—————A—————

It was nearly impossible to top last year's celebration, but Aurora couldn't help but enjoy being near the Quidditch pitch again.

She was flanked by Ginny and Luna, the former in Slytherin colors, as had become her tradition when it was a Gryffindor/Slytherin match. Neville was at her back, cheering on Harry and encouraging Ron despite his less-than-stellar performance as Keeper.

Harry and Draco seemed to be having the time of their lives out there, flying circles around one another, chasing each other as much as they did the Snitch. Aurora caught snippets of taunts and laughter as they flew overhead earlier in the game, wide smiles on both their faces.

But admittedly, her eyes didn't stay on the Seekers for long. She was, perhaps, a bit more drawn to the Gryffindor Beaters. One Beater in particular.

There were no clandestine meetings at midnight or longing looks from across the common room while they forced themselves to be apart. Aurora hadn't sacrificed time with her friends and Fred hadn't abandoned George and Lee for her. They met whenever it was possible. She and Fred would sit beside one another in the Great Hall, their friends surrounding them. In the common room, they would sit together, though there was always a respectable amount of space. As far as anyone was concerned, she and Fred were just very good friends.

But when no one was paying attention, they held hands, kissed each other on the cheek, studied together or worked on product development in a corner of the library, and took long walks around the lake even if it was a bit nippy out.

And she had, perhaps, been a bit louder when the Beaters knocked away the Bludgers.

When the game ended, Gryffindor beating Slytherin by ten points, she and her friends went down to the changing rooms.

"Excellent game," Ginny said as they entered the changing area. "Well, except you, Ron. You kinda let more than a few of those Quaffles pass."

"Oi, shove it," Ron snapped back, though Aurora noticed that he was more than a bit blotchy after that statement.

"Is there much point in washing up?" Harry asked, dabbing a towel to his forehead. "Or did your dad give us field time again this year?"

"'Fraid not," she said, plopping down on the bench conveniently beside Fred.

"Oi!" Draco's voice cut through the room before he rounded the corner and came in. "Do I need to shower?"

"Of course you do, Malfoy." Harry grinned. "Can't keep up your pristine image if you don't."

"Yes, well, I'm also not going to bother if we're going to go right back to flying," he countered.

"Not this year." Aurora shook her head. "He doesn't want to draw attention." She looked at her feet before meeting Draco's gaze meaningfully.

"Right," he said. "A more private setting, then? The Room of Requirement?"

"I think that works. Unless your parents had something planned?" Harry said, looking at Aurora again.

She sighed heavily. So much for a good day.

"They do. We can meet up after the dinner we're attending in my father's quarters," she said, looking to Draco once more. "And I do mean 'we.'"

"Bloody hell," Draco grumbled. "Well, nothing for it, then. I suppose I should tidy up and prepare for a slow, mild torture."

"Which would be?" Ginny asked.

"Dinner with my father, discussing with the Snapes the plans that will be set in motion for our arranged courtship and marriage."

The room was silent, thick with awkwardness, until Ron said, "I thought Neville had a thing for She-Snape."

Neville turned a deep shade of Gryffindor red, finding the tassels on his scarf fascinating.

"Attraction doesn't factor very much into Malfoy arranged marriages. They only consider the possibility for reproduction, and that the future spouse is no less than a half-blood."

"And since you're both purebloods..." Harry started to say, but a glance at Draco made him trail off. His eyes went wide, and he looked at Aurora. "You're half-blood, too?"

"What?" Ron scoffed. "No," –he shook his head firmly- "Slytherins are never less than pure-blood."

"That's what you think, Weasel," Draco taunted, sitting next to Harry on the bench. "My uncle is a half-blood."

"Right," Ron said in disbelief. He looked at Aurora, who nodded. "What, seriously? Snape?"

"Not exactly a wizarding name, is it?" Draco asked.

"More than just the Sacred Twenty-Eight, though," George said.

"Yeah, but even my grandmother's family isn't part of the Twenty-Eight," Aurora pointed out. "The Princes aren't on the list. But Draco's right, Snape is a Muggle name."

"But that wouldn't make you half-blood." Neville frowned. "Your dad being one doesn't make you the same."

