"Þessi drengur er svo pirrandi![1]" she spat and threw her arms up, her frustration reaching a new high.

"Will you stop bringing up Vulpes bloody Connor, for Maker's sake?  This has nothing to do with him!" she exasperated, moving her arms frantically.  "Why do you think I even brought you to this place--this place that's kept me relatively sane for the past six years--and let myself share something with you that I haven't even told my only and best friend about?" she motioned around her hastily.  "It's not because I was bored and wanted a good story to tell all my friends about." she added harshly.

"Deny all you want, but I saw the look on your face.  You were having fun.  You're just disgusted that you did something that you always hated but actually enjoyed for one moment of your life.  Kind of like how I felt the entire time up till now when you called me over.  Except I'm not ashamed or afraid of that realization.  Not anymore." she said a little softer and gathered her boots and wand.  She plopped down on the grass and took a deep sigh before pulling them back on for the third time that day.  It was now completely dark, except for the glow of the moon hanging overhead; creating a somewhat romantic ambiance.

"Af hverju fæ ég nenna jafnvel með honum?[2]" she said more to herself and buckled the last of her boots.  She re-conjured the stereo back into the rock and slipped her wand in her boot.  Something kept her there, but she didn't know what.  For all that's happened, it would be normal to want to leave.

1.	This boy is so frustrating!
2.	Why do I even bother with him?

Huck rolled his eyes dramatically. "Oh, come on, Aurora. Come off it. Not everything needs to be a big deal. That's what I'm saying. Why do you have to treat every little thing like it's some huge.. event?? You're sixteen. Do you realize that everything we're doing right now is pretty much meaningless?"

He ran a hand through his hair and took another hard breath through his nose. "You're going to wake up in a cold sweat like ten years from now and realized that you wasted the best years of your life with a big dramatic stick up your arse. Give it a rest."

He had never, in all his years, met anyone who had taken themselves so seriously. Whose idea of being laid back was salsa dancing. Dear God. Of all the white bread things to consider a relaxing pasttime, that had to be the most wonderbread one of them all. The thought made him shudder.  If he had seen anyone in his hometown dancing like that he seriously doubted he'd ever let them live it down.

Aurora contemplated his words a long moment before realized he was right.  Aurora made everything into something more important than it really was.  She had a feeling she knew where it had started, and she dreaded the thought.

Aurora sighed loudly.  "I know." she admitted softly.  "It's probably the thing I despise most about myself." she groaned and dropped her head in her arms.  "I'm sorry," she said, more to herself.  "I've tried, I really have.  There's just... something that holds me back.  Something that's held me back for the past eight years." she looked up at him sadly.

"Do you read the Daily Prophet?" she asked suddenly.  "There's an article in there dated back last month sometime.  The 18th, I believe.  If you're interested, check it out, and maybe you'll understand where I come from." she finished solemnly and stood up with her bag in her hand.  "If you're not interested, then have a good life," she added and slung her bag over her shoulder, about to move.

His face relaxed as she agreed with him. He felt bad that she seemed to be so upset about how rigid and structured she was, but at the same time he felt a surge of cocky pride that he had been vindicated in his beliefs. Holding up his hands, Huck's tone changed to a much more friendly one. "Well, Lord, Aurora, if you've been doing this for eight years you must be exhausted. I know I would be."

The newspaper article was clearly very important to her, but Huck had so little interest in the news that just looking at newsprint threw him into fits of narcolepsy. And there was no sense in lying to her about it, as he was sure he'd be quizzed on it immediately. "Never touched one," he said honestly. "I don't read the news."

What he didn't say- and it was very much a conscious decision to not say it- was that the curious side of him had kicked in. He added to his mental to-do list-

Number Twelve: Find that Prophet article.

Aurora nodded despondently and stepped to the side.  "Since you so delicately pointed out, it's late, and I'm a little cold.  So, goodnight." she said evenly and started walking past him with several emotions and thoughts buzzing about.  She had a sinking feeling he wouldn't care to read the article, and a part in her was relieved, but a newer, ever-growing part of her felt rather sad.

Though she didn't know why.

[THE END of their first meeting]

Aurora's Outfit