⬫◊ Aurora Black - chapter 13: a new home ◊⬫

Instructions

⬫◊ Chapter 13: A New Home ◊⬫ It was a typically summer day. The birds were singing, the small insects were buzzing around the fruit trees and the animals were sheltering from the heat staying in their burrows or cooling off in the nearest river. The bright midday sun reflected on the scarlet deck of the Hogwarts Express as it chugged along the tracks, carrying with it the next generation of wizards. “Is that the only thing Dumbledore told you?” Lyra asked her best friend. The director had summoned Aurora to his office a few days ago to talk about her future, since there was no one left for her to spend the summer with… or so she thought. Until Dumbledore had revealed the existence of her (unknown) godfather. "Yeah" Aurora answered simply. She didn't want to think about it. Aurora spent practically the entire trip walking between the different cars, saying goodbye to all her friends. She was going to miss them a lot. Much more than she would have thought at the beginning of the year, when she was still afraid of being unable to make friends. “Promise me you’ll write to me!” Lyra exclaimed as she hugged Aurora, getting off the train. “Don't doubt it” Aurora heard a voice behind her. “Aurora Black…how much you have grown.” It was a thirty-year-old man, with a tired appearance and a face full of scars. If it weren't for his expression and gentle features, Aurora would have run away in the opposite direction... but there was something about him that made her calm. “Hi” she said shyly. He gave her a wide smile. “Excuse me, I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Remus Lupin, your godfather” He lived in a small house on the outskirts, completely surrounded by countryside. It was somewhat old, and quite worn, as were its owner's clothes. It was very little compared to all the luxuries Aurora was used to, thanks to her old mansion, but, after the orphanage, that humble house seemed like a dream come true. It was cozy and had its own charm to it… someday she could call it home. As the days went by, she felt more and more comfortable with Remus. He was a peaceful and kind man, who was willing to listen to each and every one of his goddaughter's adventures. He would smile, laugh or make comments about what she said, regardless of the topic. Remus had become the closest thing Aurora had ever had as a father (that she could remember). And for that same reason, one day she mustered up the courage to ask him about her past while they were having dinner under the stars. “Remus… at Kings Cross you hinted that you had seen me before…” she said nervously. “You were friends with my parents, right?” He seemed surprised, and ran a hand through his disheveled hair before answering. “Your mother was one of my best friends, yes. Lucía was an extraordinary witch, very intelligent and empathetic… You are a lot like her, you know?” He smiled. Aurora looked at the ground and took a deep breath, trying to control her emotions. It had been over a year now, but it still hurt. "And my father?" "What do you know about him?" Seeing her shake her head, he continued. “I didn't know him. Just his name, Sirius Black” he said. However, Aurora clearly heard another sentence. *Remus, you've never told such a big lie in your life. Not knowing Sirius…* She opened her mouth wide. "What? Why do you lie to me?" she said, totally confused. He seemed even more confused. “Are you a legilimens?” “A what?” she said, starting to lose her cool. If there was one thing she couldn't stand it was lies, and she was still fighting back tears. “I should have known before…” he murmured. "It doesn't matter. I… Yes, I knew your father. We were classmates” Aurora couldn't contain herself anymore. “Stop lying! I want to know the truth for once in my life!” She raised her tone of voice. A tear rolled down her cheek. Remus looked at her compassionately and sighed. “He was my best friend, Aurora. Since my first year… but he didn't survive the war” And this time, she believed him. Because for him, the person languishing in one of Azkaban's highest security cells wasn't his friend. Because for him, the real Sirius had d¡ed the night he decided to betray James Potter. Remus tried to grab her hand as a sign of comfort, but she jumped up and ran to her room, crying like she hadn't cried in a long time. Because she already knew that her father couldn't stay alive, but hearing it out loud was too much. Aurora slammed the door of her room and slid with her back against it until she was sitting on the floor, hugging her legs and with her head buried between her knees. She spent a while like that until she heard a noise. She lifted her silver gaze to see an owl trying to get in. She wiped her eyes and stood up to open the window. When she read the return address on the envelope, it almost fell out of her hands. It was the same neat, elegant handwriting of the notes she had been receiving. And the name corresponded to the boy she had started liking months ago. Theo Nott.