After willing herself to become invisible Auria took two trips around the
castle before flying south. It was almost two hours before she arrived at
her destination. She could have simply apparated there but she needed the
time to collect her thoughts and emotions. Auria also had the time, it was
Saturday, so no one would miss her.
Edinburgh had been easy to find, despite not knowing the exact location of Hogwarts. She circled the air, trying to find a safe place to transfigure. Auria finally decided upon a small narrow alley and flew to the ground. With one final look around she changed back into a human and stepped out onto the street. It was a block before she realized why everyone was staring at her. She glanced down and smacked herself on the forehead. Auria was still wearing her Hogwarts uniform, which did not look that unusual, except for the cloak. After slipping into another alley she quickly pulled the cloak off and draped it over her arm like a coat. She reemerged onto the street looking like a regular muggle.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Fifteen minutes later Auria was standing in front of a familiar house. It was small, with bright red bricks and a black roof. Taking a deep breath and fixing her hair Auria walked up the front steps and rang the doorbell. Footsteps could be heard rustling inside and a moment later the door opened.
"Auria!" exclaimed the woman as she wrapped her up in a big hug.
"Hello, Mrs. Wallace" she replied brightly.
"Well come in, come in" said Mrs. Wallace, ushering her into the kitchen. "Sit down dear. Would you like some food, tea perhaps?" Despite her attempts to be cheerful she could not mask the look of deep sorrow in her eyes.
"I'd love some tea" Auria replied sweetly.
Auria gazed at Mrs. Wallace as she prepared the tea. She was still the same plump, stubby woman Auria had talked to so many times, but now she had dark circles under her eyes and her face was creased with grief and concern.
"There you are," she said, placing a cup of tea in front of Auria.
"Thank you," she replied as the woman sat down across from her. "I'm so sorry about Brendan" Auria blurted out.
"Thank you dear" she said sadly, her bright hazel eyes filling with tears. "It's so tragic, he was so young and so healthy."
Auria gave her a weary smile. "I know, he absolutely loved life. May I ask you something?"
Mrs. Wallace nodded.
"Um, well, how exactly did he die, the newspapers were not specific" she asked tentatively.
"The paramedics told us that he had been overexerting himself and died of a stroke" she replied, wiping away a tear.
Auria just stared at her horror struck. She quickly closed her eyes to hide the tears.
"So that's what they tell them," Auria thought to herself. "A stroke, to explain the lack of a wound."
"Are you home for a while now?" Mrs. Wallace inquired.
"No. I'm still at school. I just came home for the day to give my condolences, and to ask when the funeral will be," she said, staring down at her untouched tea.
"Oh, well thank you. The funeral will be this Wednesday at 3 o'clock at the church" she replied, obviously glad that Auria would be attending.
"Ok, I'll be there" Auria replied placing her hand over Mrs. Wallace's. "Is there anything I can do to help with the funeral?"
"I don't think so, his grandparents are looking after it. But thank you for the kind offer."
"It's the least I can do" Auria replied, knowing that to be the truth. "I hate to have to leave so quickly but I must head back to school now."
In truth Auria just wanted to get out of that house. Knowing that the look of utter despair on the woman's face was her fault was too much to bear.
"Alright" Mrs. Wallace said sadly.
Auria lifted the teacup to her mouth and drank it all in one gulp. It burned her throat on the way down, but Auria knew that she owed it to these people to suffer a little.
"Thank you for the tea. It was excellent as usual," Auria said with a small smile.
She stood up and made her way towards the front door. Just as she was about to walk out the door, Mrs. Wallace stopped her.
"He really liked you you know. He was devastated when you two broke up, but he was always thankful to have kept you as a friend. You're a good person Auria," she said looking into her eyes.
"I'm so sorry" Auria replied, bursting into tears. "I'm so sorry he's dead. I'm really going to miss him. He was a wonderful person."
"I know. I'm going to miss him too," Mrs. Wallace said, embracing her.
They stood there crying for several minutes until Auria said that if she didn't leave now she was going to miss the train.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Once Brendan's house was out of sight Auria sat down on the curb and sobbed. Almost an hour later she got up and walked down the street. She stopped in front of an old brown brick house. Auria stood on the front lawn staring at the house for so long that the owner came out and asked her if she needed anything.
"No, no. I'm sorry" Auria said apologetically. "It's just that I used to live here."
The woman nodded.
"It's a beautiful house," the woman said turning to look at it.
"Yes it is" Auria replied dreamily.
"Only problem is that I can't get that damn stain out of the stones on the pathway" she said pointing to a large brown stain on the walkway.
Auria closed her eyes and a tear ran down her cheek. The stain was from her father's blood, as it slowly seeped out of him the night he died. She clenched her fists and glared at it in anger.
"I'm sorry to have disturbed you" Auria said quickly. Without another look back she turned away from the woman, and her house, and ran down the street.
