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Remus was by far the most worried, although Sirius stopped all his attempt in trying to ask Lily what Professor McGonagall had said to her after class. It was his way of apologizing but also making sure he didn't look like a complete idiot.

She didn't return for any of their classes that Wednesday, nor for practice. However when the girls returned to their room they saw that Aurora was more than passed out in her bed, and as Lily made her way towards the bed the obvious sleeping draught bottle was empty on her nightstand, as it seemed the girl desperately needed it.

The puffy eyes and the short of breath made it clear that whomever Aurora had visited in the hospital seemed to not be doing good at all. She moved aside Aurora's hair for a small bit and looked to Alice. 

"Should we tell them?" She whispered, and Mary shook her head in the instant.

"Why? So they could get in the middle of it?" She hissed, shaking her head and throwing her own clothes off to head to bed. Since the two thick heads were at practice still for another few minutes, Lily looked off to Alice.

"Remus was really worried..." Alice whispered, looking after where Mary had gone and Lily sighed. 

"I'll go tell him then, but not the others..." She stumbled as it wasn't much information to go off of.

But perhaps it was time for Lily to find out what the deal with Remus was, because it seemed there was more to the story than just what she seemed to be getting to.

Hurrying off as Mary shook her head in disagreement soon threw over her towel and continued over to give up for today. Aurora just radiated off exhaustion and when Lily found Remus in the common room trying to get through his essay. The vibrant redhead sat down across from Remus and his eyes popped up for a moment.

"H-hey Lily what's—" 

"Aurora came back...McGonagall said she'd be back sometime tomorrow." She informed him and it popped up some level of excitement that at least she returned...She left?!

"Where did she go off to?" 

"Professor didn't tell me who got hurt, but someone had to go to Saint Mungo's and she left. Probably a Death Eater attack by the look on McGonagall's face." She was speculating now but then sighed.

"Did Sirius really say those things to her the other night?" Remus sighed and nodded. 

"I gave him a good yelling, I assume they're trying to find their comfort zone with Aurora but it's not working all that well." Lily swallowed and went about twirling a lock in her hand.

"It's just...Aurora doesn't really like...Being a pureblood." Remus had caught Lily's eye and he managed to hold back his laughter. If that wasn't obvious enough then he doesn't really know the new girl as well as he would've hoped.

"Why's that?" He questioned, but then Lily's smirk rose up. "Maybe that's something you two can discuss when you ask her out to Hogsmeade." She giggles, wishing him a goodnight before returning off to bed.

Now Lily was on his tail about asking Aurora, Merlin was it going to be a drastic reverse. But no amount of lying on his part can separate how he felt to give her a moment.

"I doubt she really wants to have my shoulder to cry on at the moment, she's more familiar with you girls than myself and it's—" 

"Remus she does like you, a lot...I mean it's sort of odd to say this, but Aurora does tend to get shy...I know it's unbelievable at times, yet it still happens." One last form of goodnight was stated before she returned up to the room where Aurora was still under the effects of the potion, and by the looks of the bottle, she wouldn't wake up anytime until after morning depending on when she took the actual dose.

Ether Sirius and James looked hesitant in approaching Remus who looked relatively lost in thought as he was looking at his quill. "Hey Moony." James greeted, and Remus sighed on out to gather his paper.

"Aurora's back, someone she knows got attacked by Death Eaters." Sirius flinched at the mention, merely yesterday did he give her a beating of a talk about being a racist pureblood, only for one of her friends to get attacked by those said racist purebloods that he categorized her with.

"When'd she come back, is she alright?" Sirius blurted out and Remus could only shrug. Not knowing the truth more than that, and the rest of the night everyone was on their toes as to what happened. And who's it happen to.

When everyone woke up in the girl's room, Aurora was still asleep and nobody knew what to do. How to go about the morning, so they allowed her to sleep and hoped that Slughorn was informed about the situation. Remus didn't have much hope after not seeing her at breakfast. However, just before class started, Aurora had taken a seat beside Mary just before they were set to begin.

"Aurora, it's alright if you miss a class." The girl whispered and but she shook her head. "I already missed yesterday." She digressed before following along to her entirety, but even Mary could tell she was tensed.

It was barely halfway through the double potions when others began to realize that Aurora did manage to come through and save Mary's grade for the day. It was a fairly simple potion, but when she rose her hand to answer a question that left the classroom silent. 

It left Gryffindor heads to turn back, while others lingered.

Remus offered a friendly smile but her eyes weren't in for it as she looked down again. Merlin did she look weak from here. It was entirely upsetting.

