Theo left two days later for the Easter holidays, alongside Pansy and most of their old friends. Gwen went too, but Leah remained, a welcome study partner to fill the quieter days and survive the onslaught of revision. Aurora had returned the mirror to Harry at the beginning of the holidays — he seemed desperate to talk to Sirius, and she desperate to avoid thinking about their last conversation — and he took some time to return it, leading her to worry. She didn't want to talk to her father right now, but the idea of being unable to do so, if she needed to, carved a worry deep inside of her. But she didn't want Harry to know that, so she said nothing.
The timing of the holidays was unfortunate, too; Umbridge deeply needed more of the Inquisitorial Squad on hand, as open dissent was starting to break out across the castle, led mainly by the Weasley twins.
On Saturday afternoon, Aurora confronted the twins as they were sitting on the fourth floor, chucking firepoppers in the air and watching them explode in different coloured flames. Fred glared as she approached, face already mocking. "You're not here to take points off us, are you, Miss Inquisitor?"
Aurora glared right back and said, "Don't be ridiculous, Weasley."
"Detention then, is it?"
"Actually," Aurora said, sitting down gracefully on the edge of the windowsill beside them, "I'll remind you I have not taken a single point from you, or given out a single detention all week." She raised her eyebrows, daring them to challenge her.
"Yeah, you just let your mates do it for you."
"I have a proposition," she said, ignoring Fred's comment. "It will cause great nuisance to Umbridge and the castle in general. If that isn't tempting enough, then I should also inform you that I know what you did to Graham Montague, and I'd like you to tell me where this cabinet is and how to get him back — if you don't, and you don't help me, then I will go straight to Umbridge and ensure that you are punished."
"With what?" George snorted. "Last we heard, she just wants us expelled. And we'd love to get out of here."
"I'm sure I can persuade her to another punishment. But I don't want to. Frankly, I think she's cruel. So I'd really rather have you co-operate. Now, would you like to hear my proposition, or not?"
Fred glared, but George said — with a considerable air of suspicion, "What do you want?"
"You've got those fireworks, and the dungbombs and whatever else you've been setting off all over the place, right?" They nodded slowly. "Well, if you could maybe set them off as far away from Umbridge's office as possible to lure her out, preferable in enough different places to make the Inquisitorial Squad have to split apart, and if maybe, you'd have some sort of device to pick the lock of her office door…?"
"You want in her office? Why?"
She shrugged. "Don't you want to know what the Ministry's up to?" The twins exchanged a glance. "Exactly. I know where everything is, she doesn't suspect me of anything right now. It's perfect. So?"
"Cause her grief, you say?"
"Her and Fudge and the whole lot of them." She smirked. "Are you in?"
"Well," George said slowly, looking at his brother, a grin spreading across his face, "suppose on more prank can't hurt, can it, Freddie?"
"You know, Georgie, I think it might be just wha t this school needs."
On Monday evening, after dinner, Harry Potter appeared in front of her, just as she was trying to find her way to the common room and work up a solid alibi. "Fred and George said you needed something from me?"
She stared at him, suspicious. "Like what?"
He fished around in his pockets, and withdrew a silver knife which glinted in the early evening glow. "Your dad gave me this for Christmas last year," he told her, voice quiet. "It can unlock any door. You can borrow it — they told me... You know."
Tentatively, Aurora accepted. She didn't like the feeling of accepting a gift or aid from Potter. It made her skin crawl. "Uh, they also said to avoid the Charms corridor."
"Got it." They looked at each other awkwardly for another moment, and Aurora pocketed the knife with a forced smile. "Thank you. This is kind of you."
He shrugged. "Thought it'd help. I could come with you, if you want. The twins told me what's going on."
The offer didn't feel anyone. It couldn't be. "Decided you trust me now again?"
"I've... Cooled down a bit."
That was not a yes. "Thank you, for the offer. But no — if I were to be caught in Umbridge's office by her, but alone, that's one thing, but with you? It'd blow everything up in my face, so, I'd rather not."
