—————A—————
December 23, 1996
"I think this one for Dad." Leo pointed to a small silver cauldron on the shelf, and Aurora came over to examine it.
"No," she concluded. "He has one of those. Although... I think after he started brewing for Professor Lupin—"
"Remus," Leo interjected.
"—his was worn down."
"Because you aren't supposed to use a silver cauldron that frequently."
"It gets too malleable," Aurora agreed. "So, we get him this, and then head over to Flourish and Blotts, get Mum that Charms book, and we're good."
"Agreed," Leo said, watching as Aurora grabbed the cauldron. He wandered along the wall toward the register, passing books when he paused and then backed up. A moment later, he snickered. "Have you gotten that bloke you're seeing a gift yet?"
"Er, why?" Aurora asked.
Leo slipped Grass, Bugs, and Water , a child's introduction to potions and imaginary play from the shelf. "I heard that this was about his skill level."
She rolled her eyes. "Neville's not even in Potions this year," she said, closing the distance between them and taking it from him. She slid it back onto the shelf. "And yes, I got him a gift. A nice book on the varying techniques used in Herbology around the world."
It was, admittedly, much more difficult than she made it sound to find Neville something befitting a Christmas present. It had been a bit easier with Fred. She'd asked her Muggle grandmother to send her prank candy, which she'd mixed in with some regular Muggle candy. He hadn't been able to get around to it until after his father was released from St. Mungo's, but he'd loved it. She was fairly certain a few of the simpler candies in their shop were inspired by them, if not outright Muggle.
The siblings made their purchase, then headed across the street. They were in and out of the shop relatively quickly, having been frequent patrons of the book shop since their youth.
"So," Aurora said, looking at the boarded-up shops that dotted most of the alley, "where shall we go now? Mum and Dad aren't expecting us to Floo back for another thirty minutes or so."
Leo smirked. "I wouldn't mind seeing how the dunderheads are doing with the shop."
She sighed but plastered on a grin anyway. "All right," she agreed, putting her arm around his shoulder and leading him down the alley.
It was still fairly magical, all things considered. Diagon Alley at Christmastime was nearly as impressive as many of the Muggle shops on the other side of the barrier. With the snow falling, the enchanted fairy lights on the awnings, some with garland, some with ribbon, gave a festive feeling that very nearly brought out the Christmas cheer in the pair of Snape children.
And the Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes was among the decked out, even the Fred sign was wearing a Santa hat, as well as his bunny. They could see how busy it was even from a distance.
"I would say the dunderheads are doing well," she commented.
"Yes, but I still want to go see them."
"And you will tomorrow, at Harry and Sirius'."
"Rory, it's not the same," he protested, and she frowned as he stomped his foot a bit. "I'll be your firstie kid brother there."
"And in there, you're what?"
"A friend. Former employee."
"And I go in there, do you know what that makes me?"
He pinned her with a bored look. "You have that numpty for a boyfriend now. Get over it." And then he walked away toward the store, leaving Aurora stunned for a moment.
Get over it? Get over it! What did he know? She was over Fred, completely and totally. And he was right, she did have Neville. She liked Neville, and it was going pretty well.
She squared her shoulders and marched toward the joke shop.
Aurora was stopped short by the snow falling gently inside, though it was warm inside. She thought for a moment that if Santa Claus was real, the twins' shop could have passed for the factory, the way the inside was decorated. There was even a section geared toward holiday-themed pranks.
"Rory!" Leo shouted, and Aurora turned to see him standing near the register with George. She walked over, dodging a group of rambunctious young wizards as she did. "Isn't it awesome?" he asked as she got closer.
"I have to say, I wasn't expecting this at all."
"Well, Fred and I popped into a couple toy shops in Muggle London not long before the holidays started, and we found that they really got into it over there. Thought we'd try something similar here, change some colors, add some details. Been a hit, really."
"Oi! What are you doing here, eh?" Fred's voice said behind her, and Aurora turned to see he wasn't talking to her. He also maneuvered his way through the crowd to join them, and glared at her brother, hands on his hips. "Here you are, walking in here during one of the busiest times we've had since school started, and you aren't even back to brew!"
