I Will Follow You Into the Dark

Morning exercises became longer and more grueling. Now that Aurora officially had “enemies” she had to be in even better shape because Slytherin’s, being cowards, fight in packs and Aurora refused to ever have a drop of her blood be spilled by any of them.

Details of Aurora’s confrontation with the Slytherin boys didn’t spread around Hogwarts like she had expected them to. In fact, the administration didn’t even know because Aurora wasn’t called into anyone’s office to be reprimanded for her reckless behavior.

She had thought that the Slytherin’s were going to barge into Dumbledore’s office demanding that she be punished severely, but they didn’t and deep down inside she knew that they hadn’t done it because they were over the feud; they’d done it because they wanted to settle the score on their own terms which meant that another violent confrontation was in her near future.

It was for that reason that Aurora intensified her training; runs became longer, weight training more grueling. There were many times that she wanted to call it quits during her training because the physical exhaustion was getting to be too much but she refused to quit because quitting meant that they won; she wouldn’t give them that satisfaction.

As a result of her grueling training, Aurora found herself struggling to stay awake during lectures. Professors often picked on her for they thought that she wasn’t paying attention to them and wanted to put her on the spot.

Surprisingly enough, she always managed to know the general gist of what they were saying thus avoiding any type of punishment for slacking off because if she slacked off and a Professor informed her mother of her lack of attention she would receive a slew of howlers.

“PAY ATTENTION!” roared Professor Moody, slamming his hand down on the desk Aurora shared with the gingers.

Deep breaths were taken by Aurora to control her anger. She couldn’t afford to get another detention with Professor Moody because he had told her that if she stepped out of line one more time he was going to call in her parents so they could have a parent-professor conference.

“I am paying attention,” she whispered through gritted teeth.

Professor cocked his brow at her while saying, “Well then what was I saying?”

“You were talking about how willpower is crucial if a person wants to fight off the imperius curse,” answered Aurora, a slight smirk on her face.

“Wrong,” he shouted. “What I was doing was asking for a volunteer to attempt to resist the curse and it appears that you will be the volunteer. Now, come over here.”

Grudgingly, she stood up from her comfortable chair so that she could wander towards the front of the class. She felt uncomfortable in the front, hating the feeling of being treated like a monkey in some scientific experiment but her discomfort didn’t shine through because Domínguez’s are always confident.

Professor Moody pointed his wand at Aurora while yelling, “IMPERIO!”

Aurora braced herself for pain but it never came. Instead a calm feeling began spreading through her being; erasing any worry that she was experiencing and alleviating the pain of her father’s loss.

It had been ages since she felt so happy and the feeling was intoxicating, but soon her mind began to question the tranquility that she was feeling; it wasn’t normal and although it was refreshing she knew that it was a result of the curse that had been placed on her.

Students laughed as they watched Aurora pranced around the room, singing ‘God Save the Queen’ at the top of her lungs but halfway during the song she stopped singing and her body stood completely still.

All eyes shifted to Moody who still had his wand pointed at her, his brow furrowed a sign that he was trying to intensify his hold on her but no longer did she do as she was told. Aurora was resisting the curse.

“Fuck,” whispered Aurora when she regained full control of her body.

“Well done Miss Domínguez,” stated Professor Moody. “Twenty points to Gryffindor. Would you mind telling the class how you managed to resist the spell?” he asked.

“I'm not exactly sure how I did it,” she answered. “I felt abnormally happy and I immediately knew that it had to be the spell. At first I told myself to resist it but the feeling was so addictive that I didn’t want it to stop but I kept telling myself that it wasn’t real and that I should want to feel my real emotions as opposed to fake ones so I fought and eventually I got control over my body back.”

“And was this your first time under the spell?” Professor Moody inquired.

Aurora nodded her head in response.

“You might be a hard headed witch that has problems with authority but I can not deny that you are very talented,” he complimented.

Aurora was taken aback by his compliment. This is going to make her sound like a chauvinist but Aurora already knew that she was more talented than the average witch but hearing the professor that gives her most shit compliment her felt really good; even though she still hates his guts because he makes her uneasy.

