“But”—Aurore's jaw trembled slightly—“she doesn't deserve to be forgotten like this. She shouldn't be a footnote. This shouldn't be the only entry she even has. She deserves her own chapter. She deserves a whole bloody book of her own.” Her voice quavered. “And Dad doesn't deserve to be compared to Voldemort and treated like some kind of soulless psychopath who wanted to do any of it—” she pressed the heels of her hands against her eyes for a moment and drew a deep breath. “Sorry. I always think I can handle this — and then I always get so — mad I feel like I'm going to be sick.”
She sighed and blinked rapidly. After a minute, she exhaled heavily and gave James a tight smile. “At least I have you, and Aunt Ginny. Mum says I can always talk to her or Dad, but”—her mouth twisted—“she doesn't actually remember it all. She has to take potions beforehand, and if I start crying, she has trouble breathing and grips Dad's hand until she starts turning white. And Dad always looks like he'd rather be murdered, and like he expects I'll never speak to him again.”
Her knuckles were turning white as she gripped the book and finally set it down. “I don't know what I'd do without you and Aunt Ginny; without being able to write to you about everything. It was so lonely at school, you know, having to give all the wrong answers because I might lose my parents if I gave the right ones. And always feeling like no matter how close I am to anyone, they'll never really know me or any of the things that actually matter to me. You're the only person who knows me.”
James smiled at her, his green eyes bright and earnest. “You'll always have me.”
Aurore nodded and after a moment she smiled slowly back at him.
There was a pause as they stared at each other, as if they had only just realised they were standing alone together in an empty aisle.
Aurore's breath caught slightly, and a faint flush appeared in her cheeks. James' eyes darkened, and he shifted forward, moving closer, and began to reach towards her.
The bell at the door rang out sharply. James straightened, drawing his hand back and running it through his hair several times as he cleared his throat and glanced around. “You know, Mum's probably going to show up any second if we don't go back out. But — um, we should talk more — about—” His face was turning spectacularly red. “You know — if you want.”
Aurore stood frozen for a moment. “Right. We — should.” She nodded repeatedly and shuffled quickly past him in the aisle.
They hurried back to the front of the bookstore, leaving the history book behind, still open to the page with the photograph. The photo caption read:
The End
Chapter End Notes
Additional Illustrations:
And did not fight by todays.wizard.
Aurore by val.art98.
Aurore by lithelies.
Additional Manacled Universe One-Shots:
James/Aurore one-shot “Forever Is Composed Of Nows
Hermione/Draco Post-Epilogue scene
Hermione/Severus prompted “deleted flashback”
End Notes
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