The rest of November passed slowly, in sleet and snow and grim grey clouds which only soured Aurora's persistent mood further. Her place felt more uncertain than it ever had; sitting with Draco and Pansy and the rest felt completely out of the question, so Aurora would spend most of her time in the library, and when she had to return to the common room, she would keep to Gwen, Robin, Leah, and Theo, often in the corner by the window that faced the Black Lake. It was draughty and not ideal, but it had a nice view and atmosphere, and people rarely saw her head over the top of the high-backed armchairs.

Quidditch practices were growing tenser than ever. Aurora and Draco had always been so in sync and flown so well together, and now they never spoke, there was a silent agreement of competition between them. One would soar ahead, the other would battle to overtake them, flying always at the front of the group, no matter Graham's complaints about it. Yet it wasn't so bad as Aurora might have anticipated, for although her cousin continuously battled her for the front spot, they hadn't had any real confrontation until the day Draco ended their flight, a week and a half after their argument and told Graham, "I want her off the team."

Everybody stared at him in bewildered silence. "You don't have that authority," Aurora scoffed, but looked to Graham, who seemed to be struggling to come up with an answer.

"My father funds this team. He pays for each of your brooms, and he doesn't want to pay for yours anymore."

"Your father isn't funding me, it's the team, and I am on the team."

"You don't have to be. We've got two reserves, just like you wanted."

"Arw you really so upset about me upstaging you?"

"You're not upstaging me," Draco sneered, "we just don't want someone on the team who embodies the wrong values."

"Knock it off," Graham grunted finally, stepping between them. "You don't control the team, Malfoy, and neither does your father — or your grandfather, before you try and play that card. I chose Aurora because she's the best person to play Chaser with us. You've got a real problem with that, take it up with me."

"She's not allowed that broom anymore," Draco said, glaring. "It's not hers or yours."

"It was a gift," said Felix Vaisey, unexpectedly. "Or do you admit to bribery?"

"I don't answer to you, Vaisey."

"No, you're right," Graham said, stepping forward, "you answer to me, as your fucking captain, and I say I don't give a shit what values you want Black to have, I just want her to be a ruddy good player, which she is. You can't take her broom away, you can't decide who is or is not on the team, and if you knew what's good for you, you'd shut up before I kick you off, 'cause there's only one person here who I've seen win against Gryffindor."

That was a low blow and Aurora delighted in it, in the furious pink flush of Draco's face as he turned to her. "You're sticking up for her? My father—"

"Isn't here," Cassius said, folding his arms. "And far as I'm aware, doesn't actually control the team. You're doing more damage than this is worth."

"This is ridiculous! I'll go to Professor Umbridge, she'll tell you—"

"I've done nothing wrong," Aurora snapped, glaring at him, that quick fury rising to the surface once more. "You're just being petty, because you're mad at me!"

"I'm not petty!"

"you're the pettiest person I know."

"Maybe you two should—"

"You're one to talk, Aurora, you're too stubborn to even think about apologising to me!"

"I'm not the one who needs to apologise!" Blinking away frustrated tears, she shoved the broom at him, clattering it against his chest, and he stumbled back. "If it means that fucking much to you, fine, have your broom, fucking measure it, you twat, I'll find my own! But do not think for a moment that I'll let you threaten my spot on the team!"

"Fine!" Draco shouted, snatching the broom. He looked around, but the only people who stood by him were Vincent and Greg; Bletchley shuffled uncomfortably towards him, staring at the ground, while Urquhart pretended to be interested in a passing cloud. "Good luck with that."

"Aurora stays on the team," Graham told Draco firmly. "If you don't want to play with her, you can leave."

"You won't have your brooms."

"We'll have our brooms," Graham grunted.

"And you know," Vaisy put in, eyebrows raised, "it'd be pretty embarrassing if the heir to the Malfoys couldn't handle a little disagreement on his team. I mean, how are you going to manage politics?"

"Fuck off, Vaisey, everybody knows your grandfather's a snivelling little—"

"That's enough!" Graham barked, stamping his foot. "Malfoy, I'm not having you pick fights with the whole team. Go to your dorm to cool off. The rest of you, clear up here. Aurora — with me."

As Draco stormed away, cheeks pink and embarrassed, Aurora went off to the side with Graham, who looked furiously around at the rest of the team to make sure they weren't eavesdropping before he said, "I just wanted him to get a head start before you go off to murder him."

"I think that's warrant an expulsion from school, let alone the Quidditch Team."

