"I . . . where am I?" she asked weakly, as she slowly rolled onto her side to push herself up. There was a figure across the room, but she couldn't quite make out who it was. "What... Who are you?"

"Honestly, Sin," the figure chuckled as he moved towards her. Crouching down a moment later, he held a hand out to help her up. "Get into one of Severus's hallucinogenic potions again, did we?"

She blinked for a moment, staring at the young man across from her. It couldn't be . . . could it? "Reg?" she whispered, barely breathing as she stared at the ghost of her past in front of her.

"Ten points to Slytherin," the shaggy dark-haired young man said with a laugh before pulling them both to their feet. "So, why are you here?" he asked, gesturing at the empty room around them.

She gave a small laugh. "Hell if I know." She pulled back a hand to run through her hair as she glanced around. The room seemed distorted to her, as if it was twisting and turning at odd intervals. "Something in a past life, I suppose." She glanced back at her hand and sighed. Something was missing. Or was it? She wasn't certain of anything anymore.

"You do know what 'here' is, yeah?" he asked, watching her closely.

Something in between two somethings, she supposed. She then paused for a moment before it hit her. Oh. She glanced back at her old friend and drew in a stifled breath. "It's time, isn't it, Reg?"

He sighed in response. Of all the people he was waiting for, she was the last person he thought would come through before his brother or even Severus. "Unfortunately."

Her eyes searched his dark ones. "No... No, I'm not ready yet, Reg. I... I can't leave them, Regulus!" She grabbed his forearms and drew in shaky breaths. She needed him to understand. "They've been through so much already. I can't-it'll break him again. Worse this time."

His heart bled for her. He missed his life, his friends, even his arse of a brother, but there was nothing he could do to change his fate. He gave her a sad, lopsided smile as he moved his hands to cup her face. "Is anyone ever ready, Sin? You think I was ready when I went into that cave? I paced, waiting for someone to come through, thinking of ways I could've done it all differently."

She closed her eyes. She could feel the eerie calm surround her. It'd be just like falling asleep. No more pain. No more loss. No more nightmares. Just... peace. And, yet, she knew in her heart that feeling was wrong. Since when had she ever given up? So what if it was harder now than before?

"No, Reg. I refuse," she stated boldly, opening her eyes to look at him.

He arched an eyebrow in surprise. "Sin, it doesn't work like that." He laughed sadly. "Trust me. I tried. A lot in the beginning."

"No," she reiterated. "I will not give up on my boys. I will not give up on Severus. I never have before, and I will not now. There's another way. There's always another way. I'm not done. Do you under that? I've not gone through the hell I have last year for nothing. Understand?" her eyes flashed. "So, you go and tell whoever the hell is controlling you, showing you before me now, that they can kindly go fuck themselves! Because I am not going to just lay down and give up. Not when I can finally prove to Severus that he is loved, that he will always be loved... and that he's not alone. That he and Harry are both so loved and so... Do you hear me, Reg?"

"Now there's the Aurora we all know and love," Reg smiled wickedly. "I thought I was going to have to resort to hexing you to get rid of that pansy-arsed Gryffindor witch who first arrived here, all ready to give up."

She couldn't help but give him a small smile. "I've been feeling sorry for myself for way too damn long that I've forgotten how to fight. Playing this stupid damsel in distress... Since when was I ever one of those types? I'm not Evans for Circe's sake!"

"That's why I wish I had the choice to go back." When her head whipped around, he added, "I'd have kicked your arse for acting like a Hufflepuff. Then I'd kick Severus's for allowing you to act like one."

"That's what this is, isn't it? I can choose."

"Ten more points to Slytherin. Keep this up, and we'll win the House Cup for certain." Reg smirked. "I was gonna say something earlier, I admit, but it's too easy and, let's be honest, extremely fun to get you all worked up, Sin."

She had a choice. "Then, the only choice that matters is Severus and Harry, and how I'm going to get back to them so we can be a family."