To make matters worse, they had another dreary waste of time as she sat through Divination. Her elbow was connected to the table as her friends were all surrounding her, her fingers twitching up and around the ball. Almost like she was waiting for her vision to appear.

"Even her hair looks depressed..." Peter spoke, although he was thick for a lot of obvious things. This he finally took sight in. "You're right wormtail, maybe Moony should give her a bit of his chocolate." James closed his eyes at the mere idea of that sexual innuendo but Remus sort of like the idea as he smiled.

"That's a great idea Pads. Thank you." Sirius rose a brow, and although Remus had managed to get ahead of James in the realm of sexual experience. At least Prongs was able to be a match to Padfoot's jokes, but perhaps the pureness of Aurora's actions would give some sort of joy. Even if it didn't cure her.

When the classes ended, Aurora told her friends she was going to go lie down. However Remus had managed to see her station on the edge between a stone window. Just allowing herself the moments rest, he felt wrong to disturb her peace but he managed to come out of the shadows with the bar of chocolate ready.

He didn't know what to say, knowing 'you alright?' Would be the wrong way to go. So he came with the perfect pitch.

"I'm glad your back..." He started, and her head turned for a moment only to catch a glimpse of him. "At least that makes one of us." She dwelled, shrugged about before sighing again. Rather than getting the hint, he sat down across from her.

"No offense Remus, I rather be alone." He shrugged, shaking his head. "None taken, I just want to see you smile once before I go." She narrows her brow to look at him. Peter is right, even her hair looks depressed.

But then he was close enough to take notice that even her eyelashes were the same grey tinted color. "When I'm upset I usually dive into some chocolate..." He whispers, offering up a bar of honey dukes finest from his personal stash.

"Considering it's been five minutes since the end of class, I suppose you always have a bar of chocolate on you?" He smiles and nods.

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"Of course, I adore chocolate." She shakes her head and begins to smile, but he holds up the bar and she eyes it. "Don't tell me you don't like milk chocolate." She contains her smile for a moment and tilts her head.

"White chocolate kind of gal." Aurora manages to say, and his eyes flare in complete shock as he was about to raise an argument. Her smirk mirrored her plan as he huffed. "That's not funny." She takes the chocolate and looks at the label.

"Honeydukes is in Hogsmeade right?" She questions, opening the bar and taking a piece before handing it back. "Oh come now, if I'm ruining my appetite for lunch you're eating some too." He shrugs it off and takes a bite as well.

The warmth of it spread in his mouth within the moment and she hums and nods along. "Good?" She nods in spite of not being able to open her mouth she does continue to say silent 'yes'.

"I dunno if Lils sent me some of this before but I see why you have it on you...Thank you." Aurora smiles and he sighs. "My goal is complete then. Suppose it was better than asking if you're alright?" She chuckles once again.

"Family member had an emergency and I just...I don't have much family left." He instantly knew the feel of it. "Was it your Uncle?" She disagreed, and he didn't follow it up with another question as to whom it was. That would be prying and since Lily didn't know either, he left it undone.

"Are they alright then?" 

"Yeah, they're fine I just...It was so much easier in America. To ignore the problem." He nods, he keeps forgetting due to her very lovely accent that she wasn't raised here. 

So he merely leaned in closer.

"I think about it too, we might be safe at Hogwarts...And some of our parents put on protective spells but it's real...It's Slytherin graduates, not to be selective." Aurora frowned but nodded anyway.

"It's not all of them, but it's enough..." Remus pinned his mouth shut about Snape being one of the selected. But knew her friendship with the Snake was more built upon than his own with her. And that was just something he was going to have to manage and try not to have his mates bother him too much about it.

"I'm here if you need to talk you know..." She lets another smile escape her expression as she wipes another tear. "Are you sure I was your first snog, I'm surprised nobodies scooped you up yet...You're adorable." He pouted, not knowing how to take the sound of being 'cute' or 'adorable' but his own face made her giggle.

"Did I Americanize it again, do we not say that here?" He chuckled again and shrugged it off. She meant it in the most unthreatening way imaginable.

"I rather hear handsome than adorable but—" 

"But having chocolate on you, always?" He groans into the air. "I'm going to regret sharing that with you aren't I?" She shakes her head but then jumps to her feat.

"Suppose if you're up for a game of chess we can forget about your lil chocolate addiction, Remus." He snorted but then proceeded to take her lead and head to the library for another round of chess. Which ended in a glorious...Tie.

"I see I've found my match." 

"I give credit to my dad for that one, he's trained me for opponents like yourself." She giggled behind her hand, and Merlin if he could just capture this moment he would be content for the rest of the year.

