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Aurora had gotten first dibs on a decent seat, but she was fairly tired after all the traveling. Seb had warned her but she wouldn't listen, even the coffee she had wasn't working all that well. Her body was on the Norwegian clock, and it had been a bit straining as it was completely black the entire time.

Her hair had been adapted to the style of Norweign women, meaning a lot of braids all sanctioned with small metal beads. And all too willingly did she feel the necklace against her chin as she hadn't taken it off since.

Had she told Seb that the necklace was from a boy it was sure as hell going to cause controversy. Especially with McGonagall as she was a bit more skeptical of boys for her goddaughter.

The girl was in the midst of reading a few more myths as her cart pulled open and she popped her head. "Ah there she is! Wells! Happy New Year love!" Sirius cheered, pulling her in for a hug which she was all the more confused with. But when she was wrapped into his hold did she smile. "This about the tattoo?" She whispered.

"You betcha!" He cheered, winking as he settled down on the opposite end. She was just wearing something muggle once more, but he did have to admit it had a witch flare that he did find rather attractive.

"So how was it at the Potter residence? Did you get on the train alright?" She questioned, putting her book away. Only for Sirius to shrug about, listing just a few of the things they all did with one another. As well as wanting to practice some moves for the next game.

Aurora was merely listening politely until James strolled in. "Oh Merlin does Lily look beautiful after the new year." He softly cooed out to both Peter and Sirius, and Aurora rolled her eyes. "And what did you say Prongs?" He began to repeat what he had spoken and Aurora groaned.

"Circi I thought it sounded bad in letters, did you really say that? Out loud?" The boy couldn't manage the simple notion of what he was saying to be offensive or harmful in any way. So perhaps this was a session for all of them.

"Siri, how do you get gals? And why haven't you spread your knowledge around?" Peter popped his head up from his comic and took high notes in the back of his head.

"Not so much for a relationship love, more of a quick hook up." 

"Ah, a shag man. That's right. So how do you start at least?" He issued, so he rose up to the challenge.

"Not much for an audience for this Wells, but I'll think of something...Ah, did it hurt falling from heaven love?" She cracked a grin and pointed her finger. "Alright not bad, a little overused but it's better than what this one is brewing up. Where's Remus?" She questioned, and that allowed of them to share a brighter smile. "Prefect duties Wells, he'll make his way back...How was er—Wherever you went?" Aurora smiled and began telling them about the small little cabin she rented.

"Thank you for the Christmas gifts." She ushered, and that's when all the boys took note that she grew red in the face. "Ah, this one doesn't celebrate Christmas, why is that?" She shrugged. 

"Because I believe in the great Devine?"

Sirius groaned into his hands. "I forgot you're a bloody Wiccan, damn maybe I should've gotten the other earrings darling." She shrugged and showed her ears anyhow. She was wearing them proudly.

"Ah, so you did end up going home?" She shook her head. "No, Daisy gave me all the presents sent to the house." They questioned, although it sounded strange for the girl to be so open about political issues, that James questioned it. His parents always taught him that there was no need to have one when you could do it yourself.

"Oh um, she just switches between all the properties and makes sure they're protected. The manner is...Well it's huge, and even when I'm living there it's too much space so I just—It need upkeep I suppose, not like I can do it from school or overseas." She explained, but then said that Daisy is a free elf that her parents had gotten in hopes of showing her a balance in people.

Making James feel all the bit better.

"Own a manner in the states then?" Sirius questioned and she darted her eyes and silently agreed. "And a flat. I like having a yard but it's...I'm only one person, why would I need twenty bedrooms?" She dwelled, and while it sounded normal to Sirius it didn't to James and Peter.

"T-twenty r-rooms?" He issued, and it confused her. "It was a castle beforehand or something like that I guess, or a church? Mum was always sarcastic in that way. But the Halliwell Manner in Germany was where my grandfather practiced so...So a lot of rooms were converted into different labs." Her explanation gave concrete evidence that her family was indeed wealthy.

Sirius just pictured it to be too much money for one person, but it was definitely too much money for one bloody family, just like his and his family.

As time went on, Aurora was getting more than a bit tired. So Sirius told her to go and get changed before really falling asleep, which she had done. Only to return and fall straight asleep when her head leaned against the wall.

Remus, unfortunately, returned when she was deep into the realm of sleep, but he smiled to himself as he settled down beside her. "Hey Moony, just missed her...Barely out for ten minutes." He hummed, settling her book with a mark and placing it between them as he listened to everything that she'd been talking about.

And whether it be the moon's senses on him or whichever it'd continue to be. He smiled and inhaled her deeply, it settled his infatuation and burning heart that missed not being able to see her for the given two weeks.

