the gentle moon / george weasley

they were talking about the moon

"He wrote to me?"

"He wrote what he wanted to say to you." McGonagall said, "You are missing a very large part of his letters."

"Which part?"

"My responses," McGonagall said, "I asked him, what he would say to you if he could. He wrote that letter in 1989, a month before you started at Hogwarts."

"Why show me now? After all these years?"

"Because you are your father's daughter," McGonagall laughed, "You are just like him. I knew his letters would help you, get you out of this hole you dug yourself in."

August kind of smiled, "Thanks..."

"I want you to know how proud I am of you," McGonagall looked over the rim of her glasses at August, "asking for help. I know you think it makes you weak to admit that you're not okay. But the truth is, it takes strength to admit you're not okay. It takes a lot of courage to talk about what's going on inside your head. Very Gryffindor, I must say..."

"Do you think I'll be okay?"

"No," McGonagall said simply, "No, I don't think you'll be okay, but that's okay. No one is okay. But at some point, you have to stop beating yourself up over what you could have done better, or how you think you could have stopped all of this, you have to let it go, and you have to forgive yourself because things won't always work out in your favor but they'll work out someway or another." McGonagall took her glasses off and rubbed the bridge of her nose, closing her eyes so she didn't have to look at August, "You have made it very difficult for me, since the day I met you, which was many years before I was your professor. I don't like being close to my students, not after all the ones I have lost. It hurts too much. But I do care about you August like you are my own child... Just because you break down sometimes doesn't mean you're not a strong person. It makes you stronger because you're accepting what's going on in your life and you're facing your fears of openly talking about it. You can be worried about being a burden, an inconvenience, but the people who are truly there for you, the people who truly love you, won't ever think you're a burden and those are the people you need surrounding you. Don't assume no one cares and no one wants to help because they do. I promise you – you're not an inconvenience."

August held the strap of her school bag tighter in her hand, biting back her quivering lip.

"Don't make me lose another kid, August." McGonagall opened her eyes, "It's okay, not to be okay..." McGonagall stopped, she took a deep breath, "You were not shown enough love. And I am sorry for that. You deserved to be loved, you really do. I am sorry that so many people have failed you... I'm sorry this system has failed you... It's time for you to give up the idea that the pain you endure is all alright. You have to live, August. It would be best if you started living like you are not a werewolf and instead like a normal person. Because you are a normal person, you are still human."

At first, it started out with only George knowing about August's struggles, and after a few therapy sessions with Ase, she told Harry.

"I wish I was there for you..." Harry admitted, "I should have been there for you."

"You were." August smiled, "You were always there for me."

"I didn't know you hated yourself so much..." Harry was wringing his hands in his lap, "I never noticed."

"I never told you." August reassured him, "It wasn't you're job to see it."

"You can always see when I'm struggling..." Harry looked up at her.

"I'm your big sister, it's my job," August smirked at him