Aurora smiled as she finished the final touches on her eye-makeup, today was a big day; it was graduation day! She sported an elegant but simple sleeveless black dress that stopped at her knees, a red belt that complimented the dress hugged her slim waste. She styled her hair in loose curls that cascaded down her back. Aurora applied her red lipstick and smiled at her reflection in the mirror…damn she looked good!

"Do you have any idea how to put this thing on?" Malvina asked holding up a blue and gold hood.

"I think you are supposed to pin it to the gown, there should be a string attached to it."

"Why are these things so confusing?!" Malvina huffed.

Aurora simply shrugged pulled her gown over her shoulders. She would have gotten ready at her own apartment but Malvina suggested that they get ready and walk down to the ceremony together. Aurora had originally offered for the both of them to get ready at her place but Malvina reasoned that it would be more convenient to get dressed in her dorm room since it was located on campus anyway.

"Morning ladies!" A man walked into the dorm room dripping wet wearing nothing but a towel around his waist.

"Liam, have you been lifting?" Malvina eyed her classmate shamelessly.

"A little." Liam smirked as he flexed his bicep. "Hey Rory!"

"Hello Liam, I didn't know that you were coming here."

"Oh yeah, Malvin was nice enough to invite me to this little get together. Vinona and Xavier should be arriving soon."

"I thought it would be nice if we all sat together during the ceremony, you know 'Dr. Hines' brilliant 5 all receiving their diplomas together!" Malvina smiled.

"'Brilliant 5'?" Vinona asked as she entered to room fully dressed in her cap and gown holding a bottle of champagne, with Xavier in tow holding glasses.

"What? That's what we are, brilliant!"

"Some more than others." Liam said under his breath as he picked up is dress shirt.

"Liam, why are you naked?" Vinona asked slightly annoyed.

"Because I shower naked…" Liam answered sarcastically. "Hey Malvin I'm going to get dressed in your closet."

"Sure, no problem. Vee, when are you going to pop open that bottle of bubbly?" Malvina asked earnestly.

"Are you serious Malvin? It's only 8:30 in the morning?" Aurora asked slightly disgusted, why would anyone want to drink this early in the morning?

"Yes of course I'm serious Rory! Everyone pregames on graduation day."

Aurora stared at her friend trying to comprehend the girl's thought process, what the hell did she mean by "pregame"?

"I'm sorry I don't follow…"

"Pregaming is when you drink alcohol before an event." Xavier explained.

"But…why?"

"To insure that you'll have a good time no matter what!" Xavier stated enthusiastically.

"That is so strange-"

"Vee pop open that bottle and give the square a drink!" Malvina interrupted as she took the glasses out of Xavier's hands.

Vinona did as she was told and poured the sparkling drink into the 5 glasses pushing one into Aurora's hands.

"Drink up!"

"What? No!"

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want to participate in pregaming, I don't want to trip on stage."

"That much of a lightweight huh?"

Aurora's face grew hot with embarrassment, it was true she was a lightweight. Oh well, absolutely nothing can be done to help that, unless she began to drink on a regular basis but she wasn't going to risk her liver for the sake of holding her liquor.

"I'm sure one glass won't hurt. Come on Aurora, this may be the last time we are all together like this!" Vinona pleaded.

Aurora sighed giving in, Vinona was right, this may as well be the last time she saw her friends; they all had plans to go to graduate school but who's to say that they would all be specializing in the same subject area. She held up her glass, the other 4 stood around her forming a circle all clad in their graduation caps and gowns, except for Liam who was still wearing his towel.

"A toast!" Aurora began. "To our bright futures, may they shine brighter than bismuth."

Her friends chuckled at her joke and then proceeded to drink, Aurora downed her glass and set it aside.

"Let's go we're supposed to be there early- Liam for God's sake, we know you have a great body, get dressed! You're going to make us late!"

Aurora let out a yawn as the president of the university drawled on with his speech. They must have been sitting there for about an hour now, was all this really necessary? How many insipid speeches do they have to sit through exactly?

"Come on, I want my fucking degree already, who cares what you have to say old man!" Liam cursed under his breath.

Xavier chuckled. "Took the words right out of my mouth."

"Shhhh, people are starting to look at us!" Vinona scolded.

The two boys fell silent and went back to pretending to be interested in what was going on. Aurora continued to look around the auditorium, it was decorated in blue and gold which were the school colors, a giant banner with the school emblem floated in the air behind the president. The decorations were not bad, but decoration committee could have done a better job.

Another hour passed when it was finally time for the students to be recognized individually and receive their scrolls. Aurora stood in between Vinona and Malvina anxiously waiting as names were being called. The line moved quickly, before she knew it she was right in front of the stage, her knees were shaking, Aurora swallowed hard…

"Aurora Magdalenna Persephone Estera Larissa Pontellier."