"You could have owled me a list," Leo argued. "I probably could've brewed during class, if I asked my father politely enough."
"Probably not the best idea to have you brewing contraband, mini-Snape," George retorted.
"Regardless." Leo shrugged.
There was a slightly awkward pause in conversation. She felt eyes on her, and she peeked up to find Fred trying really hard not to look at her and utterly failing.
"We need to head home," she said suddenly. "Our parents are expecting us soon."
She ignored Leo's dramatic eye roll, and George's chuckle indicated that he'd seen said dramatic gesture. Fred turned quickly to face her.
"We'll walk you to the Leaky Cauldron," he offered. "Make sure you two get to the Floos safe. Was gonna grab some lunch anyway, weren't we, Feorge?"
"Sure were, Gred," George replied without hesitation, leading Leo out the door with his arm around the young boy's shoulder.
Fred held his hands behind his back, gesturing for Aurora to lead with a tilt of his head, and she walked toward the exit.
"And what about you?" Fred said as they stepped outside. Aurora peeked at him over her shoulder and discovered that he was a few feet away. "Leo's all set to come back and work for us. You gonna join him?"
"I don't intend to be a Hogwarts dropout," she said pointedly. "And you know that I can think of much better ways to spend my summers."
"Ah, yes, I suppose you would have Neville to entertain you," he said as he came up to walk beside her, still maintaining a healthy distance.
Aurora frowned, glancing ahead as Leo and George laughed at something, but then turned back to Fred. "Neville has nothing to do with it," she said, though there was a small part of her that wondered if he would be able to spend any of his time away from Hogwarts with her.
He'd sent a letter that told her that his grandmother had allowed the visit, but only just, and only for three hours. She took what she could get, but it did make her wonder if his grandmother would ever allow him a bit more freedom.
"Oh?" Fred asked, voice hitching higher.
"Of course not. Since starting Hogwarts, I haven't seen him outside of school. If I relied on others for amusement, then I wouldn't have survived prior to attending school. Can't exactly invite your Muggle friends to your house when your entire family is magical and practicing magic. And with regards to money, I'm not terribly worried. I'll gladly earn my keep helping Dad brew over the hols. Might not be the Galleons Leo was bringing in, but it's enough."
Fred nodded, and Aurora turned away so she wouldn't stare.
They were halfway to the Leaky when he asked, "How's being Beater?"
"It's good. I get to fly, and I get to hit things. We destroyed Hufflepuff in our first match, they traded off with Slytherin for first go. We're supposed to be facing Ravenclaw after the hols. Bit glad Ollie isn't my captain, don't imagine it would've been as fun."
"Oh yes, Ollie." Fred grinned, and George stopped in his tracks to turn around. "You knew that, didn't ya? Oliver Wood is actually Rory and Leo's uncle."
"Yeah, remember that bit," George replied, smiling. "He going to be at this big gathering tomorrow night or are we going to have to suffer through Gin's forlornness?"
Aurora rolled her eyes. "No, not that I know of."
"Don't like that he's dating her," George said thoughtfully.
"Why not?" Aurora asked.
"Always thought he was on the other team, if you know what I'm saying."
"And we don't want her to be a beard," Fred added.
"Fair enough," Aurora conceded, not really able to weigh in on it. She didn't really want to think about a family member's love life.
The conversation for the rest of the way involved little comments and anecdotes about new products, and Leo gave his opinion here and there. The twins saw them off at the Leaky's door, and Aurora and Leo went inside.
She made the mistake of glancing back, something she did and didn't want to do in equal measure.
She was disappointed to find both twins gone.
—————S—————
Severus stood by as Theodore Nott removed his silver mask and vomited just outside the gates. Despite appearing uncaring, his sympathy for the boy ran deep. Very deep.
He'd been there.
His first murder had been his father. For Theo, it had been a random Muggle. And because he was meant to be Severus' protégé, the Dark Lord thought it would be fitting for Theo to kill his first victim in the same way: Sectumsempra .
