An Angel's Halo, a Devil's Horns ((Aurora))

[AJ Murphy G6]

AJ sat in the Lounge alone late at night, reading the same letter he had read over and over again for the past three hours. AJ glanced at the giant mahogany grandfather clock on the wall. He sighed as he ran his hands through his hair. He looked down at the crumpled letter and read it once more.

Dear AJ,

I hope you’re doing well in school. I have yet to hear another complaint from McGonagall, so I presume things are okay, if not better. Please don’t prove my assumption wrong. If you’re doing bad in school again, I don’t want to hear it. Although if you’re doing well, brag away my child, brag away. I know Angel’s been trying to whip you into shape, but now that she’s gone I suppose you’ll be going back to your usual self…but I hope that’s not true. You know AJ, you should really follow Angel’s example. I’m not saying you’re allowed to drop out of school like she did, but I do want you to try and take your studies a bit more seriously. I don’t want you to end up like your father. You know how much it pains me to send you and your brother over to that rehab center to see your father falling apart before your eyes. But the court gave you two the right to see him every time you come home for the holidays, so there you have it. He is not a good man, nor is he setting a good example for you. Please don’t follow in his heroine filled footsteps.

Love always,

Mum.

AJ crumpled up the letter up again and swallowed hard, staring at the floor. He was glad Angel was gone and going to train in Sweden. Having her at Hogwarts was murder. She did everything right and never screwed up anything like AJ always seemed to do. She led dozens of groups and organizations at Hogwarts, the most popular being the BBBS scheme. He rolled his eyes. Even all the people at school loved Angel. She was kind and caring to everyone. Those were big shoes to fill. This was one of the main reasons he didn’t tell anyone about Angel being his stepsister. He was already compared to her constantly at home, and he didn’t want it to be that way at school as well. The less people that knew the better things were for AJ. He could go on being his fun loving self without worrying that people were comparing him to his stepsister. Then there was his father. Gregory messed up bad. His heroine problem had cost him his career, his kids, and his general happiness. Now he was locked up in that rehab center for at least another year to avoid going to prison. He sighed. AJ’s mom was constantly telling him that she didn’t want him to end up like his father. It was as if she expected him to mess up, just like his father did. It would always kill AJ to walk into the rehab center during vacations, because he knew that if he didn’t watch it, he could accompany is father to that center one day. He didn’t want that for himself, or his family. He knew that if he ever messed up the way his father did, his mother would be thoroughly depressed for as long as she lived. AJ let out a long loud sigh as he sat back in his chair. He threw the letter into the fire, watching it burn to a crisp. He stared into the flames. He wasn’t sure how long he was sitting there staring, but after a while, AJ heard the door creak open. For some reason, he didn’t turn around to see who had entered. He just continued to sit back in his armchair, staring at the fire, which had consumed the letter completely and turned it into a small pile of ash.

[Aurora Chan]

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen was gripped between Aurora’s hands as she wandered along the corridors, wearing comfortable muggle clothing consisting of a pair of navy tracksuit trousers, a lavender t-shirt and a warm black cardigan. She knew she probably seemed out of place in corridors where wizard and witch students normally roamed in black school robes, but it was a weekend evening, with no classes and free time to themselves. Aurora was lucky too, as she failed to encounter a single body on her journey to the Student Lounge. She was currently halfway through her thick novel, a famous and popular English literature book in the muggle world, often studied in muggle schools and well known for its love story. It had been interpreted into a TV drama on the BBC a few years back, and even a film recently. Aurora had bore witness to both, and had enjoyed them equally, hence why she had chosen to read the book. She had to admit, when a book was made into a TV or film production of some kind, there were bound to be changes as the audiences and targets which dissatisfied the audience. It was truly inevitable, and Aurora did strive to see it from a ‘film point of view’, yet she failed drastically every single time. Still, she appreciated the movie and TV versions despite the alterations made.

