The Girl in Blue

Another letter came that day.

It was from her mother and in the morning at breakfast, Aurora couldn't get herself to open the letter. Instead of her name being scribed elegantly, like her mother usually did, it was scribbled on, as though she was in a hurry.

"Good morning." Silas said, taking a seat.

"Morning." Aurora replied, her attention still on the letter in her hands.

"Aren't you gonna open that?" He asked, a confused grin on his face. Aurora shook her head and stuffed the letter in her bag. Her breakfast looked do delicious until the owl dropped that letter on it. She felt sick.

"I think I'm going to go and study." She mumbled before Isadora and Silver sat down.

Aurora made her way back to the Slytherin common room, where it was practically empty except for a few people who only came down from their dormitories and went straight to the Great Hall for breakfast.

She sat down in a chair and set her bag on the table. She had twenty minutes before her first class, History of Magic, and she could actually study, like she had told Silas, or she could read the letter. She was torn.

Aurora sighed, taking the letter out again and stared at it. What would her mother say? They were disowning her? She was going to go back to the orphanage? Her father will go to Azkaban? She was afraid to see what it said.

"Aurora?"

She jumped and turned around, only to see Lestrange standing behind her. She carefully slipped the letter back into her bag, so it went unnoticed to him.

"Oh," She said, rather disappointedly. "Hello, Lestrange."

"No need to sound so excited, Aurora." He laughed. He took it upon himself to invite himself to sit down in the chair next to her.

"Sorry." Aurora said, sincerely. "There's too much on my mind right now."

"I can tell." Lestrange said, with a smile. "Don't worry, I'll leave in a little bit. I was just wondering how you were. You left the library the other day rather angrily."

She shook her head. "I'm fine, thank you. Like I said, there's too much on my mind."

"Well, if you need anything," Lestrange stood up. "I'll be happy to help."

"Thank you," Aurora said, feeling redundant. "That's very kind of you."

Lestrange gave his goodbyes and left the Slytherin common room, leaving Aurora to herself again. She heard the bell ring as it indicated for students to get to class. Aurora stayed put in her seat - she didn't want to go.

Aurora sat in that chair for an hour. The entire History of Magic lesson went by, and she didn't move an inch. She kept her eyes on that letter, too afraid to open it. She was going to get in so much trouble for missing class, but that thought never crossed her mind.

When the bell rang, Aurora's next class would have been Defense Against the Dark Arts. The class where she sat next to Tom...someone she wished was with her right then, despite the fact that she was supposed to be angry at him.

Another hour went by. And another. And then lunch, which was when some people came back to the common room, but didn't notice that Aurora had been in there the entire time. She assumed that they assumed she came in for similar reasons as them.

The bell had rung again, and soon enough, the entire school day had gone by and Aurora had only moved from the chair, to the armchairs by the fireplace. The last bell had rung, which was when she had Astronomy and students started piling into the common room, getting their homework out so they can do some of it before dinner.

Aurora had decided that she didn't want anyone to speak to her, so as students started coming in, she got through them and left the common room.

Aurora never liked that the Slytherin common room was in the dungeons. It gave an eerie feeling even though nothing necessarily haunted it, other than The Bloody Baron and occasionally other ghosts, such as Peeves the Poltergeist.

She didn't know where she wanted to go. She didn't want to go to the library, but there was nowhere else to go unless she was alright with getting into even more trouble.

"Where do you think you're going?" A voice behind her said, making her jump half a kilometer.

She knew that voice instantly which made her turn around and reply, "I don't know."

Tom stared at her, which his prefect badge gleaming. His arms were crossed and he was giving her a confused look from her answer.

"What's that?" He asked, nodding his head towards the letter in her hands.

"A letter." Aurora said, her voice breaking.

"You haven't opened it." Tom noted. She nodded her head and then turned around, letting her feet guide her to wherever - anywhere but there.

