Aurora was not accustomed to spending much time with Muggles, they seemed nice enough, but she still couldn't help but cling to the old mindset back from her academy days: Muggles are not to be trusted. They weren't evil, but considering what has happened in the past magical folk in the United States and all over the world have a reputation of distrusting and holding Muggles in contempt. Maybe that's why the University as well as the American Ministry of Magic were trying hard to integrate Muggle technology into the education system as well as everyday life, so that they can try to understand Muggles and not fear them. Many people were unhappy with this but Aurora wasn't blind, she could see what the Muggles have accomplished and it was very impressive. So for now she will set aside her doubts and be professional during this trip. It's not like Dr. Hines said they had to be friends with them, they only had to work with them.

Aurora assisted with loading the equipment onto the rubber raft when she heard Dr. Hines clear his throat.

"Okay everyone, I'm just going to take a quick roll call, before we set out." The man adjusted his glasses and began to read out the names. "Liam Bard?"

"Here!" A young man with dirty blonde hair raised his hand.

"Vinona Bennett?"

A tall young woman with long brown hair stepped forward so that the professor can see her.

"Aurora Pontellier?"

"Present!" Aurora exclaimed as she loaded that last bag onto the raft.

"Xavier Quinnly?"

"Here!" Xavier stepped forward.

"Malvina Vulaj?"

"Right here!" Malvina raised her hand.

"Good, now that we're all accounted for let's get a move on!"

The sun sat high in the sky, the tides were beating against the raft as the party sailed down the Colorado River; every so often water would splash up into the raft drenching its occupants. For the most part Dr. Hines and his team were too preoccupied with protecting their equipment and didn't even notice how rough the waves were.

"Do we seriously have to travel this way? I'm getting sea sick!" Malvina whined.

"How else are we going to get there?" Aurora chided and continued to row, she was beginning to get irritated with Malvina's lack of enthusiasm.

"We could always Apparate."

"And what, blow our cover?"

"It's just a suggestion. I still can't get over that he made us hike all the way down the canyon and now we're riding in a rubber raft, my hair is getting soaked!"

"I didn't know we were traveling with the Queen of England." Xavier grumbled, he too was getting fed up with Malvina's whining.

Aurora drew an exasperated breath. "Okay listen, you have been nothing but pessimistic about this whole trip! Why did you even agree to coming? If you are so unhappy then why don't you just go to Dr. Hines and tell him that you want to quit, I highly doubt that he'll even care."

Malvina's lips pressed together forming a thin line, Aurora was still looking at her as if challenging her to say another word. She sighed and endured the rest of the voyage in silence.

"Ah there it is!" Dr. Hines exclaimed. "Vishnu's Schist!"

Aurora sat up to try to get a good look, what she found were these very intimidating black rocks that sat at the very base of the Canyon.

Once they were all on dry land Aurora was able to get a better look at the rocks, from their appearance she was able to conclude that they have once been molten deep under the Earth's crust. There was no way of telling exactly how old these rocks were, but they were very old, that much Aurora was certain. The girl continued to stare at the rocks as Dr. Hines assigned everyone their specific duties.

"Miss Pontellier."

"Yes?"

"I have very important task for you."

Aurora was listening intently.

"I'm sure that I don't need to tell you that these rocks were once molten, it's quite palpable by their appearance, however I am wondering what these rocks can tell us about the history of this land-"

"I'm assuming you want me to collect samples so that we can carbon-date them to get an accurate estimate on how old they really are.

The doctor grinned. "Very perceptive of you, I would also like you to collect samples of garnet."

Aurora's brow knitted in confusion. "Garnet sir?"

"Yes, not only do I want to know how old these rocks are but I also want to know how deep in the Earth were they.

Aurora thought for a moment. "Of course!" She exclaimed enthusiastically. "You want to look at the chemical content of the garnet to determine how deep they rested!"

"Right you are again, of course we need to transport them back to New York once we are done since I don't have all the proper equipment to do all that. Now get to work!"

Aurora nodded and pulled out her chisel and hammer and began to break away at the rocks.

Eleanor was preparing dinner for herself when she hear a knock at the door, she put down the knife and looked through the peephole to see who it was. On the other side of the door stood a tall young man with dirty blonde hair and very familiar blue eyes, he was dressed in a grey three piece suit. Eleanor immediately opened the door to let him in.

"Clovus!" She exclaimed. "What are you doing here, child?!"

"Ich bin hier, um Sie zu sehen."[1]

"Warum?"[2]

"Ich mach mir sorgen um dich. However if you do not want me to stay I will leave."[3] The young man finished with a thick German accident.