The night was cold and Aurora wrapped her cardigan around her tighter, folding one side across the other and crossing her arms across her chest in a protective manner. It had been a while since she had longed for solitude; a few hours alone in peace, where she could forget her troubles and worries just for a little while. Most of the problems she concerned herself over weren’t even related to herself, and sometimes Aurora needed a break from taking on other people’s burdens. It was her own fault, this personality trait, she blamed no one else for the stress it caused her, for she chose to take it on herself. Trust Aurora to bring her own downfall. But it was true, and even though people like Ari and Harmony insisted that Aurora needn’t worry, needn’t bother with helping them, Aurora still did it; she still tried her very best, and at the end of the day, she would exhaust herself. It was something Aurora was proud of, being able to help others to such an extent; it made her feel good; yet she was knowledgeable it was not entirely healthy. However, if this was one of the only ways Aurora could feel needed, feel as though there was a point to her existence, then she would continue doing it.

Aurora opened the door slowly, wary if other people inhabited the Student Lounge so late in the evening and hence she disturb them. And so there was to her surprise; a mop of sandy blonde hair was visible behind one of the couches in front of the fireplace, which Aurora recognised belonged to AJ Murphy, a fellow sixth year in Gryffindor. Blinking when AJ didn’t turn round to acknowledge her presence, as though he had not heard her entrance, Aurora carefully shut the door so not to disturb the tense atmosphere she could feel surrounding the warm, yet somehow cold, room. Gingerly she weaved her way towards AJ’s position, discarding thoughts of solitude from her mind. No matter how hard Aurora tried, she’d come to realise that her life was meant to be filled with people, rather than to be rejected like Ari did. AJ was a boy she had talked to on a few occasions, though they had been rare over the last five years. He seemed friendly and talkative, which Aurora liked in her friends, but he was also impish and rebellious, very unlike Angel, a friend of Aurora’s and AJ’s step-sister. The sixth year Ravenclaw had recently departed Hogwarts to train in Sweden, and Aurora missed her presence, especially in BBBS. AJ and Angel’s connection was not known to most people, and Aurora kept it to herself.

AJ was a boy Aurora knew as bold and confident, so seeing his lack of response as she neared him unnerved her. “AJ,” Aurora began, her voice ringing throughout the room and causing her to wince, “Evening.” She smiled slightly as she finally reached him, staring down at his still figure. “You okay?” She asked with a small frown, noting his odd expression. It seemed as though she didn’t even have his full attention, as though he was caught in some dream world. “Hey, AJ, you there?” Aurora asked in confusion, before waving a hand in front of his face, worried for his condition.

[AJ Murphy G6]

AJ heard the footsteps near him, but for some reason, he didn’t look up to see who had arrived. It was most unlike him to ignore people before he knew who they were, but AJ wasn’t exactly acting like himself lately. With all this drama going on with AJ’s dad, he just couldn’t be the normal AJ most people knew and loved. He was still just as laidback as usual, if not more, only now he had a sort of melancholy to him. Every time he spoke, his voice seemed to ring with sadness and bitter anger that was being locked up inside of him. His thoughts were filled with guilt and fear. Guilt for his behavior, and putting his mother through the kind of stress that involved seeing her eldest son fail. He knew how much it pained Mrs. Murphy (or Mrs. Sheridan as she was called now) to see AJ failing his classes, and getting ever closer to the fate of his father. In his mother’s eyes, if AJ kept up this act, he was sure to end up with his father. Confused and alone, rotting in a rehab center with other screw-ups and good-for-nothings.

And then there was fear. AJ’s thoughts and dreams were consumed by fear. He himself had started to fear that he would one day become just like Gregory Murphy. After all, he was so much like him in so many other ways. AJ looked almost exactly like Gregory, not to mention his personality mirrored his father’s as well. Before he was admitted into rehab, Greg Murphy was a crime investigator. He was good at solving puzzles, and he was a bit sneaky as well. How else would he be able to hide his heroin addiction for the thirteen years that he did? AJ let out a small sigh. With everything going on in his life, how could he possibly be himself? AJ ran his hands through his slightly tangled hair. Suddenly, he heard a voice coming from just in front of him.

