Chapter 4
After class ended Tom wanted the knights to meet in their room, so instead of heading back to the common room the four of them made their way there.
Abraxas, Flaco, and Felix were already sitting, waiting for them. Aurora noticed that the round table that used to be in the room was now a rectangle one.
Aurora and Alexander shared a look because they were both unsure of where to sit. Tom watched as they both went to sit across from each other at the opposite end of the head of the table.
“Aurora, sit to my left across from Abraxas, Falco move down to the corner, and Alexander sit beside Aurora across from Nicholas. This will be your seats starting today until I tell you otherwise.”
Tom sat down at the head of the table and noticed Aurora look at Abraxas, he watched as Abraxas gave her a small smile. It filled him with rage.
“Abraxas, how has your task been going?”
“Good, my father said that anything we need we can have, I just need to purchase it.”
Tom nodded his head, “Falco?”
“I don’t have any leads on the cup. Sorry, My Lord.”
“Disappointing, but not surprised. Aurora, I thought you were a knight?”
Tom watched as confusion washed over her face, but it only lasted a second before it was replaced with annoyance.
“I’m here, aren’t I?”
“You weren’t with us during lunch? Care to explain?”
Aurora squinted slightly before answering him, “I wasn’t aware that having every meal together was mandatory.”
“Where did you go?”
“I had lunch with the Blacks and Eileen Prince. It was in an empty classroom.”
“I didn’t realize that hanging out with them was more important than doing your duty.”
Aurora rolled her eyes, “I didn’t realize I couldn’t have friends.”
Tom wanted her to apologize and submit but her defiant nature made her a fighter, he slammed his fist on the table and watched as all the other knights looked down at their hands.
“Don’t roll your eyes at me.”
Aurora laughed and got up from her chair.
“Aurora don’t.” Abraxas said. Tom could hear his pleading tone and it disgusted him.
Before she could reach the door Tom casted crucio and the room filled with Aurora’s scream. Alexander was by her side within seconds, trying to calm her but Tom knew that the pain she was feeling couldn’t be comforted.
Her screams started to dwindle and within a minute she began panting and gasping but she tried to stand, leaning on Alexander while grabbing the table to support her weight. She leaned against the table and stared at Tom, the look on her face and the fact that she was standing made Tom’s blood run cold.
His concentration broke due to her standing and that’s when she was finally free from the pain, she looked at him and closed her eyes as she steadied her breathing. Once she stopped breathing hard, she turned and reached for the door, and everyone watched as she walked out the door.
Once the door closed behind her Tom could feel the eyes shift from the door back to him, “You know what you’re supposed to be doing this evening. Don’t disappoint me. I’ll look after Aurora.”
She was moving slowly through the castle and the pain left over from the curse left her body feeling weak, she started to feel like she was going to faint. She almost made it to the common room when she heard someone call out her name. Aurora tried to act normal when Walburga walked over to her, she put on a fake smile but from the look on Walburga’s face she could see right through it.
“What happened?”
“Can you help me get to my room?”
“Of course.”
Walburga placed an arm around Aurora’s waist and helped her down the stairs and through the common room. Aurora went to go in the direction of her room, but Walburga pulled her in the opposite direction.
“I have something in my room that will help.”
Aurora nodded, “Okay.”
Once they reached Walburga’s room, they moved towards the bed so Aurora could sit down, she winced in pain while Walburga rummaged through her nightstand drawer. She pulled out an orange potion and handed it to Aurora, “What is it?”
“It’ll restore your energy and strength; I made it myself. I’ve been through the same thing as you.”
There was silence between the two girls and Aurora uncorked the potion bottle and drank it eagerly. It tasted sweet which was a welcoming surprise. She could feel the potion working almost immediately.
“Thank you, I feel better already. You’re great at potion making.”
Aurora looked up at Walburga and watched as her aura shimmer with red, Aurora could feel herself blushing slightly, “I don’t have access to my accounts yet but –“
Walburga cut her off, “You don’t owe me anything. So stop.”