Yet it sent him a-flare when she leaned into his shoulder and settled herself into him. He adapted to her body against his and smirked ever so proudly. "Why is she so tired?" 

"Travel I suppose, sounded like she came straight from one place to the platform." James offered and Remus merely pulled his arm around her, but whatever she traveled with really tired her out.

They talked silently for the majority of the ride until Lily slid open the cart and looked at both Aurora and Remus with the widest grin imaginable. "I was looking everywhere for her, you've been hiding her!" She hissed a whisper, but it became clear to both Sirius and James that she looked mighty proud of Remus as well.

"Actually I haven't gotten a word to her yet, she's been sleeping since the end of the meeting. Maybe more." Lily looked worried but the smile on Remus' face was easily swayed.

"Wake her up soon then? She's cranky when we wake her up late." She offered out before leaving the group. Sirius so easily pleaded to see her cranky. To see what it'd be like, but the turns of arguments she stirred.

"Shut the fuck up will you, honestly." She growled, rubbing her eyes and looking to the picture before her, blurry as all hell. So reaching into her bag did she put on her glasses. "Ah, so it wasn't a nightmare." The flare she sent towards Black was what drove James into overdrive as he couldn't hide his monodical laugh.

"Just peachy aren't you." She tried to smile but she settled back into the seat. "How long was I out?" Her question rang for a moment until Remus popped up.

"Asleep when I came in, then made me your pillow so that's questionable darling." Her cheek turned a new shade of rose as she repositioned herself and apologized.

"Don't mind at all. How was your break, did you find your northern lights?" It was almost an instant dose of cold water as she hurried into her bag and pulled out the little painting she had done.

She handed it off to him, but the brightest that lit her face was enough to settle his achy bones. Yet when he looked at the picture, the painting seemed to be enchanted to dance along to just what Aurora had pictured.

Perhaps it was ill-fitting to think that Aurora couldn't draw, but seeing what she managed to capture was breathtakingly gorgeous. And by the jaw-dropping reaction, Remus had given, it sparked the rest of the boys interest as well.

"Merlin Wells, what aren't you bloody good at?" She thought for a moment and made a face to think about what she wasn't necessarily good at. "Er, Runes is bloody torture. Does that count?" 

"Torture to not being good at doesn't work like that Wells. What can't you do?" The answer was pretty obvious in all of their minds.

Commitment, to whatever form of words they were thinking of. And yet, it never came from her mouth.

"I dunno, I try to tackle things head on." That was a very positive attitude to have, and he remembered so vividly her saying that in the potion room their first session or even in the book as it was hand scribed.

"Suppose I have a lot of trust issues, so bad at trusting?" The boys recalled the conversation over break on how she doesn't trust Lily or anyone, so Sirius pipped up. "You trust us then?" She tilted her head.

"To a certain extent, last time I trusted someone it didn't end well." Was the only insight she offered, taking back the picture and going off to find Lily and the rest of the girls.

Leaving them to question what the hell she meant.

**

"Alright class, I propose a little competition for you today. I want to see who can make the first batch of calming draught. A prize will be rewarded to the first three groups who make it to my expectations." Slughorn spoke, introducing the class to the assignment of the day. 

Aurora was just taking notes from the pervious lesson, but the looming glances of the Marauders and the girls to look back at the girl in hopes to get partnered with her was going straight over her head.

"Who can tell me the main ingredient in a calming draught?" Aurora rose her hand up lazily in the back. "Ah yes, Ms.Halliwell?" She looked up for a moment before looking back down. 

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"There isn't just a single main ingredient professor, there are four as they all have something primitive in their structure that releases a combined of melatonin." She spoke, and Slughorn awarded her ten points for the inter structure of the workings.

"Moony would you be peeved if I partnered with—" James whispered and he glared. He needed good marks for his coming moon since he'd missed something. And anyone he'd be partnered with would be in worry of another failing grade as well.

"The first to complete this will be rewarded 50 house points, the second 25 and the third will received fifteen. Since this is house based, you are to find someone in your house. There is an uneven number so one group will have three...Off you go! Best of luck!" He cheered with a fist raised into the air.

It was the yank of scraping chairs that all rallied around Aurora and she looked up absolutely in horror. "What the bloody hell is—" The begging rendered through countlessly and she huffed impatiently.

"Lily you'll do fine on your own, why don't you work with Alice and Mary." It was then that Aurora built up partners but took Remus and Sirius as her own.

Peter and James were easily placed in front for Aurora to watch carefully. Everything seemed to go swimmingly until Sirius started to ask too many questions.

"These tutoring sessions seem to be working well Moony, look at you go." He cooed, making Remus blush under the steam the potion let out. "Sirius darling, I want those fifty points. Do I really have to babysit you from destroying this?" She begged the question, and when he opened but her hand clamped over it.