Finally, he looked up to see who had entered. Aurora Chan was a perky Hufflepuff in his year. He had always found her to be quite beautiful, but somehow, he just couldn’t see himself with her. Something there just seemed odd. He shrugged the thought off, forgetting about Aurora’s beauty, and focused on the questions Aurora was asking him. He glanced at the roaring fire again, unable to stop himself from thinking of his mother’s letter. Her guilt trips alone were always enough to keep AJ from dropping out of Hogwarts to pursue his goals in the military. He looked away from the fire and looked at Aurora. “Yeah, I’m fine, I guess. Just tired.” He said, trying to avoid looking at the fire. He concentrated on Aurora’s dark brown eyes. There was something oddly familiar about Aurora. For some reason, whenever he looked her in the eyes, he remembered his home in Manchester, before all this drama with his father and the Sheridans. Seeing Aurora’s eyes made AJ think of the simpler days, when AJ was just Andrew and he spent his days in the local playground sliding down the big green slide in the center of the playground. AJ used to spend hours with a friend of his just taking turns sliding down that thing. For the life of him though, AJ just could not remember that little girl’s name. He had acted so rudely to the little girl. She believed that AJ was a really nice kid and that he could be trusted, but AJ had let her down. He ditched the little girl to go hang out with a much cooler crowd who thought AJ’s old friend was too weird for AJ’s time.

AJ still regretted doing that to his old friend, but that couldn’t be helped. She was probably still in that old house in Manchester, going to a muggle high school. That little girl probably forgot all about AJ, and was living her life happily, untroubled without AJ’s company. AJ would never admit this to anyone, but he still missed that little girl. She was a good friend, and AJ couldn’t understand why he wanted to lose contact with her. Perhaps he would go back to Manchester this holiday, just to go visit his old friends and see if his friend was still there. He did owe her an apology.

“You know Aurora, you remind me a lot of someone back home.” He said, still looking into her eyes, completely unable to look away. It was the most random statement in the world, and it probably had to relevance to Aurora.

[Aurora Chan]

“Okay.” Aurora murmured quietly once AJ had replied with just as short an answer. His reply troubled her somewhat, for she knew AJ as a loud, talkative personality, and yet his answer was so muted and curt. It wasn’t like the Gryffindor to emit such an aura of sadness and solitude, and although she knew it may not be her place, or any need to, Aurora sought to rectify it. Eventually she stood above AJ and smiled comfortingly at him, then sat in the armchair opposite. Her novel was placed atop her lap, neglected and preferred over human company once again. Aurora had long forgotten her reading despite how much she was engrossed in the story; that was just typical of her personality; people came first.

The two sixth years sat in silence for a long time. Aurora kept her eyes trained on AJ for a while, and he stared back in return, before she averted them uncomfortably at the fireplace that flickered strongly, lighting the darkness of the Student Lounge. She didn’t want to be caught staring so fixedly, nor did she wish to cause AJ any unease. However, he didn’t seem too distressed for someone who was returning such an avid stare. Aurora was somewhat worried by AJ’s odd aura, but chose to ignore it. They weren’t close friends, and it seemed Aurora was intruding on AJ’s private space. The Student Lounge was, yes, for all students, but at this time of night, Aurora guessed that AJ, like her, had been looking for time alone. After some muted contemplating, Aurora finally turned to AJ once more, about to bid him goodnight and peace of mind and then leave him, before he spoke abruptly, cutting her off before she could talk. His eyes drilled into hers, causing her breath to catch in her throat.

Somehow… Aurora recognised something. A déjà vu feeling twitched at the sides of her memories, but she could not draw a solid conclusion. AJ’s comment only helped raise her odd emotions. Speechless for a few minutes, Aurora stared, wide-eyed, at AJ, before finding her voice again unsurely. He didn’t look like he was about to speak again, and she needed to anyway. “Really now?” She managed a tight smile with the rhetorical question. “Who do I remind you of?” She continued to ask after a brief pause. “Because I think you remind me of someone too, though I can’t possibly recount who.” Aurora admitted quietly, a small smile gracing her features supportively. Her mind swirled with possibilities, past images that flashed quickly past her open eyes. They confused Aurora further, so she blinked them shut and curled her body further into the warmth, comfort and security of the squashy armchair.

