While most of the students were still asleep, three figures moved within the Room of Requirement, now transformed into a spacious dueling hall with stone walls and a floor covered in protective runes that pulsed softly with each magical impact.
A green flash crossed the air, followed by a reddish one, then a burst of fire grazed a column and dissipated in a whirlwind of smoke. Aurelian raised an arm, deflecting the attack with a calm gesture, though the floor shook slightly beneath his feet.
"Well?" he asked with a sigh, looking at the two young women in front of him. "Are you sure this is still just training?"
Hestia, her hair slightly disheveled and a smile on her face, twirled her wand between her fingers.
"Of course, my love. We're just trying out some new coordinated attack spells."
Flora, her eyes sparkling, added.
"Our timing... seems to be better than ever."
Aurelian looked at them with an impassive expression.
"If you keep this up..." Aurelian muttered, crossing his arms.
Hestia smiled sweetly.
"We just want to keep up with you... not get rusty."
Flora took a step closer, pointing her wand at the ground and releasing a small shockwave.
"And also let off some steam. Let's just say... something happened yesterday that irritated us."
Aurelian sighed again, although a smile crossed his face.
"Does it have anything to do with an innocent blonde girl who just wanted to say hello to me?"
The silence that followed spoke louder than any answer.
Hestia looked down with a small smile, while Flora clicked her tongue and let out a soft,
"Innocent? Sure... very innocent."
"Luna Lovegood," Aurelian said calmly. "A sensitive girl, from what I've heard, nothing more."
"A girl who hugged you in front of the whole school," Hestia interrupted, her voice so sweet it was chilling. "And wouldn't let go."
Aurelian ran a hand through his hair, tired but somewhat amused.
"It's not a crime, Hestia."
"No..." replied Flora, smiling with tense calm, "but it was a little... unexpected, and you know we hate surprises."
Their eyes met in unison, and a moment later, they cast another combined spell. Two beams intertwined, heading toward him.
Aurelian just watched as they approached. The spells stopped inches from his body, slowly dissolving without a trace.
The air stirred, and only the echo of the dissipating magic could be heard. They looked at him, breathing heavily, with a mixture of frustration and admiration.
Aurelian moved his hand calmly.
"Are you done?" he asked in a quiet voice.
Hestia and Flora looked at each other, then burst into soft laughter. Flora slowly approached him and ran a finger across his chest, smiling mischievously.
"Maybe... if you promise to make it up to us for the scare that girl gave us."
"Or at least for making us worry," added Hestia, resting her head on his shoulder.
Aurelian watched them for a few seconds, without losing his composure, and simply said,
"Compensate you... huh? That will depend on your performance."
Flora looked at him with a competitive gleam in her eyes.
"So... another round?"
The young man smiled, that calm smile that always mixed elegance.
"If you think you can hurt me... go ahead."
Before he could finish his sentence, the room lit up with a new storm of spells. The twins' power collided with Aurelian's unflappable calm in a duel that wasn't really a fight.
As the walls shook and the air filled with sparks, Aurelian couldn't help but think that those two girls were his greatest strength... and his greatest weakness.
The last flashes of magic slowly faded, dissipating into the air of the room. Hestia, panting, dropped her wand. Flora followed suit a few seconds later, laughing as she sighed.
"I think that's... enough for today," said Hestia, letting her body fall onto an armchair that the Room of Requirement had conjured up, sensing her exhaustion.
"I can finally rest," replied Flora, flopping down next to her sister, her hair tousled and a smile on her face. "I don't know about you, but I think my arms have given up on me."
Aurelian watched them in silence. With a slight gesture of his hand, the Room slowly changed. The cracked walls were repaired, the remnants of magical energy dissipated, and in a matter of seconds, the atmosphere was completely transformed.
The dueling hall became a cozy room, lit by a soft, golden fire in the fireplace. Sofas appeared, along with an emerald-colored rug, and the air took on the faint scent of jasmine and wood.
True to its name, the Hall gave them exactly what they needed or desired.
"Wow," Flora murmured, leaning back and closing her eyes. "I think magic itself surrenders to you, Aurelian."
He smiled slightly and approached the two, taking a seat next to them.
Hestia, without hesitation, leaned on his leg, while Flora rested her head on his shoulder.
"It's not that..." he replied in a calm voice. "It's just that it understands that you've already caused enough havoc for today."
The twins let out a soft giggle.
