Aurelian could hardly believe how quickly ti had passed since the Hogwarts Express left the station with most of his classmates on board. Now, with the holidays coming to an end, the castle was once again filled with voices and laughter echoing through the corridors.
As he walked down the hallway leading to the Great Hall, he watched the candles floating in the air and the Christmas decorations still hanging, now wilted and sowhat dull. He smiled with a mixture of nostalgia and anticipation.
He sighed, leaning back against the cold stone wall for a mont. The holidays were over... everything was back to normal.
The Great Hall was full again, with students who had returned from ho. The noise of chatter, plates, and cutlery filled the air, but Aurelian paid little attention. He stood in the doorway, searching with his eyes.
Hestia and Flora Carrow entered together, as always, dressed in deep dark green cloaks embroidered with silver details that gave them an elegant air. Their faces, identical except for the expression that set them apart, lit up instantly when they saw him.
"Aurelian!" they exclaid in unison, running towards him.
They had no qualms about wrapping their arms around him in front of everyone, regardless of the fact that more than one student turned their heads to look at them. Aurelian responded to the hug naturally, enjoying the familiar warmth he had co to miss.
"I was waiting for you," he said with a slight smile.
The twins imdiately let go of him. They moved back just enough to look him in the eyes, and Flora whispered,
"We need to talk to you."
Hestia nodded, her gaze fixed on him.
"Yes, it's very important. Co with us."
No more words were needed. The two took him by the arms and led him out of the Great Hall, through the corridors that were still cold from winter. More than one student watched them curiously, but they didn't even notice; their world was reduced to him, nothing else mattered.
Aurelian let himself be led away, wondering what could be so urgent that it couldn't wait until later. His steady pace contrasted with their hurried walk, until they finally reached the dungeons and entered the Slytherin common room.
They climbed without pause to their room. As soon as they closed the door behind them, the twins gently pushed him toward the desk, as if to ensure that he would listen to them with his full attention.
Flora imdiately flopped down on the bed, stretching with a sigh, while Hestia settled herself on the other side of the bed, resting her chin in her palm.
"Our vacation was... peaceful," Flora began, playing with a strand of her hair, twirling it around her finger.
"We missed all of this. The castle and especially you," Hestia added, a smile on her lips.
Aurelian raised an eyebrow, sitting on the edge of the bed in front of them.
"Peaceful? That doesn't sound like you."
Flora laughed softly.
"Well... we spent ti in the library at ho, practiced a little magic on our own, Mother took us to so social gatherings."
"A waste of ti," Hestia snorted, leaning back on the bed, now closer to Flora. "Everyone talks and talks, but no one does anything. I'd much rather train with you in the Room of Requirent."
"Or spend our afternoons here, like now," added Flora with a soft smile, looking at him with bright eyes.
Aurelian allowed himself a small smile as he listened to them.
"Sounds like a nice vacation... I'm glad you haven't gotten rusty with magic."
Hestia let out a small laugh.
"We would never let that happen. We don't want to fall behind."
Flora nodded vigorously, her expression becoming a little more serious.
"We will always strive to catch up with you, Aurelian."
The room fell silent for a mont. Aurelian leaned back with his hands resting on the mattress, relaxed.
"I'm glad you're here again," he finally said, honestly.
Hestia and Flora smiled at the sa ti.
But then their expressions changed slightly.
Hestia was the one who spoke.
"There's... sothing else we want to tell you."
Flora nodded slowly, nervously playing with the edge of the sheet between her fingers.
"If it's... that important, we wanted to tell you."
Aurelian looked at them calmly.
"Go ahead," he said quietly, giving them space to continue. "I'm listening."
Hestia took a deep breath, as if preparing for a leap into the void, and finally spoke.
"Our father... decided that we should be betrothed to you."
The words hung in the air.
Aurelian blinked a couple of tis, surprised as he had rarely been in his life. His mind, normally quick and lucid, took a mont longer than usual to react. The echo of that sentence resonated in his head.
"What...?" he muttered, trying to understand, still incredulous. His eyes moved from one to the other. "Why would your father want sothing like that?"
Flora, far from being uncomfortable, smiled sweetly at him, tilting her head slightly.
"Isn't it obvious, Aurelian?"
