Chapter 8
Realizing that she was still sitting in the living room and staring off into space, Aurora quickly looked around to see if anyone had seen her daydreaming about the past. Relieved to find no one else around, she stood up and started to walk into the kitchen where she found Hermione and Harry working diligently on their homework for the beginning of the new school year.
"Hey guys," she greeted them. Harry looked up and smiled at her. She still couldn't get over the strong resemblance to his father. "What are you working on?"
"Potions, ick," Harry complained. "I hate that class. It's terrible."
"Who teaches it?" she inquired.
"Snape," both teenagers responded in unison.
"As in Severus Snape?" Aurora squealed. Both Harry and Hermione nodded. "He was in Sirius, James, and Remus's class at Hogwarts. He hated me. He called me 'Miss Prissy Pants'. How in Merlin's beard did he manage to get that job?"
"Dumbledore for some reason has a high opinion of Snape," Harry explained. "Snape makes us wish that the position of Potions Master had the same turnover rate as the Defense Against the Dark Arts job."
"What is the deal with the Dark Arts job?" Aurora asked.
"No one lasts over a year," Hermione began to gossip. The best one yet was Lupin but he left when Snape told the whole school that he is a..."
"Hermione!" Harry yelled. " That's a secret."
"No it's not," Aurora laughed. "I knew that Remus was a werewolf before any of the others. And your dad was a stag, Sirius a dog, and of course, Peter was a rat. Quite appropriate if you ask me."
"Here is the worst part," Harry began, "Snape's part of the Order so he's around all the time. And of course, he makes sure he lets me know how much he dislikes me as always."
"He hated your dad and his friends in school," Aurora told them. "You would think that everyone would get over all of this and move on, wouldn't you? Oh well, Snape can be all right if he tries. Things are not always as you see them, you know?"
"Hmm, I guess," Harry sighed. "So were you close to my mum and dad, Aurora?"
"I played Quidditch with your dad. I knew him better but I gradually got to know your mum through James once they started dating," she reminisced.
"You played Quidditch?" Harry asked. "What position?"
"Seeker," she revealed.
"You're A.M. Walsh," Hermione said quietly. "Harry, remember the plaque in the trophy case with your dad's name on it? The name of the seeker was A.M. Walsh. You were one the best seekers in Hogwarts history." Harry looked absolutely amazed.
"You played with my dad? And Sirius?" Harry asked. "What position did they play?"
"Your dad was a chaser and Sirius was a beater," she told him. "It was so fun back then. Of course, I haven't been on a broom in ages. Probably since I graduated from Hogwarts."
"So, if I remember all my magical history, your father is Christopher Walsh, one of the founders of the Department of Aurors?"
"Once again, Hermione, you are correct," she replied with a smile. "It is also how I got my name, Aurora. My father wanted me to symbolize all he had to come believe in. He also hoped that by the time I was grown that the need for the Aurors would be gone. He wanted me to be the only remaining Auror, so to speak. Of course, we all know that it was a foolish hope that did not come true."
"I think it is a beautiful name and an even more lovely story," the voice of Molly Weasley said as she walked into the kitchen. "My husband knew your father. He grew acquainted with him during Arthur's early days in the Ministry. Arthur once told me that there was no man braver and more dedicated to fighting dark magic than your father."
"Thank you," Aurora said softly. "Unfortunately, my father died in the line of duty when I was sixteen. My mum passed away about five years ago. She never got over my father's death."
"So I guess you're an orphan like me, huh?" Harry asked tenderly.
"You're not an orphan, Harry," she told him. "You have Sirius."
"Hmm," Molly pondered. "Little good having a godfather will do him if someone doesn't convince Sirius to keep safe. Seems to think it's perfectly ok to be out and about London when you are Azkaban's most famous former resident."
"Sirius Black has a huge lump of bravery where his brain should be," Aurora sighed. "Does he not realize that he cannot help Harry if he is dead or recaptured? Or even worse, loses his soul to the Dementors?"
"It's hard on him," Harry defended his beloved godfather. "He isn't the type to stay cooped up in this musty old house."
"But it is keeping him alive, Harry," Aurora said tensely. "Once his name is clear, then he can set foot outside of this old musty house. But what good is a clear name if you're dead?"
"But nobody understands how it feels except me," Harry explained. "My aunt and uncle keep me locked up every summer. It might keep me safe in the long run but it still stinks."
"Harry you are still a child," Aurora sighed. "Sirius is a grown man. He knows better."
"Well, Mum and Dad apparently thought he knew better enough to make him my only guardian!" Harry practically screamed. "If they thought he couldn't control his urges why didn't they give me a godmother too?"
