Chapter 3
Aurora walked to the end of the hall and opened a door. It was a door she remembered well. All the times that she snuck into this room as a teen witch washed over her. She reached out and turned the doorknob and unconsciously held her breath. She could do this.it would be okay. Opening the door, she saw his room exactly as she remembered it. Quidditch posters hanging on the walls were now yellowed with age.
Photos from school with the people moving and waving madly hung on the memo board above his desk. She leaned over and examined the photographs closer. There were ones of the Marauders before and after Aurora began school at Hogwarts. A picture of Aurora and Lily at the Valentine's Ball during Aurora's fourth year made her smile. She was fourteen and Lily was sixteen. Lil had helped her pick out her clothes and get ready for the dance. How she missed Lily! It was easy to forget about her and all the rest of the people she had lost, but here, she was confronted head on with all those who were missing from her life.
Photos of Aurora with James and Sirius made her laugh. They were dressed in the scarlet Gryffindor robes and the moving people in the photo kept trying to knock each other out of the picture. Broomsticks in hand, they all three looked so happy. So many memories, she thought. "We were just kids," Aurora said outloud to herself. "How did it all go so wrong?"
Aurora avoided one photo in particular. Another photo from the Valentine's Ball was in a small silver frame. She picked it up took a deep breath and she ran stared at the photo in her hands. If you had asked fourteen year old Aurora what her happiest moment was, she would have described this picture. There she stood with Sirius Black, her date for the ball. His hair was flopped into his eyes and he wore the biggest smile. He had his arms wrapped around her waist and was smiling at the camera. Pure joy shone in her eyes. Aurora walked over to the bed and sat down with the photo. She couldn't help but remember the night that this photo
February, 19 years ago......
Aurora was muddy and gross from the three-hour practice. James kept complaining that he was saddle sore from riding his blasted broomstick for so long. Sirius just laughed as he listened to them complain about practice.
"Be glad we are still all young and carefree," he teased. "Someday we will have to grow up and graduate and three hours of playing Quidditch will be a luxury and not a chore."
James rolled his eyes and looked at Aurora. "Well, I am going to run off. See you guys later. Padfoot, full one tonight. Don't forget." With a wink, James ran off towards the school.
"So," Sirius said as he kicked around the grass with the toe of his shoe, "going to the ball?"
"I don't know," Aurora said shyly. "I'm not really into that stuff. I couldn't pick out fancy dress robes if I my life depended on it."
"Lily would help you pick them out," Sirius assured her. "If you wanted to go." Aurora sat down on a grassy knoll and pulled her knees into her chest.
"Dances are no fun by yourself, Siri," she laughed. "Anyway, which member of your harem is getting the honor of being your date?"
"No one," he said nonchalantly. "I could take you, I mean if you wanted to go. I'd really like to take you, Aurora." Aurora's cheeks turned red, not from the cold, but from nerves.
"Sure, okay," Aurora told him. "I'd like that Sirius."
He smiled broadly before standing up. "Great," Sirius told her as he extended his hand to help her up. "I can't wait." Then he walked away leaving her standing there with a slight feeling of shock and awe. Had Sirius Black really just asked her out on a date? To the Valentine's Ball?
Things had been kind of odd between them for a while. They had been friends for so long and she was one of the boys. Now, Sirius seemed to be pulling back a little. He was acting weird, treating her like a girl and all. Remus, James, and Peter still treated her normally. None of them would ever ask her to a dance. But deep down, her heart was still beating fast from the sweet look in his bright blue eyes as he asked her to go to the dance with him.
If she were really honest with herself, Aurora would realize what was going on. She knew that things were changing because an attraction had grown between them. She remembered a time a couple of weeks ago in the common room when Siri had been tickling her. They were wrestling around and he threw her down on the couch. Pretty soon she was laughing so hard that tears were running down her face. She looked up to find Sirius leaning over her and she knew he was about to kiss her. As he leaned towards her, they heard the Fat Lady's portrait swing open to let someone into the Gryffindor tower. Quickly they straightened up as they saw Remus Lupin walk into the room.
"Hey Aurora, Sirius," he said calmly, with a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. Aurora laughed at the memory of how guilty they must have looked to Remus at that moment.
The memory of that dance made her smile. Sirius had gone out of his way to be charming to her. He was a perfect date. As he walked her to the tower afterwards, he was nervous as he told her goodnight. They were the only two people in the common room once again. She smiled up at him and he reached down and touched her face. Slowly he leaned forward and kissed her, sealing a new chapter to their relationship.
That was the memory contained in that photo. Aurora sat there still immobile until she forced herself to put the photo away. Drowning in old photos would not get her anywhere, it never had. As she stretched and yawned, she realized that she didn't have any pajamas to sleep in. Not feeling like apparating back to London, she walked over to the dresser and pulled out a pair of men's pajamas. At least Sirius is tall enough that these will fit me, she thought. She pulled them on and curled up on the bed and prayed for dreamless sleep.
