Hey everyone!
I know I know... I missed the second update of the month and I'm sorry for that. march was such a rough month for me and it hit me harder than I thought it would. I've also hit a stumbling block with one of my fics... which hasn't been helping so I'm hoping that, by sadly dropping that, I will be able to get more updates out for the other stories that I do have plots for (my LOTR, Fantastic Beasts and Aurora one). Hope you all had a great Easter if you celebrate.
Lots of love,
LSH xx
Finally Belonging Somewhere – Part 120:
The day dawned bright and full of sunshine and it had been a struggle to get Aurora out of bed as she didn't want to leave the comfort and security of the Manor and everything she knew.
"You'll be with us all little flower," Narcissa said as she looked at Aurora curled up in her bed, "and safe as well. The Vineyard has the same protection the Manor has. If it wasn't safe then I wouldn't dream of taking you there. You should know that by now. You can bring anything you need to from home if that will help you."
Aurora looked and nodded before she finally got out of bed and began to get herself dressed as Narcissa glided out of the room to go and check on Draco to make sure he was awake and ready to go, which he was.
"Has everything been sent from the studies that we'll need?" Narcissa asked as she sat down with Lucius and Meredith.
"Yes it has. Meredith has already dealt with that and the Grandparents' days are noted as well," Lucius said as he looked at his wife, "I do think that is a good idea to have them on day trips as we will have Charlotte, Ellie and the Greengrass Sisters arriving at some point as well."
"Yes. Aurora is still unsure of leaving the Manor but she will adjust I'm sure," Narcissa spoke with a glance at Meredith, who nodded.
"She's never been there before so it's understandable," she said, "she'll get used to being there soon enough. It's a new place for her and that is something we haven't had to… I don't want to say deal with, yet that is exactly what it is at the same time."
"We'll face it together as we always have done with Aurora back in our lives," Narcissa said and Priscilla agreed,
"Hopefully she will have settled down by the time we arrive as there will be a lot of coming and going on the grandparent part," she said and Narcissa ran a hand through her hair and sighed before hearing the sounds of a large suitcase and footsteps heading towards them.
"Mummy said I could bring anything I needed and I couldn't leave my stuffies and favourite books behind," Aurora said as she appeared to have found the biggest suitcase she could pull behind her, "my stuffies all have to come…" she said biting her lip in the exact same way Narcissa did.
"Well in that case are your stuffies ready and safely in the case? We can't make them sick during the Apparation now can we?" Narcissa said and Aurora shook nodded and then shook her head.
"They are all tucked in and asleep until I get them out in France," Aurora said, "but I don't know how long they'll be asleep for so we'd better get going," she said and Narcissa nodded as she took Aurora's hand.
"I'll take her now so she can have a look around and everyone else can follow," she said and Meredith moved to her niece's other side.
"I shall come as well and then there's two of us around," she said and Narcissa nodded before Apparating them to the cottage.
Once she was sure Aurora was steady on her feet, Narcissa let go of her daughter's hand and watched as Aurora began to look around with her doll tucked in her hand.
The girl wondered what her life would have been like if she'd been allowed to grow up here and that was something that made her sad. She looked around before going to the window.
"Are those the wines?" she asked as Meredith chuckled.
"No darling. They are not the wine but the vines. That's what the grapes grow on and that is what makes the wine," she said as she stood by her niece's side, "the Malfoy grapes are a little special in that they have hint if salt because we are also near the beach."
"The beach? That makes no sense Aunt Meredith," Aurora said before Meredith steered her niece to another window and then, there, was the sea clear as day as well as the beach. Aurora gasped as she looked and then bit her lip.
"It'll be my first time at the beach," she said, "I was never allowed to go on the trips with the orphanage. I always had to stay behind for some reason. I do not know why."
"Well now you can go to the beach every day whilst we're here," Narcissa said as she listened to the conversation. "That is one thing I have always loved about this place," she said as she looked out of the window and watched the waves crashing against the shoreline.
"When can we go?" Aurora asked.
"Well once everyone is here," Narcissa said, "why don't you and Meredith go and find your room and you can get your stuffies settled whilst we wait for everyone to arrive?"
"That would be a good idea," Aurora said before she headed upstairs with Meredith. It didn't take too long for her to find her room and she smiled as she walked in.
The room wasn't exactly like her room at home but, to Aurora, it had the feeling of home. Meredith watched as Aurora moved everything to the way that she wanted it before the girl opened her case. She greeted each of her stuffies as she set them on her bed.
"Did you really bring all your stuffies?" Meredith asked and Aurora nodded as she finished unpacking her stuffies and then looked out of the window.
"I can see the sea from here," the girl said, "this is the view I would have wanted," she said as she turned to look at Meredith and smiled, "I really do like this place… even if it is new. It's so warm as well," she said before hearing noise downstairs.
She closed her case and headed downstairs with Meredith and saw that Draco and Lucius had arrived. She began to tell her father and brother what she'd seen before asking if they could go to the beach already and was rather excited when it was agreed that the beach was a good idea. It wasn't too much longer and Aurora was heading to the beach for the first time.