Aurora clutched her overcoat holding it tightly to her body desperately trying to keep the cold out, she clung tightly to Alejandro's arm. The sidewalks were still covered with ice and she was not wearing the proper shoes to be walking out and about on her own.

"I don't understand why you wear dis shoes." Alejandro shook his head. Aurora only smiled, she had met him yesterday shortly after having that uncomfortable chat with Arzit and Lujain was right, he was very handsome: sun kissed skin, tall, muscular, blue eyes, dirty blonde hair, and an endearing Spanish accent. Aurora couldn't help but adore him. He was wild and crazy, fun loving, always cracking jokes and a smile always graced his lips, he reminded her of Wyatt back in his schoolboy days.

"Lujain insisted on them."

"That girl is muy loca."

"Do you know where we're going?"

"Sì, we are going to la discoteca downtown. That is all Lujain told me."

"Oh…"

It was New Year's Eve in Boston and Muggles and magical folk alike were out celebrating. 10pm and some people were already boozing hard, this New Year's would certainly be different from the others she had experienced. Aurora has never been to a night club before, so this was bound to be one for the books.

Aurora looked around not entirely sure of what she should do. The music was so loud she could barely hear Alejandro beside her, it was dim, multicolored lights were flashing everywhere and countless of sweaty bodies were on top of each other on the dance floor. She couldn't help but wrinkle her nose in disgust. She continued to scan the area when she saw Lujain and Fayza in the lounge. Lujain spotted her and waved them over.

"I see them." She shouted so that Alejandro can hear her."

He looked around trying to find Lujain.

"Over there in the lounge." Aurora pointed in their direction.

Alejandro held her hand tightly and began to push through the sea of bodies, this she was grateful for because she had no idea how she would even begin to fight her way through the crowd.

"You guys made it!" Lujain threw her arms around them swaying on her feet a bit. Someone has clearly had a few drinks already. Lujain was dressed in a gold shimmering waist high skirt that stopped right above her knees and a matching crop top that revealed the top portion of her waist.

Fayza walked up sporting a little black dress holding drinks in her hands. "Come on Aurora! Strip! I want to see the dress that Lujain forced you in!" This one seemed a bit buzzed as well, Aurora smiled. After getting to know Fayza a little better she realized that she was only serious when it came to her work, as far as everything else goes she was quite easy going.

"I didn't force her into anything!" Lujain sniffed.

Aurora laughed her shook her head. She undid the buttons of her coat and Alejandro helped her out of it revealing the silver sequin dress that Lujain lent her. It was a tight sleeveless dress that stopped mid-thigh with a deep v-cut revealing her cleavage favorably.

Fayza let out a low whistle. "Damn girl, where have you been hiding that body! Those robes that you always wear don't do it any justice!"

Aurora blushed at Fayza's compliment and uttered her thanks.

"Drink up guys!" Fayza pushed shot glasses into her and Alejandro's hands.

They both turned to one another and held up their drinks.

"Arriba!" Alejandro knocked his drink back without a second thought, Aurora did the same and coughed when a familiar burning sensation hit her throat.

"Tequila?" She asked.

"Of course!" Lujain exclaimed before taking a shot and refilling new glasses and passed them around. "Here have another." She pushed the drink into Aurora's hand.

"A toast!" Fayza held up her glass, the others followed. "To…"

"To new friends!" Lujain finished.

"To new friends!" Everyone repeated in unison and proceeded to drink.

Alejandro grabbed Aurora's hand and pulled her onto the dance floor. "Dance with me!"

"Okay, but only one dance, I'm not sure if I can continue to stay on my feet after having those shots." Aurora leaned closer to him. "I'm a major lightweight." She giggled causing him to laugh.

"Then you must drink more!"

Aurora threw her head back in laughter.

XXXX

Draco stood on the snow covered balcony looking up at the star lit sky tightly holding onto his glass of wine, it was 3 o'clock in the morning and the guests were finally beginning to leave. His mother insisted that he come to this stupid ball in hopes that it would lift his spirits. He had no taste to rub elbows with the social elite, at least not without Aurora. She always made events like these fun, but here he was dressed in his finest robes, forced to mingle with these social climbers, woman trying to coax him to dance with them…he was absolutely miserable.

What did he want with these insipid cows, eh? It's not like they were even giving him much of a challenge, they were just throwing themselves at him, every man's dream? Ph! They couldn't even begin to compare to Aurora: beautiful, intelligent, witty, endearingly awkward…everything about her was perfect, she was perfect: the way her nose wrinkled when she smiled, those dimples, her adorable dimples, her hair, her beautiful brown hair, how it turned bronze when in the sun, the softness of her skin, her lips…Why did she leave dammit?! Did she not believe that he was genuine, he loved her and he had never been more serious about anything in his entire life!