"Yes Aurora," a mocking voice said. "Why didn't Lily and James give Harry a godmother? That was pretty unusual for a person as meticulous as Lily. James was the impulsive one, not Lily. One would have thought that she would have picked someone to balance out James's choice of me." Sirius looked at her meaningfully as if to dare her to explain the answer.
"He can't protect you if he is dead, Harry," Aurora said. "And you know that Sirius. No one wants to see Sirius hurt, Harry."
"Even you?" Harry inquired.
"Even me," she said saddened at the thought that anyone would even consider that she would want Sirius dead. "The past is the past. I in no way want to see your godfather hurt or dead." For just a second, Sirius felt his heart clench. Of course, it wasn't much that she didn't want him dead at least. But, then again, he thought, on the flip side, at least she doesn't want me dead.
"Thank you Aurora," Sirius said with a small bow. "It's always nice to be able to take someone off the list of those that want me dead, you know. Any chance you could convince the Minister to share your view?"
"Maybe, if you cut that hair, Sirius," she teased.
"Honestly, Sirius," Molly began, "you and Bill are awful with that hair. You would both be so much better looking without it!"
"I like my hair," Sirius state firmly.
"Hmm, just because you used to be a convict does not mean you to remain looking like one," Aurora argued with a smirk.
"No," he replied. "Do not touch my hair."
"Just one simple little spell," she laughed, "and poof! Short haired Sirius!"
"If you touch my hair, Walsh, you will pay," Sirius promised. Harry and Ron watched the scene play out before them with a look of amusement on their faces. Harry began to see why his godfather and Aurora had been so happy when they were together. The playful banter seemed natural and as if they had never been apart.
But, reality reminded Harry of what had actually happened. Deep down, guilt had begun to surface. A guilt that, if his godfather had not came that night and found everything, if Sirius had not cared so much that he raced to Godric's Hollow to check on the Potters, then maybe Sirius would have had a chance to have a family of his own. Harry would have expected Aurora to resent him for all of this, but she did not. She treated Harry with warmth and kindness.
As Aurora laughed with Sirius, she realized how natural being near him still felt. Harry was amazingly like James in his sense of humor and personality. Harry had grown up to be a wonderful young man. That is without any help from me, she reminded herself. Just a single look at Harry reminded her of what she considered to be her greatest failure. She had failed to be the godmother that Lily and James had trusted her to be.
Realizing that she was still sitting in the living room and staring off into space, Aurora quickly looked around to see if anyone had seen her daydreaming about the past. Relieved to find no one else around, she stood up and started to walk into the kitchen where she found Hermione and Harry working diligently on their homework for the beginning of the new school year.
"Hey guys," she greeted them. Harry looked up and smiled at her. She still couldn't get over the strong resemblance to his father. "What are you working on?"
"Potions, ick," Harry complained. "I hate that class. It's terrible."
"Who teaches it?" she inquired.
"Snape," both teenagers responded in unison.
"As in Severus Snape?" Aurora squealed. Both Harry and Hermione nodded. "He was in Sirius, James, and Remus's class at Hogwarts. He hated me. He called me 'Miss Prissy Pants'. How in Merlin's beard did he manage to get that job?"
"Dumbledore for some reason has a high opinion of Snape," Harry explained. "Snape makes us wish that the position of Potions Master had the same turnover rate as the Defense Against the Dark Arts job."
"What is the deal with the Dark Arts job?" Aurora asked.
"No one lasts over a year," Hermione began to gossip. The best one yet was Lupin but he left when Snape told the whole school that he is a..."
"Hermione!" Harry yelled. " That's a secret."
"No it's not," Aurora laughed. "I knew that Remus was a werewolf before any of the others. And your dad was a stag, Sirius a dog, and of course, Peter was a rat. Quite appropriate if you ask me."
"Here is the worst part," Harry began, "Snape's part of the Order so he's around all the time. And of course, he makes sure he lets me know how much he dislikes me as always."
"He hated your dad and his friends in school," Aurora told them. "You would think that everyone would get over all of this and move on, wouldn't you? Oh well, Snape can be all right if he tries. Things are not always as you see them, you know?"
"Hmm, I guess," Harry sighed. "So were you close to my mum and dad, Aurora?"
"I played Quidditch with your dad. I knew him better but I gradually got to know your mum through James once they started dating," she reminisced.
"You played Quidditch?" Harry asked. "What position?"
"Seeker," she revealed.
"You're A.M. Walsh," Hermione said quietly. "Harry, remember the plaque in the trophy case with your dad's name on it? The name of the seeker was A.M. Walsh. You were one the best seekers in Hogwarts history." Harry looked absolutely amazed.
