feeling of Cassius's hand holding hers. "I'll get us drinks," Cassius said, face flushed. "You want to find somewhere to sit?"
Aurora nodded, slightly breathless — something which she blamed entirely on the dance floor, of course — and headed back towards their table, only to find that it had been taken over by a group of Beauxbatons students who stared at her when she came near. Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, Aurora turned back the way she came, spying an empty table closer to the dance floor but unfortunately near to where Potter and Weasley were sitting with Hermione Granger, the latter two looking furious with each other while Potter sat, rather baffled, in the middle.
"—who was the one who wanted his autograph?" Granger was asking shrilly, cheeks flushed. "Who's got a model of him up in his dormitory?"
"I s'pose he asked to go with him while you were in the library?"
"Yes, he did," Granger said, as Aurora sat down two tables away, keeping her eyes fixed pointedly on Cassius across the hall, who appeared to have gotten into conversation with Viktor Krum himself. "So what?"
"What happened — trying to get him to join spew—"
"Hey, Black," Potter's voice said, as he sat down in the seat next to her. Aurora turned sharply, glaring.
"Yes?"
He looked her up and down, frowned, then jerked his head back towards his two quarrelling friends, who seemed not to have noticed his absence, or otherwise did not care. With an awkward clearing of the throat, he said, "Krum seems... Cheerful."
Glancing over to where Krum stood with Cassius, Aurora wasn't sure. He wasn't scowling, but that did not feel particularly cheerful to her. "What do you want?"
"Nothing!" He glanced back at his friends. "Okay, I wanted to get away from that fight."
"I couldn't blame you," Aurora said, pursing her lips. "Though I don't know why you think that means you have to talk to me."
Potter scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Well, I don't know why you decided to sit at the table next to mine."
"Because some Beauxbatons students have taken over my table," she said, rolling her eyes, "don't get all worried, Potter, I expect Cassius will be over in a minute and we'll get out of your hair."
Potter scowled, then looked at the dance floor, seeming annoyed by something. "You know," Aurora pointed out, "just because Cho Chang rejected you doesn't mean you have to mope all evening. Patil really doesn't look like she's enjoying herself."
He blinked, surprised for a moment, before settling to glare at her. "I'm not moping," he muttered, "and she didn't reject me. She said she would've liked to go with me but... Someone else asked her first."
Aurora pressed her lips together to keep from smirking. "So she let you down gently."
"No!" Potter snapped. "Stop being a jerk, Black."
She raised her eyebrows. "Alright, Potter, keep your hair on. Sorry."
They sat in silence, for a moment, Potter tapping his foot off the floor in the most aggravating of ways. She could sense the nervous tension in the air, flooded with the lingering argument between his friends a few feet away.
"What's bothering you?" she asked at last, tired of the tension in his shoulders and the way he was staring blankly at the dance floor.
"What?" He turned to her sharply. "Nothing! Why — why d'you think there's something bothering me?"
"Because if there wasn't something bothering you, you wouldn't be over here bothering me. Either it's just Granger and Weasley — which again, I can't blame you for trying to get out of whatever makes her look like she's going to throw a shoe at his head—" Potter turned sharply, as though expecting to see a shoe fly through the air at any moment "—or there's something else you want to say to me and you won't say it because you're you and you always make things far more difficult than they need to be. So, which is it?"
For a moment he stared at her in surprise, which turned quickly — as it always did — to irritation, and then Potter said simply, "I think something's wrong with Karkaroff."
That took her more off guard than it should have, but it was said so casually that Aurora couldn't help but take a moment to process it. "I see?"
"Look at the way he's walking," he said, nodding his head in the direction of the surly Durmstrang Headmaster. "Like he's limping."
"Hm." Aurora pursed her lips. "Maybe he's trying to get out of dancing."
"I'm being serious, Black."
"So am I." She sighed, watching as the Durmstrang headmaster limped along. He held his left arm strangely too, shoulder turned in towards himself. "You want to interrogate him, aren't you?"
"No," Potter said, too quickly.
Aurora pressed her lips together. "Are you going to transform yourself into Viktor Krum to — probably illegally and definitely unethically — glean some dirty secrets then? Or do you have another original idea?"