"Yeah." He winced. "Fair enough."
isten, I was talking to Sirius about this the other night — about my dad, something I saw in Snape's Pensive."
-*
An hour later, Aurora got the news that the Weasley twins had set off a bunch of fireworks all over the school, and Umbridge summoned the Inquisitorial Squad — currently consisting of Cassius, Aurora, Bletchley, and the Bulstrode sisters — to run off and help her deal with it. A difficult task, considering the fireworks were constantly going off in different places.
This did, however, add to the confusion amongst the squad, and allowed Aurora to double back when they were suitably tied up with Fred's exploding water balloons — an invention Aurora had familiarised herself with over the winter holidays — and wouldn't miss her, all splintering off in different directions.
Aurora doubled back round to Umbridge's office, and attempted to unlock the door with the alohomora charm. It resisted it, as she had anticipated. That was where Potter's knife came in. She flicked it open carefully, then slid it into the lock, where it confirmed perfectly to the keyhole. It unlocked with ease, and she slipped inside, keeping an eye on her map to make sure no one was coming this way who might stop her, and she went round the edge of the desk, to the chest of drawers. They were locked, but another use of the knife opened them for her.
The map showed that Umbridge and the Inquisitorial Squad were still far away on the other side of the castle, as was Filch. Hopefully, no one had yet noticed her absence, though they were all spread out enough that she could hope it would take a while.
So she unlocked the drawers as quickly as she could and went through them. She had very little time; a handy, wide-range duplication charm ought to do the trick. She had seen Umbridge stow her letters in the second drawer down, and so she picked through it until she found something addressed from Fudge, duplicated it immediately, and moved on, afraid in case she ran out of time before Umbridge returned or someone else realised there was something amiss. Everything was meticulously organised, from detention slips to files for separate correspondents. Nothing could be out of place; Aurora knew that Umbridge would notice immediately, and start to smell a rat.
Cornelius Fudge, Aloysius Vabsley, Lucius Malfoy. Aurora felt cold at that final name, even though she knew they were in contact, and she knew there could be nothing good within those letters. Then she reached a slim file titled Willy Widdershins, and frowned, reaching out to read the letters. The name was familiar, but she couldn't remember why, until she lifted out the first letter and saw the date, and the words 'regurgitating toilets' and it all flooded back, a Prophet article in early August about a wizard violating the statute of secrecy by causing Muggle toilets to explode. Petty, but illegal. It had been a big stir at the time and then all press about it shut down, and he was never prosecuted. And if Umbridge had been in communication with him — even better, if Fudge had, or had known about it…
She couldn't help the satisfied grin as she duplicated the file and set the new one aside, setting the original back in its drawer and moving on, flitting through various Assembly and Ministry Council correspondence, a large file with Barnabas Cuffe, and a series of documents relating the Educational Decrees, which she hurried through, watching the dots on the map carefully as Umbridge turned, and started heading back that way.
Aurora closed the drawers carefully, locked them, and hurried to gather the files into her satchel, snatching up the map, and hurrying out, locking the door again behind her before she slipped round the corner to a secret passage that took her to the other side of the castle, the sixth floor, where she was promptly doused in something that was definitely not water, from a balloon George Weasley chucked at her.
"Oops!" he shouted after her as she cringed. "Sorry, Black!"
She ignored him and sprinted off, towards Cassius on the other side of the corridor, hoping no one would notice anything, and that the papers she had found might be of use. Cassius gave her a funny look as she approached, but said nothing, letting her settle into the poor efforts to stop the prank, until Umbridge was satisfied and they could leave, soaked and exhausted, and Aurora able to hide the papers she had duplicated in her locked top drawers, to read through that night.
She took the papers out after dinner, claiming she needed to be alone to study and take advantage of having her and Gwen's room all to herself for a while. Instead, she laid out the stacks of duplicated papers on her desk and went through them, one by one, noting any strange word choices and listing the topics of each piece of correspondence, named and dated and catalogued in her own scrolls.