Letting out a huff of frustration he downed the wine and placed the glass aside. What is she doing now? Is she safe? Is she okay? Is she happy? These were questions he didn't have the answers too, if only she had sent an owl, just one ruddy owl to say that she's okay. It drove him mad not knowing, how could the absence of one person be so painful? He'd give anything just to hear from her at least.

"You'll get sick standing out in the cold like that." Said an annoying playful voice.

"I hardly see how that's any of your concern." He scuffed.

"What's got your wand in a twist? Is it because that friend of yours couldn't make it tonight."

"Shut up Pansy." Draco didn't want to discuss Aurora, especially not with Pansy of all persons. It wasn't open knowledge that Aurora had run off. Her family have been keeping it under wraps ever since they found out a day ago, Nathaniel even asked Draco not to say anything. All within good reason too, the public love to see the high and mighty fall, the name Pontellier was just as prominent as the name Malfoy, something like this would cause a scandal. Draco hated to admit but Aurora's lapse could easily be covered up, she hasn't lived with her parents since she was three, they could easily claim that she was continuing with her education elsewhere.

"I was just asking, no need to get snippy…"

"Why are you still here?"

"I just wanted to check on you, you seemed off."

"Well you came, you saw, now leave. I'm tired and I'm going to retire to my room." Without uttering another word Draco walked past her and disappeared up to the third floor where his childhood bedroom was. He wanted nothing more than to drink until he passed out, but taking his parents into consideration he would not go back to that, at least not while he was in their house.

XXXX

5…4…3…2…1!

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!" Everyone shouted and cheered. Lovers kissed, friends hugged and Alejandro grabbed Aurora and kissed her square on the mouth.

"Feliz Año!" He shouted as he grabbed Lujain and Fayza and kissed them as well.

Normally Aurora would have been scandalized but she was too drunk to even care.

"Ayyyyyyyy! Feliz Año, bonne anné, happy new year!" She shouted in all three languages as she raised her glass of scotch and drank.

After a few more hours of partying Lujain decided it was probably time to get back to Accensamque Gemmas. Arzit said to have fun, but not to overdo it. It was 2am and they all had their fair share of fun, it was time to go to bed and try to sober up. Lujain and Alejandro had a higher tolerance for alcohol than Fayza and Aurora so they partnered up. Lujain took Aurora and Alejandro got Fayza and helped their stumbling friends back home.

Aurora clung to Lujain for dear life, face red and sweaty, eyes watering, she would burst out into random fits of giggles.

"Y-you know…I love this dress, I really love this dress." She slurred stumbling as Lujain unlocked the apartment and they stumbled in."

"I'm glad you like it."

"Yeah, you know…you know who else would have liked it?"

Lujain plopped Aurora onto the bed and began to remove her heels from her feet.

"Who?"

"Draco…he would have liked this dress." Aurora stopped giggling. "I wonder what he's doing now, he's my best friend." She said solemnly and then burst into tears.

"Hey, come now, everything is alright!" Lujain soothed, confused as to what the hell got her in such a mood. She undid the covers so that Aurora could get in them.

"He-he's so good to me." Aurora sniffed. "He's probably super mad at me!"

"Why would he be mad at you?"

"B-because I didn't tell him that I was coming to Boston!"

"Well, I'll tell you what…"

"What?" Aurora sniffed curling into a ball burying herself in the blankets.

"You can tell him tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay…" She fell asleep without uttering a single word.

XXXX

"How could she just leave?!" Ophelia cried burying her face into her handkerchief. Ever since finding out that her daughter simply disappeared she had been restless and agitated. Nathaniel stared at his mother in disbelief, so there were real traces of maternal instinct in her, but after what? Without a doubt her tears were genuine but they were no good, for 21 years she had not spared Aurora a single shred of proper motherly affection, and now she was falling apart upon hearing of her disappearance.

"This is an outrage!" Emmanuel bawled pacing agitatedly about the sitting room, his pale face turning red with each passing moment. "What on earth is that girl thinking?! Commet pourrais-je ai soulevé un enfant irresponsable?!"[1]

"That's the problem isn't it pére." Nathaniel stated calmly.

"What?!" Emmanuel turned to face his eldest.

"Vous ne l'avez pas soulevé."[2]

"Hold your tongue! I-"

"You, what father? You know I'm right! You and mére were always too busy, smelling grapes and looking at shiny gems."

"Why you insolent-"

"Emmanuel! Nathaniel! Please!" Ophelia looked up from her handkerchief with tears falling in abundance.

Nathaniel's eyes softened once he saw his mother. He loved her dearly and understood that she was upset but he couldn't help but feel that she had no right to be.