"Nonsense! Please come in, you are most welcome." Eleanor took the young man by the hand and seated him on the couch and moved to the kitchen.

"Are you hungry?"

"Just a little."

Eleanor smiled. "Your English has improved from that last time I saw you."

"Yes, I have studied very hard like you instructed me to."

"That's good to hear." Eleanor finished seasoning the roast she was preparing before Clovus arrived placed it in the oven before rejoining him in the living room.

Eleanor couldn't help but notice how much Clovus resembled her husband Balthasar, especially when he was wearing that suit. Clovus was Balthasar's younger brother and they shared a lot of the same characteristics; they both had the same high cheek bones, dirty blonde hair, and identical blue eyes. Eleanor remembered when she had first met Clovus, it was when she and Balthasar first got engaged. Clovus was this adorable 7 year old boy who was always getting into trouble. She absolutely adored him; ever since she married Balthasar, boy had always been in their care, it was hard to believe that he had now grown into a very handsome young man, who turned 17 this past February.

"Elly, I miss you. Balthasar misses you, please come home. Come back to Leipzig." The boy pleaded.

Eleanor sighed, in honesty she missed both of them too but going back there wasn't and option.

"I-I can't."

The boy's face fell. "But, why? If it's because of Balthasar's drinking problem-"

"Listen my dear boy, I have no ill will against your brother. You were there yourself, you've seen how much I've struggled to help him, but he simply wouldn't have it. And it seems as though he doesn't want to help himself either, there's not much I can do for him."

"He may think that he doesn't need you but he does, and I need you! The mansion is a wreck without you! Elouise is doing the best she can, but it's not the same."

"Elouise is there?" Eleanor asked, Elouise was Balthasar and Clovus' sister.

"Yes, she moved in not too long after you left. She's very angry with Balthasar, she even yelled at him for ruining things between you two- says it's all his fault- she really likes you, you know?"

A small smile played at Eleanor's lips at the thought of her sister-in-law, she had no idea what she had done deserve such loving in-laws. As much as they wanted her to come back she couldn't indulge them, how cloud she?! Things were finally beginning to fall in place, in a few more weeks her classes will begin and she'll finally be attending university.

"Won't you come back Eleanor? Elouise can't stay with us forever, she has family. And mother is no longer with us."

Eleanor flinched at the mention of his mother, Adelaide was a very kind, loving woman. Everyone was devastated when she passed so suddenly. Eleanor recalled how inconsolable Balthasar was. He would lock himself in his study and drink himself into a stupor. Clovus didn't turn to alcohol like his brother did, but he did lock himself in his room for weeks refusing to leave. Both Elouise and Eleanor tried to pull both brothers out of their self-imposed confinement. They were successful with Clovus telling him that Adelaide would never want him to mourn her in such a way, she would have wanted him to move on. However, what worked for Clovus did not work for Balthasar. The man wouldn't hear it, ignoring the pleas of his sister and wife he just continued to stay locked in his study with a flask full of fire whiskey.

"Oh Clovus," Eleanor sighed. "Dinge können nie wieder dasselbe."[4]

"Warum nicht? Bitte, mit ihm zu reden wieder!" The boy pleaded desperately.[5]

"Genug, Clovus!" Eleanor stated firmly. "I will not come back, I cannot."[6]

"So what? Will you divorce him and forget about us?"

Clovus was beginning to get very upset, he loved Eleanor and he wanted her to come back, he didn't want to lose another family member.

"Even if I do divorce your brother I will not forget about you, how could I?! I practically raised you!"

This was true, even though Clovus was only 8 when Eleanor married his brother he did spend a considerable amount of time with them. They all lived together in Leipzig: his mother, Elouise, Balthasar and Eleanor. Of course him being the youngest the adults didn't have much time for him, but Eleanor always made time. Whenever his mother couldn't play with him or was held up in a meeting Eleanor always stepped up and did what she could to keep him entertained. Clovus remembered one summer when he was 11 she convinced Balthasar to allow him to come with them on their trip to Cambodia; that was the first time he had ever ridden an elephant.

Eleanor was as nice as she was strict, she oversaw his music and language lessons. In fact whenever he would misbehave at school the headmaster didn't bother sending owls to his mother but would send them to Eleanor instead. He will never forget the howler he received from her when she got an owl saying that he broke into the headmaster's office and stole a few rare artifacts, Clovus didn't know that Eleanor could shout until then.

Clovus was pulled out of his nostalgic thoughts when Eleanor stepped closer to him and locked him in a tight embrace, she pulled away and held his face in her hands so that he was looking her directly in the eye.