There was one recurring theme, across the names of lords and heirs and random witches and wizards who happened to have something Umbridge wanted. It was that she would pay off anyone she wanted, make promises on behalf of the Ministry to target Fudge's enemies, whether they be Potter or Dumbledore or even, in the case of her correspondence with Lord Yaxley, Aloysius Vabsley himself, who had dared to question the Minister's efficacy and whose children Yaxley's nephews had apparently paid an unfriendly visit to. From reading, it seemed Vabsley had written to Umbridge directly to ask whether she or the Minister were going to address the concerns raised by Potter's interview — not because of any moral issue, but because he was concerned he was losing the support of his party and public, and there were two upcoming by-elections to replace peers who had resigned out of protest. Umbridge had retaliated by utilising Yaxley, and by promising a pay raise for the role of Assembly Leader.
Their correspondence had returned to its usual cordiality after that.
It was damning stuff. There in plain ink was evidence of Umbridge's corruption and that of the Ministry overall; there were mentions of secret, unregistered hoards of gold and valuable artefacts from lords and ladies up and down the country, from Greengrass to Selwyn.
Aurora duplicated the ones she needed again, to be safe, and locked the others in the very bottom of her trunk. Her mind needed to let the information sit and marinate, but she knew the threads that were beginning to coil inside of her brain. She could get more, she knew. She could keep pulling at the threads already left by these letters and unearth trails of corruption. She could destroy those who wanted to destroy her first. It would be a sweet-tasting revenge.
-*
The rest of the holidays were overtaken by revision and spontaneous Quidditch practices, Aurora desperate to get as much flying in as possible before her cousin returned and inevitably ruined everything. With Draco, Vincent, and Greg absent, thy were down to Quaffle rules only, swapping out Urquhart and Vaisey as Chasers to try and figure out who fit Aurora and Cassius but. They were both good, Aurora had to admit, and she liked Vaisey well enough, even though she felt she could never trust Urquhart again, but they weren't Graham.
Their captain had shown up eventually the night before, after Aurora had located the Vanishing Cabinet in question and pulled him out into a broom cupboard, but he was still unconscious in the Hospital Wing, and it seemed would be for the foreseeable future. She had lied to Madam Pomfrey, told her all Graham had managed to say was that he had been pushed into the Vanishing Cabinet, but nothing more. The nurse had looked dubious, but clearly decided she had more pressing matters to attend to than the details of Aurora's story.
Now, she was not even allowed in to see Graham. In an attempt to take her mind off of the growing pile of worries from her own life, Aurora took again to reading her mother's old diary, landing on a series of entries from late in Marlene's own fifth year at Hogwarts. They varied in length, some complaining about the girl in her dorm, or about homework, or classmates she disliked. Some pages were filled with song lyrics and poems in sparkly purple ink, glittering at her. One entry in particular caught her eye, from the nineteenth of March, 1976.
God, I don't even know what to write down here today, the entry began, in a jagged, angry scrawl. Half the things that have happened I don't even understand and what I do understand is too embarrassing to admit to anyone other than myself. Actually, it's too embarrassing to admit to myself, but maybe if I write it down here, tear the pages out and burn them, I might put half it out my mind.
It's all Lily Evans' fault. Mostly. Actually it goes back to Severus Snape, because of course it does. Everyone knows he's gotten in with the Death Eaters, just like Mulciber and Avery. I don't know how many times I've told Lily about what everyone else has seen him get up to, cursing kids in the corridors, calling people Mudbloods and scum and all sorts. They sent a third year Ravenclaw to the Hospital Wing the other week. Today, he tried to curse me when I was on my way back from Quidditch practice, but I was quicker, stopped him. He was slagging me off, and then he moved onto Danny, and I snapped, cause of course I did. I know that's what he wanted and he knew he'd get it but that's on him, not me! We had a whole duel until Lily came and broke it up and once she'd dragged me back to the common room, she started going off at me about how irresponsible I was, and how cruel I was for targeting Snape even though he started it and I was just defending my brother.
