"Slytherin!" The Sorting Hat finally called out. The Great Hall remained quiet for another moment before the Slytherin table erupted in excitement. The house was overjoyed with the placement of Alex all except for one platinum-haired boy with a rather sour look and piercing gray eyes.
Aurora could hardly hear the sound of the room as she processed the decision. Her stomach sunk in disappointment. Of course she understood the odds of them being in the same house was only a twenty five percent chance, but out of all the houses why Slytherin?
Alex could have belonged to Gryffindor. He could have belonged to her. The way he spoke to people and carried himself seemed so Gryffindor. Despite the short time she had known Alex, she felt in her heart he was brave. Or maybe it was her heart willing him to be brave so that he could have been placed with her. He also could have been a Ravenclaw. Aurora hated to stereotype but he loved books nearly as much as Hermione, and he spoke enthusiastically about all the magic he was still dying to learn. That was close enough, right? Right? Or perhaps he even could have been a Hufflepuff. He didn't like the way Aurora and Hermione had judged the Slytherins. He clearly demonstrated an aptitude for justice and fairness, even loyalty to his fellow wizards despite not having met them yet. But no. Alexander Montgomery was a Slytherin.
Alex rose from the seat gracefully, even proud of his placement, which pleased Aurora even less, and walked to the Slytherin table which was still rowdy with excitement. Alex shot Aurora and the group an apologetic smile before turning away to converse with his new house mates.
"I never liked him," Ron stated biting into a piece of bread. Once Alex had been placed into Slytherin, Dumbledore was quick to commence the dinner feast.
Aurora rolled her eyes, "Yeah, I could really sense the hatred you had for him when you gawked as he spoke."
"Undercover work."
Hermione scoffed, but said nothing to Ron's ludicrous claim. Harry didn't seem very invested in the conversation as he scooped more mashed potatoes onto his plate.
"It doesn't really matter does it?" Aurora suggested. Slytherin was Slytherin, but they all couldn't all be awful. Her mother for one had been a Slytherin. Though perhaps not the best parent, she was hardly evil. Alex had to be different too.
Ron gave her a horrified look, frozen from eating for once. "You've got to be kidding Rory. I didn't see you hit your head so this must be some sort of joke."
"I'm serious Ronald. We all liked him twenty minutes ago."
"Then we found out he's a Slytherin."
"But he's still Alex."
"You hardly know him."
"I still know him better than you, and I trust him enough."
"This is pointless guys," Hermione interjected. Aurora was glad she did. She could feel the tension between Ron and Aurora at the moment. What they really needed to discuss, was Nicholas Flamel.
"Right. Ron and I looked at the library for a few hours over break. Didn't find anything," Harry said. He didn't seem as bothered about the Alex situation as Ron, but Harry could be a little more clearheaded despite having a prejudice against Slytherin himself.
"Nothing?" Hermione asked.
Aurora listened carefully, though added nothing. She, embarrassingly enough, forgot about the tasks each of the four of them was meant to complete. In all fairness to her however, Janus would never had been an option, her mother had practically abandoned her for the holidays, and Aurora had been distracted by her fight with Draco.
"Well that poses an issue, my parents knew nothing about a Flamel either. Rory, anything?"
"No. I tried checking books in the manor, and I was alone with Draco most of the time, so that didn't allow me to research much." The last part had been somewhat of a lie, but she needed something to get the group not to ask questions. Malfoy was a good enough reason why nothing could be accomplished.
"Malfoy," Harry said wrinkling his nose. Ron had a similar expression on his face as well.
"I know, I don't want to talk about it," Aurora replied putting her hand up.
Harry, Hermione, and Ron seemed satisfied enough with this and returned back to discussing other possible leads.
That night Aurora laid in her bed, unable to sleep. It happened far more often now than she felt she deserved. Sleep deprivation was going to kill her before her course work this term would. She turned onto the side, lazily rubbing patterns into the bedsheets. Her thoughts were consumed by her friends, her mom, Alex, and Draco. She hated to admit that she was still thinking about Draco Malfoy, but there was something so different about this last fight. She of course did hate him, but she also felt like she couldn't lose him at the same time. There was like this invisible tether that had been snipped, severing any last tie they might have had to each other. She felt like her security blanket had been taken from her. She didn't need it, she never would need it, but that didn't mean she didn't want it. But perhaps she had outgrown Draco, and this was necessary for her. She pushed the thoughts as far as possible from her mind, but they always seemed to creep back. Eventually to Aurora's luck, she fell asleep to the soft snores of her roommates, but in the morning she awoke again to the same thoughts.
