Aurora

The next morning I woke up right at dawn. The dim light of the bedside lamp cast shadows on the unconcerned faces of the sleeping students — Annabelle, Pansy, and Millicent were still snoozing in their green velvet beds. The room was warm and cozy, the logs crackling soothingly in the fireplace, giving a feeling of peace, and the greenish reflections from the lamp reflected in the small tongues of the dying flame. The candles had gone out during the night, and there was a strong smell of burnt wax in the room. I grimaced in displeasure, not wanting to wake up from the saving bliss of sleep and plunge into the worries of the day ahead. The horrors of what happened at night fell upon me with all the weight of uncertainty and hopelessness. My head was buzzing hopelessly, and I slowly got up to drink some kind of migraine medicine.

I wonder what Potter is up to right now? Did he see the same thing last night that I saw? Does he think about what happened?

Consumed by restless thoughts, I went to a mirror in a silver frame of intertwining snakes. From there, a pale, haggard face stared back at me. Dark circles under the eyes, the skin on the lips is cracked, the hair is tangled and sticking out in different directions. I drank a migraine tincture to somehow recover, and began to slowly put on my school uniform, periodically wincing from the sudden pain in my joints, pulling on my stockings. My roommates began to wake up too, and among the hum of the voices of the awakened classmates, I caught Pansy's displeased grumbling.

"I didn't sleep very well today... I dreamed that some psycho entered our bedroom and caused a commotion! I heard him say something. It was so real that I already begin to think that someone was really here!"

My stomach did a deadly somersault, and the stocking slipped listlessly down my leg.

"Come on, Pansy. There was no one here. You just had a bad dream," I said confidently, plunging the comb into my tangled tresses with force.

Anna nodded in agreement, but Pansy just shrugged her shoulders in reluctant agreement.

"I don't know, maybe you're right. Okay, see you at breakfast. You look awful Aurora."

With that, she took her bag and disappeared into the doorway.

"Someday I'll rip all her hair out!" said Anna, belligerently folding her arms over her chest.

My struggle with my hair was also crowned with success — they finally leveled out and flowed over my shoulders in a golden-copper wave. I hurriedly threw my bag over my shoulder and walked out of the bedrooms with Anna.

*

At breakfast, a piece did not climb into my throat. I forced myself to eat a bowl of bacon and eggs, fighting back nausea. Today it was necessary to finish brewing our potion — and this required strength that I did not have.

"We're still missing one ingredient," Anna said in a whisper, nodding meaningfully towards the Gryffindor table, where our chosen victim was laughing nonchalantly in the company of her fellow students.

"They seem to be having Quidditch practice today," Annabelle continued, helping herself to a large bowl of stewed beans. "Outside their dressing rooms, I'll grab her. Just look at her, smile from ear to ear. Don't suspect a thing, fool."

Having said this, Anna grinned and, impatiently rubbing her palms together, put a large piece of toast with strawberry jam into her mouth, slowly starting to chew it.

I nodded and took a sip of the cold pumpkin juice from the goblet, feeling life-saving relief with each sip. When I looked up at the head table, I saw Snape glaring at me, and I immediately felt uncomfortable. Realizing that I did not leave his attempt to burn a hole in me unattended, he immediately averted his eyes, but suspicions again crept into my foggy brain that he had found out about something.

This unpleasant feeling did not let me go and the entire double lesson of Defense against the Dark Arts with the Gryffindors. The professor darted around the classroom back and forth, waving his robe like a kite's wings, and periodically drove Longbottom to hysteria. A couple of times, as usual, he found fault with Potter, who tried to scold him, and left him after the lessons, causing zealous approval from the Slytherins.

"But sir!" Granger interrupted, causing the Potions Master to glare at her in annoyance. "Harry is nothing..."

"Miss Granger, do me a favor and keep your mouth shut. No one here is interested in your opinion on how I should deal with my students. If you don't want to share the detention with Potter, hold your tongue from now on."

