Days became weeks, and weeks became months. Time seemed to move much faster now that Aurora had fallen into a comfortable routine at Hogwarts. She was on-top of her coursework, was finally able to make it up the Grand Staircase without tripping on a false step, and was feeling like she truly belonged. Her friendships with the first-year Slytherins had never felt better, and she had even planned a few afternoon study sessions with Hermione in the library, slowly introducing her to Theo and Tracey. Their lessons had grown far more interesting as well, especially as the professors deemed the first-years 'competent enough' to move beyond the basics.

And before Aurora knew it, it was Halloween.

Living under her uncle's protection, Aurora had never gotten to truly celebrate Halloween, but there were a few years where Cedric and Amos had ventured into London and come back laden with all sorts of exotic Muggle sweets. Despite her begging, Marius had never allowed Aurora to go out with them, but that didn't stop Cedric from visiting her the next day and regaling her with the tales of something called 'trick-or-treating'. He would describe the costumes the Muggles were dressed-up in ("It's a requirement to do so," he had explained to her, matter-of-factly) and divvy up his candy between the two of them, always making sure to save a few extra assorted bon-bons, just for her.

Now, the entire castle seemed to hum with anticipation of the holiday. The smell of pumpkin lingered around every corner, attributed to the glorious pumpkin muffins they had been served for breakfast, drizzled with a melty cinnamon butter. Even the usually chilled dungeons had been permeated with a festive warmth.

Blaise had been the first to notice the collection of jack-o-lanterns nestled outside of the common room's windows, their flickering flames still magically intact in their hollowed cores, despite being submerged deep within the Blake Lake. There were seven in total, all with uniquely designed faces that ranged from goofy to grotesque. Small fish that had been attracted to the light swam in and out of the eye holes, and the gathered students squealed in delight when the one closest to the glass suddenly winked at them.

The Slytherins practically skipped down to the greenhouses to start their day in Herbology with the Hufflepuffs, where they found Professor Sprout in a rather chipper mood. She announced that, in the spirit of the holiday, they would forgo their originally slated lesson (trimming the Valerian Sprigs they had repotted the week prior), and instead would decorate their very own jack-o-lanterns - an idea, she explained to the class, she was "borrowing from a fellow professor", with an added wink to the Slytherins.

The class tittered with excitement as Professor Sprout passed around an odd assortment of gourds she had harvested earlier from Hagrid's gardens. She promised that the finished pumpkins would be displayed outside of the greenhouses for the week, and she would even cast a longevity charm on them, to keep them fresh a few days longer than natural.

As soon as Professor Sprout finished distributing their necessary materials and had disappeared into a different section of the greenhouse, the class got to work. It was fun, if not extremely messy work.

"Ewwww, get it off of me!" Daphne squealed. Small strings of pumpkin guts were stuck to her fingers, absolutely revolting the blonde. She flicked her fingers as she pouted. "Yuck, yuck, yuck, yuck, yuck."

Aurora looked up from her own mangled pumpkin and laughed. She was holding a clump of the stringy guts in her own hand, setting it aside to be used later in her jack-o-lantern's grand design. "It's just the inside of the pumpkin, Daph. It's not going to hurt you." As if to prove a point, she dangled her handful of guts for Daphne to see.

Daphne gagged, as if Aurora had just suggested she eat the guts for lunch instead. She shook her hand again, more frantically this time, until the strings flew off…and stuck instead to Draco's cheek.

"Daphne! Watch it!" Draco grimaced as he tried to use his shoulder to wipe the strings off. He eventually had to use his pumpkin-covered fingers, which left a trail of pumpkin goo.

Aurora giggled again. Draco wrinkled his nose at her and scooped a handful of seeds out from his pumpkin, flinging them as hard as he could across the table when Aurora wasn't looking. They splattered across the front of Aurora's robes and made her stumble back, as if she had been struck by a stunning spell.

"Ooooh, you're in for it now, Malfoy." Aurora grinned and whipped a handful of guts back at the blonde.

Draco, however, was ready for her retaliation and managed to duck out of the way. Aurora watched as the clump of seeds arched over his head and landed with a wet smack across the room instead, on the neck of a Hufflepuff boy. She gasped and covered her mouth to keep from laughing, smearing a big glob of pumpkin across her own nose.