Hestia hugged him around the waist.
"No one else deserves us. No one else could have us."
He frowned, with many questions. His instinct told him that there was more behind Alaric's decision, but seeing the sincerity in her words, his doubts dissipated.
"Really..." he said slowly, smiling slightly.
"Arelian, we're so happy!" exclaid Flora, her eyes sparkling, as she took his hand.
"It's what we always wanted," added Hestia, her tone more possessive.
Aurelian watched them for a few more seconds. Instead of continuing to wonder why, he leaned toward them. He kissed Flora on the lips, a slow and passionate kiss that made her shiver and wrap her arms around his neck. Then he gently turned to Hestia and repeated the gesture, finding in her a kiss just as intense, though a little more so.
Both had flushed cheeks and were breathing heavily as they looked at him as if he were the center of the universe.
"Ohhh Aurelian..." whispered Flora, still clinging to him. "We love you so much..."
"We'll be together forever," added Hestia, with a sweet smile.
Aurelian laughed softly, feeling great happiness, and stopped thinking about strategies and calculations. He simply let himself go, caressing their hair and kissing them again. They were more than delighted, seemingly unwilling to let the mont end.
"Then let's celebrate the news properly," they said in low voices, with a strange gleam in their eyes, just before they both threw themselves at him, seeking to repeat those kisses over and over again.
When the laughter and kisses had cald down a little, Aurelian leaned back against the headboard, still smiling.
"All right," he began, his tone a little more serious, "but I want to know the details. What exactly is this... engagent?"
Flora, her cheeks still flushed, bit her lip before answering.
"Our father spoke of a formal contract. A magical docunt, sealed by both families."
"It's not imdiate," added Hestia, taking the floor. "It only officially commits us, but the marriage will be when we turn eighteen."
Flora, resting her head on Aurelian's shoulder, added in a whisper.
"It's just a way to make official what we already feel. He's... very happy about it. He says it's the best thing that could have happened to us."
Aurelian raised an eyebrow, curious.
"Really, he's happy?"
The two nodded at the sa ti, sharing the sa thought.
"Very much so," replied Hestia, giving him a satisfied look. "You don't have to worry about anything."
"In the sumr, you'll have to co to our house," Flora interjected, her tone soft but excited. "Our father wants to get to know you better, talk to you, and then sign the engagent contract."
He smiled slowly, tenderly stroking each of their hair.
"You're so eager to tie to you forever, huh?"
"You're already ours," whispered Hestia, kissing his cheek.
"You always will be," added Flora, kissing his neck delicately.
Aurelian let out a low laugh, lulled by their words. Both girls hugged him tightly, almost without letting him breathe, radiating a happiness that mingled with their usual possessiveness. For them, there was nothing better in the world than being with Aurelian.
When they finally managed to separate, Hestia and Flora lay down on either side of Aurelian, hugging him tenderly, sothing that was now as familiar as it was comforting to him. Their faces, still flushed from the kisses, radiated a pure happiness that he had rarely seen in them.
He ran one hand through Hestia's hair, gently tangling his fingers in her locks, while with the other he firmly squeezed Flora's hand. He closed his eyes for a mont and allowed the warmth of both won to envelop him, filling him with a sense of security unlike any he had ever known. He felt neither the weight of the Gaunt na nor the shadow of his father. He felt only the present, and the future with them.
The twins, unable to contain their excitent completely, continued to whisper.
Little by little, their voices faded, replaced by quiet breathing, until they finally fell asleep, clinging to him as if afraid of losing him when they woke up.
He watched them for a long ti, his expression hardening slightly as his mind began to work. The engagent... their happiness... a father who, according to his words, is more than delighted with this union. His lips curled into a grimace. "Why? It can't be just because of how they feel. He doesn't know well enough. And yet he willingly accepts marrying his daughters. There's sothing behind this..."
The na Voldemort flashed through his mind, and he realized that, in one way or another, that connection to his father still haunted him, even through the Carrows.
But when he looked back at Hestia and Flora, smiling in their sleep, he allowed himself to soften his expression. He gently caressed their cheeks and whispered softly,
"Whatever it is, it will be a job for my future self..."
Exhaustion finally overca him, with both girls hugging him, he closed his eyes, letting sleep envelop him completely.
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