CHAPTER FOUR
' she resembles a toad, don't you think? '

   LIAM Deveraux had always been protective of his daughter. She was all that remained of his late wife and he promised himself he would never let anything harm her. He had been reluctant to allow his daughter to return to Hogwarts following the return of Voldemort. But if Aurora was one thing, it was stubborn.

Aurora finally freed herself from her father's arms, practically sprinting onto the Hogwarts Express before he could pull her back and take her to The Order's headquarters for 'safe keeping' like he wanted to.

Aurora turned and gave her father a wave, smiling as she flattened her curls and straightened her skirt out.

Aurora grasped her small bag in one hand, having already loaded her trunk. Searching through all the compartments, she finally found Ginny, along with Harry, Neville, and Luna Lovegood, a Ravenclaw in her year.

"Rory!" Ginny stood up from her seat, wrapping Aurora in a hug, "I feared you wouldn't make it!"

"I almost didn't," Aurora sat down beside Ginny, smiling at Harry and Neville, "Hello Harry, Neville."

"Going to try out for Quidditch this year Rory?" Harry leaned forward onto his knees, eyebrows raised in a hopeful expression.

"I'm not sure yet," Aurora shrugged before turning to Luna, who she had yet to greet. Her brows furrowed when she noticed Luna reading The Quibbler upside down but didn't say anything. "Hello, Luna."

Looking up from her magazine, Luna gave Aurora a dreamy sort of smile, "Oh hello Aurora. I see you have gotten rid of the wrackspurts, that's wonderful."

Aurora had absolutely no clue what she was talking about but nodded. "I have, thank you."

There was a somewhat awkward silence until Neville spoke, "Guess what I got for my birthday?"

"Another Remembrall?"

"No," said Neville, "I could do with one, though, I lost the old one ages ago. No, look at this," Neville dug one hand into his bag, rummaging until he pulled something out, holding it in the middle of them. "Mimbulus mimbletonia,"

Aurora stared at the odd-looking cactus in Neville's hand. She returned his smile, not wanting to upset him by saying it looked a bit odd with its boils.

"It's really, really rare. I don't know if there's one in the greenhouse at Hogwarts, even. I can't wait to show it to Professor Sprout. My great-uncle Algie got it for me in Assyria. I'm going to see if I can breed from it."

"That was very kind of him Neville," Aurora nodded, knowing how happy he must've been. "I'm sure Professor Sprout will love to see it."

Harry leaned closer to the plant, inspecting it for a brief moment before turning to Neville, "Does it, er, do anything?"

"Loads of stuff! It's got an amazing defensive mechanism. Here, hold Trevor for me." Neville dropped his bag on Harry's lap, pulling a quill from it. Moving closer to the Mimbulus Mimbletonia, he gave the plant a sharp prick with the quill.

Aurora yelped as liquid squirted out of the books on the plant, hitting the exposed surfaces in the compartment. Aurora shielded her hair and face, the green liquid only managing to land on her robes.

"Sorry," Neville coughed, the liquid covering his face and torso completely. "I haven't tried that before. Didn't realize it would be quite so," he trailed off nervously with a gentle laugh. "Don't worry, though, Stinksap's not poisonous."

Harry grimaced, spitting the liquid in his mouth out onto the floor, wiping some of it from his glasses with a repulsed look.

The door of the compartment slid open, "Oh hello, Harry. Um, bad time?"

Aurora reached over, grabbing Ginny's hand in hers as Cho Chang stood in the doorway of their compartment.

"Oh hi," Harry nodded at Cho, barely able to form words as she glanced around the compartment.

"Um, well, just thought I'd say hello. Bye then."

When Cho was gone, Aurora smirked at Harry whose cheeks had gone red. "Y'know, you have a real way of speaking to girls Harry."

"SHE resembles a toad, don't you think?" Aurora whispered as she stared at Umbridge who had just interrupted Dumbledore's talk of the Quidditch tryouts.

Ginny leaned closer to Aurora with a grin, "I agree. The pink of her robes is giving me a bloody headache."

"Thank you, Headmaster, for those kind words of welcome. Well, it is lovely to be back at Hogwarts, I must say! And to see such happy little faces looking back at me I am very much looking forward to getting to know you all, and I'm sure we'll be very good friends!"

"Friends?" Aurora's brows furrowed, "She reminds me of an evil fairy godmother."

Fred, who was across from Aurora turned to her with a bit of a frown, "Fairy godmother?"

