𝐀𝐔𝐑𝐎𝐑𝐀 | 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬

✧ chapter 5 ✧

1976

Aurora ran at the wall between platforms nine and ten, having already said her goodbyes to her parents. Being muggles they weren't confident enough to run headfirst into a brick wall. They'd seen their daughter do it a dozen times but every time it came to it, logic won out and they were convinced they'd just smack into the barrier and look like fools. Aurora didn't mind, she was kind of relieved that she didn't have to face all the looks she was bound to get when she turned up with two hippies in matching overalls and headscarves. She couldn't remember the last time her father had shaved and his beard was now approaching six inches in length and resembled a chimney sweep brush. Sometimes he let her mother plait it for him to get it out of the way which was quite a funny sight. His hair had also gone unkempt for so long that the shoulder length mop had started forming dreadlocks. Thankfully, her mother took a little bit more care regarding her appearance and at least brushed her waist length hair. It wasn't that Aurora was embarrassed by her parents, she just didn't want any of the more uptight wizards and witches judging them based on appearance and not character.

Upon arrival through the barrier, Aurora quickly dusted herself off and moved out of the way of the next people to come through the wall. She was dressed appropriately to blend in with muggle England, wearing a well-worn pair of light wash flared jeans, a fitted yellow and white striped tee shirt and her favourite beet up navy blue high-tops. She carried an obviously handmade purple canvas shoulder bag with intricate zigzag sewing detail in a variety of mismatching colours and tassels on the bottom. This bag held her school robes, train ticket and purse in it along with her 11 inch, vine wood wand complete with a phoenix feather core which had somehow made it to the surface of the bag and was protruding a little.

Aurora stood on her tip toes as she pushed her trolley along Platform 9 ¾. Eventually she saw the unmistakable red hair of Lily and made her way over. Lily was dressed in an emerald green bell sleeved mini dress and brown knee high boots. Her hair was kept out of her face by a matching green headband and Aurora couldn't help but notice just how much the green complimented her friends red hair.

"You should have been a Slytherin," she joked sneaking up behind Lily, "green really is your colour."

"Please," Lily scoffed in response, turning to embrace her friend.

"I will not have you utter such blasphemous words in the presence of my Lilypad! You shall pay for this! Draw your weapon!" James cried theatrically, pulling his wand from his pocket and adopting a fencing stance.

"Where the hell did you come from?" Aurora asked, not even reacting to his ridiculous theatrics.

"Never you mind where I came from, I would be more concerned with where you're going once I have defeated you. Now draw your weapon and prepare to be vanquished!" He continued, flailing his arms about so feverishly that he nearly took out the people shuffling around him on the platform.

Aurora rolled her eyes at Lily, but obliged James anyway and pulled her own wand from her bag, mimicking James' stance.

"En garde!" James shrilled, lunging at Aurora wand first. The ridiculous 'sword' fight went on for roughly five minutes, the two prancing back and forth like absolute prats while flailing their wands about. The duel finally ended when Aurora got the best of James by accidentally knocking his glasses off, poking him in the eye in the process.

"You two idiots do realise that's not how you use a wand?" An unmistakeable voice called out. Sirius emerged from where he had been securing his trunk on the train and pulled James into a headlock, ruffling up his already messy hair. James groaned and Sirius laughed, he knew how much James hated it. Over the holidays, it seemed like Sirius' physical appearance had matured at least, it was yet to be determined if the same could be said for his mental state. There was the hint of a five o'clock shadow on his jaw and his wavy dark hair had grown a couple of inches and now rested just below his shoulders. Once he and James finished wrestling he stood up straight and it became apparent that he had also grown taller. All the remaining baby fat was gone from his face to reveal a striking bone structure which set off his strong brows and intense silvery eyes perfectly. He looked almost aristocratic. He wore faded jeans with rips in the knees, old sneakers and a white ringer tee shirt with a muggle band logo on the front. Of course, Lily and Aurora knew who 'The Who' were, but others on the platform studied the shirt with curiosity. Aurora assumed that the obvious interest in all things muggle related was an act of defiance towards his estranged parents.