Walburga sat on the bed beside her and looked in her eyes, “Who did this?”
Aurora looked down at her hands, unsure if she should say but deep down, she knew that Walburga knew who was responsible, she just wanted Aurora to say it aloud.
“Show me.”
Aurora raised an eyebrow and Walburga tapped her forehead.
“Open your mind, a partial opening. The memory of what happened.”
“I’m not sure if I can do that without letting everything else spill out.”
“Okay, well, then, remember the memory, feel the memory and push it out of your mind into mine.”
“How?”
“Close your eyes, steady your breathing and remember the event.”
Aurora did as she was told and when she had the memory in her mind she nodded.
Walburga grabbed her hand, “Think about sending it to me. Like mailing a letter.”
Aurora tried for a moment before she opened her eyes and sighed, “I can’t.”
“Try again.”
So, she did, about three or four times again until on the fifth try Walburga gasped and squeezed Aurora’s hand which made Aurora want to stop but she didn’t because Walburga said not to.
Once the memory was done Aurora’s eyes flung open and so did Walburga’s, she brushed Aurora’s hair slightly.
“I’m sorry that happened to you. You should take revenge.”
“How? He’s stronger than I am.”
“Take what he wants, destroy his dreams and ambitions. Men have fragile egos; it will destroy him to watch you with everything he’s ever wanted.”
Aurora smiled at the thought of destroying him, of watching him revert to a weak nobody.
“How did you repel the curse?”
“I thought about my parents, the stories they used to tell me about our ancestors, how they survived horrific life altering events and I thought about how ashamed they would be if they saw me brought to my knees like that.”
“Remarkable. It’s very hard to do that.”
The two girls sat there for a few moments longer before Eileen walked in, “Oh, shoot, sorry I didn’t know.”
“It’s okay, I was um- just leaving.”
“Oh, no, stay, I’m just grabbing a book. Ignore me and go back to your moment.”
Eileen quickly grabbed her book and was out the door within a minute, there was a moment of silence before Walburga spoke again.
“I’m serious Aurora, you’re extremely talented. Whatever he is planning you could do it better.”
“He has the allegiance of too many influential heirs.”
Walburga smiled and brushed another strand of Aurora’s hair behind her ear, “You’re a beautiful young woman. That alone will make his little group of followers easy to sway. And you already won my favour. I’m the oldest of the current generation of my family, which makes me slightly influential even though I’m not a male heir.”
“It will be a lot of work. He’s smart and he’ll see it coming if I oppose him.”
“So, don’t. Play into his fantasy. Make him blind to your own ambition by embracing his.”
Aurora could see the plan formulate within her mind; a smile crept onto Aurora’s face, and she began to nod her head. Walburga smiled and laughed, “It’ll be fun.”
“I need you to teach me how to be a better occlumens and legilimens, the first task he’s given me is to eventually learn how to telepathically speak to each other. He wants to practice with me, he’ll see in my mind and vice versa but I need to block out memories and thoughts so he can’t see what I’m planning.”
“I can help you, projecting a memory like we just did is a great start. It will take some time but you’re a natural, so it’ll be easier.”
“Thank you, I appreciate your help.”
“You should go now; someone will probably be looking for you.”
Aurora got up and said her goodbyes, she made it back to her room and suddenly felt to tired, she laid on her bed and she touched the necklace that was left for her. She rolled onto her side and started thinking about all the ways she wanted to make Tom pay for what he had done to her. Of course, she had understood why he had done it, but it didn’t make her feel any else angry. The knock on her door didn’t surprise her but it the person standing on the other side did.
“Are you going to invite me in?”
Aurora stepped aside as she watched Tom enter her room and he took a seat on her bed, she closed the door and leaned against it.
Tom looked at her but refused to say anything, so they stayed like that for a few minutes just engaging in a stubborn battle of silence. Aurora knew that he would want to win, that he needed the win after what had happened early, so she gave it to him. She spoke first.
