The wind blowing across the lake was gentle and cool. The reflection of the castle danced on the surface like a living painting, distorting with each wave raised by the animals as they passed by.
Aurelian stood watching the horizon with a calm expression. At his side, Hestia and Flora walked silently, watching him with a mixture of concern.
Finally, it was Hestia who approached first, taking his arm gently.
"You shouldn't let something so petty affect you," she said softly, afraid of upsetting him with her words. "Those kinds of people don't deserve your attention, Aurelian."
Flora was more direct, adding as she crossed her arms.
"Exactly. If it were up to me, I would have made him swallow his own tongue."
Hestia gave her a slight look of reproach, although a smile escaped her lips. Aurelian sighed and sat down by the shore, letting the grass brush against his hands.
Flora knelt in front of him, placing her hand on his.
"Sometimes people speak without really understanding the words they're saying," she said gently. "But you shouldn't bear the burden of their ignorance. You... you're different, Aurelian. You're better than any of them."
Aurelian looked up and met her eyes, which were full of sincerity.
"Perhaps," he replied with a hint of a smile, "but even I can grow tired of seeing the world repeat its mistakes."
Hestia sat down next to him and rested her head on his shoulder, while Flora did the same on the other side, intertwining her fingers with his. The three remained like that, in silence, as the sun slowly descended on the horizon, tinging the sky with shades of orange and red.
"You know?" whispered Hestia, without taking her eyes off the lake. "When you get angry, you look even more... majestic."
Flora laughed softly.
"And a little scary," she added mischievously. "Malfoy almost fainted."
Aurelian let out a soft laugh, looking at them tenderly.
"Thank you..." he said in a low voice, almost in a sigh, "for always being with me."
Hestia smiled at him.
"You have nothing to thank us for," she whispered. "We will always be by your side."
Flora squeezed his hand tightly.
"Until the end," she said firmly, her gaze reflecting the light of the sunset.
Aurelian watched them in silence.
His eyes shone with a warmth that disarmed any mask he might have been wearing.
First, he kissed Flora gently. She closed her eyes and responded sweetly, as time seemed to stand still. He turned to Hestia, brushing her lips with his in a soft, tender, and sincere gesture.
The two smiled, blushing, resting their foreheads against his.
There were no words. None were needed.
The wind blew across the lake and the waves reflected three figures standing together in the glow of the sunset.
Aurelian closed his eyes for a moment, feeling the peace of that moment envelop him. There among them, everything seemed perfect.
The Great Hall was filled with laughter, voices, and the aroma of the freshly served banquet. Candles floated overhead, reflecting their light on the four long dining tables, and the enchanted ceiling displayed a deep blue sky.
Headmaster Dumbledore had just given a short, cheerful speech, reminding the students of the importance of prudence, curiosity, and camaraderie. However, the young lord of the House of Gaunt had not yet made an appearance.
Aurelian walked quietly through the corridors, wiping a slight trace of dust from his hands. He had lost track of time while conducting a small experiment in the Room of Requirement, and when he noticed the commotion coming from the Great Hall, he knew that the banquet had begun some time ago.
He entered the Great Dining Room with his usual calm.
The conversations continued for a few seconds... until someone noticed his arrival. Silence spread from the door to the end of the tables.
Everyone was looking at him.
His eyes calmly scanned the room, the teachers' table in the distance, showing Dumbledore smiling with his enigmatic expression and the students from each house chatting animatedly.
At the Slytherin table, Hestia and Flora saw him get up immediately, their eyes lighting up and shining with joy at the sight of him.
"Aurelian!" they exclaimed almost in unison, waving their hands at him.
He smiled softly when he saw them and began to make his way between the tables.
That's when something unexpected happened.
A small blonde figure rose from the Ravenclaw table. She walked toward him calmly, as if nothing else existed in the world. Her golden hair floated slightly with each step, her blue-gray eyes seemed to look through time and not at the present.
Before Aurelian could react, the girl approached him and, without saying a word, hugged him tightly.
Silence fell over the Great Hall. The contact was so spontaneous that everyone was momentarily paralyzed.
The remaining murmurs died away instantly. Hundreds of eyes fixed on the scene, a little Ravenclaw tenderly hugging the young lord of Slytherin, as if they had known each other all their lives.
Aurelian, surprised, lowered his gaze.
He recognized her, even though this was the first time they had spoken. Luna Lovegood, daughter of the eccentric editor of The Quibbler. He remembered who she would become... but this, what had just happened, was completely new to him.
"May I ask why you are hugging me?" he said calmly, without trying to push her away.
Luna didn't answer.
She just looked at him for a few seconds with her big, dreamy eyes and rested her head against his chest again, hugging him even tighter. It was as if she were searching for something in him, a feeling, something invisible that only she could perceive.
Then... everyone present instinctively turned their heads at the same time... looking at Hestia and Flora.
At the Slytherin table, both girls had fallen silent. The smiles they had had a moment ago vanished, replaced by a serious expression, dangerous some would say.
Flora's lips were curved into a smile so perfect it was unnatural, her fingers moving to squeeze her glass so tightly that the sound of metal could be heard throughout the room, leaving a thin, invisible crack in it.
Hestia, on the other hand, was not smiling. Her gaze was fixed on Luna, seemingly capable of stopping the air itself.
The Slytherin students immediately moved aside. No one wanted to get caught in the middle of that.
From the Gryffindor table, even Fred and George exchanged glances and lowered their voices.
