𝙫𝙤𝙞𝙙. // 𝙜.𝙬𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙡𝙚𝙮

.xi.

Aurora knew that the year was going to be thrilling but she didn't expect it to get worse for the fourth years, one week in to the first term and they were already being laden with a pile of homework that was impossible to complete in one day and she was already beginning to lose sleep over it. It almost seemed like they were supposed to be giving their O.W.Ls before Christmas but that also didn't stop the castle to buzz with excitement every now and then as they wondered who their new guests would be or rather who would get to be Hogwarts' Champion for the tournament. Aurora and Hermione sat in the Gryffindor common room listening to Fred, George, Ron and Harry ramble on and on about how they could all divide the gold between them if one of them was to win.

"C'mon, Aurora, it's not like you wouldn't want to join too" Ron said defensively when Aurora had decided to pop their bubble of hope and amusedly watch them all sport annoyed looks at her.
"Maybe" she shrugged and continued, "but there are bound to be some rules because if they don't then it wouldn't be easy to choose just one from each school"
"When did you become such a buzzkill, Rori?" George asked with a fake disappointed head shake making her push his shoulder playfully.
"I'm being logical, OK" she said placing emphasis on logical earning murmurs of "yeah, right" from the four boys who were now beginning to settle down and dissolved into another hearty conversation about Professor Moody, their new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. But Aurora's mind had drifted off elsewhere, there were two things that had been occupying her thoughts apart from all the homework she was getting and it really surprised her that she even had time to ponder over one of the two things that were keeping her preoccupied, the first being; Sirius. Harry and her had written him a letter before they had even left for the Burrow and Hedwig still wasn't back, it had been worrying both of them ever since and her thoughts led to the worst conclusions and those being if he was caught but it would've been all over the Daily Prophet and it wasn't so it was a relief but only for so long because there could be a hundred other possibilities considering how reckless Sirius was.

The second was rather a boy, a certain boy from Slytherin; Draco Malfoy. Draco Malfoy had been on Aurora's mind for as long as she remembered and she couldn't get the strange encounter they had on the Hogwarts' Express out of her head, it had already been a week but somehow she still found herself replaying the moments all over again and it was no easy thing considering he was in all her classes. Heck, they were in the same house so it was becoming even harder than she had thought and she wanted to tell someone, someone who would listen, someone who wasn't Harry or Hermione or to put it simply, anyone from Gryffindor. There was only person who would actually listen and tell her what to do, and that one person was Daphne Greengrass.

"Aurora, have you been listening?" Ron asked shaking her shoulder making her snap out of her train of thoughts.
"What's wrong? You look preoccupied" Harry asked worriedly making the others look at her concernedly but she merely waved her hand dismissively.
"Just daydreaming, nothing else" she said shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly and watched the others nod then dive into yet another conversation but this time Aurora had joined in to keep her mind from drifting off again.

Aurora sat at the Slytherin table for breakfast, it was rare when that happened because she always sat with Harry for breakfast, lunch and dinner but right now the matter seemed urgent and she was fidgety than normal which didn't go unnoticed by her friend who was sitting next to her filling her plate with food while Aurora refused to touch anything even though she was starving and the grumbling in her stomach was growing.
"Aurora, you'll starve if you don't eat. What's the matter?" Daphne asked now turning sideways to look at her as she took a bite of her sausage making Aurora turn to her as well.
"Daphne, it's just this thing that's been on my mind" she said making rapid hand gestures and glancing at the doorway as though waiting for someone to enter.
"What is it? Tell me" Daphne said comfortingly, placing a hand on Aurora's shoulder who gave her a soft smile.