CHAPTER FOUR; GOBLET OF FIRE

❝know the difference between friends who can be foes and foes who can appear as friends ❞

september, 1994

･ ｡ﾟ☆

❝slytherin common room ❞

AURORA HARDLY SLEPT THROUGH OUT the night which did offer her the opportunity to begin getting ready. She was able to shower and put on her uniform and grab her robs and books. As she snuck out of her dungeon Aurora turned around feeling as if someone had been watching. When no one did reveal themselves, she continued down her path to the common room.

The brunette placed her books down upon one of the tables hoping to study some things before class. It wasn't long after she entered that Aurora felt a tug on her arm turning her around. Sitting down beside her dressed in his own Slytherin uniform was Nikolai signaling for her to hush. "What are you doing," she asked as he pulled out the chair.

"Seeing what your plan about your sister is," Nikolai inquired knowing it was only a matter of time before her father had heard.

Aurora was careful to speak just as low as she said, "What can I do? Snape was there, he'll have told him by now and we both know he's just waiting to see how long it takes for me to say something. I have to tell him, and now it's more important than ever that I get close to Potter."

The Malfoy boy leaned back against the dark woodened chair his hand resting on his mouth. "And how do you plan to do that might I ask," he wondered barely removing his hand as he spoke.

"Perhaps it's better if you don't know. Can't let something slip you don't know, right," offered the Aveline teen her eyes returning to the pages of her book.

"Can't let something slip because I'd drop dead if I did, actually," corrected the boy and though she attempted to shield her face he saw the roll of her eyes from his words. Prodding her arm Nikolai continued, "Seriously what is your plan, Aurora? I'm here to help you, so let me help you."

His words had reason in them that Aurora couldn't argue with. With a heavy sigh she told him, "I have to get his name in the Goblet. With the rules my father gave me a spell to override it. Once that's done, get him to like me. Happy now?"

Grumbling Nikolai rolled his eyes answering, "Ecstatic. I just hope you know what you're doing Aveline, or it'll be both our heads." Aurora didn't know what was left to say as he got up from the table leaving her alone.

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·

❝the great hall ❞

Since arriving at Hogwarts Aurora had to admit she had never had a bad meal. The elves in the kitchen must've used just a touch of magic when they cooked that made it so delicious. She loved the food so much Aurora was happy she woke early enough to properly eat before class. It wasn't long before Mara had woken up and dressed to join her in the great hall. In the little conversation she had with Mara she had learned a few things, the Devonshire girl was beyond confident in herself, brilliant. Best and rarest of all, she never cared for blood status. Perhaps because she herself was a half blood. Aurora knew if her father had any knowledge of this, he would demand she'd change her room, but the beauty of him not being able to be in Hogwarts meant she didn't have to tell him the truth.

Mara was decent, which was a fair deal more than what others had shown themselves to be. "There he is," Mara announced pointing at the second table towards the middle. The brunette pair walked to the table, as she got closer, she saw Edmund walking next to a boy around her own age possibly with paler skin but with darker, but neater hair. Aurora remembered him as the boy introduced when she first sat at the Slytherins tables, Ronan. She could make out his tie which matched hers, he must've been in Slytherin as well.

Along with the boys was Anika who joyfully took a seat beside her sister. "Good morning," Mara noted as she took seat in front of her, "This is your sister? Made some head turns with Gryffindor's didn't you, Anika? Tell me, did they turn into ghost when a girl from a family of Slytherin's sitting in their common room?"

"Some of them certainly did," Anika mused with a small laugh. Recalling merely the previous evening she told them, "My roommate Ginny was wonderful actually. Her brothers, you remember them, Rory from the world cup. Well, the twins were positively curious and kept asking if we had hidden halls within our house? I told them we did, and I used them for secret villainous meetings. It looked as if they nearly believed me until I broke cover."

"I love those twins," remarked Ronan as he leaned forward to ask the sisters, "You have got to see the parties those two can throw."