Another long silence stretched between them, the atmosphere thick with tension. Uncomfortable, Aurora shifted in her seat, wondering if AJ would reply. Finally, she chose to make a swift decision and stood up. Forgetting that Pride and Prejudice lay on her lap, her movement caused it to slide to the floor with a loud clap. Aurora jumped, glancing down to see the book open, split down the middle, it’s pages fraying outwards. Muttering a low “whoops” under her breath, Aurora bent to retrieve the novel, before stretching up again and seating herself nervously beside AJ. She settled and relaxed after a moment, the two of them sitting side by side in front of the fire. They weren’t touching, but Aurora felt an odd sensation tickle her spine in a chilling way. “This is weird.” She whispered softly, feeling a huge urge to lean into AJ and seek physical comfort. However, her usual fear of physical interaction with anyone but close friends stopped her; plus he was a boy. Aurora didn’t want to give the wrong signals. However, her need for some contact was immense in her heart. She wished someone would just hold her suddenly, as that empty and lonely feeling returned. Her longing for someone increased, just as it had done after the Daniel saga. Aurora didn’t know how this had been brought on, but AJ’s odd behaviour had triggered something painful.

[AJ Murphy G6]

AJ could tell he was bringing Aurora down some, but he didn’t care. It seemed like she knew what she was getting into staying here with AJ right now. Normally, AJ was just like her. Talkative, funny, and possibly even a little bit flirty. (Or a lot) But today, AJ was not feeling up to that. The letter that was crinkled in his hand right now had brought AJ to realize he was living in a life full of influences, and it scared him. Angel was supposed to be the good influence, and of course his father was the bad one. Angel and devil. Good and evil. It was as simple as that. There was nothing he could do to stop that. According to his mother, AJ would one day be labeled one of those things. As he grew and matured, he would be evaluated. It seemed that there was no middle. He couldn’t be the normal AJ he was, but branded with one of those names.

He would either excel in everything he did like Angel did, or he would fall down to the bottom of all life like his father. Couldn’t he just be himself? AJ’s hold on the crumpled paper tightened and he felt his hands turn a bit white as he clenched his jaw. He didn’t want it to seem like Aurora was causing all these anger issues in his head, because she definitely wasn’t the cause. Actually, having Aurora there gave AJ a small distraction. A seconds worth of distractions so he could continue to temporarily keep his feelings about his life and his family bottled up for a few more days until they resurfaced again. AJ had come to realize that he was fighting a war. It was a war against himself, and the angels in his body were fighting against his inner demons to regain control of his mind body and soul. Why couldn’t they just get along, so AJ could be himself again? AJ realized he and Aurora were sitting in silence for awhile. Aurora seemed to be studying him with those chocolate brown eyes of hers and AJ was just staring at his feet, clenching his jaw multiple times per minute.

Once again, he couldn’t help but notice something familiar in those beautiful chocolate brown eyes. There was something there, something that AJ was sure he had seen before. But he couldn’t place her. He couldn’t think of anywhere other than Hogwarts were he would have seen those same chocolate brown eyes. She definitely wasn’t from London, or else he would have known right away. Maybe she was from AJ’s old home in Manchester? AJ didn’t think so. Suddenly, an image flashed into his mind’s eye. There was that same playground again. The image was fuzzy, but he could see someone in the distance. She was a girl, and she was very small, probably no more than six.