"You all assume my mother is a pureblood," Aurora hedged.

"All right, you lot." Aunt Minerva knocked on the door frame, scanning the room "The field is all clear, and most of you still smell. Hurry up, lads. Mister Malfoy, please return to your own changing room. While I appreciate the house unity, now is not the time. Ladies, Mister Longbottom, please leave."

"Walk with you in a bit?" Fred asked as she got up and agreed. She and the others left the change room.

—————A—————

She waited for him by the Black Lake under one of her favorite trees. When she saw Fred approaching, she pushed off the trunk, and his hand caught hers as they fell into step with one another.

"So why didn't you tell me your mother wasn't a pureblood?" he asked, swinging their joined hands and smiling.

Aurora shrugged. "It's not my story to tell." And here she hesitated, wanting him to know the truth, but unsure if she was allowed to reveal that much. "My mother had a bit of ... of an accident when she was fourteen. It left her with no family, and she knew the dangers of being Muggle-born."

Fred stopped so abruptly that she was pulled back to him when she didn't realize he'd stopped. He gaped at her in amazement, and Aurora's heart started to race.

"Muggle-born?" he said, and she nodded. "Your mum, Snape's wife, Muggle-born?" She nodded again. "And he knows?"

"You think because my dad's a Slytherin—"

"Not as stupid and short-sighted as Ronniekins, am I? No, it's just that your dad was on trial for being a Death Eater. Not exactly the sort I expect to shack up with a Muggle-born."

"Well, it's not like he believes the rhetoric," she said quietly, leaning toward him. "He loved her long before it was ever his mission to blend in."

Fred nodded. "What's her name again?"

"H.," Aurora replied.

"H. Right. That's not a proper name. What's H. stand for?" he asked as they continued.

Aurora didn't answer. She looked at her feet, seemingly fascinated by the squish her feet made in the damp earth beneath them.

"All right, what's her maiden name?" Fred asked, and Aurora turned her attention to the Forbidden Forest. "So that's what happened to Hermione."

It was Aurora's turn to stop short, and she whipped her head around fast enough that her hair hit both her face and Fred's. He chuckled, seemingly unfazed by her hair and her disbelief.

"What?" she said softly.

"Well, pretty brilliant, me. Sorta started to put it all together when we heard Sirius suggest a Hermione to teach DADA this year. It's been a couple years since Hermione left, yet we never really hear from her unless Harry or Ron writes her. She doesn't come visit. There's no bloody way she could have moved so quickly that she couldn't say goodbye, and you two did, do, look awfully similar. Sorta wondered, didn't think it was possible, but you said this afternoon you weren't pure-blood. And really, how else would your mum know me?"

"Who else thinks this could be the case?" she asked, resuming their stroll once more.

Fred shrugged. "Just George, me thinks. We haven't exactly sat around with anyone else and asked their thoughts about it. Just a bit short of barmy, isn't it? Does anyone know?"

"Draco and Luna," she replied.

"Loony Lovegood knows everything, though."

"Don't call her that," Aurora scolded.

"Yes, ma'am," Fred conceded without argument. "So, any other secrets about you I should know? Not going to tell me that Snape's actually a dungeon bat, are you?"

Aurora held the scowl, but her lip twitched a bit. "No."

"That's good. Scary enough as it is, he is."

"He's supposed to be."

They walked in silence until they were at the furthest point from the castle. Fred stopped her again, pulling out his wand and drying a nearby fallen log. He motioned her to sit, and then reached into his pant pocket before sitting beside her. "Not much of a birthday present, I must say," he said, enlarging the small box before handing it to her.

Aurora hesitated with her hand on the ribbon, glancing at Fred as she wondered if there was a jinx on it. When it seemed like it was safe, she pulled on the gold material, watching it fall. She lifted the lid and pushed aside the tissue parchment to find a lovely ornate box. There was a crank on the side, similar to a Muggle music box, and she looked at Fred curiously.

"Afraid to say, the best part would be better viewed tonight in the Room of Requirement but didn't want to flaunt how lucky I am by being the one to show up with a gift."

"Well, the outside is lovely," she admitted, running her fingers over the pale gold images of flowers embossed over the deep red lacquer.