The next several weeks passed in what seemed like a blur. It was still freezing at Hogwarts to Aurora's dismay, but it was not as cold as it had been in December. With her charmed socks and gloves, at least her digits remained warm despite the cold biting the rest of her body.
Over the past couple weeks, Hermione, Ron, and Aurora spent more time in the library. Between breaks, after meals, before classes. Harry occasionally joined them, but he was far busier than the rest of the group as Oliver Wood, Gryffindor Quidditch Captain, drilled the Gryffindor team and conducted more practices. It was getting further into the year and there would be another big game soon. If the Gryffindors could beat the Hufflepuff team, then Gryffindor would be in the lead for the house championship, ahead of Slytherin for the first time in six years.
As the three of them sat in the Gryffindor common room one night, waiting for Harry after practice, they discussed other possible options to finding Nicholas Flamel.
"I'm sure it's in the library guys. There's something we're missing," Aurora insisted pacing the room.
"I agree, but the issue is the inefficiency of our plan," Hermione added. Her eyebrows were pulled together as her faced contorted in concentration.
"And we absolutely cannot ask a professor."
"Correct Weasley. Hermione have we considered-"
"Harry!" Ron cheered. He was much more enthusiastic than he had been moments before. Though everyone in the group was excited about Harry being on the Quidditch team, it was Ron who was by far his number one fan. He waited after each practice for him, eagerly anticipating what might be next for the house team.
"What's wrong with you?" Hermione asked, studying Harry's face. Harry was a very expressive person, it was quite obvious when he was upset by something. Aurora patiently looked to him for an answer, though it was not something she was good at. She found her lack of patience to be one of her fatal flaws, but her self control was high enough that she could quell the feeling and not act on it.
"Snape is refereeing my game," he murmured quietly so the rest of the room would not hear.
"Don't play," Hermione said immediately, leaving almost no pause between the end of Harry's sentence and the beginning of hers.
"Say you're ill!" Ron added.
"Say you broke your leg?" Hermione suggested again.
"Really break your leg!"
Aurora nearly laughed at Ron's last suggestion.
"I can't. There's no reserve seeker. If I don't play then Gryffindor has to forfeit."
Aurora laid a hand on his shoulder to comfort him. She played with his hair as he sat next to Ron on the couch, and across from Hermione on a plush, yellow chair. Aurora joined them a second later, taking Harry's other side.
"I'm sure it'll be okay. We'll all watch carefully during the game. Just try to stay out of Snape's way as much as possible," Aurora advised him. There really wasn't anything else Harry could do in this situation. The best thing he could do is put on a brave face. Harry's expression remained grim, but his body lessened in tension under the pressure of Aurora's hand in his hair.
Just as the group began to relax despite being nervous for Harry, Neville toppled into the common room. He fell over flat onto his face, his legs pressed tightly together. Aurora winced slightly. That must've hurt. He must've been cursed.
Hermione was quick to cast the counter curse, resulting in Neville's legs to finally become unbound.
"What happened?" Hermione asked as Neville pulled himself off the floor.
"Malfoy, I met him outside the library. He said he was looking for someone to practice on."
Aurora could feel her blood boiling at the mention of Draco's name. It was one thing to pick on her. Aurora could tolerate Draco's bullying, but she would not stand for him harassing her friends.
"When I see him next I swear," Aurora said, leaping up from her seat. She was nearly shaking at this point just thinking about what had occurred. She could picture it. Innocent Neville returning a book at the library, unaware of a prowling Draco's malevolent intentions. Maybe he had Crabbe and Goyle with him, because he'd be too much of a coward to stand alone. He was one foul creature.
"Go to McGonagall! Report him!" Hermione urged. She clearly was a fan of a more civil method of resolving the issue of Malfoy bullying Neville. Still enraged, Aurora disagreed.
"I don't want more trouble," Neville murmured.
"You've got to stand up for yourself Neville!" Ron said somewhat agitated. Ron was right to an extent. Aurora would not victim blame, but it would help if Neville did at least try to stand up for himself.
"You know what guys, I'm not feeling well. I'm going to turn in. Goodnight," Aurora announced. She paid no mind to the concerned faces of her friends. It was barely eight and she was a notorious night owl now that she's had trouble sleeping. None of them said anything though as she climbed the stairs to the girls' dormitory. She imagined her friends were still comforting Neville. She really did care, but she couldn't be around it anymore. It was painful to watch a friend be picked on, but it was just as terrible as hearing about Draco's involvement in the altercation. She didn't know why she was so surprised that Malfoy had been cruel. A foolish part of her still wanted their relationship to be the same as it once was as kids. But Aurora knew that it was never possible. Where she was fire he was the rain. Neither could exist together at the same time, and it was a disaster every time they collided. What she needed was to forget about him. But this was impossible when she saw his face everyday in their classes.