He wouldn't admit to her that he was jealous of her and his old friend Severus, but this wasn't about him now. It was about her. "I think you know what that choice is."

She inclined her head slowly. She did. They had told her when she was very little about the Azrial nonsense that had surrounded her all her life. She hadn't ever made sense of it over the years, because it honestly hadn't mattered much to her. She was a witch in love with a lonely and usually grumpy dark-haired wizard who had eyes only for a certain little green-eyed redhead. That was all that had mattered to her for the majority of her life.

Raising her chin up slightly, she drew in a deep breath. "Then you can tell whomever is listening that they were mistaken in thinking I was this 'Azrial' of theirs." Her smile then deepened. "In fact, why don't you tell them how stupid they are to believe such utter crap spewed by people who call themselves Seers when they really are only frauds? I mean, let's be honest here, shall we, Reg? Vampires who were hoodwinked by witches and wizards? Not very smart, are they?"

"As bright as a Snidget in a Kneazle den." He laughed.

"Exactly. So, why in the hell would I choose to become that? No. No, I choose to feel the ecstasy of love. To wrap my arms around Harry and tell him that everything is going to be all right. That he doesn't have to worry about losing his family again. I choose love."

He smiled before cupping her face in his hands again. "Wise choice." He placed a soft kiss on her forehead before lowering his hands. With a snap of his fingers, a part of the swirling nothingness solidified, becoming darker than the rest. "Go. Tell them that you chose them, that you love them enough to fight even death for them." He smirked. "And tell Severus if I see you or him here before it is time, I will make eternity a living hell."

Realizing what was to come next, she felt the tears start to slip down her cheeks. In her heart, she knew it would be the last time she'd see her old friend. "I'm sorry, Reg."

"Don't be. I knew my fate the day I set off against The Dark Lord." He gave her a watery smile as his own tears started to fall. "Now look what you've done. You got me acting like a bloody Hufflepuff with you."

"It's my strong suite," she joked, inhaling shakily. "Just ask Severus."

He laughed. "Like the git would admit that."

She sniffled and nodded hesitantly, glancing behind him. "What happens now?"

He followed her gaze to the gap in the nothingness. "Before you step through, make sure your choice is clear in your mind. When you return to yourself, it will only seem like mere seconds have passed."

"Simple enough," she said with a nervous laugh. "I don't suppose I could beg you to come back with me? Make certain I don't screw it up?"

He snorted. "Hufflepuff." He looked at the door longingly, though. " I wasn't given a choice, Sin."

She glanced down at her hands guiltily before she glanced back at him. "Yes, you were, Regulus. You chose honor."

"I guess I did," he said a moment later with a smile. "Make sure you tell Sirius that for me next time he goes off about his family being evil, yeah? "

She gave a quiet laugh. Black wouldn't believe her if she tried. "Goodbye, Regulus."

"Goodbye, Sin."

She turned towards the gap. She couldn't help but feel guilty for leaving him behind in the void all alone again. She turned back towards Regulus.

He shook his head at the look on her face. "Aurora, it's fine. I have all the time I want to come up with epic pranks to pull on Sirius when I see him again" He shrugged. "It's not like I'll die here if you leave me."

"That's not helping, Regulus," she replied glaring at him.

"I swear if you make me push you through, I will find a way to become a ghost and I'll tell everyone how you bribed the Sorting hat not to put you in Hufflepuff"

She placed her hands on her hips. "It wouldn't work. Severus already knows that, and he still loves me!"

"Does Harry? Or the rest of the students and staff?" He smiled wickedly, "Imagine what I can convince Peeves to sing up and down the halls"

"I hate you."

He snorted. "I love you too, my little Hufflepuff."

"Just don't let Severus hear you say that," she quipped before she turned back towards the gap. "He gets a little jealous, you know?"

"Indeed I do. He's even better to get riled up than you are."

With a smile on her face, she then walked through the gap.

