Always : Theodore Nott

Chapter 55

"Well would you look who decided to join us,"Fred announced as Aurora sat down to join them at breakfast.

Aurora rolled her eyes.

"Funny. Hilarious even,"she mocked.

They conversed as normal over porridge, toast and cereal. Only, Aurora noticed Harry was more quiet than usual. Over the last few weeks she had watched the young boy fade into a mere shell of the bright-eyed boy he once was. As they were leaving to return to the common room, Aurora called him.

"Harry, chat for a minute?,"she said.

He briskly nodded and the pair left their friends and headed to the bridge. Harry bent over the railing and looked longingly into the morning sky.

"Talk,"Aurora demanded.

Harry turned his head and looked at her with utter confusion.

"I-,"he started.

"Harry Potter, you barely spoke at breakfast, barely ate any either for that fact, you look like you're about to vomit or cry I don't know which one if I'm being honest and you just look like you'd rather be anywhere and anybody else at this moment-,'she began.

"I would Rory. That's the thing about it. I would love nothing more than to be anyone else, anywhere else. To not have to imagine the deaths of my friends in the future as they sit in front of me in that moment eating cereal. As though snacking on fruit or toast will put off what you and I both know is coming. Their, his, plan is already in bloody motion. He has Malfoy and Nott up to Merlin knows what and all they're worried about is quidditch. I don't care how loved up Ron is with Lavender Brown. The only slight reason I do is because of how it's affecting Hermione. It's just me, I feel like I can't even breathe anymore. And the visions-,"he said, tearing up.

"Visions?,"Aurora interrupted.

Harry paused and took a deep breath.

'I can't sleep without visions anymore. I have these vis-nightmares, that I'm him, or his snake, and honestly........it terrifies me. What if I'm getting these visions because I'm becoming him or something.....,"he mumbled.

Aurora placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Harry-,"she said in a sigh.

"I'm just tired Rory, there's no plan. It's as if we're just waiting for the inevitable. Him coming after me,"he said.

"We do have a plan Harry. You're watching Draco and I'm watching Nott,"she said.

Harry suddenly pulled away, fire in his eyes.

"Yes but it's not enough!,"he said, practically shouting.

Aurora just blinked at him.

"Sorry I- I only meant that watching them isn't enough. We're only getting mere snippets of what's actually going on,"he said, retaking his place beside her.

And then, in that moment, an idea shot across the front of her mind. An absurd idea, but brilliant. No, she couldn't. But it wouldn't be a bad idea, not necessarily? She was contemplating on how it would work, or how she would even put her plan into words. But then, it slipped out.

"What if I wasn't just watching Nott?,"she said quickly, so quickly her brain barely registered the fact that the words had left her lips.

Harry looked at her with his brows knitted in utter confusion. Aurora had to think quickly. She was planning on thinking on this for a day or two before presenting the idea to Harry, but now that it was already out she had to act it out.