Before AJ could walk any closer to the little girl, he was pulled out of his vision and back into the present. “Who do I remind you of?” Aurora said with wide eyes. “Because I think you remind me of someone too, though I can’t possibly recount who.” AJ chuckled a bit. It was the first time he had chuckled or even smiled all day. “Well to be honest, I can’t remember either. All I know is that I’ve seen you before, and I don’t mean at Hogwarts.” He said, his eyes glued to Aurora’s. The mystery had baffled him, and for some reason he thought that if he stared at her long enough, he would figure it out. AJ jumped a bit as Aurora stood up, and a heavy book fell to the ground with a loud thud. She went and sat next to him. Not just next to him, but close to him. They sat in silence again. The constant silence frustrated AJ, and he was glad when Aurora broke it again. “This is weird.” AJ looked at Aurora with a confused stare. This girl was nothing but unpredictable. From far away, AJ saw Aurora as quiet, reserved, but yet bubbly all at the same time. She was kind. But, one thing AJ had not expected her to be was bold. AJ didn’t mean to judge based on house, but he had expected her to be so much less brave. Any normal Hufflepuff would have tried to help AJ from their place in Aurora’s old seat. A Gryffindor would have been the ne to suddenly get up and move herself so she was sitting next to AJ. But he didn’t let himself become bothered by it. AJ was used to being close to people. “What’s weird?” He asked her in a soft voice. He had completely forgotten about the letter and his family, which was good…until the sad memories of his past and the shaky thoughts of his future returned.

[Aurora Chan]

“Yeah…” Aurora murmured dazedly, her eyes stuck to AJ’s. There was something mesmerisingly familiar about this boy. Why hadn’t she ever noticed it before? Probably because whenever she saw him, he was always so loud and happy, and there hadn’t been a single moment for her to approach him like so and converse. It had always felt like AJ was really out of reach, and Aurora had chosen not to pursue any friendship with him. She hadn’t deemed him ‘unworthy’ or anything like that. Aurora just didn’t make time to make friends on purpose, she didn’t seek people out and target them. The way she liked to live was by chance; if someone happened to stumble her way, she would do her best to get to know them, but if ‘fate’ had other plans, Aurora didn’t go out of her way to change things. She was someone who liked to go with the flow… there were people who fought hard against the current called life, but Aurora was still riding that wave. But this wave, it could be unpredictable and unruly. One moment you were soaring high, the next you could come crashing down without mercy. Aurora wasn’t a risk-taker, but this – life – was one risk she couldn’t not take, one she could not hide from or avoid.

Aurora sat in silence. The book felt heavy in her hands as the firelight danced on the smooth contours of her skin. Gingerly she fiddled with the edge of the black-covered novel, her fingers brushing against multiple thin pages. Aurora’s eyelashes fluttered in the dim lighting, weary from the day’s toil, and she knew she had to sleep soon. She glanced quickly at AJ, wondering what he was thinking. Gazing on his passive face, Aurora suddenly realised how weary her fellow classmate looked. She had never really watched AJ Murphy properly, as she had never had any reason to. Aurora didn’t like to prod and pry, and she had never been a curious person. AJ had always seemed like just another boy to her, but Aurora knew with a familiar pang of understanding that there was another story behind those eyes, behind that person he was during school time and around his friends. Everyone wore at least one mask. Aurora knew too well the truths that lay beneath one’s private mind.

Aurora almost jumped when AJ spoke again and quickly averted her eyes out of nervousness. They settled on the burning embers in the fireplace, and began to speak slowly again. Her quiet voice was a dull echo in the Student Lounge, barely audible, but loud enough for AJ to hear. Aurora had a secret inner fear at the moment that if she spoke too loud, then the entire world would know everything, would hear everything. Their surroundings were just so silent. “What’s weird?” Aurora repeated, rolling her own words around her tongue. “What’s weird is… I don’t know. This silence is weird. This situation is weird. The fact I’m sitting next to you, alone, here, is weird. The fact you don’t seem yourself is weird.” Aurora stopped, before backtracking hastily. “Um, I mean, not that I know who you really are, AJ. I didn’t mean that. Uh…” Feeling cornered by invisible forces, Aurora shook her head frantically. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what I’m saying. I just got caught up in the moment, and… you know. You do remind me of someone… and I just can’t remember who.” Her voice was soft and somewhat helpless. Somewhere she could feel a memory niggling, at the back of her mind, locked away in another one of those secret doors Aurora concealed from people. “I think that’s what’s weird.” Aurora finally concluded defeatedly. “You remind me of someone so much and I just can’t think of who.”