With a dismissive wave, Aurora promised to explain to him what a godfairy was later.

"The Ministry of Magic has always considered the education of young witches and wizards to be of vital importance. The rare gifts with which you were born may come to nothing if not nurtured and honed by careful instruction. The ancient skills unique to the Wizarding community must be passed down through the generations lest we lose them forever. The treasure trove of magical knowledge amassed by our ancestors must be guarded, replenished, and polished by those who have been called to the noble profession of teaching."

"Every headmaster and headmistress of Hogwarts has brought something new to the weighty task of governing this historic school, and that is as it should be, for without progress there will be stagnation and decay. There again, progress for progress's sake must be discouraged, for our tried and tested traditions often require no tinkering. A balance, then, between old and new, between permanence and change, between tradition and innovation because some changes will be for the better, while others will come, in the fullness of time, to be recognized as errors of judgment. Meanwhile, some old habits will be retained, and rightly so, whereas others, outmoded and outworn, must be abandoned. Let us move forward, then, into a new era of openness, effectiveness, and accountability, intent on preserving what ought to be preserved, perfecting what needs to be perfected, and pruning wherever we find practices that ought to be prohibited."

"Thank you very much, Professor Umbridge, that was most illuminating."

"Illuminating?" Ginny cackled, hiding her laugh behind the palm of her hand.

Aurora was smacking the palm of her hand against her forehead, mumbling something about this having to be some sort of prank. It unfortunately was no such thing.

AURORA was fuming when she exited Professor Umbridge's classroom, Ginny hot on her heels, "Rory, slow down!"

"Can't," Aurora mumbled, fingers tightening around the wood of her wand, "have to get away from her before I hex her."

"Alright there Deveraux?"

Aurora turned her head to the side, a small smile tugging at her lips when she saw Theo leaning against the wall, hands shoved into the pockets of his robes. She and Ginny approached him while Aurora shook her head, "No, Umbridge is a bloody nightmare."

Theo nodded in agreement, "The Defense books she distributed are rubbish. Potter made the mistake of arguing with her in our class today, got himself detention."

"I suppose I'll owl my father, ask if he has any actual books on Defense in our library." Aurora huffed, leaning her head to rest on Ginny's shoulder. Ginny glanced down at Aurora, sympathetically patting her on the cheek.

"No need," Theo retracted a hand from his pocket, twisting around to search in his bag which was slung over one shoulder, "here."

Aurora took the book in her hands, grinning at the text, "Theodore Nott, I love you."

Theo laughed, gesturing to Ginny, "You can duplicate it and give one to Ginny. My father let it slip that the curriculum this year wouldn't be all too enticing so I grabbed a few books from our family library."

"Thank you."

"Anytime love."

MUCH to Aurora's dismay, Umbridge had taken the role of High Inquisitor at Hogwarts, whatever the hell that meant.

Between Professor Snape and Professor Umbridge, Aurora was sure she was going to die at the mere age of fourteen. There was also the issue of Dumbledore, who had barely been present during their term.

Aurora never fully put her trust in Dumbledore like many other people did— including her father. There was something about him that irked her— perhaps it was the odd twinkle in his eyes or the way he spoke in such a cryptic manner.

With Umbridge now having more control over the school, she had begun implicating new rules and the workload had increased in many of her courses. As a result, much of Aurora's time had been spent in the library.

Aurora looked up from her parchment when she heard George grumble. She stifled a laugh when she noticed the smeared ink beneath his left hand on his parchment, ink coating his skin.

"Blimey!" George groaned, laying his head flat against the table.

"You can use a charm for that, you know?"
George looked up at her, not moving his head from the table. "What?"

Aurora chuckled under her breath, setting her quill aside and grabbing her wand, "There is a charm you can use on your parchment so your hand won't smear the ink." Aurora placed the tip of her wand against George's parchment, whispering under her breath before she pulled away. "See, try it now."

George lifted his head from the table, grabbing his quill in his left hand and writing a sentence across his parchment, a breathy laugh filling the air once he finished, "Merlin! You, Aurora Deveraux, are my favorite witch as of now."

Aurora returned his grin, placing her hand over her heart, "You flatter me, George Weasley."

CONVINCING everyone that Voldemort had indeed returned was a difficult task. And surprisingly, assembling the students into what they called, Dumbledore's Army, was easy in comparison.

