Poker Face
To distract themselves from the burning call between them that was only intensifying as they pushed it away when they are so close. They communicated with their companions, nibbling on small portions of food although it didn't sit well in their stomachs. Aurora attempted to distract herself by playing with Umbra's tail who is happily eating the food Aurora was offering her.
Feeling the soft licks from her fingertips brought joy to her knowing that when things go south, she still has one companion who will stick by her side.
The girls with her started chatting among her peers, they were expressing how their thoughts on the castle which to them wasn't considered "perfect" in comparison to their own school. Aurora didn't really agree with them since she actually liked the change in scenery.
Beauxbaton is filled with light colors and sweet aroma but here.
She glances around the room.
It has a dark mysterious vibe to it, something that could attract light souls such as her into the darkness. Aurora was to focus on distracting herself so that she doesn't see Umbra hopping off the table and strolling her way around the room. She moves gracefully through the feet of the students and table. At this moment she was doing the technique Aurora and Olivia taught her, which was called, "Sensing".
Sensing was mainly Umbra recognizing the magical core of those around her so that shall anything happens, finding a said person will be easy for her to track. In her blue hue perspective, every witch, wizard, and living creature has its own personal magical color core inside them. It's also in this moment that Umbra can see when two cores are twined together, especially when they're soulmates.
This also leads to Umbra following curiously the ruby line that starts with Aurora to see where it leads. There on the other end was a boy and she tilts her small fur head confused about who he is since she has never met him before.
'Why is his core connected to my young mistress?'
Seeing the empty spot on the table in front of the group with the boy she was looking at. Umbra teleports in a blue mist and appears right in front of them. The majority of them were shocked and jumped back from her sudden appearance. A girl with wild curly black hair, that was caressing herself onto the boy's arm that Umbra was curious about shrieked to what Umbra would describe as a banshee.
Side eyeing the curly black-haired girl, she rolls her brown eyes and analyzes the mild shock brown-eyed boy in front of her. But of course, right before she had her chance to do so everyone around them was starting to get out of their spots, getting ready to call it a night.
Aurora frantically looked around above and underneath tables, the two of the girls with her stay helping her find her cat, "Ombre!!" (Umbra!!)
"Où êtes-vous?" (Where are you?)
There were fewer people in the great hall, feeling no other choice she reached for the whistle in her pocket until she saw Umbra in front of her soulmate.
"Ombre!" (Umbra!)
All heads turn to her and Aurora blushes when she realizes how loud she shouted.
Umbra turns to her mistress and happily meows shaking her tail as if saying, "Look at who I found!"
Aurora puts both her palms open as a sign for Umbra to hop on who does so, amazing the group again as the lynx cat teleports in a mist to the new girl's hands.
"Qu’est-ce que j’ai dit à propos de quitter ma vue?"
(What did I say about leaving my sight?)
Umbra meows pouting with a face as if saying, "To always stay where you can see me."
"Exactement." She cradles her close to her chest whispering, "Tu m'as fait peur."
(Exactly. You scared me.)
Rubbing the side of her face on the shirt she meows in a sense of apologies. Aurora sighs, shaking her head in a small tired smile. She looks up to the group, realizing then that they have been watched this entire time by the group.
Her pale cheeks flourished to a hot red, she completely forgets in a stuttering nervous mess to speak in English, and in a hurry to leave the room embarrassed she says quickly, "Je suis désolé!" (I am sorry!)
Aurora then rushes out of the Great Hall, her white hair covering her bright red face as everything felt hot to her. Behind her was the group of girls that stay to help that were calling out to her and trying to catch up.
But that only made her speed walk much more quickly, especially since she saw her godmother following the rest of the green robe students, she chased after her.
The Slytherin group's eyes followed her form, each was in awe and curious about her. Well except Bellatrix who was the first one to snap out of it and try to get a frozen Tom's attention.
But no matter what she did, it did nothing to pull him away from the fluttering feeling that was coming from his stomach. Something that he felt unease with since he had never felt this way before.
