"You'll see me in hindsight
Tangled up with you all night
Burnin' it down
Someday when you leave me
I bet these memories
Follow you around"
- Wildest Dreams, Taylor Swift
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The weeks following tore Aurora down. Ginny did her best to visit – between spending time with Harry and practice with the Harpies, she was busy. Aurora understood, and of course didn't hold it against her best friend. Quite frankly – when looking at Ginny, Aurora saw George. Aurora had worked hard to not drink too much but found that alcohol helped her sleep better at night. Maybe breaking things off with George was the wrong choice. In her heart she knew that they were using one another to feel better. It was fun...carefree...exciting.
Aurora found herself being a bit of a hermit in the first few weeks of July. It wasn't until she received a text from Theo asking if she wanted to meet for coffee did she venture back into the magical world. She agreed and told him she would meet him in Diagon Alley.
She hadn't been back there since the last time she was at George's flat. As she stepped around groups of kids doing their early back to school shopping, Aurora found herself thinking about George and how the shop was going. He had a few new products that he had told her about – wanting her opinion and her help on testing them. They never got around to it, though.
"Aurora! Over here!"
Theo was standing outside Madam Malkin's with a suit bag draped over his arm. "You look lovely." Theo told her, leaning over to gently greet her with a kiss to both cheeks. Aurora smiled warmly up at Theo at his intimate greeting. This was the first time they were meeting one another in person since that early night in May at Hogwarts. They found themselves talking often through text messaging, and even a few phone calls if Aurora really felt down and needed someone to listen to her vent about whatever it was that was bothering her.
"Thank you, Theo." Aurora beamed, nudging him in the side with her elbow. "You're too kind." She stuck her tongue out playfully before turning to look at the coffee shop. It was only a little bit past ten in the morning, so it wasn't that crowded. "Let's hope it's nice and cool inside, I'm burning up out here." Fanning herself with her hand, Aurora moved past Theo and into the coffee shop. She eyed the garment bag he was holding – curious to know the need Theo had for a new tailored suit.
She had ordered herself a coffee over ice – to help with cooling her down. This was all the rage now, so she was interested to see how it was. Theo had ordered himself tea and once he received his steaming mug of hot water, he plucked up two teabags of Oolong tea from the counter and followed Aurora to a spot by the window. She was right, it was must cooler inside, and Theo thanked the gods for that. He was already sweating from the nerves of finally spending time with her in person. He didn't need to sweat from the heat.
"So... how has work been? You work at the Ministry, right?" Aurora took a sip of her chilled coffee through the straw provided, licking her lips a bit as she set the cup down.
"Yes." Theo took a sip of his tea, a small smile appearing on his lips. "I'm with the Department of Mystery, in the time room." Theo told her. "I was always fascinated by time. Father once had a time-turner, though he never let me touch it. It always intrigued me... I guess I was also interested in things that I wasn't allowed to touch or want."
Aurora couldn't help herself – she blushed at Theo's description of his feelings on the time-turner. She could feel her cheeks warm up a bit before she glanced out the window. Get your bloody mind out of the gutter, Aurora, she thought to herself, shaking her head a bit at imagining Theo wanting her – someone he was not supposed to want.
"I think I know what you mean." She told him sheepishly, tucking a few fly-away strands of hair behind her ear. "It sounds quite fascinating. Truly." Aurora told him, now looking up at him with a smile. She decided not to tell him that she had once been in the Time Room – during the Battle of the Department of Mysteries. How could she forget the man – she wasn't sure who he was, all she knew was that he was a Death Eater- who got his head stuck in the bell jar – only to pull it out and now have the head of a baby. If it wasn't such a serious situation, Aurora probably would have laughed. She almost found herself laughing now at the memory. It was healthy to find humor in the darkness, right? Anyway...she wasn't even supposed to be there, but she followed Ginny and Luna – who were following Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville.
"What about you, Miss Sinclair?"
Shrugging her shoulders, Aurora prepared to tell Theo all about her boring muggle life. To be honest, she was a bit worried that he would find it appalling that she stooped so low. She knew he came from a pure-blood family – money, wealth, riches, and the like. That was what Theodore Nott knew.
"Well, I was going to university. I actually graduated in June with an art history degree." Aurora shrugged, glancing down at her glass before looking back up at Theo. "And I work at a bakery." She smiled. "It's nothing special, I know. But I enjoy what I do. I'm trying to find a job at the local museum." She was hoping he was able to follow along – knowing that he was also submerged in the muggle world would probably help.
Anytime she talked to George, or Ginny, about what she was doing – she always had to look at their blank stares. She didn't think it was that they weren't interested, they just didn't understand. No matter how supportive Ginny was, she didn't understand why Aurora left magic behind.