"True enough." He sighed loudly. "Listen, we all know your fallout's causing trouble in the team. People are taking sides and I'm not meant to get involved in that. But I don't want to lose you. Either of you, but, you're the one I'm looking to recommend as captain."

"Really?" Her anger momentarily dissipated at the news, and her smile spread. "You're serious?"

"You're smart, you're quick, and I reckon you can keep that rowdy lot in line. But it's not the point — your cousin's furious with you and I don't know what happened and I don't want to, though I can guess. And I can't put in a good word for you if you're the source of problems on the team — doesn't matter who's in the right or isn't. Keep looking after yourself, yeah?"

"I'm a big girl, Captain. I can take care of myself."

"I'm serious. There's been some shit going 'round the common room I don't want to repeat, but you better watch your back. Before someone stabs you in it."

-*

Within a week, Aurora had managed — through quick discharge of her savings and delicate dropping of her name and title — to secure herself a broom to rival even Harry Potter's: her very own Firebolt.

She kept it under wraps until their Saturday morning practice, making sure to be the last out onto the pitch. Draco's face was worth it; pulled into a slender, open mouthed surprise, his cheeks heating pink and eyes flashing.

"A Firebolt?" he smarted. "A fucking Firebolt — you're that desperate to be like Potter?"

"I deserve the best," she said cheerfully, smile widening when she saw the amused look on Cassius and Vaisey's faces. "Sorry you couldn't have one of your own. But I'm sure a Nimbus 2001 is alright, really. Let's see if you can keep up, hm?"

Graham shook his head at her, but gave no scold. Cassius came to her shoulder as they went to take their positions and murmured, "You're on thin ice with Malfoy, you know."

"I think I've already broken it," she said, "and I need a broom." She shrugged, trying to hide her vindictive pleasure at the furious look on Draco's face as he talked to Crabbe and Goyle. "I don't know what else he could expect, and he's no sensible right to be angry." She tightened her ponytail, hooking her leg over the broom. "Don't tell me I'm wrong, Cassius. I don't particularly care."

She streaked out in front immediately, though hung back slightly from full speed as she tried to get use to the smoother, more sensitive broom. Draco was just behind her, not quite matching her until two laps in when he came up behind her, his blond hair startling in the fading sunlight. He pulled just ahead of her and Aurora leaned forward, driving herself to cut him off and wedge him to the side; in retaliation, he shot forward, the tail-end of his broom brushing against her own handle and jarring her off course.

She recovered quickly, but the flame of anger that the move had ignited was hard to ignore. She pressed on, ignoring Graham's shouts for them to be careful.

"Watch yourself," she snapped at Draco as she pulled ahead, to which he just glared at her and dropped down into a steep dive.

Show off, Aurora thought, gritting her teeth. With a scowl, she followed him plummeting towards the ground, urging her broomstick on. Draco looked up, glanced over his shoulder, yelled, "Knock it off, Aurora!"

"Not if you're trying to knock me off my broom, I won't," she snapped back, pushing down, pressuring him. The ground was rising up to meet them quickly; Aurora made to pull out, and as she did so, the back of her broom collided with Draco's front as he did the same.

She went flying over the front handle, as Draco toppled to the side of his broom, catching the ground with his heel and stumbling, before jumping back up with a grunt. Aurora yanked on the front of her broom as she plummeted towards the ground, flipping herself back over at the last minute in an exhilarating sort of somersault, the Firebolt's extra endurance and agility proving her saving grace.

"You idiot!" she screamed over the wind.

"Stop bloody chasing me, Aurora!"

"I am trying to fly laps to warm up!"

"You're trying to wind me up!"

"Sod off, Draco!"

She surged back up into the air, whooshing past the oncoming storm of their teammates, as high up as she could go. Of course, when she looked over her shoulder, Draco was following her. "What do you think you're doing?" Graham bellowed as they passed.

"Yeah, Draco, what do you think you're doing?"

"Piss off, Aurora. You're not impressing anyone."

"I impress people by catching the snitch more often than you do, though."

It was a low and vindictive blow and as soon as she said it she knew it had been the wrong to say; bitter guilt and dislike twisted her gut as she swooped through one of the goal hoops and up, towards the commentator's box, resting above the crest of the tower.

"You're a fucking bitch," Draco spat at her when he was in range, "you know that?"

She shrugged. "You're not the first to say that. You've more in common with Harry Potter than you think. I'm a better Seeker than he is, too."