"There's the inside, too," he said in a slightly teasing way. "Go on."

She slowly opened it, still a bit wary that his natural tendency to prank would suddenly present itself. The inside was lined with black velvet, and there was an odd scent coming from it. Something like jasmine, honey, and parchment. Aurora assumed Fred had spritzed a perfume in the lining, but the scent was lost in the fresh air of the cool November day.

"Tap your wand to the crank," he said, and she did.

There was something coming from the bottom of the box that she couldn't see, lost in the light of the sun. But the song that played was quite lovely. Violins and a piano playing something familiar. Not particularly romantic, but not anything meaningless, either. Whatever the song was, it pulled on her heartstrings, and she smiled up at Fred.

He smiled back, proud of himself, obviously quite pleased, and Aurora was struck with the urge to kiss the smugness away.

So, she did.

—————S—————

"I must say, I thought the rooms here at Hogwarts would be more... drab. You've done well with what you have," Lucius said as he looked around the sitting room, a tumbler of brandy in his hand, walking stick on the other. In his semi-formal dress robes, he looked utterly pretentious, and Severus was a bit disgusted by the man he had once looked up to as a first year.

He glanced at Hermione conversing with Narcissa, a genuine smile on both their faces, though his wife's faltered as she clearly heard Lucius' comment.

"Not all of us can have manors or want them," Severus replied, his hand tightening around the tumbler in his own hand.

Lucius snickered. "Yes, well, let us hope Aurora does not share your sentiment. Where is she, by the way? And Draco, for that matter. They should have been here fifteen minutes ago. You don't think that they are celebrating their impending engagement too early, do you?"

Not in the least , Severus sighed internally, lifting his tumbler to his lips but paused when he felt his daughter and godson pass through his wards.

"Ah, here they are," Lucius said as they entered the room, and Severus nearly dropped his glass.

His daughter was not his daughter. Aurora's hair was pinned up, perfectly placed in a low knot that made her locks look straight and smooth. There were make-up charms on her face, subtle enough that she didn't look too made up, but enough to be noticeable. She was in a wine-colored dress, knee-length and with a neckline that was still demure but entirely too grown. If he had thought she looked grown up at the Yule Ball last year, he was utterly mistaken.

Draco, he noted, had worn a simple trouser, oxford, and blazer ensemble, and with Aurora on his arm, they looked as though they were about to have some sort of pure-blood society party instead of an intimate dinner to continue a farce that Severus suspected only Lucius believed in.

"Aurora," Narcissa greeted warmly, stepping toward the teenagers and taking Aurora in her arms in a motherly embrace. "Happy birthday, lovely. You've grown so much."

"Thank you, Aunt Cissy," she replied, smiling a bit as she returned the elder witch's embrace.

"She is right, my dear. You look every inch the perfect Malfoy heiress," Lucius said, raising his glass toward her.

From the sofa, Leonidas snorted, and Severus shot him a warning glance over his shoulder.

"You don't agree, Master Leo?" Lucius asked, turning to the young man on the sofa.

"No," Leonidas replied. "She looks ridiculous."

"Thank you, Leo," Aurora replied sarcastically.

"You're welcome, Rory," the boy returned, and Severus rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"Shall we dine, then?" he asked. "I suspect that Draco is quite famished after his near-victory against Potter earlier today."

"Near-victory?" Lucius sneered as they took their places around the expanded table.

"Yes, father," Draco replied without looking up, setting his napkin on his lap and resting his hands on the edge of the table. "Potter outmaneuvered me at the last moment."

It wasn't a lie, Potter had managed to feint at the end of the match. But Draco wasn't at all put out about it and had openly shaken the Gryffindor's hand while they were both still on their brooms, circling one another as the crowd roared with either cheers or disappointment. Whether his teammates noticed or not, Severus didn't know. He knew that no one from the Quidditch team approached him about the rivals getting along so well, so he said nothing of it himself.

"You're supposed to be better than he," Lucius admonished coldly. "At everything. You are to be the best. You are, at least, still top in your year now that the little Mudblood has run off?"

