Heirs of darkness || Theodore Nott

Secrets on the express(5)

Aurora Black had never been one to dwell on the past. As she walked down the corridor of the Hogwarts Express, her footsteps echoing softly against the wooden floor, she kept her head high and her expression carefully neutral. The break-up with Theodore Nott last semester was a distant memory now, filed away in the part of her mind reserved for things that no longer mattered.

Today was a new day, and she had more important things to think about.

Sliding open the door to the compartment, Aurora was greeted by the sight of her friends Pansy Parkinson, Daphne Greengrass, Millicent Bulstrode, Draco Malfoy, Theodore Nott, and Blaise Zabini—all seated comfortably, the air thick with the scent of fresh morning dew and idle conversation. For a brief moment, the room fell silent as all eyes turned to her, but the tension broke as Pansy jumped up to give her a hug.

"Aurora!" Pansy's voice was a mix of excitement and relief. "We were wondering when you'd show up."

Aurora returned the hug with a small smile. "You didn't think I'd miss the train, did you?"

Daphne and Millicent followed suit, giving her quick, welcoming embraces. Draco leaned back in his seat, his cool gaze meeting hers as he gave her a nod. "Black," he said in his usual drawl. "Good to see you."

Aurora nodded back, her heart skipping a beat at the sight of him. They had returned from his vacation just a day before they were to leave for Hogwarts, so this was the first time she had seen Draco since the end of the previous school year. His platinum blond hair was slightly tousled, and his eyes held a gleam of something she couldn't quite place.

Theo, however, remained seated, merely nodding in her direction. Aurora met his gaze briefly, feeling the weight of their shared history press down on her for just a moment. But she didn't let it bother her. Not today.

As she sat down, Pansy leaned in close and sniffed the air around Aurora, wrinkling her nose in mock disdain. "It's not even noon yet and you already smell like alcohol."

Aurora smirked, pulling a small flask from her bag and taking a swig before tucking it back inside. "You know me, Pans. I like to start my day off right."

Pansy rolled her eyes but smiled, shaking her head in amusement. The conversation quickly shifted to lighter topics, and soon they were all reminiscing about their summer vacation in Italy.

"It was absolutely gorgeous," Millicent gushed, her eyes lighting up at the memory. "The beaches, the food, the boys..."

Blaise smirked. "And yet, you didn't bring any of them back with you."

Millicent swatted him playfully. "Please, as if I'd waste my time on those flirts."

While Theo spoke animatedly about a particularly eventful night at a club in Rome, Aurora quietly reached into her bag and pulled out a small, discreet vial. Without drawing too much attention, she tapped a bit of the white powder onto the back of her hand and quickly sniffed it up, letting the familiar rush wash over her. She felt the eyes of her friends on her, but none of them said a word. They all knew better than to question her habits, no matter how much they might want to.

The conversation continued, but there was a slight shift in the atmosphere, an unspoken tension that hung in the air as they all tried to ignore what they'd just seen. It wasn't until Draco spoke that the tension was broken.

"I wonder what Potter will come up with this year," Draco said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Another lie about Voldemort's return, perhaps? You'd think he'd get tired of playing the hero."

Aurora's expression darkened slightly as she turned to him. "And why do you think all of your parents sent us off to a foreign country this summer, Draco? Just for fun?"

Draco raised an eyebrow, intrigued by the sudden shift in her tone. "Do you know something we don't, Aurora?"

Before she could answer, Theo interjected, his voice laced with curiosity and something else something darker. "Yeah, Aurora, where were you this summer?"

Aurora paused, weighing her words carefully before answering. "Germany," she said simply. "I spent most of the summer there. I bought this Muggle thing called a phone. It's quite fascinating, really. I can show you the pictures I took."

Draco's lips curled into a sneer. "Muggles and their toys. Honestly, Aurora, I don't know why you bother with them."

Aurora shrugged, pulling out the sleek, black device and tapping the screen to bring up her photos. "They're more interesting than you'd think, Draco. Besides, it's not about the device; it's about the memories."

She began scrolling through the pictures, showing them glimpses of the various places she'd visited the Brandenburg Gate, the Berlin Wall, and even a quaint little café where she'd spent countless hours watching the world go by.

Then she paused on a particular photo, her finger hovering over the screen. The picture showed Aurora standing next to a young man with dark hair and warm brown eyes. They were dressed for a night out, glasses of champagne raised in a toast as they leaned into each other, their smiles wide and carefree.

Aurora could feel Theo's eyes boring into the image, the jealousy practically radiating off him. She kept her expression neutral, pretending not to notice as she continued scrolling through the photos.

"Looks like you had fun," Pansy said, her tone light but her eyes sharp as she glanced between Aurora and the picture on the screen.

Aurora smiled faintly. "It was... an interesting summer."

They continued looking through the photos, though the tension in the room was palpable. Theo remained silent, his gaze lingering on the image of Aurora and the young man longer than necessary before he finally looked away.

A few hours later, the train began to slow, signaling their arrival at Hogwarts. Aurora put away her phone, the pictures tucked safely back into her bag as she prepared to face another year at the castle.

As the train pulled into the station, Aurora couldn't help but steal a glance at Theo. His expression was unreadable, but she knew him well enough to see the storm brewing behind his eyes. It was going to be an another interesting year, indeed.

But Aurora had always thrived in chaos.