Aurora and the Boy Who Lived

Chapter 15 The Plan and Draco's Replacement

After the fight I reverted to my old loner ways. It was easier that way. I avoided the Marauders, except for Draco. Not that it was hard as they were also avoiding me. At meals I sat alone and ate as fast as possible without choking. In class I selected desks far away from the Golden Trio and Neville. During Sky Ball practice the team totally ignored their Lead Chaser and wouldn't pass me the Quaffle. Any spare time I had was spent in my hideaway or Draco's. I refused to even step foot in the library because Hermione might be there.

"I found out who set you up, Dancer."

"What?" My head was currently buried in my History notes and book.

"Pay attention, Sis."

"Okay, okay," I mumbled, looking up.

"Remember that Ravenclaw I danced with at the Yule Ball? We've been seeing each other. She overheard their Quidditch team today at lunch bragging about breaking you and Harry up. Turns out their Seeker planned the whole thing."

"What? How?"

"She sent you the letter from 'Professor Sprout' in permanent disappearing ink. The note from Goldstein was written under it in Appearing ink. It's so simple. Sprout's letter would disappear leaving the other to be read. Then they locked you in the greenhouse. In the meantime Orla transfigured her hair to look like yours and made sure Harry only saw her from behind."

"That little bitch!"

"Monique said the same thing. She knew we were friends so she thought I should know."

"Make sure you thank her for me."

"I already have," he smirked.

"Perv."

"Always. Anyway, what should we do?"

"Nothing. It doesn't change anything."

"Yes it does. You have proof now."

"So? Do you think I care what they think after everything that's happened?"

"Don't you? Isn't that why you've buried yourself in here for the last two weeks with your schoolwork?"

"No. Now, I'm going to bed. Goodnight, Dragon."

"Night, Dancer."

'Liar,' I thought as I picked up my backpack and left.

Draco was late for Potions the next morning. Professor Snape merely raised an eyebrow and proceeded to tell the class the day's assignment, the Draught of Sleeplessness. 'As if I need that.' At the end of class Draco told me to meet him at 6:00 in his room.

"Sure. See ya later."

Six o'clock rolled around and I knocked on the wall next to Draco's room.

"Marauder Dragon allows Dancer entrance."

I walked in, head down. "So what are we studying tonight, Transfiguration or Potions?" bending down to pull the books out. In response I heard the door open and looked up to see Draco leaving. Hearing a cough I spun around. Harry, Ron, Neville, Ginny, and Hermione were standing awkwardly in front of the fire. I felt the familiar anger rise. "What the hell do you want?"

"Dragon told us what happened," Hermione answered, her eyes cast to her feet.

"So?"

"We want to apologize," Neville stammered.

"We were wrong and we're sorry," Harry added.

"Yeah? Well, you know what? I don't care! I'm outta here." I got up and stormed to the exit.

*Bang* Ropes shot out of Ginny's wand and Harry summoned a chair over. "You're going to hear us out, Dancer," he said.

"Don't call me that," I hissed. "Only my friends can."

"We said we were sorry," Ron said shakily. "Draco told us the whole story."

"You should have believed me when it still mattered."

"What was I supposed to think, Aurora?" Harry asked getting heated. "I saw someone who looked like you kissing that prat Goldstein. What would you have done?"

"I would have confronted you both and uncovered the truth."

"Guys, do you mind?"

One by one the Marauders once again told me how sorry they were for falling for Orla's plan, leaving me alone with Harry. 'My ex-boyfriend. Has a horrible ring to it.'

Harry pulled a small gold circle from his robe pocket and held it up. "Did you mean it that night?"

I glowered at him. "I did."

"And now?"

"It's too late."

"It can't be. Aurora, I really care for you."

"You have a funny way of showing it. My ring turned black, Harry. Even after..." My voice caught. 'I will not cry. I will not cry.'

"Even after mine turned bright blue, the color of love," he finished gently.

"I do not love you. Hell, I'd be hard pressed to say I can stand the sight of you right this minute."

"You did, at least a little."

"No!"

"Even if nothing else that night was the truth I know that was. The memory of it has haunted me since."

Silence.

Harry untied the cord hanging at his neck and removed the silver band hanging with his phoenix pendant. He placed it on his thumb and held mine out for me to see. It glowed a neon blue. His pain filled eyes met mine.

"I am so sorry for what I've done to you. I should have known you weren't like Cho. My heart kept telling me you couldn't be but my brain thought it knew what I saw. I should have let you explain. I'm sorry and I'd do anything for your forgiveness." He loosened the bindings and held out his hand to help me up. I rose without assistance shooting daggers with my eyes. "Aurora," he pleaded, his emerald eyes boring into my lighter ones.

