I Will Follow You Into the Dark

Aurora rubbed the back of her neck nervously while she stood on the front porch of her house, a bouquet of lilac lilies held firmly in her hand. It had been over five days since she had last seen her mother, since she’d spoken to anyone in the family.

Her handling of the situation had been nothing short of atrocious. Making her mother cry was something unforgivable and although she felt that her actions had been justified, they were still wrong because her father raised her to love her mother and she didn’t want to let him down.

Finally, after ten minutes of arguing with herself about whether or not she was going to knock, the door was opened. Her head snapped up, a small apologetic smile tugging at her lips as she held out the bouquet of flowers for her mother to take.

“I'm sorry mum,” whispered Aurora.

Margaret gladly took the flowers from her daughter’s hand. She took Aurora into a tight embrace, holding her close while she caressed her long dark brown hair. Being without her child had been hell; it was like someone had torn off her right arm.

“If you ever do that again I swear I'm going to smack you senseless,” threatened Margaret between her sob.

“I’ll never put you through that again. I promise,” replied Aurora, rubbing her mothers back gingerly.

Silence overtook the pair again only this time it wasn’t sad or awkward; it was comfortable. It reminded Margaret of the moment that Aurora had been placed in her arms after fourteen hours of labor. She wished that they could’ve remained like that awhile longer but they had to get Aurora to the train.

One by one they ventured into the fireplace that would serve to transport them to the Leaky Cauldron in London. No trunk was carried by Aurora for her father’s vintage suitcase that was plastered with classic rock stickers had been charmed to fit all of her belongings.

Her grip on the suitcase’s handle intensified when they arrived at Platform 9 ¾. Individuals that had been engaged in friendly conversation ceased their discussions in order to stare at the people that compromised Patrick O’Connor’s entourage.

Liam stiffened when he saw the looks that the teenage boys were shooting at Aurora. He wasn’t stupid; he knew that his sister’s exotic looks combined with her familial status in society were going to send the boys into a wild frenzy to try to bed her.

Had Aurora been another girl he would have implored his mom to home school her in order to avoid any trouble that arises from hormonal teens but he knew very well that Aurora would annihilate anyone that tried to impose themselves on her.

Goodbyes were exchanged between Aurora and her family. Her grandparents reminded her that she had to devote herself to her studies. Liam told her to relax and enjoy being a teenager. Margaret burst into tears. Quinn giggled.

Soon Aurora was aboard the Hogwarts Express, her suitcase clutched firmly in her right hand as she wandered through the small corridors trying to find an empty compartment or one with antisocial people that wouldn’t pester her with pointless questions.

Her brow furrowed when she heard someone in a compartment saying, “The purging of the undesirables from the magic kingdom is going to happen again and this time things are going to go according to plan.”

She had been so caught up in eavesdropping that she didn’t even notice that a rather bashful looking girl was walking straight at her. Aurora momentarily lost her balance but she wasn’t falling towards the floor like the teenager was.

Part of her wanted to ask the kid if she was alright bus she decided against it, opting to leave before the girl had gotten up off the ground. After a few more minutes of roaming Aurora stumbled across an empty compartment.

Six hours later the train came to a halt. Aurora grudgingly sat up from her place on the couch. She rummaged through her suitcase until her hands landed upon the school uniform, she quickly threw them on.

“FIRST YEARS THIS WAY!” boomed a massive man that towered over the students.

Not wanting to get caught in the stampede of first years, Aurora decided to linger in the back for awhile, waiting until they had formed a single filed line to join them. Her eyes remained fixated on the castle, not wanting to acknowledge the kids that were staring at her in awe.

“It’s a beauty ain’t it?” asked the massive man known as Hagrid.

Aurora nodded her head in response.

He tried making conversation with her but she only nodded or shook her head in response. Even when the question he asked required her to use words she found a way to utter the smallest amount of words possible.

After a short ride the students stepped off the boats so that they could make the journey to the back entrance of the Great Hall where the sorting would take place. Students lined themselves up according to last name and Aurora was sent to the back of the line because she was a 6th year transfer.