'Am I getting sick?'
'That must be it right?'
That can only be the correct explanation for why he was starting to feel these exhilarating feelings when before...everything in him felt hollow.
All of them began to get up from their spot and follow the rest of their companions to the dorm.
"Beauxbaton must be in France, right?"
"I believe so since that sounded like French-"
"Malfoy how would you know what French sounds like?"
"Because unlike you, I traveled around the world and have been in France a couple of times in the past."
'France? So that's where she was this entire time...'
"Oh yeaa?? Alright, them mister all know it all, tell us 'peasants'...what did she say?"
With an irritated sigh and eye roll he translated, "I am sorry."
"Sorry?", young Alecto Crow questioned.
"The brat must have been embarrassed." Bellatrix snickers as she skips in joy down the steps.
A rush of anger rush through him the word leaves his lips without his permission, "Bellatrix watch your mouth."
The aura surrounding him was suffocating them in fear. They didn't know what was going on with their leader and he wasn't going to tell them that either.
As far as he is concerned, it's none of their damn business anyway. All they had to concern themselves with was simply following his order without a complaint.
If only it stayed that way.
The group stopped walking. The dormitory entrance was only a few feet away from them. But even then in the dark corridor with only the torches to illuminate their way.
Tom's aura was deadly, far more terrifying than they had ever encountered. His minions couldn't even look him in the eyes as they all looked down in fear.
In the distance, Aurora, now in her shared room with the girls from her school, was gasping in shock, feeling a constant shiver of anger, a taste of blood-lust.
'No...stop...please...'
'How dare they make fun of her! Kill them!'
'No!' Aurora, who is dressed in her sleeping gown, quickly gets up from her bed and runs straight to the other end of the bond.
'What's wrong? What caused you to feel this way?'
Before he even had the chance to discipline them the door to the Dormitory opened. His dark gaze immediately softened by the sight of her. The group lifted their heads and tried to act normal thinking at first that it was their head house Professor.
"Umm.." Aurora blushes again now realizing that she didn't even think of a plan before rushing in blindly to the dark tug of the bond, which Olivia always scolds her for doing.
Tom tries his best to ease his anger down seeing how uncomfortable it was making her feel. Walking past his minion without a single look at them he focuses only on her as they now stand only a foot away from each other.
The rich smooth smell of cologne overrides her senses, so alluring sweet that makes her want to get closer and inhale it.
Let it be the only thing she can smell.
Tom realizes at this moment how different their height distance is. She only reaches just underneath his chin, her small figure is completely overshadowed by his tall broad figure.
'A cute kitten she is.'
Aurora couldn't bring herself to meet his eyes, just staring at his white button shirt and green silver tie. Her heart was already rapidly beating and breathing was becoming difficult for her.
This is how the romance and veela books describe the feeling of an intimate moment.
Nonetheless, reality isn't like the books and disappointment hit much harder in real life than it does in fantasy.
Tom walks by her without uttering a single word of acknowledging her presence. The group that is with him does the same quickly trying to catch up with him.
A cold wave feeling comes to her, noticing then that he was ignoring her on purpose. Aurora's heart broke a bit and she rapidly blinked the tears that were starting to form away.
'Maybe he wasn't in the mood to talk.'
'Maybe something happened to him and he is just frustrated.'
'That must be it right?'
It would explain the feeling she just felt a few minutes prior...
Now back in the dorm room, she makes her way to the bed she is now occupying pulling the cover and trying to make little movement as possible to not disturb her companions and Umbra who is asleep on the pillow next to her head.
'Maybe things will get better tomorrow morning?'
And with that thought of hope, Aurora fell asleep unknowing that reality was not like the books and having a happy ever after was very difficult and complicated that even a true love's kiss can't fix.
On the other side of the bond, Tom was having a mental breakdown in the shower but trying desperately to seal everything he is feeling away in an imaginary cage.
He can feel her peaceful emotion, which must mean that she is asleep.