"No. I won't go through this again. Just...leave me alone." I turned to hide the tears sliding silently down my cheeks. 'Damn, who knew I had any left?'

I heard Harry sigh and leave. Then and only then did I allow myself to succumb to the misery. I crumpled to the floor, sobbing.

"How could you let him walk out?" Draco demanded coming back in. "You love him!"

"It...doesn't...matter," I cried, choking on the words.

"I think it does or you wouldn't be so upset. You two belong together. I can't believe you're this stubborn. Ahh!" He walked over and put his arms around me.

"Draco?"

"Hmm?"

"Thanks for being here for me."

He smiled and asked me if I knew why he was.

"Um...because we're friends?"

He said yes but there was a reason he had wanted to become friends with me. "You were like no girl I'd ever known before. You kept me on my toes, ever ready with an insult. I saw you had a sharp wit and that you obliviously enjoyed using it. Most of the girls I know never talk TO me, only AT me. I realized I actually looked forward to Potions because I'd get to joke around with you. It was almost like having a real friend. I never counted Crabbe and Goyle as friends. They only hung around because of who and what Father is. I hate my father, in case I've never told you. He tells me every time I see him that when I leave school he expects me to accept the Dark Mark. I've never wanted to. I've known since I was thirteen I didn't want to be like him. But you made me start to think about what I wanted to do with my life, not what Father had planned for me. I just thought you should know." He opened my fisted hand and placed my ring in it. "Harry wanted me to give you this. I'll go now so you can think."

I sat thinking on what Harry and the others had said. I played with the gold band, running fingers over the runes. I stared mesmerized at the electric blue. 'Was it too late? Could I forgive them for turning against me? It had been a well thought out plan. If I were honest with myself I had to admit I might have been fooled by it if I had been in their shoes.'

I went to bed that night and dreamed of the Marauders as children playing in an open field. It was a peaceful, restful sleep.

The next morning decision made, I hurried down to the sofa by the window. 'Good, he's not here yet.' Taking a fortifying breath I slipped Harry's present back on my thumb.

The sun had risen over the faraway mountains and painted the sky in a dazzling mixture of orange, red, and gold before I finally heard his footsteps. "Good morning."

He looked at me, a question on his lips. I held my hand up to show him the ring. He quickly lowered his eyes to his and flashed a heart-stopping grin. It had turned a bright blue.

"What happens now?" he asked seating down.

"I tell you I kinda understand why you acted like a jerk but that it really hurt me. Not only did my boyfriend hate me, but my cousins and friends did too."

"We feel terrible. Ginny and Hermione cried for hours after they left last night. We should've trusted you when you denied it. Ron said you were pretty adamant."

"Of course. I hadn't done anything wrong. But it was an ingenious, devious plot that would probably never have been uncovered if Draco wasn't seeing Monique."

"Unfortunately but I hope I would have come to my senses."

"It might have been too late by then. I might never have forgiven you."

"Have you?"

"Let's see." My heart lighter I leaned in and kissed him. He dragged me to him like a starved man.

"Ah hmm."

We looked up and saw the two couples eyeing us anxiously.

"We're so sorry!" Ginny and Hermione bawled flinging themselves at me. Neville and Ron shrugged their shoulders and joined in on the group hug. Soon all the girls were crying again, only this time happy tears. They heard a stomach grumble and turned to Ron.

"It's not me, mates."

"Sorry but all of a sudden I'm so hungry," I confessed.

Draco saw the sextet enter the Hall arm in arm, smiled, and came to sit at the table with us. "Better?" he asked.

I nodded. "Won't they kill you for sitting with us?"

"If they try anything, I'll let you all hex them," he said arrogantly.

"We would you know," Harry remarked. "You've proven to be the best friend out of any of us. If it weren't for you..."

"You would have done the same," he said blowing Harry off before he finished. He took a bite of food. "Hey! This is loads better then the stuff we get at our table."

"We're nice to the House-Elves," Hermione pointed out. "They like US."

"I'll have to remember that."

The Marauders had made up but I still experienced a burst of intense fury whenever I passed Orla in the hall or saw her around. Slowly a plan of my own formed and I decided to launch it the week before the Slytherin game. My friends were itching to help.

Harry and I waited outside Charms until we saw the target leave.

"Why did I get back with you? Ever since yesterday she's all you talk about! If you want her so bad, there she is!" I said hotly pointing to Orla and stormed away.

(Harry filled me in on the next part, just so you know.)

"Harry, you okay?" Orla asked coming to stand beside Harry.

"I am now. I've been trying to figure out how to break up with her again." He grinned.

"What were you fighting about?"

"You actually."

"Oh!"

"Care to sit with me during lunch?"

"I'd love to."