"Sorry, Justin!"

Justin Finch-Fletchley grimached, touching the now mashed pumpkin on his neck. He looked up at Aurora and narrowed his eyes. For a moment, neither of them moved. Slowly, he grinned and whipped a chunk of discarded pumpkin back at her. Aurora braced for the impact, instead hearing a gruff "Hey!" as it flew off-target and smacked across Crabbe's forehead.

Within seconds, an all-out pumpkin battle had begun in the greenhouse. Draco, Aurora, and Justin may have made the initial attacks, but the rest of the first-years, from both Slytherin and Hufflepuff, joined in without hesitation. Two Hufflepuff girls stood back-to-back, filling pots with pumpkin guts that they would then dump over the heads of unsuspecting students. Pansy had spread two stripes of bright orange pumpkin across her cheeks and was raising a rally cry, which only prompted Daphne to take cover beneath the nearest table, her robes wrapped tightly in the hopes of avoiding the carnage. Students were using whatever they could get their hands on to protect themselves from the onslaught of guts and seeds, and the air was filled with laughter and shrieks of delight - until a mis-aimed smattering of seeds splattered across Professor Sprout's robes.

The room fell silent as Professor Sprout stared at the pumpkin guts on her sleeves, a few loose seeds falling to the floor as she observed the room. Everyone had frozen in place - it was as if they had collectively agreed that the more still they remained, the less damage Professor Sprout would notice.

"Now then," Professor Sprout's voice was stern, but she couldn't hide the smile from her face. "I believe that is quite enough."

With a flick of her wand, the guts and gore from the gourds seemed to melt away from each student's robes, as if there had never been a pumpkin battle in the first place.

"The next person I see using their pumpkin as a weapon will march it straight down to the kitchens and help prepare it to be made into soup. Am I understood?"

The class nodded, equally relieved that they hadn't gotten into any real trouble, and terrified of the prospect of their creations being used for pumpkin stew.

For the remainder of class, they worked diligently in silence. Around the room, all sorts of carved-out creatures were starting to take shape: a multi-legged sea creature, a fluffy kitten, an extremely detailed peacock. Across the room there was even a crude figure with a distinctly hooked nose being carved by a giggling Hufflepuff. Aurora had decided to go the scary route with her design, carving the face of an old hag that made her shiver just looking at it. She had attached her pumpkin's stringy guts to the stem for the hag's hair, and Professor Sprout had applauded her creativity upon turning it in.

The excitement of the holiday didn't end there. In Charms, Professor Flitwick announced that he thought they were ready to start making objects fly. The class bubbled with anticipation as he divided the Slytherins into pairs, and demonstrated the spell.

"And we mustn't forget our wrist movements - swish and flick! Swish and flick!" Professor Flitwick demonstrated the spell again from atop his usual stack of books, making a plastic spider float from one side of the room to the other. "Saying the words properly is very important, too! Don't be afraid to emphasize! Take a lesson from Wizard Baruffio, who said 's' instead of 'f' and found himself on the floor with a buffalo on his chest!"

"Wingardium Leviosa!" Aurora attempted the spell, but instead of fluttering high into the air, the feather on her desk only rocked from side to side.

Beside her, Tracey, whom Aurora had been paired off with, gave it a try as well, but despite their best efforts, neither girl could coax their feathers to flutter for more than a second at a time. Which, Aurora had to admit, was a better result than the rest of the class - Draco's feather had shot high into the air before falling back down as if it were as heavy as a ton of bricks, leaving a feather-shaped indent in his desk; Pansy's feather only curled in on itself the more the girl tried to make it float, and Millicent had resorted to hitting the feather with the fat end of her wand, only managing to squash it instead.

"Nearly thought I had the hang of it at the end there. My feather was practically vibrating," Blaise explained to Aurora and Theo as they made their way out of the classroom and into the bustling corridor beyond. "But it was just Goyle yawning. Honestly, I nearly jinxed him on the spot."

"I think you should have," Aurora laughed as she watched the bulky bodies of Crabbe and Goyle push through the crowd, acting as a barricade that allowed Draco to follow comfortably in their wake.