Aurora pulled the covers around her tightly and curled into a small ball in the center of her bed. She was grateful for the isolation. Though ironically, she hated it at home, she longed for it at times at Hogwarts. She loved her friends, but with emotions she couldn't even begin to interpret and exhaustion from her classes, it felt good to be in solitude. Despite the heavy feeling in her chest, she fell asleep swiftly after climbing into bed.
The next morning, had been exciting for the group. After Aurora had gone to bed, something she now regretted doing, Hermione, Ron, and Harry had discovered who Nicholas Flamel was.
"He was on the back of Dumbledore's Chocolate Frog card," Harry said, handing over a smiling, twinkle-eyed Dumbledore to Aurora. She studied it under a sharp gaze, satisfied that they had finally found an answer. His partner, Nicholas Flamel.
"And I found him here in this book. I checked it out weeks ago. Stupid of me not to make the connection. It says here that Nicholas Flamel made the Philosopher's Stone," Hermione added, opening a page of a thick book for Aurora to read.
"The dog must be guarding the Philosopher's Stone!"
"Shh, you want the entire school to know," Ron said, slugging Aurora lightly on the arm.
"Sorry."
"But yes, precisely," Hermione said nodding and pulling the book back to her.
In Potions, Aurora listened to Harry and Ron chatter about the upcoming quidditch game. She moved around her cauldron silently, occasionally gesturing for Seamus, her partner for the day, to add something to the pot. She watched him carefully as he did so. He had earned a reputation for blowing up several cauldrons and remarkably other objects nearby.
"I'm still playing. If I don't all the Slytherins will think I'm scared."
Aurora had to agree on this point. What was anyone without their pride an integrity?
"Just as long as we aren't wiping you off the pitch," Hermione added from a different table, her expression uneasy.
"Motherfucker!" Aurora screamed out suddenly to the nearly silent potions room. She had been dicing some bat eyes for the werewolf bite antidote, but had not been paying attention to her task, instead listening in on Harry's conversation with Ron and Hermione, and had split open her hand with the knife. The table splattered with her blood, and although the cut felt mild to Aurora, the bleeding would not cease.
"Ms. Greengrass, I'm sure you'd like to enlighten me on why you think it's appropriate to speak that way in my classroom," Snape drawled while approaching her table.
"She's cut her hand professor," Seamus answered for her. For once it had been her to screw up the potion. This fact bothered her, she was a bit of a perfectionist.
"Malfoy, come take Greengrass to Pomfrey."
"Oh that's okay Professor, I'm perfectly fine."
"Enough Greengrass, and five points for that language. Faster Malfoy. I want her gone before she bleeds all over my classroom."
Quietly and without any expression on his face, Draco strode to the door of the Potions room, waiting for Aurora to begin their descent from the dungeons. He didn't look at her as she walked next to him, nor did he say anything. Aurora began to feel irritated all over again. This boy had everything including the audacity. To pick on her friend last night then refuse to look or speak to her the next day?
"I don't suppose you're going to apologize to Neville."
Nothing. Not even a shift in composure or blink of hesitation. Not even a smug smirk was worn by him. This wasn't right. All Malfoy did was smirk. That and lean against doors and walls, probably pretending to be some broody badass. He was getting better at the brooding part though, Aurora had to admit.
"You're a real grade A prick you know."
This time he rolled his eyes. It was something but not the kind of reaction Aurora wanted. She wanted him to scream back at her, push her, anything but ignore her.
"That's really adorable. This little charade you're pulling. You want me like this don't you? Desperate for you to speak to me."
At this he did look at her stopping in the middle of a corridor. He was beginning to be taller than her now. He had at least a good inch an a half on her now. That would start to get very old once he used it to his advantage.
"Or maybe, Greengrass, I don't give a shit about you. You are nothing to me."
The words cut her, but she refused to show it to Draco. She couldn't be nothing. Could she?
They were silent the rest of the way to the infirmary. Aurora tried to think of anything she could say to retort back to his comment, but too many minutes had passed. The only thing she could do was walk by his side. If she walked in front of him, he would know that she was bothered by what he said. If she walked behind him, Draco would think that he won whatever this was. Aurora was not someone that was okay with being beaten, and she was most definitely not okay with being beaten by Malfoy.
As they entered the Hospital Wing for Madame Pomfrey, Aurora was more relieved. Draco and her would not be alone now and she would no longer have to feel awkward in his company.
