Chapter 7.
Resolutions.
Aurora Patterson woke up next morning with an empty feeling in her stomach. She grudgingly got dressed and ate breakfast in the Great Hall.
"So is everything alright, mate?" Ron asked her brightly.
"Hmm?" she mumbled, swallowing a cookie whole.
"With Harry," he clarified. "He was mad, wasn't he? Blimey, I shouldn't have told you where he was."
She gulped down some juice and placed the cup harshly on the table, spilling out its contents.
"Let's just say that Harry is obnoxious and thinks the whole world surrounds him. I've had enough of him," Auri replied in a steady voice, staring down at her feet.
"Oh," Ron said softly. "I'm sorry."
"No need to be," Auri said swiftly with a smirk on her face. "He's quite mad at you too. Good luck."
She was exhausted by the end of the week and ignored Harry whenever she got the chance. When he was in the Common Room, Auri walked off and in the Breakfast Hall she barely never had any breakfast. Her stomach growled loudly in Potions and she flushed whenever a Slytherin looked at her and snickered. But for all the money and embarrassment in the world, she could not bring herself to say anything to him, or to sit with him in a room. Her feelings were hurt, and as Aurora was, it was quite an experience in regaining her trust. "And it is his fault," she thought. "He shoed me off, and it's his fault he won't hear the important news. I'm done trying." As she was getting ready for bed, an owl unexpectedly flew into the room and dropped a small envelope on her bed. She ripped it open and read the two small words.
I'm sorry.
She fingered it a while and then ripped it apart. It was easy to hurt her feelings, but it took twice the effort to restore them. Hermione slid off her bed and put a gentle hand on her shoulder, "I know how you feel. Harry may be a tough person at times. But he is also kind and loyal."
"Oh, yes," Auri made a face. "To you, to his friends! But I'm the one that 'stole his friends and ruined his life.'"
"Oh dear," Hermione said worriedly. "He said that?" Auri nodded.
"I'm sure he didn't mean that," Hermione sighed. "I'll go and talk to him."
"You don't have to," Aurora replied dully. "I don't care."
Hermione withdrew her wand from her robes and pointed at the at the shredded pieces of paper, whispering, "Repairo."
"Think about what I said," she smiled sadly and walked over to her bed.
As the lights were turned off, Auri stared at the ceiling and replayed Hermione's words over and over in her head. Think about what I said. "I'll think," Auri thought savagely. "But I sure won't forgive him."
She awoke to Hermione shaking her by the shoulder. "Hmm," Auri grunted and rolled off to her side. The shaking became more persistent and she reluctantly lifted her curly head towards the disturber.
"Wake up," Hermione whispered hoarsely.
Auri shook off the soft curls from her forehead and yawned, leaning on an arm. "Hi, is it school yet?"
"Heavens no," Hermione replied, surprised. "It's Saturday morning."
"Ohhhhhhhhhhh," Auri moaned and dropped her head. "Lemme sleep."
"Sorry, but Quidditch tryouts are today, and I thought you should know," Hermione spoke quickly. "After all, Harry's such a marvelous coach and I think - "
"Please," Auri interrupted, sitting up straight in bed. "Harry's the Quidditch Captain?"
"Well, why not?" Hermione made a vague gesture. "He's a good captain and last year he was the best seeker Gryffindor ever had."
"I think I'd rather sleep," Auri muttered and fell back on her pillows.
"Oh no you don't," Hermione tugged at her arm. "I know he hasn't been much of a friend lately, but you're not quitting because of that. Silly, really."
Auri groaned and dressed into her old orphan dress and walked over to the mirror to pin her wild mane.
"You'll need something warm," Hermione threw a woolen sweater across the room. Auri caught it in mid-air and smiled gratefully.
Outside it was bitingly cold and as she made her way to the field, she rubbed her nose, which was already turning bright pink. She gazed at the sky and grimaced as a group of heavy storm clouds settled in the sky. The field was wet and mucky, and she felt small compared to the line of experienced players with expensive brooms, and when she saw Harry she fought the urge not to hit him and run back to the castle.
He walked down the isle of fellow classmates and stopped at the center, booming, "Welcome to Quidditch Tryouts!" A supporting cheer arose from the crowd and promptly ended. "This trial is for seekers, so if you aren't a seeker, please leave the field!" he continued clearly, scanning his eyes against the line of people. A dozen students murmured and then left the field.
He unfolded a piece of paper from his pocket and yelled out names, "Henry Moth! Charlie Groove! Solstice McGuire! Abraham Foxley! Jeremy Lee! Drew Riley! Ben Driesdale! Sarah Cummings! Michael Corner! Patrick Grey! Jonathan Burks! Terra O'Neil!" As students heard their names called, they stepped up bravely towards the captain and grinned nervously.
"Is there anyone here I haven't called yet?" Harry cried after finishing the long list of names.
There was a silence and he cried out once more, nervous, "Is there anyone, I repeat?"