Edmund was quick to add on, "But be warned do not let them start pranking you. If they do it once, give them reason not to do it again." Mara and Ronan were leaned against each other to try and stop from falling over. The muggle boy winced finishing bitterly, "Or spend the rest of your time at Hogwarts having them stick your shoes to the ground."

Anika shielded her mouth as Aurora returned, "I'll keep an eye for them." Turning towards her sister she had to ask, "How'd you sleep?"

Offering a small smile, the young Aveline said, "Better than I thought I would."

Aurora grinned relieved; she squeezed her sister's hand underneath the table as she looked back to the group before her. The group of teenagers laughed amongst themselves, and while sitting with them Aurora began to feel like she could forget for a moment what was going on. Forget what she should've been doing at that very moment.

"What's he doing comin' over here," Edmund asked making them all turn to see The Malfoy brothers with Blaise and a hard-faced, pale skinned brunette walking towards them.

Immediately Anika looked at her nearly finished breakfast and decided it was enough for her, "I don't know but I will not be sticking around to deal with him. He's not worth it." Anika mouthed to her sister 'good luck' before getting up from the benches.

Quickly before she left Edmund stood up adding, "I'll go with you." The two walked off and as she passed Draco the younger Aveline held her head up high ignoring his disgusted glance. She knew what Draco thought of her, but who was she to care about his opinion? Draco didn't even like himself.

Taking a seat down next to Aurora the youngest Malfoy boy greeted, "Morning, what made Anika run off?" Draco, the girl and Blaise sat opposite them and next to Ronan, Aurora didn't answer him she simply stared at all of them in confusion. Nikolai on the other hand sat beside her and touching her chin just enough to turn Aurora to face him, "Did you hear me?"

Ronan and Mara wore shocked faces that locked with each other seeing their interaction, more so how Aurora didn't react at all. She showed no signs of any emotions or discomfort and in Mara personal opinion she didn't understand how that was possible. Aurora calmly maintained her words with hidden pointedness, "I did, I was too distracted by your nameless friend, Blaise, your repressed brother and you being here to think. I thought we had seen enough of each other already."

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of her bed this morning," the brunette joked to Blaise.

Aurora looked back at her returning, "And you've arrived somewhere you weren't wanted nor asked for."

Everyone laughed besides the girl, and Blaise, a skinny boy who wreaked of cigarettes even now, was quick to add, "Seems like you met yet another person who doesn't fear you Parkinson." The brunette nudged him roughly only making him laugh at her expense more.

Introducing her Draco began sounding as if he had gum on the bottom of his shoe, "She's Pansy."

Aurora looked too Mara and Ronan seeing the eager look on their faces to leave. Mara got along with Draco fairly well, better than most in fact but Ronan was only civil. He knew Draco only respected him because he was a pure-blood wizard, nothing more, nothing less. Frankly the binding bridge between them all was Nikolai and Mara. Peacekeepers who had a habit of making friends with all the unlikely types.

"Pansy, Blaise, Draco –– we'll be off now. Enjoy your breakfast," Aurora announced grabbing a muffin to go while Ronan and Mara were already moving to grab their things. Before leaving Aurora couldn't resist placing her hand on Nikolai's shoulder looking at him and his brother smugly saying, "Have a nice day."

Getting up from the table Mara linked her arms with Aurora, "What was that all about," she asked as they met Ronan at the door of the great hall. He had been so desperate to leave he nearly walked all the way to class without them.

Briefly explaining herself Aurora replied, "I've known the Malfoy's since we were children, and I will know them for the rest of my life. Whether I like it or not. When we graduate, despite how Draco lives to annoy me and I drive him mad, our parents have made us together forever."

Mara abruptly stopped her pull keeping Aurora as the brunette's words forced Ronan to stop dead in her tracks. The raven-haired boy turned around slowly his eyes lit up, "You're the girl? You're the one Draco has been mocking his brother about for years?"

