Golden Dawn

Forgiveness

"She hasn't spoken to me all morning," Aurelia told the boys, sitting at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall as they ate breakfast. "She just got out of bed without a word and then met up with Alice as soon as she got down here."

James looked the most concerned about the news that Aurelia shared. Remus drank some of his coffee, thinking, Sirius waved awkwardly at some girls who passed by and said hi to him, and Peter was playing with his food. 

"Well.. maybe she just doesn't know what to say?" Remus asked, putting his coffee cup down and grabbing his fifth piece of toast. He was always ate a lot the morning after a full moon. "Maybe you should be the one to approach her."

Aurelia looked down the table to catch Lily staring at her, although Lily instantly looked away right after. James saw it too, "We'll do it together, Aurelia."

Aurelia looked over at James and then nodded. They soon found Lily sitting on a blanket at the edge of the Black Lake, a ways down from the castle. Aurelia was the first to approach, James stood behind them as Aurelia sat down next to Lily.

Lily had been crying, and Aurelia knew it was because of them. "Lily.. I'm sorry, truly, we didn't tell you because what they were doing was illegal, Remus was told by Dumbledore to not tell anybody about his condition—"

"Go away, Aurelia," Lily said, interrupting her. She looked at Aurelia, seeing the hurt that both of them caused to each other. Aurelia simply nodded, before she stood up and walked passed James, who refused to leave.

He then took Aurelia's old spot, sitting on his knees next to Lily. "Go away, James, I don't want to talk to you."

James looked at her passionately, and Aurelia only turned around once she noticed James wasn't moving. James then leaned towards her slightly, "There's no point hating someone you love, Lily," he looked at her, knowing he was completely spilling his feelings here, "And I mean really love."

Lily looked affected by his words, but she had nothing to say back. Eventually, James got up and him and Aurelia began to walk back to the castle. "She'll come around," Aurelia said, "I saw it in her eyes when you spoke to her, she can't be mad at us for long, no matter how much she wants to be."

It was summertime, which meant that almost everybody hung out in the courtyards of the castle instead of inside. It didn't take long for Aurelia and James to find their friends in the center of the courtyard, being threatened by Winston and his Slytherin friends.

Aurelia was having a bad day by this point and found herself incapable of restraining the urge she had to punch Winston in the face. Winston saw her walk up, "Oh look who it is, the blood traitor herself—"

Winston fell to the ground when Aurelia punched him, stopping his words. "You stay away from me and my friends, Winston!" Aurelia yelled, now standing in front of Sirius, Peter and Remus. James approached slowly, his lips pressed together as he tried not to laugh. "Or I swear it will be much more humiliating than being punched by a girl next time," Aurelia promised him as Winston scrambled to his feet. Most of the students in the courtyard were laughing at him.

"You- you- you," Winston began, holding his nose.

"Me what?" Aurelia stepped forward angrily, and Winston instantly stepped back, terrified of the girl.

"Ms. Syphon," Mcgonagall called out across the courtyard. "Will you please come with me?"

Everybody let out began to laugh and all say 'ohhh' as she walked up the steps. But Aurelia knew she couldn't have been in trouble, and McGonagall's tone was much more saddening and regretful. 

Aurelia passed by James who gave her a pat on the shoulder before arguments continued between the Marauders and Winston and his friends.

Mcgonagall didn't say anything until they had gotten to Dumbledore's office. It was beginning to scare Aurelia the way everything was so secretive. She didn't know what to expect.

Mcgonagall said the password to the stairs and they were soon brought up to the Headmaster's office, McGonagall knocked on the door and Dumbledore opened it, "Ah, Ms. Syphon, please, come in."

Aurelia walked in, but not before she caught the exchanged glances between him and McGonagall. When she walked in, she came face to face with the Minister of Magic: Harold Minchum. She had met him only once before at an event her parents were invited to, but she was still confused about what had been going on.

Minchum held out his hand to shake Aurelia's, "It's good to see you again, dear."

Aurelia shook his rather awkwardly, "Right, you too."

"You must be wondering why I've brought you here, Aurelia," Dumbledore said, offering her a seat which she shook her head to. He ended up sitting in it himself when she refused.

"A little bit," Aurelia admitted, her fingers began to fiddle with themselves.

"I've asked Minister Minchum to come here to give you news that I didn't want you to find out from the Daily Prophet," Dumbledore said, knowing Aurelia wanted the information straight, not to be dove around. "There's been an attack at the Ministry.. a group of Death Eaters, who have all been caught, attacked the lobby. Eight witches and wizards were murdered in the attack, including your mother and father, I'm sorry to say."

Aurelia's mind didn't know how to react. She wished she had taken the seat now, and Dumbledore knew it, standing up and letting her sit down in his place. Minchum bent down in front of her, "Your mother was very brave, and saved many witches and wizards in the attack."

Aurelia didn't know what to say, either. Her mind and body were frozen, and she could feel her head getting fuzzy and starting to spin. Aurelia tried to distract herself with asking them questions, "Where will I go?"

"Well.." Minchum looked up at Dumbledore and then back to the girl who sat hopelessly in her chair. "You turn seventeen by the end of the school year.. you're on your own, I'm afraid to say."

Aurelia nodded, trying to process the information. She was completely alone now, the only family she had had vanished into thin air without a second thought. Aurelia did the only thing she thought she could do, she instantly stood up and walked out of the room after mumbling a small 'thank you', despite Dumbledore's calls out to her. 

She passed by McGonagall on the wait out, not saying a word to her as she also tried to stop her. She went into the stairs and waited as they transported her down to the floor. Tears began to stream from her eyes as her foot tapped on the ground, she was getting impatient, she needed air.

As soon as the stairs finished, she ran out onto the floor, passing by any students that stood in her way. "Aurelia?" Lily asked, standing in the hallway with Alice. Aurelia ignored her, running out of the main doors and into the courtyard where she was faced with all the eyes of the students.

James and Sirius instantly noticed something was wrong as they first got a look at her. As soon as Winston began to make fun of her, James shoved him, letting him know this wasn't a time to joke, even for a bully.

Aurelia quickly turned and ran out of the courtyard, trying to wipe off her tears, turning into her animagus form as she got out. But everybody saw it, and many exclamations of awe and shock rang throughout the courtyard. 

Aurelia enjoyed being in wolf form, she tried to focus on her environment, the dirt underneath her paws and the wind in her face. She ran full speed down the hill and into the forest next to Hagrid's, despite Sirius, James, Remus and Peter who attempted to run after her in human form, though they couldn't keep up. She disappeared from sight in an instant.

"What the bloody hell was that about?" James asked as the four of them stood on the steps down to Hagrid's.

Eventually Lily caught up with them, standing next to him, "Does anybody know why she's so upset?"

Sirius and Remus exchanged glances before saying "McGonagall" at the same time. Lily was almost left in the dust as the four boys ran back up the hill to go question McGonagall to see what Aurelia had learned.