Auri sighed and stepped towards the captain, replying loudly, her voice slightly quivering, "Me! You haven't called me! Aurora Patterson!" A few heads turned towards her and she held her head high, more uncomfortable than ever.
He made a note somewhere on the paper and lifted his head, not meeting her eyes, "Alright! Will Jonathan Burks please step up and fly around the stadium!"
A tall, dark haired boy with wide blue eyes hopped onto his broom and speedily circled the stadium, performing a back flip in the air and finally landing with a thump on the ground.
Harry nodded and another boy stepped up and performed the same routine, and the student after that, and it all was endless and boring. Aurora tapped her foot impatiently on the frozen ground and was about to leave when he called out her name. She grabbed her broom with shaking fingers and walked towards the captain, biting her lip to keep it from trembling.
She took off into the sky, relaxing as the cold wind soothed her nerves and played with her hair. She flew for what seemed like a short amount of time when she plopped onto the ground, stumbling slightly.
After everyone flew and the process was finally finished, Harry rubbed his hands together and blew on them with his warm breath, saying, "Cold weather lately, which is why each of you rounded the field, but it was a good way of me to see your skills." He stuffed his hands into his pockets and continued, "The real test is here. I have put a spell on the golden snitch. Each of you will take off at the count of three and whoever finds the snitch will be my seeker." He noticed as a few students exchanged worried glances and added quickly, "However, if you don't get the part of the seeker, there might be a chance of you becoming a keeper, bludger, or chaser." He walked down the row of students and when passing Auri, he tapped her lightly on the shoulder and whispered, "Be good."
She frowned and looked to her left, but he was already in the center of the field, leaning on his Nimbus 2000, and she didn't get a chance to ask him what he meant by those words. Be good… what in the world did he mean? Good luck? Find the snitch? And then she thought angrily, "What am I to him, a child? Be good. Be obedient. Is that what he meant?" She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice how the rest of the seekers took a step towards Harry and mounted their brooms. She bethought and also mounted her very ragged looking and old broom. Her heart was racing at the count of one, and at the sound of "three" her heart was beating so quickly that she was nervous and giddy all over. She took off strongly, rounding the stadium and leaning over to where there were less people.
And suddenly, she saw it – a round golden ball with fluttering wings right before her nose. She swiftly reached out her hand, but her fingertips brushed the surface of it and it zoomed through the sky like a comet gone mad. Others began to notice it too, and she took off higher into the sky, searching for the spot of gold. Auri noticed a dark shadow, falling on the clouds, and at first she presumed it was her own, but how could there be two shadows of her? Her head snapped to her left and staring behind she saw the boy with wide green eyes and black hair. His expression was fierce and his eyebrows crawled into a straight line.
Auri's face turned pale and she bit her lip as she spotted the golden snitch higher in the clouds. Teeth chattering, she sharply turned her broom and stretched out a trembling hand. She was surprised and upset as she noticed that the boy was there first, his face unreadable, already his fingertips touching the sacred golden-sun surface. But strangely, he withdrew his hand and it fell limply at his side. Without thinking, Auri's hand closed around the golden snitch and she pressed it firmly to her heart, feeling the wings beat against her palm. She stared at the boy with her lips slightly open and her eyes wide, but he looked into her eyes and nodded. Auri licked her lips and turning her back to him, sped back towards the field through a garden of clouds.
She landed on the ground and her hand shot into the air with the golden snitch. "I've got it!" she croaked. "I've got it!"
Harry turned to face her with crossed arms, but he dropped them to his sides when he saw the golden snitch.
"Y-you did it," he breathed. "You're the new seeker!"
She stood there, not knowing what to say or do and smiled slightly, which she always did when she was uncertain. He blew on his whistle and after a few minutes, the entire seeker group was on the ground, out of breath.
"Attention!" he called. "We have found a new seeker! Aurora Patterson."
As students began to grumble and pack their bags, Auri swallowed hard and found the black haired boy in the crowd.
"I um…" she began nervously, swallowing air. "Why did you do that? You could've had the snitch, but you let me… let me take it."
"You deserve it most, I think," he replied, not looking up at her.
"But you had it!" Auri shook her head. "And really, it doesn't seem very fair to me."
"It was my choice," the green eyed boy said, fastening and tying the bag to his shoulder. "And had you a better broom, you would've caught it."
"W-well," she fumbled doubtfully but then said quietly, "Thank you.. .for… for doing that."
He nodded seriously and reached out a hand, suddenly grinning, "I'm Jonathan Burks."
She shook it and replied shortly, "Aurora Patterson, but Auri, please, for short."
"What's wrong with Aurora?" he asked, joking.
"Nothing," she blushed. "It's long… and Auri, if you don't mind."
"I'll see you on the Quidditch Team," Jonathan grinned again.
"B-but…" Auri stopped him, confused.
"But I'm not a seeker?" he finished off. "The entire team will be posted during next week. I'm applying for keeper, too."
"Oh, well then… bye, I guess," Auri said sheepishly, and left the field.