The Hospital Wing was surprisingly buzzing. Aurora guessed there might be a virus going on, after all, it was winter. A couple students laid in beds tucked neatly against the far wall, out of the way from incoming patients. Conversing with Madame Pomfrey, was Alex. This fact also made Aurora feel better. She had been disappointed when Alex was not sorted into Gryffindor, but she was also not quick to cease speaking to him once being placed into Slytherin. Sometimes they studied together in the library or talked after meals. He was hardly the stereotype of the Slytherins at Hogwarts. Polite and charming, Aurora still found herself drawn to him.
"Alex? Everything okay?" Aurora asked as Madame Pomfrey walked back to her office, leaving Alex to stand in the middle of the Hospital wing.
"As always. Sprout just wanted me to drop off some herbs for her. You on the other hand."
"Nice pun. Potions' accident," Aurora said showing off her still freely bleeding hand. She was glad that she wore her scarf today so that she'd at least have something to wrap the wound in. She couldn't fathom the embarrassment of leaking a trail of blood all the way from the dungeons to the infirmary.
"That doesn't look very good."
"It really doesn't hurt much."
"Well I'm going to need to take a look at it," Madame Pomfrey said interjecting in Alex and Aurora's conversation.
Draco stood still beside Aurora as Madame Pomfrey spread a potion across the inflicted area and then wrapped a tight cloth around her hand. Alex had also tried to stay behind longer to keep Aurora company while being treated, but Pomfrey was quick to shoo him away once she finished putting away the fresh herb supply. Despite still not looking at Aurora, Draco looked all the more pleased once Alex was thrown out, a tight smirk spreading onto his lips. It was reasonable to assume that they had not become friends despite Alex becoming part of the Slytherin House. Aurora was beginning to become antsy again once Pomfrey finished and went to file the necessary paperwork. This left her and Malfoy alone once again.
It was very uncomfortable, standing in silence. Aurora didn't feel like the type of person who could fill those silences with just her presence, like the way Hermione could. Though she was happy that Draco was content with not speaking to her still, the other half of her felt worse that there was such a boundary between them. It was ridiculous to feel this way though. Draco had harassed her and her friends, he's a blood supremacist for crying out loud. There was no logical sense to emotional pull and drain Draco had with her. She wish she had never had the displeasure of meeting him.
"Alright dears, you may go back to class. Ms. Greengrass, you can take that bandage off in an hour."
Draco turned to leave immediately once Pomfrey gave him the cue to do so. He didn't as much glance behind him to Aurora who staggered slowly behind him. She was in no hurry to get back to Potions and despite a possible reprimand from Snape, she couldn't force herself to care. It was only a matter of minutes before Draco was out of sight and Aurora was left alone to wonder the hallways. She counted in her head to calculate how long she had had the bandage on so far. 10 minutes.
For the remainder of the class, Aurora pondered the Philosopher's Stone. Dumbledore must have removed it from Gringott's because he and Flamel knew it was going to be stolen. Their predictions had been right as an attempted robbery followed after. But who would dare try to steal from goblins? Nothing Aurora considered made sense. Not only was it risky, but who would be desperate to turn metal into gold? Or perhaps it was the elixir of life abilities that drew the potential thief in. Regardless of how long she thought about the stone, she was still left with more questions than answers. Perhaps she was just not analyzing from the right angle.
The next afternoon, Aurora, Ron, and Hermione wished Harry luck outside the quidditch locker room. The game would commence in just a few minutes now, and the group anxiously awaited for it to begin. Aurora felt guilty allowing Harry to play. After all, Snape was refereeing and he nearly killed Harry last game. But Harry was far too stubborn to listen to Aurora's last second suggestions of forfeit.
Finding a place next to Neville in the stands, Aurora found herself holding her breath as the Gryffindor team rode out onto the field. They swirled around the pitch and along the sides of the stadium walls before splitting into their positions. She gripped her concealed wand firmly in her hand, running through potential curses in her head, preparing for Snape to try something with Harry.
"Look Dumbledore is here," Hermione said, nudging both Ron and Aurora lightly.
"Snape can't do anything then," Aurora replied, immediately more relieved. "It's too risky, Harry will be safe."
"I've never seen Snape look so mean," Ron said giddily. His expression was quite amusing, but there was still the concern that he wouldn't call fairly, giving Hufflepuff the upper hand. "Ouch!"
Someone had prodded Ron in the back of the head.
"Oh sorry, Weasley. Didn't see you there," Malfoy sneered. He was flanked by Crabbe and Goyle, who also wore malicious grins on their faces.
Ron muttered angrily, but said nothing to Malfoy at that point. He wasn't worth it, Aurora reminded herself. Draco had made it clear that anything concerning her was unimportant, she needed to return the energy. Anything Malfoy said was irrelevant.
