Hey everyone!
So the last 3 weeks have been crazy for me and then what do I go and do? Sign up to do NaNoWriMo because life isn't hard enough lol. I may update again this month or not. I need to see if things can finally settle down like they should be. Sorry this is a little late.
Lots of love,
LM xxxx
Finally Belonging Somewhere-Part 58:
The next morning dawned as only winter could at Hogwarts, frost turning everything white and the pale winter sun beaming down into every window that it could leak into the Castle. Of course the Slytherins could only really see it through the water in the lake.
It was Sunday and that meant no school that day and late risers. Aurora, however, had risen earlier than anyone in the Dungeons and she was sat watching the Giant Squid up close by the window when Daphne joined her.
"Woke up early then I'm guessing," she questioned.
"Yes. I couldn't really sleep as late as I wanted to so I thought that I would come and say hello to Mr. Squid," she said as she looked at the older Greengrass girl.
"I think you should have tried to sleep Aurora," Daphne said, "sleep is important, especially for you at your age."
"You sit your OWLs this Year so you need your sleep too," she said as she looked at the older girl and then turned to wave at the Squid who seemed to be waving back to her. Daphne chuckled before picking up a book and beginning to read it.
It was a fair while later before the doors began to open and Charlotte, Draco and Astoria appeared and headed down to the Great Hall for breakfast and the group went and sat down and Draco and looked at the Staff Table and saw his mother and wondered if that was the whole truth he'd heard last night.
"Why don't we get wrapped up and go and sit by the Lake and make the most of the last day off before classes start again?" Draco asked and that was agreed to be the general agreement.
The group finished their breakfasts and headed back down to the Dungeons and got all wrapped up before they headed out armed with books and wands so they could cast heating charms around them.
Draco cast a heating charm on the blanket and laid it down and everyone soon sat down on the blanket and got comfortable, beginning to read. Draco just opened his book but looked around and watched as Aurora settled into reading her book.
Thought began to cross through Draco's mind and he wondered what was going through his sister's mind. She'd barely uttered two words since she'd set foot back at Hogwarts and Draco couldn't help but wonder what was wrong with his sister.
"Rora what would you like to do?" Draco asked wanting his sister to talk for once.
"Hogsmeade," she said instantly, "I want to go to Hogsmeade for a bit," she said and Draco sighed before telling the others to stay put and he went to speak to Snape. He was their Head of House and would be the one who had to give permission.
"Mother…" Draco said as he walked into his Godfather's office and looked at her and then back at his godfather.
"What is it Draco?" Snape asked.
"Aurora wants to go to Hogsmeade and I think it would do her some good to get away from the Castle for a while," Draco explained, "one last chance to clear her head before class starts."
Narcissa looked at her son before looking at Snape.
"I am staff now so I could take them. I know they're not supposed to but Aurora is probably suffocating with the whispers of the interview and maybe just needs a distraction. I mean Dumbledore would have to be notified…" she said before watching as Snape Floo Called the Headmaster and explained the situation and he was reluctant at first but then agreed that it might well help Aurora with calming down.
"We are by the Great Lake," Lucius told his mother before he left the office and hurried back down to the Lake and waited for his mother to come and find them.
"Narcissa…" came Charlotte's voice roughly half an hour later as she saw her best friend's mother walking towards them.
"A carriage is waiting to take us to Hogsmeade by the gates," she said before there was a scramble to get things put away before the walk to the carriages. Narcissa got the children in first before she climbed in and watched as the scenery went by.
"It's snowing now!" Aurora said as she looked out of the window and gasped as she watched the snow falling. Innocence. That was the word that could possibly sum the littlest Malfoy child up in one word. She'd suffered so much in the orphanage and yet her innocence was still so strong. Narcisa suspected, although she'd never admit it out loud, that if Aurora wasn't a Malfoy then she'd have been a Hufflepuff.
Eventually the carriage ground to a halt and Narcissa climbed out before watching as Aurora took off towards Honeydukes, surprising everyone.
"She'll still want to go to Tommes and Scrolls later," Draco said before he went off after Aurora and then looked as he reached the door. Indeed there his sister was trying out the sweets. The shopkeeper knew who she was and that meant the girl usually got to try things.
Narcissa, Daphne, Astoria and Charlotte soon walked in and picked up the odd packet of sweets but Aurora could have filled up a basket of her own.
"No Aurora," Narcissa said firmly, "you don't need all these sweets. Put some back please and just get your favourites," she said and watched as Aurora looked at her before sulking and then putting all the sweets back that she didn't like. Narcissa inwardly breathed a sigh of relief as that could have been a major trigger point for her daughter.
Instead of going to Tommes and Scrolls, Narcissa took them to The Three Broomsticks for lunch as she knew the afternoon would no doubt be taken up in the bookshop considering there were some book lovers in the group.
She went and ordered the food and watched as Aurora took out her colouring book and was soon lost in that and Daphne, Astoria and Charlotte were talking before she turned to her soon, who was just watching her.
"You also took the job to keep an eye on Rora didn't you?" he questioned.
"I'd be lying if I said no but yes that is also part of the reason that I have taken the job. She needs me close by… even if it's only in the background."
"I hope you know what you're doing mother. This could mess her up again."
"Trust me Draco I know what I'm doing and Aurora has to come first no matter what," Narcissa replied and Draco sighed, hoping that his mother knew what she was doing… for Aurora's sake if nothing else.