With a deep, gasping breath, she woke. The cold air stung her lungs instantly, but she pushed through that inconvenience to sit up. It was dark, nighttime again, she realized by the night sky above her. She turned her head to look to her left and closed her eyes in relief when she saw Harry curled up on a nearby cot fast asleep. Her sweet boy.

Biting back a groan at her body's protest of movement, she slowly pushed herself up to stand. She grabbed the edge of the blanket on his cot and brought it up to lay it atop of him. Gently, she then carded his messy locks before she turned away, her eyes falling on her other lost boy.

Severus looked utterly exhausted as he lay on the cot on her other side. She could see the deep worry lines etched into his face. Slowly, she walked away from Harry towards him, half-expecting Severus to wake up as she did. He didn't, though. Not until she kissed his cheek, did he wake up.

"Aurora?" Severus lifted his head up slightly, his voice rough from disuse and groggy.

"Move over, will you?" she replied softly. As soon as he scooted back for her, she quickly laid down beside him, moving his arms to wrap around her. When he finally understood what she was doing, he happily complied and held her.

"Pomfrey will have our heads for this, you're aware?"

"Let her. I'm not afraid of the big bad matron. Are you?" She felt his silent snort against her back. "I saw Reg," she admitted quietly. He stiffened slightly before he relaxed somewhat.

"Figures you'd see him," Severus mumbled.

"It's not like that."

"I wasn't insinuating it was," he replied softly. "Knowing my luck, I'd see Potter—James that is." He sighed heavily a moment later.

"Well, would you rather it had been Evans?"

He clearly hesitated before he said, "No."

"I don't know if it was in my head or not, but it felt real. Like I was really talking with him."

"I see."

"We were just friends, Severus."

"I wasn't saying you weren't," he replied quietly.

"No, but you were thinking it."

He gave a soft laugh. "Been practicing Legilimency, have you?"

"I don't need to. You go stiff as a board whenever I bring him up."

"Perhaps I go stiff because my arm is going numb, Aurora," he muttered.

"You're a terrible liar."

"Perhaps."

"No, it's the truth." She then huffed, crossing her arms stubbornly. "And here I was going to admit what I chose."

"Oh?"

"Yes, but I'm not going to tell you now."

He snorted and then chuckled for half a moment. "Yes, because I quite clearly can't see what you chose at all." He brushed back a bit of her hair and sighed softly. "You chose love. Because you're an emotional little Hufflepuff who wears her heart on her sleeve when it comes to me."

"Someone's thinking pretty highly of himself today," she muttered sulkily.

"You worry constantly about the day when you would hurt either of us, and you know deep down that if you had chosen their option the likelihood would have been greater. Not to mention, you likely weighed how much it would affect your ability to feel. So you chose love."

"That's not it. There was more than just that."

He slowly turned her in his arms so she would be looking up at him as he looked down at her.

"No, you're right. This also was a factor." He leaned his head down to hers and kissed her deeply as if he was giving all his life to her. "And all that comes with it," he added a moment later.

"There was more . . ."

"I'm certain there was," he said with a smirk. "But I think my point's been made. You chose love, Aurora, because that's who you are. You've consistently made it clear to anyone who pays attention to you that you don't give a damn about power. Something they were offering you. You don't give a damn about immortality either, because in your mind what would the point be when it'd mean you'd lose everyone you loved? In other words, I know you and I know your heart."

"You weren't worried then?"

"About your choice? No. About Pomfrey killing you . . . yes."

"What? What do you mean, Pomfrey killing me?"

"She believed magic would alter your choice quicker," he explained. "She's learned her lesson, however, I believe."

"How?"

"Ah, well, the how isn't important," he said evasively. "Just that she won't be doing that again."

"Why? What did you do to her?"

A sleepy voice from their side answered, though. "Dad hexed her. He's sort of on probation or something now because of it. But Professor McGonagall thought the hex was warranted, though, so he's only getting a week instead of three months."

"Goodnight, brat," Severus called out to Harry as Aurora stared up at him.