Aurora drew in a deep breath and put on her best smile, she climbed the stairs leading up to the stage and shook hands with the president as he handed her a scroll. She heard countless people cheering and applauding, she looked to the crowd and saw nothing but a sea of faces; it was exhilarating. Aurora waved to no one in particular and held her scroll up for all to see as she walked the stage with her head held high. She made it back to her seat along with her friends. A few more words were spoken by the president before the moment where it all finally became official.

"…you may now all turn your tassels from right to left…"

Aurora grabbed the black tassel that hung off her cap with a shaky hand and turned it, a silver light shot up to the ceiling signifying the completion of her undergraduate career. It was official, she had finally graduated.

The ceremony was over and countless bodies shuffled about trying to make their way to the exit and find their loved ones. Aurora got separated from her friends in the sea of people but that was no matter, she was currently looking for her family. Her spirits were so elevated that for the first time in years she was actually excited to see her parents. They would be proud of her, she knew they would! How could they not be? She graduated ahead of schedule, at the top of her class too! Emerson barely made it through university, the fool wouldn't attend any of his classes.

After wondering the auditorium for a few more minutes Aurora decided to try looking for her family outside. It was a beautiful December afternoon, the sun sat high in the sky and there was a gentle but cool breeze in the air. Aurora scanned the crowed when her eyes fell on a familiar head of platinum blonde hair. She smiled and rushed over to Draco, he wasn't alone; he was accompanied by Wyatt and Ramona as well as members of her family.

"Félicitations ma chère soeur!"[1] Nathaniel kissed her on both cheeks and gave her a heartfelt hug, followed by their Uncle Gavin and Aunt Celeste. Aurora took a step back smiling at her relatives she was so happy that her smile spread from her lips to her eyes. She turned to Draco whose arms were open, she walked up to him and allowed him to embrace her.

"Congratulations my dear." He whispered in her ear causing her to blush slightly as he let go of her.

"Congratulations kiddo!" Wyatt pulled Aurora into a bone crushing hug and spun her around making her squeal.

"Wyatt put her down! She's going to end up vomiting all over you!" Ramona scolded.

Wyatt did as his sister said and Aurora lunged at Ramona giving her a hug as well.

"I'm so happy you guys came!" She exclaimed.

"Yeah well, it was only fair, you came to our graduation…congratulations Rory." Ramona said as she patted her old friend on the back.

Aurora looked around at her loved ones and her eyes finally fell on her brother. "Did anyone else come? Où sont père et mère?"[2]

Nathaniel readjusted his tie uncomfortably and cleared his throat, a habit he developed when he was about to deliver bad news. Aurora held her breath, she knew whatever he was about to say couldn't have been good.

"Well you see…they got held up…"

Aurora's face fell and her stomach began to fold on itself. "Held up?"

"They had some business to take care of-"

"You mean they didn't want to come."

"No it's just that-"

"What? They had better things to do than attend their only daughter's graduation ceremony?" Aurora's voice had gone up a few notices, a lump formed at her throat and she blinked furiously trying to rid of the tears that her beginning to prickle her eyes.

"Aurora please, I understand that you're upset-"

Aurora snorted.

"-But this isn't the place. Please this is your day, don't think anything of it; just put it out of your mind." Nathaniel placed a gentle hand on his sister's shoulder. "Please come, I made reservations for your graduation luncheon." He looked up to her friends. "You are all invited, my treat!"

Aurora was about to protest but thought better of it, Nathaniel was right it was her day after all. Why should she let her parents ruin her day? She kept her mouth shut and allowed her brother to lead her away from the crowd and everyone else followed. Aurora pushed her anger aside for the time being, however her brother's advice was hard of follow she felt the deep sting of disappointment once more. This wasn't the first time her parents have let her down but this was completely unforgivable. How could they just snub her like this?! She was their only daughter! She was a fool to think that they would actually come, when have they ever truly been there for her? Aurora swallowed trying to rid the lump in her throat, she wasn't sure where Nathaniel was taking them but she prayed that they had a large selection of wine.

Draco stood in front of Aurora's door waiting for her to answer. Lunch was a bit awkward, it could have been nice if Aurora wasn't silently getting drunk on wine and if she didn't argue with her brother after he tried to cut her off stating that it was undignified to get that intoxicated in front of guests. The whole ordeal was just uncomfortable, if he was in Nathaniel's place, he would have just taken her home instead of forcing her to go to a luncheon when she was clearly upset and didn't want to be there. Draco felt nothing but the upmost sympathy for her, he just couldn't comprehend how her parents didn't just show up to one of the biggest days of her life. Thinking about his own parents, his father especially, yes he was a bit strict and harsh at times but at least he was there! He attended his very first Quidditch match, his graduation from university, and his white coat ceremony…Despite all of his faults, his father was a great father compared to Emmanuel Pontellier! Draco chewed on his bottom lip feeling a bit irritated, he was actually getting angry on Aurora's behalf, she was a good person through and through she didn't deserve such treatment.

