Tidal Wave [george weasley post war]

30. Just Say The Word

⭑*•̩̩͙⊱••••✩••••̩̩͙⊰•*⭑

It had taken Aurora almost two full hours to pick out clothing, accessories, and makeup to pack for Christmas in Paris with Theo. After admitting to Ginny that she didn't think she loved Theo she had waited for her best friend to leave before she pulled out a tin full of marijuana. She had almost forgotten she had this and with her anxiety at an all-time high – she needed it. There was snow on the ground, but her bedroom window was wide open as she slumped against the windowsill and the joint hung from her plump lips as smoke filtered out of the opening between them.

What was she going to do? Christmas Eve was two days away. She had promised Theo that she was feeling ok with taking the Floo network to their hotel in Wizarding Paris but the more she thought about it, the more she was wishing she hadn't agreed to go with him. Even after everything that happened with George, Aurora would miss spending Christmas with The Weasley's. They were her family.

After all, she had not heard from her parents in over sixteen months... but who's counting?

"Fucking hell..." She found herself muttering to herself, a shiver running from the base of her skull down to the top of her tailbone. She slipped the joint between her fingers after taking a long and deep hit. Pulling it from her mouth, she felt her head fall back and blew the smoke out slowly.

There was this internal war raging on inside of her. Should she still go to Paris? Should she give Theo a real chance? Ginny was no help of course – she was bias about her older brother being the one for her. Was he, though? Aurora found herself daydreaming about a life with George Weasley as she closed the window and extinguished the joint before tucking what was remaining back into the tin and hiding it away in her underwear drawer.

⭑*•̩̩͙⊱••••✩••••̩̩͙⊰•*⭑

December 24, 2002

After taking the Floo to the hotel in Paris, Aurora found herself hiding away in the extravagant en suite that was attached to the even more extravagant bedroom. She told Theo that she was not feeling well after being sucked through a dirty, yet still somehow posh, fireplace. And that wasn't really far from the truth. Aurora found her stomach tied in knots, pressure building within her causing her to lean over the toilet bowl and expel whatever was left in her stomach – which was not much.

When she made the decision to give up her magic and lock away her wand, Aurora never thought in a million years that she would ever feel that tingle in her fingertips again. With George, she felt just that. Her magic coming to life inside of her. But Theo? It was still muted. Incredibly so.

Sure, they had fun together. But having fun did not always equate to experiencing happiness. Was she happy?

"Rory?" Theo called from the other side of the door. "Are you alright in there?"