It had been a bloody mess, literally and figuratively. At first, Theo was still just getting the hang of the spell, or at least that's what Severus told the Dark Lord when the man they nabbed from somewhere, only had minor wounds that just wouldn't stop bleeding. Then Theo was a bit too enthusiastic, and while it wasn't the bloodbath Severus had made with his father, it was close.
There was the traditional holiday revel right afterwards, with all the typical activities that tended to follow. As was always the case, Severus remained a spectator and the Dark Lord had him sit to his right-hand side, making idle commentary and small talk as though there weren't Muggle-borns being assaulted and a terrible bloodbath splayed in front of them.
Theo had stood off to the side, completely unmoving, probably so deep in his Occlumency that time stood still for him. He was mechanical when Severus excused them for the evening, citing a need to return to Hogwarts before anyone noticed their absence, and Apparated them to the gate. No need for a student to know of his exception to the rule of Apparition.
When the young wizard finally managed to breathe, he croaked, "You're sick. You're sick and twisted, all of you. Knew my father was good for nothing, but this..."
"You may have noticed I wasn't among them," he deadpanned.
"No. No, you just had to teach me a spell of your own creation that—" he paused, retching with nothing more to expel, then continued. "That man was nothing more than meat. A cow for slaughter."
"And now you know how the Death Eaters work."
"I never wanted to know!" Theo raged. "I may not like Muggle-borns, or even Muggles, but I don't want to see them dead!"
"And what is the difference between a Muggle-born and a pureblood, Mr. Nott? What if the man you killed tonight had been a wizard that you didn't know? Would you have been able to tell the difference? The women and men they use for pleasure, how can you tell that they're Muggle-borns? I believe at least one of them was a half-blood. And yes, Mr. Nott, before you get anymore self-righteous on me, I do know who most of them were and I did not stop it. Doing so would be monumentally stupid. Now, curse me out all you must, but using that spell, brutal though it may be, did not damage your soul anywhere near the degree an Unforgivable would."
"But I am damaged. I am a murderer. How can I look—" he stopped, collected himself and realized what he was doing. He Vanished the mess he made, standing straight, squaring his shoulders.
Severus pursed his lips. "You're wondering how you can face Mr. Zabini and Miss Greengrass knowing the blood that stains your hands?" he asked, and he watched Theo flinch and nod. "After I was made to murder my father the same way you killed that Muggle this evening, I returned to find Professor H. waiting for me, leaving me no time to think of how I could face her again as a killer. It's never gotten easier, but with time, I have come to accept that she will still love me, regardless. They don't need to know, but if you tell them, don't withhold a single bit of the truth. Don't hide behind half honesty."
Theo stared at him, calculating. "Does Aurora know?"
"Yes. And Leonidas."
"So, your whole family—"
"Yes," Severus said firmly.
"To be frank, sir, I can't stand to look at you right now."
"Most can't." He gestured toward the castle. "Go. The password to the prefects' bathroom is mermaid tail. None of them are here for the hols, so you might as well take advantage."
Theo nodded and started walking back to the castle.
Severus remained outside, wondering if there was much point to heading inside. Hermione and the children were at the cottage. With only Theo and a couple first years at the castle for the holidays, Minerva had asked Rolanda to keep an eye on them while Severus had a holiday away from the castle. Dumbledore should have been the one to approve such a thing, but it seemed all the administration work had been passed down to his deputy.
As Mr. Nott vanished inside, Severus Apparated into his backyard.
It was snowing there, casting an enchanting glow on the house dotted with fairy lights.
He watched through the window as Hermione, Aurora, and Leonidas puttered around in the kitchen, making cookies. And of course, because the children couldn't use their wands to help, Hermione was doing it the Muggle way, which meant there was flour in her hair and on her clothes, same as their daughter, while their son somehow still looked pristine.
It occurred to Severus, though not for the first time, how much they were not children anymore. A boy just a few months older than his daughter killed a stranger for the pleasure of a madman not four hours earlier. She had faced down his "comrades" and done so admirably. His son was starting to understand the intricacies of the politics that hung over his life like a dark cloud, and the risks associated with having a Muggle-born friend.