Aurora despised the name but she also knew better than to say anything ill of the great Albus Dumbledore in the presence of well, any Gryffindor.

They had mastered Expelliarmus, despite everyone's complaints that it was a first-year spell. Aurora trusted Harry, she just wished everyone else did too.

They had moved onto stunning spells, specifically the Impediment Jinx. And although Neville was improving, he sought out Aurora for extra practice.

Aurora entered the Room of Requirement, finding Neville rocking on his heels nervously in the middle of the room. He tossed a smile in her direction, "M'sorry you have to miss dinner for this. I'm trying, I really am."

Aurora grinned at him, laying her hand on his bicep, "I know, love. You're getting there, Harry even said so."

Neville nodded, backing up and taking a dueling stance, "How do you do it?"

"The spell or dueling?"

"Dueling, you're good."

"First," Aurora approached Neville, laying her hands on his shoulders and adjusting his position until he was no longer in the traditional dueling stance, "you need to find the stance that works best. The typical dueling stance is noble, yes. But it is in no way practical."

"But," Neville's brows drew together. "Duels are supposed to be noble."

Aurora pinched the bridge of her nose. "They aren't going to fight with honor, Neville. Voldemort is not going to care if his dueling posture is proper or not. His followers won't care either."

"Oh," Neville frowned, seeming to understand.

"Whenever I duel, I focus on something."

"What do you mean?"

"You have to have something worth fighting for," shrugging, Aurora continued, "something real."

"What do you fight for?"

"Love," Aurora's nose scrunched, "it's incredibly cheesy but it's true. I use love to help me fight, to urge me to win. I think of someone to fight for."

   "Who do you use most?"

   "My dad or Ginny," Aurora pulled her curls up, tying them in a bun at the nape of her neck. "Sometimes Theo, Harry, you. It depends."

   Neville's cheeks flushed. "Me?" His ears turned red when she nodded. His lips turned downwards as he thought for a moment. "Can you love people you hardly know? Like, love them from stories you hear?"

   Aurora took a seat on one of the settees they had for resting, patting the spot beside her for Neville. "What do you mean?"

   "My parents," Neville paused while he took a seat, drawing in a deep breath before he started speaking. "My mum and dad were part of The Order, like your dad. After Harry's parents died, Bellatrix Lestrange and other Death Eaters tortured my parents." Aurora reached over, cradling Neville's hand in her lap. "They used the Cruciatus Curse so many times that it led to insanity. You see, I don't remember them much before it all. Only a song my mum used to sing. Everything I know of who they were before is all in stories my Gran tells me."

Aurora blinked a few times, trying to rid herself of the tears that had pooled in her eyes, "They would've been proud of you, you know that right?"

"Proud? I'm bloody awful at all of this stuff."

"No, you're not. But I wasn't talking about your studies," Aurora ran her thumb over the back of Neville's hand. "I was referring to who you are. How fiercely you love and dedicate yourself to the things and people you love. Nev, your parents are the perfect people to fight for, love."

Neville didn't try to his tears as Aurora did, allowing them to freely rush down his face, "Thank you."

   "And Neville?"

   "Yeah?"

   "I'm sure they thought of you too."

   Neville's eyes glistened under the light, arms pulling Aurora into an embrace.

   "I kissed Cho!" Harry huffed out, he lifted Aurora's legs, dropping onto the seat beside her and laying her legs on his lap.

   Aurora set her book aside, smirking as she stared at Harry, "And, how was it?"

   Harry's nose wrinkled, "Wet."

   His eyes widened as he realized what he had said. Aurora, however, was laughing loudly, her head tipping backward as laughter shook her chest.

   "I shouldn't have told you that, should I?"

   "If you wanted to live it down," Aurora mimicked his nose scrunch, "then no, probably not. Because I am never going to let that go."

   "Merlin," Harry slapped his hand on his forehead, shaking his head.

   Aurora's laughter came to a stop, nudging Harry's arm with her palm, "Aside from 'wet', how was it?"

   "Nice?"

   Aurora narrowed her eyes, echoing his words, "Nice?"

   "I think so, yeah."

   "You think so?" Aurora had to stop herself from laughing again.

   "It was awkward I suppose."

   "First kiss?"

   "Yeah."

   Aurora pursed her lips, humming quietly before she spoke, "First kisses are always awkward."

   Harry's eyes darted to her, "You've kissed someone?"

   "A few someones."

   Harry's brows furrowed, green eyes darkening. "Who?"