“Thank you,” she responded as she slipped back to her seat.

“Hey nice job up there,” whispered George.

“Thanks.”

“So, do you want to hang out with Fred and me later?” he asked.

Aurora shot him an incredulous look while saying, “How many times do I have to tell you that I don’t want anything to do with you and your brother until you believe me?!”

“Well you’d only have to tell us once if you actually meant it,” George answered, “but we all know that you secretly enjoy being chased after by these two freckly gods.”

She didn’t dignify his statement with a response.

Ever since the Weasley twins had stopped Aurora from torturing Lucian, they had taken it upon themselves to befriend her and it’s annoying as fuck because all she wants is to be left alone but no one leaves her be.

Lecture soon came to an end and Aurora bolted out the door, feeling an insatiable desire to go for a swim. Quizzical looks were shot her way by her fellow classmates but Aurora didn’t care, she was just focused on getting to the lake as quickly as possible.

Aurora stripped down until she was left in her undergarments. Her rubber band was removed from her hair and she dove headfirst into the water, relishing in the way the cool water felt against her bare skin.

With each stroked she took she felt the weight of the world being lifted off her shoulders, it felt nice to be able to just float and be free from any cares; it’s liberating in a way. Aurora kept swimming, pushing herself when her muscles began to burn in protest because the odds were that she wasn’t going to have time to swim in the upcoming future.

George watched curiously as Lucian walked by him, muttering something along the lines of ‘that slag finally god what she deserved.’ At first he didn’t think much of it, but when he heard students screaming that Aurora was drowning he realized what Lucian had done.

He ran to the edge of the Black Lake and shouted, “ACCIO AURORA DOMÍNGUEZ!”

Out of the water shot out her barely clothed figure, he caught her in his arms quickly and set her down on the grass. George immediately began giving her CPR when he realized that she wasn’t breathing. He pressed down on her chest three times, then plugged her nose while he blew air into her mouth.

Water sprung forth from her lips, causing George to pull away from her so he could spit the water out. He momentarily remained hunched over her, his chest rising and falling while he stared into her soulful eyes.

He was entranced by her eyes, for the first time they held emotion. For the first time he saw her as a vulnerable human being and not the confident introverted badass that walks around ignoring everyone around her.

It was nice to know that she’s actually human.

“WEASLEY!” shouted someone, breaking their gaze.

George quickly turned his face quickly but by then he couldn’t really so who had called his name because a bunch of students had crowded around them. He returned his attention back to Aurora who was beginning to shiver.

“I'm going to carry you in, is that alright?” he asked.

Normally Aurora would’ve told him that she had two legs that worked but the panic that had gripped her when the water was entering her lungs had left her so shaken that she didn’t think she could make it back to the common room.

“Yeah,” whispered Aurora hoarsely.

George grabbed her clothes and placed them on her exposed belly before picking her up off the grass. Her right hand wrapped around his neck, pulling her close to his body while her head rested against his chest, breathing in his soothing scent to calm her nerves.

“Mr. Weasley where are you going with Miss Domínguez and why isn’t she wearing any clothes?” asked Professor McGonagall.

“I was drowning and he saved me,” muttered Aurora, her face still buried in his chest.

“My word!” exclaimed the ancient witch. “Is this true George?”

“Yes,” he answered.

“Well then let’s get her to the hospital wing and don’t say you don’t need to be fussed over because you do. Come along,” ordered Professor McGonagall.

Poppy tended to Aurora’s needs, giving her potions so that she wouldn’t catch a cold. George sat beside Aurora the whole time, waiting for the adults to clear off so he could tell her who had caused her near death experience.

“Him?” hissed Aurora.

George nodded his head. “Yeah, I heard him muttering about how you were finally getting what you deserved and then when I heard people screaming your name I knew that he was responsible for it.”

“I'm going to kill that son of a bitch with my bare hands,” she mumbled.

“You can’t do it on your own Aurora,” said George. “You need to have some back up in case things get out of hand.”

