There was a bit of trouble with Harry nearly getting expelled, apparently. I didn't take too much notice though, preferring to hole myself away in my shared room.

Dramas like that seemed so insignificant to me since Cedric's passing.

But luckily, I guess, Harry was saved after a quick trip to the Ministry.

"It means I can look out for you, after all," he said upon his return, as he hovered tentatively in the bedroom doorway.

"Great." I muttered, rolling over so that my back was to him.

"Aurora." He said, and to my annoyance, he strode over and sat down upon my bed. "I promised your brother. I promised Ced-"

"CEDRIC'S DEAD!" I bellowed, snapping my head up to glare in his face. "HE HAD NO RIGHT TO ASK YOU TO LOOK AFTER ME!"

Tears started cascading down my face. I felt so angry at the world all of a sudden. So pissed off at the injustice of it all. This time last year, I had been so happy. I had my brother, I had my father and I was about to have Draco.

Now they were all gone. Taken away from me one way or another.

And I was left with this four eyed doofus.

"Harry? Aurora? What's going on?" Ginny asked, entering our room.

Her face was etched in concern as she looked warily from me, then to Harry perched on my bed.

"N-nothing," He stammered, adjusting his glasses. "I was just telling Aurora the good news about my Hearing."

Ginny raised her eyebrows as she took in my tear stained face. "So you're not thrilled he's coming back, I take it?"

Her eyes glinted in mine and I found, to my surprise, a bubble of laughter rise in my chest.

Harry's mouth dropped open as my shoulders shook uncontrollably. My tears of anger had turned into tears of laughter. I couldn't look at Ginny without wanting to giggle harder, who in turn, was clutching her stomach in fits.

"What- what's so funny?" Harry asked in complete bafflement as his eyes darted incredulously between Ginny and I.

"I don't know," I admitted, wiping my eyes.

"Me neither," Ginny agreed, sighing amusedly and shaking her head.

"Come on," she continued, holding out a hand for me to take. "Mum's just made Harry a celebratory feast downstairs to congratulate him on dodging yet another bullet, and insists that I don't come back down without you."

Smiling, I took her hand, and let her lead me out of the room as Harry stared after us, an utterly dumbfounded expression upon his face.

...

"A prefect?!"

We were all looking at Ron, our mouths agape, as he held up the the little badge containing the letter 'P'.

I felt Harry bristle next to me.

We were all sat around the kitchen table of twelve Grimmauld Place, after having just opened our Hogwarts letters.

"For crying out loud," I heard Fred mutter from under his breath.

"Never gonna hear the end of this," George muttered back.

I glanced over at them, grinning, as I held my own letter welcoming me to Hogwarts and the list of stuff that I'll need. A sadness suddenly washed over me at the thought of returning to Cedric's school without him. I wondered if I'd end up in Hufflepuff like my brother.

"Oh Ronald, that's marvellous!" Hermione cried, her cheeks flushing proudly as she beamed at him. "We can do all the wonderful prefect duties together!"

"Prefect duties?!" Ron spluttered with a look of great incredulity. "This sounds suspiciously like extra work to me!"

"That's because it is my dear little brother," snickered Fred.

"Yeah, the poor suckers," added George. "Give them a shiny badge and it makes them think they're important, instead of the school lackeys that they really are."

"Nonsense!" Molly cried. "It is an honour to be made a prefect. All the best students are. I couldn't be prouder. You keep that polished, Ronald, I want you to show everyone just what a true Weasley is capable of."

"So what does that make us, then?" Fred scoffed, pointing to himself and George. "Next-door neighbours?"

I couldn't help but let out a loud snort of laughter. Molly just shook her head in derision. "Glad to see you're looking a lot better these days, Aurora," she bit, narrowing her eyes at me.

I immediately flushed, suddenly hating myself for laughing when Cedric was dead and my dad was still in a state of mental instability.

"Leave her alone, Mum," Fred frowned. "She can't help it if she finds us funny."

I mouthed a thank you to him from across the table, and he winked in response.

"Not at the expense of your poor little brother. I won't have people bullying those for doing well in life." Molly retorted with her nose in the air. "Perhaps the rest of you should take a leaf out of Ronald's book."

"Mum!" Ron cried, looking horrified.

"Don't worry about Mum," Fred muttered to me later, as we stood side by side, dusting all of Sirius's ornaments. Well, I dusted as Fred lazily flicked his wand at various items. "She gets all funny whenever it comes to her darling Ronny. That's why George and I use humour a lot. It helps us not to end up bitter about it."

"That's kind of sad," I said, picking up an old silver locket and admiring it. "Although to be fair my dad is a bit like that with Ced." I paused, feeling a horrific lump suddenly rise in my throat. "Was." I whispered, placing the locket back down with trembling fingers.

"Hey, come here." Fred said, pocketing his wand and holding out his arms.

I gratefully leant against his chest, allowing him to embrace me in a great big bear hug, as I blinked back the tears. It reminded me of when Cedric used to hug me, and I suddenly found myself sobbing hard.

"I'm sorry," I wept as I shook in his arms.

"Hey, it's okay to be sad, you know," he said, tightening his arms around me. "And it's okay to smile and laugh, too. There is no one way to do grief, and no time limit on the process."

"Thank you," I whispered. And I really was. It was a hug that I had so desperately needed.

"Hey, no worries, I'm here for you, Aurora. We all are."

He kept hold of me while I cried for a while longer, remembering Cedric, until Hermione came bustling in, looking up at us startled as we broke apart.

"Oh - sorry. I wasn't interrupting anything was I?" She asked, looking quizzically from Fred to me.

"Nah," Fred shrugged, "I was just about to go and find my extremely good looking brother, anyway."

"Oh, I think Ron's just gone for a lie down actually," Hermione explained, beckoning upstairs.

"I actually meant my identical twin, but I'm sure little Ronny will be absolutely delighted to hear that you fancy a bit." He chortled, flashing Hermione a wicked grin as he left the room.

Flustered, Hermione grabbed a duster from the side and started busying herself with the frantic dusting of a vase.

"You and Fred seemed a little... close, just then." She remarked with an air of casualness.

"He was just being a friend." I explained quietly. "I was upset about Cedric."

Hermione released a little sad sigh, putting her duster down. "It can't be easy for you, all of this. What with your father being in hospital and being cut off from your friends. You must miss them."

"I miss Draco," I admitted, my heart twisting horribly just saying his name. "I miss him very much, and I'm afraid he'll think I've stopped caring because I've been unable to let him know where I am."

"You'll be able to see him again in just a few days, and I'm sure he'll understand why you haven't been able to contact him. Although, actually, given who his dad is..." she tailed off, noticing the horror on my face.

"Oh, you mean a murdering, scummy Death Eater?" Harry thundered, as he strode in the room, interrupting our conversation. "I think Aurora knows to stay well away from Malfoy from now on. She's not stupid. Are you?" He added, glaring warningly at me.

"Harry!" Hermione gasped, "that's not fair!"

"It is. I promised I would look out for Aurora. And that I will. Making sure Malfoy doesn't go anywhere near her is part of that promise. He's bad news! His whole stinking family is!"

A loud cough in the doorway made us all whirl round.

Sirius was stood, his arms folded, leaning against the doorframe as he listened in.

"Do you want me to cut you out of my will, Harry? Because I will do it, you know."