The Hufflepuff common room was quiet for a Saturday morning. The 3rd years were permitted to visit Hogsmeade, an all-wizarding village not far from the castle, leaving the dorm in silence. Aurore rather liked it.
She sat near the fireplace in a plush yellow and black chair, reading a potions textbook to familiarize herself with the basics of brewing - what to do and what not to do - as she waited for the hours to tick by.
Hannah offered to keep her company but knowing that the blonde wanted to venture the grounds with Ernie Macmillan, Aurore insisted that she do so. Besides, she had other plans for today.
As soon as noon rolled around, Aurore shut her textbook and sat it down on the table beside her, then quickly sauntered from the dorm room. It took her no time at all to reach the library in the annex section of the castle. She searched the massive room, impressed by the thousands of books on the shelves around and above her. But where was Hermione?
Aurore found her sitting at a table near the restricted area, reading through a large tome. When she approached her, Hermione met her eyes and smiled.
"You came," she uttered.
"Of course, I did," Aurore retorted. She sat down in the chair across from her and raised a curious brow, observing the tome. "What are you reading?"
Hermione hummed.
"Something small to pass the time."
Aurore snorted.
"But now that you are here, we can start our lessons," she added. Standing, Hermione set the book on the shelf where she took it from and turned to Aurore. "I asked Professor Flitwick for permission to use the training dummy in his classroom and he said yes."
"That's nice of him," Aurore uttered.
Hermione nodded in response.
Leaving the library, Aurore followed the brunette to the charms classroom near the Third-floor corridor. It was empty when they arrived, but the desks were pushed to either side of the room to allow them space; a training dummy on wheels sat in the middle, waiting for them.
"Should I go first or you?" Hermione asked.
"You first," Aurore uttered.
She wanted to see the brunette's wand work up close without the hassle of her fellow students blocking her view.
Watching Hermione retrieve her vine wood wand from her robes, she cleared her voice and gestured in what could only be described as elegant.
"Incendio!"
A jet of reddish-orange flames materialized and struck the training dummy, knocking it back a few feet. Luckily whatever spell it had on it extinguished the flames quickly.
Aurore clapped in excitement for Hermione as the brunette turned with a triumphant smile.
"Your turn."
With an uneasy sigh, Aurore returned the dummy to its place and stood exactly where Hermione had, a safe distance back.
"You said my wand work was off. Can you show me?" She asked.
Hermione nodded and took out her wand.
"After me. Up at an angle, then down and swish. Make sure to enunciate clearly."
Aurore followed her instructions, announcing the name of the spell, however, in response, her wand sizzled and sparked.
"Like I said maple wands are temperamental," Hermione stated with wide eyes. She hummed. "Perhaps a different stance. I noticed that you are fluid in your movement as if the wand is an extension of your body, but perhaps you need to take control of it."
Was she not assertive enough with her wand?
"Don't be like this," Aurore uttered.
She tried the spell, but again her wand sparked in protest. Aurore groaned.
"Try this," Hermione ordered. She lifted her arm to demonstrate. "Keep your elbow straight and your wrist bent. Align your wand tip and then use your left arm to balance yourself."
Aurore mocked her stance, more determined than before, and cleared her voice.
"Don't let me down mon ami (my friend)."
This time, when she cast the spell, to her relief, it worked. Aurore was thrilled to have her lesson pan out.
"You are merveilleuse (marvelous) Hermione. You'd make a good professor," she stated, turning her attention to the brunette.
"That's kind of you," Hermione mentioned. "I hope to do well in school and then perhaps get a job where I can make a difference. Do you have a goal you are working toward?"
Aurore wasn't sure. She honestly hadn't given it much thought.
"I've grown up around magical plants all my life, and I rather like learning about them, so perhaps I'll become a Herbologist like my mother."
"I think that suits you," Hermione pointed out. "Hufflepuff is the right house for you… But if I'm being honest, I would have rather had you in Gryffindor."
Me too.
But Aurore did not doubt the Sorting Hat's choice. She was curious, however, about what Slytherin could have done for her.
"Do you ever wonder if the Sorting Hat made the right choice?" She asked as she retrieved the training dummy.
"It's hard to say. I've read that the Sorting Hat uses Legilimency. It saw fit to put me in Gryffindor instead of Ravenclaw, so there must be a reason. I doubt I'd ever be suited for Hufflepuff… No offense," Hermione explained, giving her a sympathetic look.
Aurore didn't mind; it was easy to see that her house was less desirable than the others.
"And of Slytherin? Are they not said to be ambitious?"
Hermione cast the Fire-Making Spell again on the training dummy, then averted her eyes to the floor in thought. Whatever was on her mind, struck Aurore with guilt.
"It wasn't my place to ask mon ami (my friend), I apologize if I have offended you."
"You haven't," Hermione uttered. "It's not impossible for someone like me to be in Slytherin, though I doubt others would see it that way."
What did she mean? Aurore was curious but she felt it unwise to ask why. Perhaps the brunette was in the same position as Ezra; another status-related issue. It was saddening, to say the least.
The next few hours were spent in good company, practicing spells until both first years were content with their wand work, to which Aurore was grateful.
When dinner rolled around, Aurore followed Hermione to the Great Hall and sat beside her at the Hufflepuff table with the aisle between them. There weren't many students around, considering the upperclassmen were still in Hogsmeade Village, expected to return around the 9 o'clock curfew, so she sat side saddle on the bench to talk easier with her.
"So, in addition to Dittany, there is Gillyweed, which allows one to breathe underwater for a short duration, and Mandragora. Despite their fatal cry, they can be used to return people who have been transfigured or cursed to their original state," Aurore explained. She paused for a moment to wet her dry throat with a drink of orange juice. "But my favorite is Fluxweed."
"What do you like about Fluxweed?" Hermione asked, raising her brow.
A fond memory came to mind, making Aurore smile.
"Depending on when you pick it, Fluxweed has various uses. My mother often cultivated its scruples during the full moon and she'd take me to the greenhouse with her. The light and available moisture are at their peak during the full moon; it's a beneficial time to plant seeds. I like how peaceful planting beneath the moon is."
"That sounds lovely," Hermione uttered.
It was.
The loud creak of the doors opening in the Great Hall drew Aurore's attention briefly toward the back of the hall where Draco and his two stouter friends emerged. Out of habit, she turned up her eyes, a gesture that didn't go unnoticed by Hermione.
"He's a rather crude individual," she mentioned upon seeing who Aurore was staring at.
"That is an understatement. I've had enough run-ins with him since I spoke out against him before the sorting ceremony," Aurore spoke.
Hermione widened her eyes.
"You're being targeted by Malfoy?"
"Sort of," Aurore answered. "I'm not exactly certain what his game is but he has no manners. I dare to think he fancies me."
A snort came from Hermione.
"I hate to see how he treats those he dislikes then."
"Agreed," Aurore uttered.
Honestly, she wasn't sure how he perceived her. She was a Hufflepuff, and he was a Slytherin; there should be no common interest between them, and on her end, there wasn't. So why was she constantly in Draco's line of fire? Did he find something curious about her?
He's the last person I should waste my time on… Or my worries.
Aurore bit into a ripe strawberry and hummed.
"Annoyances aside, this was a lovely day. If you aren't busy next week, we should do this again."
"Definitely," Hermione uttered.
Despite her quiet answer, her demeanor was friendly and eager.
Aurore honestly felt the same. She couldn't wait to write home to her parents and tell them about the brunette and the progress she had made.
It seemed too soon, but she was more than eager to call Hermione her friend.