The Adventure of a Riddle

16- Tampons & Picnics

***

Aurora woke with a start. She had finally gotten a full nights sleep, however she wondered dramatically at what cost? Ever since summer had been in session, when Rory did manage a full nights rest, she would usually have quite strange and vivid dreams. Last night was no different, starting off as the usual nightmare— cold, evil red eyes followed by the worst pain imaginable. Last night, however, right in the middle of her torture process, she'd been rudely interrupted.

She distantly recalled the peculiar images of four boys laughing, a crying baby, and the blurry figure of a man hysterically sobbing. She had no idea what it meant, but honestly she didn't really wish to find out. She had other matters to attend to at the moment.

Aurora had awoken in a cold sweat and a sore throat. She had the feeling that she'd been shouting out in her sleep, considering the fact that Tom was staring at her as she panted heavily. It had been a full month ever since they last spoke, and she could not focus on kicking him out, due to her focus on an odd pain located in her lower abdomen.

"What's wrong?" She heard Tom's authoritative and commanding voice ask.

Aurora paid him no mind as she furrowed her eyebrows in discomfort. It took her a moment before it dawned on her. Shit, she thought. Her eyes widened in realization as she ran to the bathroom, Tom yelling after her.

"Just go," she hissed annoyedly to Tom, who had followed her and was still speaking to her outside of the door.

Tom was not having it. As he crossed his arms over his chest and tapped his foot impatiently, he glared harshly at the door as if Aurora could see him.

"No, I've had enough!" He shouted through the door as he faintly heard rustling coming from within, "For the past two and a half months I have been all but grounded by you. I understand that you're upset, but I will not continue on in this way. I have given you time, Aurora, and we're working out our differences today, whether you like it or not—"

He cut himself off as the bathroom for reopened, and there stood a red-faced Aurora. He was so confused by the random turn of events that he stopped talking completely, and followed behind a flushed Aurora.

She closed the slanted door of her bedroom, and turned to look at Tom. Tom had been pleased to notice that Aurora held no sign of discomfort from being near him, however he had been unsettled into thinking that it was because something was wrong. Voicing his concerns, Tom asked, "What's wrong with you?"

Aurora turned around and busied herself in folding her clothes— an action that she'd never be caught dead doing. This only seemed to concern Tom more, for he pressed on, "Aurora?"

"I— erm," she turned around to the handsome prefect and continued on, "nothing is wrong!"

Tom raised an eyebrow in disbelief. He could read her better than his favorite novel. "Really? Because your body language is telling a different story."

Tom observed as Aurora blushed deeper and wrapped her arm around her chest uncomfortably. "I— don't look at my body!" She shouted in a tone so high that it would have fit a four year old.

Tom's eyes widened and he frantically took a step backwards before shouting back, "I— what?! I wasn't, at least not like that, you weirdo! What in Salizar's name has gotten into you?"

She groaned and threw her head back in dread. She really didn't want to tell Tom, but at the same time, the thought of telling her Godfather was so horrifying that she barely even considered it. Why wasn't she better prepared for these types of things?