PROLOGUE; HARRY POTTER

 ❝ she was a little girl backed into a corner, she will not apologize for how she escaped it ❞

JULY, 1993

holyhead, wales

 ･ ｡ﾟ☆ 

THE AVELINE EMPIRE WAS MADE a multitude of ways, most of which were legal. At least within the last fifteen years it had been forced to adapt and hide in plain sight. That was the one thing Mercurius was best at, like a cockroach he could adapt and survive through almost anything. There could be a nuclear war and he would still be the only man left standing at the end of it all. After the war Mercurius was the first one to claim to have been under the influence of the Imperio curse. Others followed suit but Mercurius was the only one to have eyewitness such as his wife, Rhae, and her parents that claimed they saw this happen before their very eyes. They couldn't be disproven and Rhae was as convincing as a snake charmer. Her smile and warmth could make anyone forget what they felt.

Even her own brother Perseus the auror couldn't find evidence to prove them wrong, and he tried. It was his only hope at getting Rhae to see what Mercurius truly was, but she never did. Not until his cruelty turned towards their children and Rhae realized if she fled, he would always chase after them. There was nowhere in the world he would not go to bring Rhae back, and he wouldn't leave his children to be raised by lesser men. Something her oldest daughter Aurora understood far better than Anika. Aurora knew if she wanted to leave the easiest and cleanest way to do so was by having Mercurius agree to it.

Growing up this meant marriage, she didn't have a choice in whom that would be either. Aurora didn't care though; marriage or death was better than being stuck in his home. Her marriage would always be something subjected to his whims, but at least had found something he would want more.

So, he agreed, so long as Aurora agreed to do whatever he needed her to while she was at Hogwarts her fourth year of schooling. Without thought Aurora accepted his offer. She had to, when would she ever get another chance to escape again, to get Anika away from their father? However, when her father made effort to send Anika to their grandparents, and told her they were going to Holyhead, she began to wonder just what she had agreed to do.

With each step they took down the cobblestone street the possibilities began to pile up. Perhaps Anika and Rhae wanted to see a different side of Mercurius, but Aurora knew what he was. The devil in disguise poisoning all he touched. Everyone in the village had avoided even looking at them, most certainly they avoided Mercurius. This was something he took pride in, but it just made Aurora sad. What was so broken about her father that he needed to feel so big? Mercurius after all had raised her in his own image, Aurora had to wonder what for. What possible could her father been playing the long game for? The ideas started to become clearer when she arrived at a grand mansion with tall iron gates that reached towards the heavens. 

Mercurius needed only tap his wand against the gate for it to open for them. "Come, Rory," he urged his daughter as he walked across the pebbled ground beneath him. The brunette looked behind herself, perhaps debating a final attempt to run. But she was an underage witch, if she ran, she wouldn't be able to use her magic without being tracked. Not to mention she knew no one, had no friends other than the Malfoy boys and their friends during the summer. What was even worse was the fact she would have no money, she'd be broke, alone, and Anika would be left to their father's mercy. So, Aurora turned away from the road and took the hand her father offered. She followed beside him all the way inside the dark wooden building hating the comfort holding his hand offered.

Almost immediately she saw a man sallow-skinned man with a broad, hooked nose and yellow, irregular teeth. He had chilly black eyes and greasy black shoulder-length hair that framed his face as he looked right through Aurora. He was dressed in black, flowing robes that made him look like 'an enormous bat' as he walked across the floor greeting, "You're late."

"Two minutes, Snivellus. The world shall not crumble, is the boy here," Mercurius reasoned, and the man nodded to answer him. Ushering his daughter forward he greeted him, "Snivellus, this is Aurora, my daughter. Aurora, this is Severus Snape."

"He was dropped off an hour ago. It seems even Lucious is capable of being on time," returned Snape his flat gaze falling to Aurora, "Even if he is unaware of the full scope of your...ideas."

Mercurius peeled off his coat saying, "None of you do know the full picture, that is the point of it. Now, let's get this done. The sooner were out of this miserable village the better." Aurora noticed Mercurius always referred to things not up to his high standards of money as 'miserable conditions.' After a while Aurora realized this simply meant without his money Mercurius would not have been able to survive. Like a flower in winter, he would wither without it. Granted Aurora was fairly certain that she wouldn't be too different, but she was still not shallow enough to look down on everyone else.

"Right this way," he ordered leading the father and daughter into the great room where sat on the white and golden couch was a familiar boy of golden hair.  

It was the last person she ever thought she would see, but one she should've expected, "Nikolai," Aurora finally spoke. His eyes of ice were locked only on her, Aurora Aveline, the girl of his summer delights. Every memory of happiness he had had been traced back to her, even in the ones she was angry with him in.  "What are you doing here," she asked her southern English voice ringing out.

"Our fathers and their secret dealings," the Malfoy boy replied finally acknowledging the others in the room.

