Aurora Black, the daughter of the infamous Sirius Black, has always lived in the shadow of her family's dark legacy. Raised by her strict grandmother, Walburga Black, Aurora struggles to carve out her own identity at Hogwarts. With her sharp wit, fi...
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Aurora had spent most of the day in her room, trying to collect her thoughts, but all she could do was wait.
It felt like she had been waiting forever, the clock ticking away the seconds with a slow, agonizing rhythm. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong, that a shoe was about to drop.
Just as the shadows began to lengthen outside her window, Pansy burst into the room, her face pale and her eyes wide with urgency.
"Aurora, Dumbledore's calling for you," she said breathlessly.
Aurora's heart skipped a beat, panic washing over her like cold water. She nodded, trying to steady her trembling hands as she rose from her bed. The walk to Dumbledore's office felt like it took an eternity, each step heavy with dread. The closer she got, the tighter the knot in her stomach became.
When she finally reached the door, she hesitated, her hand hovering over the handle. She didn't want to go in, didn't want to hear what Dumbledore had to say. But she knew she had no choice. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and stepped inside.
Dumbledore was seated behind his desk, his expression somber, eyes reflecting a deep, unspoken sorrow. He gestured for her to sit, his voice gentle but firm. "Miss Black, please, take a seat."
Aurora sat down, her heart racing. She could barely focus, her thoughts darting from one fear to another. But when Dumbledore began to speak, all those thoughts came to a screeching halt.
"Aurora, I'm afraid I have some terrible news. Your father... he was killed by Bellatrix Lestrange."
The words hit her like a physical blow. Aurora's breath caught in her throat, and she felt the room start to spin around her. Dumbledore's voice continued, but it was like hearing someone speak from underwater muffled, distant, and incomprehensible.
He mentioned something about Umbridge, about how he had taken the matter into his own hands, but Aurora didn't hear any of it. The only thing she could focus on was the one fact that had shattered her world: her father was dead.
And just as she and Sirius had started to get along, just as she had begun to feel like she had a family again, it was all ripped away from her. The pain was overwhelming, a deep, searing agony that tore at her heart.
Dumbledore's voice brought her back to the present, but she realized she hadn't heard a word of what he said after the initial blow. She nodded mechanically, standing up on shaky legs. "Thank you, Professor," she whispered, though she wasn't sure what she was thanking him for. Maybe it was for his kindness, or maybe it was for letting her leave his office before she completely broke down.
As she turned to leave, she noticed Harry standing just outside the door, his expression a mixture of guilt and sadness. He opened his mouth, about to say something perhaps an apology, perhaps an offer of comfort but Aurora held up her hand to stop him.
"Don't," she said quietly, her voice flat. "Just... don't."
Harry's mouth closed, and he watched helplessly as Aurora walked past him, her head held high, her posture rigid. It took every ounce of strength she had to maintain her composure until she reached her room.
Once inside, she closed the door softly behind her, leaning against it as if it were the only thing keeping her upright. The room was silent, save for the ticking of the clock and the sound of her own ragged breathing. She stood there for a moment, the weight of everything pressing down on her, until finally, she couldn't hold it in any longer.
Aurora crumpled to the floor, her body shaking with sobs that she could no longer contain. She cried for her father, for the lost chance at having a real family, for the years of anger and resentment that now seemed so pointless. The grief was overwhelming, consuming her entirely. All she could do was let it out, her tears soaking into the carpet as she clutched the necklace Sirius had given her.
Time seemed to lose all meaning as Aurora cried, her pain pouring out in waves. She didn't know how long she stayed like that, but eventually, the sobs began to subside, leaving her feeling drained and hollow.
She knew she couldn't stay like this forever. The end of term was approaching, and soon it would be time to go back home. She thought of Malfoy Manor, of what and who would be waiting for her and Draco there. The thought filled her with dread, but she pushed it down, forcing herself to focus on the immediate task of getting through the next few days.
The next morning, as she prepared to leave, her friends could sense something was wrong. Blaise, ever perceptive, was the first to ask, "Aurora, are you okay? You've been so quiet..."
Aurora felt a surge of anger bubble up inside her, irrational and uncontrollable. "What do you think, Zabini?" she snapped, her voice laced with venom. "Do I look okay to you?"
Blaise recoiled slightly, clearly taken aback by her harsh tone. Pansy and Daphne exchanged worried glances, and Theo took a step closer to her, his expression softening.
"Aurora, we're just worried about you," he said gently. "You can talk to us."
But Aurora shook her head, unable to face them. "I don't want to talk. I just... I need to get out of here."
The tension in the room was thick, but none of her friends pressed her further. They could see that she was on the edge, and they didn't want to push her over it.
The journey back to Malfoy Manor was a blur. Aurora barely registered the passing scenery, her mind occupied with thoughts of the nightmare she knew awaited her. She didn't know how she was going to face Draco, how she was going to pretend everything was fine when her world had been shattered. But she knew she had no choice. She had to be strong, had to keep going, no matter how much it hurt.
And so, with her heart heavy and her spirit fractured, Aurora prepared to step back into the life she had always known only now, it felt like a prison, one she wasn't sure she could escape.