Aurora looked up and sent AJ a crooked, apologetic smile. “I’m talking rubbish, as usual.” Suddenly remembering that it was late, her eyes ever a reminder that she ought to be tucked up in bed, or at least preparing to, Aurora sifted up her left sleeve and glanced at her watch. “Oh goodness, look at the time,” She muttered anxiously under her breath. “AJ, we had best get going… it’s late. Very late.” Carefully she rested her right hand on AJ’s wrist, shaking him gently. “Will you come with me? If you’re found it won’t be good. I suppose you might not care about the consequences,” (AJ had never been a rule-keeper, from what Aurora had witnessed in the last six years), “But I would hate to think you’d gotten into trouble and I hadn’t even tried to help.” Standing up, Aurora straightened out her robes, one hand holding her novel, the other still resting on AJ’s wrist as she bent down to him with kind, soft eyes. Her shadow fell across AJ’s limp figure, her back obscuring the ashes of light that had lit up AJ’s almost expressionless face. “Come on,” Aurora murmured quietly, “Will you come with me?”

[AJ Murphy G6]

AJ was getting tired. It must have been past eleven. He wondered what someone like Aurora Chan was doing up so late. Everyone was already warm and cozy in their four poster beds and AJ was here. It was lucky that AJ had only received this letter now, or else he would have been in serious trouble…in AJ’s opinion. AJ’s idea of trouble was much different than most people’s idea of trouble. If he had opened that letter…at breakfast perhaps, then AJ would have a problem. During the day, the whole school would be able to see him like this. Right now, AJ was vulnerable. He wasn’t his normal self. He was tired, a bit depressed, and angry at the world. His mind was consumed with thoughts of his family and his future. Aurora was right. This wasn’t like AJ at all. He was normally conceited, over confident, happy, and mischievous. Not now, though. Nope, now AJ was a different man, and it killed him that even one person could see that. AJ liked to hide things like this. It was something that made his step-sister Angel very angry, but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing after all. He didn’t want anyone to see the real him. The real him was so much different that the AJ that people went to classes (or skipped classes) with everyday. If only they knew what was going on behind closed doors.

He looked up. The ball of paper was still wadded up into a bag in his hand, which was beginning to sweat a little. He supposed it was just because he was right near the fire. No, it had nothing to do with the fact that Aurora was here, seeing him like this. Aurora was pretty and all, but she wasn’t AJ’s type. And he would much rather only Aurora see AJ in such a vulnerable state than a person with more social power at school. He didn’t want the news of tonight to extend to anyone’s ears. No one could know of AJ’s life beyond Hogwarts. All they needed to know was what they knew already. Truthfully, that wasn’t a whole lot. All his classmates knew were the obvious things like his house year and age. They knew that he was a trouble maker and they knew he didn’t particularly like his classes or his professors. Beyond the obvious, his classmates knew nothing about him, and he wanted to keep it that way. He didn’t want to get too personal with anyone. He always did consider himself as one that was hesitant to trust and definitely one that liked to have his secrets. It was part of the reason girls thought him to be so mysterious. He never told anyone the entire story, but always left them wanting more. It was the way he worked. Some people thought his ways of thinking were stupid, even pathetic. But AJ thought his ideals for living were smart. If he didn’t get close to anyone, no one could hurt him. It was as simple as that.

Aurora was obviously still her usual self though. She started babbling on about things that were weird. Her words were very personal, and AJ wasn’t sure if he liked that. She talked like she really knew AJ, when they had only really talked seriously once. They weren’t good friends or anything, and AJ didn’t even know what he was still doing here. But then she corrected herself. “I’m talking rubbish, as usual.” She admitted with a self conscious smile. It was kind of cute. “Don’t worry about it. And I’d be glad to walk you to your common room. And you’re right, I don’t really care about the consequences, but I suppose I am a bit tired.” He yawned, and casually threw the paper into the fire. As he did so, he felt his old personality returning to him. AJ imagined the balled up piece of paper burning to a crisp in the embers of the fire and smirked a bit.