"Which are," Aurora questioned still standing as her father laid back against the couch.

Tilting his head Mercurius smirked as he reasoned, "For you two to go to school and watch after each other of course."

Aurora raised her chin as she moved to sit on the couch directly opposite her father. She didn't say a word at first, she simply looked between her father, Nikolai, and the man she knew to be a professor and current head of Slytherin house. "Would I be wrong in assuming it has something to do with your hints of Anika and I attending Hogwarts this year instead of you teaching us," the young Aveline pieced together earning a bigger grin from her father. Mercurius loved leaving things as clever puzzles and tricks for Aurora and Anika to figure out. Anika hated his tricks, but if Aurora were honest, his games were one of the few things they still shared after all these years.

"No, you would not," spoke Snape begrudgingly.

Mercurius looked up at him adding, "I told you Snivellus, my Rory is nothing short of the best of her late mother and myself. Clever, discerning, knows when to speak and when not to, and best of all, a liar."

"Are we leading to a point," Aurora said hardly reacting but Nikolai had seen that quiet anger before. He knew how she hated her father, and how she hated how well he knew her even more. Nikolai could understand the first half, Lucious couldn't understand his son for the longest time. Narcissa feared what she understood of Nikolai, she recognized too much of Sirius and Andromeda in him.

"The point, as you eloquently put it, is that you are exactly what is needed for this plan to work because I spent your life readying you for this. This year you will be attending Hogwarts with your sister, but your goals are not just educational," Mercurius began to explain to her.

Her gaze fell upon Snape, "I presume that is where you come in," Aurora deduced knowing he had to have some purpose there.

The man who sat beside her father was so still Aurora thought even if a strong wind came through, he would weather the storm. "Obviously," returned the professor making even Aurora roll her eyes.

"And Nikolai?"

"While you're there I will need you to befriend Harry Potter, as well as a few other.... task. Nikolai is who you will pass the letters along to, not with your owl but with his," instructed her father but Aurora still didn't understand.

"Befriend him for what," Aurora questioned.

"So, he will tell you his secrets of course," returned her father his voice indicating she should have somehow known what he needed. Looking to Nikolai he added, "Lucious was kind enough to offer Nikolai as a protector of sorts. Able to go with you the places professor Snivellus cannot go."

Aurora didn't say anything for a moment, "Understood," she agreed knowing she needed to get word to her uncle. "But that cannot be all we came out here for," Aurora knew her father wouldn't have wasted his time there without reason.

"Well, given that I do know you to be my daughter, and a clever trickster at that, I need more than just your word you'll do as your told. You and Nikolai are perfect for this for the same reasons you are liabilities for it. But high risk, means high reward," Mercurius explained snaping his fingers calling up the tray of drinks from the table.  The teapot poured itself into the cup which handed itself over to Mercurius. "Which is why the two of you will be making the unbreakable vow," he finished.

Aurora nearly stopped breathing right there as her eyes locked with Nikolai whose face of confliction finally made sense to her. "What is my reward then," inquired the Aveline heiress, "After all, high risk does mean high reward. Does it not father?" Her response forced Nikolai to look only at the tea pot that had poured him his own cup now.

"What is it that you want," offered Mercurius already having an idea what her bargain would be.

Without a moment's hesitation Aurora replied, "I want for Anika and me to be able to leave. We will live with Uncle Perseus, I will ensure Anika and I both marry wizards of pureblood, and I will take over as heir when you die. Nor will Anika or I ever speak about the things we know of you. I want us to be free of you."

Nikolai's throat ran dry watching Auroa taking a chance that merely asking for could earn her another scar for asking. To his surprise, Mercurius only smiled, Aurora was doing exactly what he had made of her. "If you want things in life Rory, you earn them. That being said, you give me this year of information and aid, you and your sister will have your freedom," agreed Mercurius reaching into his suit pocket. "The first task of it will be you learning this counter spell and probability hex. It will take your everyday devotion to it; a powerful wizard will be charming this and you will need to override it without setting off alarms. Don't worry, I will help you learn it," he swiftly finished handing her over the spell of instructions.

Aurora took the spell in her hands as Mercurius asked, "Do we have a deal?"

The Aveline girl tore her eyes from the page seeing Nikolai nodding his agreement to her. Aurora understood she wouldn't be leaving that room without her sworn loyalty. And only if her loyalty would come at coast of her own death would Mercurius trust she would listen. She swallowed hard before Aurora said, "I will do as you ask but for how long? I would like a precise timeline."

"The tri-Wizard tournament will be at Hogwarts this year. When the last task start that will mark your end of term. So, from the moment you get there until the last tasks begins. So do we have a deal Aurora," her father smirked.

Aurora looked between all three men and inhaled before answering, "Yes, I'll do it."

aurora's outfit next chapter