𝐀𝐔𝐑𝐎𝐑𝐀 𝐁𝐎𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐒 | h. granger

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

That night after showering and eating, she lay in a bed with Hermione, talking most of the night away. Both of them were recovering from the Cruciatus curse, holding onto each other to lessen the tremble in their limbs.

"Aurora, what happened in those dungeons?" Hermione had asked as they lay with their arms wrapped around each other. Aurora felt the familiar sting of tears at the back of her eyes at the question. She shrugged as the tears began to fall.

"Oh, Rory. Are you okay?" Hermione whispered, brushing away her tears. "Come here." Hermione said, pulling her even closer and kissing her cheek. As she pulled away she noticed the small purple markings on her neck left there by Dolohov. She began to piece things together all the while trying not to let Aurora know how horrified she was.

"He-he was going to rape me." Hermione drew in a sharp breath at her words, a sinking feeling in her chest. She pulled Aurora impossibly closer, stroking her hair and letting Aurora hold her tightly. "He was taking of his robes when you and the boys came." Hermione didn't know what to say. She hadn't imagined it had gotten so bad and her heart broke for her. 

"You've been so strong, Rory. So incredibly strong. Whatever happened there is in the past now and you will never have to experience it again, okay? Never. Think of the good things the future holds. Imagine our house. We definitely must have a green kitchen, don't you think?" Hermione whispered, trying to distract Aurora from what had happened. "- and our living room has to have one of those big rugs, so that you can sit on the floor without having to sit on the wood panels because I know how much you enjoy lying on the floor." Aurora couldn't help but smile through her tears at that. Hermione moved away slightly and smiled at her while looking into her eyes. She gave her a quick peck on the lips before moving her hand back to where it had been stroking her hair and continued to whisper soothingly.

"We certainly need a bathtub, because I've been dying to try this muggle thing called a bath bomb. They supposedly make the water all sorts of colours." Hermione said softly, hand stroking trough her hair slowly. "A bay window also sounds nice, because I need somewhere to read, and we need a little art nook for you as well-" As Hermione went on about their future home Aurora began to calm down and the tears stopped flowing. She lent up kissed Hermione's cheek, catching her attention.

"Thank you 'Mione." She whispered.

"Anything for you, my love." Hermione whispered back.

Later that night after a long silence Aurora couldn't help but ask something that had been nagging at her ever since she had seen the awful word carved into Hermione's arm.

"Who did this to you?" Aurora had whispered in the dark, holding over the foul scar on Hermione's forearm. "Bellatrix." Hermione had whispered back, looking saddened at the thought of what had occurred just a few hours prior. 

"Who did this to you?" Hermione then asked, placing a warm hand on Auroras stomach and chest. "Dolohov." she answered. That night they individually plotted the death of Bellatrix Lestrange and Antonin Dolohov.

 When morning came they had barely slept, but it was worth it because it had been so long since they had last seen each other. After a quick breakfast and a list of her injuries made by Bill, which she was to give to her father or Madam Pomfrey so they could properly heal her, Hermione and herself set of to the apparation point. They walked in silence for most of the way, Hermione helping Aurora walk with her bad leg.

She had been sad to hear that Hermione nor the boys would be returning to Hogwarts with her. She hoped they would be there soon or else she would be incredibly lonely. There was a sliver of hope in her that thought maybe Draco would be back at school and that he still was her friend, because she did consider him a friend after all the help he had given her, but she was scared to get her hopes up in case he reverted back to his old self.