Everything was happening too quickly: the mute was released, his soulmate is here that even his mind couldn't wrap itself around, he lost his composure too easily in a public area which is unacceptable, and even though a part of him, a huge part of him wanted to embrace her when they were so close to each other.
He couldn't bring himself to do it.
Not when the dominant side of him.
The much darker...lonely...angry...and heartbroken boy from the orphanage resurfaces from his thick layers.
Sure as a kid he was cruel and mean to the other kids and the adults there. Even when he received discipline from the leader of the orphanage it did nothing to break him.
Although everything changed that one night after getting another beating, they managed to break him, the same night he discovered he had magic, was when he was told as a kid that he would never find happiness in life.
Living in an orphanage reality hits the child with the solid fact, that you were not wanted in the beginning by your biological mother.
It's even a gamble of 50/50 when it comes to adoption and even then if you're not chosen it becomes another slap in the face of not being wanted by a couple.
And that's all Tom ever wanted in life.
Was to be wanted by someone.
It's that same night of him discovering his magic, that he was lying on the thin bed cushion underneath the thin rag blankets he heard a whimper behind him.
Ignoring it at first he thought that it was other kids that were crying themselves to sleep.
Since it was daily accordance when a child will cry in the silence of the night.
But the whimper continued.
Sighing irately he turned around to whisper to the kid crying to shut up.
And there she was.
Curled up hugging a pillow.
Lay in a place quite similar to his.
Fresh scars branded on her skin.
The moon's light reflected on her hair which shimmer like the cold snow of December.
But even then to Tom, she was still pretty.
A sense of protection and caring something that he never felt for anyone came to him.
His body betrays him as he reaches out to her.
His hand does not physically feel her skin.
'What would it feel like?' he wondered.
He moves his form to be closer to her, their noses ghostly touching.
"Snow."
That was the name he gave her since she never spoke to him. He couldn't tell if she understood him or not. But he could only hope that his presence was enough to make her feel wanted in this lonely world with him.
The rough texture of the walls brings him back to the present. Water pours down on his body, and still with his eyes closed he constipates on what to do now.
Should he take this opportunity to meet her?
Catch up for the lost time.
Ask her why did she block him away?
Or should he just ignore her?
After all.
Tom opens his eyes, and turns the shower off, grabbing a towel to wrap around his muscular and lean figure. Stepping out of the bathroom he enters his single dorm room where he gets the luxury to have to be a Perfect and all.
There in the glass wall of his room was the underneath depth of the lake. The light of the moon can no longer be seen below here.
'No, she doesn't deserve to be tied with my dark webs.'
'I can't provide her with that warmth love she deserves to feel.'
A tear made its way down his cheek, he must have been so out of focus with his own sense of awareness that he did not feel it.
There is no place for the warm light in the darkness.
For darkness will only devour and conquer all that it touches.
'She is too pure.'
His reflection he sees in the glass. Pitch black stares at him. The devil, the monster that lurks inside him. A stranger he has become, to many lies and masks warns that he has lost connection to himself. He touches the mirror, ghostly seeing the blood stains dripping from his arms and some on his chest on his mirrored self. The sadistic smile the other showed shocked away Tom and he pushed himself away from the glass turning his back to it.
His heartbeat pulse rings loudly in his ear as he tries to seal it away, afraid that she will feel it as she did before in front of the dormitory.
'Count backward....10...9...8...'
The bloodthirst slithered down, but it stilled remained lurking in the depth of his consciousness.
"Maybe it was always meant to be this way." He whispers to himself, grabbing onto his diary and looking through the pages.
His plans...
His desires...
Power.
So much power.
"After all, as the saying goes, the villains never get a happy ending." He closes the diary shut placing it on his desk that was in the corner.
Then, he puts his boxer and sweatpants on, turns off the lights, crawls onto his bed, and mentally begs for forgiveness to Aurora for what he is about to do.
