Blinding | Draco Malfoy

eleven

"I know how you feel." Dumbledore offered to the two of them as they sat before him in his office.

"No you don't." Harry shook his head. "I feel as if it's my fault."

"No, the fault is mine." He shook his head quickly. "I knew it was only a matter of time before Voldemort made the connection between you. I thought by distancing myself from you as I have done all year, he'd be less tempted. And therefore, you might be more protected. Both of you."

"The prophecy said Harry has a power beside him that Voldemort doesn't know about. Is it referring to me?" Aurora asked.

"We believe so, yes."

"It also said neither one can live while the other one survives. It means one of us is gonna have to kill the other in the end." Harry acknowledged, and Aurora had a hard time looking at him as she thought about it. She couldn't even think about losing him too, right now.

"Yes." Dumbledore confirmed.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Harry asked.

"For the same reason you tried to save Sirius. For the same reason your friends saved you. After all these years, after all you've suffered... I didn't want to cause you any more pain. I care too much about you. I care about you both deeply, and I'll always be here for you."

As Harry and Aurora stepped out of Dumbledore's office, they admired all the magical paintings that had been hung back on the walls. Hogwarts was starting to look and feel more like home, now. Things were going somewhat back to normal, which was reassuring. "I should go find Draco. It's the last night."

"Go on, I'll save you a seat at the feast." Harry nodded. She smiled and they parted ways. She looked around for him, and luckily she spotted him in the hall just before he entered the Great Hall. He had a sad expression on his face as he walked ahead. He'd glanced at her for a moment then looked back down at his feet. Then, he looked back up at her with wide eyes as he stopped in his tracks. She mustered a small smile and gave him a wave. He rushed over to her. He wondered if she didn't want to talk to him because of the role his father played, but he should've known better than that. It was Aurora after all.

"'Rora..." He mumbled out. "I-I didn't think you wanted to see me."

"Truthfully, I wish I'd seen you before now. Just looking at you has made me feel so much better." She admitted, and he smiled.

"I'm so sorry. I don't even know what to say..." He shook his head.

"It's okay, you don't have to say anything. I'll be alright." She assured him.

"I know you will be. You're a Black, and Blacks are strong." He told her, and she really appreciated that. She pulled him in for a hug all at once, and he gladly returned it, placing one hand on her head as she laid against his chest and resting the other on the small of her back. He didn't care who saw them at this point. She made him want to be good, so his reputation didn't matter.

"I'm sorry about your father, too, you know." She offered when he pulled away. He just shrugged, not wanting to talk about it. It meant a lot that she said that, though, all considering. "Will you write me?"

"Of course." He nodded. "Where will you be?"

"The Burrow, with the Weasleys." She said.

"Maybe we could even meet up." He suggested, and she nodded with a bright smile.

"I'd like that."

"Sounds like a date then." He said, and she chuckled. "Come here."

He leaned down slightly to place a sweet kiss on her lips. The people who had witnessed it just assumed that Draco was playing her, but that wasn't the case at all. She pulled away after a moment.