"Wonder how long Potter's going to stay on his broom this time? Anyone want to bet? What about you Weasley?" Nothing still.
Aurora wasn't looking at Draco, but she liked to imagine that he was growing annoyed by his lack of ability to provoke her or Ron. This time they would win.
"You know how I think they choose people for the Gryffindor team?" Malfoy said loudly after several minutes of sitting quietly behind Neville, Aurora, Ron, and Hermione. "It's people they feel sorry for. see, there's Potter whose got no parents. Then there's the Weasleys, who've got not money. Hm you should be on the team next Longbottom, you've got no brains!" Malfoy hollered in then released fits of his vicious laughter. It wasn't his real laugh. Aurora saw Draco's genuine emotions very infrequently, but she knew him well enough to know that he was being fake.
"I'm worth twelve of you Malfoy," Neville returned, stammering nervously.
Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle all burst into laughter. Aurora whipped around at this point and fixed them all a nasty glare. They paid no mind to her though as they collapsed in their seats, still bent over in laughter.
"Longbottom, if brains were gold you'd be poorer than Weasley, and that's saying something."
Aurora's jaw dropped. It shouldn't surprise her that Draco would say something so mean. He's proven time and time again to be sadistically cruel. Aurora wondered what made him take such pleasure in hurting others. Perhaps it was because his father hurt him. But that was no excuse to treat others so poorly.
"I'm warning you, Malfoy. One more word-"
"Ron! Aurora! Look!" Hermione said pointing to Harry soaring to the floor of the field.
"He's found the snitch!" Neville exclaimed.
Aurora listened carefully to the group's excitement, but remained quiet. It was difficult for her to properly concentrate on the game and talk at the same time.
"You're in luck, Weasley. It looks like Potter's spotted some money on the ground! Maybe you can move out of that broom closet now!"
"That does it!" Ron snapped.
Neville and Ron leapt from their seats and began to roll around with Malfoy wrestling him. Aurora joined. She had no interest in fighting with the boys, but she was not going to allow Ron and Neville to get hurt either. She tried pulling Ron off of Draco, but it was no use. Ron was much larger than her and too heavy for Aurora to pull up alone. Giving up, she rejoined Hermione again, allowing the boys to finish their immature brawl.
"And Harry Potter's caught the snitch! Gryffindor wins!" Lee Jordan announced from the booth.
"Ron! Ron! Gryffindor's won, we're in the lead for the house cup now!" Hermione cried.
Ron stopped fighting Malfoy at this point climbing over seats to rejoin Aurora and Hermione in excitement. The real celebration would happen later with Harry in the common room.
Aurora, Hermione, and Ron waited for several minutes in the common room after the game. It was taking Harry quite awhile to come back to Gryffindor Tower and Aurora awaited anxiously, head whipping to look at the portrait each time she heard the porthole door open.
When Harry finally did come through the portrait into the Gryffindor Common Room, the trio ran to greet him. But Harry was not as excited as they were over the current victory, his expression solemn.
"We won! We won! We won!" Ron cheered, circling around Harry as he chanted.
"Where have you been?" Hermione asked.
"Neville and I fought Malfoy! Gave him a black eye and everything. Neville's still out cold in the infirmary. He tried to take on Crabbe and Goyle singlehandedly!"
"Never mind that now. Listen," Harry instructed the group in a hushed whisper.
"What's wrong Harry?" Aurora questioned. She was anxious to hear what he needed to share.
"Snape's after the Stone!"
"No way," Aurora retorted instinctively.
"Yes! I heard him threatening Quirrell by the Forbidden Forrest. He needs Quirrell to get past Fluffy! Snape is going to steal the Stone!"
"So we were right," Hermione breathed, shocked that a few first years had discovered Snape's masterplan.
"I don't know guys, Snape is a professor," Aurora said in an unsure tone.
"Oh come on, Rory. We've already been over this with Hermione. It all makes sense! It's him," Ron insisted.
"I guess." Aurora didn't see much of a point in arguing back. The case for Snape was a difficult one to defend, especially considering Harry had personally witnessed Snape threaten Quirrell.
"I bet there's more than Fluffy. There are plenty of professors here, I reckon there's other things protecting the Philosopher's Stone. Quirrell would have made anti-Dark Arts magic enchantments that Snape needs to break," Hermione added.
"Wait so you're telling me that the Stone's only safe as long as Quirrell stands up to Snape?" Aurora interjected. This would be problematic. Snape for one was terrifying and Quirrell was a coward.
"It'll be gone by next Tuesday," said Ron.