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— (chapter thirty-two.) —
When she looked back, even a month later, Aurora found she had only scattered memories of the next few days. It was as though she had been through too much to take in any more. The recollections she did have were very painful. The worst, perhaps, was having to say goodbye to Remus the next day.
"You'll see me again so very soon, I promise, Aurora."
Aurora returned to Gryffindor Tower the following evening. From what Atlas, Theodore, Pansy, and Draco told her, Dumbledore had spoken to the school that morning at breakfast. He had merely requested that they leave Harry and Aurora alone, that nobody ask them questions or badger them to tell the story of what had happened. Most people, she noticed, were skirting her in the corridors, avoiding her eyes. Some whispered behind their hands as she passed like always. She guessed that many of them had believed Rita Skeeter's article about how insane and possibly dangerous she was. Perhaps they were formulating their own theories about how Cedric had died. She found she didn't care very much. She liked it best when she was with Atlas, Theodore, Pansy, Selene, and Draco and they were talking about other things, or else letting her sit in silence while they played chess. She felt as though all six of them had reached an understanding they didn't need to put into words; that each was waiting for some sign, some word, of what was going on outside Hogwarts -- and that it was useless to speculate about what might be coming until they knew anything for certain. The only time they touched upon the subject was when Draco told Aurora about a meeting Narcissa Malfoy had arranged with Dumbledore (most begrudgingly on her part).
"She went to ask him if you could come to stay with us this summer," he said. "But he says that you need to go back to where you ought to be, at least at first."
"Why?" said Aurora.
"She said a lot of things that I can't repeat," said Draco, shaking his head with a half-smile. "I suppose it's because of everything that's happened we've got to make sure you're safe, haven't we?"
"I'm sure my grandmother is the safest option given here." said Aurora sarcastically.
The only person apart from Atlas, Theodore, Pansy, Selene and Draco that Aurora felt able to talk to was most surprisingly Harry. As there was no longer a Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, they had those lessons free. She would seek him out on Wednesday mornings, dragging him outside to her favourite spot by the lake.
They sit outside for hours, talking about the most random of things, both proving to be the perfect distractions as neither wanted to talk about what had happened and so the conversation never so much as drifted onto the topic of the tournament altogether.