“You hurt me.” Her voice was slightly hoarse. Tom patted a spot on the bed next to him. Aurora found herself moving and sitting beside him.
“It needed to be done, you can’t make a mockery of me and not expect to be punished for it.”
Aurora looked down at her hands and sighed, “So, what now?”
Tom looked at her, but she refused to return his gaze, “Get closer to the Blacks, they’re an influential family that I haven’t been able to charm yet. They won’t even give me the time of day. We will begin practicing in two weeks. Keep having lunch with them, gain their favour, understood?”
“Yes.” She looked at him then. He only met her gaze for a moment before getting up and glancing around her room, that’s when he noticed it.
The tiny box that once held the necklace that was around her neck, he picked up the note that had been attached to it and flipped it over uncovering the initials on the back.
“I want you to stay away from Malfoy, I don’t need him distracted from his own mission.”
Aurora nodded her head and watched as Tom walked to the door, he had just put his hand on the doorknob before turning back to look at her once more.
“How did you stand after I cursed you?”
Aurora got up off the bed and walked to him, he straightened his stance so the two of them were standing in front of each other. His back was pressed against the door and Aurora could feel a sliver of nervousness radiate through the air, “I’ll show you.”
She placed her hand on his neck, her thumb rested along his jawbone, he tried to pull away from her, but he was already pressed against the door. He was stuck between the door and her, and she knew that it would make him uncomfortable. The closeness of their bodies helped Aurora summon enough emotion to push the memory into his mind and within seconds he closed his eyes and began breathing heavy, just like Walburga had earlier. The memory was short and sweet, it was the pain she was feeling and flashes of her parents that had given her the strength she needed to fight off his attack.
The pain that he was experiencing from the memory made him lean slightly forward, resting his forehead against her own. Aurora could feel the last of his heavy breaths on her cheek and when she was done showing him the memory, he opened his eyes and gazed into hers. She pulled her hand away from his neck and took a step back, letting him have some space, she noticed that he was slightly flushed and once he was composed again, he looked at her his eyes tracing the shape of her silhouette before he stopped and settled his gaze on the necklace Abraxas had given her.
He took a step towards her and touched the necklace briefly before tugging on it, the force jerked Aurora forward crashing into him and snapping the clasp of the necklace.
Aurora looked up at him and her face started to flush, she watched as he slipped the necklace into his pocket as he turned to leave her room.
As Tom walked to his dorm room, he couldn’t help himself from sticking his hand in his pocket and touching the necklace that had been around Aurora’s neck.
What she had done just now was proof that she would be an incredible asset to him, he would just have to break her first.
As he entered their room, he noticed that Abraxas was laying on his bed staring at the ceiling. He didn’t acknowledge Tom’s entrance, so he cleared his throat.
“How is she?”
“She’s fine, seems to be walking normally and without any pain.”
“She’s remarkable, how do you think she did it?”
Tom could feel his anger start to bubble but he repressed it and tried to display confusion, “I have no idea.”
That’s when Abraxas looked at Tom, the two of them just stared at each other for a moment, before Abraxas said something.
“The tickets and accommodations have been arranged for the trip to Albania. Have you decided who you’re taking yet?”
Tom sighed, “Not yet, I want to see who fulfills their assignments before I reward them with this task.”
Abraxas sat up suddenly, “My parents said that you could come for the Christmas break if you wanted, and my father really hasn’t heard much about Aurora aside from that apparently her grandfather was a friend of Cygnus Black’s, and that the Buck family have been located in Canada and the US before the countries were even called that. They’re an extremely old family and wealthy as well.”
“I’ll keep that in mind, and that’s probably why Walburga and Aurora sought each other out. They’re cut from the same cloth, it’s a good way for us to get close to the Blacks.”
Tom noticed that Abraxas began drumming his fingers, he only ever did that when he was nervous or when he was keeping something a secret.
