Aionios

Chapter 36

The Oath of an Elite Auror

A pledge of devotion to join the special group of young and highly-skilled Aurors known as the Elite Squadron, written on the 19th of September in 1986 by Kingsley Shacklebolt and Prime Minister Cornelius Fudge.

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Remaining vigilant through difficult times
A mortal instrument that defeats all crimes
With a mind so sharp and a will so strong
No lies can warp what we know is wrong
When the strongest fall and our leaders fail
We will stand tall and let good prevail
With hearts determined to vanquish evil
We carry the burden of protecting the people
Offering our lives for the service of others
That is the essence of an Elite Auror.

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Isabelle covered her mouth as her eyes shot wide open. She looked up at the dark ceiling of the girls' dormitories with her chest heaving and falling at a rapid pace. Her entire body was soaked in her own sweat and her head was throbbing from the lack of sleep.

Sitting up from her bed, the headache only got worse and caused her to stifle a distressed groan. With slightly squinted eyes to see past the darkness, she looked up at the wall clock above the window, sighing when it read 11:41 PM. She had only slept for two hours, and her usual nightmares have terrorized her already.

Her weak and tired body trembled, desperately in need of an 8-hour long nap. Despite her fragile state, she forced her body to get up from bed, throwing on a sweater and grabbing her wand as she quietly heads out of the dormitories.

The night was awfully colder than she had expected, her fingers shivering slightly as she leaned against the wall for support in every step she took. Her vision was disoriented and her brain felt like it was about to explode. Obviously, she was at her limit with this deprivation of sleep.

When she left Gryffindor Tower and ventured along the dark corridors of Hogwarts, the temperature only dropped further. Now her entire body was shivering uncontrollably and every step she took felt like a hundred needles piercing her skin.

The walk toward the seventh floor was a long one, and she wasn't even halfway there when her knees buckled from the exhaustion, the cold, and the headache. She sat on the floor, one hand on the wall and the other on her chest as she tried to catch her breath. She desperately hoped to Merlin that she wouldn't faint right in the middle of this isolated floor.

"Excuse me", a voice suddenly calls and she sees the blurry outline of someone approaching her while holding a lamp, "But you aren't allowed to be roaming Hogwarts at this hour".

Taking a deep breath and forcing her legs to cooperate, Isabelle stood up and leaned against the wall, regarding the approaching prefect with a stoic expression. She recognizes the boy as Anthony Goldstein, having shared some classes with him in the past.

Upon realizing who the girl standing before him was, the prefect's eyes widen only slightly as a blush crept onto his cheeks. His brows furrowed, however, when he noticed the subtle slump of her shoulders and her ragged breathing. Her face was also glistening with sweat and her entire body trembled despite her efforts to pull herself together.

"Are you alright, Isabelle?", he asks now with concern, lowering his lamp to the floor and approaching the girl gently. He placed a hand on her shoulder and noticed that her clothes were also drenched.