Before he could respond, she took off again, grinning with a vindictive sort of glee. She had wounded him like he had been wounding her for so long; that thrill of hitting him where it hurt, burned through her as she soared down towards their teammates, swooping below the pack and then up again in front of an alarmed-looking Felix Vaisey, before turning a sharp corner and cutting across the pitch.

"You wouldn't even be on this team if it wasn't for me!" Draco yelled, pulling up to her.

Aurora yelled, "You wouldn't be on the team if it wasn't for your father," and shot forward.

In an instant, Draco had moved and they collided, hard. With a thud, feeling her whole body shake, Aurora plummeted the ten or so feet to the ground, only just managing to keep on top of her broom. When she landed, it was clumsy; the broom, of course, was fine, her ankle gave a nasty twinge and gave way, and she clattered onto the grass, head spinning.

She squeezed her eyes shut as pain shot through her body. When she opened them, Graham was standing over her, grim-faced.

"You ruddy idiot, Black. What do you think you're playing at?"

Beside her, Draco was clutching his arm and rocking back and forth, being as dramatic as was humanly possible. Aurora stared at him, smirking as she tried to regain her breath. "I win."

"Merlin's pants — get up!"

"Not sure I can. Might've broken my ankle."

His face went a rather interesting shade of purple. "You've — you were meant to be flying laps!"

"Just spicing things up."

"You've lost it. Actually lost it, Black."

"Lay off, Graham," Cassius said, helping her to her feet with an arm around her waist. "You won't have broken it, but it might be sprained. Come on, we'll go see Madam Pomfrey."

"No," Graham snapped, looking between her and Draco, who was leaning on Vincent and Greg, both of whom were glaring fiercely at Aurora. "You two are being absolutely ridiculous. Everybody knows you're going through whatever family drama it is and frankly I don't care what the details are, but sort it out, for fuck's sake, before you ruin the season for all of us!"

She knew Graham was right, but she still couldn't help but feel fury mount in her when she looked at her cousin's face.

"Draco started it," she grumbled to Cassius as he helped her back up the hill to the castle, her broom in his hand — she couldn't stand the idea of Draco being anywhere near it.

"I'm sure he did."

"You don't sound very sure."

"Listen, what Graham said—"

"Draco's being an absolute arsehole, on purpose. He wants to hurt me. He's never wanted to hurt me before, and I've never wanted to hurt him and… Ugh!"

She made to storm off, but was reminded of her injured ankle by a sharp spike of pain. Cassius lunged forward, tugging her back to his side with a grimace. "Don't do that."

"I didn't mean to. Stop fussing, Warrington."

He let out a long, irritated sigh. Aurora glared at him.

"I heard about your fight, after the Gryffindor match. Not hard to work out, the way he carried on last week anyway, but..."

"I'm glad I can provide a source of gossip for the rest of the team."

"I'm sure whatever happened, Draco didn't mean to upset you."

"He always says he doesn't. But this was different. He was insulting me and my mother and father and everything I've ever tried to be."

"Have you tried talking to him? If you're uncomfortable with the language he uses, about… You know."

"Muggleborns." She stopped forcefully, holding him back even as it brought out further pain in her ankle. "Funnily enough I had pointed it out to him before, Cassius, and he didn't get the picture. Or didn't want to, more like. There's no use talking to him, I'd been talking to him for years and he just stayed the same behind my back! He hurt me, he broke my trust!"

"Can't you just apologise, and you two can make up and everything'll be fine."

"Apologise? Me? I'm not the one going around insulting people's families and saying their mothers deserved to be murdered!"

"Well, alright, that was a bit harsh."

"A bit harsh?" She struggled out of his grip, furious. "A bit fucking harsh, Cassius?"

"That's not what I meant. I'm sure he didn't mean it, but if you make the first step to reach out and fix things, it'd benefit us all. You're really screwing yourself over here, Aurora, I always knew you were proud but..."

She stared at him, cold twisting her gut. "Look," Cassius said anxiously, "I don't like that sort of talk anymore than you do. But you can't win every battle."

"I know. I've admitted defeat already, Cassius. This is me walking away. And it wouldn't benefit me to make up because he never changes. It'll only hurt more in the long run and I know that now and I am sick and tired of making excuses for him and turning a blind eye, so, I would thank you to let bloody go of me!"

She wrenched herself away from him, toppled over slightly, but gritted her teeth. The ankle wasn't broken. She could still walk on it, just with a lot of pain. People had gone through worse. She just had to grin and bear it and not bloody cry.

"Give me my broom back."