"Rora! Rora, Rora, Roraaaa!" Daphne sang, elbowing her way through the crowd. She linked arms with Aurora and smiled at the brunette. "Pansy's gone off somewhere, but she said she'd meet us in the common room. Shall we practice our charms?"

Aurora nodded enthusiastically, making the blonde squeal in delight.

"Where'd she disappear to?" Theo asked.

Daphne shrugged. "Dunno. Washroom, maybe. She said it wouldn't take her long, and we cold get started without her."

The four made their way through the crowds of students and into the dungeons where it was, mercifully, much less crowded. They set up in the back corner of the common room and Daphne provided an armful of her squishiest pillows for them to practice on. Theo was halfway through his Wingardium Leviosa cast when Pansy dropped her bag next to the armchairs they had dragged together, her eyes welling with tears.

"Pansy! What's wrong?" Aurora rushed to her, with an equally worried Daphne steps behind.

"I - I can't -" Pansy started to explain, but instead she doubled over, her shoulders shaking with the effort of trying to speak. "Oh, Merlin, it's just…it's too much -"

Aurora narrowed her eyes at Pansy, who was clutching Daphne's arm with all her might, as if she could collapse at any moment. Concern quickly melted away as Aurora realized she wasn't crying - she was laughing.

Sighing, Aurora flopped back down in her armchair. "Hell, Pans, you scared us. What's going on?"

Pansy held a finger up to Aurora, blinking a few times to quell her tears. When she had calmed down enough to stand on her own, she took a deep breath and looked around the group, which just made her double over in laughter all over again.

"Spit it out, Pans," Theo called from where he was sitting beside an annoyed Blaise, neither boy enthused with Pansy's latest antics.

"Okay, okay, keep your pants on." Pansy took a deep breath, then another. "So after class, I stopped in the girl's washroom. And you'll never guess what I saw."

She didn't give them a chance to respond before she blurted: "Hermione Granger!"

The group was silent. Aurora blinked, unsure of how to respond. She too had seen Hermione - at breakfast that morning, and again in the corridor as the Slytherins had made their way from Herbology to Charms. It wasn't a big deal - she saw the Gryffindors, even from a distance, at least once a day -, but Pansy was looking around the group as if she had just made a monumental discovery, and she was waiting for them to burst into applause.

Daphne squeezed Pansy's arm and gave her a small smile. "Aw, that's nice."

"No, no, you don't get it!"

"Enlighten us, please, Pansy," groaned Blaise.

Pansy huffed in exasperation before plopping herself down into a seat. "She was crying! I mean, really crying. She practically hid the moment she saw me! I barely got out of there before I started laughing."

Aurora was suddenly on high alert. "Is she okay?"

Pansy shot her a look, her face scrunching up so much that she resembled a pug. "Who cares?"

Aurora stared at her, mouth open.

"I do? Pansy, she's my friend, remember?"

"Yes, I know, I know. We don't need another lecture on it." Pansy waved her hands in the air, as if fanning away a bad smell. "Inner house relationships, 'not all Gryffindors are bad', blah, blah, blah." She rolled her eyes. "But really, Aurora. Did you have to choose Hermione Granger? You don't have to take pity and be friends with her, you certainly could do better."

"Pansy!"

"Aurora! Don't get upset with me, I wasn't the one who made her cry."

This time, Aurora thought, balling her hands into fists by her sides.

"The other Gryffindor first-year girls were listening through the door." Pansy leaned in closer to the group, lowering her voice. She shot Aurora an annoyed look. "They were laughing about it too. Apparently, it was Weasley's fault. He said something about her after their Charms lesson, and she's been hiding away in the washroom ever since."

Of course this is all Ron's fault. Aurora thought. She tried to think back to when the Slytherins and Gryffindors had crossed paths earlier. She didn't remember Hermione looking upset - it must have happened after the Slytherins were already in the classroom.

"That's enough, Pansy," Theo interrupted.

But it was too late. As Pansy continued giggling about Hermione to the less-than-impressed rest of the group, Aurora stood and charged towards the entrance of the common room, nearly knocking directly into a fourth year. She knew she had to be the one to find Hermione, and she didn't want to hear another word out of Pansy's mouth about it.

