Disclaimer: Aurora Clementine Badeau, Aberto Adriano Badeau, Alicia Doireann Badeau (nee Riddle), Timothy Durante Badeau, Alfred Cillian Badeau, Holly Caoimhe Badeau, Nicola Sorcha Badeau, Italia Isla Badeau, Thekla Sophia Badeau (nee Metaxas), Maximus Eligio Badeau, Alexander Fidel Badeau, Massimo Cillian Badeau, Dolores Maria Badeau (nee DaSilva), Gloria Boxington (nee Badeau), and Henry Boxington are © me lol I know, really long list of characters and yes, they're all related in some way. That'll be explained later. All of these names are authentic Spanish, Scottish, Italian, Irish, and Greek names (Thekla is the only pure Greek though). There are some names in here that I added but I'm not saying their mine because they don't play huge roles and I'm too lazy to go through the whole story again and type more names to this already long list (like Professor Markis, Nikita, etc…)
Pippa Lupin © my friend, Ashley :)
All other characters are © Jo Rowling (if you've seen the names in the original HP series)
Now…Enjoy. Please review!
Lily ended up on staying at Hogwarts that weekend, wanting to avoid Daniel WisperWood. Unfortunately for Aurora, she was stuck with a bunch of Slytherins that included Ewald and Daniel at Hogsmeade. Patti Richardson and her gaggle of Slytherin girlfriends sat at a table next to the boys' table. Rosemerta came and got the orders from their large group, Aurora only asking for water. She felt so alone amongst these miscreants. She watched them observantly. She made notes of their behavior towards one another.
These girls were far more gossipy than the ones of Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Gryffindor. They had a dark edge to them; the boys seemed dangerous but Aurora had a feeling that it was the ladies of Slytherin that needed to be watched out for. They were sneaky and wicked. But together they almost seemed normal. Aurora almost began to hate them because now they seemed more human which she didn't want them to be. She wanted them to be these evil creatures that no one could really trust. Aurora looked away from all of them, her brows furrowing.
This wasn't good at all. She was starting to enjoy sitting with them and listening to them. They weren't stupid like many people assumed. They all had different points of view and some of the girls were actually nice. Aurora shut her eyes and sighed heavily. She heard the clanging of classes against the wooden table and looked up to see Rosemerta looking at her worriedly. Aurora smiled and took her glass of water and took a sip. Rosemerta placed her hand on Aurora's shoulder and motioned her to follow. Aurora looked at the rest of the group and saw that no one had noticed.
She stood quietly and quickly followed Rosemerta. Rosemerta led her away from all of the crowds and behind the bar. Aurora was silent as she followed Rosemerta down a dark hallway and into a little, cozy room that was dimly lit by the afternoon sun. Rosemerta motioned for her to sit down on the worn out orange sofa in the middle of the room. Aurora did and sipped at her water again. Rosemerta sat down across from her on the lounge chair; her arms resting on her slightly spread knees. She was looking at Aurora with a half disappointed half sympathetic expression that made Aurora want to squirm; instead she just looked away, studying the spotted carpet.
"What are you doing with all of them? I didn't see you as a Slytherin friend," Rosemerta finally spoke. Aurora's eyes snapped to hers, a hardness to them now.
"I'm not. Ewald is forcing me to-"
"Let me stop you there," Rosemerta interrupted, holding up a single index finger. Aurora shut her mouth and pouted a little. "Aurora, you have never been controlled by anyone before. You have preached in my pub more than once that you would never let anyone, man or woman, ever control you…" Aurora looked away again, looking very uncomfortable. She shifted on the sofa and made a disgruntled sound. "What does he have hanging over your head?"
At this, Aurora panicked. Her eyes snapped to the door and then to Rosemerta. Rosemerta saw the panic in Aurora's eyes and the color on her cheeks, confirming her suspicion. Rosemerta was about to say something else to her as she stood but Aurora stood quickly, mumbling something about having to leave and thank you for the water before she dashed out the door and then out of the pub. Rosemerta was slightly dumbfounded and surprised. Aurora was acting quite odd.
Aurora walked quickly from the Three Broomsticks and wrapped her arms around her midsection. She looked back and saw that Mulciber had come out to look for her. She hurried her pace, almost to a run, and hid in a narrow alley between Zonko's Joke Shop and Puddlemoot's Antiques and Things. She closed her eyes and rested the back of her head against the outer brick wall of Puddlemoot's. She sighed heavily and then squeezed her eyes together as she felt tears sting her lids. She sniffled and opened her eyes when she felt a presence next to her.
Aurora started when she saw Sirius gazing curiously at her. Her mouth dropped open as if she were going to say something but nothing came out of her mouth. She closed her mouth and gave herself a mental slap, collecting her thoughts.
"Sirius, what are you doing here?"
"I followed you out of the pub. Are you alright?" He sounded sincerely concerned and curious. Aurora blinked and gave him a bewildered look.
