Moon and Stars

fourty two

Aurora assumed it would be easier to talk about, since she had already confided in Hermione, but retelling her story reopened scarred wounds. If she hadn't been in the middle of the Great Hall with hundreds of other kids and numerous professors, she would have broken down right then and there, but with the help of Hermione, she was able to give both Ginny and Luna the update of her life and well being.

Ginny seemed to be angry at Aurora, since Fred was her older brother and she adored him, but she understood why she reacted the way she did when Hermione helped Aurora explain the night in the library with Oliver. There was no excuse for lying like she did, even with a traumatic past, and Ginny didn't fully forgive her actions.

"My brother is nothing like Oliver Wood, other than the fact that he was a fabulous quidditch player, and you had no right to hurt him the way that you did." She said with narrowed eyes, and Aurora bit her quivering lip, dropping her gaze to her hands.

Ginny's dampened outburst seemed to shock both Luna and Hermione, and tension fell over the four of them. Hermione rubbed Aurora's shoulder while having a silent conversation with Ginny by using just their eyes, and Luna just watched patiently.

"You're right, Fred is nothing like Oliver. He's a thousand times better, and I made a terrible mistake that I can't just take away; I'm aware of that," Aurora raised her head as she spoke, looking Ginny in the eyes, "I'm not asking for you to forgive me, I'm simply telling you what happened, and I'm hoping that you'll have words of advice that can calm me down before I spend a week shadowing a professor that will determine my entire future, alright?" She finished, and Ginny pursed her lips as she looked at her.

"Harming yourself in self pity is disappointing to see. You look like the worst of the worst, and I know that even if Fred was angry at you, he would be upset that you've done this to yourself." She said, and Aurora sucked in a breath, forming her mouth into a thin line. Hermione and Luna shared worried glances as the two girls' conversation heated up, but stayed quiet to see how it would play out.

"I'm not doing this intentionally, Gin. Do you think I want to wake up and feel numb? I'm sad. I'm upset. I miss your brother more than anything in the world, and it physically pains me to not know how he's doing, to not know his thoughts after leaving at such a bad time. I'm not doing it on purpose, I just can't seem to help it." She replied, struggling to keep her voice lowered so the student's around them wouldn't hear.

"You need to figure out a way then. You can't help others if you can't even help yourself. You lied to him about something he's never confessed to someone before. You saw him at his most vulnerable and you ruined your chance, so if you want another, you need to work on yourself before you even attempt to go back to him. You can't help him if you can't help yourself, and you sure as hell can't love him if you can't love yourself." Ginny said, raising her voice at the last words, earning them a few stares.

Aurora stared back at her with her jaw slightly dropped, before closing her mouth and nodding slowly. She placed her elbow on the table and propped her chin on her hand, drifting her gaze to the front of the room.

"You're right." She mumbled in response, picking up her fork and stabbing a vegetable on her plate.

The rest of the meal was tense and quiet, which was only to be expected, but in the same breath, it was unexpected. She knew Ginny would naturally defend her brother, but she thought she would at least understand where she was coming from.

In reality, Ginny was right, in a way. Fred wasn't Oliver in any way, shape, or form, and Aurora had known that her entire life. When things got serious, and Aurora became vulnerable, she scared herself and built a wall, which was only out of a habit that she shouldn't have. Fred wasn't Oliver, and she was embarrassed to say that she lied to Fred as if he was.