"I'm not interrogating anyone," he said, almost bashfully. "But you agree it's weird, right?" He turned swiftly then, surprising Aurora, until she realised where his gaze had landed. "I think he's trying to kill Crouch."
She stared at him for a moment, head empty, before managing to recover and say, "You what?"
"Well, someone's trying to kill Crouch—"
"Much as I appreciate your concern, we don't actually know that—"
"And Karkaroff's well shifty, especially at the First Task, and you can tell Crouch doesn't like him."
"But you could say the same about Professor Moody. Also, you cannot just say things like that! Especially when anyone could hear!"
Potter snorted and shook his head. "Crouch needs to work out for someone, anyway. And Karkaroff..."
"He is creepy," Aurora agreed as he trailed off, "but I don't know. If he is, he's not going to try anything here. Too many people."
"I don't like it."
"You never like anything, Potter. Listen, you know I think something's wrong, too. But we don't know what, and to be honest, Potter, you don't have to be the one to get involved. If it doesn't affect you... Just enjoy your night."
Aurora was almost amused to see the offence on his face. "Do you really care about Crouch that much?"
"Well, Karkaroff used to be a Death Eater! He could be up to anything."
Aurora nodded wearily. "Even so," she said, softening her voice as she saw Crouch go over to Ron Weasley, and Cassius and Krum begin to move towards them, "you're not going to be able to do anything right now. And it's not up to you, anyway. But if something happens at the Second Task, I suppose, we might have more of an idea what's going on."
"So you agree something's going on."
"I agree there is always a possibility of something going on, especially when you happen to be around, Potter."
To that he had little to say, and for a moment there was a lull. Aurora leaned back, watching as Cassius and Krum came over, holding drinks, just as Hermione Granger stormed away from a bemused Barty Crouch, leaving a baffled and somewhat angry Weasley behind. Padma Patil, Weasley's unfortunate date, finally left him to dance with a Beauxbatons boy — Aurora silently cheered for her — and Cassius, oblivious to everything that had just happened, handed Aurora a glass of a pale pink liquid, before coming to sit in the seat beside her. His hand lingered by her waist as he did so, making her shiver.
"Potter," Cassius said stiffly, giving only the briefest of nods which Potter did not reciprocate. Cassius paid it no mind, bowing his head to talk to Aurora. "Is he bothering you?"
"No more than usual," she said lightly, and exchanged a nervous, warning glance with Potter. "Granger and Weasley had a fight, not that that's particularly out of the ordinary." She sipped her drink, a sweet, strawberry-flavoured thing. "What is this?"
"I'm not sure, but it looked fruity and probably not alcoholic, so I figured it'd be alright." Aurora chuckled. "Though apparently," he said as Potter gave a loud sigh and went to join Weasley, "people are talking about a bit of an afterparty in the common room."
She smiled over the rim of her glass. "Sounds good."
They both sipped at their drinks for a moment, before Cassius said, "Snape looks even less cheerful than he did that Valentine's Day."
Aurora glanced up, following his gaze, and grinned. "Good."
With a short laugh, Cassius turned to her, frowning. "Really? Don't you like him?"
"No." Aurora scoffed. "Have I ever given you the impression that I did? He hates me, and the feeling is very much mutual."
"What's he done to deserve that?" Cassius asked, brow furrowed. "I mean, he isn't the most pleasant bloke — why do you think he hates you? He's a git to everyone."
"My first lesson with him, he specifically picked on me to answer questions during the register, and called me arrogant when I got them all right." Cassius laughed. "What?"
"Nothing. I can just imagine you staring him down and rhyming off answers. He's a sour git, though."
"Too right." Aurora glanced at him and knocked her glass against his, just as she brushed against his shoulder. Snape moved off when she glanced up, seeing him muttering to Karkaroff again. "He was in the same year as my father when they were at school," she admitted, heart hammering when Cassius looked at her — it was not often that she spoke of her father, and she could not recall broaching the subject with him before. "They hated each other, and it seems that I inherited Snape's hatred. He hated Potter's father too, and hates him for it as well — which is in some ways even more unfair, considering. But it doesn't particularly bother me that he doesn't like me. I think it's petty, but it isn't as if he has a particularly charming personality. I doubt I'm missing out."