"I'll bloody shave your head off if you ruin this potion." She growled, potion making is an art and if anything were to blow up in her face...It'd be almost like gas poison to her immune system. Both Lily and Severus knew of the struggle, so when she was in Alchemy she'd often put a mask over her face just in case.

One incident she could die.

"Pads why don't you just read out the instructions? We could use the points after..." Aurora looked up and smile, she didn't rightly hear that they HAD done the dung bombs in the Slytherin hallway, so she waited for him to finish that sentence.

"My my, so Professor McGonagall was right about the entire group then?" He attempted to plead his case but she corrected him movement to stir the potion.

"Of course love, we have to live up to our name." Neither could tell if Aurora was impressed or not, but they allowed her silence to linger for a moment or two before she smiled.

"Wh-what? Did I mess it up?" Aurora shook her head but her eyes were glued to the potion. "It looks good Rem, positive attitude?" 

"...Goes a long way." Sirius was almost instantly confused to their sudden finishing of sentence flirting and made a gag face off towards Peter.

However, Aurora rose her hand all too easily which allowed Slughorn to look at the mixture. "Heaven's beard, it's perfect! You two lads were lucky to find yourself with Ms.Halliwell. Fifty points to Gryffindor!" He cheered, and they earned all too many glares from the opposite ends.

Yet two sort of lingered, it was both Severus and Rabastan Lestrange. Whatever his interest in Aurora was, it definitely grew as Sirius did not like the look he was giving to his best mate's gal.

As Aurora and Remus were amicably cleaning the supplies, Sirius was distracting Peter a little too much as he had dropped far too much powder into the mix making it go all the more easily into flames.

The second the grey-haired girl had looked at the smoke she had dropped the beaker and covered her mouth with her sweater before finding the exit of the room.

With all the commotion everywhere and Remus checking to see if his mates were okay, he found that Aurora had disappeared. Returning to the spot did he find the glass shards and hurriedly repaired the object but laid in questioning as to what happened.

"Is Ms.Halliwell alright?" Professor Slughorn questioned her group and they looked at one another. "Er, we don't know where she went professor. She was just beside me when—" Lily groaned out loud and came over.

"She can't be near toxic smoke, I'll be right back professor." She spoke, walking out into the hallway to see her just sitting on the floor against the wall trying to catch her breath.

"Rory are you alright?" She whispered, coming beside her friend and the girl was really struggling to remain calm and collective, usually she's careful about such things, but for some reason her potion's class streak without any incidences and now look at her.

Can't even get a proper intake of air.

"Aurora? What happened?" Remus' kneed down, taking her hand and squeeze it. Trying to get her to acknowledge and calm her spacing mind.

"I-I just—took a breath of it—And it's—" 

"Remus I think she needs to go to the infirmary, I'll tell Slughorn." She rushes up while Remus picks up Aurora's shaking body.

Whatever sort of moon effects he was having suddenly vanished as he held her in his arms before heading upstairs. "Moony?" Sirius called out, going after the rest of his group before finally catching up.

"We're going to have a problem, the whole lot of snakes almost ate up the fact that she gets sick cause of failed potions," Sirius whispered, but it had Remus just hold onto her even tighter.

"Not now. Let's get her checked out first before we start with that." He declared and Madam Pomfrey fussed over her in the second, but Aurora pleaded that she was completely fine now. That she just had a bit of a panic, if it had been a dangerous potion and not a calming draught then perhaps it could cause a bit more of a concern.

"Unfortunately I'll have to report this to your Uncle Ms.Halliwell—Ah ah, he gave strict orders." Aurora pouted and continued out from behind the covers to see both Sirius and Remus waiting anxiously.

"Hey Wells, everything alright?" She nodded, wiping her eyes as they still stung with tears for the most part. 

"Y-yeah, she cleared out my lungs so I'm good to go." The smile she shot them was more than fake, but Sirius put an arm around her, having Remus follow in pursuit to walk back down to the dungeons.

Yet her breath was still deeply inhaled and exhaled the entire way down. Remus didn't feel comfortable in her returning into the room, so she waited outside for a moment and took her handed bag and notes.

"Slughorn said that Lily and Alice got second place, then Snivilus got third. Perfect, McGonagall will be pleased to hear we earned something today." Aurora frowned to herself after hearing her friends name in vain, so much so that she excused herself by heading to her room for a nap.

The second she left Remus felt the withdrawal of her leaving, making him a worried mess since she had departed. It had only been a few weeks since they returned from holiday break and now she was already getting hurt, right in front of him too.

The Marauders already had a plan in action, and it made Remus sick to his stomach just thinking about it. And he was right to feel that way.

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Date Posted: 12-11-18

Time: 8:56

Word-Count: 3115