"That sounds interesting. Are you an artist yourself, or do you just enjoy the history of it?" Theo genuinely wanted to know. He was trying to better himself since the war, and while his left forearm was blank and always was, the looming fear of being titled a 'Death Eater' was still weighing heavy on his heart.
Feeling a bit more at ease, Aurora took another sip of her coffee. "Well, I like to think my skills at the bakery can be considered art." She laughed softly, "And I've dabbled with sketching and some other things. I'm not shite at it, but I'm not great either." She joked, chewing on her lower lip as she looked out the window for a moment. She thought she caught a whirlwind of red hair.
Maybe she was wrong. Her eyes focused around the morning sun that was shining down, but as she went to turn back to look at Theo, the blob of red passed by again.
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"Bloody fucking hell." George groaned to himself, his eyes catching the couple in the window of the coffee shop as he passed.
It had been weeks since he saw Aurora. Since that emotional night he spent wrapped in her legs, burrowed deep within in her most delicate center. He knew they said they would remain friends, but it was much harder than he originally thought. He found himself playing with the phone she had gifted him – writing out a message to her, explaining that he missed her and wanted to see her again, before deleting it and throwing the phone across the room out of frustration. His family had noticed the change in him, too. He stopped coming to Sunday night dinner and Molly was pissed.
Ginny understood, of course. Being in the middle of both Aurora and George and whatever kind of relationship they had going on – she knew why the sudden change in his behavior was happening. She was surprised that Molly had not figured it out herself after the second Sunday had passed where both Aurora and George were nowhere to be found.
And now here he was – a poor sap pacing outside of the coffee shop. Why did he tell Verity he would grab them coffee this morning? Why was Aurora in there? And why the bloody fucking hell was she with someone? No... not just someone. A bloody fucking DEATH EATER. The ideas plaguing his mind were starting to be too much. Why was he acting this way? They weren't dating, engaged, or married when they broke things off. They were friends. Originally, friends who kissed. Which then, of course, turned into friends who fucked.
Friends who fucked everything right on up, George thought to himself. Chewing on his bottom lip almost hard enough to break the skin, he released his flesh and shoved his hands into the pockets of his slacks. He could do this. He could...ignore her presence, right? Would that be faux pas? And who was that tosser she was having coffee with? George didn't want to spend too much time peering in through the front window without being caught – he looked familiar to him, though. Perhaps another classmate because he sure as bloody hell wasn't one of her muggle conquests or else they wouldn't be meeting here in Diagon Alley.
Noticing that another five minutes had passed, George gathered up the courage before his feet finally stopped pacing back and forth before the storefront. Opening the door and walking in, head high and shoulders back, George stood in line before stepping up to the counter to give the order in.
He was sticking to his guns. He was not going to turn around and look at her. No. He wasn't.
He did. Fuck. He turned a bit and glanced their way.
Eye contact. That's what happened when he looked in her direction. His brown eyes staring right into her deep blue ones – breath catching in his throat before he looked at the man she was sitting across from before turning back around quickly. He gathered the coffee cups and rushed right back out into the street, shuffling through the crowd to get back to his shop.
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Aurora had fallen silent as George entered the coffee shop. Her hands were wrapped around the glass before her, rubbing against the collected condensation before she let go and rubbed the tops of her thighs to dry her hands off. She was nervous. She hadn't seen him in weeks. If she was being honest, she missed him. His freckles, his laugh. The way he made her feel. She knew that last one would never happen again, though.
She would never feel him between her legs again. Never feel the way his hair tickled her nose as he laid on her chest while they talked about life. She missed the feeling of innocent giddiness that he so easily procured from her.
"Aurora?"
Theo had called her name – and she heard him but couldn't break the eye contact she now had with George. His eyes were dark, as was the skin around them. He looked miserable. A part of her felt guilty for most likely being the cause of that.
Once George had broken the eye contact and rushed out, Aurora shook her head and looked back at Theo. "I'm sorry about that..." Her voice trailed off for a moment before she shifted in the seat, now sitting on her hands.
"An old friend?" Theo questioned.
"You could say that." Aurora sighed. She started nibbling on her lower lip before she looked back at Theo once she was able to control the beating of her heart. "I know you knew this already, but Ginny Weasley is my best friend." She felt like she needed to get that out there. If they were going to be friends, or something like it, she wanted him to understand who she was.
"And you and her brother...?" Theo didn't sound judgmental, just curious. He finished off his tea as he sat back in the chair a bit.
"Friends." Aurora told him, "But we fucked it up by doing some things that friends don't do..." Her cheeks turned red as she looked up at Theo, meeting his stormy gaze. "I mean things friends shouldn't do, I guess." She forced a small laugh as she brushed a few more strands from her face.
"Aurora, relax." Theo reached out and over the table, gentle resting his hand over hers with a quick squeeze. "You'll find no judgment from me."