"Aurora! Where are you going?!" Tom called after her. She heard his feet hit the ground as he followed her, practically running after her.

She stopped and turned around, once behind a large statue and crossed her arms. "I don't know if I'll like what I read."

"You'll never know." Tom said, catching up to her. He stuck his hand out, "Mind if I...?"

Aurora didn't say anything. She stared at his outstretched hand. She looked back up at him and shook her head.

"I only want to help you, Aurora." Tom said, trying to convince her. " You don't want to read that bloody letter...let me see it."

"No." Aurora shook her head again, keeping a death grip on the letter.

"You're still not angry at me, are you?" He asked, flabbergasted. "Aurora - I don't know how to gain your trust."

"Then find a way." She snapped.

Aurora huffed and pushed him away, before going back the route to the Slytherin common room. "I'll ask Lestrange to do it."

"Lestrange?!" Tom's voice boomed in the empty corridor.

Tom happened to catch up to her and suddenly caught her wrist, stopping her in place and spinning her around so they were face to face.

"Why Lestrange?" Tom asked, his voice hard.

"He's better than you." Aurora retorted, stopping in front of the common room and giving the password, "Salazar."

"Tom! There you are!" Professor Slughorn wobbled in the dungeons and reached Aurora and Tom. "I've been looking every where for you, laddie!"

Tom's eyes were still on Aurora when he said, "For, Professor?" A sudden formality appearing in his voice - something he didn't have when he spoke to Aurora.

"I need to speak to you..." Slughorn trailed off, his eyes flickering towards Aurora. She shook her head and said, "I'm going inside."

"Oh, Miss Jenkins." Slughorn called just before she slipped inside.

Aurora poked her head back out and he continued, "I need to speak to you as well about how you haven't turned up to any of your classes today."

She nodded her head, making a mental note to go see him after dinner. When the common room door closed and a barrier was set in place between her and Tom, Aurora's eyes searched Lestrange. He was her best bet.

She found him alone by the fireplace, doing his homework.

"Lestrange?" Aurora asked, internally debating with herself.

He looked up and when he saw her, his face broke into a smile and he said, "Aurora, hi."

She sat down next to him and handed him the letter.

"What's this?" He asked. "Oh, the letter from this morning?" Aurora nodded her head. "You haven't opened it?" She shook her head. "Then why do I have it...?"

"I want you to read it for me." She said.

"Why?"

"Please?" Aurora pleaded. "I don't know if I'll like what I read...and so far, you're the only person I can trust right now. I can trust you, right, Kestrel?"

The first time she ever used his first name, and he looked up at her, confused but he nodded his head. He opened the letter and unfolded it.

Lestrange looked up at her again and said, "Do you want me to read it?"

"Is it long?" She asked, feeling herself shaking. The common room door opened again and she didn't have to look to know that it was Tom who stood there, staring at her and Lestrange.

Lestrange shook his head. Aurora sighed, "Okay."

"Aurora Katerina Jenkins," He read. "I wished there was a better way for me to say it, but I don't know if there is - I'm truly sorry. That's it." He said, quietly, handing her the letter back.

Aurora stared at it and she nodded. "Thank you, Kestrel."

She stood up, unknown feelings running through her, and she passed by Tom, who tried to reach out to her and say, "Aurora!" but she ignored him and climbed up the staircase to her dormitory, where she shut herself until dinner, when she decided to talk to Slughorn about her punishment for ditching.

Back in the common room, Tom went up to Lestrange, who went back to doing his homework, and he growled, "What are you doing?"

"My homework." Lestrange said.

"With Aurora." Tom hissed, anger seeping through his veins. "Why do you have a sudden interest in someone like her?"

"Because she needs someone!" He exclaimed. "You just lost interest in her so now, I can do what I please."

"Stay away from her." Tom growled, his eyes glinting red.

Lestrange didn't say a word, but the more Tom waited for a response, the more intimidated he felt.

Lestrange sighed and said, "Yes...my Lord."