Moon and Stars

thirty seven

—

Aurora spent the majority of the first half of her day off in slumber, rejuvenating her exhausted body, and it proved successful. She awoke midday feeling more energized than she's felt in the last month, and it was refreshing.

If Angelina and George stayed to help Fred prepare the shop for the next day, then they should probably be returning by 10:00, which meant she had ten hours to do whatever she wanted.

Seeing that her mental health was slowly decreasing, she felt it would be best to take a day for herself, to recuperate. Walking to the kitchen, she shivered as she entered the room, even though she was wearing a pair of Fred's sweatpants and his large jumper. Her diet hadn't been the best, so she made herself a smoothie before returning to her and Fred's room, taking a seat at her desk.

Grabbing a spare piece of parchment, she dipped her pen in some ink and poured her heart into a drawing of the solar system, a simple act that brought her so much joy. She had made countless drawings of planets, stars, and galaxies, but they never got old to her.

She managed to fill the page with planets, their corresponding moons, tidbits of information about every doodle, and the occasional accidental ink splotch. She leaned back in the chair and looked over her work, making sure her minor details were correct. Smiling to herself, she put away her writing utensil and pulled out an informational Astronomy textbook that Professor Sinistra had gifted her during the holiday's of her sixth year.

Aurora had written on every single page of the book, and the spine was bent from how much she read through it. The information inside wasn't just educational to her, but fascinating as well. She thoroughly enjoyed learning about the great beyond, that, even as a witch, she couldn't fully understand.

The textbook reading had pushed her mind to her future career at Hogwarts, and she realized she would need to visit soon, since the holiday break was quickly approaching. She closed the book and placed it next to her parchment, still wet with fresh ink, and walked over to the wardrobe, gathering a few belongings she would need when she left.

While she took the time to do her own things, Fred completely left her mind, and as much as she hated to admit it, it felt good. She would occasionally catch a whiff of his cologne, or sift through his shirts, but overall he wasn't too priority in her mind.

She was lying to him, and there was no way out of such a lie unless she wanted to break his heart, and she couldn't do that. If she had never said those three words, she wouldn't be killing herself trying to make it a reality, but in the same breath, if she had never said those three words, she could only wonder if he would feel the same that she does now.

It was a loop of a problem that would only resolve if she developed true love for Fred, true romantic love.

She had always been strange when it came to love, and there was no true reason as to why, but she struggled to feel such a powerful emotion. She never admitted her love to anyone, or if she said it, she never truly meant it. It was a personal issue that Aurora couldn't seem to overcome, but it had never been a true issue until she developed such strong feelings for Fred, but the feelings weren't strong enough to be considered love.

After she finished packing a small bag, she looked back at her desk and saw the half finished smoothie, frowning to herself. She felt her stomach growl, and she wrapped an arm around her torso, picking up the glass and downing the rest of the contents, shivering to herself.

She wasn't intentionally trying to harm herself, but the thought of downing a meal made her feel guilty. She felt that since she was doing such an inconsiderate act, she didn't deserve to improve herself, and she wouldn't deserve to improve herself until she improved other aspects of her life.