"After all," Theo continued, "I am the last person who should ever judge someone else. I made the mistake of the bloody century when we were in school."
Aurora nodded silently, moving to lace her fingers with her own. She had grabbed his hand as he started pulling it away. She wanted him to know that she, also, didn't judge him. "Theodore Nott." She whispered, a small smile finding it's way onto her lips.
"People make mistakes. Granted," She chuckled a bit at what she was about to say next. "Your mistake is pretty bloody big." She squeezed his hand softly before pulling away and finishing her coffee.
"People grow. People change. And from what I can see, you have grown a lot in the past three years. You work for the bloody Ministry for Godric's sake." She told him, nudging his foot with hers as she leaned back in the chair.
It helps you never received the mark... She thought to herself, glancing down at his bare forearms before looking back up at him with a smirk.
"Thanks for that." Theo grinned, "But I think you mean Salazar's sake." A twinkle in his eye glinted in the sunlight as he tilted his head to the side – watching Aurora's reaction.
"You bloody Slytherins think you're all high and mighty." She groaned, rolling her eyes at that.
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After that coffee date, Aurora and Theo had met a few more times in Diagon Alley – as well as out in Muggle London. In attempts to weed out whether she should give him a chance, she had invited him along for Sunday dinner at the Burrow.
She made sure that Ginny told her parents – who both agreed it would be ok. The brunette did not bother asking about George. She couldn't bring herself to wonder if he would be there – or to wonder how he was doing.
"Are you sure it's alright that I come with?" Theo glanced over at Aurora, who was driving into Ottery St Catchpole. Yes. The muggle way. She figured out the easiest way to do so – and Theo honored her request to not use any type of magical transportation.
Turning to look at him quickly before focusing back on the road, Aurora turned the volume down on the radio before speaking up, "For the last time, yes. Theo, you've become a dear friend and the Weasleys truly are lovely people. They know you're joining me, and they are happy about it! Really, Molly and Arthur are like a second set of parents to me..."
Aurora had told Theo about her parents leaving after the war. She hadn't seen them in one full year and was beginning to wonder if she would see them for her birthday. In turn, Theo told Aurora about his parents. Losing his Mother at a young age – seeing her die – and being raised by his Death Eater father.
"We're here." The brunette pointed to the tall, lopsided house with a grin.
"Bloody hell... is that... safe?" Theo laughed, looking up at the house through the window of her car before glancing over at Aurora for a moment.
"Yes. It's all held together by magic, don't worry." She grinned, parking the car off to the side before getting out and walking towards the house with Theo right behind her.
"I'm bloody nervous." Theo admitted, running his fingers through his hair as he looked down at Aurora who turned around to face him just before walking up to the front door.
"Don't be nervous." Aurora reached up and fixed Theo's hair a bit. "They're going to love you. And I know you've seen Harry and Hermione at work in passing. You're not the only one who has grown a lot in the past few years." She told him. Her soft lips turned up in a smile and before she knew it, she was leaning up and pressing her lips against hers.
There, that should do it. She thought to herself – only wanting to calm his nerves before entering the home.
"W-what was that for?" Theo raised a brow, though not like he was complaining about it. Her lips felt quite nice against his.
"Trying to calm your nerves, Nott." Aurora laughed softly, one hand resting on his arm while the other gentle cupped the side of his face. "You are a good person."
Theo smiled. "Thanks Aurora. But having to have dinner with the people my group of friends tormented for years and hearing you tell me that doesn't really help much." He sighed. Glancing to the house for a moment, he noticed movement in the window. He then glanced back down at her with a grin. "I'm a bit pissed you kissed me, though."
Aurora's eyes opened wide. "What?" She choked out, now feeling a bit embarrassed. Was she reading some of his signals wrong?
Quickly snatching up her waist in his hands, Theo pulled her tight against his chest. "I wanted to do the honors. And what I mean is I wanted to kiss you first. After all, I am the gentleman, yes?" He teased, letting one hand snake down and around, resting on her backside before he gripped the side of her face with the other.
Aurora wasn't sure where this brazen behavior had come from. She wouldn't complain. The last person to touch her like this was George, and even though it had only been two months now, it felt much longer than that.
"Yes. You are quite the gentlem-"
She was cut off by Theo's lips pressing roughly against hers. He still held her tight against his chest, letting his tongue press into her mouth, parting his lips for him. The shock of brushing tongues sent a shiver down Aurora's spine, causing her to grip onto the front of his shirt to hold him tightly. She was sure that they would have continued this if it weren't for the sudden noise of the front door swinging open.
George stood there, brooding. His eyes narrowed down at Aurora and Theo before he turned inward, "Ginny!" He called loudly. His eyes shifting back to Aurora who had now sprung apart from Theo, wiping at her mouth awkwardly. Good, He thought as he eyed the man beside her before looking down at his sister.
"Your friend is here."