Cassius chuckled. "You know I asked him if I could get extra Potions practice time before O.W.L.s last year — I'm rubbish at Potions — and he looked at me like I'd asked him to clear the stables. And he wonders why so few of his students do well."
"Oh, it's all due to our natural dunderheadedness," Aurora mocked, taking another sip of her drink as Cassius laughed.
Another beat of quiet, and then, "My sister didn't like him either. Clara told me one time she got this sludge stuck to her cauldron, and he never let it go, he'd always bring it up. She left long before I started, of course, but I'm certain Snape made the connection with me too. Then again, he probably finds a reason for disliking every student in the school." He shrugged. "Doesn't help that Clara was a Ravenclaw, he's a bit nicer to me, and was to Viola. I think because of her house."
"I wouldn't be surprised," Aurora said, "he does pick on the Gryffindors in our class. I dread to think how awful he would be if I had been sorted there." She tilted her head as they both drank, and met his eyes with a frown. "Was it strange, having sisters so much older than you? You said Clara was, what, ten years older than you? And Viola fourteen?" Cassius nodded. She was sure there were some siblings with larger gaps, but having both of his sisters at boarding school while he was a child must have been odd. "I suppose it would be helpful to have someone to tell you about Hogwarts more recently than your parents, though."
Cassius shrugged. "To be honest, I'm not sure it really registered with me. I was only one when Clara started school, so I didn't really remember her that well. They'd just be in my life for a couple months a year. I mean, they're great, but I am jealous of people with closer siblings. I know you don't have any, so that might still sound silly."
"I have a Draco," Aurora said, glancing over to where her cousin was dancing with Pansy, both of them flushed but smiling widely. "It's close enough."
She nodded for him to continue, he did. "I guess it didn't bother me when I was younger. And it's not like it's awful or anything. It is a bit weird that Vi's daughter is only ten years younger than I am, but it's alright really. I like the kids, though I did get told off in the summer for trying to teach Louise to play Quidditch. I thought seven was a fair age to start though."
"I was definitely flying by seven," Aurora said, and he nodded indignantly.
"Exactly! But she's all precious about her. I said she'd never get on the house team if we didn't start training her but apparently my priorities and my sister's priorities aren't the same." He rolled his eyes, but there was an edge of laughter to it, and Aurora laughed with him.
"D'you think we'll finally get a decent Quidditch season next year?" Aurora asked. "Whether it's you or Graham in charge — obviously I'm totally impartial on that matter—" she winked at him, feeling bold, and he grinned "—but we seriously need to make up for this year. And it'll be your last year, too."
"Don't remind me," Cassius said, groaning. "That's an absolutely terrifying thought. Then we'll have two years of you and Malfoy running the show, and then — we're gone."
"Just like that." She sighed. "Well, I certainly intend to smash Gryffindor in the cup at some stage. Preferably next year."
Cassius laughed and leaned closer, finishing off his drink. Again, Aurora rapidly grew aware of her own heartbeat, of the scent of his cologne, of the flecks of emerald in his eyes. She leaned into him, tilting her head up to meet his eyes properly, so that their lips were close to touching — and was promptly startled by someone stumbling towards their table.
"Sorry!" they yelled, with a red flush and a startled gaze that indicated they had put something stronger than butterbeer in their drink, and hurried off, cackling.
The moment, however, was gone, and Aurora felt rather annoyed at the red-faced student who had disturbed their bubble. She downed her drink, and Cassius took her hand. "Come on," he said, grinning, "there's no rules against going out in the grounds for some air, are there?"
A warm flush broke over Aurora's cheeks, but she shook her head, standing up. "I don't believe there are. Shall we?"
It was surprisingly easy to slip out of the hall with everyone dancing, not paying them any mind. Cassius's hand was warm in hers, and Aurora allowed herself to smile as they hurried down the front steps of the castle into the grounds, keeping to the shadows. Just because there weren't any rules telling them not to go out into the grounds didn't mean the teachers would be pleased if they were there — not that they were the only ones, by the sounds of things.
Aurora shivered slightly as they went through the snow, though thankfully the path had been cleared by the Durmstrang and Beauxbatons students coming up for the ball earlier. Cassius cast a warming charm over the both of them.