At lunch Harry sat with Quirke well away from the others. They talked and laughed the entire meal. "You're so smart, Orla. It's refreshing."

"So why were you two fighting about me?"

He leaned in. "Someone told me it was your idea yesterday to break up me and Aurora. I haven't been able to stop thinking about you since."

"I don't have any idea what you're talking about."

"Don't play coy with me now. I like it when women are aggressive. Come on, tell me the particulars. Promise not to tell anyone." He took her hand.

"Well okay." She told him every lurid detail. When she finished she noticed two things: Professor Flitwick walking over and the fact that the Great Hall was unusually quiet.

"Miss Quirke, I would not have dreamed a Ravenclaw would resort to such underhanded and sly tactics. Twenty points from Ravenclaw and one month detention for you and the students who went along with this as soon as I get their names."

"What? What did I do?"

"Read for yourself," he said pointing above her head.

She turned white as she saw her words written in blue smoke hovering in the air.

"Report to my office. I shall be following directly."

"You set me up," she said to Harry.

"Think of it as us teaching you a lesson."

She went to face her punishment.

"Mr. Potter, might I ask how you did that?" the tiny Charms professor asked.

"We got the idea from the Marauders. Hermione crossed the Smoke Writing charm with Sonorus."

"Brilliant idea. 20 points to Gryffindor." He patted Harry on the back and walked towards the headmaster's.

"That'll teach that little wench to mess with one of ours," Draco commented sitting beside Harry.

"Yes. I doubt she'll try bothering Aurora again," Hermione seconded.

"Ready for the match up Saturday, Dragon?" Ron sneered.

"Yep. I may even sit with Neville and Hermione and wear Gryffindor colors."

"Aren't you playing?" I asked.

"No. They replaced me with a 4^th year named Graham Pritchard. They said I was too chummy with the enemy and might throw the game."

"Man, that sucks. Sorry."

"I'm not worried. The scouts have already seen me play. It's only a matter of time before a team offers for me."

"Confident aren't you?" Ginny teased.

"I may never have beaten Harry but I won almost every other game I played in for Slytherin. So yeah, I am."

The week slowly faded until game hour was upon the school, the long awaited Slytherin versus Gryffindor game had arrived. The Lions had been greeted with cheers and applause when we arrived for breakfast and marched to the locker room. Harry gave an inspired speech, praising the players and telling us he'd loved being our captain. Then he had played the team song rousing us to even greater heights of frenzy.

We took the field and heard ¾ of the school chanting "Lions will, Lions will rock you!" Ron pointed to the professors' stadium stand. "Oy, Harry! Look. I think those are scouts!" Several players shifted nervously.

"Don't think about it, team. Play to the best of your abilities and we'll be fine. Remember to keep your eyes peeled. These Slytherins are the dirtiest team I've ever seen. Mount up!"

I squared off against the opposing Lead Chaser Adrian Pucey. Madam Hooch blew the whistle and up I flew after the Quaffle. Pucey slammed into the side of my broom. I barely held on and grabbed the red dimpled sphere. I raced to the goals.

"AURORA USES A BACKHAND PASS GIVING DENNIS POSSESSION. HE FAKES A THROW THEN SCORES! WAY TO GO! SLYTHERIN CHASER MONTAGUE HAS THE BALL. SEAMUS NAILS HIM WITH A BLUDGER TO THE BACK. OW, THAT HAD TO HURT. AURORA WITH THE QUAFFLE AND SCORES! GRYFFINDOR 20-0. FOUL CALLED ON BEATER GOYLE FOR UNNECESSARY ROUGHNESS AGAINST THE LION KEEPER. DON'T KNOW WHAT HE WAS THINKING, FOLKS. THERE WASN'T A PLAY IN MOTION. GINNY EASILY SWIPES PAST BLETCHLEY FOR ANOTHER 10 POINTS."

I noticed Crabbe and Goyle put their head together and smile deadly at Ron. Motioning to Dean I jerked my head toward the goons. He gave a thumbs up and flew after a Bludger to send their way.

"BEATER DEAN PROTECTING THE GRYFFINDOR KEEPER WITH A BRILLIANT HIT AT CRABBE. GINNY STEALS THE QUAFFLE FROM WARRINGTON BUT TAKES A BLUDGER TO THE BROOM. SHE'S OKAY BUT SLYTHERIN NOW IN POSSESSION."

Play continued back and forth for forty minutes, getting nastier every passing second. The scoreboard read:

Gryffindor 80

Slytherin 50

"NEW SEEKER PRITCHARD HAS SEEN THE SNITCH! HE STREAKS TOWARD IT...AND HARRY NIPS IT BEFORE HE'S HALFWAY ACROSS THE PITCH! GRYFFINDOR WINS 230-50!!"