   "None of your business," Aurora grinned, talking in a sing-song sort of voice.

   "You're like my sister! Tell me," Harry grumbled, pouting in her direction.

   "Oh no, don't pull a Ron after he found out Ginny was seeing Micheal Corner. I love you but not enough to tolerate that."

   Harry groaned, "Tell me who your first kiss was then?"

   "You're not going to like it."

   "Tell me."

   "Hand me your wand first." Aurora held her hand out, palm facing upwards. "Come on, we both are 'hex first and ask second' types of people, no shame in it. Wand now, please."

   Chuckling, Harry placed his wand in Aurora's palm, "Alright, who was it?"

   "Theo."

   AURORA moved around the kitchen of her home, preparing Christmas treats for her and her father to take to The Order's Headquarters. The sound of John Lennon played softly in the background as Aurora cracked an egg into the bowl, tossing the shell aside. It was one of her mother's muggle recipes that had become a tradition for the holidays.

   Aurora stirred the contents in the bowl, humming quietly under her breath as she went about baking. She halted her movements when she heard stumbling, "Dad?"

Footsteps came rushing towards the kitchen, her father standing in the doorway, wand in hand, "Rory, love, grab your bag."

"What's going on?"

"Arthur Weasley was attacked. I'm taking you to Headquarters, Ginny is going to need you."

Aurora tore the apron from her body, tossing it aside and grabbing her bag from its spot on the kitchen island. She ran to the floo where her father was waiting, anxiously running his hands through his hair. He ushered her in the floo, waiting for her to go first.

   Aurora tossed the floo powder, "12 Grimmauld Place."

   GINNY threw herself in Aurora's arms when she entered her room at Grimmauld Place, sobbing into her shoulder, "Thank Merlin you're here. Mum's been crying all day because of my git of a brother Percy and dads all messed up after the attack." She pulled away, wiping her nose on the sleeve of her Quidditch jumper, "I'm a mess."

Aurora brushed some of Ginny's hair from her face, trying to think of something to distract Ginny. She knew Ginny well enough to know that Ginny would talk when she wanted to and not under the pressure of a question. "Want your present?"

Ginny perked up at that, "Present?"

Aurora reached into her bag, pulling out two packages, handing them over, "Here."

Sniffling, Ginny took them in her hold, using her free hand to pull Aurora into the room, shutting the door before sitting on the foot of her bed. She grabbed something off the comforter, "Here's yours."

Aurora smiled, taking it in her hands and sitting beside Ginny who had already ripped into the first package, a small laugh coming from her as she realized what it was, "You remembered?"

Aurora grinned at the sight of the Holyhead Harpies jumper that had G. Weasley embroidered on the back, "How could I forget the conversation that started our friendship? Or the fact that your biggest dream is to play for them."

   Ginny pulled the jumper over her head, grinning from ear to ear. "I'm never taking this off."

   "I hope you will wash it," Aurora laughed as Ginny shoved her shoulder.

   "Open yours."

   Aurora ripped the wrapping, eyes widening at the sight of a small gold locket. She lifted it, opening the clasp to reveal a picture.

   It was a magical photo of her and Ginny, standing with their arms over each other's shoulders on the Quidditch pitch, dressed in practice clothes. Dirt was smeared on their cheeks, Aurora's curls whipping around in the wind. Their smiles were wide, Ginny's only growing when Aurora leaned over to plant a kiss on her cheek.

   Aurora ran her finger over the photo, "If I start crying, hex me."

  Ginny leaned her head on Aurora's shoulder, looking at the photo with a smile, "That's my favorite photo of us."

   "Mine too," Aurora bit down on her lip, peering down at the second package in Ginny's lap, "open your second one."

   Once the package was ripped open, Ginny began laughing, holding up a locket similar to Aurora's, only hers was silver. But the same photo was inside, "Merlin, we are creepy sometimes."

   THEO was pacing, pulling the end of his hair as Aurora watched. She leaned her head against the stone wall, "Theo?"

"Malfoy's now part of the Inquisitorial Squad, he's docking points off of everyone he doesn't like, which oh, is everyone."

Aurora bit down on her lip to stop herself from laughing. "So he's being a pompous twat as always, anything new?"

Theo stopped pacing, laughing under his breath, "Leave it to you to joke about this."

"Fred and George have some sort of plan," Aurora shrugged, wrapping her arms over her torso, "I happen to be quite fond of most of their plans."