~**∞**~
'Today is the day!!,' she thought to herself as the shiver of excitement swell deep.
'Today is the day, I will introduce myself.'
Dressed in her school uniform, she makes her way up the set of stairs to the room everyone always seems to hang out in. All her friends left for the Great Hall and Umbra wanted to go out for a stroll since this is a very new environment for them both.
All eyes focus on her.
Taking a deep breath, she allows Henrik's words to carry her through now seeing the person she has been longing to officially meet her whole life.
"Walk tall, Aurora, be confident in yourself and who you are."
Henrik's brotherly love is what made her realize a lot of things about herself. It's also in this very moment she wishes he was here to support her as he always does for everything she has ever achieved.
The group surrounding him on the couch stopped talking now realizing that she was approaching them. Tom's back was to her and he turned around to see who it was.
"Hello," her French accent comes smoothly, "My name is Aurora."
Everyone's eyes were on them both.
The brown eyes looked deep into her gold and there he sees the confirmation from last night's thoughts.
There was too much love...
There was too much hope in it...
Something that he feels he doesn't deserve to have.
"Hi!" A boy with long dark brown hair with light brown eyes that was sitting behind Tom responded to her. "Nice to meet you ooph -" he was hit hard on the shoulder with an elbow from a white-haired boy.
"Bloody hell, that hurt!"
"Then don't speak when it's not addressed to you, Scabior, it's considered rude." The white-haired boy rolled his eyes as the other stuck his tongue out to him.
A girl with a dark curly-haired side glared at her form. Which Aurora equally matched her stare. 'Yup godmother is not going to be happy if I make an enemy in this school.' Too bad because she couldn't find in herself to care.
Tom still remains silent.
"I have been wanting to meet you for so long." Aurora continues returning her gaze back to Tom.
'So have I,' he says to himself.
"Oh," the girl with the black curly hair says in a mocking jealous tone, "please do tell us why you have been wanting to meet him for so long."
If eyes could kill Aurora feels like she would be burned alive by the sight of her gaze. But taking in a deep breath, reminding herself why they were here in the first place and traveling across oceans to get here.
"We are soulmates, destined by fate to be with each other."
Everyone froze.
In disbelief at what this random girl from a French wizardry school just said. Tom's heartache by the silence, he knows he should say something to her but if he does he knows he will not stop wanting to talk to her.
To be near her.
To hold her.
Laughter echoed in the room.
Laughter coming from the girl, Aurora knows she is going to have difficulty from now on.
"You can't honestly believe that you two are soulmates! You don't even know him. It looks like to me someone," she eyes Aurora form up and down in disgust, "has been reading too many romance books."
The majority of the students in the room snicker and laugh at her comment.
A fist tightens as he listens to one of his minions speaking about her, but he forces himself to swallow down the harsh command to her to be silent.
Looking down at his foot, he tries to force himself to ignore the laughter, to remember how it felt to become numb again.
"See even he is embarrassed for you."
The laughing grew louder.
Aurora's spirit was slowly breaking.
'This isn't what it should have been like.'
Sadness.
Fear.
Anxiety.
Shame.
Her emotions all hit him hard, he tighten a grip on his pants, trying desperately to push away the feeling that was swirling inside her. 'I am sorry, I wish things were different.' He rises up from his feet, 'If a villain is who I need to be, then a villain I shall be.' The light beacon of hope that was in her eyes was slipping and his heart broke, even more, when he saw it. Tears made the gold brighter than before and as sick and twisted as the thought was it only made her more intriguing, more beautiful to his eyes.
Breathe.
In.
And.
Out.
Force everything in a cage.
My hopes.
My dreams.
It does not do well to dwell in dreams.
To give one's hope.
Free her from the burden.
Allow her to be the sun that is untouched by the dark.
Pure and beautiful.
Let her go.
Aurora gasps, her golden eyes widen in shock, she can feel the connection fading again, and the sense of smell that was coming from him was no longer there.
Tears fell as the realization slowly came to her.