“What are you not telling me?” Tom asked with a slightly harsher tone than he expected.
Abraxas sat up and was turned away from him, he opened the drawer of his nightstand and handed the letter to Tom.
Tom quickly scanned the letter taking in the information that Abraxas had just told him and then when he got to the last paragraph, he understood why Abraxas was nervous. Tom handed the letter back to him, “You always knew this would happen, at least they’re giving you options. Half of the knights won’t be so lucky; they’re already practically engaged.”
“I know, it just… I’m too young to be thinking about marriage. We have so much work to do. It just feels like there’s no time.”
“Everything that needs to happen will happen when the time is right, so don’t worry about that.”
Abraxas nodded and Tom watched as he got up, “What are you doing?”
“I wanted to talk to Nicholas about something earlier, but I forgot. So, I’m going to do that now, I’ll see you at dinner.”
Tom watched as Abraxas walked out the door and once he knew that there was no chance of him coming back, he took the necklace out of his pocket and placed it on his desk. He sat there for a moment just starring at the necklace, he was impressed she could do that, but it worried him.
Tom closed his eye as he replayed her memory in his mind as if it was his own, he watched her in pain and then he saw the flashes of her parents. In the memories they never smiled, and Aurora looked almost identical to her mother but had the same piercing eyes as her father.
It made Tom slightly uncomfortable when he saw her father, it was as if he was staring right into what was left of his soul. Flashes of herbs and antique portraits were also visible in the memory.
When Tom opened his eyes, he thought back on one of the first conversations he had with her, she was talking about how knowledge was passed down between generations. Is that how she was taught to repel the cruciatus curse? Enduring that kind of pain and willing herself to stand regardless of it, he had underestimated her. His mind just kept thinking about what happened earlier, replaying it, trying to understand the skill. Trying to understand the power that was within her.
She was getting her books ready for astronomy when there was a knock on her door, she stopped what she was doing and called out for the person to enter.
The door opened and Abraxas walked in, “Hey.”
His anxiety radiated through the air and Aurora could feel it start to affect her too, “What’s wrong?”
Abraxas smiled, but in a way that was filled with sorrow, “Nothing. I just wanted to check on you.”
She walked to him and stood in front of him, “Don’t lie to me. Tell me what’s wrong.”
Abraxas looked down at her, his eyes settling on where the necklace used to be.
Aurora knew that he noticed, and she moved back to sit on the bed, she beckoned him to come sit with her and he did.
“Seriously, what’s wrong?”
“Everything. I should-“
Aurora stopped him, “No, don’t do that. He would have turned on you as well if you had stopped it from happening.”
Abraxas’ eyes widened, “How do you do that? Know what I’m thinking before I’ve even formed the thought?”
Aurora smiled, “It’s a gift, I guess. But seriously, there’s something else isn’t there?”
Abraxas was quiet for a moment, “I just don’t – know if I’m made for this life.”
“What do you mean?”
“My father expects me to marry after graduation and if I were to be honest, I’m not sure that I want to rush it.”
“You want to be in love, instead of being a pawn.”
He looked down and smiled at his hands, “You’re too smart.”
“I know, it’s a curse and a blessing. Can I tell you something? And it needs to stay between us.”
Abraxas looked back up at her then, almost confused but then he agreed not to tell anyone. “I swear on my life.”
She took a deep breath before starting to speak, “I’m not sure if I can do what he wants.”
She was unsure if she should keep going but Abraxas reached for her hand and used his thumb to stroke the top of her hand. “It will get easier. I promise.”
“I don’t want it to get easier, I want to be in control. Of my decisions, over my own life. I’ve been here for only a few days, and I feel like I’m being suffocated.”
Abraxas squeezed her hand, he whispered, “I know.”
“He told me to stay away from you.”
“What?” He looked directly at her with confusion.
She nodded, “He says I’m a distraction to you and your mission.”