"What has he been bothering Nikolai about me for," Aurora wondered.

This seemed to both shock and amuse Mara and Ronan she was left to assume with their raised brows and curling grins. When they finally did speak it was Mara who said, "He always joked that Nikolai shouldn't even bother with as many girls as he does because it won't replace the one, he really wants."

For once in her life Aurora didn't know what to say; Nikolai had always been the boy who in the summer would tease and torment her. Granted he'd had always been the nicer of the two brothers, but she always chalked it up to it being his ultimate act of defiance. Nikolai hated his father so when he wasn't being just like him, he would do his best to spite him in the ways he hated most.

"Or Draco's favorite jab -- promising to actually go through with your," Ronan didn't know how to say the word. They were all so young, merely fourteen going on fifteen soon and yet Aurora had her whole life mapped out in front of her. He knew it was still fairly common for purebloods to marry their children off, but it seemed Draco and Aurora never once had the choice in the arrangement. Ronan didn't know what to call it without sounding as if he was either making a joke out of it himself.

Sensing his hesitant pause, Aurora explained, "You can say it, my horribly chosen arrangement."

Mara didn't have the same level of pause that Ronan did, the blonde quickly interjected, "An awfully young idea for your parents to toy with their child."

Aurora swallowed before defending without truly understanding herself why she was, "My father chose it, and he believed he should be honest, so I didn't get any ideas." The Aveline could see her defense had only widened their pity in her. Their gaze reddened Aurora's cheeks, "It's alright, I swear. If I know anything about my father if I present him with a better alternative, he won't fight me on it. Draco is essentially his backup plan for me -- I don't agree with him, but I do know how to outsmart him."

Devonshire attempted to offer an encouraging smile, "Well as long as you have a plan know I have no problem being the getaway driver." Mara didn't like many people at all, actually almost no one. However, Mara was not one to let a wrong go unpunished or unseen, nor would she allow someone to be hurt she could help, even if she thought they were a foul creature.

With an awkward chuckle Aurora assured, "I'll be fine, and we should be on our way to class unless we are all fine receiving low marks. Even if it is just herbology."  Her statement seemed to deter the pair as they continued to discuss with each other what Professor Moody would be like. All the while Aurora was left to wonder, if Nikolai was a taken with her as they thought, why had he always been so mean? The only reasonable answer was they were simply mistaking his desire to be valued by his father that made him chase Aurora, he didn't actually care about her. Nikolai only cared about what Aurora could offer him, didn't he?

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·

❝ the defense against the dark arts classroom ❞

Right about now Aurora wished she would've written down Mara's direction to her class. The castle was overwhelming, and Aurora was lucky to arrive to class just before her teacher, he must've been lost too, she thought. The brunette entered the room seeing various Gryffindor and Slytherin students alike in the room, all of them talking amongst themselves. She saw Nikolai with his band of misfits in the corner, before he could wave her over, she found an empty desk in the middle of the room. Unable to help herself she looked around an iron chandelier hung from the ceiling, as well as a dragon's skeleton. On one end of the classroom stood a projector that was activated by what she could only assume was magic. Several desks and tables could be found in the classroom as well as sets of large windows.

As her eyes scanned the room, her grass like eyes landed upon Harry who had already been looking at her, Aurora smiled at him before she was distracted by someone sitting down next to her saying, "Moody's not here yet is he?"

The brunette looked away seeing Ronan sitting down besides her, "No, you're just in time," she answered.

Ronan let out a sigh of relief, "Good."

"How did I beat you here, I was wandering the halls for ages," the brunette asked the boy beside her.

Holding up his 'The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection' book he answered, "Forgot my book and had to go all the way back to the dorms. Why did Salazar Slytherin have to put our dorms in the dungeons? Thee bastard haunts every Slytherin whether they appreciate it or not."