'So this is how it felt for you', she thought to herself brokenly.
The cage seals itself shut.
'Yes...I am sorry...it's for your own good.'
What felt like an eternity to them was only a matter of seconds.
Tom then walked away, calling out to his group to follow as they made their way out of the dormitory to the Great Hall.
Everyone still mocked and bumped shoulders with Aurora's frozen form as they followed soon after wanting to eat the breakfast being served.
All alone in the now cold empty room, Aurora allows herself to weep. Cradling her shivered form as she realizes how idiotic and foolish she was to believe things would be so easy.
That he wouldn't feel anger or hate for ignoring him for five years.
The naivety that there will be no consequence for her actions.
Gasping shakily, trying to put herself together.
The golden key slipped out from underneath her shirt.
"Remember who you are."
Henrik's voice spoke to her again.
From her kneeled position she rises, wiping away the tears with a napkin from her pocket.
Taking in a deep breath.
She allows her emotions to be numbed and the coat surrounding her to be her armor.
"I am a Belmont and the last heir to the dragons." She repeats the phrase to herself again and again.
She will survive no matter how much it hurt.
It's just like how her father said, "You're the living proof."
And with that, she walks out of the room slowly leaving behind small pieces of broken glass from her bleeding heart.
~**∞**~
Rumors of what had happened in the Slytherin Dormitory spread like a wildfire. Everyone had their eyes on her every movement and they were all whispering the same things.
That she was a liar or a slut for wanting to catch his attention.
Of course, even the professors knew about the rumors being spread and with that being known it's quite obvious that Olivia heard these rumors and hastily made her way to the Headmaster's Office.
Slamming the door open with the wave of her hand in fury, Albus sighs feeling the heated anger coming from the celestial witch knowing where this conversation is going.
"Have you heard what they are saying about her!!??"
"Olivia -" Albus says calmly but was interrupted.
"NO ABLUS!!" She slams her fist onto the wooden table. "I brought her here so that she can reconnect with her soulmate not to have her be bullied by the whole school!!"
He takes off his glasses, and places them on the table trying to reason with her, "I am sorry, Olivia, I truly am, but there is nothing I can do."
"Nothing!" her eyes widen in disbelief, "You are the bloody Headmaster here you hold power over the school!!"
"No matter what I do it would not stop the students from speaking ill manners about young Aurora!"
"They need to be punished -"
"No," Albus responds quickly.
"No?" She leans away from the table, shaking her head in frustration. Making her way back to the door she says, "If you don't resolve this I am taking my girls and leaving back to France. Have fun looking for another school willing to participate."
She then slams the door the hunger to eat a meal disappears from her. There was only anger and rage she felt.
All the more Albus felt more tired and exhausting than he was minutes before this conversation.
~**∞**~
The entire day Aurora had spent her time by the Black Lack it's where her friends had found her with the help of Umbra finding her. They had brought her food since she didn't make her presence known in the Great Hall for dinner.
At least they understood what was going on and supported her emotionally knowing that bonds such as these were very difficult to deal with, especially for one who is not mentally prepared for it.
One of the girls was the one to inform Aurora that her godmother wishes to speak to her in the personal chambers that she is attending. Together they walk through Hogwarts hall with her friends who have surrounded her like a shield from judging eyes.
Making it to their destination, she knocks on the door, waiting to hear the "Come in" and only doing so when she heard it.
Umbra was in her adult form lying on the carpet floor. Her head perks up and her tail thumbs onto the floor in joy.
She smiles warmly, petting her long companions' ears, giving her a rub on her favorite sweet spots that she knows Umbra loves to feel.
Olivia was sitting on one of the chairs in the room and she waved to her goddaughter to sit on the other seat in front of her.
Only when she sits does she feel the tension in the room, her godmother's gaze was fierce and cold.
'She must have heard.'
Of course she had, the whole school knows already by now.
"We will be leaving the competition and heading back to France tomorrow," Olivia says with a hollow tone leaving no room for arguments.