"You can't hop your way to the Hospital Wing."

"Watch me." She held her hand out and he reluctantly handed the Firebolt over.

"Aurora, don't be stupid."

"Don't be a prick, then!"

"I'm sorry, alright, I didn't mean to be insensitive."

"Oh, yeah," she said over her shoulder, hobbling away from him up the hill and still deeply regretting it, "no one ever means to be insensitive. But I'd rather not deal with someone telling me how to run my own life right now."

"That's not what I'm trying to do."

"Yeah? Why are you even still here, talking to me? We don't have to be friends, you don't have to help me, unless you're still holding onto some misguided notion that I care what you have to say!"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know, you're the one who seems to have everything figured out!"

"You're being ridiculous, Aurora. Come back and I'll help you to the Hospital Wing like a normal person and decent teammate."

"I'm perfectly fine on my own, Warrington. I don't need you, or your advice, and really I'd rather you just piss off. I don't care what you want to say or do, just — just leave me alone!"

"You don't mean that—"

"Oh, so you know what everybody means now! According to Cassius Warrington, nobody in the world ever means what they say, oh no! Silly Aurora Black with her stupid muggleborn family and own opinions, she doesn't know what anybody means, she's obviously wrong about everything! Well, you don't get to choose what I mean, Cassius, so go back to Graham and tell him I don't give a shit if he kicks me off the team, I'm sick to death of it!"

"Okay, you definitely don't mean that."

"Go!" she yelled at him, whipping about and not daring to look back over her shoulder as she limped to the Hospital Wing, tears burning in her eyes.

He didn't come after her, but after about a minute, Aurora wished her had. Stubborn as ever, though, she did not even dare to turn around and see where he was.

Stupid Cassius. Stupid Graham. Stupid Draco. Damn them all to hell, she thought bitterly, heart pounding. Merlin, she hoped Cassius didn't tell Graham what she said about the team. That would get her kicked off for sure.

It was times like this that she really wished she knew how to just be sad, to just cry. Instead she screamed and yelled and let herself be consumed by anger, destructive and unyielding and painful to everybody involved, and at the end of the day she didn't get anything from it except more hurt and frustration, and here she was, just as the heavens opened and it started to finally rain, limping hastily to the castle doors because she had been an absolute first-class idiot twice in the space of ten minutes.

When she got to the Hospital Wing after what felt like an eternity, having dodged the heavy stares of students roaming about the castle, it was to find Madam Pomfrey deep in discussion with Dumbledore and Snape, the two people she least wanted to see.

She gritted her teeth, hobbling into the room, cheeks blazing with an embarrassment that grew by the second and with every pained since.

"I fell of my broom," she said in a small voice, looking at the nurse. Madam Pomfrey looked at the Firebolt with disgust. "Not a big fall, but I didn't land well, and I think I've twisted my ankle."

Snape sneered. "How very elegant of you, Black."

She bit her tongue in an effort to avoid telling him to piss off.

"Come on then," Pomfrey said with a sigh. "This'll only take a few minutes. Did none of your teammates help you up here?"

"I thought I'd be fine," she lied, feeling more nauseous when Pomfrey got her to sit down and she looked at her swelling ankle. Her head spun again, darkness winking in her mind for a moment.

Pomfrey clicked her tongue, and applied pressure on her ankle in a way that made bile leap up into Aurora's throat. "Foolish girl. You Quidditch players, you're all far too proud to get any injuries seen to. And you're in the dance club too, aren't you?" Aurora nodded, and Pomfrey scoffed. "They're even worse for injuries. Honestly — I'll get you some salve and a potion and you'll be right as rain in a couple of hours."

She hurried away and came back a moment later, just as Dumbledore whispered something to Snape and came to sit next to Aurora. "You know," he said cheerfully, "I think sometimes ankle sprains are good luck."

He was surely just making that up for the sake of conversation. He was so annoying like that.

"They do not feel very lucky."

Dumbledore chuckled. "All the best people have sprained their ankles. Why, I myself had terribly weak ankles even as a young boy."

"Wow." For some reason, Dumbledore's comments only drove her closer to tears. "Thanks, Professor — ow!"

Pomfrey had just opened the bottle of salve and started rubbing it into the tender area around Aurora's ankle. "Quit your fussing, I know what I'm doing, Miss Black."

"I know, but it's still sore."

She tutted and shook her head, and Aurora ground her teeth together the whole time until she stepped away and handed her a bottle. "This'll deal with the pain until the ankle's healed. I'll give you a minute once you've had it to come to yourself, and if it still hurts tomorrow, come back, alright?"