"You played with my dad? And Sirius?" Harry asked. "What position did they play?"
"Your dad was a chaser and Sirius was a beater," she told him. "It was so fun back then. Of course, I haven't been on a broom in ages. Probably since I graduated from Hogwarts."
"So, if I remember all my magical history, your father is Christopher Walsh, one of the founders of the Department of Aurors?"
"Once again, Hermione, you are correct," she replied with a smile. "It is also how I got my name, Aurora. My father wanted me to symbolize all he had to come believe in. He also hoped that by the time I was grown that the need for the Aurors would be gone. He wanted me to be the only remaining Auror, so to speak. Of course, we all know that it was a foolish hope that did not come true."
"I think it is a beautiful name and an even more lovely story," the voice of Molly Weasley said as she walked into the kitchen. "My husband knew your father. He grew acquainted with him during Arthur's early days in the Ministry. Arthur once told me that there was no man braver and more dedicated to fighting dark magic than your father."
"Thank you," Aurora said softly. "Unfortunately, my father died in the line of duty when I was sixteen. My mum passed away about five years ago. She never got over my father's death."
"So I guess you're an orphan like me, huh?" Harry asked tenderly.
"You're not an orphan, Harry," she told him. "You have Sirius."
"Hmm," Molly pondered. "Little good having a godfather will do him if someone doesn't convince Sirius to keep safe. Seems to think it's perfectly ok to be out and about London when you are Azkaban's most famous former resident."
"Sirius Black has a huge lump of bravery where his brain should be," Aurora sighed. "Does he not realize that he cannot help Harry if he is dead or recaptured? Or even worse, loses his soul to the Dementors?"
"It's hard on him," Harry defended his beloved godfather. "He isn't the type to stay cooped up in this musty old house."
"But it is keeping him alive, Harry," Aurora said tensely. "Once his name is clear, then he can set foot outside of this old musty house. But what good is a clear name if you're dead?"
"But nobody understands how it feels except me," Harry explained. "My aunt and uncle keep me locked up every summer. It might keep me safe in the long run but it still stinks."
"Harry you are still a child," Aurora sighed. "Sirius is a grown man. He knows better."
"Well, Mum and Dad apparently thought he knew better enough to make him my only guardian!" Harry practically screamed. "If they thought he couldn't control his urges why didn't they give me a godmother too?"
"Yes Aurora," a mocking voice said. "Why didn't Lily and James give Harry a godmother? That was pretty unusual for a person as meticulous as Lily. James was the impulsive one, not Lily. One would have thought that she would have picked someone to balance out James's choice of me." Sirius looked at her meaningfully as if to dare her to explain the answer.
"He can't protect you if he is dead, Harry," Aurora said. "And you know that Sirius. No one wants to see Sirius hurt, Harry."
"Even you?" Harry inquired.
"Even me," she said saddened at the thought that anyone would even consider that she would want Sirius dead. "The past is the past. I in no way want to see your godfather hurt or dead." For just a second, Sirius felt his heart clench. Of course, it wasn't much that she didn't want him dead at least. But, then again, he thought, on the flip side, at least she doesn't want me dead.
"Thank you Aurora," Sirius said with a small bow. "It's always nice to be able to take someone off the list of those that want me dead, you know. Any chance you could convince the Minister to share your view?"
"Maybe, if you cut that hair, Sirius," she teased.
"Honestly, Sirius," Molly began, "you and Bill are awful with that hair. You would both be so much better looking without it!"
"I like my hair," Sirius state firmly.
"Hmm, just because you used to be a convict does not mean you to remain looking like one," Aurora argued with a smirk.
"No," he replied. "Do not touch my hair."
"Just one simple little spell," she laughed, "and poof! Short haired Sirius!"
"If you touch my hair, Walsh, you will pay," Sirius promised. Harry and Ron watched the scene play out before them with a look of amusement on their faces. Harry began to see why his godfather and Aurora had been so happy when they were together. The playful banter seemed natural and as if they had never been apart.
But, reality reminded Harry of what had actually happened. Deep down, guilt had begun to surface. A guilt that, if his godfather had not came that night and found everything, if Sirius had not cared so much that he raced to Godric's Hollow to check on the Potters, then maybe Sirius would have had a chance to have a family of his own. Harry would have expected Aurora to resent him for all of this, but she did not. She treated Harry with warmth and kindness.
As Aurora laughed with Sirius, she realized how natural being near him still felt. Harry was amazingly like James in his sense of humor and personality. Harry had grown up to be a wonderful young man. That is without any help from me, she reminded herself. Just a single look at Harry reminded her of what she considered to be her greatest failure. She had failed to be the godmother that Lily and James had trusted her to be.