But of course, Aurora had to be so stubborn.
"No," she matches her godmother's energy.
"Aurora," her calculated stare looked hard upon her, and Aurora dared herself to not look away. "This is not a question and most certainly not up for a debate! We are leaving!"
"I am not going anywhere! Not when I had just found him!!"
"Look what is happening around you!! What everyone is saying about you-", Olivia exclaims.
"It isn't the first time godmother! The world has been speaking ill of me ever since my father died!!"
Words got stuck in Olivia's throat.
The harsh reality slowly sinks in.
"No matter where I go people will always have something to say!! So to hell with everything! If they want to talk then let them talk! But that will not change who I am." She rises from her seat and whistles to Umbra to follow her lead.
"- But", Olivia rises as well, trying to reach her before she left the room.
"It's only fair...", she whispers her eyes looking so lost, so distant away from reality. The shadow covered her face but Olivia could tell that she was slowly breaking even Umbra confirmed her suspicion. Umbra pressed her wet nose to Aurora's palm trying to provide her comfort.
"Aurora.." Olivia's eyes showed pity she drops her tone. The anger inside her was setting down, she was now beginning to regret slightly being so harsh on her.
The wooden door creaks open slightly, and with her back still towards her godmother she says, "I will be attending the tournament."
"No, you can't! I forbid it!"
Never mind, her anger is slowly rising up again but this time it's the desperate need to protect her.
"Why," Aurora side glanced at her, narrowing her eyes, "because you're my godmother?"
A shiver of fear courses through Olivia as her gasp is trapped in her throat. There in front of her, the golden iris gaze of hollowness devoured the joy that was once there. The joy and happiness everyone had worked so hard to make sure Aurora no longer felt sadness vanished with a snap of a finger.
'Look after her for us please,' Marie's voice echoes in her head.
'Have I failed?'
"Yes!!," purple eyes harshly gazed while she points a finger at her goddaughter. "I swore to your parents to protect you! I cannot guarantee your safety if you join."
'Please don't do this!!'
'I can't lose you too!!'
'If you leave me, there is no more hope for me in this world!!'
"I can take care of myself!" Aurora claims stubbornly as she opens the door wide and before it completely closes she says sternly, "Don't get in my way."
Trapped alone in the room, Olivia's thoughts swirled out of her control. The candles surrounding her flicker. Olivia releases a small frustrating scream as she battles through her instinct that is trying to control her emotions and she forces herself to settle down to think over what had just happened.
"Elle devait être comme sa mère!!" (She had to be just like her mother!!)
"Têtu, épais et mince!" (Stubborn, thick and thin.)
"Tu dois arrêter de t’inquiéter pour elle" (You need to stop being worried about her), A male voice speaks to her suddenly.
Her eyes widen in fear, turns around rapidly with her wand already out pointing straight between the eyes of blue with a devilish smile.
"Henrik," ghostly saying his name.
"Bonjour, madame," His smirks grow as he makes his accent known.
She lowers her wand calming down her heartbeat.
"You are losing your touch," he notes unbothered by the wand pointing so close to his face, knowing that he could have been killed or injured in a matter of seconds, as he makes his way to where Olivia hid the alcohol from sight.
Ignoring his comment she questions, "How did you manage to get into Hogwarts ground without your presence being known?"
She shakily takes the cup that Henrik offered to her sitting across from him.
"Now where is the fun in that if I tell you all my tricks," he chuckles softly. "I'm just kidding, all I can say is that Arthur was the one to teach me when he was reading through some journals of his ancestors."
"Of course," she mutters, sipping gently the whiskey, finding comfort in the burning sensation it always leaves in her throat.
His Adam apple moves as he swallows down the liquid sighing down the stress on his shoulder, "I am telling you the truth, Olivia, you should have more fate on Aurora."
"She is going to get herself killed -"
"She won't -"
"And would you know!"
Her head was pounding with frustration and anger thinking if she is the only one with a stable mindset.