"I want you to listen to me and listen well." She said solemnly. "Regardless of what happens between your brother and me, I will always love you okay? None of this has anything to do with you."

Clovus nodded and gave Eleanor a bone crushing hug. "I miss you."

"I know I miss you too, all of you. But darling it is what it is, we can only make the best of a bad situation." Eleanor pulled away with a bright smile on her face. "How long until you start school?"

"Three, weeks."

"How about you spend a week here? I don't think you've ever seen San Francisco."

"Really? I don't mean to impose?"

"Impose? Don't be silly! Now come the roast should be done by now, you must be starving."

Clovus flashed a toothy smile and followed Eleanor into the kitchen.

XXXX

Aurora sat at the edge of the cliff where she had met her teammates earlier with legs dangling in midair. Her sketchbook was resting on her lap and charcoal in hand, she sketched away furiously trying to capture the sight before her. Even though she had spent her whole day down in the valley she was still amazed at the bird's eye view she had, she made sure not to miss a single crevice in this canyon.

"I didn't know you could draw." Said a voice from behind her.

"I dabble a bit." Aurora looked up at Malvina and showed her the paper.

"You call this dabbling?" Malvina took the book from her hands and examined the picture, it was carbon copy of the spectacle before them. "Look! You even included the river! Rory this is amazing!"

Aurora blushed and looked back out at the canyon. "Thanks." She mumbled. "Just so you know I don't usually show my work to other people."

"Well I feel special!" Malvina took a seat next to her friend. "You know it's amazing to think that if you lean forward just a few more inches you could fall to your untimely death." She said looking down at the valley below.

Aurora gave Malvina an odd look. "Seriously?"

"What?"

"Here I was enjoying myself and now you've made me paranoid about falling off this damn cliff."

"Hey, it would be the first time. You almost fell this morning remember?"

Aurora chuckled. "I'm a child okay! Sometimes I get a little too excited."

"Yeah, that sounds about right. It's okay though, the Muggles invented this thing I believe it's called a 'child-leash', I'll you get one for Christmas. That way no one will have to worry about you wondering off and getting yourself killed."

"Ha, ha very funny."

They both sat in silence for a bit watching the sun dip below the horizon.

"I didn't know that you could tan so easily." Malvina said admiring her friend's sun kissed skin.

"Yeah it's a skill that I have." Aurora jested. "Although I do hope we get some time off to relax, I really want to hang out by the pool at the hotel. That way I can even this tan out." Aurora lifted the sleeve to her t-shirt to show Malvina her tan line. The pale skin contrasted with her now olive tone.

"Oh, those are the worst!"

"I know right!"

"Well even if we don't get a day off I say that you and I hit the beach as soon as we get back to New York."

"I love the beach!"

Malvina nodded and stood. "Come on Rory, it's getting dark." She motioned to the purple sky.

Aurora looked out at the canyon one last time before following Malvina.

XXXX

"Aurora! You never told me how much a badass you were! Just look at that tattoo!" Malvina was ecstatic, she always knew that Aurora was a proper lady but she did have her quirks and she loved learning about them.

After they had dinner Aurora wasn't ready to go to bed just yet, it was only 9pm the night was still young! Yeah sure they had to be up by 6 the next morning but Aurora didn't care, being sleep deprived was all part of the "college experience" anyway. So when Aurora suggested they go to a tattoo parlor Malvina could barely contain her excitement. However Aurora didn't want to get another tattoo instead she wanted to get her navel pierced.

"I can't believe you're doing this!"

Aurora rolled her eyes. "Just help me pick a color." She was currently reclined in the chair with her shirt pooled above her bellybutton, exposing her abdomen.

"I like this green one!" Malvina said holding up the belly ring.

"Okay we'll go with that one."

"Are you ready Miss?" A woman asked, she had different colored streaks in her hair and multiple piercings in her ears.

"Yes."

"Okay, I'm just going to disinfect the area first." The woman pulled on air of gloves and began to work.

The iodine felt cool on Aurora's skin, it made her shiver slightly. She wasn't sure why she suddenly wanted to get her navel pierced, in fact she never even thought about it until just an hour ago. Aurora was beginning to notice that these random impulses were becoming more and more common, a year ago she would have never dreamed of getting her navel pierced or a tattoo even. Even though she did have Ramona to thank for the tattoo, just a little push and she suddenly found herself in a chair with some man carving ink into her hip. As side from the tattoo and the navel piercing the most impulsive thing that Aurora has even done was get multiple stud piercings in her ears, which wasn't very radical because her aunt Celeste deemed those to be acceptable as long as she didn't go crazy and completely cover her ears up with metal.

