𝐀𝐔𝐑𝐎𝐑𝐀 | 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬

✧ chapter 32 ✧

1976

After the weirdness outside the diner Aurora and Sirius decided to split up for a bit. Neither of them could quite figure out what it had meant but the awkwardness that followed grew unbearable.

Sirius headed towards one of the various Ministry entrances littered throughout London to get his apparition licence while Aurora went to look for a present for her Secret Santa.

As it happened, Aurora chose Sirius from the hat, which made life difficult and easy at the same time. While with Sirius she couldn't buy anything for him without giving it all away, but shopping with him had given her an idea of what to buy for him.

While browsing one of the many stores they entered together,  Aurora had seen the perfect gift. It was a black, leather bound journal with the words 'Bucket List' stamped on the front in gold leaf. Aurora knew that Sirius had always had bigger dreams than what his parents laid out for him. He didn't want their life, and sometimes it got hard. He would lose sight of who he was or feel lost, being only fifteen when he moved out of his family home. Aurora decided the journal would be a perfect way to remind him of what he wanted to get out of life when he feels dejected. She purchased the journal, along with an expensive fountain pen which came in a fancy tortoise shell enamel box. Aurora then took the pen and got it engraved with his full name; Sirius Orion Black.

Once she was done, Aurora headed to the nearest Ministry entrance to find Sirius.

"How'd it go?" Aurora asked when she spotted Sirius waiting for her.

"Excellent, but who is surprised?" Sirius joked, nudging Aurora with his elbow as they headed towards the exit.

"How exciting, a licenced apparator." Aurora stated, pretending to swoon.

The awkward encounter from before was all but forgotten, and Aurora couldn't help but think how easy it was to be with Sirius. He just felt natural to her. Aurora was never false with anyone, people could take her as she was or leave her, but with Sirius she felt that she could truly be herself.

Unlike Aurora, Sirius was false with almost everyone. The only people who even came close to cracking his hardened exterior were the Marauders, but even James, his closest and most trusted friend, his brother, couldn't claim that he knew everything there was to know about the enigma that was Sirius Black. When he was with Aurora however, everything else melted away. As a muggleborn, she had no prior knowledge of the prejudice of the rest of his family. She knew very little of his family and his past as she didn't feel the need to pry. All that mattered to her was the person Sirius was becoming, not who his parents were or who he used to be. Being with Aurora didn't feel forced, which was why Sirius gravitated towards her even though he knew he shouldn't.

The ride to Manchester from London felt even shorter than the ride there, despite the bike being weighed down by Aurora and Sirius's shopping. Aurora had decided that she loved Lois and yelled at Sirius to go faster at every opportunity that presented itself. During the last couple of miles of their journey Aurora even suggested that they lower themselves back onto the road, however she expected Sirius to maintain the same speed as he had in the air. Without the added winds that came with altitude and the fact that the bike handled better on land the two sped up ever more. Sirius and Aurora's eyes watered and their hair shot out behind them as they rocketed down the empty country roads. Sirius felt as if the skin on his face may melt off if they went any faster, but he never slowed down. He would never admit it out loud, especially not in the vicinity of Marlene or Remus, but a little discomfort was worth it if it meant he got to hear Aurora squealing with laughter behind him as they hurtled through the countryside at Earth shattering speeds.

✧✧✧

Once Sirius dropped Aurora back off at her house, he took off again, heading home to the Potters house in Leicester.

"How was your day?" David asked when Aurora let herself in the front door.

"It was alright." Aurora replied, looking between her mother and father who both seemed a little flushed.

"Ah, wonderful." Linda replied, picking up an obviously empty glass and trying to drink from it.

"The two of you wouldn't happen to have been spying on us, would you?" Aurora asked, narrowing her eyes as she pieced things together. The flustered appearances, failed attempts at acting natural and slight upward inflection from both parents which was a dead giveaway of suspicious behaviour.

"Of course, not!" Linda replied in a voice that completely betrayed her.

"Sirius and I are just friends so I hope you got an eyeful of me hopping off the back of his bike and him not kissing me goodbye before leaving." Aurora rolled her eyes, heading upstairs to wrap the presents she had bought.

"I do worry that if she keeps rolling her eyes she's going to lose them inside that skull of hers." Linda commented to David.

"I heard that." Aurora shouted down from her bedroom.

"You were meant to, sweetheart." Linda shouted back, making David laugh.

✧✧✧

The next morning the Faulkner's awoke early to exchange gifts. While in London, Aurora had bought her mother some muggle books on growing and cooking your own food as well as some new bed linen from 100% recycled materials and some organic tea. For her father, she had purchased a new Simon and Garfunkel vinyl album and a miniature brush for his beard. This was more of a novelty gift; however Aurora did not doubt for one moment that David would actually use it. His beard was growing more out of control with each passing day. Linda had made Aurora a large, patchwork quilt decorated with bits and pieces from Aurora's life. There was a square emblazoned with the Faulkner family crest as well as a square for the MacEwen clan crest (Linda's heritage being Scottish, her Grandfather being from the MacEwen clan moved to Manchester from Lennox), and a square dedicated to the Hogwarts and Gryffindor crests. The underside of the quilt was lined with the MacEwen clan tartan and there was also a square with a wild rabbit for Aurora's patronus, a patch embroidered with a phoenix for her wand core and a patch with a rowan tree for her wand wood. Every square on the quilt represented a different aspect of Aurora's life. The quilt had quite literally sewn together the muggle and wizarding worlds, combining everything that made Aurora who she was. David complained that he should have gone first as Linda's present was a tough act to follow, but Aurora appreciated the books and records her father had picked out for her just as much as the quilt her mother had made.