It wouldn't be hard to find Hermione, since she knew where to find her at most times: Hagrid's, the library, or the Great Hall.
As she walked down the hillside to Hagrid's hut, she looked over the once again green grass that had faded during the war, and smiled to herself. She had never been as close to Hagrid as Harry, Ron, and Hermione were, but Hagrid was always there for her, and the two of them had many tea times and mini lunches together.
She knocked on the wooden door, and heard loud shuffling before the door was opened, and Hagrid towered above her, looking confused. His eyes met her and his features switched to pure shock, before overwhelming joy, and he placed a hand on her upper back, pulling her in to an unexpected hug.
"Aurora McGonagall, it's good to see you, my girl." He said with a bellowing laugh, and she smiled as she hugged him back. Maybe they were as close as he was with Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and she just hadn't quite remembered.
"It's good to see you, Hagrid." Aurora replied, and he pulled away with a smile.
"Aurora?" She heard someone ask, and she could recognize that voice anywhere.
Hagrid backed up from the doorway, and seated at the little table was no other than Hermione, and she looked just as shocked to see her. It was a mixture of shock and anger, because Aurora hadn't written to her in a little over a month.
"Mione, I was just looking for you! I just got here, and-" She began, but was cut off by Hermione jumping up to give her a hug. Hagrid busied himself by tidying the table, and Aurora was tense before hugging her back, finally being able to relax.
"Don't you ever just stop writing me like you did, you had me-" She said as she pulled away, but stopped herself as she looked over Aurora's appearance. She had cleaned herself up, but her skin was paled, she still held those dark under eye circles, and she was far thinner than she last was when Hermione departed.
"Hermione, it's fine, really." Reassured Aurora, squeezing her shoulders gently, but Hermione didn't budge.
"Rory, you... What's happened to you?" She whispers, looking back up to meet her eyes with a hint of sadness swimming through her eyes.
"We need to talk. There's a lot I need to catch you up on." She states, and Hermione furrowed her brows before slowly backing up to sit at the table.
Hagrid looked between the two of them before going to straighten up something else in his hut. He looked like he wanted to stay, but didn't want to be a burden.
"Hagrid, I would like your advice as well, if you would?" Says Aurora, motioning to another free chair, and Hagrid smiled a bit as he sits down, excited to be included.
"Where shall I start?" She asks, and Hermione doesn't even let her think before speaking up.
"Right after I left." She deadpanned, still looking over her frame nervously, and Aurora nodded. She cleared her throat and let out a deep breath, preparing to tell one of the hardest stories she would ever have to tell.
—
Aurora took them through when she asked Angelina about what Hermione had said, and she blew it off, moving out of the burrow, working with the twins and Angelina, how Fred confessed his love, and how she lied about it, which led to him throwing her out.
She made sure to include important details while excluding private ones, in order for Hermione to fully understand, and she sat there dumbfounded. Hagrid's mouth was slightly open, and he furrowed his brows at Aurora, who picked at the skin around her nails, her gaze towards the floor.
"Aurora..." Said Hagrid softly, and she looked up at him with tears in her eyes, her bottom lip quivering slightly.
"Why did you lie to him?" Asked Hermione, and Aurora blinked away her tears, wiping her cheeks and letting out a heavy sigh.
No one but her knows about that night in the library, and she was afraid to change that, even if it was years ago. He had fixed up her face before the two of them left, so there wasn't even a trace of the events. He had a girlfriend while he confessed his love for her, and she was afraid of what people would think.
"That's a different story, but I had to." She said, and the both of them looked confused, not understanding. Hermione reached over to place a comforting hand on her knee, stroking her clothed skin with her thumb.
"I think it's time for you to tell the story, Aurora." She whispered, squeezing her knee gently, and Aurora tensed at the thought. It was traumatic for her, and she didn't want anyone to see her as broken goods.
"We're here to listen." Comforts Hagrid, and Aurora let out a deep breath, looking down at Hermione's hand on her knee. It began to bounce under her hand, but she kept it there, still stroking her thumb in a soothing fashion. Hermione had always been one of the best at calming her down, and she was thankful for that at a moment like this.
At a moment when she would have to tell the absolute hardest story she would ever have to tell.
—
By the time she finished, she had a few stray tears leave her eyes, but she kept her gaze forced in her hands. Hermione's hand froze on her knee long ago, but it still stayed firm on her leg.
There was only silence in the room, so quiet that they could probably hear students in their classes if they really tried hard enough. Aurora sniffled quietly before looking up at the two of them, and her stomach turned into knots at the sight.
Hagrid had a mixture of anger and disbelief displayed on his face, and he shook his head with his gaze turned down towards the table they sat at. Hermione, on the other hand, had silent tears pouring from her eyes, and her bottom lip pitifully stuck out, and the sight broke Aurora's heart.
"Aurora, I... I had no idea this happened." Whispered Hermione, bringing her hand up to cover her mouth.
"I always knew that Oliver Wood wasn't quite right. He was too aggressive and involved when it came to quidditch, it was only expected for him to be barmy." Said Hagrid with disappointment in his voice, and he looked up at Aurora with pity in his eyes, which is exactly what she didn't want.
"Don't look at me differently, both of you," She said, and they furrowed their brows at her, "I don't want to be seen as a pity case for something that happened years ago. This is why I didn't want to tell anyone." She said, her voice laced with annoyance, and the other two just sighed.