Returning to the alleyway Auria transfigured into a phoenix and flew back to Hogwarts.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Auria acted coldly towards Sirius for the next four days. He didn't question or complain, because he knew that she was still mad at him. Auria refused to sit beside him during class and only spoke with him when she had to. Sirius didn't dare try to touch or kiss her and respectfully gave her the space she needed. On Tuesday night Sirius found Auria alone in the back of the library crying. After taking a deep breath he sat down across from her. She glared at him and quickly wiped away her tears. "I, I just want you to know that I'm here for you if you ever need it, and I swear, I'll never abandon you again like that again" he said sincerely. Auria kept staring at him but her looked softened slightly. Sirius tentatively put his hand over hers and gave her a nervous smile. It was the first time he'd touched her since their fight. When she didn't respond he quickly removed his hand and walked away. "At least she didn't snap at me," he thought to himself as he left the library somewhat relieved. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wednesday morning dawned bright, crisp and clear. Auria woke up early and dressed silently in the dark. She picked up her letter, placed her cloak in a bag and went down stairs to the common room. It was still dark outside and only embers burned in the large fireplace. Auria pulled out her wand, pointed it at the fireplace and muttered "incendio." As Auria surveyed the room she notice someone sitting in the corner reading a book, by the light of a single candle.
Sirius looked up from his book and their eyes met.
"Why are you up so early?" she asked, eying him suspiciously.
"I couldn't sleep," he confessed.
"Oh" she said more gently.
To Sirius' surprise she walked right up to him. However, instead of talking to him she just looked at the floor and fiddled with the letter in her hands.
"What's the letter for?" he asked and then quickly added, "never mind, I'm sorry, that you're private busi."
"It's for you" she interrupted.
Sirius looked up at her surprised.
"I was going to leave it on your bed, but since you're here I might as well ask you now. I have to go somewhere today, so I was wondering if you could tell the teacher's I'm sick and can't come to class" she asked, her eyes becoming cold.
Sirius looked her up and down, noticing that she was dressed all in black.
"Sure" he said, glad to be able to help.
Auria turned around and made her way over to the center of the room.
"Do you want me to go with you?" Sirius asked kindly.
Auria turned back expressionless. "When I want you to come with me I'll let you know," she answered flatly.
"Right" Sirius said in a disappointed tone. He felt as he had just been stabbed in the heart.
"But thank you for offering" she said politely, raising Sirius' spirits immensely.
Before Sirius could respond she changed into a phoenix and vanished out of site in a burst of flame.
Auria wanted more then anything to have Sirius by her side, but she knew in her heart that this was something she had to do alone. It was her fault Brendan was dead and she would have to watch him be buried and mourned over with out anyone there to comfort her.
Edinburgh had been easy to find, despite not knowing the exact location of Hogwarts. She circled the air, trying to find a safe place to transfigure. Auria finally decided upon a small narrow alley and flew to the ground. With one final look around she changed back into a human and stepped out onto the street. It was a block before she realized why everyone was staring at her. She glanced down and smacked herself on the forehead. Auria was still wearing her Hogwarts uniform, which did not look that unusual, except for the cloak. After slipping into another alley she quickly pulled the cloak off and draped it over her arm like a coat. She reemerged onto the street looking like a regular muggle.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Fifteen minutes later Auria was standing in front of a familiar house. It was small, with bright red bricks and a black roof. Taking a deep breath and fixing her hair Auria walked up the front steps and rang the doorbell. Footsteps could be heard rustling inside and a moment later the door opened.
"Auria!" exclaimed the woman as she wrapped her up in a big hug.
"Hello, Mrs. Wallace" she replied brightly.
"Well come in, come in" said Mrs. Wallace, ushering her into the kitchen. "Sit down dear. Would you like some food, tea perhaps?" Despite her attempts to be cheerful she could not mask the look of deep sorrow in her eyes.
"I'd love some tea" Auria replied sweetly.
Auria gazed at Mrs. Wallace as she prepared the tea. She was still the same plump, stubby woman Auria had talked to so many times, but now she had dark circles under her eyes and her face was creased with grief and concern.
"There you are," she said, placing a cup of tea in front of Auria.
"Thank you," she replied as the woman sat down across from her. "I'm so sorry about Brendan" Auria blurted out.
"Thank you dear" she said sadly, her bright hazel eyes filling with tears. "It's so tragic, he was so young and so healthy."
Auria gave her a weary smile. "I know, he absolutely loved life. May I ask you something?"
Mrs. Wallace nodded.
"Um, well, how exactly did he die, the newspapers were not specific" she asked tentatively.
"The paramedics told us that he had been overexerting himself and died of a stroke" she replied, wiping away a tear.
Auria just stared at her horror struck. She quickly closed her eyes to hide the tears.
"So that's what they tell them," Auria thought to herself. "A stroke, to explain the lack of a wound."
"Are you home for a while now?" Mrs. Wallace inquired.
"No. I'm still at school. I just came home for the day to give my condolences, and to ask when the funeral will be," she said, staring down at her untouched tea.