Something about Aurora was just...Calming, he couldn't rightly explain it. And it was just making him happy that she was getting her color back into both her face and hair. Something that Peter will surely comment on.

"You know Sirius didn't mean what he said...He was really—" 

"Remus no offense, but I rather talk to him about it. Like I wish he'd stop pestering me about..." Remus didn't allow himself to hear the end of he sentence as he knew it was coming.

"I tried, I promised you Aurora I really tried. But it's, I don't have much control over them really." She rolled her eyes at his quick apology but she didn't think it was his fault. Not in any sense, which she quickly repeated once more. 

"...Sirius is his own person, I'll hex him he'll taunt. It's okay, but if I hang him by his feet because he said anything about my blood."

Remus gave her the benefit that she is and can be scary, but he nodded. "I wouldn't mind if you did give him a bit of a hex." With the idea of permission was she much more excited to go to lunch, and they managed to talk throughout the whole walk down before her hand gestured to him to shush up.

He looked quite confused, but as the same pointer finger went to ear to cop a listen his smile grew as she held herself against the wall to lean out of sight as both James and Sirius were turning to the grand hall as well.

"What's the—" She clamped a hand over his mouth and she merely felt his smile grow as well as his cheeks heat up. "I'll call you adorable in front of them if you ruin this." She warned and he nods his head once for clarification.

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She seemed to be building up a plan, and soon enough she smirks and looks back on over towards the two of the boys who were coming down the hall once again. As she leaned forward for a moment did she whisper a spell, and since her voice lost all sort of accent Remus had to assume that her friends and America used it a lot more than she has here.

In the instant did a combination of laughter and a yell of pain cause either of the two Gryffindor boys to make a commotion in the empty hall. Aurora held a giggle in her own way but failed miserably as Remus had to hold her own mouth.

"You ruin it, I'll have to call you adorable in front of them as well." Her eyes widened at the threat and since her mouth was covered she winked in confirmation. Only until either of the boys on the other side of the wall seemed to come to their senses did they start planning their attack on Severus.

Aurora looked confused, but Remus shook his head at the blame. But the second the two mates came around the corner neither of them could handle the compromised position they were in with either of their hands over their own mouths.

"Is...Is that a thing they do in America?" Aurora took her hand off of Remus' and moved his off her own. 

"No, but I have tricks up my sleeve. How's your arse Siri? Hurts?" His eyes flared in recognition as he let his jaw drop.

"Teach me it." That had confused ether Remus or Aurora in that regard, that he would go from angry, shocked, to in need of learning the little trick.

"Why would I share trade secrets?" She smirked, giggling against the wall again as it turned into James wanting to know as well. Remus had all the right to hear and speak but at the risk of being called adorable again, he kept his mouth shut.

"We can trade?" He lamely offered and she tilted her head. "Really? I'll be shocked if you teach me something Siri, but I guess if you can manage we'll go about it. But promise me one thing?" He took all her words in for a moment while the other two were just there as an audience.

"If you ever...Mention my blood again, I will personally hang you at the top of the tower. Is that understood?" He nods, his face getting a bit tense as he sighed.

"I am sorry about that Wells, I...I didn't think you had the same views as me with being a pureblood but I was wrong. I understand that." Her head rose and it slowly calmed, almost like she was analyzing whether he was lying or not.

With her nod did he let out a steady breath. "And...You are not allowed to use it on Sever—" The groans of complaints made her raise her wand. "James I can easily join you with a hurt arse." She waved him away like a problem, but in all honesty. Remus was enjoying the scene before him and didn't want to ruin ether of it.

"But...But he's—" Aurora tilted her head to James and he shut his trap in the instant. "Look, you lot are bloody hilarious, but I see why Lils tends to stay away." Remus knew this was going to get ugly, especially as how quick James' demeanor was changing.

"Perhaps we should go to lunch, I hear there's going to be—" James had taken the moment to voice his opinion and now he was on the chopping block.

"James, you're a bloody catch when it's just us...But the second it has anything to Lils it a fail." Although James tries to defend it, neither of his brothers said a word and Aurora sees that it has been a problem for a bit.

"W-will you help me?" Aurora turned to Remus in complete shock as she starts to stutter, for the first time they've all seen, she was at a loss. "You have to! I don't want trade secrets! I want Evan's secrets." Aurora closes her eyes.

"Lily." The three boys around her look confused and she pops her eyes up. "It's not Evans, it's not Lilykins...It's Lily." James' smile edited as he pulled the girl into a massive bear hug as Remus was almost as disturbed as Sirius.

