Tidal Wave [george weasley post war]

40. Final Goodbye

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"Paris?"

George felt incredibly numb after listening to what his youngest, and only, sister told him. He glanced around the room, eyes falling on his sister-in-law Adelaide who offered him a smile of support. He knew he probably had no right to feel upset, but he just could not help it. It was like a switch flipped off inside of him and the dark cloud started teetering back into view. He had only just gotten said dark cloud to stop hovering over his head and it was back already.

"Yes. There's an art program there. And she's very excited, George, she deserves this." Ginny let one hand rest on her brothers knee. "She wanted me to tell you. S-she thought it appropriate that you knew." Ginny was upset, at first anyway. She had believed she was losing her best friend, and while in a sense she was (and quite possibly already has), Ginny knew it was in Aurora's best interest to leave.

"What am I supposed to do with this news? We're not together. We're not even friends... I'm not sure that we can be friends again. Not after everything we've been through." George closed in around himself again, glancing down at his hands laying limp in his lap. He took in a deep breath, closed his eyes, before letting it out slowly. "I don't want to lose her completely, though right, because I still had hope...a very deep hope, that we could eventually be civil. Possibly even friends again."

"And you can be." Adelaide piped up from across the room. Her hand resting on her swollen belly as she watched the war wage on inside of George. "But you still have a lot of growing to do. Not just you alone George, either, Rory too."

Ginny nodded in agreement. "I'll tell her you wish you nothing but the best when I see her again this weekend. I've set some time aside to help her pack."

George stopped listening a few moments ago. All he could see was Aurora. All he could feel was her hand in his, the way her lips fluttered against the side of his face as she peppered him with kisses in the morning. But quickly after the good memories stopped, the bad ones began filtering in. The yelling and screaming matches, the tears, the wall that was being built brick by brick between them. He was jolted from his thoughts when Ginny nudged him with her knee.

"Do you want to see her before she leaves?"

"Do we think that's a good idea?" Adelaide chimed in quietly, mainly worried for George.

"If they can both be civil, yes. A chance to air things out and metaphorically bury the bad in the past behind them." Ginny replied quickly, looking over at her sister-in-law before she turned her attention back to George. He hadn't looked up yet, maintaining focus on his hands as he popped each knuckle before chiming in with his own thoughts, "I think old me would have said no and left it all in the dust. But I think, maybe, this will be good for both of us. As long as she agrees, of course."