"Okay on a count of three I want you to breathe in."

Aurora nodded nervously and looked at Malvina who offered her hand and Aurora took it. The woman began to count and once she reached 3 Aurora shut her eyes and sucked in as much air as her lungs could hold. She instantly felt a pinch where her navel was, it even burned a little, but before she knew it, it was all over and she had one more piercing on her body.

"It looks nice!" Malvina complimented.

"How much do I owe you?" Aurora asked.

"That would be 40 dollars upfront." The woman said kindly.

Aurora nodded and paid her. "Thank you, have a good night."

"You too Miss." Said the woman and watched Aurora and Malvina exit the shop.

Once outside the two girls found themselves in front of a frozen yogurt bar.

"This night just keeps getting better and better!" Malvina exclaimed. "Hey is that Vinona and Liam in there?" She asked peering inside.

"It looks like it." Aurora said.

"Let's go in and say hi!" Malvina rushed inside with Aurora in tow.

"Hey guys what's up?" Malvina asked her classmates as she walked up to them.

"Nothing much, how are you?" Vinona asked politely.

"Great actually! Mind we if you join you guys?"

"That depends Malvin, are you going to complain?" Liam stated humorously.

Aurora covered her mouth trying to stifle her laughter.

"Who told you about that nickname?" Malvina questioned accusingly.

"Aurora."

Malvina gasped and looked to her friend. "You trader!"

"What? It's a nice nickname, calm down Malvin!"

Malvina was about to retort when someone interrupted her.

"Hey! Would you look at that? The gang is all here!" Xavier said joining his teammates with a cup full of frozen yogurt.

"Hi Xavier." Aurora greeted.

"Why don't you guys go get your yogurt and I'll save us a table!"

"Sounds good."

Once they were all situated the 5 members of Dr. Hines' geology team all sat and chatted getting better acquainted with one another. It was funny because they were all in the same class but they didn't learn each other's names until today.

"Those rapids today were pretty wild weren't they?" Liam asked taking a bite out of his frozen treat.

"Yeah, but I have to say that it was fun traveling by raft." Aurora nodded.

"Are you serious? We got drenched with water!" Malvina exclaimed.

"Oh come off it! You need to learned to get down and dirty every once in a while, it's part of what we do, remember?" Liam stated languidly

Malvina huffed and when back to her yogurt.

"I told her, that if she hated it so much she should just quit. But seeing that Malvin is still here, I would go as far as to say that she did enjoy herself, just a bit." Aurora smirked like a cat.

Malvina stuck out her tongue to her friend eliciting a laugh from the rest of her teammates. The 5 young students continued to eat their yogurt and enjoy each other's company before they had to head back to the hotel and prepare for the next day's trip.

XXXX

"Are you sure you have to leave, dear?" Narcissa asked as she watched her son pack his bags. Draco had spent the past two weeks with his parents and now it was time for him to return to New York.

"Yes mother, clinicals start next week and I have to be there."

"Are you sure you can't just stay one more day?"

Draco sighed, his mother usually got like this whenever he left home.

"Yes mother I'm sure. But I will stay for dinner if that pleases you."

"Yes, it would! I'll got down to the kitchen right now and have the chef prepare your favorite-"

Draco held up his hand. "Mother please, we've been eating nothing but my favorite dishes for the past 14 days. I'm almost positive that if we have foie gras one more time father will throw a fit. Why not lobster for tonight, father has always been fond of lobster."

Narcissa nodded in approval. "Your father is in the library, I suggest you go spend some time with before dinner. Also make sure he doesn't fall asleep sitting up again. I don't know what I'm going to do with that man." She drew in an exasperated breath. "I keep telling him that if he's really that tired he should go sleep in our bedroom but he won't have it!"

"That's father for you, stubborn as ever."

"I swear, he is started to act like your grandfather, may he rest in peace."

"Don't worry mother I'll go check on him as well as keep him entertained before dinner, I think I'll challenge him to game of chess."

Narcissa smiled and gave her son a light kiss on the cheek. She loved it when he came to visit, he was such a good boy. It was hard for her to accept that her darling boy was a grown man now and so independent, she appreciated immensely how he never forgot about her and Lucius. Draco would write to them often and would visit whenever he could. Even though he was off on his own he seemed incredibly happy in America. That was the only thing keeping Narcissa from pleading with him to come back and live at the manor with her and Lucius. She missed him so much, but as long as he was healthy and happy that was good enough for her.

[1]: "I am here to see you."

[2]: "Why?"

[3]: "I am worried about you."

[4]: "Things can never be the same again"

[5]:"Why not? Please, talk to him again!"

[6]: "Enough!"