𝐀𝐔𝐑𝐎𝐑𝐀 | 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬

✧ chapter 20 ✧

1976

"So, Rory, you've been spending a lot of time with Sirius." Lily stated that night after dinner as the two sat in the common room finishing off the last of their homework.

"Yeah, so?" Aurora responded, not looking up from her charms essay.

"Anything you want to tell me?" Lily probed, putting her quill down, an obvious sign that she was done with her homework for the night and instead intended on pestering her best friend for all the details on her new situation.

"Oh, don't you start!" Aurora groaned, putting her own quill down now and throwing her head back. It was apparent that she would be getting no more work done this evening.

"I'm not starting anything. It's just people are talking..." She trailed off, now avoiding eye contact as Aurora's eyes snapped wide open.

"What have people been saying?!" Aurora almost yelled, all composure gone from her features.

"Just that you've been seen sneaking around after hours with one notorious ladies man and then this morning the two of you were seen tumbling down the stairs to the girl's dormitories, you half-dressed and both looking very flustered. It doesn't look good Rorz."

"It's not what anyone thinks Lils, please say you believe me?"

"I don't know what I believe yet because you haven't told me anything."

"That's because there is nothing to tell. Sirius and I have met up in the astronomy tower twice to smoke and then this morning he brought me breakfast because I was running late. That's it. We're just mates."

"I knew there would be a simple explanation so there you go. Try telling that to the rest of the school though. I think Sirius' fans are planning a lynch mob." At this the two girls began laughing, garnering unwanted attention from others in the common room.

"On a more serious note though, pardon the pun, I think you should talk to Marlene. You know how she gets. And I've been noticing more and more hostile behaviour from her towards you." Lily mused, the jovial tone from before now gone from her voice.

"She's really hurting, Lils. This whole on again off again with Sirius is starting to affect her more than ever. During one of my talks with Sirius in the astronomy tower I actually mentioned it and he was completely oblivious to how she felt about him."

"You told him?! If Marlene finds out she'll kill you!" Lily hissed, her eyes widening.

"Shhhhh! Keep your voice down! Someone could hear you. I know she'll kill me but I was trying to help. After I told Sirius though he wanted to end things for good because he didn't want to lead her on but I convinced him to really think about how he feels about her. I'm trying to help her and she thinks I'm awful." Aurora deflated, the gravity of her situation finally sinking in. After all, she was just trying to help her friend out but all that seemed to be happening was Marlene was pushing Aurora further and further away.

"But what about you? Do you feel anything for Sirius?" Lily asked, her brow knit with concern.

"I-" Aurora cut herself off. She hadn't even thought about it. They had been spending more time together but she'd never considered it to be anything more than platonic. Did she want it to be more? Did he want it to be more? What if he wanted more with her but she didn't and it ruined their friendship and her friendship with Marlene? "No! Of course not!" Aurora finally answered, deciding to push the absurd thought from her mind. It hadn't occurred to her before Lily mentioned it so obviously, they were just friends and there was no use stressing out over hypotheticals.

"You hesitated. Are you sure?" Lily pried further.

"Yes, I'm sure, stop planting seeds of doubt in my mind garden you evil farmer of uncertainty and misgiving." Aurora exclaimed, folding her arms across her chest like an indignant child.

"Evil farmer of uncertainty and misgiving? Mind garden?" Lily raised an eyebrow, a small smirk tugging at her lips.

"Shut up." Aurora replied, biting back her own laughter.

✧✧✧ 

"I think you should take Marlene to the All Hallows Eve ball." Aurora blurted out, breaking the comfortable silence she and Sirius had been in for the past five minutes while they smoked.

"Excuse me?" Sirius sat up from where he had been lying next to Aurora, a look of utter confusion spreading across his face.

"I just think it would be nice, you know? Who else are you going to take anyway? I've seen several girls practically hurl themselves at you in an attempt to secure you as date for the ball and you haven't so much as blinked at any of them." Aurora mused, sitting up as well to rest on her elbows. She tried her best to remain nonchalant but her need to ramble was slowly building as she grew more flustered.

"The boys and I, minus Peter of course, were just going to go dateless. These balls are all frivolous and stupid anyway. They remind me far too much of pureblood society gatherings which I want nothing to do with. It's just a bunch of people spending way too much money on one night trying to impress people, half of whom they don't even know and the other half they don't even care about." Sirius responded, reclining so he was now also lying back on his elbows.

"While I agree they're frivolous and expensive and over the top, they can be fun too. Not to mention someone always spikes the punch and everyone gets drunk." Aurora added, putting out her cigarette and lighting another.

"Well yes, there is that. But I'd much rather hang out with my friends and deliver scathing commentary on our peers than have to babysit a date all night."

"But Marley is one of your friends. It's a win-win situation really."

"Why are you pushing this so hard?"

"No reason..."

"Rory,"

"No reason..."

"Rory,"

"Fine, Marlene has been really hostile towards me lately because she thinks something is happening between us despite me saying otherwise constantly so if you took her to the ball she might lay off for a bit." Aurora spoke quickly, stringing her sentences together into one long, jumbled mess. She felt better after finally saying it all out loud however, and let out and audible sigh of relief.

"Wait, back up. Marlene is being hostile towards you, one of her best friends, out of jealousy over me?" Sirius asked, trying to piece together Aurora's hurried ramblings.

"Is that so hard to believe? I love Marlene but she's not exactly low maintenance." Aurora replied, taking a long drag of her cigarette.

"Well, you're not wrong there." Sirius mused, tapping off some of the ash that had accumulated on his cigarette.

"So, will you take her?" Aurora asked hopefully.

"Still a no." Sirius snubbed her, laughing when her hopeful expression morphed into one of disappointed annoyance.

"Why not?" Aurora whined, pouting like a child.

"I just want to have a good time with my mates. And if everything falls into place in time, I will be preoccupied with bigger things." Sirius stated ominously, illustrating his point with comical hand gestures and spirit fingers.

"Ugh you're so annoyingly vague."