"Oh, well thank you. The funeral will be this Wednesday at 3 o'clock at the church" she replied, obviously glad that Auria would be attending.
"Ok, I'll be there" Auria replied placing her hand over Mrs. Wallace's. "Is there anything I can do to help with the funeral?"
"I don't think so, his grandparents are looking after it. But thank you for the kind offer."
"It's the least I can do" Auria replied, knowing that to be the truth. "I hate to have to leave so quickly but I must head back to school now."
In truth Auria just wanted to get out of that house. Knowing that the look of utter despair on the woman's face was her fault was too much to bear.
"Alright" Mrs. Wallace said sadly.
Auria lifted the teacup to her mouth and drank it all in one gulp. It burned her throat on the way down, but Auria knew that she owed it to these people to suffer a little.
"Thank you for the tea. It was excellent as usual," Auria said with a small smile.
She stood up and made her way towards the front door. Just as she was about to walk out the door, Mrs. Wallace stopped her.
"He really liked you you know. He was devastated when you two broke up, but he was always thankful to have kept you as a friend. You're a good person Auria," she said looking into her eyes.
"I'm so sorry" Auria replied, bursting into tears. "I'm so sorry he's dead. I'm really going to miss him. He was a wonderful person."
"I know. I'm going to miss him too," Mrs. Wallace said, embracing her.
They stood there crying for several minutes until Auria said that if she didn't leave now she was going to miss the train.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Once Brendan's house was out of sight Auria sat down on the curb and sobbed. Almost an hour later she got up and walked down the street. She stopped in front of an old brown brick house. Auria stood on the front lawn staring at the house for so long that the owner came out and asked her if she needed anything.
"No, no. I'm sorry" Auria said apologetically. "It's just that I used to live here."
The woman nodded.
"It's a beautiful house," the woman said turning to look at it.
"Yes it is" Auria replied dreamily.
"Only problem is that I can't get that damn stain out of the stones on the pathway" she said pointing to a large brown stain on the walkway.
Auria closed her eyes and a tear ran down her cheek. The stain was from her father's blood, as it slowly seeped out of him the night he died. She clenched her fists and glared at it in anger.
"I'm sorry to have disturbed you" Auria said quickly. Without another look back she turned away from the woman, and her house, and ran down the street.
Returning to the alleyway Auria transfigured into a phoenix and flew back to Hogwarts.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Auria acted coldly towards Sirius for the next four days. He didn't question or complain, because he knew that she was still mad at him. Auria refused to sit beside him during class and only spoke with him when she had to. Sirius didn't dare try to touch or kiss her and respectfully gave her the space she needed. On Tuesday night Sirius found Auria alone in the back of the library crying. After taking a deep breath he sat down across from her. She glared at him and quickly wiped away her tears. "I, I just want you to know that I'm here for you if you ever need it, and I swear, I'll never abandon you again like that again" he said sincerely. Auria kept staring at him but her looked softened slightly. Sirius tentatively put his hand over hers and gave her a nervous smile. It was the first time he'd touched her since their fight. When she didn't respond he quickly removed his hand and walked away. "At least she didn't snap at me," he thought to himself as he left the library somewhat relieved. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wednesday morning dawned bright, crisp and clear. Auria woke up early and dressed silently in the dark. She picked up her letter, placed her cloak in a bag and went down stairs to the common room. It was still dark outside and only embers burned in the large fireplace. Auria pulled out her wand, pointed it at the fireplace and muttered "incendio." As Auria surveyed the room she notice someone sitting in the corner reading a book, by the light of a single candle.
Sirius looked up from his book and their eyes met.
"Why are you up so early?" she asked, eying him suspiciously.
"I couldn't sleep," he confessed.
"Oh" she said more gently.
To Sirius' surprise she walked right up to him. However, instead of talking to him she just looked at the floor and fiddled with the letter in her hands.
"What's the letter for?" he asked and then quickly added, "never mind, I'm sorry, that you're private busi."
"It's for you" she interrupted.
Sirius looked up at her surprised.
"I was going to leave it on your bed, but since you're here I might as well ask you now. I have to go somewhere today, so I was wondering if you could tell the teacher's I'm sick and can't come to class" she asked, her eyes becoming cold.
Sirius looked her up and down, noticing that she was dressed all in black.
"Sure" he said, glad to be able to help.
Auria turned around and made her way over to the center of the room.
"Do you want me to go with you?" Sirius asked kindly.
Auria turned back expressionless. "When I want you to come with me I'll let you know," she answered flatly.
"Right" Sirius said in a disappointed tone. He felt as he had just been stabbed in the heart.
"But thank you for offering" she said politely, raising Sirius' spirits immensely.
Before Sirius could respond she changed into a phoenix and vanished out of site in a burst of flame.
Auria wanted more then anything to have Sirius by her side, but she knew in her heart that this was something she had to do alone. It was her fault Brendan was dead and she would have to watch him be buried and mourned over with out anyone there to comfort her.