“Is that why you took the necklace off?”
“I didn’t take it off, he removed it.”
Anger flashed on Abraxas’ face before he spoke again, “He always needs to be the most important person, he can never let anyone be happy without his consent.”
Aurora sighed, “What are we going to do?”
Abraxas released Aurora’s hand and began fidgeting with one of his rings, it was silver with a round garnet in it. He slid it off his finger and held it in front of her, “I want you to have this. Until we get the necklace back.”
She held her hand out and he slipped the ring into her index finger, and it fit perfectly.
“It’s you and me, okay?” Abraxas’ voice was soft.
She smiled and nodded, “You and me.”
Abraxas left a couple of moments after he put the ring on her finger and Aurora wondered if she would be able to turn him against Tom, she doubted that it would be easy, but she wanted to try.
Dinner was about to be served so she headed to the common room in search of anyone that would walk with her, but no one was around. She walked to the Great Hall and entered, she looked at the Slytherin table and none of the knights were to be seen. It almost made her worried but then she saw Walburga and the rest of her friends waving her over. She smiled and proceeded to walk over to them, there was a spot across from Walburga that was free, so Aurora sat down.
“I’m surprised that you’re not sitting with the others.” Walburga said with a smirk.
“I’m not exactly sure where they are.”
“Well, I’m glad you don’t, now you can sit with us.” Alphard was the one to say this.
Aurora smiled at the table, but it was Walburga that spoke, “How did your classes go?”
“They went well, I have astronomy later this evening and I’m excited for it.”
“It’s a good course, especially if you already know the basics.”
They continued talking about classes and professors, the table got slightly quiet, and Aurora knew why. She glanced towards the entrance, and there they were, the six of them walked into the room and only Abraxas, Alexander, and Falco looked in her direction.
As they walked by Aurora met Tom’s gaze and he gave her a nod before stopping behind her, he signalled for the rest of them to keep going so they did. Once they were out of earshot he bent down and whispered something into her ear.
“I want to talk to you, after dinner, you know where.”
She nodded but refused to say anything, once he walked away, she made direct eye contact with Walburga, and she raised her eyebrows. Aurora rolled her eyes and they both laughed, she could feel the gaze of the knights on her, and she wanted to look back at them but knew that it wasn’t a good idea.
Once dinner was done and the conversation started to dwindle, they all said their goodbyes and agreed to meet for lunch tomorrow. Once it was just Walburga, Alphard, and Aurora they walked into an empty corridor and that’s when Walburga turned to Aurora, “Have you thought more about what we talked about? Don’t worry about him, he’s on your side.”
“I always thought that he acted like a god above the rest of us, it’d be nice to see him knocked down a few pegs.” Alphard smirked when he said it.
Aurora looked around before speaking, “I think that it will be easy to sway some of them, I’d hope to have Abraxas on my side, but I fear he may be too loyal to him.”
“What about the others?”
“Alex, Falco, and Felix might be easier targets but it’s hard to tell.”
The two siblings nodded, and Aurora continued talking, “We need to find a way to isolate them from him.”
“We could start a club, it could be under the guise of a game or politics, like chess or for the future heirs of noble families.” Alphard said.
“That’s an idea, I think that Aurora should continue being friends with them before we start to break them apart, maybe by Christmas they will like her better than him and it will be easier.”
“We’re having a New Years gala, that would be a good place to begin recruitment.” Alphard said. “You should come, bring a plus one.”
“Sounds like a decent enough plan to execute, and that sounds like fun.” Aurora looked at her watch, “Oh, shoot, I should get going, I don’t want to make him wait.”
“Have fun.” Walburga rolled her eyes.
“Wait, there’s another thing, one of my missions is to befriend you and your family. He wants you to join his cause.”
Both siblings scoffed at the idea, but it was Alphard that spoke, “If we pretend to join, it will be easier to flip the others.”
Walburga nodded in agreement, “Let’s discuss this more tomorrow at lunch.”