She didn't want to hear anything I had to say, but it got worse and worse because she hadn't been listening to me for the last five years and I'm bloody well sick of it! We all are, and I told her so and the stupid bitch started saying I'm only saying this cause I'm mates with Sirius and James, as if we haven't all been saying this for years now, so I ended up saying something about her potions grades and how just because her sister never likes her doesn't mean I can't stick up for my wee brother and maybe I accidentally implied she was a slag, and she slapped me, so of course I had to give her it back. And then things got bad and Remus Lupin had to break it up and I stormed out.
I hate her. I'm really mad about it because I love her too but I don't know how to keep being friends with her when she's like this. She'll defend SNAPE over any of us just cause she feels bad for him, he's her oldest friend, she wants to give him a chance to change, but he's never going to change and she's just too naive and stuck trying to pretend to be a nice person to see it.
Anyway, Remus split us up and Lily's probably getting her prefect badge taken off her, which can only be a good thing. It's gone wayyyyy to her head. None of us respect her anymore. Even Mary isn't speaking to her. She needs to screw her bloody head back on or I'm never talking to her again and I'm actually being serious this time because what the fuck is wrong with her?
Ugh. She'll kill me if she reads this but I don't give a shit. It's all true anyway.
Anyway. After, Lily was still pissing me off, so I stormed off cause I just needed to be on my own for a bit and get my anger out on something other than her stupid face, and then bloody Sirius came after me, like he thinks he's some knight in shining armour. He was cracking jokes and everything, totally ranting about what a snivelling greasy git Snape is. I don't know if he realises I fancy him or not yet, but probably not. He could have the whole school after him (I mean, he pretty much does) and he doesn't care at all, and I think we're just mates. Mostly. Except sometimes he might be flirting but I don't know if he is, and I don't know how to find out.
And fuck, I hate that I fancy him, and he's so bloody good about it. I think he knows, or he must be really dense, but he's just a good friend. Yes, he's a twat most of the time, but as a mate, he's brilliant. He calmed me down and I didn't think that was possible, so he's clearly got some hidden power. So of course then I had to go and try and kiss him.
My teammate, my friend, who was just trying to be decent and I had to go and make an absolute twat of myself. But he smells so good, and hugged me so tightly, and made me smile (he always makes me smile, for God's sake). He thinks Lily's being ridiculous too, though in fairness he just hates Snape anyway. He stepped away before I could kiss him and I turned away and pretended I never even tried. Maybe he didn't notice. I hope. Shit, I'm an idiot.
This day has been awful and ridiculous and stupid and so am I, so I'm going to bed now. Lily isn't here, I don't know where she is. I'm pretty sure I haven't hospitalised her. I didn't try hard enough for that. Mary reckons she's in the other girls' dorm, avoiding us all. Good bloody riddance.
I just really wish this could all be easier. Like if Snape wasn't an evil hateful git or if Lily had a bit more of a spine when it comes to him ot if she didn't always seem desperate to prove he's a good person to spite her sister, who's like the Muggle version of him as far as I can tell. And obviously everything'd be easier if there wasn't a war and Voldemort and all that but that's a given by this point. I just guess I wish the Wizarding world was an easier one to love. Instead it's all just shitshow after shitshow and none of us really have any clue what to do once we leave school and have to face what's going on out there. I just hope Lily opens her eyes sometime before then. The only thing holding Mulciber and that lot back from attacking her the way they do me and Mary is Snape and even then I kind of think it makes them hate her more.
Goodnight diary,
Marlene McKinnon (idiot)
The reading left a bitter, uncomfortable feeling in the pit of Aurora's stomach. It was difficult to ignore her mother's voice, and to keep elements of Harry or her father from dripping into it. She had heard such words before, or at least the gist of them, in Harry's complaints and her father's warnings about her friendship with Draco. It was over and burned down now but still, Aurora felt guilt hit her, sharp and painful, as though her mother were berating her from beyond the grave.