Granger bit her lip and looked dejectedly at her friend. Potter's ears were on fire, his cheeks flushed. He was clearly angry.

"Finally, someone put that favorite of Dumbledore in his place," Anna smirked with satisfaction as Snape deducted fifty points from Gryffindor and promised Potter an exciting evening in the company of dirty cauldrons.

Anna never liked Snape, but Potter seemed to annoy her a lot more.

Potter clenched his quill until it bled and buried himself in his parchment. I saw him lean over to the Weasleys and whisper something in his ear. Something flashed in Potter's green eyes, as if some important thought had dawned on him, and he turned away.

"Stop staring at them," Anna whispered. "Snape is looking at you."

I looked up at the professor. Our eyes met. It was impossible to understand anything from his impenetrable face, but if I did not break eye contact with him, he would easily get into my head and see there everything that I wanted to hide from him. Maybe he is already doing it right now.

The bell quickly brought me to my senses, and I began to hastily throw quills, parchment, and textbooks into my bag, trying to get out of the classroom as quickly as possible.

The professor slowly got up from his desk. Here, now he will come to me and appoint a penalty. And I will get in trouble.

He didn't come up. And he didn't prescribe anything.

With a loud rustle of wings, an owl flew in through the open window of the classroom and landed on the table, holding out a letter tied to its paw. Snape quickly untied the letter and disappeared through the office door, slamming the door behind him.

*

"I have no desire for Snape to find out about all our plans! He just almost read my mind! Why did we even mess with this potion? As if there weren't enough problems already!" I was beside myself with anger as we hid in Myrtle's bathroom, watching the hot pink brew boil in the small cauldron across from me. The potion was already exuding a pleasant aroma, the smell of musk and sandalwood, and something barely perceptible, which smelled like we had in the dungeons.

"If I hadn't risked my life for this yesterday, I swear I would have given up on this whole thing."

"Oh, come on. By the way, what was Potter doing yesterday in the forest?"

"So he told me! If it hadn't been for his attack…"

"Attack? More details from this place. I always knew he was a bit of that…"

"Potter grabbed his scar and fell. He was in pain, he was seized with a cramp. And when I leaned over to pour the potion, I..."

"Hmmm. Schizophrenia is rampant in Gryffindor."

"You don't understand! He almost died in front of my eyes! If you only knew how scared I was that he would go to another world right in front of me."

Suddenly I stuttered. I wanted to tell what I saw then, but I could not, as if an invisible hand had shut my mouth — I could not make a sound.

I made an effort and said quickly:

"I saw the Dark Lord and Draco — he gave him the task of killing someone."

Anna sighed and brought her hand to her mouth. She was horrified by what she heard.

"Merlin's beard! Can't be! What if it was some of your fears? Or Potter's fears?"

"I don't have the slightest idea what it was. I distinctly remember seeing the dead — some unknown woman with red hair who seemed to want to convey a message to me. But for the life of me, I don't know why!"

Anna was alarmed.

"Better tell Snape about it! He's an expert on all sorts of damn things like this! Looks like you got into Potter's mind. Or maybe you saw fragments of his past? Or the future? And why did Potter and you see Draco?"

I snorted in annoyance.

"If I knew! I can't say anything to Snape right now — otherwise, he will punish me for the potion! And I, you know, need his advice!"

Anna suddenly turned serious and swallowed nervously. Her face was white as chalk.

"Do you think the Dark Lord really gave Draco the task of killing someone?" she asked quietly. "But who?"

"Anything is possible," I replied sullenly, pouring cinnamon into the bubbling cauldron.

Anna stared dejectedly into the cauldron.

"You know, maybe Draco deserved everything that happens to him," she said with anger and bitterness in her voice.

"How can you say that? How can one deserve this?"

"If you were in my place, you would understand... I know that now is not the best time, but we won't stop halfway?"

"No, of course not," I said dejectedly. If I promised to help take revenge, I will bring the matter to the end, and then I will wash my hands. Now everything will go to hell.

And in this I was not mistaken.