"Got it, Madam Pomfrey."

Madam Pomfrey shook her head, muttering "Quidditch," under her breath as she went to rejoin Snape.

"I'd warn you," Dumbledore said to Aurora, "that thing tastes nasty. Best to drink it all at once, get it over and done with."

Aurora nodded, and took a breath before downing the lot. It was truly disgusting, so bitter and acidic with an almost burnt taste, scorching against the back of her throat.

"You weren't kidding," she said once she could form words again. "Merlin."

Dumbledore chuckled. "Another rite of passage, Miss Black. Will you be alright to walk back to the dungeons, or should Professor Snape assist you?"

Snape looked over, disgusted. "I think I'll be fine," Aurora said with a grimace, forcing herself back to her feet. She felt, if anything, even worse than she had when she came in. "Thank you, Madam Pomfrey!"

Pomfrey waved a hand, calling, "I don't want to see you here again this term, Miss Black!" as Aurora tried to walk normally, out of the Hospital Wing.

She almost made it to the first floor corridor, when a great, white-hot pain flared up and she had to catch her breath, leaning against for a moment, ears ringing. When the world righted itself, she heard a voice shouting to her from down the corridor, and looked up with blurry vision to see Harry Potter coming towards her, flanked by a glaring Weasley and fretful Granger. She pushed herself up, still trying to pretend she was alright. She hadn't spoken to Harry about Draco, after all. She was afraid of what she might say.

"Aurora," he was calling, hurrying down the corridor, "Aurora, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she bit out, more aggressively than she had intended. She clenched her fist and the heel of her hand grazed against the rough stone.

His gaze caught on the broom in her hand and his face hardened. "Is that mine?"

"What?"

"Have you nicked Harry's broom?"

"Don't be ridiculous, I bought it for myself."

"Since when? I thought Slytherin all had Nimbus 2001's."

"Yeah, well, I returned mine. Didn't like where it came from."

Weasley scoffed, still suspicious. "Seemed fine with it for the last three years."

"I thought Slytherin were at Quidditch practice today?" Potter cut in before his friend could dig a deeper hole.

"They are. We were." She grimaced. "I just hurt my ankle, that's all." Taking in a deep breath, she made to move past them, but Harry caught her arm. Anger returning, she twiste away sharply and snapped, "I'd thank you not to touch me, Potter."

He held his hands up, eyebrows raised. "Fine by me."

"Are you alright, Aurora?" Hermione asked, voice soft, as though she were genuinely worried. There was something pitying about it that Aurora hated, that caused a squirming shame beneath her skin. When Ron Weasley scoffed at the question, it almost reassured her, but then Harry had to go and give him a look that was almost scolding, and complicate things even more.

"No," she said truthfully, voice still cold, "but I don't want to have this conversation with you. No offence," she added, catching Weasley's outraged expression — as if she owed him anything at all. "I just want to get back to my common room."

"You two go on," Harry said quickly to his friends, "I'll go with Aurora."

"You will do no such thing."

"Yeah? And what if you fall on whatever's hurting you and can't walk?"

"Then I'll hop."

Harry grinned. "I'd like to see that, too, in fairness."

Aurora scowled at him.

"Sure she isn't going to hex you, mate?" Weasley muttered under his breath, shooting her a venomous look.

"She's fine," Harry replied, with an unusual irritation in his voice. "I'll meet you back in the common room."

Weasley opened his mouth to respond, but was pulled away and shushed by Granger, and with a final suspicious look, left them in peace. Aurora forced herself to stand up, wincing at the last remainder of pain in her foot as it finally ebbed away. She clutched the broom tightly, out of Harry's reach — just in case, she told herself.

"I am fine you know," she told Harry as they made off down the corridor, "I certainly do not need an escort." The idea of relying on him even if she did hurt herself was simply wretched to her, embarrassing and weakening.

Harry just shrugged, silent, and kept walking beside her.

"If you're not even going to talk, and therefore bore me with your company, you ought to know just how much I loathe you."

Harry glared at her, half-hearted, then folded his arms. His footsteps got heavier, more annoyed. "Really, playing the stoic character does not work on you, especially when you basically forced me into letting you walk me back."

"I've been meaning to talk to you." His voice had an unexpected harsh resolve to it. "About that Quidditch match."

"Yes. You played well."

"Not that part. Obviously." A moment's pause and then, "You know Umbridge has banned me from Quidditch? Forever."