"That's because you, darling, have a taste for absolute chaos." Theo nudged her with his shoulder, tucking his hands into his pockets with a sigh. "Just, promise me you'll be careful, alright?"

"Promise," Aurora replied, holding out her pinky. Theo eyed her finger and Aurora suddenly understood his cluelessness, "It's a muggle thing. Pinky-promise is the highest regard of promises in the muggle world."

Theo nodded, linking his finger with Aurora's, "Like this?"

"Mhm," Aurora grinned mischievously, "you should probably work on your wording though. You said to be careful, not that I can't do anything."

"No," Theo returned her smile, "I know you well enough to know that you would never promise to not cause trouble so I settled."

"Wise."

   "SO you think it amusing to turn a school corridor into a swamp, do you?"

   Aurora grinned as Fred shot her and Ginny a wink, spotting them in the crowd of students. He turned his attention back to Umbridge, George standing at his side. "Pretty amusing, yeah."

   Filch shoved past Aurora, holding a piece of parchment tightly in his hands. "I've got the form, Headmistress. I've got the form and I've got the whips waiting. Oh, let me do it now,"

   Aurora stiffened, grabbing Ginny's hand in her own, whips?

   "Very good, Argus. You two are about to learn what happens to wrongdoers in my school."

   Fred kept the calm look on his face while he shook his head. "You know what? I don't think we are." He paused while he turned to George. "George, I think we've outgrown full-time education."

   "Yeah, I've been feeling that way myself."

   "Time to test our talents in the real world, d'you reckon?"

   "Definitely. Accio Brooms!" Two brooms flew over to the twins who caught them in their hands, mounting them quickly.

   "We won't be seeing you," Fred smirked at Professor Umbridge while swinging his leg over his broomstick.

   "Yeah, don't bother to keep in touch."

   "If anyone fancies buying a Portable Swamp, as demonstrated upstairs, come to number ninety-three, Diagon Alley Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes," Fred said, grinning down at all of the students. "Our new premises!"

   "Special discounts to Hogwarts students who swear they're going to use our products to get rid of this old bat," George chorused, gesturing to Professor Umbridge.

   "Stop them!" Umbridge shouted, causing the students to giggle.

   Fred and George were already in the air by the time the Inquisitorial Squad had reached where they once stood. "Give her hell from us, Peeves."

   Ginny groaned at Aurora's side, "Mum is going to kill them."

   "One hell of an exit though."

"Rory!"

"What? It was."

   GINNY leaned against Aurora, trying to get her weight off of it. Aurora helped to steady her, using her sleeve to wipe under her nose where blood had trickled down.

   Aurora turned to Harry, "Ginny has a sprain I think."

   Ginny winced, standing up straight, "I'm fine, it's only my ankle."

   Aurora glanced at Ron who was still acting odd, mumbling on, "I didn't see what hit him. Theo's father was the one dueling me so I wasn't watching Ron."

   Harry nodded, pulling Ron up in his arms, "We need to get out of here."

   They moved in the direction of a door, only feet from it when the door across the hall burst open, Bellatrix's shrill voice cutting through the air, "There they are!"

   Harry flung the door open, shoving Ron inside and helping Neville get Hermione in. Ginny, Luna, and Aurora followed, slamming the door shut behind them. Harry held his wand out towards the door, "Colloportus!"

   "It doesn't matter! There are other ways in. We've got them! They're here!"

  Aurora shivered at the sound of Theo's father's voice, eyeing the doors that filled the room, "We need to seal them."

   Luna, Neville, and Harry followed her, blocking off the doorways in quick movements. Aurora paused when Luna's groan was heard, turning around to see her hit a desk, going still as she slumped on the ground beside it.

   The Death Eaters entered through the door Luna previously stood in front of, "Get Potter!"

   Aurora turned on her feet, sending stunning spells in the direction of the Death Eaters, giving Harry time to move around the room, dodging the spells Bellatrix sent at him.

   Theo's father closed in on her, wand in hand, "If it isn't the girl tarnishing my son's name. Crucio!"

   Aurora dodged the curse, sending a leg-binding hex at the man, not bothering to hide her smirk when he fell to the ground, "Your son taught me that one."

   Nott reached out, snaking his arm around her ankle and pulling her down. Aurora winced as her head hit the floor, her hair feeling wet as blood came to the surface. Nott crawled to her, wrapping his hand around her throat, "Poor Theo, losing his pet. Shame we can't keep you for fun, but Dark Lord's orders."