The door opened and Draco was pulled out of his thoughts, he gasped at the sight of Aurora. She was a mess: her hair was disheveled, mascara ran down her cheeks, her eyes were blood shot and swollen. She had a drink in her hand and in between her fingers she held a lit cigarette. Aurora was wearing a dressing gown which she wore over her nightdress. Draco wrinkled his nose, she reeked of the pungent smell of tobacco and alcohol.

"What are you doing here?" She asked swaying as she took a step forward. "Lunch time is over you know…"

"Yes I know…" He gently grabbed her arm afraid that she was going to fall over from how unsteady she was on her feet. "I came to see how you were doing, you seemed a bit…troubled."

Aurora freed herself from his grip and walked back into her apartment, Draco followed. She downed her drink and began to pour herself another. Draco looked around and found an empty bottle of whiskey on the floor and found countless jewels floating about the apartment.

Aurora raised her hands presenting them to him. "Impressive, no?" She snorted with contempt. "Emmanuel and Ophelia think that diamonds and rubies will make it all better…"

Draco's brow knitted in confusion when she shoved a wrinkled and semi-burnt letter in his hands.

"Read." Aurora commanded as she took a drag from her cigarette.

Draco looked down at the letter.

"It says…" She took a large gulp of her drink, "it says that they couldn't make it to my graduation today because of business of some sort. Possibly vising one of our vineyards…but no that's okay, you see because they're making up for it by getting me all of these jewels." Aurora sniffed wiping away a tears that were falling from her eyes.

Draco said nothing as she continued. "That's not all, my father wants me to come back to France, says that I've had enough fun here in the United States." Aurora sniffed and downed her drink. "Says it's time for me to settle and marry, he has some suitors that he wants me to meet."

Aurora drew a deep breath and finally lost control of her anger. She threw her glass as hard as she could, it shattered into a million pieces when it made contact with the wall.

"EVERYTHING IS FINE!" She shouted causing Draco to jump a bit. "Oh no, it doesn't matter if we don't go to Aurora's graduation we'll just give her diamonds and other precious stones because she'll completely forget the whole thing once she sees a shiny rock!" She grabbed a necklace that was floating above her head and threw it across the room. "It's not like she has feelings or anything!" She pulled a ring of blue sapphires and chucked that carelessly. "She won't care! She'll be used to it by now!"

Aurora continued to scream, throwing a tantrum, she threw and broke anything and everything that came into her wake. Draco just stood there in shock, not knowing what to do. It was probably one of the most terrifying and painful things he had ever seen, he knew that this tantrum wasn't just from the events that happened today but from years and years of enduring her parents' neglect. It finally broke her. Aurora stumbled and tripped on her dressing gown falling to her knees, she wrapped her arms around herself and sobbed uncontrollably.

Draco moved so that he was next to her, he sank to his knees and took her in his arms trying to help her to her feet. She looked up at him with tear-filled eyes.

"Why don't they want me?" She whispered, her voice almost inaudible.

Draco winced at her pain, "Come on love, I think you've hand enough vodka hm. You need some rest." He picked her up and carried her to bed as she cried silently in his chest.

Once he had tucked Aurora into bed, he moved away so that he could go clean up the mess she made downstairs. He stopped once he felt her slim fingers wrap around his wrist, Draco looked down at her.

"Stay with me…" Aurora whispered with unfocused eyes.

Draco looked down at her for a moment and then nodded, he kicked off his shoes and joined her on the bed laying on his side facing her. Aurora moved closer to him, she lifted a hand touching his cheek causing him to tense up.

"You're very handsome you know that?"

Not giving him an opportunity to respond Aurora leaned forward and captured his lips with hers. Draco froze not knowing how to respond, or how this even happened. Her lips were soft and tasted of tobacco…this was all wrong! For the longest time it was his deepest desire to kiss her, to feel her lips on his but not like this. She was completely drunk and probably won't remember it in the morning. Aurora pulled away from him and smiled.

"I don't care what my father says…" She whispered.

"What?"

"I won't choose anyone but you." Aurora moved away and rested her head on his chest instantly falling asleep.

Draco remained frozen, he should leave and return to his flat but he couldn't just leave her like this. She had way too much to drink, yes, he had to stay and make sure she doesn't choke on her own vomit should she wake in the middle of the night…Oh bloody hell! Why did she have to go and kiss him?! Worst yet, why did he let her?! There's no way she would have done so if she was sober! What was he going to do in the morning when she wakes up and finds him in her bed?! He looked down and her sleeping form, if he moved now he'd probably wake her. Draco sighed and rested his head on the pillow, he'll deal with tomorrow once it came, for now he'll just stay with her like she requested, lord knows that she needs someone by her side when all she felt was nothing but abandonment.

[1]: "Congratulations my dear sister!"

[2]: "Where are mother and father?"