CHERRY // marlene mckinnon

-twenty three

   It was already June and school year was coming to an end. Aurora dreaded the day that she had to go back to that household. She couldn't even call that place home anymore. There was nothing loving nor homey about the place. The only people she had there was Sirius and Regulus. But Sirius no longer lived there, and Regulus continued to ignore her.

Aurora was awoken by the obnoxiously loud voices of her best friends.

"Shut it, will you?" She groaned.

"Well someone's grumpy." Veronica muttered. "Anyways, we were talking about the party that's coming up."

"What party?" Aurora asked, getting up from her bed.

"It's next Friday. The Hufflepuffs decided they wanted to do it in their common room, so it'll be there." Narcissa explained as she brushed her hair. "Oh and you, dear cousin, are definitely going. I don't care if I have to drag you there myself, you're going."

"Oh yeah? And why's that?" Aurora questioned with her eyebrows raised. "So I can watch you guys shove your tongues down someone's throat?"

Narcissa rolled her eyes at that. "You've been trapped in our dorms up until yesterday. You need to get out there and-"

"And enjoy my 'teenage years' blah blah blah." Her tone indicated nothing more than sarcasm.

"Look I'm not trying to ruin the mood, but you are going to have to marry Avery soon. And well, you might as well make you're last few years of being 'single' worth it." Narcissa said.

"Ugh don't remind me. Not to mention Walburga's going to be so pissed at me when I return." Aurora sighed. "I'm pretty sure every pureblood family hates me at this point. And it's only a matter of time before I get another letter from my mother telling me how much shame I brought to our family."

As much as Aurora dreaded going back to Grimmauld Place, she didn't really care. She felt empty inside at this point. Her parents always managed to snatch anything that brought happiness, away from her. All of her emotions were drained from her. Every day she woke up and was forced to relive the day before. Each day was the same thing. Over and over again. She was merely just existing in this vast universe.

Most nights, she found it hard to fall asleep. And no, she wasn't sad. More so.....numb. Empty and numb. Even when  she was with a group of people, their voices faded and the only thing she could hear was the thumping of her heart against her chest and the short breaths she managed to take. She just stood there questioning everything. Starting from her existence. Aurora Black had lost herself. She was slowly fading away.

But nobody noticed.

She didn't want to put her burden on anyone's back. So she put on a mask. And that mask only showed what people wanted to see.

"You know you could always run away to my-"

"Ronnie, no. I don't run away from my problems." Aurora interrupted Veronica. "Well not all of them at least."

"Look I know it's probably going to be hard going back. I'm just saying that I got your back. Always." She smiled at her best friend.

"I know. Thanks. But I have to go back, I mean you did read the letter after all. And plus, I can't leave Regulus all alone there." Aurora said, as the thoughts of her soon going back there had creeped up into her mind. But she tried her best to shake them off.

*****

  Across the Great Hall, in the Gryffindor table sat three girls. And they were all very quiet too.