"Oi, that's Remus' girl mate." Aurora playfully slapped James' cheek and pointed off to Sirius. And he received another wedgie. As he was about to counter it she smiled.

"Evening Professor!" She cheered, seeing their head of house coming down the hall just a few feet away. But it saved all of them a war to break out. "Lingering in the hall, Mr.Lupin I'd expect better from you than to teach Ms.Halliwell to be mischevious in her first months of being here." Remus looked crestfallen and the girl shook her head.

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"They were just telling me the quickest routes, Professor. No harm done." The girl and her cutting smile and McGonagall looked through the bunch until her eyes returned to herself. "Very well, I hope to see you at lunch. All of you." She firmly stated before continuing on her way.

"Merlin, I think you can transfigure her desk and she wouldn't bat an eye Aurora." The girl perked her lips. "She really liked my essay, that and she helped me transfer everything over the summer." The boys had a moment to remember that the professor was also deputy mistress, but failed to make the connection that Aurora knew McGonagall for more than half her life.

"Come on! I'm in her good graces, best not to fall out." She cheered, tugging on Remus' side and he smiled to his friends. "Where's Peter?" He questioned and allowed the girl to drag him.

"Charms essay, that Hufflepuff gal he has a crush on...Since Aurora's matchmaker perhaps she can help him as well." She rolled her eyes. "Am I the really the best hope that you're trusting me with your love lives...Do you need help too Siri?" She spoke, and he threw his head back in a barking laughter.

"No darling, I'm doing quite alright. Sarah from Ravenclaw fits my needs just perfectly." She slaps her palm to her forehead and swears in German. "...Schlampe." Was all that was verbally expressed and Sirius hooked his arm around her neck and smiled so devilishly.

"Mich? Nien..." Aurora bit her tongue and couldn't help with the laughter until she sat at the table across from Sirius and James as she sat between Peter and Remus. "Wells, I looked for that charms book you recommended. You were right, it made it so much easier." He spoke up first, considering he was the first to be seated and already snacking.

"Of course, I'm surprised at how far Charms was compared to America...That was one of the places where McGonagall was worried about, just got to tough it through for OWLS." She nudged Peter and he beamed with a smile.

Although Lily didn't rightly understand how Aurora went from depressed to smiling, it was probably best not to ask and thank the heavens that it wasn't a decline. More of an improvement. She was smiling, laughing...Thank Merlin for those crazy boys.

However, at the head table, both the Headmaster and Deputy Mistress were showing signs of concern. Although they weren't fearful, but Aurora's academics were by far the most important at the moment. So they nodded to one another, perhaps this was about to be rallied. 

"Professor Slughorn...What do you think of our new student Ms.Halliwell?" And thus, Dumbledore had begun an attempt of distracting Aurora and allow her to pursue other areas.

"Merlin I never thought of it, don't you worry...The Alchemy club will do right as rain once she joins the ranks!" Slughorn cheered, almost excited to get to the girl's class on Friday.

However, with the end of lunch coming about. The fifth-year Gryffindor's and Slytherin migrated off towards History and it was almost as though everyone was dragging their feet.

"Oh please, this is my third time learning it." She flicked as she set her book on the table. "Why's that?" 

"Since they couldn't really teach us anything dark in elementary school Siri, what else would they manage?" Was her counter and Lily looked back. "Elementary? There's an elementary school in America?" Aurora swallowed and Sirius chuckled.

"Nah, she's just pulling my strings. Her Nanny was teaching her and her tutors." Lily bought it in the instant, but Aurora leaned back and rubbed her temples. "Ears everywhere love." 

"Hm, I keep forgetting about that bit." She speaks, seeing next in line Death Eaters sitting about the room. Lingering, almost ready to make an attack.

As the ghost started mindlessly rambling about the wars. Was Aurora passed a paper, a trade secret for the Marauders to allow as it was enchanted for the given lot of them to write on.

In very beautiful and delicate handwriting did Sirius chime in 'Write whatever:' in such a lovely slang did Aurora smile. However, before she could even think to get through. Other's words started appearing before her and she allowed her eyes to spark.

REMUS: One of us needs to take notes

PETER: I need to finish my charms, you lot can handle it

SIRIUS: Prongs and I have to catch Wells up for the game.

JAMES: Yeah, Remus it's on you.

The girl rolled her eyes as she took her own bit off the paper.

AURORA: Oh please, history doesn't change. Just look at a bloody timeline. McGonagall is going to kill us if we don't win this week. Besides, I can just tell Lilykinz that Onyx ripped my paper.

PETER: Onyx? Who's Onyx?
JAMES: I'm sorry but Lilykinz is MY nickname.