Aurora chuckled at the boy resting her face on her own palm telling him, "Probably to teach students like you not to forget their books." Ronan chuckled but before he could speak the room fell silent as the door opened and Moody walked into the room.

Being forced by the sound to turn around Aurora noticed the Nina and Blaise hushing their whispers with loudly speaking wide eyes. Aurora needed to resit her urge to laugh as Moody's growling voice introduced, "Alastor Moody." Turning his back he began writing on the board adding, "Ministry malcontent. And your new defense against the dark arts teacher." Facing his students once more he explained, "I'm here because Dumbledore asked me, end of story, goodbye, the end. Any questions? When it comes to the dark arts, I believe in a practical approach. But first, which of you can tell me how many unforgivable curses there are?"

Of course the only student brave, or perhaps willing enough to speak was none other than Hermione who answered certainly, "Three sir."

"And they are so named," he pushed as he began writing on the board hiding how the professor licked at his lips.

Once more the Granger girl swallowed hard before she answered, "Because they are unforgivable. Use of any one of them will––"

Finishing the sentence for her Moody ceased his writing, "Will earn you a one way ticket to Azkaban. Correct." Now the ministry says you're too young to see what these curses do. I say different! You need to know what you're up against, you need to be prepared!" As the former auror continued to speak his voice grew louder even with his returning to facing the board. Ronan and Aurora looked to each other with fighting grins created be Moody's eccentric demeanor. However his attention changed and his voice bellowed across the room, "You need to find somewhere else to put your chewing gum other than the underside of your desk Mr Finnigan!"

Immediately Aurora put her hand over her mouth stifling her laugh noting just how wide Seamus' eyes became. And for some odd reason, Seamus believed his whispers, loud enough to be heard by Aurora on the opposite side of the isle would not be heard by their professor, "Aw no way, the old codger can see out the back of his head."

Scaring the life out of all his students Moody whipped his eraser at Mr. Finnigan, "And hear across classrooms!" Professor Moody looked around the room noticing once he looked at a student, they would refuse to meet his eye, "So, which curse shall we see first? AVELINE!"

Everyone in the room looked to the brunette who, unlike most people in the room she didn't flinch at the sound of her name and did meet her professors eye. A reaction that wasn't missed by neither Harry nor Ronan. "Yes sir," she replied her voice soft but ultimately kind.

The Professor walked over to her lifting his hand telling her to stand as eh demanded, "Give us a curse."

Aurora glanced at Ronan before she did as she was directed and began to truthfully reply, "My father taught me about the imperious curse." Her comment made Draco and the other Slytherins snidely laugh. 

Professor Moody had this amused look in his eye, "Ahhh yes, your father would know all about that. Gave the ministry quite a bit of grief for it a few years ago. Perhaps this will show you why." Aurora knew what he meant, she knew why he called on her in particular. Her uncle was an auror and no doubt had to explain his distant relationship with a former death-eater. Especially when that Death Eater was one of the few to never be proven wrong, and he was the first to claim it. As he stepped away from her the brunette sat down ignoring the curious glances of students.

Mad-Eye popped open a jar with a spider in it which he allowed to crawl into his hand, "Hello. What a little beauty." The students watched as their professor pulled out his wand casting, "Engorgio." As planned the spider grew a few sizes, once more Moody casted another spell, "Imperio."

Professor Moody used his wand to send the spider onto the desk closest to him, he kept it there for a moment before putting it on Crabbe's head scaring the pudgy boy. The classroom broke out into a fit of laughter, "Don't worry. Completely harmless." Without warning he sent it to the arm of a Gryffindor student who began to panic at the sight. Her moment of terror didn't last long because Moody moved the spider again this time on top of Rons head, "But if she bites... she's lethal!"

Seeing Draco laughing he asked, "What are you laughing at?" Mad-Eye sent the spider onto Draco's face causing Aurora to truly break out into laughter. Nikolai leaped up from his seat beside his brother as he cried out for his younger siblings aid, "Talented isn't she? What shall I have her do next? Jump out the window?" 