Yet here in this moment, he could pretend that they were normal children, enjoying the holidays with their parents, making cookies with their mother.
Aurora looked up just then and startled momentarily before giving him a small smile and a wave. She went back to assisting without saying a word, as though she knew he needed to be an observer, to savor this memory. It could very well be their last normal holiday. It didn't matter the horrors and atrocities of the evening. Severus pushed that aside to etch this scene into his mind to cherish in the inevitable dark times ahead, to get him through it.
When he had his fill, and the chill began to get to him, he finally went inside.
—————H—————
December 24, 1996
In the spirit of the holidays, peace on Earth and all that rot, Hermione was the one waiting with Aurora for the Longbottoms to come through the Floo.
Severus was at Grimmauld Place, sharing a drink with Sirius, Alastor, and Minerva; Leo was probably tucked away in the library there; and since the Weasleys were arriving as she and Aurora were leaving, she assumed that it was now chaos over there.
But their home was quiet, with Aurora silently sitting on the other end of the sofa, appearing deep in thought. It was nearly suffocating, without any holiday cheer except for the Yule tree in the corner.
"So," she said into the silence, seeing Aurora lift her head a bit, "have you thought much on what you want to do after Hogwarts?"
Aurora groaned. "Why does everyone keep asking me that?"
"Because it's important," Hermione retorted, turning to face her daughter head on. Aurora continued to look ahead, but Hermione went on anyway. "You might still have two years left, but after this year, you can limit or increase your course load as you see fit and gear it to the career of your choice. I know you'll qualify anyway, but the matter of principal is, should you want to be an Auror, you need N.E.W.T.-level Potions, Transfiguration, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts..." She got no response from Aurora, who stared at her fingers in her lap. "A Curse-Breaker? You would need Runes and Arithmancy for that." Nothing. "Perhaps a Ministry official? It's always good to be prepared with an area you'd like to be in. For instance, Muggle relations. I know you haven't taken Muggle Studies, but there's always—"
"What's the point?" Aurora snapped.
"Aurora—" she started to scold but stopped when her daughter lifted her hand.
"There's a war."
"I'm aware."
"So, has it ever occurred to you or Dad or anyone that some of us may not have the luxury of pointing our wands at a board and choosing a path because the world is our oyster? Mum, I'm a Death Eater's daughter. But I'm also Harry's friend, and to be frank, I have no intention of abandoning him. I was already seen at the Ministry; how long do you think before anyone at that battle figures out who I am? Dad said the Dark Lord wanted Draco—"
"How did you know—?"
"I have ears, and I use them. You and Dad have a tendency to forget that just because I should be in bed doesn't mean that I am."
Hermione sighed, nodding.
Aurora sighed too, rubbing her forehead. "I can't think of 'after Hogwarts' because my place in all of this has made it impossible to know what comes next. All I know is I don't want to be a potions mistress, and I don't want to go into teaching." She flopped her head back on the couch. "And I am not going to go work for Fred and George."
"What in the world makes you say that?" Hermione asked, glad to have something to break the tension a bit.
"They offered."
The Floo flared before Hermione had a chance to ask more, and Neville emerged, followed shortly by his grandmother.
Augusta Longbottom looked around the cottage, her uncertainty transparent before her eyes fell on Aurora.
"We will be here, young lady, to take you through to St. Mungo's at 1pm," she said, looking down her nose at Aurora.
"Yes, ma'am."
"I don't tolerate tardiness of any kind, for any reason," she said sternly, and Aurora nodded again. "So, when I come back through to retrieve Neville, I expect him to be waiting for me. One o'clock."
"Of course," Aurora said, and only at Augusta's nod did Neville step away from her.
The woman turned her sharp gaze to Hermione. "Mrs. Snape, I trust that there will be a chaperone with them at all times?"
Hermione's brow arched. "They'll be with friends, and there'll be a plethora of adults around. You have nothing to worry about."