"Aurora, this isn't a pity party, this is us reacting to an awful story and hating that you had to go through that. We see you stronger, if anything, that you've carried that weight so well." Explains Hermione, once again stroking her knee with her thumb.
"Clearly, I haven't carried the weight well if I just lied to Fred for a month." She said harshly, moving her knee away from Hermione's grip. Hagrid noticed her mood change, and decided it was time for him to insert his opinion.
"Aurora. You were conditioned to believe that you had to. Correct me if I'm wrong, but Fred is the first guy you've let yourself become vulnerable around since Wood?" He asks, and Aurora looked up at him for a moment, before nodding slightly.
"Fred is your first time experiencing real, proper love. What Oliver was trying to force you into was not love, not in any way. Fred is your first experience with love, and you didn't know how to react." He explained, and Aurora's knee bounced at the reality.
"I don't love him." She whispered, looking down at her hands, and Hermione put her hand on top of Auroras's, preventing her from picking at her nail beds.
"You don't have to love him, but you do have strong feelings for him, so what you need to do is explain this to him. I know Fred, and I know he would understand something like this." She said softly, and Aurora looked up at her, shaking her head.
"Fred can't know about this, because it would just sound like an excuse. I'm not telling him, there has to be another way." She said hastily, grabbing onto Hermione's hand.
"This isn't an excuse, it was a motive." She said, and Aurora frowned before shaking her head again, looking over at Hagrid, who seemed to be on Hermione's side.
"No, I can't tell him." She whispered, and Hagrid let out a sigh before nodding.
"You don't have to tell him, but I recommend that you do." He says while standing up, walking towards the door.
"It's nearly lunch time, you two best be getting back if you want a proper meal." He says, looking out the window at the castle.
Hermione scooted her chair back before standing up as well, extending a hand towards Aurora. She looked up at her with a somber expression before taking her hand, standing up and scooting her chair in behind her.
"Thank you, Hagrid. It was a pleasure to see you, and I'm sure I'll stop by again before I depart." Says Aurora, giving him a curt smile. He gently pats her shoulder and opens the door for the two of them, saying his goodbyes to Hermione before shutting the door behind them.
The two girls walked in silence up the hill, not bringing attention to the previous conversation to make Aurora feel better before seeing other people. Hermione cut glances at Aurora every now and then, but never spoke up until they almost reached the castle.
"You're going to eat with me, correct?" She asks, and Aurora looks at her in confusion before understanding what she meant, nodding her head quietly.
Hermione quietly mumbled her words of gratitude before the two of them entered the castle, and Aurora got a first look at all the students in their robes for the first time. Members from different houses flooded the halls as they walked to the Great Hall, and Aurora couldn't help but smile at the memories.
She missed Hogwarts greatly, but she was thankful she graduated before the war. These kids were forced to see things they should never have had to, and now were back in the school where it all happened. She chuckled at the thought of them being frightened of the thestrals for the first time, as she was many years ago.
A pop of platinum blonde hair stuck out from the crowd, and Aurora grabbed Hermione's hand as she ran the two of them towards the long hair, tapping her shoulder gently. Luna turned around with a blank stare, but smiled when she realized who it was. The three of them kept walking towards the Great Hall together, trying to move with the crowd.
"Aurora McGonagall, it's lovely to see you." Luna said sweetly, and Aurora smiled at her. Luna was Ginny's age, yet the two of them were quite different. Neville and Luna had been romantically involved since the war, so she grew fond of Luna over time, since her and Neville were quite close.
"It's good to see you, as well, Luna. Have you seen Ginny, by any chance?" She asks, and Luna looks around for a moment as she thinks, nodding her head.
"We're meeting for lunch in the Great Hall, so she'll be seated somewhere at the Gryffindor table." Luna says, and Aurora nods at her, releasing Hermione's hand as they walk in.
She can't help but stare up at the enchanted ceiling in awe, the floating candles only making it more magical. She hadn't seen the ceiling so bright in a long time, and she forgot the pure sense of wonder that surged through her body at the first sight of it.
She pulled her gaze from the ceiling and stared down the long Gryffindor table, looking for Ginny. Her eyes landed on her fiery red hair, and she walked towards her with a smile, Luna and Hermione following behind her.
"Ginerva Weasley, spare a moment?" Says Aurora, and Ginny looks up from her friends in confusion at the use of the full name, but smiles as soon as she sees who's speaking to her.
"Rory, you're here!" She exclaims, jumping up from the bench and pulling her in for a hug, only to pull away and look at her in confusion.
"You're here, why?" She asks, and Aurora shrugs, looking up at the ceiling.
"I guess Hogwarts was in need of an Astronomy professor, so I guess I'm here now." She said nonchalantly, and Ginny pulled her back into an excited hug.
"You got the job!" She said happily, and Aurora laughed in response. Hermione and Luna had already taken a seat, and the meal was ready to eat, but she was too busy reconciling with Ginny to notice.
"I did, I'll start next school year." Aurora says, and the two of them smile at each other, before the scent of food fills Ginny's nose, and she takes a seat next to Luna, leaving Aurora to go sit on the other side next to Hermione.
"So Aurora, anything new, besides the job?" Asks Ginny, and she looks at Hermione, who gives her a look of worry, before looking back at Ginny with a serious expression.
"Actually, quite a bit." She replies, cracking her knuckles as she prepares to retell the story about the past few months.