"I thought you were angry with me…"
"I am…" He sighed and looked away, out of the alley. She stayed quiet, knowing that he wasn't done talking. "Why him, Aurora? You can do so much better." He looked back at her, his eyes striking her soul. She gasped softly and looked away. I can't tell him…He'd really hate me.
"I can't…"She sighed heavily, her eyes closing as she faced him again. "I can't tell you, Sirius." She opened her eyes and saw the hurt in his. "It's not that I want to…I'd much rather be with someone other than Ewald." She thought she was giving him a small hint but his grey eyes didn't tell her if he had gotten it or not. "He's despicable. But he…He's blackmailing me and no, I can't tell you what he's blackmailing me with."
"Why not? I know we're not really friends or anything but we've always been able to talk to each other and I've told you things that I've never told James," he confessed. Aurora looked at him in surprise.
"If I told you, you'd really hate me. It's…It's not something I can control or change, though I wish I could. It's just something that I'm ashamed of and appalled by….I'm sorry, Sirius, but I ca--" Before she could finish her sentence, she felt his hands on the sides of her face and then his lips pressing gently against hers. She gasped softly as her eyes widened and her hands came up to grab his cloak, fisting in the front of it. She slowly closed her eyes and hesitantly responded to him, leaning into him softly. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her to him, breaking the kiss. He buried his nose in her hair and closed his eyes.
"Trust me, Aurora," he whispered softly against her neck, his warm breath feather light. She gulped and pushed away from him, running pass him and out into the cobblestone street. Sirius blinked and watched her go, a few seconds going by before he responded. He exited the alley and jogged after her until the crowd of teachers, students, and townsfolk combined prevented him from going any farther. He called after her a couple of times before he gave up, his shoulders slumping forward, a dejected look on his face. What is she keeping from me? I'll have to ask Lily and Pippa. And Andromeda too. Andromeda may know and if she does, she will definitely tell me. He turned on his heel and went back to the pub to retrieve James, Remus, and Peter.
He didn't see a pretty Gryffindor girl standing with her back against the outside wall of Zonko's Joke Shop. Her hazel eyes had caught the encounter and she smiled slyly. Pippa had a feeling that Sirius and Aurora were about to become something much more fun than being "just friends". She played with the bottom of her scarf and then walked in the opposite direction of Sirius. She had a date to get to with Severus.
Aurora hurried away, heading for the school. Her mind was swimming and she felt slightly dizzy as she ran towards the exit of the little town. She had to sneak by a couple of teachers and then walked hurriedly the rest of the way to the school. She walked into the entrance hall, her eyes looking around for Apollyon Pringle, the current caretaker.
When she didn't see him, she leisurely walked into the school and all the way up to the Ravenclaw House. She came to the great knob less door with the Ravenclaw crest on the front of it and waited for the question. Suddenly, the door spoke.
"What tree is most warmly clad?"
"A fir tree."
"Clever answer." The door swung open and Aurora walked in.
Thank God. She pulled her cloak off and draped it over her arm before she walked up to the girls' dormitory. She walked in and noticed that no one was there. Good… She sat on her bed, grabbing her journal from beneath the mattress and then she reached for her bag and pulled her ink and quill out. She wrote about the days events and then wrote 3 letters; one to her parents, one to her brother, Alfred, and one to her younger sisters, Holly, Nicola, and Italia. She then put her journal, ink, and quill away before taking the letters to the Owlery.
She walked slowly, being in no rush because she knew no one was following her. As she was rubbing her neck, feeling the tension and knots, she climbed the stairs to the Owlery and suddenly stopped. Before her was the man she despised, the very man whom was her biggest secret.
Voldemort stood before her in his liquid-like black cloak, a sly smile on his pale, greenish face. Aurora paled and took a step back, blinking hard. When she opened her eyes again, he was gone. Breathing hard, her eyes wide, she looked all around her. No one was near her. She slowly headed back up the steps and entered the Owlery. No one was there.
She felt a chill run down her spine and she turned but saw nothing. But she heard his laugh; that low, evil cackle. She closed her eyes and kneeled down, her hands against her temples as she grimaced and shivered. Stop! Get out of my head! Leave me be! The laughter continued and she felt a sudden pain in her spine and her head began to throb. NO! STOP IT!
She didn't realize she was screaming in pain, writhing on the floor as the intense, shooting and throbbing pain continued shooting up and down her spine and in her head. She didn't feel the cool, strong yet old fingers gently pull at her arms.
She didn't hear the voices above her, the concerned whispers and the cries of her friends. She didn't feel herself being lifted off of the cold cobblestone floor and being carried out of the Owlery. She couldn't see anything. She tried opening her eyes, but the pain was too intense. She was able to crack them open slightly once, her eyes watching as her letters fell from her weak hands and fluttered to the steps. She remembered crying out, screaming "NO!" before everything went black and she passed out.