Once they were a little ways out, by some rose bushes, they ducked into the shadows. A small thrill went through Aurora at the fact, how forbidden it was. It was perhaps not the most sensible, most practical thing to do. Aurora's rebellious streak had so far been confined to poorly thought out scholarly endeavours or assisting innocent prison escapees. Not romance, not personal feelings or wants.
But in the shadows by the rose bushes, finally alone, a burst of confidence allowed her to reach up and settle her hands on Cassius's shoulder as she kissed him gently. His lips were soft, and now he tasted something like that same strawberry drink she had been sipping earlier. At first he seemed surprised by her forwardness, then swiftly returned the kiss, one hand brushing over her shoulder. It was gentle, sweet, and Aurora leaned into it, and the pleasant warmth she found with him.
Cassius smiled against her lips and cupped her chin with his free hand, thumb brushing her jaw in a way that made her shiver. When he pulled back, his eyes were bright, and there was a faint sheen on his mouth where her lipgloss had left its mark. "Earlier," he said in a low voice, "when I just said you looked great... What I meant to say is, that you look gorgeous."
Her cheeks burned at the compliment, but Aurora couldn't restrain her smile as she stood on her tiptoes to kiss him again, only to be cut off by the sound of voices nearby and someone moving through the bushes. Panic jumped into her throat and she moved her hand to hold Cassius's tightly, as he drew her closer to him, hiding in the shadows from the intruder.
"...don't see what there is to fuss about, Igor," said Snape's voice, and Aurora held in her gasp, leaning back soundlessly.
"Severus," said Karkaroff's voice, laced with anxiety, "you cannot pretend this isn't happening. It's been getting clearer and clearer for months, I am becoming seriously concerned, I cannot—"
"Then flee." Aurora resisted the urge to move and try and listen more clearly — her heart was hammering so loud in her chest that she was sure Cassius could hear it, with his arms wrapped around her as they were. "Flee, I will make your excuses. I, however, am staying at Hogwarts."
There was a blasting sound and one of the rose bushes across from them burst apart, revealing two shadowy figures. Aurora backed up into Cassius, trying to figure out the best way to make a run for it before they got caught, and it seemed he was thinking the same thing.
"Ten points from Hufflepuff, Fawcett!" he barked at someone. "And ten from Ravenclaw, Stebbins!"
His voice faded, though Aurora could still make out the irritability of it. Only when she was certain he had left did Aurora let herself breathe again. Cassius chuckled into her hair from behind.
"That was not funny," she whispered breathlessly, "I thought for sure he was going to catch me."
"He wouldn't take points from us at least."
"No, he'd probably just give me detention for the rest of my life." She stepped away from Cassius, though immediately missed the warmth from his chest. His lips were still quirked into a smile as he looked at her. "That wasn't funny! It was terrifying!"
"Only a little," Cassius said, voice teasing. "They couldn't have done anything, really. And they're gone now, so..."
He held his hand out again, but Aurora couldn't help the worry that she could be caught. It wasn't as though they were being particularly improper, but she didn't want awful gossip, nor did she want the awful embarrassment of Snape catching her, of all people. People would talk. Society would talk, and she didn't want that.
So she took in a small breath, steadying herself. "We should probably head back inside, before anyone comes looking for us."
He tried to downplay his disappoint, and the glimmer of confusion, but nodded, coming to her side. "Alright then. But, Aurora — obviously the ball isn't over yet anyway, but would you like to do something like this again? A date, I mean? There's the Hogsmeade weekend coming up in February."
He looked so hopeful, and Aurora so dearly wanted to accept. One date would hardly ruin her, after all.
She smiled softly, taking her hand as they stepped out from behind the rosebushes, spotting the other figures on the path, all of them appearing to be students. "I'd like that," she said quietly. "So, that's a yes."
Grinning, they headed back inside. They passed Potter and Weasley on the way, both of them looking disturbed by something. Potter stared at her as she passed and Aurora raised her eyebrows, smirking in challenge.
Still, her mind went to Snape and Karkaroff, and she felt a chill. Maybe she had been too quick to dismiss Potter tonight. He had a point, after all, she had to admit.
She just hoped she didn't have to be affected by it. She wished this year, at least, could just be normal.