"Good." And without another word, she left.
Hermione's shoulders sagged, and she chuckled as she noticed both teenagers did the same. "I can understand why it was a tossup between her and Severus for your boggart, Neville. She's a fearsome woman."
"Yeah," Neville admitted, then smiled sheepishly at Aurora. "Hey, Rory."
"Hullo." Aurora smiled, and Hermione raised her chin, satisfied to see Augusta hadn't ruined their time together.
"Well, come on you two. Aurora, lead the way for Neville. I'll go last, make sure that the two of you don't sneak up to Aurora's room."
—————A—————
"Ginny, take it down!" Harry shouted from the library, and Neville and Aurora paused on the stairs, looking at one another in confusion.
She had a sort of rush, dull and understated, when their eyes met, and his hand squeezed just a little bit tighter. She hadn't realized that she missed him until he was standing in her living room and she was thrilled to see him there.
"No," Ginny retorted. "And are you really complaining about the frequency with which you get to kiss your boyfriend?"
"It's not exactly something I have to sneak around to do," Harry retorted as the couple on the stairs continued to the library. "But come on! What if you get stuck under there?"
"It doesn't need to be a romantic kiss," Ginny retorted. "Doesn't even have to be on the lips."
Aurora pushed the door open to find the Weasleys sitting in a semicircle. Ron and George were on opposite ends of the couch, Ginny on the floor at Ron's feet. Fred sat in the armchair. The armchair, Aurora's brain provided, and she blushed and looked away before she recalled last Christmas.
Her attention was drawn to Harry and Draco, who were standing in the middle of the room. Harry was frowning and Draco was smirking before taking Harry's hand and tugging him away.
"You don't want it to reactivate Potter. Move," he said, and Harry finally stepped away.
"Luna!" Aurora exclaimed, the couple shifting away to reveal their friend in a soft, squishy chair that she had to have Transfigured, as Aurora had never seen it in the library before.
"Hello, Rory," she said, and shifted to make room in her chair for Aurora to sit in next to her. "I'm so glad you're here. I know Leonidas said you would be back, but still, I worried that you and Neville would want time to yourselves and I wouldn't get the chance to see you. I'm afraid I won't be here long."
"It's fine, I'm just glad to see you're here," she replied before looking at her boyfriend standing awkwardly. "Oh, sorry, Nev," she said, struggling to get back up after sinking into the cushions.
"Switch with ya," Ginny said, standing and crossing the room, deftly avoiding the mistletoe. She held out her hands, and Aurora took them, allowing her friend to pull her up. They stumbled, and as they moved, Ginny froze, Aurora crashing into her.
"Oh," Ginny laughed, glancing up. "Oops."
"Here," Draco said, rolling his eyes as he came over and gave her a peck on the cheek. "Save the pair of you from being gawked at."
"Oh, I think we would have been able to kiss one another on the cheek," Ginny retorted. "I've already done it to Luna."
"And the pair of you got catcalled," he reminded her, and Aurora rolled her head to Fred.
He smirked. "Wasn't just me."
"Or me," George added as Aurora looked at him.
"I might have," Harry admitted. "But only because Ginny did it to us first."
"I can't help it if the pair of you are adorable," she retorted as she moved to sink into the chair next to Luna.
Aurora glanced around, seeing the loveseat was occupied by Harry, Draco returning to his side.
"Think it counts as magic outside of school during the holidays?" Aurora asked as she moved to the bookshelf and picked up a brass figure.
"If it does, then Luna's expelled," Ron replied.
Shrugging, Aurora set the figure down on the floor. She turned it into a two-person seat. It may not be the loveliest thing to look at, but as she sat down, she was pleased to find it wasn't hard or so soft that she sank down like Luna's chair. She looked at Neville and patted the spot next to her, where he promptly sat down as closely as he could, putting his arm around her shoulders.
"So, what have we missed?" she asked.
"Your cookies are gone," Harry said.
"And I'm fairly certain Sirius is drunk," Draco pointed out.