What would Marlene McKinnon think of her daughter, she wondered? It was an issue she had considered before, but never with this accompanying sense of dread, that whatever the current disconnect between herself and her father, it would be even greater with her mother. But then she might have been a completely different person, had her mother lived and raised her. She was almost certain of it. That knowledge had always filled her with some sort of unease, like by thinking of it she was glimpsing another world that she was not allowed access to.
Her thoughts strayed to her own journal, sitting in her drawer, unused. She had tried to write in it before, but it never worked. All the thoughts crammed in her head felt silly and worthless when she considered putting them onto paper, and the materiality of doing so scared her. What if someone found it, what if someone saw, what if by writing her truth into the world she tempted fate and made all her worst fears come true?
At least for her mother, it had seemed like a sort of catharsis. And perhaps, Aurora considered, such things needed to be written because someone, in many many years' time, might need to read it, to know someone they never would have met.
But she couldn't bring herself to put ink down, not yet. So she closed the diary and tried to cast away her guilt and self-doubt.
-*
She was grateful when the rest of her friends returned from their holidays, Gwen and Theo and Robin piling in with her and Leah and Sally-Anne to go over all the gossip from back home and around the castle, and sharing the endless struggle of O.W.L. revision. Later that night, once the rest had gone to their rooms, Gwen and Aurora stayed up, and Gwen told her in a nervous voice, "I told my family about what's going on with the Ministry, and You-Know-Who."
"Oh." Aurora looked at her, trying to work out where this was leading. Nowhere good. "What did you say?"
"That he's a murderous maniac who hates people like me, and he's back from the dead, and our government are incompetent and won't do anything about it but let a bunch of his psycho followers out of prison."
"Oh," Aurora echoed again, looking down at her bedsheets. "Yeah, that seems to just about cover it. I take it that didn't go down great?"
Gwen looked at her flatly. "Mum freaked out. Said I shouldn't be coming to Hogwarts if that's the case — I told her about Umbridge and everything too — and wants to write to Umbridge and ask what protections are in place which is obviously going to end badly considering Umbridge doesn't believe You-Know-Who's back anyway. I think I've held her off, but, I had to tell them, right? Like, they have a right to know, and I guess I wanted them to be able to comfort me, which they didn't, they just panicked, saying we don't even know if I'm a muggleborn or not, what with the whole adoption thing, but that doesn't matter to any Death Eaters, obviously, and anyway, I think they freaked out even more because of the whole precious baby thing but, you know, it's not great. And then Mum was all let's ask Andromeda or Eleanor and I was like that's so not going to help — Robin's mum's not fully convinced and she's in the Ministry and he said she's under a lot of pressure right now, it's — well, I can't really say, but she challenged Fudge on something recently and he didn't take well and she's not fully convinced by Harry and Dumbledore anyway, and obviously Andromeda's got her own shit to deal with and when I told my mum that Andromeda's sister is one of the escaped Death Eaters, and her other sister's married to a suspected one…"
She trailed off, and Aurora let out a humourless laugh. "It's a lot to take in, isn't it?"
"Yeah. I think she's still trying to process it, to be honest. Anyway, I talked them out of forcing me to leave, but given the whole tournament last year, and the deal with your dad in third year — not that it's the same thing, but—"
"Hey, I was terrified back then. It's fair that everyone else was, too."
"Yeah. Exactly, and the chamber in second year, I think they just think the Wizarding world is really scary. And it is, but they don't get to see how wonderful it really is too, you know? And I can't show them, I can't do magic, but they don't know how important it is that I'm here and with my friends and just what it all means and how hard it is when…" She made a small sound like a sob and Aurora slipped off of her bed, perching beside Gwen instead and putting her arms around her. "I really want to belong here and I feel like I do but then, there are people who really don't think I do. And my parents don't get what it's like to half-belong to something, or how much I really want to be able to exist here."