"Rory," Sirius nodded and Aurora gave a nod in return, knowing that any further conversing was unlikely. At the beginning of fifth year Sirius returned to school a different person. For the first few weeks he hardly spoke to anyone and the childlike glint was gone from his eyes. He eventually returned to normal, but it was as though a part of him was gone forever.

While James attempted to start a conversation with Lily, Aurora and Sirius stood silently, taking in the platform. A cigarette was tucked behind Sirius' left ear and he carefully plucked it from its resting spot and placed it lazily between his teeth, flicking an old refillable silver lighter on with ease to light it. Aurora didn't realise she was staring until Sirius pulled her from her thoughts by offering her the filter end of the cigarette. Without a word, she smiled and accepted, taking a long drag before handing it back.

The two wordlessly shared the cigarette, each lost in their own thoughts. Aurora was thinking about the year ahead with anticipation. She had always been good at school. Coming from muggle parents meant every day in the wizarding world presented something new. She was determined to take in as much information as possible, soaking it all up like a sponge. She saw the eleven years she spent not knowing of her abilities as time lost that needed to be accounted for.

Contrary to Aurora, Sirius had always known magic. He had also always been gifted at it and therefore didn't really need to try all that hard to achieve great things. He was one of those annoying people who was effortlessly good at everything. So, while Aurora thought about what the future held, Sirius tried to focus on the present. He gazed around him, taking everything in. One thing that kept grabbing his attention was in fact the girl standing opposite him. He couldn't help but notice that, similarly to him, she had grown, now standing at roughly five feet and nine inches. Her straight, honey blonde hair had grown and now fell in a thick curtain to the small of her back. He was sure when she sat down it would pool in her lap. Her naturally olive skin had darkened over the summer and she seemed to have a golden glow radiating off her. Her large, wide set blue eyes seemed to be almost lit up, as if they were torches; the contrast of her dark skin and the light shade of her iris' making them almost impossible to miss. Her thick, dark eyelashes curved up towards her brow bone like crescent moons and there was a new smattering of freckles across her nose that were so subtle you wouldn't notice them if you weren't really focussing.

Sirius was pulled from his thoughts by one of Auroras brows rising on her forehead. He noted that her dark eyebrows were incredibly full and only had a subtle arch to them, obviously natural. He managed a small half smile at the fact that she did not subscribe to everyone else's standards of beauty; all the other girls he had seen were sporting heavily arched and shaped eyebrows.

"Earth to Sirius," James cooed, noticing the trance his best friend was in.

Sirius blinked a couple of times before registering what was going on around him. Aurora was still looking at him with a raised eyebrow but he wasn't embarrassed that he had been caught staring. There was no shame in looking at someone's face.

He glanced down at the cigarette still between his fingers and noticed that he had let it burn down to the filter. He tapped off the accumulated ash before dropping the now useless butt to the ground and stepping on it.

Unbeknownst to Sirius and Aurora, amid their staring contest they had been joined by the remaining sixth year Gryffindor's in their group. Remus and Peter were dressed similarly to the other boys in jeans and tee shirts and had also grown. Even Peter, perpetually the shortest of the four, was now taller than the girls at least bar Aurora, who still had a couple of centimetres on him. He had also lost most of his baby fat too and was no longer chubby cheeked. He was by no means as lean as Remus who was naturally slim, or as muscular as James and Sirius, who had joined his fellow Gryffindor's on the Quidditch team in fourth year as second beater, but he was finally growing into himself and in turn, gaining some self-confidence.

Just like Lily, Mary and Marlene were dressed in the latest fashions of the decade. Mary wore a long sleeved, floaty caftan mini dress with brown suede boots and a floppy brown felt hat, while Marlene wore a more daring pair of tight high waisted denim shorts and a crochet tank top with white sneakers.

James tried to suggest that during the long journey they all sit together, but the idea was shot down before he had even fully completed his sentence by an irate Lily. The other three girls all giggled behind their hands, trying unsuccessfully to hide their amusement from the red head.

After a quick catch up on the platform, the eight boarded the train, going off to find separate compartments.