Always : Theodore Nott

Chapter 53

Almost two months had passed and neither had said a word to the other. The nestling wintery October weather provided some sort of pathetic fallacy. It was always the same, she initiated eye contact, he'd lose it purposefully.. She attempted occlumency, he would block it out.At some point she had given up.  Aurora went through several stages, beginning with sadness, then depression, then pity because she knew something was going on with him, then annoyance because he wouldn't event talk to her about it, and finally, pure anger at him for giving her the cold shoulder. 

She only saw him every couple days, and she did he began to look worse and worse each time. His eyes were practically sunken into his head, making him look like he truly had not slept in weeks. In addition, his face had gotten paler each day, the opposite to the its usual olive tone which should've been accentuated by the summer sun, not to mention the hot weather in France. Something was seriously wrong, she could feel it in her heart. 

Suddenly, as quickly as she drifted into her thoughts as she sat on the couches in front of the fire in the currently empty common room, she was abruptly ripped out of them. 

"Harry slow down please-,"Hermione protested. 

Harry, Ron and Hermione stumbled into the room, Harry had a look of fire in his eyes. 

"Rory will agree, just watch,"he said gesturing to Aurora as they settled into the couches around her. 

Aurora's brow knitted in utter confusion.

"So, you know how certain members of Slytherin house have been looking rather occupied lately? Well, Hermione first noticed it at the start of term at the feat actually-,"Harry babbled.

"Harry that was just an observation!,"Hermione protested.

"Anyway, I just saw Malfoy disappear into a certain location within this castle. Very private, very secretive, very easy to conduct wrongful business in. Not to mention when you saw him in Borgin and Burke's in the summer. I mean who even shops at Borgin and Burke's anyway. Oh! Ron! And Ron said he could've sworn he saw another Slytherin going to this same place,"Harry said enthusiastically. 

Aurora simply blinked at him in utter bewilderment. 

"Who, where, what? And slower this time,"she said softly. 

Harry sighed, almost in frustration for having to explain himself again.

"Malfoy, Borgin and Burkes during the summer, sneaking around, recently  spotted lurking off to visit the Room of Requirement. Not to mention how he looks, he looks ghastly. And we have spotted Malfoy and another Slytherin conversing, a pair who never seemed too friendly before! And then, Ron saw that, might I add also ghastly looking, Slytherin sneaking off to the Room of Requirement as well!,"he said, almost out of breath at the end of his delivery.

"I'm lost Harry what are you getting at?,"she asked.

Harry shook his head.

"It's happened Rory. He's one of them. I'm saying that Draco Malfoy is now a death-eater,"he said in an almost deadpan tone.

Aurora felt her heart drop. But the words that came out of her mouth next couldn't be stopped.

"Who's the other Slytherin Ron said he saw?,"she asked, hoping to Merlin the answer she predicted was wrong.

And all of a sudden the enthusiastic look on Harry's face diminished significantly. Ron and Hermione shifted awkwardly and shared a knowing glance. 

"Harry-,"she said, attempting to urge him on.

"Nott."

His words made her feel as though she had just been hit by the Hogwarts Express. Aurora felt her lungs scream for air within her chest, realising she had stopped breathing when the words left Harry's lips.