The morning light filtered through the windows of the Great Dining Hall, bathing the long tables in a golden glow. Aurelian, seated between Hestia and Flora, was finishing serving himself a piece of toast when a group of owls swooped down on the tables, scattering feathers and screeches among the students. One of them, with mottled gray plumage, dropped the Daily Prophet precisely onto his plate.
Aurelian picked it up without much haste, unfolding the newspaper as he sipped his tea. However, his eyes narrowed as soon as he read the big headline on the front page:
"Attempted robbery at Gringotts. Vault ransacked, intruder missing."
The article explained that an unknown person had attempted to break into vault 713, but that "according to official statements" nothing had been found inside. The goblins insisted that "no treasure had been touched." The vault had been emptied hours before the attack.
As he read silently, Hestia and Flora peered curiously over his shoulders.
"What's wrong, Aurelian?" asked Flora, tilting her head sweetly but with a hint of suspicion in her eyes as she saw him frown.
He turned the newspaper to show them. Hestia read it quickly and frowned.
"A robbery at Gringotts?" she whispered. "That's not something that happens every day. No one who goes in there comes out alive..."
From the other end of the table, Draco Malfoy commented loudly as he leafed through his own copy of the Prophet:
"A robbery at Gringotts! That proves that gold is no longer safe, not even with the goblins. My father always said that..."
"Shut up, Draco," Pansy interrupted, rolling her eyes.
Aurelian barely paid attention to them. His mind was already elsewhere. Not only was the Philosopher's Stone at Hogwarts, but his own father, Voldemort, was inhabiting the body of the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.
As he finished his breakfast, he squeezed Hestia's hand lightly, then Flora's.
"We'd better get ready," he said quietly, in a tone that was both a warning and a promise. "This year won't be peaceful."
The twins, as always, looked at him fondly.
"No matter what happens," whispered Flora.
"We'll be with you," added Hestia firmly.
At the Gryffindor table, the atmosphere was also agitated by the news. Harry Potter held the newspaper with wide eyes, reviewing every line of the article. Ron, his mouth full of scrambled eggs, watched him curiously.
"Harry, what's going on?" he finally asked, swallowing with difficulty.
Harry lowered the newspaper and replied in a low voice, as if afraid that others might hear him:
"That vault... the one from the robbery... it's the same one Hagrid took me to see at Gringotts the day we went to buy my things."
Hermione, who had already finished her breakfast and was reading a book leaning against her plate, looked up abruptly.
"What? Are you sure?"
"Absolutely," said Harry, nodding firmly. "Hagrid opened it with a key he took out of his pocket. There was something wrapped inside... but he took it out before I could get a good look at what it was."
Ron put his fork down, staring at Harry with wide eyes.
"So... whatever was in that vault is now here at Hogwarts."
Hermione clasped her hands together thoughtfully.
"That explains why someone tried to steal it. But... what object could be so important that it needed that kind of protection?"
The three of them fell silent for a few seconds, exchanging nervous glances.
From the teachers' table, Quirrell continued to eat with apparent calm, although from time to time his eyes strayed to the Gryffindor table and frequently to the Slytherin table. He remembered with irony his failure to enter Gringotts and find a completely empty vault.
Aurelian placed the Daily Prophet on the Slytherin table. Lowering his gaze, he said,
"It's not my time yet. If I rush ahead... I'll be exposed. If I wait... I can choose when and how to act."
That cold calculation reassured him. He was not a Gryffindor who would rush headlong into every mystery, nor was he a fool eager to prove himself. Time and, above all, his knowledge were his best allies.
"Aurelian!" Cedric's warm, cheerful voice interrupted his thoughts. The badger approached with a smile, his Hufflepuff scarf hanging carelessly around his neck. "Would you like to practice flying a little? I want to improve my reflexes before the season starts... and I could use a partner who won't make it easy for me."
Aurelian raised an eyebrow, but quickly smiled.
"Is that a compliment or an excuse for when I beat you?"
Cedric laughed, punching him playfully on the shoulder.
"We'll see who ends up looking ridiculous."
The Gaunt rose elegantly, picking up the dark scarf that lay beside him. The tension of his thoughts about the Stone dissipated just a little.
"All right. Let's go to the field."