"I will cut her off! Her inheritance his now forfeit!" His father boom and continued to pace about the room.

"You will do no such thing!" Nathaniel was getting sick of father's pointless raving.

"Wha-"

"Is that your solution to everything pére? Just cut off your children financially every time they do something that displeases you?"

"Lis-"

"No, you listen!"

"Nathaniel!" Ophelia was shocked that her son would raise his voice to his own father.

"Mére, pére. I've kept my thoughts to myself for too long. Why can't you just let the girl be?!" Nathaniel stated somberly. "All Aurora ever wanted was to know that you two both truly care about her; that you would at least give her the time of day.

"When she realized that she would not get that from you she worked hard academically to try to impress you. Just look at her! Graduating a full year ahead of schedule, she was in the top percentile in her graduating class, Emerson barely graduated! Hell that's something I couldn't accomplish.

"And what did she get in return of her hard work and success?" Nathaniel was getting angry, the only thing he could see replaying over in his head was the devastated look on Aurora's face when she realized that her own mother and father hadn't even bothered to come to her graduation. "She got snubbed, you are her parents just as much as you are mine, why do you treat her like this? And to top it all off, you send her a letter threatening to bring her here to France if she didn't accept Malfoy's proposal-oh yes I know all about that, don't think I don't know!" He was shouting now, he couldn't care less if they were his parents or not, he was shouting on behalf of Aurora, voicing the things that she couldn't say for the simple fact that she would not be heard. "My sister is a very bright and intelligent witch, I cannot preach to you enough how she could best Reginald, Emerson, and I. The three of us don't stand a chance next to her."

Ophelia choked out a sob annoying Nathaniel even more.

"Mére quit your blubbering! It's not like you really had a daughter to begin with, if anyone should be crying it would be Celeste because she was the one you handed Aurora over to! And as for you pére, if I so much as hear that you've tampered with Aurora's inheritance I will make sure that she receives my entire inheritance instead. I will be content with receiving her portion, or at least what's left of it."

Nathaniel knew that more than anything his father wished for him to hold the family estates as well as the businesses, this should be enough to subdue him.

"You wouldn't dare!"

"Oh yes I would! I don't need all of it anyway, I'm well off on my own."

His father's lips pressed tightly together forming a thin line, good it seems like he got the message.

"Now, it's late. I would like to go home and rest before meeting with my financial advising wizard. I plan on going through Aurora's credit card statements, I have a feeling that she's using Muggle money to fund her little trip. If I can track where the money goes then we may be able to find her. Goodnight."

Nathaniel walked over to the mantel, grabbed a handful of floo powder, and stepped into the fire place. With a flash of green light he was back in his English mansion. He let out a big sigh and stepped out walking up the stairs to his bedroom. He stopped when he spotted the small table that sat in the hallway just before his room. He picked up the picture of him, Reginald, Emerson, and Aurora when they went to visit their grandparents at their summer home in Nice. Things were so much simpler back then.

"Aurora what were you thinking? If you were in trouble why didn't you come to me for help?" Shaking his head he placed the picture back down and silently prayed that his sister was safe.

Stopping before his bedroom door he noticed that the lights were on inside. Leonora was waiting up for him, she always did when he was out late. He pushed the door open and found her curled up in bed reading a book. She was clad in a purple nightdress and her red braided hair sat on her shoulder. Leonora looked up and greeted him with a soft smile.

"It is vere gone longer than expected."

"I apologize my love," Nathaniel began as stripped out his robes and into a pair of pajamas. "You know how my parents can be."

He walked over to their bed taking the book out of her hands and placed it aside. He kissed wife's hands before placing a small kiss on her lips.

"You seem troubled." She observed.

Nathaniel laid down and rested his head in Leonora's lap, she gently stroked his face.

"I don't know what to do Nora. For the first time my mother is out of herself and it's all because she is genuinely concerned for Aurora's well-being, my father seems about off put as well."

Running her fingers through his hair she let out a soft hum. "And it is up to you to solve all problems, yes?"

He said nothing but nodded into her lap.

"It will be fine. You will find her, I hav faith in you."

Nathaniel responded by tightly clinging to his wife, her words were simple but they were exactly what he needed to hear at the moment. Leonora continued to run her slim fingers through his hair causing his scalp to tingle and shivers run down his spine.

He'll be able to do it, he'll find Aurora, but it wasn't a matter of "if" but "when". When he found her, what would he do? If she was content where she was he couldn't force her to come back with him, no, Nathaniel would never force his sister to do anything. Just as long as she was healthy and happy that was good enough for him.

[1]: How could I have raised such an irresponsible child?!

[2]: You didn't raise her.