“Sounds good.”
Aurora watched as the two of them walked away, before turning and heading toward the meeting room. Once the entrance opened before her, she walked inside the room to see him waiting there for her.
“Sorry, if you’ve been waiting long. Walburga wouldn’t stop talking.”
Tom looked up at her then, he couldn’t exactly meet her gaze because of what happened earlier. So, he just motioned for her to sit down, he went back to reading his book, she came and sat down close to him.
“I wrote out the list of books that you should read.”
“Thank you.”
The two of them sat in silence before Tom spoke again, “I’m sorry about using the cruciatus curse on you.”
“You really shouldn’t say things that you don’t mean. You wanted to make sure that the rest of the knights saw your ruthlessness, it was a deliberate message.”
Tom could feel himself smiling, he finally put his book down and looked at her, “You’re right, it was.”
“I suppose I understand the show of strength.”
“I knew you would understand, that’s why it had to be you. If I had done it to someone else, they would have rebelled against me but look at us, sitting here discussing affairs as if nothing had happened. What did you talk about? With the Blacks?”
“Mostly about my classes, they mentioned a New Years gala that they’re family is hosting.”
“Were you invited?”
“Yes, I can bring a guest which was nice of them to offer.”
“That’s all you talked about?” Tom seemed sceptical.
“Yeah, it was an actually tame dinner. They also talked a lot about other students, mostly rumours and hearsay.”
Tom nodded, “You’re having lunch with them tomorrow?”
“Yes.”
“Good, I need them to join our cause, this is your only task. Don’t fail me, Aurora.”
“I won’t.”
“You’re dismissed.” Tom said in a low voice.
“Can I ask you something? Before I leave.”
He looked up at her and nodded.
“Why are you recruiting me when I’m leaving in two years?”
Tom was shocked to hear her say that because he hadn’t thought that far into his and Aurora’s future.
“I’m only here for school but then my parents expect me to return home, so I can help you for as long as I’m here but there’s nothing in it for me. I’m not getting anything out of it.”
Tom stood and looked down at Aurora, she looked up him and met his eye contact.
His heart started beating fast, “You’re planning on leaving?”
“That has always been the plan, but I’d change it. If you asked me, if you gave me a reason to stay.”
“What exactly do you want?” Tom sat back down.
“What do you have to offer?”
Tom knew that she was a strong witch, that she would be an asset, but she was dangerous and reckless.
“You could replace Abraxas.” He knew that saying that would get her attention.
“He’s good for politics though, it’d be a mistake to dismiss him.”
“I wouldn’t fully dismiss him, just reassign. If, you become my second in command, you’d have to be obedient Aurora, you’d have to live and breathe this cause.”
He leaned in closer and held out his hand, he watched as she hesitated at first but then she slipped her hand into his.
“Go into my mind. Abraxas knows some of the things I’ve done but not all of it. Let me show you everything. Then you can decide if you want this, if you will stand by my side and build an empire with me, not for me.”
He brought down his guard and she moved into his mind; he could feel her probing around learning about all the heinous things he has done. After watching the murders of his family members, he assumed that she would pull her hand from his, but she never did. Once she was done looking through his mind, she opened her eyes and turned over his hand, so it was on top, he was confused at first but then she did something so unexpected. She kissed the back of his hand and his chest started to tighten; he closed his eyes a moment before gazing back at her. The golden brown of her eyes captivated him like nothing had ever done before, he leaned forward and kissed her. Her lips were soft, and he thought that she might pull away, but she didn’t, she surprised him by bringing her free hand to his neck like she had done earlier. He kissed her aggressively and she bit his lip, that’s when he had to stop himself.
He was the one to pull away first, terrified at his own actions and emotions.
She looked almost hurt that he pulled away, but then the hurt in her eyes was replaced with spite, “Make me your second in command, I won’t disappoint you.”
He felt like his voice was stuck in his throat and couldn’t say anything, his heartbeat was pounding in his chest, so he just stayed silent.