As the stone archway of the common room slithered open, a hand grabbed her wrist, stopping her in her tracks.

"Aurora, wait."

It was Theo, his brow furrowed in worry. Aurora sighed and turned to face him as he let go of her wrist.

"I'm not going back over there, Theo."

"Just ignore her, Aurora." He tilted his head to the back of the common room, where Aurora could see the rest of the first-years laughing, having moved on in conversation and back to practicing their spells. "Pansy's nasty, but harmless. She just doesn't know when to shut it."

"Yeah, well…" Aurora shifted under Theo's gaze and shrugged. "I'm just not in the mood for it. Hermione's my friend, Theo. And last I checked, she was becoming your friend too."

Now it was his turn to look uncomfortable. He crossed his arms and, when he didn't reply, Aurora continued.

"If it was you, or Tracey, or Daphne, I would be doing the same thing. Okay?" Aurora stared at him, waiting. For as close as she had grown to the rest of the Slytherin first-years, Theo was still the hardest to read. She wasn't sure what reaction to expect from him. But eventually, when he still hadn't spoken, she held out her hand. "You coming with?"

He looked from her hand, to her face, and back. Sighing, he glanced back to the other Slytherins.

"Look, I'll see you at the feast, okay?"

Theo turned and made his way to the back corner, not giving Aurora another look as he collapsed onto the couch beside Blaise, reopening whatever book he was currently reading. Not wanting to waste another moment, or be stopped by another Slytherin, Aurora turned on her heel and left.

She moved rather quickly through the corridors, practically skipping steps as she made her way up to the Entrance Hall. As she passed the half-decorated Great Hall, the mouth-watering smells of candied apples and roasted pumpkin nearly made her stop in her tracks, but she ignored her desire to explore and continued until she reached the girl's washroom on the second floor. The door was cracked open, a large, bronze key sticking out of the lock.

Aurora eased her way inside as quietly as she could. She didn't want to startle Hermione - wherever she was hiding. At first glance the washroom was vacant, and Aurora wondered if Hermione had gone back to Gryffindor Tower. But as she moved around the circular sinks in the center of the chamber, she heard sniffling coming from the farthest stall, and noticed a pair of black shoes brushing the stone floor.

"Hermione?"

There was a sharp yelp, and the shoes disappeared into the stall.

"Hermione, it's Aurora."

"Aurora?" Hermione sniffled, her voice thick and ragged from crying. "What are you doing here?"

Aurora slid down the wall to sit beside Hermione's stall, her legs splayed out in front of her. "I guess I just wanted to see how you were."

"I'm fine, Aurora. Just leave me alone."

"What happened? With Ron and - ?"

"Nothing."

"Hermione, you don't have to -"

"I said I'm fine, Aurora. Please."

Aurora leaned her head back against the washroom wall. The floor was cold, even with her robes acting as a barrier between her legs and the stones. She couldn't imagine how long Hermione had been hiding away in that stall, but she didn't plan on leaving her alone like this.

They sat in silence, the only sound an occasional sniffle from Hermione. Aurora remained sprawled out in front of the stall. She tugged on a loose thread of her uniform, tightening it around her finger until her nail was completely white and she released it, just to start twirling it again. The sound of stampeding footsteps from the corridor made her look up.

"Hermione, the feast's about to start."

"I'm not hungry."

"Come on, it can't have been all that bad. All Pansy told us was -"

"Let me guess." Hermione's voice was suddenly sharp. "She said I was a crybaby and a know-it-all and that nobody wants to be friends with me because I'm such a nightmare."

Aurora sat in stunned silence for a moment. "'Mione, is that what Ron said? Because you and I both know he's a dunderhead. And I'd be very happy to remind him of that fact the next time I see him."

Hermione let out a small huff of a laugh, making Aurora smile.

"It's not your fault you're smarter than him. People can't be mad at you for being smart, that's ridiculous," Aurora said. There was silence from the stall, so she continued. "And being a crybaby? Hermione, it's okay to cry. If just crying makes you a crybaby, then I guarantee you every single student here would be one, and I'd be the biggest crybaby of them all. I cried so much during my first night in the castle, I considered writing to my uncle and asking to come home."