"Oh, Gwen…"
"Do you really think it's going to come to war, Aurora? Do you think anyone's going to fight for us, or will they just keep on like they have, saying Mudbloods a bad word but never actually punishing anyone for it, just letting people attack muggles like at the World Cup and not doing anything about it?"
"I — people will fight, Gwen. They are fighting."
"Where? Who? What have they got to show for it? No one's doing anything and I don't know what to do, or how I can do anything? Nobody's going to listen to people like me."
"I'm listening," Aurora said.
"Yeah, but come on, what can you do? You've not done anything so far."
"I have! I've voted for the—"
"You haven't spoken, you haven't made any actual moves!"
"I wrote that article for the Warlock Post!" she said, defensively, and Gwen stopped, staring at her.
"That was you?"
"Yes, of course it was, only I couldn't take credit—"
"Oh yeah. Course not."
"Gwen, I don't understand—"
"No, no. I wouldn't want to make myself more of a target either. Just — isn't there someone who can take the hit, who's willing to? Even Leah's parents, they're doing stuff, trying to stand up to the Ministry, but they're not challenging the anti-Muggle prejudice, or the anti-werewolf or other creatures prejudice, the same shit Umbridge is spouting! It's — but you know that. You said so in that article."
"Yes," she said, words curling around her tongue. "But I do want to say more. I have been looking into Umbridge, and I think I've got something to take her down and get her out of here and then I — then I think I need to use my voice. As Aurora Black."
Gwen shook her head, leaning aback against her pillows and glaring at the ceiling. "Make sure you destroy her. All of them, actually. The useless establishment, Fudge and Malfoy and Nott and all of that lot. I don't care if anyone in the Ministry thinks they're fine because they don't work with Death Eaters, none of them seem to give a shit about protecting anyone but their mates. They deserve a bit of hell."
Aurora gave a wry smile, leaning over to look down at Gwen, blonde hair splayed out over the pillow. "I'll do my best," she told her. "Pinkie promise."
Gwen laughed and reached her hand up, linking their pinkies, and Aurora felt the urge to cry, to flop down and put her arms round Gwen and just hug her, like she hadn't all year.
-*
She spoke with Theodore the next night, on a patrol for the Inquisitorial Squad together, tactically avoiding the spots which they anticipated students to actually be causing trouble and instead roaming deserted corridors with an eye on the Marauder's Map, just in case. "Umbridge is trying to get into Dumbledore's old office," Theo pointed out at one point with a grin, gesturing to the spot of the map. "Again."
"I think she's on the verge of trying to blow up that gargoyle at the front door," Aurora said, laughing. "Did you see her the other day?"
"When the portrait called her a toad?"
"No!" Aurora laughed. "I didn't know that — no I mean when she tried to crack a hole in the door and just got pelted by sherbet lemons!"
"What, Dumbledore's sherbet lemons?"
"Well, they're not Snape's are they?"
"I don't know, he looks like he's sucking on lemons most of the time — what'd she do after they hit her?"
"Ah, screamed and said something incoherent about him being a sadistic old fool."
"Sadistic's a new one, I've never heard Dumbledore called that before."
"Umbridge is getting quite inventive, actually," Aurora said, skipping on with a laugh. "I'm just waiting for the day she snaps and calls Snape out for something."
"Who d'you think would kill the other first?"
"Oh, Snape would far and away get Umbridge, but I do just want to see them go at it. Everyone else so clearly hates her, it's just a matter of time."
"Personally, I'd like to see Flitwick take her on — he's a brilliant duellist, and I just know he'd screw with her the most. He'd make it entertaining, you know?"
"I suppose, but I think he's too mild-mannered."
"You clearly don't know Flitwick like I do," Theo said airily, and Aurora laughed. "No, we really bonded over that Duelling Club last year — I think he'd turn Umbridge's hand into a teacup or something and just cause some absolute chaos. He'd have fun with it. Besides, Umbridge doesn't actually seem very accomplished. A first year could take her in a duel."
"That's downright treasonous, Theodore," Aurora said with a teasing grin, turning back to him and walking backwards, seeing the laughter and levity on his face, rare these days. "She's clearly the most superior of all witches, and we all should bow down to our benevolent headmistress."