That’s when she pulled her hand out of his and leaned back, “Make your decision and let me know what exactly it is that you want. I’ll keep hanging out with the Black family and until you decide what you want from me, I think it’s better if I refrain from coming to meetings, if that’s alright. It’ll help keep me away from Abraxas as well, which is a bonus for you.”
He still couldn’t say anything, and he watched as she got up and left. When the door finally shut, he let out a sigh, he began replaying everything that was said, everything that had happened.
He had never kissed anyone before but the softness she had shown him after witnessing his crimes compelled him to touch her, he wanted to be close to her. Thinking about what happened made him want to curl up into a ball and die, he hadn’t planned on interacting with her like that, but it felt good.
Aurora walked back to her room; she was shocked that tonight had played out like it had. She knew that he wouldn’t tell anyone about what had happened and that would work in her favour. As she entered the common room, she noticed Falco and Felix playing chess by the fireplace.
“Well, if it isn’t my two favourite Slytherins.” She sat down on the couch beside Falco.
“Hey pretty girl.” Felix said with a wink.
“Who’s winning?”
“Me, obviously.” Falco said with a smile.
Felix rolled his eyes and shook his head. “How are you feeling after-“
A slight blush settled over his face as he looked down at the chessboard, he moved a pawn as he looked back up at Aurora.
“I’m feeling great. Walburga gave me a potion that helped with the pain.”
“You’re getting close to them?” Felix asked. He sighed as Falco moved one of his knights to capture Felix’s remaining rook.
“It’s my mission, to get close to them. He wants them to join his cause, so I’ll do my best to deliver them.”
“My job is to recruit, I need at least six underlings before Christmas break.” Felix said.
“Your task should be easy for you; you have a natural talent when it comes to talking to people.”
Aurora giggled, “Falco’s right. You’re the charismatic one.”
“At least your tasks are people based, I have to look for the Hufflepuff cup. Nobody knows where it is, so I have absolutely no leads. At least I have the rest of the year to hunt it down.”
“What do you think Avery’s and Nott’s missions are?”
“Nott is a genius, so probably something to do with research and Avery knew how to find the Ravenclaw’s diadem so I’m sure they have easier tasks.”
“I think he regrets inviting me.” Aurora said quietly.
Falco met her gaze then, “No, you’re smart and skilled. You’re exactly the type of person he needs. Like, yeah, you might be a burden because you’re disobedient, but you could have a worse flaw.”
Both Felix and Aurora laughed, “Wow, thanks Falco… I should go get my things from my room for astronomy. I’d hate to be late. Enjoy your game.”
Both Falco and Felix bid her a good evening and as she walked away, she could hear Falco call out checkmate.
Astronomy went by quickly; the content was interesting, and she was happy that Hogwarts had this class. The only negative would be that Tom had transferred into this class, he sat with Alexander and Aurora sat with Nicholas, he refused to look at her and she started to doubt if kissing him back was the right thing to do.
After class ended the four of them walked back to the dungeons, they walked in silence and once they were back in the common room Alex and Nicholas walked over to Felix and Falco who were still playing chess.
“I’m going to bed, goodnight.” Aurora said as she passed by them, she made eye contact with Tom and blushed before quickly looking away.
The knights said good night back and wished her sweet dreams, as she began her walk up the stairs, she could feel someone coming up behind her. She kept climbing the stairs so the person that was following her would have to come all the wall to her room.
Once she was in her room, she closed the door behind her quickly, her heart was beating fast and she non-verbally lit candles. The knock on her door was soft so she waited a moment before going to open it and when she finally did Tom was standing there.
She watched as he clenched his jaw before speaking, “May I come in?”
“Sure.” She stepped aside.
He sat on her bed, and she closed the door, she watched as he loosened his tie slightly, “I know I didn’t say anything earlier.”
“We don’t have to talk about that.”
“You didn’t tell anyone did you?”