The stall door creaked open, and Aurora glanced up to see Hermione peeking through the crack of the door. Her eyes were still watery and puffy, but she had stopped sniffling. "You…you did?"

Aurora patted the stone next to her. "Yep. In the common room too. I was a mess."

As Hermione sat on the floor next to her, Aurora continued, pulling the Gryffindor into a tight side hug. "You're great, Hermione. You're a brilliant witch, and I'm lucky to have a friend as great as you. Never let anyone tell you otherwise."

They sat like that for a moment - Aurora squeezing Hermione tightly, rocking her the way Cedric would when she was upset - before a clattering out in the corridor made them jump.

"Come on then, let's head down to the feast." Aurora stood and stretched, holding out her hand to help Hermione up. Behind her, the washroom door slammed shut. Probably someone knocked into it on their way to the feast. "We'd better hurry before all the good food is - what is it?"

Hermione's face had paled and her eyes had gone wide in terror, fixated on something at the entrance of the washroom. From behind Aurora there was a low grunt, followed by the sound of something large shuffling around. A stench like old socks dipped in a filthy public toilet hit her. She was terrified to turn around and see what it was that had made Hermione freeze up, but curiosity got the best of her and…

It was a horrible sight. Twelve feet tall, its skin was a dull, granite gray. A small balding head was perched atop a lumpy body like a boulder, its shoulders hunched to keep it from hitting the ceiling. It had short legs as thick as tree trunks with flat, horny feet that scratched the stones whenever it moved. It dragged a huge wooden club beside it, gnarled fists clutching it at the ends of arms that were too long for its body.

Before Aurora could fully comprehend what she was seeing, Hermione let out a blood-curdling scream. She grabbed the back of Aurora's robes and pulled her back against the wall. Aurora let her, practically stumbling over her own feet. Together, the two girls huddled against the far wall as the troll's head lolled in their direction, its beady eyes peering down at them.

Hermione let out another petrified shriek and the troll advanced unsteadily in their direction, knocking sinks from the wall as it moved.

Aurora was frozen in place as Hermione clawed at her robes, looking as if she were going to faint at any moment. Her mind was racing for anything, anything, she could attempt in order to stop the troll, but she couldn't think straight. She couldn't take her eyes off the troll as it got closer and closer, its teeth gnashing. It was as if every spell she had learned, every logical thought she had ever had, had all been replaced with absolute, body-binding terror.

I think we're going to die.

The sound of metal hitting stone made the troll pause in its tracks, just a few feet away from the girls. It stood up straighter, its long ears flapping as it tried to figure out where this new noise had come from.

"Confuse it!"

Another loud clunk, and the metal tap from one of the sinks ricocheted off the wall, skittering to a halt at Aurora's feet. It was such an unexpected sight that it seemed to shake her from her terror, and she blinked hard, finally able to take her eyes off of the troll. Standing behind it, unbelievably, were Harry and Ron. Harry threw another tap against the wall, making the troll pause and blink stupidly, hesitating. But it only lasted a few seconds before it was lumbering again, this time directly at Harry.

"Oy, pea-brain!" yelled Ron from the other side of the washroom, and he threw a metal pipe at it. The troll didn't seem to notice the pipe thwacking against its shoulder, but it certainly heard Ron's yell and paused again. It turned its ugly snout to Ron and grunted, its eyes narrowing at the newest noise.

"Come on, run, run!" Aurora watched, stunned, as Harry ran around the now distracted troll. He grabbed Hermione's arm and tried tugging her to the door, but she wouldn't move. She released her grip on Aurora's robe and instead flattened herself against the wall, her mouth open in a silent scream.

Harry turned instead to Aurora, giving her shoulders a rough shake. "Snap out of it, Aurora! You can't be afraid now, we have to go!"

The troll let out a mighty roar. The shouting and the echoes seemed to be driving it berserk. It roared again, somehow louder, before starting towards Ron, who had become trapped in the far corner. The roars rattled the plumbing, and a small shower of rubble rained down from the ceiling. It was enough to, in one flash of realization, snap Aurora into action.