With ease he sent the spider flying into the window, the laughter immediately died down across the room. Once more he moved the spider this. time above a bucket of water, "Drown herself?" Glancing to Aurora, Moody told the class pointedly, "Scores of witches and wizards have claimed that they only do did you-know-whose bidding under the influence of the imperious curse. But here's the rub, how do we sort out the liars?"

In the back of her mind Aurora bitterly thought, you can't, not unless you catch them in one of lies. Mercurius was the perfect liar, Aurora was much like him in that way. Carrying on with his lesson Professor Moody turned his attention to the rest of the room, "Another.. another..Come on come on. Longbottom is it? Up." Neville Longbottom stood as his professor carried on saying, "Professor Sprout tells me you have an aptitude for herbology."

Neville hesitated to speak, but when his voice did finally escape his throat, he was sheepishly offering, "There's the um... The cruciatus curse."

"Correct! Correct! Come, come," the older man ushered leading Neville to the table with the spider, "Particularly nasty. The torture curse." Mad-Eye pointed his wand at the spider, "Crucio!" As the spell took affect torturing the spider, it squealed from the pain. Seeing the spider struggle Aurora looked down at her desk, it writhed against the table squealing turning, tearing, and twisting of its insides.

Not being able to watch the scene anymore Hermione was the only student who was willing to shout, "Stop it! Can't you see it's bothering him, stop it!" Slowly, and silently Professor Moody stopped ignoring how Neville was disturbed and paralyzed in his spot. 

He gently picked up the spider which was still making a noise taking it to Hermione placing it on her desk. "Perhaps you could give us the last unforgivable curse Miss Granger," he offered but Hermione shook her head. "Avada Kedavra," Professor Moody casted killing the spider in front of all his students,"The killing curse. Only one person is known to have survived it. And he's sitting in this room." Moody approached Harry's desk staring down at him almost curiously before he took a drink out of his flask.

Aurora was so focused on watching Moody's interaction with Harry she hadn't noticed Ronan had taken out a piece of paper and began writing on it. She felt his hand nudge her grabbing her attention, she looked down seeing on the paper he wrote, 'Now I see why they call him mad-eye moody.' Aurora smirked at him fighting her grin as they continued to listen to his lesson.

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·

❝the great hall ❞

"What do you reckon Professor Moody meant when he said, 'Your father would know all about that' when he was talking to Aurora today," Ron wondered as he sat with all his friends eating dinner. He had been starring at the girl sat amongst the Slytherins for the last five minutes wondering.

Harry looked over at the Slytherin table seeing her sitting and laughing at Ronan with Mara and the rest of the Malfoy's friends. "I don't know," Hermione hated to admit it before she another thought crossed her mind as her eyes fell back to Ron and she questioned, "Why do you care?"

Speaking quietly to the pair he leaned in saying, "She's been friends with Malfoy her whole life I heard. Dad said that her father is so caught up in all the blood purity business he's arranged marriage for her."

Both Hermione and Harry looked at their friend puzzled, "And," Harry prodded already having pieced together that Aurora had to have been the girl Draco always spoke of.

Ron rolled his eyes slightly, drying putting it, "And you know better than anyone Harry where Lucius Malfoy's loyalties lie, who's to say his best friend isn't the same way. Especially given they're getting married for the exact reason of them keeping their bloodlines clean."

"Still failing to see your point," Harry said with a raised brow.

"And we've seen how Draco turned out, what if she's the same. I mean the whole lot of them being in the same house and all," the Weasley boy suggested immediately making Hermione shake her head. Nothing they had seen about Aurora made Hermione think. she was anything like Draco. If she was, Hermione knew they would've already heard from her about that.

In defense of her Hermione reasoned, "She's from Slytherin Ron, not Azkaban. She hasn't acted like Draco or even Nikolai for a second."

