Obliviate {Book 1--EDITING}

2. The truth hurts ^

I felt as if I was in a dream. The man in my chair looked like Gandalf, with snow white hair and a thick beard. He was dressed in a plum coloured suit, half-moon glasses resting on his crooked nose, eyes twinkling as they saw me.

"You must be Aurora," He addressed me with a smile.

The smile reassured me he wasn't going to hurt me, so I gave him a wry smile as I hovered in the doorway. "Yes, and you're in my seat. Seen as you know who I am, who are you?"

"Aurora, that's rude." Dad snapped. I raised an eyebrow. He never called me Aurora unless he was really mad. What had I done?

"It is quite alright Mark," The man continued. "Aurora asked me a question. I, my dear, am Professor Albus Dumbledore. Please, take a seat."

Blinking a few times I sat on Hollie's usual seat, noting that the letter from this morning was spread across the table. Of course, I couldn't read it, which was quite frustrating.

But Professors were from posh schools or universities. And I knew I wasn't smart enough to get into University at thirteen, so what sort of school was he from? A felt a stab of ice in my heart, as I thought of the possibility I was being transferred to another school.

"Are you guys sending me away?" I asked my parents, but they fell silent, confirming what I thought. "I can't leave Kayley, my friends, my life! I haven't bunked off in months, expect from-"

I curse myself for blurting out the truth when I'm angry, and I hope my parents don't twig on. But of course, my dad asks, "Apart from when, Aurora?"

"Oh, I do like knitting patterns." Mr Dumbledore muttered to himself, picking up one of mum's magazines, ignoring us. I already liked him, for ignoring our family crisis. Many people would just look on awkwardly, or twiddle their thumbs.

"Nothing, nope, I haven't, slip of the tongue." I lied.

"Aurora." Dad said sternly.

"Alright, fine, I did today! Are you happy now?" I blurted out.

"You promised Aurora, you promised you wouldn't bunk off again! I want my daughter to get a good education!" Mum said suddenly, her voice breaking at the end of her sentence.

"Are you serious, mum? I want to get a great education! But I can't do that when Adeline Fitzgerald vandalises my glasses and makes me burn myself-" I showed them my hand, which is still faintly read, "And she led me to....

"To do what? Aurora, we won't be mad, just tell us." Mum said, her voice soft.

"I don't know why or how, but.... Her hair caught on fire. And it looked like, like the fire came from my hands... So I ran away..."

"Exactly as I thought, it all makes sense." Dumbledore said quietly, breaking the silence. "Aurora, did you receive an odd looking letter today?"

"Yeah," I sniffed, wiping tears away with the back of my hand. "What does that matter now? Is it an application for a mental asylum?"

"Has anything happened like this before?" Dumbledore asked, almost urgently.

"No, I don't think so..." I trailed off. "Well I mean I heal really quickly when I think about it, and recently I've had dreams about green light and boys with green eyes like mine..."

This sets Mum off, and she cries harder.

"As I thought," Dumbledore muttered to himself. "Well, Aurora, I am the head teacher at a school, a school for special people, like you."

"I'm not special." I scoff. "Nothing happens to me, ever, I'm just boring, angry Aurora Oswin!"

My voice gets increasingly louder and the last word triggers that burning anger inside me again, and a crack is heard as the coffee table is covered in jagged cracks.