"Bloody hell, bloody hell!" she shrieked, peeling herself away from Hermione and the wall to join in the fray. Thinking as quickly as she could, she pulled off her shoes and began clapping them together over her head. The floor was pooling with water from the destroyed sinks, and her socks were quickly soaked, but she just kept leaping around, banging her shoes together. "Hey, ugly! Over here!"

The troll twisted over its shoulder, jarred by another sound joining the cacophony. It snorted, like a bull getting ready to charge, but didn't get very far before Ron threw another pipe, the sound of metal clanging to the floor making the troll turn back. It was caught between the two of them, furiously roaring and grunting at the onslaught of surrounding noise.

Then, out of the corner of her eye, Aurora watched as Harry did something very brave - and equally, very very stupid. He took a great running jump and managed to fasten his arms around the troll's neck from behind. His wand, which had been in his hand, practically disappeared up one of the troll's nostrils.

Howling in pain, the troll twisted and thrashed; Aurora practically had to drop to the floor to avoid getting caught by its flailing club. She landed in a puddle of Merlin-knows-what, but couldn't bring herself to care as she watched Harry hang onto the troll for dear life. Remaining aware of the troll's club, she crawled carefully to where Hermione had sunk back to the floor in fright, her face deathly pale.

"Wingardium Leviosa!"

The troll's club flew out of its hands and rose high, high, high up into the air, turned slowly over - and dropped, with a sickening crack, onto its owner's head. The troll swayed on the spot and then fell flat on its face, with a thud that made the whole room tremble. Ron stood behind it, breathing heavily, his wand still raised as he stared at what he had just done.

The four of them were silent. It was Hermione who spoke first.

"Is it - dead?"

"I don't think so," said Harry, as Aurora gave the troll's shoulder a gentle nudge with her outstretched foot. "I think it's just been knocked out."

Harry bent down and pulled his wand out of the troll's nose. It was covered in what looked like lumpy gray glue, and the sight of it made Aurora gag.

"Urgh - troll boogers."

As Harry wiped his wand on the troll's trousers, Aurora carefully brought herself to standing. Her legs were still shaking from fear and adrenaline. She peered down at the troll, whose tongue had lolled out of its mouth, and grimaced.

"Nasty thing."

A sudden slamming and loud footsteps made the four of them turn to the washroom's entrance. They hadn't realized what a racket they must have been making, but of course, someone must have heard the screams and crashes and roars. A moment later, Professor McGonagall burst into the room, followed closely behind by Snape, with Quirrell bringing up the rear. Quirrell took one look at the troll, let out a faint whimper, and sat quickly down on a half-shattered toilet, clutching his heart.

Aurora knew they were quite a sight to behold: her, soaked practically from head-to-toe in toilet water and holding her shoes in her hands. Harry and Ron, both still breathing heavily, and the latter seemingly unable to put his wand away. And there was Hermione, still stuck to the wall in terror, and it didn't seem like she would be moving any time soon.

Snape bent over the troll, examining it. He slowly made his way around its massive form until he reached Aurora, towering over her. She had never seen Snape so furious: his mouth was tightened to a straight, bloodless line, and his eyes were wide with fury. Aurora gulped, mentally preparing herself for the year-long detention she was sure to receive.

"What on earth were you four thinking?" Professor McGonagall spoke first, her voice laced with cold fury. She looked at the four of them one at a time, her gaze shifting constantly as if she couldn't comprehend the scene in front of her. Ron let out a whimper, his wand still in the air. "You're lucky you weren't killed. Why aren't you in your dormitories?"

Aurora glanced again to Snape, but he had shifted his piercing gaze to Harry, who was too busy scuffing his shoes against the wet stone to notice.

Then a small voice came out of the shadows.

"Please, Professor McGonagall - they were looking for me."

"Miss Granger!"

Aurora turned. Hermione had managed to get to her feet at last, holding onto the wall to steady herself. She glanced hesitantly to Aurora, before squaring her still-shaking shoulders.

"I went looking for the troll because I - I thought I could deal with it on my own - you know, because I've read all about them."

Aurora's eyes practically bugged out of her head. She was grateful Snape was behind her, so he couldn't see how shocked she was. Hermione Granger, telling a downright lie? And to a teacher?"