   Aurora twisted in his hold, lifting her knee to hit him in the stomach. Nott groaned, falling to the side slightly, allowing Aurora to shove him off of her completely. She grabbed his hair by the roots, slamming it down on the ground harshly until his eyes fluttered shut and blood coated her skin, "Fuck you."

   Harry's shouting gained her attention, her eyes growing when she noticed Ron's body bound on the ground, Ron trashing against them. Ginny was unconscious on the ground. Aurora shot up, grabbing her wand in her bloodied hands, and ran towards her, checking for a pulse, letting out a sigh when she realized she still had one.

   Glancing around, she noticed Harry leading the Death Eaters from them, "Fuck. You stupid- fuck!" Aurora barely could think, her heart thumping as she shakily stood up, pressing a hand to the back of her head where blood had matted her curls. Neville was still trying to break Ron free, hands shaking as he held Hermione's wand in his hands.

   Neville glanced up, blanching slightly as Aurora swayed on her feet, "I can go after Harry but I need you to get Ron out of the binds."

   Aurora nodded, blinking as Neville ran off in the direction Harry led the Death Eaters. She ranked her brain as Ron screamed, "Fuck."

   No, not that one. No, Harry tried that. Come on, think like Hermione.

   Aurora held her wand out, mumbling any and all spells she knew. She hadn't even recalled which one finally freed Ron because once he was free, she was on her feet, stumbling in the direction Neville and Harry had gone in. She rushed down the steps, noting that several Order members had joined them, fighting off Death Eaters as Harry was trying to pull Neville up the steps.

Aurora shot a spell at Dolohov who was trying to get Harry, hitting him in the chest and sending him flying across the room. Harry caught her eye, still pulling Neville, "Thanks!"

Aurora nodded, jumping down the rest of the steps and steadying herself. She grimaced as blood now coated her neck from the back of her head. She turned in time to see Dolohov advancing once again, sending hexes in his direction and blocking the unforgivable he shot at her.

She grinned when her Stupefy hit him in the chest, causing him to crumble to the ground unconscious. Turning around, she saw Harry drop Neville, running off. She rushed forward to catch Neville, brushing the hair from his face, "Hey Neville, I got you, I got you."

Neville was murmuring against her, barely audible. Aurora leaned down, catching what he was saying as he glanced over her shoulder, "Sirius."

"What?" Aurora looked over her shoulder, her face going white as Harry's scream filled the air, Sirius falling backward into the veil. Lupin had grabbed Harry, holding him as Harry thrashed and screamed, mixing with the sound of Bellatrix's cackling.

Sirius Black was dead.

Aurora slumped against Neville, her vision basing in and out. Losing too much blood. Aurora tried to stay awake, her vision going black at the corners until she finally slumped forward, passing out.

   AURORA groaned, blinking as she attempted to sit up.

   "Love, don't move,"

   "Theo?"

   Aurora's vision cleared, finally able to clearly make out Theo and Ginny standing on either side of her bed. Ginny brushed a tear off of her cheek, throwing herself on Aurora.

   "Careful Red," Theo warned.

   "Bugger off," Ginny mumbled, clutching Aurora in her hands.

   "How is everyone?"

   Ginny sniffled, sitting beside Aurora in the hospital bed, "We're alive. Hermione was hit by some sort of spell Dolohov created, she's taking potions for it. Ron has scarring from whatever he got wrapped up in. They're watching Neville to make sure there are no lasting effects of the Cruciatus. Harry's not doing well after losing Sirius."

  Theo dropped a kiss on Aurora's head, laying a copy of The Prophet in her lap, "Lucius is headed to Azkaban, my father too."

   Aurora glanced up at him, "I'm sorry."

   Theo shook his head with a chuckle, "Don't be. I sure as hell am not. Heard you smashed his head in a bit, thanks for that."

   "He called me your pet," Aurora shrugged, still hugging Ginny who was curled at her side, "it was rather rude."

Theo held a hand to his chest mockingly, "How dare he!"

Aurora winced as she laughed, peering down at the text in her lap, "It's started, hasn't it?"

"What, love?"

"The Second War?"

No one answered her but Aurora already knew the answer.

hi, i'm alive <3

this chapter was originally
8,000+ words but i cut over
half of it and just kept important
chapters. it's unedited so read with
caution x.

copyright © -loonylupins