Tension washed over the table. Hermione flinched, but covered it by taking a deep drink from her wine, all while maintaining her poise. Leonidas glared at his uncle, until movement from his sister made him shift that stony defiance to her. She subtly shook her head, and Leonidas' used his Occlumency as he suddenly appeared quite indifferent. Narcissa looked at her plate, and Severus noticed an air of embarrassment.

"I believe there was a Ravenclaw who outperformed both me and Granger," Draco replied.

Hermione glanced at him, a slight lift to her brow and a quirk to her lip. "Is that so?"

"Oh yes," Draco confirmed. "I doubt she was ever going to graduate top of our class. Too busy saving Potter's arse."

"Language, Draco," Narcissa scolded instantly, wide eyes stealing glances at their hosts.

"Five points from Slytherin," Severus said without thinking.

Lucius gave a hearty laugh. "Really, Severus? House points?"

"I'm sure, at some point, Draco has used much more colorful language where I have not heard. Considering it a long overdue infraction."

"At least it wasn't detention," Aurora teased.

"Ten points from Gryffindor for cheek," Severus retorted, winking at his daughter as she turned to him, jaw dropped. Draco snickered. "I wouldn't, young man. I could keep going, and then what will your housemates have to say?"

"Probably that he shouldn't have lost points because he spoke freely to his uncle ," Hermione quipped. "Not to mention what the Gryffindors will say about Aurora losing points to her father."

"I know it was your house, dear one, and our daughter's, but it's still my rival house."

"And that from which the most blood traitors come from," Lucius added as if it were something said in casual conversation. "But we shall not worry about that. For tonight, we are celebrating that Aurora, like her mother before her, will join the best. And if I may say, as Aurora begins her official journey in becoming a Malfoy. Go on, Draco."

The teenagers froze, the wives stiffened, Leonidas' perfect mask nearly slipped as confusion and disgust crept into his eyes.

Aurora and Draco looked at one another, terrified, clearly not anticipating Lucius' demand.

As quickly as allowable, Draco leaned toward Aurora and placed his lips on hers in a very chaste kiss.

Severus held his breath, and as Draco pulled back, grimacing slightly, Aurora turning her head and wiped her mouth as discreetly as she could, Severus let out a sigh of relief.

"Feel any different? Has the world suddenly felt like it's been made right? That everything has fallen into place?" Lucius asked, a light smile playing on his features.

"I can't say it does," Draco replied. "It was like kissing a sister."

Leonidas' face curled in disgust and Severus felt his eyes crinkle in humor.

"Well. No matter. Sometimes these sorts of bonds take time to build, don't they, Cissy?"

"Of course, dear," she said, and before anything more could be said on the subject, dinner appeared on their plates.

—————A—————

"A bond?" Aurora said to Draco as they made their way up to the Room of Requirement. "Is that really a thing? Not just some weird thing my parents have?"

Draco shrugged. "They say that a couple, a proper couple, begin to sense one another's magical aura after they've been together a while. But that's usually a compatibility thing, magics complementing one another and such. And there needs to be strong romantic love. But you knew that, I know your mother read you the fairy tales."

"Yes, but they were fairy tales," Aurora sighed. "Do you think...?"

"If you think you and Weasley should call it quits because there wasn't an instant swirl of magic like in The Wizard and the Princess , then you need to step away from Ronniekins, lest his lack of brain cells has become contagious. Not like you two are... wait, Fred hasn't ... do I need to hex him?" Draco demanded, stopping on the stairs between the fifth and sixth floors, pulling out his wand.

"What? No! No, we haven't ... I mean we aren't... it's not like... bloody hell, Draco, we've only kissed."

"Better be all that happened," he demanded, sheathing his wand.

"Are you defending my honor as a sort of brother or an awkward future husband?"

"If this whole bloody war goes on long enough that you graduate before it's ended, we'll marry, and I will promptly leave the wedding suite and let Weasley sprog you up. Glamour the baby's hair blond until my father's dead, or we can say it went rebellious on us."

Aurora shook her head, barely keeping her mirth contained. "Could do the whole artificial thing."

"Artificial what?"

"Well, you know. Suspended... stuff, a quick incantation, and a few potions to up the odds. Muggles call it the turkey baster method."

"What's a turkey baster?" Draco asked.

"Never mind." Aurora shook her head as they reached the seventh floor and the doorway appeared.