At the teachers' table, Dumbledore put a hand to his chin, watching with a mixture of amusement.
"Ah..." he murmured softly, but loud enough for McGonagall to hear. "I think Miss Lovegood has just conjured up a storm."
McGonagall closed her eyes and sighed softly.
"Let's hope it's not literal, Albus."
Snape slowly crossed his arms.
"This promises to be entertaining..." he muttered under his breath.
Meanwhile, Aurelian remained motionless, even with Luna hugging him.
His eyes scanned the dining hall, lingering on the twins. He knew exactly what they were thinking. He also knew that if he didn't intervene soon, the situation could become dangerous.
Gently, he placed a hand on Luna's shoulder.
"This... Little one," he said softly, gently, "You'd better go back to your table."
Luna looked at him for a moment longer and nodded, without losing her dreamy expression.
"Okay..." she murmured, "I just... needed to do that."
She left as calmly as she had arrived, returning to the Ravenclaw table amid whispers.
The silence lasted a few more seconds, until Aurelian resumed walking.
When he reached the Slytherin table, Hestia and Flora were waiting for him, smiling... but so forced that the nearby students moved a few inches away.
Aurelian sat down between them, pretending nothing had happened.
"A curious girl, don't you think?" he said in a neutral voice. "There's nothing to worry about."
Flora smiled, sweet as honey.
"Of course not, my love..." she whispered, caressing his hand. "I just hope that curiosity doesn't become a habit."
Hestia tilted her head, letting out a small laugh.
"I'm sure it won't," she said softly, though her eyes remained fixed on the Ravenclaw table. "It would be... imprudent, and hopefully she won't get lost in the corridors tonight... Hogwarts can be so unpredictable."
Aurelian sighed, raising the glass to his lips.
"Hogwarts never ceases to amaze me," he murmured to himself, with a slight smile.
When peace was finally restored to the Great Hall and the students returned to their meals, everything was different at the teachers' table. Dumbledore, with his usual calm, was enjoying a piece of cake while observing the room with a curious smile.
McGonagall was the first to break the silence.
"Headmaster," she said quietly, in that tone that was somewhere between stern and maternal, "don't you think we should... do something about what just happened?"
Dumbledore looked up, amused.
"Do you mean the innocent hug from a little girl, or the minor emotional earthquake it caused among the Carrow sisters?"
McGonagall sighed, adjusting her hat.
"Both, Albus. We know what those girls are like... I wouldn't want to see a first-year student fall victim to a 'magical coincidence' in the castle."
At her side, Professor Flitwick nodded with concern.
"Miss Lovegood is a very sensitive girl, she has an unusual magical perception. She may have felt something in Aurelian that attracted her. But the Carrow sisters..." He paused briefly. "Well, their affection is precisely discreet."
Snape, who had remained silent until then, raised an eyebrow and spoke in a low, icy voice.
"Affection is not the word I would use to describe them."
"And what would you use, Severus?" asked Dumbledore with a smile.
"Obsession," replied the Potions master without hesitation. "They are obsessed with that boy."
The teachers exchanged uncomfortable glances.
The tension between the Carrows and the rest of Slytherin was well known, but they had maintained impeccable behavior... as long as no one got too close to Aurelian.
That was when an enthusiastic voice broke the tense atmosphere at the table.
"Oh, you shouldn't worry so much!" Gilderoy Lockhart interjected with his classic smile, waving his hand. "It's normal at that age. In my day, witches used to chase me all over the castle. Ah, youth!"
Snape snorted so loudly that even some of the students closest to him heard it.
"What a coincidence," he muttered sarcastically. "Although yours used to run away, not chase you."
Lockhart ignored the comment with a laugh.
"Ah, Severus, always so funny! But if you'll allow me my professional opinion," he continued, smoothing his hair, "young Lovegood was simply responding to the magnetic presence of a promising wizard. Some of us just have that... natural effect on people."
McGonagall massaged her temples patiently.
"Please, Professor Lockhart, I beg you not to compare your so-called 'natural effect' to a potentially dangerous situation."
Dumbledore intervened before the conversation escalated.
"Calm down, my friends. I don't think there's anything to worry about. Miss Lovegood has a rare magical sensitivity, and Aurelian, well... let's just say his energy is hard to ignore. Perhaps she sensed something that the others did not."
Flitwick nodded thoughtfully.
"That is possible. There are wizards who are able to perceive the magical currents of others, even without formal training."
"In any case," added McGonagall, looking at the headmaster, "I would suggest that someone observe the Carrow sisters for a few days. I don't doubt their... love for Mr. Gaunt, but... their temperament can be a little volatile."
"I'll take that into account," replied Dumbledore with a slight smile. "Although I fear that no one could watch over them better than Aurelian. He seems to be the only one capable of calming them down."
The teachers fell silent, knowing that the archmage was right. Dumbledore wasted no time in raising his wine glass.
"Let's toast to this year passing normally," he said cheerfully. "And to Hogwarts surviving, for another year, its most... passionate students."
McGonagall sighed deeply.
Snape rolled his eyes.
And Gilderoy, without missing a beat, raised his glass with a beaming smile.
"Here's to youth and irresistible magnetism!"
The headmaster let out a quiet chuckle, and even McGonagall couldn't help but smile. Because deep down, they all knew that Hogwarts wouldn't be Hogwarts without that touch of chaos and uncertainty.
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