SIRIUS: So when can you teach me that spell?

REMUS: Merlin you lot are insane

Although the boys could see her still writing, it wasn't popping up. However, it was a moving picture of that took up the corner off the side of their previous conversation. It was Sirius being hitched up into the air because of the wedgie spell and he frowned.

SIRIUS: That's cold love.

AURORA: It's called a burn love.

JAMES: I can't with you two. Seriously.

AURORA: But you can't be as Serious as Sirius.

With the oldest joke in the book now in stock, the boys around her were trying their best to hold it together.

SIRIUS: Wells is my new favorite, you arseholes never appreciated the joke.

REMUS: Because you say it every bloody day.

AURORA: Language, lady on paper here.

JAMES: Aurora you swear more than we do.

PETER: I was going to say, Wells you're very vocal.

AURORA: Love feeling the attack.

As the class dwelled on, it seems like every time the paper it vanished before becoming a new slate and Aurora handed it back to Sirius but he just shrugged. "We all have one, keep it darling..." Aurora was confused for a moment.

"A-are you sure? It's a pretty fantastic little knack." Remus started to blush and she realized he had made it.

"Remus has a pretty fantastic little knack to make a few of these." Aurora smiled and adored the idea, while Moony actually appreciated that the boys were upping his statues. It gave Aurora and him something to talk about entirely.

**

It was finally Friday, the first day of October. And their game was scheduled for tomorrow Aurora was just barely sitting down for breakfast to be greeted by the boys with shit eating grins filled with food. "Uh oh, what are you guys up to?"

"We asked McGonagall if we can have the field since we need practice with you, and she said yes!" Aurora smiled and reminded them of her late Alchemy class that they obliged, but conversation fell in pursuit. However, the Headmaster rose to his feet and made his way to his podium and Aurora's eyes narrowed in confusion. Was something wrong?

"Goodmorning...Since we have not yet decided if the Yule ball is set to take this place this year, we have gifted fifth year and up a Halloween mascarade ball." Aurora, who was sitting beside Sirius at that moment groaned into her hand at the same time Padfoot had.

Although Dumbledore managed to inspire everyone else, Aurora was leaning into her hand before looking off to Lily after the headmaster had stopped talking. "Lily darling, never did you mention that Hogwarts has balls!" She shouted, pouting her way and Lily looked guilty.

"Oh Rory come on, it's going to be fun!" Aurora scoffed into her pumpkin juice. "Fun...Please, I've been to more of these things than there are people in the room." Sirius' upset state turned over to Aurora as well.

"Suppose we have to suffer through it together Wells." She pouted once again. "I can't skip it?" Sirius shook his head and let her head down to the table in a white flag sort of movement.

"Sleeping at breakfast Ms.Halliwell?" Professor McGonagall digressed, trying to hide a pushing smile. "No ma'am...I was showing my disagreement to the ball." That had pushed a line as the closest thing to a mother figure the girl had smiled down.

"I'm sure a few young boys will be happy to escort you, enjoy the pitch today you three." She spoke, and Aurora looked off to her Uncle and shook her head.

"That is the brightest smile I've seen Minnie give anyone, what did you to her morning tea?" She hides her gaze into her hand and stays silent. Remus himself didn't like the idea of balls either, but she looked rather distressed entirely at just the mention.

"It's alright, we'll spike the punch bowl or something. Perhaps it'll make it a bit interesting." Aurora glared beside Sirius and he nudged her to smile. 

"Don't think booze is going to help with this Siri. It's just boring. Even if it is hosted by the headmaster." She pleaded and Sirius sighed, trying to lighten the mood with the fact they have until the end of the month. Especially when there's a Hogsmeade trip that Sunday.

However, Aurora's mood suddenly flared as she returned from Alchemy and was babbling on about something about the class. But Lily had managed to understand what had happened. Aurora was asked to join the Alchemy club, which came to no surprise but she was all the more happy with a smile on her face to match.

It was evidence enough that she canceled her plans with Sirius to catch up on some reading, and he didn't mind. As long as she was still a bit happy. For one thing they managed to connect to, seemed as though Moony was more than influenced by her emotions than they realized.

Evidence of how she was when her friend or whoever was said to be in the hospital, he almost seemed to be confused on how to act without her being at school. Part of Sirius was itching for that smoke, but it'd only equal a lot of coughing tomorrow at the game so perhaps it was a blessing that they passed.

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Schlampe= Slut

Mich? Nein= Me? No
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Date Posted: 11-17-18

Time: 4:24

Word-Count: 4950

36,935/50000