Control ▸ Ron Weasley [2]

XII. WHERE GOOD GOES TO DIE

CHAPTER TWELVE:
WHERE GOOD GOES TO DIE
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      After a rough night of sleep and lots of threatening to Fred and George that if they didn't Apparate her back to the flat she was going to quit, Nova spent the actual day of Christmas in the shop. Fred had seemed to sense she was being serious (even though she'd also be homeless, but he didn't doubt she'd work out the logistics later) and told Molly that Nova wasn't feeling well and he had to take her home. Right before they'd Apparated, Weasley had sent her a look she didn't care to decipher, and then the world had gone all blurry.

      Fred had returned to The Burrow for Christmas lunch, but Nova was content to be alone in the shop. She swept, mopped, and dusted. The twins would be ecstatic when they came back, mostly because for the most part, they were too lazy to do that stuff themselves. She and Verity usually got stuck with the brunt of the cleaning. When she was done, however, she realized she had only wasted about two hours and frustratingly flung herself into the seat behind the register, putting her elbow on the counter and her chin in her hand.

      She had no doubts spending the day with the Weasleys would be wonderful. Molly had given her some tea and soup to take home and had even knitted her a new sweater, this one a beautiful pink color with a bright orange 'N' on the front. She had been a little embarrassed that she had given Nova the same gift the year before, but Molly couldn't have known how much it meant to Nova. So she had given the Weasley matriarch the biggest hug she could muster and expressed how much she loved it.

      But she couldn't face Ron. Not after the night before. After everything that had been confessed.

      He just didn't realize. He had time to think the breakup through. He'd had time to fall out of love with her. When he ended things...she had been head over heels. She had to train herself to get over him. She couldn't imagine dating anyone else like he was dating Lavender.

      Later that afternoon, when she had eaten some food Molly had sent home with her and she had done some inventory for the twins, she saw Blaise's owl outside of the shop's door. She hurriedly rushed over to him to let him inside, giving him some treats that Fred and George kept behind the counter for all of their owl orders. He perched patiently on top of the cash register, waiting for Nova to give him a reply to send back to Blaise.