Aurelian had noticed the exhaustion reflected in their eyes, but also the happiness that was etched on their faces. He slowly raised a hand and gently stroked their hair, letting his fingers slide through their dark locks.
"You did well," he said with a slight smile. "You are getting better at controlling your magic... and your emotions."
Hestia let out a small murmur, without opening her eyes.
"We only do it because it's you and we want to impress you," added Flora, turning slightly to look at him with a mischievous smile.
"I've already told you that you don't need to do that," replied Aurelian, lowering his voice. "You already do... every day."
Hestia and Flora seemed calm, curled up beside him. But that calm hid something, emotions that only he knew well. The sparkle in their eyes, the way they looked at him, the emotion that always bordered on obsession.
For a moment, no one spoke, until Flora opened her eyes, her gaze fixed on Aurelian's face.
"That girl yesterday..." she whispered softly, as if tasting the words. "The one who hugged you in the Great Hall..."
Hestia raised her head, her expression a mixture of tenderness and danger.
"Yes, Luna Lovegood," she repeated in a soft, almost musical tone. "That little girl who didn't want to let you go."
Aurelian sighed.
He knew where this conversation was going, and the tone in the twins' voices confirmed it.
"Don't start that again," he said quietly. "It was just... a one-time thing."
Flora stared at him, analyzing every word. "Oh, we know..." she replied with a slight smile. "But still... we don't like it."
Hestia sat up a little, resting her chin on Aurelian's shoulder. Her voice sounded sweet, but her eyes had that characteristic intensity.
"Aurelian, you know we love you, right? That we couldn't bear anyone trying to steal even a moment of your attention... right?"
"I know..." he replied, trying to sound calm. "You don't have to worry."
The two women exchanged a glance and smiled broadly.
Flora spoke first, with that mixture of coquetry and devotion that only she could achieve.
"Then you won't mind... this."
Before he could say anything else, Hestia hugged him from behind, wrapping her arms around his neck, while Flora did the same from the front, resting her head against his chest.
"You're ours, Aurelian," Hestia murmured, closing her eyes with a small smile.
"Forever... Forever," Flora added, in a promise and a warning at the same time.
Aurelian stood still, listening to their breathing. He knew there was no point in arguing with them. He understood them and loved them intensely.
"I'm not going anywhere, we'll always be together," he finally said with a big smile.
"I know," Flora replied, clinging to him a little tighter.
"And if anyone tries to interfere..." added Hestia, with a barely perceptible smile, "Well... you know what would happen to them."
Aurelian let out a tired laugh, resting his head on the back of the sofa. There was no way to win an argument with the Carrows, he had known that for a long time.
In one of the tallest towers, Luna Lovegood walked barefoot on the cold stone floor, humming a tune that only she knew. Her blonde hair blew in the wind, in her hands she held a small dried flower she had found that morning in the garden.
It was her first year at Hogwarts, and although many still looked at her with mockery or laughter, Luna didn't mind.
She saw more than others could understand. Nargles sometimes followed her, portraits greeted her with confused smiles, and the shadows of the castle whispered secrets of ancient stories to her.
But that afternoon, there was something different inside her.
Ever since she had embraced the dark-eyed boy in the Great Hall, she had felt a calmness she couldn't explain. She didn't know him... and yet something inside her told her she should.
Luna sat by the window, looking out at the lake.
The reflections in the water seemed like mirrors from another time, and for a moment she thought she saw a distant figure, enveloped in shadows and light at the same time.
"Aurelian... Gaunt..." she whispered the name as if it were something difficult to decipher.
She remembered his gaze. His eyes were deep, patient, and at the same time indecipherable. She had felt that his soul knew hers, even though they had never met before.
It was not infatuation, nor simple curiosity. It was an inexplicable connection, as if fate had touched them for a moment.
She closed her eyes and rested her forehead against the glass.
She heard the murmur of the hallways, the distant laughter of the students, and the sound of the teachers closing the Great Hall.
But her mind remained in that moment, the embrace, that feeling she had never felt before.
"Don't worry... I'll see him again," she murmured to herself, with a dreamy smile.
Luna's eyes sparkled with a faint silver glint. She didn't know why, but deep in her heart something told her that this boy... would be important in her life and in the world.
Perhaps he was dangerous. A mystery. But Luna Lovegood wasn't afraid of mysteries. They were just truths waiting to be understood.
She looked once more toward the lake, where the moon's reflection was beginning to appear on the water, and amid whispers that only she could hear, the nargles seemed to tell her that destiny had just shifted.
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