SEPTEMBER 1st, 1974
Aurora took a cab to the train station. She walked through the barrier with her owl and luggage, platform 9 and 3/4 was just like it usually was, families rush to say goodbye to their families, meeting up with their friends, first years bumping into others not knowing where to go. Nothing had changed except for Aurora.
This year she was starting her fourth year, puberty had hit her hard over the summer and she was almost unrecognizable compare to last year. she was taller, her chest had grown a couple of sizes, her hips had rounded, she lost all the baby fat in her face and she had her hair down in public for the first time since she was little, leaving behind her ponytail and growing out her bangs. But the biggest change was that she, unlike everyone else had no one to say goodbye to.
She got on the train and set off to find the compartment with her girl friends.
she slid the compartment door open revealing her dormmates,
"Hello girls!" she exclaimed smiling and embracing each of them in bug hugs, when they backed away from Aurora they got their first real look at her and their mouths dropped
"Holy shit Aurora, you got hot!"
"don't be silly Marlene she's always been pretty.. but really Aurora you look great, you changed your hair?!" Alice corrected.
Aurora laughed and sat beside Lily and caught up with the three about their summers.
"so how about you Rory, how was your summer?" Lily asked
"umm not much, I went swimming lots, OOO! I planted an apple tree in the front yard, and Ummm my grandma died..."
"SHE WHAT!" the three girls all said in synchronize
Lily gave her best friend a tight hug, to which Aurora patted her hand on Lily's back awkwardly, not needing the comfort she was receiving.
"Lily, Lily it's fine really, she lived a long life, you can't expect her to live forever"
"But, but... now what, do you have to go to an orphanage or something, you know you can stay with me, right," she asked
"HA! Child services are making me leave over my dead body, besides they couldn't drag me out of there if they wanted to, I legally own my home so they can't force me out of it, guardian present to not and by the time I'll be back there I will have turned 14, meaning I get to choose where I stay"
Auroras friends sat in silence not knowing what to say, they knew ever since the death of her parents, Aurora had been quite closed off emotionally, sure she gave good advice and was sympathetic towards others but she herself rarely said boo and her feelings.
The silence broke when their compartment door swung open and in came four boys Aurora knew all too well.
"MY BOYS," Aurora said getting up to give them each a hug, when she got to Remus she noticed he too had grown quite a bit over the summer, a good couple inches and was handsomer than ever. Even though Aurora was quite tall herself being 5'8 he towered over her now as did James and Sirius but not as much.
"Sorry Aurora, you know I love you but I've come to see my beautiful Lilypad" James winked at Lily making her scoff. Aurora rolled her eyes playfully and smiling turning to the boy closest to her.
"How was your summer Mr. Black, your old folks give you too much trouble?"
"Oh, you know, same old Disappointment ridicule, Did you happen to know I'm in Gryffindor?"
"Really, I hadn't noticed" Aurora responded with sarcasm to match his, making them both laugh, then turning their heads towards James.
"What do you say, my dearest Lily, go to Hogsmeade with me?"
"In your dreams Potter" she scowled annoyed.
"ah well I guess ill go take a nap then" James laughed at his own comeback before turning and exiting the compartment, "let's go boys".
Sirius, Remus and Peter followed him. When they got back to their own compartment, James plopped down dramatically on the seat. "did you see how beautiful my precious lily looked"
Sirius and Remus both looked at each other holding in a laugh, but really in their minds, they were thinking about how a different flower looked. Aurora Rose had really blossomed and they both noticed, that's for sure.
Back in the girl's compartment, the girls were laughing,
"looks like James has yet to give up on you lils" Aurora chuckled
Lily rolled her eyes again, "what's it gonna take for him to get a hint"
"you know Lily, I think he might actually really like you" Alice spoke softly, Marlene agreeing
"I think Alice is right, come on Lily, give the boy a chance, its not like shes.. unattractive"
"Ok first, it not the looks that are the problem its the fact that he's a-"
"an immature imbecile," the three girls said laughing, already knowing what she was going to say
Lily laughed slightly "Besides Marlene if you think he's so cute, why don't you date him"
"With an ass like that, I might just" she replied jokingly, which made aurora burst out laughing.
Marlene knew she was only joking as she watched Aurora laugh, recognizing how pretty her smile was and how her eyes lit up when she laughed. she snapped out of her thoughts confused as to why she was feeling this way, did she like Aurora? she questioned but brushed it off.
The girls continued to talk until they arrived at Hogwarts. They waited in line for a garage but when they finally got one Aurora was frozen in place, she could see the Thestral. she hadn't really put it together then when her grandmother passed she was sitting right there, seeing it happen.
Alice noticed aurora wasn't getting in with the rest of them and instead of staring at what to her was nothing, "Aurora what's wrong"
"You can't see them?"
"See what?" Alice questioned
Aurora shook her head, bringing her mind back to reality and getting into the carriage, "N-Nothing, let's get going yea"
With that, they rode the carriage through the forest and to Hogwarts to start their fourth year together.