"Do you truly have a lack of faith in her abilities?" He tilts his head in questioning.
"No! I know she can fight, I have seen her in combat."
"Then let her join the tournament! She is as intelligent as her mother and quick in combat as her father. This will be child's play in comparison to dealing with an actual dragon by herself."
"Just because we allowed her to be in the ring with a full pack of rabid dragons so that she can learn to communicate with them is not the same as her being alone competing!" Olivia angrily points at him.
"How so?" His eyebrow rises annoyed.
"Because we were constantly watching over her! I was there in case she needed me!!"
Henrik places the glass cup down on the wooden table and leans forward with his elbows on his knees. His eyes maintain her gaze whispering the harsh truth,
"It's not her joining that is the actual problem, is it?...no...the problem is that you blame yourself for what happened...especially since she looks just like them...You don't want to feel that feeling again...powerless...powerless to save her. You need to allow yourself to understand. There will be a time when she will not need us anymore. She is going to have to fend for herself in case we aren't there to protect her."
Tears run down her cheek as she sniffs, holding down the need to cry freely.
His hand reaches out to her, holding her and giving her reassurance.
Just like how she had done for him in the hospital all those years ago.
"She is the next in line and the only Belmont left," His fingers massage her upper palm.
'I know.'
'I know she is.'
'But that doesn't make it any easier.'
'Not when the prophecy hasn't told me why Aurora is part of it.'
'She is just a child.'
'Why her?'
Sighing, her shoulders lower down in defeat she whispers, "Okay, I'll let her join."
She knew what he was saying was true. Aurora needed to be strong no matter what. The language of dragons depended on her. Everything the Belmont stood for was dependent on her survival. Despite it all, Olivia couldn't help but feel like she was signing her goddaughter's death away.
Henrik nods not daring himself to say the words that will only trigger her.
He then says his goodnight and like a ghost, he simply disappears.
No noise.
No magic trace.
Olivia rises from her spot and pours herself a drink again.
'If he is here, then that means...'
She chugs down the drink in one gulp.
"Why must fate be so cruel?", she whispers to herself in the dark of night.
~**∞**~
The following day the majority of the students, including Tom, are in the Great Hall seeing which idiots are actually daring themselves to get hurt in the tournament. One by one students from Hogwarts and Durmstrang.
The room falls silent as Aurora, who is emotionless, walks across the middle of the room with a piece of paper in her hand. Umbra in adult form walks in front of her like a guard hound.
Her companions and she had spoken among themselves about who should participate. There was when Aurora told them of her plans. They waited for her presence in the room giving her an encouraging smile.
Bellatrix stops her path.
There was an evil glint in her eyes and a smirk on her face.
"Move please," Aurora says in a monotone. Umbra softly growls lowering her body down in a pouncing position.
The smirk on Bellatrix leaves her once she acknowledges the huge lynx cat that looks like it really wants to devour her. But even then she pushes her fear away, "What do you think you're doing huh?"
Aurora's group of friends approached her, "Leave her alone she can join the tournament just like everyone else if she wants to!"
Before Bellatrix had the chance to snap back, a girl, someone Aurora hadn't seen before approached behind her grabbing onto her arm. She whispers in her ears, still keeping eye contact with Aurora.
Bellatrix snarls at whatever the girl said and shoves her arm away, walking back to where the rest of the group was at. Aurora keeps a watchful eye on the mysterious girl, watching as she follows down the same path the others went to.
With words of encouragement whispered to her own ears, Aurora approaches the goblet of fire. The blue flame danced gently and its flame was soft in the sense that it felt welcoming to her. Just like the rest of the other students, she places the parchment written with her name into the goblet and she watches as the fire immediately burns the paper into ashes.
It has accepted her as a possible contestant.
The girls from her school cheered for her when she smiled happily. Aurora can feel watchful eyes on her as she leaves the room laughing with her friends. She knew 'he' was watching, but she didn't find herself caring about his opinions on her decision.
