CHERRY // marlene mckinnon

-twenty six

Four Slytherin students were currently waiting outside of Dumbledore's office. Aurora, Narcissa, Veronica, and Evan stood anxiously outside of the headmaster's office, waiting for Regulus.

"I swear to Salazar if he gets expelled-- I'll go and rip Avery's head off myself." Veronica muttered, pacing back and forth in front of the door.

"Make that the two of us. Avery always has to stick his nose in everything, if anything, it's his own fault he got punched." Aurora agreed with her friend. She was worried for Regulus too. If he got expelled or if word of what he'd done got to Walburga and Orion, the punishments  would never stop.

"Shit, I just realized, if your parents find out, they won't be too happy to know that their perfect son punched their daughter's fianc-"

"You just realized this?" Aurora said in an obvious tone, interrupting Evan. "And don't call him my 'fiance'. I mean, in a way, he kind of is. But, I don't feel anything towards Avery besides hatred."

"Oh dear, I'm terrified and I'm not even the one in this situation." Narcissa sighed.

At last, the door opened to reveal Regulus Black.

"So? What happened?" Aurora asked her younger brother in worry.

"Well, I just explained everything to Dumbledore, and he honestly didn't even care. I only have a detention with Filch on Friday." Regulus explained.

"Thank Merlin." Aurora sighed in relief. "And thank you. For sticking up for me, even though you didn't really need to."

"Anytime." He said, and they all walked back to the common room.

*****

  For the rest of the week Avery actually left Aurora alone for once. The week had felt quite longer than it actually was, and that was due to their end of the year exams. But, thankfully, that was over and Aurora thought she did pretty good on it in her opinion.

"I can't believe the school year's going to end in only three days." Narcissa said as the three girls chatted in the girls dormitories. "But then again, I'm excited for the summer!"

"Ugh, don't remind me. I don't even want to know what awaits me back at the house." Aurora groaned. Her parents would surely lash out at her for her behavior, and she was honestly terrified. But she had no other choice.

"Hey, it's okay. What's the worse they could do?" Veronica reassured her friend, completely oblivious as to what goes on inside that toxic household.

"Oh I don't know, maybe the Cruciatus." Aurora muttered to herself, not realizing that her friends had heard her. Veronica quickly shot up from laying down on her bed to giving the girl a look. "What?"

"Your parents use the Cruciatus curse on you?" She asked, wondering how a parent can do something that cruel to their own child. Despite being purebloods, the Rosier family were quite different. Sure, they believed in pureblood supremacy and all that nonsense, but they would never disown or use a curse at their own child, just for hanging out with someone who was different than them. They also didn't really mind muggleborns or halfbloods, as long as their family didn't associate themselves with them. But they would never voice these opinions out loud or in front of other purebloods. It was something that stayed within their household.