They both left the Great Hall, while behind them the voices of the other students continued to comment on the robbery at Gringotts. Aurelian barely listened. He had already made his decision: he would watch from the shadows... until it was time to act.
The fresh air outside greeted them as they crossed the castle gates. Cedric quickened his pace, visibly excited.
The sky was clear, with just a few scattered clouds gently swaying above the castle towers. Cedric and Aurelian arrived at the Quidditch field, where several practice brooms rested on the shelves. Cedric stretched his arms energetically while Aurelian calmly approached with his personal broom, dark and elegant.
"Do you want to warm up a bit, or would you rather go straight to flying?" Cedric asked, twirling the broom in his hands.
Aurelian glanced at him sideways, and an almost imperceptible smile curved his lips.
"I have a better idea."
Cedric raised his eyebrows.
"What do you have in mind?"
The Gaunt gestured with his hand toward the towers of Hogwarts, which rose majestically in the distance.
"A race. The first one to circle the castle and return to the entrance of this field wins."
Cedric's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"That sounds much better than any boring training."
At that moment, two familiar voices came from the side of the field.
"Aurelian!" Hestia waved her hand, smiling sweetly, her gaze assessing Cedric with the same intensity as a basilisk.
"May you win!" added Flora, leaning forward with a determined expression.
Cedric swallowed hard as he noticed the way the twins were looking at him.
Aurelian smiled and simply nodded at them, giving them a confident gesture.
They both mounted their broomsticks. Cedric leaned forward with the posture of a professional seeker, while Aurelian did so with the serenity of someone who had nothing to prove.
"Ready?" asked Cedric.
"Whenever you are," replied Aurelian.
"Go!" they shouted in unison.
Both shot off like arrows. The Noxum responded instantly under Aurelian's control, smooth and precise, cutting through the wind with supernatural elegance. Cedric, for his part, advanced with determination, his Noxum vibrating slightly from the effort but keeping pace.
They climbed above the Astronomy Tower, descended to the edge of the Great Lake, and dodged the air currents that formed near the Forbidden Forest. They were neck and neck the entire way, neither willing to give up a single meter.
Aurelian calculated each turn with precision, almost as if the race were a strategic problem. Cedric, on the other hand, let his instincts guide him, relying on his quick reflexes and natural courage.
Finally, they both dove toward the entrance to the Quidditch field. The impromptu audience, "the Carrow twins," hugged each other as they held their breath watching them touch the ground... at the same time.
"Tie!" Flora shouted coldly, with a slight frown, wishing Aurelian had won by a landslide.
"Not bad," Cedric said, laughing as he climbed off his broom, his hair tousled by the wind. "I thought you were going to leave me behind at any moment."
Aurelian gracefully stepped off his broom, running a hand over the dark handle of his Noxum.
"I guess I still have room for improvement."
They exchanged a glance, then laughed again as they clapped hands. The wind carried away Cedric's laughter and Aurelian's calm smile.
As Cedric walked away from the field with a satisfied smile, Aurelian walked toward where the twins were waiting for him. As soon as he set foot on the steps, Hestia wrapped her arms around him on one side and Flora on the other, both pressing themselves against him as if to make it clear that the tie with Cedric meant nothing.
"We don't like others trying to compete with you," whispered Hestia, her gaze fixed on Aurelian's eyes.
"Especially when it's someone who smiles so much..." added Flora, in a reproachful tone directed at Cedric, even though he was no longer present.
Aurelian watched them amused, already accustomed to their words.
"It was just a friendly race," he tried to defend his friend.
"It doesn't matter," they said in unison. They hugged him tighter, as if to make sure there was no doubt about where his heart belonged.
The young Gaunt wrapped his arms around them, accepting their warmth and love, which, far from suffocating him, reminded him that he was not alone. He smiled softly, leaning down to kiss each of them on the lips.
"With you by my side," he murmured, "nothing worries me."
The twins, satisfied, rested their foreheads against his, enjoying that intimate moment before letting him go. Still smiling. Aurelian led them toward the castle.
The setting sun bathed the towers of Hogwarts in light, and although the shadows of future challenges loomed on the horizon, for now, in that moment, there was nothing but the certainty that he was not alone on his journey. And so, amid soft laughter and a sense of mutual belonging, he closed another chapter of his life at Hogwarts.
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