"Yeah, before the Weasleys and Luna got here, they had something like a meeting," Harry added. "I thought I heard something about a plan when I went down to get butterbeers."
Aurora leaned forward. "A plan for what?"
—————S—————
"She has a good point," Hermione said with a heavy sigh. "It's almost like we're the ones living in our own little world, pushing them to think about their future when this war makes it so uncertain."
"They're children," Molly insisted. "They don't need to be concerned with the war."
"But they are, Molly," Sirius replied. "And rightly so. It's not as though none of us were thrust into this whole thing before we left Hogwarts."
"You were all done by the time—"
"I may have been, but Severus and Hermione weren't," Sirius said, sipping his whiskey, well on his way to ruining all the work his earlier Sober-Up Potion had done.
"That doesn't mean that our children will be," she said, not turning to look at them all while vigorously stirring her potatoes.
"Potter already is," Alastor retorted. "Don't think Dumbledore has him up in his office for career advice. He's training him. Boy said so himself. Training him by teaching him all 'bout Riddle."
"Which is why I think we should tell Harry soon," Sirius stated pointedly.
"How's his Occlumency, Severus?" Minerva asked.
"Can he keep it hidden? That he knows?"
Severus looked around the room, and he sighed. "I haven't really given much thought to continuing our lessons. After last year, the incident at the Ministry, Potter said he would try harder, and I believe he has. He's never had a problem coming to me before about picking up on the Dark Lord's thoughts. I think if he still were, he would ask for more training."
"He's a child!" Molly slammed her wooden spoon down on the counter, whirling around on them with tears in her eyes. "It's Christmas, and they're children! Why are we talking about their training? About them even being involved in the war?"
"Molly," Arthur said gently, the first time he'd spoken all evening. "Ron will be seventeen next year. Almost all of them will be of age by this time next year. And once they're of age, they'll be able to make their own choices. Fred and George are already in the Order, and I think we both know Ron, Harry, Draco, and Rory will be involved in any way they can."
"I wasn't being pessimistic when I said that the Dark Lord will take over the Ministry," Severus said. "He has planned it and he will succeed. No one will be able to stop him, and until we have everything in place, we shouldn't even try to."
"Dumbledore will stop him," Molly said with certainty, turning back to the stove. "You-Know-Who won't win because Dumbledore won't let him."
Whether they meant to or not, Minerva and Alastor, Hermione and Sirius all exchanged a look that spoke volumes. Maybe it was the liquor flowing through their veins, or maybe they were just tired of pretending that they were as in the dark as the Weasleys. But in that moment, when Arthur picked up on it, Severus knew that at least that secret wouldn't last the night.
"There's something you aren't telling us," Arthur said without malice. "And I'm willing to bet it has to do with Dumbledore's hand."
Severus looked at Alastor.
Alastor nodded. "Arthur," he said, turning to the Weasley patriarch. "You're a loyal fella. Stuck by Dumbledore through it all, even when others doubted him."
Arthur frowned. "Dumbledore is the leader of the Order of the Phoenix. But it's Harry who's the Chosen One. I suppose, if you want me to say who I am loyal to, it's Harry."
"The side of good," Molly said with conviction. "The side of the light."
"Light," Alastor scoffed. "If you only knew half o' what the supposed light has done, Molly, you wouldn't be so self-righteous."
"Then bring us up to speed, Alastor," Arthur said genially. "What don't we know?"
Severus smirked as Sirius uncorked the firewhisky and poured a large serving into a tumbler, sliding it over to Arthur. "You're going to need that," he said, sitting back in his chair.
"We all will," Minerva said, holding out her own glass to Sirius. "Be a good host and top this up. Need a wee bit o' drink every time this gets said."
—————A—————
The room was tense, and Aurora chewed her lip as she tried to choose who to focus on. Logically, it should be her boyfriend, who was unusually confident, and it was a very good look on him, if she did say so herself. Confident Neville was rare, and somewhat insanely attractive. But so was self-assured Fred, and George, to a slightly lesser degree, and the two had knowing smirks as they glanced at one another slyly before staring down the competition. And... well, she supposed she could say Draco looked good when he was being arrogant, but he was like her brother, and that was weird.