Once again, as many times before, everyone started to spread rumors about her chance of winning the competition.
"Bet she is going to die in the first round."
"She is trying to catch his attention."
Those were one of the few phrases that can be heard all around him.
Tom sighs rising up from his seat on the bench, announcing that he was going to use the restroom so they wouldn't have to wait for him. Bellatrix pouted when he gave a loud order for no one to follow him and like that he exited the room.
It didn't take long for Tom to find her.
Her laughter carried him to her.
He was starting to miss the sweet soft smell of oceans, roses, and green tea that he smelled on the first day.
There across from her, the group of girls stopped walking, and sensing the energy of the hall Aurora's smile slipped. She whispers something to her friends and they walk past Tom's form glaring at him.
Now it was only Tom, Aurora, and Umbra who shifted back to her adult form. They waited till the girls made it to the corner of the hallway and waited, even more, when their voices faded away. Even then they still listened till there was absolutely sure no one else was lurking around.
"What do you think you're doing?" he says, breaking the silence first.
Aurora tilts her head to the side and shrugs unbothered, "Participating just like everyone else, is that so wrong to do?"
Tom attempts to move forward, which causes Umbra's ears to tuck back and growl as a sense of warning.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," her eyes were cold and calculated. It was a warning to tread carefully as if she wouldn't hesitate to attack.
"She tends to be agitated when it comes to people she is not fond of." Aurora crosses her arms in front of her. It's there where Tom begins to question where the girl who introduced herself goes?
The Aurora standing before him was much different than the one in the morning. There was a much darker taste in the energy surrounding her and the way her body was positioned. Shoulders lose but aware, her golden eyes were dull and sharp keeping track of his movements. Her fingers were looking like they were itchy, prepared to grab the wand that he suspects is hiding inside her wrist coat.
Somewhere deep in Tom's chest, he felt proud, a small smile was trying to force its way to his face.
'So you know how to use the Dark Arts...'
A chuckle of glee can be heard inside his head but he shakes it away, reminding himself why he muted the bond in the first place. Taking two steps back gracefully, he puts his focus on the lynx cat who slowly rises from her form no longer in a pounce position. But the lynx's eyes were still watching his movement like a hawk.
"You are going to get yourself killed," he says sternly as if trying to reason with a spoiled child.
"I am a big girl, I think I can take care of myself thank you very much. Plus," she approaches him saying something French out loud to the cat that teleports onto her shoulder in a kitten form. Tom needs to find out what type of creature the cat is in his spare time. "Why do you care after all? Muting the bond straight in front of me seems like a clear sign of understanding that I mean nothing to you."
'No' he argues in his mind, 'You mean everything to me.'
~**∞**~
So close.
Just a foot away they're from each other.
But even then they're still far apart.
The night was setting in.
Prophecies were whispering into the stars.
~**∞**~
The lack of silence from him broke Aurora from the inside. She smiles painfully. Had hoped that he would explain why he did it or what led to his behavior. Just a simple conversation between the two will be enough to fix this problem between them. But of course, all she finds is silence and sighs. She shakes her head away, hearing Umbra meow giving her the signal that it's best to leave, and agreeing with her companion she walks away past him.
A cold breeze runs between them as both of their cloaks flare to the movement of the wind.
Her footsteps softly can be heard on the stone floor.
So soft you can barely hear it if you don't pay attention.
A shiver courses through Tom's spine.
These feelings were getting out of hand.
Even when the bond is muted by him, he still can't help but be trapped by the loving sight of her.
Although, now his heart sinks into the pool of guilt.
Her eyes were no longer bright.
Instead looked more tired and pained.
Eyes were from someone who knows pain, trauma and abuse firsthand.
Is a veteran.
Is a survivor of the harsh reality.
'No, it shouldn't have been this way...'
'I didn't want to hurt you more...'
He clenches his fist shakingly, digging his fingernails deep into his palm.
'No matter what I do...'
...I just end up hurting you anyways...