Aurora walked to the end of the hall and opened a door. It was a door she remembered well. All the times that she snuck into this room as a teen witch washed over her. She reached out and turned the doorknob and unconsciously held her breath. She could do this.it would be okay. Opening the door, she saw his room exactly as she remembered it. Quidditch posters hanging on the walls were now yellowed with age.
Photos from school with the people moving and waving madly hung on the memo board above his desk. She leaned over and examined the photographs closer. There were ones of the Marauders before and after Aurora began school at Hogwarts. A picture of Aurora and Lily at the Valentine's Ball during Aurora's fourth year made her smile. She was fourteen and Lily was sixteen. Lil had helped her pick out her clothes and get ready for the dance. How she missed Lily! It was easy to forget about her and all the rest of the people she had lost, but here, she was confronted head on with all those who were missing from her life.
Photos of Aurora with James and Sirius made her laugh. They were dressed in the scarlet Gryffindor robes and the moving people in the photo kept trying to knock each other out of the picture. Broomsticks in hand, they all three looked so happy. So many memories, she thought. "We were just kids," Aurora said outloud to herself. "How did it all go so wrong?"
Aurora avoided one photo in particular. Another photo from the Valentine's Ball was in a small silver frame. She picked it up took a deep breath and she ran stared at the photo in her hands. If you had asked fourteen year old Aurora what her happiest moment was, she would have described this picture. There she stood with Sirius Black, her date for the ball. His hair was flopped into his eyes and he wore the biggest smile. He had his arms wrapped around her waist and was smiling at the camera. Pure joy shone in her eyes. Aurora walked over to the bed and sat down with the photo. She couldn't help but remember the night that this photo
February, 19 years ago......
Aurora was muddy and gross from the three-hour practice. James kept complaining that he was saddle sore from riding his blasted broomstick for so long. Sirius just laughed as he listened to them complain about practice.
"Be glad we are still all young and carefree," he teased. "Someday we will have to grow up and graduate and three hours of playing Quidditch will be a luxury and not a chore."
James rolled his eyes and looked at Aurora. "Well, I am going to run off. See you guys later. Padfoot, full one tonight. Don't forget." With a wink, James ran off towards the school.
"So," Sirius said as he kicked around the grass with the toe of his shoe, "going to the ball?"
"I don't know," Aurora said shyly. "I'm not really into that stuff. I couldn't pick out fancy dress robes if I my life depended on it."
"Lily would help you pick them out," Sirius assured her. "If you wanted to go." Aurora sat down on a grassy knoll and pulled her knees into her chest.
"Dances are no fun by yourself, Siri," she laughed. "Anyway, which member of your harem is getting the honor of being your date?"
"No one," he said nonchalantly. "I could take you, I mean if you wanted to go. I'd really like to take you, Aurora." Aurora's cheeks turned red, not from the cold, but from nerves.
"Sure, okay," Aurora told him. "I'd like that Sirius."
He smiled broadly before standing up. "Great," Sirius told her as he extended his hand to help her up. "I can't wait." Then he walked away leaving her standing there with a slight feeling of shock and awe. Had Sirius Black really just asked her out on a date? To the Valentine's Ball?
Things had been kind of odd between them for a while. They had been friends for so long and she was one of the boys. Now, Sirius seemed to be pulling back a little. He was acting weird, treating her like a girl and all. Remus, James, and Peter still treated her normally. None of them would ever ask her to a dance. But deep down, her heart was still beating fast from the sweet look in his bright blue eyes as he asked her to go to the dance with him.
If she were really honest with herself, Aurora would realize what was going on. She knew that things were changing because an attraction had grown between them. She remembered a time a couple of weeks ago in the common room when Siri had been tickling her. They were wrestling around and he threw her down on the couch. Pretty soon she was laughing so hard that tears were running down her face. She looked up to find Sirius leaning over her and she knew he was about to kiss her. As he leaned towards her, they heard the Fat Lady's portrait swing open to let someone into the Gryffindor tower. Quickly they straightened up as they saw Remus Lupin walk into the room.
"Hey Aurora, Sirius," he said calmly, with a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. Aurora laughed at the memory of how guilty they must have looked to Remus at that moment.
The memory of that dance made her smile. Sirius had gone out of his way to be charming to her. He was a perfect date. As he walked her to the tower afterwards, he was nervous as he told her goodnight. They were the only two people in the common room once again. She smiled up at him and he reached down and touched her face. Slowly he leaned forward and kissed her, sealing a new chapter to their relationship.
That was the memory contained in that photo. Aurora sat there still immobile until she forced herself to put the photo away. Drowning in old photos would not get her anywhere, it never had. As she stretched and yawned, she realized that she didn't have any pajamas to sleep in. Not feeling like apparating back to London, she walked over to the dresser and pulled out a pair of men's pajamas. At least Sirius is tall enough that these will fit me, she thought. She pulled them on and curled up on the bed and prayed for dreamless sleep.