Always : Theodore Nott

Chapter 23

"Stay back from me a bit. If the twins see us I think they would honestly try and murder you,"Aurora said with a slight smirk.

Nott scoffed and his pride bloomed.

"As if they'd stand a chance,"he said as he obeyed the girl in front of him all the same.

Aurora smirked at his cockiness. It was a trait she usually hated on boys. Made them lesser in her eyes. But she had come to admire how Nott seemed to wear it so well.

She rounded the corner and peered in the door of the Great Hall. As she suspected, Fred, George, Ginny and the trio were all sat around their usual spot at the Gryffindor table. Only one seat was seemingly empty, Aurora's.

She sighed sadly to herself as she watched them. She knew how the two boys had treated her was unfair. But that consolation didn't seem to banish her sadness.

"Fuck them Jenkins."

His voice came as a shock. She whipped around, expecting him to be at her shoulder, a trick he seemed to like doing as of late. Not that she minded.

But no, he wasn't at her shoulder. He was 10, if not 15, feet away behind her. He stared at her powerfully as he leaned against one of the many pillars along the corridor.

Aurora furrowed her brows at him in confusion.

"It's a nice trick isn't it."

His voice was clear as day in her head. She shook her head, thinking she was hearing things. Surely her feelings for him hadn't developed into some sort of psychosis where she hears his voice even when he isn't speaking.

She took a deep breath and attempted to clear her head. Upon the arrival of fresh oxygen, the cogs of her brain turned and clicked into place quickly. She realised what he was doing.

He was using a form of Occlumency, where one would invade another's brain only slightly to speak to them. He was an Occlumens? This came as sort of shock to her. Yes, she knew he was somewhat intelligent, but an Occlumens? That took a level of self control and skill very few possessed.

Aurora herself, was one of those very few.

She turned to him once again and focused on him as she prepared to mirror his action.

"Think you're the only Occlumens around here then do you?"

He relished in the sound of her voice so clear in his head. He smirked devilishly before shaking his head lightly.

"Of course you are an Occlumens."

She smirked at his comment before returning her gaze to her friends inside the hall. They all remained in the places they had been in since she had arrived at the door of the hall.

"They're having breakfast. That gives me a window to get my stuff from-..."

"The tower of the brave and just."

She lowered her head and a smirked emerged as a result of his humour. Aurora straightened herself and began to walk in the direction of Gryffindor Tower. That was of course, until she saw a certain Slytherin that made her stomach twist and turn violently.

Aurora froze on the spot as she watched Draco Malfoy come towards her, a wicked grin plastered across his face. She willed her feet to move, even turn around. But they refused.

All she felt was the almost overpowering urge to pull out her wand and curse the boy until he was lifeless. These dark thoughts were quickly banished as his voice rang out in her ears.