"If they hadn't found me, I'd be dead now. Aurora protected me and helped to keep it distracted. Harry stuck his wand up its nose and Ron knocked it out with its own club. They didn't have time to go and fetch anyone. It was about to finish me off when they arrived."

Aurora nodded vigorously, her eyes still locked on Hermione. She could feel Snape's eye burning into the back of her head.

"Well - in that case…" said Professor McGonagall, tightening her robes around her thin shoulders. She gazed cooly at the three others, who were all doing their best to look as though this information was not new to them, before refocusing on Hermione. "Miss Granger, you foolish girl, how could you think of tackling a mountain troll on your own?"

The brunette hung her head and sniffled. Aurora was speechless. Hermione Granger was the last person she would have expected to break a rule, and yet here she was, boldly lying to not one, not two, but three teachers, just to keep the others out of trouble. One of whom was Ronald Weasley, the exact reason they had wound up in this situation in the first place!

"Miss Granger, five points will be taken from Gryffindor for this," said Professor McGonagall. "I'm very disappointed in you. If you're not hurt at all, you'd better get to Gryffindor Tower. Students are finishing the feast in their Houses."

As Hermione scurried from the room, Aurora closed her eyes and let out a breath. Five points wasn't so bad. But her relief was short-lived, as Snape's hand clasped her shoulder.

"As for you, Miss Rosier."

Aurora braced herself and turned to look at Snape. While he still looked furious, it seemed like his rage had simmered a little, and his mouth was no longer in a tight line. She could see Harry and Ron over his shoulder, both of them standing beside McGonagall and staring at her as if she had been caught by a beast much worse than the troll.

"To say I am furious would be a gross understatement - you went directly against the orders of your Prefect." Aurora kept her face neutral as Snape spoke, not wanting to let on to the fact that she had no idea what orders Snape was talking about. In order to keep up Hermione's ruse, she couldn't let him know that she had never been at the feast in the first place, despite the fact that she was nearly certain he was already aware of that fact. "But for sheer luck in the face of absolute stupidity, you have earned Slytherin ten house points."

Aurora had to fight to keep her mouth from dropping open in shock.

"You are dismissed."

Aurora practically fled the chamber. Once out into the cool air of the corridor, she slumped against the far wall to catch her breath. So much had happened in such a short amount of time - comforting Hermione, the troll attack, lying to their professors - it all made her head spin. And to think, just that morning she had been carving jack-o-lanterns and trying to make a feather fly.

She collected herself and went to make her way back down to the dungeons when the washroom door clanged shut. Looking up, she locked eyes with Harry and Ron, and the three of them froze in their tracks. Harry opened his mouth as if to say something, then closed it again.

"I'm still not happy with you." Aurora spoke very quickly, expecting the Gryffindors to walk away from her at any second. "But…good job. With the troll. And thank you. Really."

The boys shared a quick look.

"Thanks," said Harry. "You too."

Ron nodded to Aurora in solidarity, a slight pink tinging his ears, before the two hurried down the corridor. Aurora watched them until they had disappeared around the corner, then made her way back down to the dungeons.

The Slytherin common room was filled to the brim and noisy, a jarring comparison to how quiet the corridors had been. Everyone was eating the food that had apparently been sent up from the canceled feast. Still gathered in the back corner, where she had stormed away from earlier, the first-years were balancing plates on their knees as they talked and laughed with each other. Aurora couldn't stop herself from grinning as Theo looked over and, with relief in his eyes, waved to her.

"Rora! We saved you a plate."

She joined her friends, squeezing into a space on the couch between Pansy and Draco. She didn't care about her soaked socks or how disheveled she looked, or even how they had fought earlier - she only cared that she was alive and surrounded by the people she loved.

And no matter how strange it was to say out loud, from that moment on, Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley were her friends. There were just some things in life you can't share without ending up liking each other, even a little. And knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is certainly one of them.

Oh baby, we're back!

All the life things happened at once: new job, new house, an awful case of writers block, but Aurora is so back, and I cannot wait to keep writing her story! Updates may not be quick, but they always will come.

A huge thank you to everyone who PM'd, reviewed, and kept reading during my pause! And to everyone who continues to do so in the future!