"All right. Let's see what you've got," Draco said.
"Two pairs," George proclaimed, laying his hand down.
"That's good," Draco conceded, "but not as good as a full house." Draco laid his Muggle playing cards on the table for the others to see.
This had been Harry's idea, teaching them to play poker. It didn't take long for all of them to pick up on the game, though since they were currently playing for crisps and the rest of them had a tendency to eat their winnings (Ron especially), they were out before the game really got going.
"I can beat that," Fred said, laying his hand down. "Four of a kind."
Neville's lips twitched a moment before he allowed a full grin to come through. Without a word, he laid down his cards, revealing the royal flush in his hands.
An eruption of joy, shock, and defeat filled the air for a moment as Neville collected his crisps and set them in his bowl.
"We need more crisps!" George announced. "Get you back in here so we might actually stand a chance and break Nevvie's winning streak."
"Getting hard on the ego, that is," Fred agreed.
"He's changing the cards!" Ron said adamantly, already heading out to the kitchen.
"Really?" Neville said as he stood to join him, Harry and Draco right behind him. "I can barely Transfigure a match to a sewing needle, but I'm changing Muggle cards?"
"You're just pissed you're losing, Weasel," Draco commented as they went out the door.
"I'm thinking we need some butterbeers," George said. "Unless someone wants something else?"
"I have to go home, actually," Luna said as she fell in step with George. "But it's been quite fun being a part of this."
"Your dad needs to let you come by more often," Ginny said as she followed Luna and her brother out the door.
Aurora followed, until suddenly she wasn't. Frowning, she looked at her feet, seeing nothing there that should have held her. She glanced behind her at Fred, who was smirking.
"What did you do?" she asked him.
"Didn't do a thing, me. All you this time."
"What are you on abo—"
No, no, no, no...
Aurora slowly looked up and groaned when it was confirmed that she was standing beneath that stupid enchanted mistletoe. How could she have been so stupid?
"Looks like you got yourself into quite the predicament," Fred said, and she glared at him as he stood and strode over to her.
"Yes, looks like, doesn't it?"
He looked up at it, circling as he studied it from multiple angles. "Gin's right bloody good, ain't she? We actually had her teach this to us so we could sell it in the shop. They were actually a big hit, more so among the older generation, probably because of what's needed to break the enchantment."
"Well, it's mistletoe. Now, are you going to help me or do you plan on pointing out the obvious all night?"
"Are you asking me to kiss you?" Fred asked, a smirk playing on his lips as his eyebrows twitched in amusement.
"I suppose I am. Nothing says it has to be on the lips, right?" she asked, her gut twisting and her heart starting to pick up speed.
"No," Fred conceded. "No, nothing says it has to be the lips." He shifted closer to her, and Aurora watched him intensely as he leaned in a fraction before pausing. "But that's the problem, isn't it? I want it to be."
He met and held her gaze, and the still functioning part of Aurora's brain demanded she remember to breathe. She remembered that look. Her heart, which was starting to find its way to Neville, was suddenly torn in two.
"I miss you, Aurora," Fred confessed vehemently. "I miss you more than anything. And I'm starting to think I was the daftest fool this side of the Veil to have actually thought we'd be better off apart. Or that I would be better off. Because you're doing fantastic, and you're doing things exactly how I hoped you would. Expected that you would. But blimey, I miss you. And by Merlin, I am still painfully in love with you.
"I know you're with Nevvie, and I'm happy you seem happy. I really, truly am. I hold no hard feelings toward the bloke if he manages to keep you. But if something comes up and you guys don't work out, well..." He gave a pained little half-smile as he brushed a lock of hair from her shoulder. "Count on me to come running. Because there's a war going on out there, it's all official now, and we don't know what's going to happen. But I do know one thing: I'm yours."
He leaned in, and Aurora's eyes closed, her chin raising without her permission, every fiber in her anticipating his kiss.
His breath grazed her ear. "And I'll be waiting. The Quaffle's in your hands, and all you need to do is say the word."