“I’ll be fine,” she snapped.

“No you won’t,” countered George. “I get that you don’t like feeling weak and you like taking care of yourself but you need to understand that everyone needs someone at their side, especially when they’re at war.”

“But I don’t! I’ve been fine on my own,” argued Aurora.

“There’s no point arguing with me Aurora, I saved your life and in return I want you to give Fred and me a chance. We’re not all that bad and who knows we might even meet your standards. Please, just give us a go.”

Aurora gave Fred and George Weasley “a go” and surprisingly enough she found that they were exactly the kind of company that she needed. Their lively sense of humor helped brighten her day and although she never participated in their pranks or even laughed openly at their jokes they knew that she enjoyed them.

“I know that we’re a good looking group but this is getting to be ridiculous,” joked Fred while the three of them ate dinner together.

“Indeed,” agreed George. “They act as if we’re aliens or something of that sort.”

“It is really weird though,” Aurora interjected. “You two are always laughing and I'm just here. I don’t really fit in with the merry pranksters, you know?”

“That’s because you’re working the mysterious angle —,” Fred began.

George continued, “—and you’re doing a bloody marvelous job at it. You give —.”

“— the group character,” finished Fred.

“Character?” she repeated. “I dig that and now I must take my leave. I’ve got some ancient ruins to learn.”

“You’re absolutely bonkers for having taken that class!” exclaimed George.

She flipped him off while walking out of the Great Hall.

When she reached ancient ruins she set up her desk like she always does and began staring out the window, longing to be outdoors instead of the dreary classroom. Students filed in and Svetlanna was yet again tardy.

Aurora couldn’t help but notice that the petite witch yet again wore a sad expression on her face. Something was wrong and Aurora felt like lending a helping hand but she figured that asking her what was wrong would be inappropriate since they’re not friends.

Her ears twitched when she heard Svetlanna angrily mutter, “She’s only known him for a month and she’s with him.”

Suddenly everything made sense. Aurora had often observed Svetlanna stealing glances at George Weasley whenever he was around. She fancied him and seeing him walking around with Aurora must have caused some heartache.

“Honestly, is that what you’ve been so depressed over?” Aurora whispered.

Svetlanna looked over, she shrugged and turned back to the front of the room, “I’m not depressed. If you want him, keep him. It’s nothing for me to fuss over anymore.”

“But I don’t want him,” countered Aurora sharply.

Class soon ended and Aurora found herself asking Svetlanna if they could speak. Svetlanna said no and tried to walk away from her, but Aurora grabbed her arm roughly, spinning her around so that they could face one another.

Her brow furrowed when she saw the petite young witch grimace in pain. Instinctively, she looked at her arm and when she felt a warm liquid staining her fingertips she realized what was wrong. Svetlanna tried to escape her grasps but Aurora quickly lifted the cloak, revealing several fresh cuts.

“Is that what you do because some fucking boy doesn’t like you?!” screamed Aurora roughly. “From observing you I knew you were shy, a little insecure but I didn’t think you were stupid!”

“You have no write to call me stupid!” spat Svetlanna. “You don’t know me.”

“I might not know you, but I know about you. Maybe I don’t know everything but I know that you have a loving family, friends that care about you, and that you come from a financially established family so don’t act like you’re world is so fucking horrible. Don’t act like some boy not liking you is worth cutting about because there are kids out there that go to bed on an empty stomach, that get physically/emotionally/sexually violated and a lot of them take the pain and keep pushing; fighting to overcome their obstacles so that one day they can lead a life without suffering, but what do you do? You cut. You cut over a boy. Instead of cutting you should be getting your shit together, because I don’t really think it’s about George. I think it’s about you being an insecure little girl that’s not happy with whom she is so instead of cutting because George doesn’t like you, you should work on the relationship that you have with yourself.”

Aurora watched as tears spilled from Svetlanna’s eyes. Seeing people crying has never been something she’s enjoyed and she found herself taking the younger witch into a warm embrace; after a bit, Aurora wandered off to the grounds to get some thinking done.