Visionary | h. potter x oc

4.4

Unease. It was the only word to describe the feeling deep in Aurora's gut when she woke up in the Weasley burrow. Heavy pain pounded on the window of the small room she shared with Ginny and Hermione as she heaved herself out of bed and changed into a pair of dark jeans and a black sweatshirt.

Pulling her boots on, Hermione entered the room, "Oh good, you're up. I was about to come wake you." Aurora was deathly silent and the brunette frowned, "Mr. Weasley already left, something about a dustbin that exploded in a muggle's yard." With a nod Aurora grabbed her suitcase, shoving the rest of her belongings in it. Hermione continued to stand in the doorway, "Everyone else is packing right now. I think we're leaving in a bit."

Seeing that her friend was not up for conversing she turned away with a sigh. Aurora took a deep breath before finally speaking, "I'm sorry about Malfoy." Hermione turned, slightly confused as her eyes met Aurora's, "He had no right to scare you like that."

She shrugged and tried to sound unbothered by it, "He's always been like that, it's alright."

Aurora could see straight through her. The fear that was in Hermione's eyes that night after learning that the deatheaters were looking for muggles was unlike anything she had seen from the witch before, "But it's not. He'll get what's coming to him one day, Granger, I promise."

A small smile passed Hermione's lips before she heard a crash from Ron's room followed by yelling. Crookshanks was terrorizing him yet again, "Thanks Aurora, somehow you threatening Draco's life makes me feel loads better."

For the first time since the incident at the World Cup – which was only about thirty hours ago but felt like forever – Aurora smiled.

~oOo~

The only way to platform 9 ¾ was through a seemingly solid barrier between platforms 9 and 10, easy when said out loud, harder when vast groups of muggles were rushing through the station. Ron and Hermione went first, being the most conspicuous with Pigwidgeon and Crookshanks. They walked towards the barrier calmly discussing their favorite muggle movie – or at least Hermione was talking and Ron was listening with an incredibly confused look on his face.

Once they were through it was Aurora and Harry's turn. "Should we just do what they did?" He asked, looking around. More muggles had crowded nearby, making it much more difficult to disappear through the barrier secretly.

She shook her head, "Follow my lead." They approached the barrier, Aurora turning around so her back was facing it. Harry followed, looking just as confused as Ron had before she discreetly grabbed his hand and leaned backwards. They seemed to melt through the wall, stumbling backwards onto platform 9 ¾. Aurora looked down at Harry, who had fallen onto his back, "See, easy enough." She said with a grin as he just rolled his eyes and got up.

The Hogwarts Express sat in front of them, scarlet red and gleaming in the light of the platform. Steam billowed from it, signaling that it was almost time to leave. The pair followed Ron and Hermione into the train and found seats before discarding their luggage in the compartment and hopping back onto the platform to say their goodbyes.

"I might be seeing you lot sooner than you think." Charlie, one of Ron's siblings (and easily the most handsome of all the Weasley boys), hugged Ginny,

"Why?" Fred asked,

Charlie shrugged, "You'll see..." Aurora's eyes narrowed, she wasn't a fan of surprises.

Bill, the oldest of the bunch, smiled, "Yeah, I kind of wish I still went to Hogwarts."

"What are you two on about?" George added, shoving his brother's shoulder and coming closer to the group to listen,

"Well let's just say you're going to have an interesting year..." Bill continued, "I might have to get time off to come watch some of it..."

"Some of what?" Ron questioned.

At that moment, the train's horn blew and Mrs. Weasley began to push the kids towards the train, "Thank you for letting us stay with you, Mrs. Weasley." Hermione said as she entered the train. Harry was next, thanking the women and following behind. Ron quickly hugged his mom and said goodbye, leaving Aurora standing in front of her,

She quickly noticed that the woman was avoiding eye contact, "What was it that Bill and Charlie were talking about?"

"You'll find out this evening, I suppose." She was forcing a smile, "It'll be quite exciting."

Aurora nodded, shifting back on her feet awkwardly, "Well, thank you for letting me stay with you. It was nice to meet you."

"Mhm." The redhead responded, "Have a nice trip, dear. Try not to get into too much trouble this year."

As she boarded the train she sighed, still confused as to why Mrs. Weasley held such an uncomfortable demeanor around her, "I'll certainly try not to."

The rain continued outside, battering the windows of the train and making them near impossible to see out of. Ron sat next to Hermione, who flipped through their new charms textbook to get a head start in their curriculum.

"Bagman wanted to tell us what's happening at Hogwarts," Ron started, "With the World Cup and all, but my mum won't–" Hermione cut him off harshly with a 'shush!', gesturing towards the door where Draco and his friends were talking,

"My father wanted me to attend Durmstrang. He's friends with the headmaster there. Durmstrang doesn't admit the same kind of riff raft Dumbledore does, mudbloods and all." Aurora's fist tightened at her side, "But unfortunately mother doesn't want me going to school so far away..."

Huffing, Aurora rose and closed the door to their compartment, successfully blocking out Draco's annoying voice. "He should've gone there. Pushing him off a glacier would be so easy and it would look like an accident."

"What are you on about?" Ron asked,

Hermione answered for her, the fuming teen sitting back down quietly as she spoke, "It's somewhere in the far north. They have fur coats as part of their uniform."

"What country is it in?" Harry was next to question,

Hermione looked at Aurora, who shrugged and answered, "No one knows. It's like Hogwarts, charmed so muggles can't enter and impossible to plot on a map."

The conversation ended there, with Hermione continuing to read her book as Aurora read one of the Batman comics gifted to her. The boys talked about Quidditch for a while, mostly about who would join the team since Oliver Wood graduated along with a few of their chasers. Aurora's sour mood – courtesy of Draco Malfoy himself – hadn't subsided until she finished the first of many comics and placed it back into her suitcase.

"Anything from the trolley? Anything from the trolley?" An older witch wandered down the hallway, stopping at their compartment. Harry and Ron both rose, asking the women for a few things. Out of the corner of her eye Aurora saw Cho Chang, the girl that often sat next to her in charms. She smiled at Harry before walking back towards her own compartment. She hadn't noticed the frown that appeared on her face.

Hermione saw Aurora watching with a small scowl and bumped her friend's knee with her own, "I don't think Harry likes her, if that's what you're worried about." She whispered, the boys too enraptured in their conversation about Quidditch to hear.

Aurora shrug, feeling a pang of jealously wash quickly wash through her before subsiding. She wasn't even thinking about it before, but since Hermione brought it up she realized that Harry was not only a celebrity at Hogwarts, he was attractive. More attractive than most of the boys she had seen in the school. Not only that, but he was smart and kind and --

Oh no, she thought, no no no. I will not catch feelings for one of my best friends.

But she hadn't realized that she already did.