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Game season had neared, and it's been two weeks since the death of Maverick Alison, Aurora refused to attend the funeral and instead stayed in within the walls of Hogwarts and spent time with the Marauders, right now. They laid beside the Black Lake, Sirius sprawled out ideas of what the lake could have in its heart.
"A giant squid! Enormous one you see — what if it shits ink that's why they say the Slytherin dungeons are always dark?" He concluded, making hand gestures, while James had his nose stuck on a parchment, holding a quill, "Whatcha writing there, James?" asked Aurora, beside her was Peter, who was putting together flowers and making a crown out of it.
"Sometimes, I forget his name is James," Peter blurted out, which got a few nods from Sirius, then an idea sparked, "We should get you a Marauders nickname, Rory!" Sirius gasped, his eyes twinkling. Aurora never really thought of herself being a Marauder — she never wanted to be one. Because the Marauders was a brotherhood, she didn't want to be part of it. She wanted to be family.
Aurora shrugged, "What then? I'm no animagi," she told them, her eyes still watching the parchment as James scribbled words, when her eyes landed on the word, 'bloom' She already knew that James was writing yet another poem about Lily Evans.
"Ease down, bambi. May I remind you that withered is spelled with an h not without it," Aurora took the parchment from James' hold, "Who's Bambi?" Sirius asked, earning a snort from Remus. They sure have not watched Bambi, it was an American animated movie — a muggle one. Remus had probably watched it already, on Christmas break. If ever all of them would come home, Aurora would surely drag them to a Muggle cinema to watch it.
When Peter finished the flower crown, he put it on Aurora's head, playing with the girl's hair. Something the girl noticed about Peter was that the boy sure liked making her pretty, a few days ago, they were playing dress up, but only that Aurora was the model.
Aurora was basically walking around their dorm with series of outfits that the boys made her wear, she admitted it, out of all, Peter would make such a fashion designer. The group was supposed to be at the Quidditch Ring. Sirius and James should be practicing while the other three watched, but instead they were laying on the grass. Skipping classes like they can't fail.
Some professors were extremely disappointed when Aurora started hanging around with the Marauders, she missed a couple of classes, mostly because she knew she wouldn't be able to stay focused, every time she tried to think of school, it reminds her that she's doing it for her parents, which are both gone. Though Aurora wouldn't admit it, she was grateful to have stumbled to the group of boys that night.
"I'm gonna ask my Lily flower out to Hogsmeade, Before the match!" Out of the blue, James exclaimed, his hand raised up. "Prongs, not to disencourage you and all but — Lily is probably just gonna reject you again, and then we'll be drinking Butterbeer with you crying on our scarfs." Remus rolled his eyes, saying the statement with the 'as-a-matter-of-fact' voice.
Sirius came to rescue, "Maybe your poem will change her mind, Prongs!" he cheered on, Aurora thinks he's just giving his friend false hope, but sometimes false hope is better than the harsh slap of reality.
"What's your favorite animal, Rory?" asked Peter, now the boy was braiding her golden hair, Aurora thought for a second before saying, "Birds, I quite like them. They have eyes y'know. They see things but never talks — They do chirp, but honestly. Does anyone actually know what they say?" Birds does her personality justice. She liked to think she was a bird. A flightless one.
Remus then shared a look with his friends, a raised eyebrow, "Quila is a good one." He spoke his thought, "Good one for what?" The girl asked in curiosity, "Personally, I quite like Auravis and no, not Birdie," Sirius warned when he spoke, looking directly at Peter who finished braiding her hair, the boy pouted.
"What's an Auravis?"
What were they even talking about? Aurora had absolutely no clue. Then she caught on that they were talking about birds, "If the next word that comes out of your mouth relates to a bird, I will hex you until your body rejects oxygen." The girl simply said, twirling a few strands that fell from Peter's braid.
Then it went silent. Dead silent.
"Now what were you talking about?" She asked. "Your Marauders name?" Sirius responded in a 'duh' voice. Aurora looked up, finally. Remus even thought the girl would not like that they are dragging her into their group, It took a minute before Aurora smiled, "I don't need a Marauders name boys."
"Why not?" asked Remus.
The girl nodded, "Well, you know. Marauders are you all four. Brothers. I'd rather us be remembered as a family." She smiled, scribbling a few corrected words on the parchment before handing them to James, who looked at her like she was a fallen angel.
"SAINT RORY! I HAVE BEEN SAVED! REBIRTH! I AM-" James' voice became muffled when Aurora tackled him to the ground, her hands on his mouth. There they to again screaming their lungs out with her name in their mouths. Oh how she hated it, But they were friends now — a pact.
When the girl got up to sit properly, Peter comfortably went to lay his head on her lap. The girl smiled down, her hands going to his hair as she soothingly brushed it, "D'you think we'll still be friends? If we were to get out there?" Out of curiosity, Aurora asked.
Well now, she was an orphan with a standing house that she needs to pay for — she has to work so she could earn muggle money. Feed herself. Peter was a half-blood who too wasn't lucky with muggle money. As the same as Remus. Sirius had thought of working for himself and getting a flat of his own with the money his uncle Alphard left him. Then James, will, and always will be, writing poems about Lily Evans.
"Why'd you ask that, Rory? 'Course we'll still be friends! We're family! Inside and outside Hogwarts," exclaimed James — sometimes when Aurora thinks of the future, she could see James holding an infant who looks like him when he was a baby, but eyes hooded like Lily's, Perhaps it was James' hopelessness that had gotten into her. But Aurora really wished James would end up with Lily.
Remus moved, standing to sit next to Aurora who was brushing Peter's hair. The blonde boy seemed to be half asleep while laying on the grass. Until suddenly, Sirius laid next to her lap, taking her hand and putting it above his hair as if ordering her to do the same to him. Aurora rolled her eyes when James followed suit. Parchment clutched in his hands, his curly hair being brushed down by Sirius.
It was true. They were a family.
The scarred boy laid his head on the girl's shoulder as his eyelids started closing. The boys laid around Aurora, they bodies basically piled up on each other except for Remus. She's got to admit. They were quite heavy, but again — Aurora did not know how to complain.