Her stomach began grumbling violently while she waited in line to be sorted. All eyes were on her, as narcissistic as that sounds she knew that everyone was staring at her so she stared off into space, only letting them see the right side of her face.

When the last first year was sorted her stomach cheered for she thought that it was now her turn to be sorted but she was wrong. The Headmaster welcomed the first years, introduced a new professor and mentioned something called the Triwizard Tournament.

It would be nice to say that she had paid attention when he was discussing the tournament but that would be a lie. Instead her focus was on her stomach that was making noises so strange that she was sure she was going to give birth to an alien.

“Now that we have discussed the Triwizard Tournament I would like to welcome Miss. Aurora Domínguez who is in her 6th year. Now, Miss Domínguez if you would be so kind as to sit on the chair.

Aurora strode towards the wooden stool with her shoulders back and head held high, ready to be sorted. The ancient witch stepped forward when they young witch had taken her place on the chair. Her arms stretched out placing the tattered hat on Aurora’s head.

“Much too impatient and proud for Hufflepuff . . . wise, very wise and clever you would do well in Ravenclaw but alas you’d be best elsewhere, perhaps Slytherin? Ah yes, such fine blood coursing through your veins, cunning and ambitious but your heart ah your heart ruins you for Slytherin. Brave to the point of recklessness, loyal beyond belief . . . GRYFFINDOR!”

Applause erupted from the table with scarlet and gold banners hanging above it. Aurora stood up from her place and began the walk towards the table where all the students were clapping for her as if she was the messiah.

They greeted her warmly and Aurora was very polite to them in return, but she wasn’t exactly friendly not wanting to let down the guard that she’d had up since the passing of her father. People around her asked a million questions, she busied herself eating so she would be unable to respond.

First years, along with Aurora, were soon given a tour of the castle. The prefect showed her to the dormitory that she would be sharing with seven other girls and before anyone else showed up she grabbed her hand woven bag that contained her weed and Mowgli, her pipe.

Just as she was stuffing the hand woven bag into her pocket her roommates entered the room. She shook their hands and talked momentarily before excusing herself from them, saying that she had to go get a bit of fresh air.

Under the cover of night she scurried through the castle, stopping only when she had found the perfect spot to smoke. She sat down on the ledge of the window, taking the plant in her hands she started breaking it apart so that she could pile it into her pipe.

Her left hand grasped the pipe tightly, her thumb covering the carb as she lit the bowl with her wand. Aurora took in a long hit, the smoke traveling deep into her lungs where it would be held for fifteen seconds before being expelled.

This was repeated several times until the contents of the pipe were completely gone. When she finished she just sat there with her eyes closed enjoying the silence, but her relaxation was short lived for a loud argument grabbed her attention.

“Leave him alone! He wasn’t doing anything,” shouted a young girl as she tugged on a much older boys arm.

Aurora was about to just walk off and let them sort themselves out but when the older boy sent the petite young girl flying against the wall she knew that she couldn’t leave because a good person does the right thing even when it’s none of their business.

“Hey!” she bellowed, hoping to get the guys attention.

He didn’t stop what he was doing or even acknowledge her presence; he kept punching the redheaded kid that stood against the wall.

“I'm talking to you asshole,” roared Aurora, shoving him off of the young boy.

Her eyes narrowed in contempt when he stood up and had the audacity to tell her, “Awe look at the girlie girl she’s standing up for a blood traitor. Let me give you some advice, find yourself a pure blood and make him your boyfriend because that’s all that pretty pure blood girls are go-”

Not being able to hear his bullshit any longer Aurora decided to silence him with her fist.

“You fucking bitch! Do you know who I am?!”

“Don’t call be a bitch, you demented diseased bacteria,” hissed Aurora whose wand was drawn, ready to attack.

“BACTERIA?! How dare you call me a bacteria I am a pureblood who is superior to you in every way!” he roared, clutching the right side of his face.

“You’re not even superior to an amoeba with special needs. Now are you going to leave or am I going to have to hex you?”

“You’re going to regret this,” he shouted as he walked away.

Aurora stood in front of the pair until she was certain that the guy had left then, without so much as a word, she walked away eager to get some sleep before classes the following morning.