Darkest Desire

20. Silent Confessions (EDITED)

As Aurora made her way to the terrace, she realized that the outside of the great hall was allowing for couples to sneak out for heated make-out sessions in the bushes. Some teachers were patrolling the gardens, and Aurora just decided to quietly find a place where she could be alone. There was no point running into some disgruntled professor tasked with patrolling the cold night trying to catch horny teenagers, deducting house points and dealing out detentions.

The stone arches were faintly illuminated by the light streaming from the inside of the Great Hall, and Aurora felt calm for the first time in ages as she decided to go for a moonlight walk. The gardens had this air of mystery over them, and as she heard the sounds of hushed whispers and moans of pleasure, she couldn't help but smile. Secret rendezvous in the gardens, lovers meeting under the moonlight, it all seemed so childish to her now. Aurora knew what it was to love and be loved, and all the excitement from having a crush and the nervousness of dating a boy you liked... it had all ebbed away, replaced with the knowledge of relationships and sacrifices of the heart. Her mind was filled with questions, most to which she didn't have the answer, and yet sometimes she wished to go back to when she was still that naive and innocent girl, just to relive all the youthful excitement of being in love for the first time. A first kiss, a first date... it had all ben child's play. Play pretend for when you were wiser and older. Only when that day finally came around for one to realize you were still left with more questions than there were answers...

The sense of peace that settled over her was enough to distract Aurora from her serious train of thought. Looking up she smiled as she was bathed in moonlight, watching in silent fascination as the silvery light reflected of her pale skin. It truly was a beautiful night, not minding the cold.

Then she heard something. It took her a few seconds to place it, but she found it was the sound of voices that drifted through the night that caught her attention. Two male voices could be heard over the rustling of leaves and the whisper of the wind amongst the trees. Approaching cautiously, Aurora tried not to feel like she was doing something wrong. She was just being cautious, right? Making sure not to make any noise, Aurora could have rolled her eyes when she saw who it was. She wasn't in the least bit surprised seeing Snape making rounds through the Rose Gardens, blasting bushes apart and taking points off any students he caught kissing and making-out. What did surprise her, was Igor Karkaroff trailing closely behind. What was he doing there? Weren't the heads of school supposed to be inside the Great Hall, partaking in the festivities of the Yule Ball? There was no need for the Headmaster of Drumstrang to be out in the gardens patrolling the area.

As students scrambled to get away in various stages of undress, Aurora overheard what they were talking about. Karkaroff was complaining that something was becoming more visibly distinct. Aurora was listening closely, but the next bit of the conversation she couldn't catch because two students scurrying away in quite a hurry nearly knocked her over. But she did wonder. What could he possibly be talking about? Paling as the answer came to her, Aurora tried to get closer. She could be wrong, after all. Just because Igor was a bit of a creep and something about his lascivious ways just rubbed her the wrong way, didn't necessarily mean that he was a Death Eater. And even then, being a Death Eater didn't necessarily imply that it was the Dark Mark that was becoming more prominent... right? She was pondering those thoughts when she heard Snape respond that Karkaroff was free to run if he chose to, only further confusing her. The implications of that statement made her reel. Did that mean that Snape was also a Death Eater? Why else would he be arguing with Karkaroff like that? Were the rumours true then? Did Severus truly support the Dark Lord?

Aurora's head was swirling with questions, and she wondered how Albus hadn't thought of telling her this particular bit of crucial information. There was danger involved when Death Eaters were present, no matter if Voldemort had been gone for years. They were evil and cruel, and their presence only brought trouble. Did that mean that Snape wasn't a Death Eater anymore? Had he earned Dumbledore's trust in some way? Had he proven his loyalty and was now just some sort of double-agent? There weren't many options that made any sort of logical sense, and that particular thought seemed more plausible than the many others her mind conjured, and Aurora looked up only to find Igor Karkaroff staring at her, a wild look in his eyes.