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Aurora was twelve years old and considered herself to be a mature, responsible and independent young lady, so if anyone had asked, she would have denied clinging onto her father's hand... But she was.
Aurora, her parents, and her little sister were shopping for school supplies in Diagon Alley. While her mother was going to buy robes for Luna's first year in school, her father had taken her to get special gift for her mother. At least, that's what he'd told her.
Aurora was petrified. So yes, she was gripping her dad's hand tightly and sticking close to his side. She felt like a baby but it was hard to care when she was walking through Knockturn Alley, enduring the threatening stares from the dodgy people about.
"I should have left you with your mother," her father said almost to himself. Aurora agreed with him, she would much rather be shopping for robes with her little sister. The only reason she wasn't was because she knew Luna wanted time with their mother alone. It was a big day for Luna, shopping for her first year at Hogwarts.
The pair walked down a dingy alleyway that seemed to be made up entirely of shops devoted to the Dark Arts. Aurora passed one with a large hanging sign. The shop was called Borgin and Burkes and it looked like the largest.
Opposite Borgin and Burkes was a nasty window display of shrunken heads and, two doors down, a large cage was alive with gigantic black spiders. Two shabby-looking wizards were watching Aurora from the shadow of a doorway, muttering to each other.
Feeling jumpy, Aurora leaned further into her father. He released her hand and took to placing an arm around her and holding her closer. Her father was a terrifying man when he wanted to be, Aurora had seen it. But she was old enough to know that he was currently showing serious vulnerability by outwardly protecting his daughter.
"I have just the thing for your little girl, sir. A necklace to protect her pretty neck?" An old wizard said from the side of the street. He had a sagged face and very little teeth.
Regulus gave the man a piercing glare and swept Aurora away quickly. Aurora fiddled with the signet ring on her finger. It bore the symbol of a sun. Aurora loved it.
"Come on, mon ange, I need to take a trip in here," Regulus murmured, guiding Aurora towards one of the small shops. Aurora saw no sign and the windows were too dirty to see through.
Regulus pulled something small out of his pocket. Aurora thought she saw a black stone and a glint of something gold.
"What's that?" Aurora asked him.
Regulus closed his fist tight around the object. "Thankfully, nothing that concerns you," he said cryptically.
Regulus pushed open the dingy wooden door of the small shop. Aurora wouldn't have even noticed it was there if her father hadn't drawn her attention to it.