"I'd heard something to that effect, yes."

"And yet your little pal Malfoy gets off without a mark."

"I wouldn't call him my pal," Aurora bit out, glaring at him. "Not anymore. But yes, it is all rather unjust."

Harry took this in for a moment before saying, "So you have fallen out, then? Hermione said she thought—"

"I don't appreciate you and your friends gossiping about me," she snapped, "I've told you this before, Potter. It's rude and aggravating and it's worse that you feel it appropriate to inform me of such things."

"What happened? Did you hear what Malfoy—"

"Yes, I heard what he said," she snapped, "as a matter of fact, I heard all of it, and I heard a good deal more when I got back to the common room to try and find him, so whatever you're about to say to try and have a go at me for, because of my connection to him, I can guarantee I've already had it out with either him or myself, and if that's the only reason you're bothering to pretend to be nice to me, then you can forget about ever having my sympathies ever again."

"Well I'm sorry for wanting to know why my godsister's been so upset for the last fortnight!"

"You don't give a shit about me as your godsister, Potter! And I'm surprised your dense self has even realised!"

"I'm not stupid!"

"Well, you thought it was a good idea to talk to me right now!"

Potter let out a loud, frustrated groan and turned away, running a hand through his hair. "You don't need to ask if I'm alright, Potter, and you certainly don't need to walk me to my common room. I'm not your sister and I've had enough of boys I thought were brothers. But if you must know what's happened, after the match, Draco and I argued about what he said to you and the Weasleys, and we are no longer friends. Ever again. He's made sure of that, and made sure that most of my own friends take his side, because they must, and he tried to petition Montague to kick me off the team, so now I got my own broom because he wouldn't let me use the team Nimbus, which is rightfully mine, and he dared to think I owe it to him not to have that, to just bow down! So if you want to know if I'm alright, I'd invite you to take a wild guess."

She turned to storm down the staircase to the dungeons, and when Harry followed, she could decide if she was more annoyed or relieved. "I'm sorry," he said eventually, coming to her side. "I know he was important—"

"Don't do that," she said. "Pretend like you care about my relationship with Draco. You're glad, I can tell. And yet," she admitted, slowing to let him come to her side again as they made the end of the journey she could take him without violating the common room's secrecy, "I'm relieved, too."

This, somehow, seemed to reassure him of something — though what, Aurora could not work out. But Potter smiled, somewhat nervously and rather falsely, and said, "If it makes you feel better, I'm not even allowed a broom."

"You're not getting to fly mine." She cracked a small grin, which faded at the stormy look on his face.

"I am sorry for that, you know. The unfairness of it all. Not just the Quidditch and brooms but... You know. Everything. And Draco and all the rest of them."

"Yeah," Potter said with a sigh, "me too." After a moment's hesitation, he added, "And I'm sorry Ron's being a bit of a git to you at the moment, too. He's a bit... Well, the match didn't go in his favour."

"He also just dislikes me," Aurora pointed out, with a shrug. "But I don't care. Thank you, though."

Harry shrugged, then stopped and stared at his feet. "Anytime. Uh, if you are really okay, I should probably get to the common room."

"I'm absolutely fine and never have been otherwise," she said, gaining an uncertain smile. "I can certainly make it to my dormitory without assistance. I could have made it this whole way on my own, actually."

He let out a rueful grin. "Well I did have to ask."

"You didn't. But, if you meant well, I can forgive the gross intrusion."

"That sounds positive?"

"As good as you're going to get."

Another small grin, and Harry nodded, drawing back. "See you—" He broke off for a moment and Aurora turned to follow his gaze. Draco had appeared at the bottom of the stairs, Vincent and Greg with him, still muddy from their Quidditch practice. It must have been cut short — either that, or they had been told to leave. Aurora hoped it was the latter.

"See you later," Aurora finished for him, smiling extra wide just to piss her cousin off. "Enjoy your day, Harry!"

It was far too chipper and cheerful for her, but it did the trick. Draco brushed past her with a scowl and pink cheeks, eyes glimmering, and Aurora forced down the irrational residual guilt.

Once he was out of earshot, Harry said, "Okay, you saying my name in such a nice voice is really freaky."

"Piss off, Potter."

"Thanks. Try not to get in a fight."

"I would never dare be so improper. Now, go. Don't start any trouble."

Yet when she arrived in the common room to see Draco fuming in his conversation with Pansy and Blaise and Greg and Vincent, she got the terrible feeling that trouble was only beginning, and it was beginning here.