"You're so right," he said, voice dripping with sarcasm, "how could I possibly disrespect our dear High Inquisitor. But, consider — I took her down with a ricocheted hex and she had no clue how to fix it."
Aurora laughed at the memory. "It's all part of the scheme, Theodore. She intended to do that, she was being kind to you."
"Oh, sure, sure." Theodore walked closer to her, grinning. "It was all just an ego boost, wasn't it?"
"Yes, Professor Umbridge lives to uplift the students of Hogwarts School."
At that, Theo let out a loud, scoffing laugh, and linked their arms. A rush went through Aurora at the sensation, like they were acknowledging again what had happened just a few nights before the holidays, something they had yet to address since Theo's return. The air seemed to shift between them again, but the expression on his face fell, into something heavier that Aurora didn't like.
"Listen," he started, and even though she didn't want to know what was coming, she nodded. "When I was at home, I overheard some things. I don't know what's going on — no one trusted me with details — but there's some sort of plot going on. The Dark Lord's planning something. An attack, presumably, and likely on Potter. Draco knows more, but he's been sworn to secrecy, I couldn't get it out of him."
Of course Draco had to be involved, she thought bitterly. "Right." Aurora squeezed Theo's hands and looked away. "Well, that's hardly news, is it? And you don't know any more?"
He shook his head. "My grandfather isn't particularly impressed with me at the moment, nor does he trust me, really, with any sort of information. I tried but he and my father were away most of the time and I — I don't even know what they think of me anymore."
"Your father?" Aurora asked. Somehow, even though logically she knew that Theo would be returning home and seeing his father, having it said aloud hit her in the chest and hurt. "That must have been—"
"I don't really want to discuss it," Theo said briskly, taking a deep breath. "Not right now, I don't want to concentrate on that, I just want to enjoy being here, being back at Hogwarts, with you, and to tell you my other news?"
"News?"
"That I officially called off the maybe-courtship with Flora Carrow. It's done and my grandfather isn't happy, but Father, for some reason, seemed to approve my reasons: I said it wasn't going anywhere, she was too young, and we weren't a good match." He shugged, grinning. "It's all over with."
Aurora threw her arms around him, pulling him in for a tight hug. His arms around her waist made her feel at home, safe and warm. Aurora tilted her head and kissed him before she knew what she was doing, winding her arms around his neck as he did the same to hold her waist. His lips were gentle, but the kiss soon gave way to something more excited, eager, like both were chasing one another's lips. Aurora's tongue slipped between his lips and she laughed as he turned his head the wrong way, their teeth knocking against one another.
"Sorry—" he said and she kissed him, again, winding her hands into his hair.
"Don't be," she whispered, coming up for breath and to look him in the eye, a beam of warmth pulsating through her at the sight of the dark glimmer in his gaze. "Stop apologising and just kiss me."
Theo grinned, and the feeling of the smile against her lips made her heart burst, craving more of this joy and excitement, something to block out the misery that seemed to be following them both around recently. When they split apart again, Theo was beaming, and had one hand cupping her cheek. "We probably shouldn't do this in the middle of a corridor," he said, voice low. "Just in case."
"Probably." She drew her arm away and checked the Marauder's Map. "Though there's still no one nearby."
"The portraits may be scandalised, though. That dancing nun behind you seems to have fled the scene."
Her cheeks heated as she turned sharply to look over her shoulder and spy the empty portrait. Theo laughed, his hand falling to rest on her shoulder. "I do think it was worth it, though."
Her smile broadened. "Well, good. I am a spectacular kisser."
Theo laughed and pressed another kiss to her lips, soft and chaste and fleeting, before straightening up, a flush to his cheeks. They parted, slightly, but their arms remained linked, their shoulders brushing, as they turned the conversation back to making fun of their teachers and dissecting Slytherin's odds in the upcoming match against Hufflepuff, the memory of their kisses still on both their lips.