“Of course not, I’d never betray your trust like that.”
He got up suddenly and Aurora moved away from the door thinking that this conversation was over. To her surprise he stood in front of her, inching closer until they were almost touching.
“I- Tom, I don’t know what you want from me.”
“Hold me.” His black aura started to shimmer with red and purple, his words and his actions shocked Aurora but she had to make a decision.
She placed her hands on his shoulders and wrapped them around him, he was a head taller than she was so he could comfortably rest his head atop of hers. Her ear was pressed against his chest, and she could hear his heartbeat. They stayed like that for a few minutes before Aurora went to pull away, his arms wrapped around her tighter. She giggled, “I just want to take my robe off.”
He nodded and released her, he mimicked her actions and proceeded to take his robe off as well.
Aurora moved closer to her bed and sat down on it; she watched as Tom walked over to the bed. The way she positioned herself on the bed gave Tom enough room to lay down, her back was against her headboard.
At first, he wasn’t sure what she was doing, but when she placed a pillow on her lap, she patted the bed. “You can put your head here.”
She used her softest voice, unsure of how he would react. Aurora watched as he hesitated, she could see that he was at war with himself, she knew that he didn’t want to give in, but the loneliness radiated from him.
He eventually did give in, and he laid on her bed, he placed his head on her pillow and his body was in-between her legs. He re-positioned himself to lay on his side, he gently placed one of his hands on her thigh. She was hesitant but eventually started brushing his hair with her fingers. His hair was soft, and she could smell his cologne, it was a mix of rosemary and sandalwood. He smelled like the earth, and it made her feel at peace.
“I wish we could stay like this forever.” He whispered in a sleepy voice.
She stopped brushing his hair and used the same hand to rub his back, “We could. We could run away and never look back.”
He lightly chuckled, “Do you think they would look for us?”
“They would look for you.”
“I don’t think they would.”
“Of course they would, you’re bringing purpose into their life.”
“I should get going.” He sat up suddenly and looked at her.
“You don’t have to. You can stay here with me.”
“It’s against the rules.”
Aurora smiled, “Like you haven’t broken the rules before.”
Tom leaned in and kissed her; Aurora closed her eyes and mimicked his movements.
He pulled away and when he looked at her Aurora, she made sure to put on her most pleading look. Tom let out a sigh before speaking, “The bed needs to be bigger.”
He casted engorgio and the bed doubled in size. Aurora smiled and got up from where she was sitting, she walked to her wardrobe and pulled out a similar nightgown to the one she wore last night.
“I have a sweater and some linen pants you can wear, if you want to wear them.”
Tom nodded and she handed him the clothes, she began changing and she could see him start to blush. After a few seconds he followed suit and began undressing, she would take a peek of him when she knew he wasn’t watching her. His body was lean, and she noticed some scars on his torso.
Once they were both dressed, they began blowing out the candles together, the last one left was the one on her nightstand. She let that candle continue burning while they both laid down next two each other. Aurora could feel his anxiety, so she laid on her side to look at him. She was looking at his side profile, Aurora moved herself closer to him and she placed her arm on his chest, and she grabbed his chin and tilted his head, so they were looking at each other. She could see the briefest of smiles on his face, her thumb traced his jaw. After several moments of them laying like that Aurora watched as Tom’s eyes started to flutter, he was getting tired. The two of them continued to get closer until they were completely intertwined with each other.
Sleep came easier to him tonight, he hated that he had become so attached to Aurora, but she made the storm in his head calm. He enjoyed the feeling of her being close to him and every time she touched him, he felt like their bodies melted together.
Tom knew that the closeness between the two of them couldn’t last, as much as he enjoyed this, he wouldn’t let himself get distracted from his goals.
As he laid there with his eyes closed thinking about how horrible this could end, she placed a kiss on his cheek and buried her head into the crook of his neck.
Earlier when he had told her that he wished they could stay there forever he meant it.