“Well, I’ll see you around Aurora.” He said as they approached the door to the Hufflepuff common room. He knew that as a Gryffindor, he probably shouldn’t have much knowledge of where the Hufflepuff common room was, but he had been inside all four common rooms over the years. He probably knew this castle better than Filch did, and almost as well as the Weasley twins who graduated years before AJ. He remembered those two red headed goofballs. He looked up to them a lot. He smirked a bit as he turned around and headed back for the Gryffindor common room to finally get some sleep.

[Aurora Chan]

Aurora smiled in encouragement when AJ agreed to follow her. “Oh, you don’t have to. I’ll be fine. I’m not eight years old, you know.” She teased playfully, quite touched AJ was this courteous, though that was perhaps part of his natural womanising charm; people like Ari and Harmony found it irritating or flustering, but Aurora just brushed it off and didn’t react to it at all. That had always been her method of dealing with people ‘chatting her up’, so she wasn’t wary if AJ made some sort of move on her. Anyway, after regarding him tonight, Aurora had a different view of AJ; she was sure he wasn’t inside only the boy he appeared to be. There was more, she was sure, underneath that face, and she would leave it to rest where it belonged. Still, his offer to walk her back to the Common Room seemed to stand, and Aurora was grateful for it. Glad of his accompaniment (Aurora was wary of wandering the dark corridors so late at night alone, though she mused in amusement, it probably was Ari’s dream for such an opportunity), she stood to one side and waited for him to collect himself. He threw a scrunched up piece of paper into the burning embers, the two of them watching the white change to black cinders in a matter of seconds. It was the first time Aurora had noticed that AJ had been holding something; he had evidently been gripping it so tightly that Aurora had failed to catch sight of any residue paper; she had just thought he had a very tight fist from emotional turmoil.

The two of them headed out of the Student Lounge in silence, Aurora walking slightly in front and AJ behind a few steps, despite the fact he was a good deal taller than her, and he had a longer stride. Aurora walked quickly, her eyes darting around the dark corridors in a bit of fear. It wasn’t the dark she was afraid of, but it unnerved her, this stillness and silence, so ominous and pressing. You never knew if something might jump out at you; it was Hogwarts, for goodness sake, a place where portraits had ‘living’ (or at least, moving and talking) inhabitants, and where ‘living’ (or, yes, at least, moving and talking) ghosts floating through walls and even interrogating the corridors like some sort of terrorist. It made Aurora’s nerves stand on end, however much Hogwarts was her second home. She just didn’t feel safe. Still, with AJ by her side, she felt much better; as though protected. The company was reassuring for her nerves.

Finally they reached the portrait hole of the Hufflepuff Common Room. Aurora turned back to AJ to thank him just as he was saying his goodbyes. She smiled softly. “Yeah. Thanks for walking me back.” She said to him with genuine appreciation. AJ turned and began to depart, and Aurora stood outside the Common Room to watch him go, his back and footsteps fading away into darkness and silence. Once he was long gone, Aurora turned to the portrait to mutter the password in low tones. The inhabitant of the Hufflepuff’s guardian grumbled about having to be awake and on duty even so late at night, causing Aurora to apologise with a wry smile and enter the safety, familiarity, and warmth of the Common Room. No one was around, save the bright light of the fireplace that echoed that of the Student Lounge’s. Smiling to herself, Aurora hurried up the stairs to her dormitory to find her fellow Hufflepuff sixth years fast asleep. Changing into pyjamas as quickly as possible, Aurora crawled into bed, and for the first time in days she had a solid night’s worth of sleep. No mid-night wake ups, no light sleeping, no nightmares; just deep, deep slumber.

((I normally am quite needy for closures for my characters, hence me rounding off our post. Thanks for a great post!))