"All I'm saying is to be friends with the Malfoy's your whole childhood you must have something in common with them," argued Ron tossing his hands up defensively.

Not relenting Hermione reminded barely managing to keep herself quiet as she placed her book down, "How can you say that? She tried to help Harry at the World Cup."

Just as the words were leaving her lips, Harry had already begun to tell him, "We don't know anything about her."

"My point exactly," Ron replied, "Best to steer clear of her until we do." His offer of caution made Harry look back to the Aveline teenager, who, feeling his eyes on her looked up meeting Harry's for but a moment before Nina grabbing at her wrist distracted her.

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·

❝ slytherin Common room ❞

Try as she might, Aurora could not sleep, not even with Mara's spell lingering in their air. It helped her sleep for a little while, but her thoughts were too much for her. She hadn't heard from their father and she knew it was only a matter of time till she did. Aurora made her way to the couch sitting in front of the fire, she couldn't help but think of her mother. She was always fond on late nights in front of the fire. When she was a little girl Rhea used to sit there with her for hours telling her stories.

"Aurora," a voice questioned making the girl turn around to see none other than Nikolai standing a few feet behind the couch. "What are you doing down here," he asked her curiously moving around the couch to sit down next to her.

The Aveline girl stood from the couch, "Nothing anymore, enjoy," she said harshly.

Aurora went to walk past him but as she did Nikolai reached out grabbing her wrist, "Wait," he protested as she looked down at his grip on her, "Why are you leaving?"

Aurora chuckled at him shaking her head telling him, "Nikolai, you hate me and I have enough self respect to walk away from someone who treats me like dirt. Especially when I know you're only waiting to torment me with the idea of how my father will react when he learns of Anika –– something I am sure you mentioned to your father so it's only a matter of time before I hear it from mine."

Without another word Aurora pulled her wrist from him trying to leave but before she could Nikolai admitted, "I didn't tell him." Aurora stopped keeping her back to him as he repeated, "I hardly speak to my father while at school so I make a note not to talk about you."

Turning around with a sigh Aurora said, "Even when you're trying to sound nice you still sound like an ass." Nikolai smirked amused as the brunette decided against her better angels to sit back down, "Why are you down here," she asked him curiously.

"Couldn't sleep," he answered simply allowing the silence to fall between them once more. While he sat there, Nikolai thought about what she said, how she thought he hated her, and maybe a part of him did. Maybe that was why he had always been so mean to her, maybe that meant there were reasons he was so mean to everyone, maybe he hated everyone. Or maybe he was so mean to her because he didn't really hate her at all. "I don't hate you," Nikolai announced keeping his eyes on the fire as he broke the silence, "I don't why I am so...angry with you all the time but I don't hate you at all, Rory."

Not looking at him either as she spoke Aurora admitted, "I don't hate you either Nikolai, I don't understand why either of us do what we do. We've never been nice to each other, but we had our moment during the summers where I'd say we were downright friends." 

The two fell silent again, Aurora snuck a glance his way trying to think of reasons they acted the way they did. Nothing came to mind, except their fathers. The best of childhood friends, death-eaters who got away with being monsters, and cruel father who raised their children to be consumed by fear. Aurora's fear made her kinder to most, but kept her from truly caring about anyone. Draco's fear made him cruel, angry, and unable to care for people. Nikolai's turned him nearly as wicked as his father and brother, but, he more sensitive than they. He considered it a cursed heart, Aurora knew it was only that he deemed a curse that made him better than the entirety of his house.

The Malfoy's and the Aveline's, generations of broken people and there the two of them sat products of hundreds, if not thousands of years of their families horrors. "Maybe one day our mothers will turn our to be right, and we will be friends. Maybe you and I will be more than just our fathers pawns," Aurora mused before standing up again. With a small smirk she finished, "But until then, I hate you Malfoy."

Nikolai smirked amused as she walked past him finally ready to go to bed, "I hate you too, Aveline."