Aurora's breath rushed out when she felt him withdraw, and her brain was trying to reconcile the fact that she was as desperate for his touch as she was to stop feeling that way.
He was nearly in the doorway when she realized that he was walking away and she was still stuck. "Oi, aren't you going to free me?"
Fred stopped, then turned around with that trouble-maker grin. "Oh no. Already kissed you once when you were Neville's. Not going to do it this time, wouldn't be fair." And he left.
"Fred!" she called.
"I'll send him up!" he shouted from the hall, making her grin.
It didn't last long, as she replayed his words in her head. How many times had she hoped, in the early days of their break-up, that he would say something like that? How many times had they run into one another when he could have told her? Why now? What happened with Janette? And he had told her she should go out with Neville, so why wait until now to say something?
But then, she realized she hadn't exactly been any less cold toward him. Wasn't it just a few days ago she had hoped, deep down, to find him looking back at her when she looked behind her? Was it not him she had assumed Neville's invitation was from?
Neville, whom she could hear on the steps heading up to her, who was sweet and good and wonderful. And who made her heart flutter.
Neville smiled when he came into the room, and she could tell he was laughing at her. "Fred said you got stuck," he said as he came up to her. "I have to admit, I was a bit surprised he didn't ... you know."
"Kiss me?"
Neville shrugged. "See the way he looks at you." And then he leaned in as if to share a big secret. "Why do you think I like beating him in cards so much?"
"Thought you just really liked the vinegar crisps," she retorted, making him smile a little brighter.
"Do like those, too," he said, making her chuckle.
Neville cupped her face with both hands and leaned in, capturing her mouth with his. It started off slow and simple, and Aurora pushed on him a little as she felt herself freed from the magic that had held her in place. But instead of pulling away, Neville let go of her face and put his hands on her waist, pulling her closer.
For a moment, she very nearly forgot everything. Aurora looped her arms around his neck and held him a bit closer. Neville deepened the kiss, and Aurora's mind slipped for a moment to think of how different he was when he was like this. How from the moment she first kissed him, Neville gained a sort of confidence with her that he lacked before.
But then it changed course and reminded her that it was just last year that she was kissing a different bloke, the same one who had just confessed he'd wait for her. The same one who'd made a ridiculous promise to her parents and broke it off with her. The one who told her to go for Neville.
She refused to think about it, she told the voice to shut up and kissed Neville just a little deeper, making him stumble backward and land on the couch, taking her along with her.
"Rory," he said against her lips after a moment. "The others will be coming back up soon."
She nodded, kissed him again despite the warning, making him whimper a bit. She smirked, having not been able to get that reaction out of him yet, despite the intense snogging sessions, and put her fingers in his hair, forgetting all about anyone else until her brain demanded oxygen.
They each took a deep lungful of air, catching their breath, smiling with their foreheads pressed together.
"Blimey, I think I'm in love with you," he whispered, perhaps not meaning for her to hear him.
But she did.
She scrambled away, but as she did, the door opened, making it seem as though she backed away because of the others. She turned, running her fingers through her hair and pulling, both to tame it and to give herself something to focus on other than the ridiculousness of being told by two blokes in less than twenty minutes that they loved her. Two blokes she both felt deeply for.
She went to turn away when she froze, unable to move.
"Gin," she said, closing her eyes and trying to remain calm. "Take down. The sodding. Bloody. Mistletoe. Do it now or I swear to Merlin..."
"See," Harry said beside her, and she felt his lips peck her cheek to release her. "You're the only one who likes it."
The mistletoe vanished. The twins returned with arms full of butterbeer and the games resumed.
But while everything went on as it had before, Aurora couldn't. Fred didn't look at her differently, but now she knew why that was: because things hadn't changed for him. Neville didn't act any different, so either his confession wasn't meant to be heard and assumed she hadn't, or he thought she didn't hear him. They were civil to one another, as they had always been, but then, Aurora never knew for sure if they were on friendly terms, or just got along for the sake of keeping the peace.
Nothing had changed. Nothing except her.