✧MOVING ON✧

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"And you didn't want to join, goddess Ari at this rate we're looking at playing other towns." She scoffed at Aidan's appearance, he was drenched in sweat and held a hefty bruise on the side of his jaw. But he hadn't let the quaffle score and managed to defend beautifully this game, though it helped with the extra practice he and Aria had done on the side.

But it was Phoebe who caught up to the quickly, feeling like she was on cloud nine with her catch of the snitch. "Oh I can't wait! Mama said she'd come with if we venture out of state, could imagine?" The childlike excitement was what Aria defiantly needed to here, it was the end of July and she felt elevated. Her internship was challenging and Quidditch was that gentle thrill she needed every week.

Aria was a proud holder of both her automobile permit and apprenting permit, she was getting to the edge of being legal. But she couldn't have done it without her friends and family dragging her out of the cave of her bedroom, and now she was an accomplished animagus—Much to professor McGonagal's delight. As well as a growing potion mistress in the making as her credits were rising, but in the midst of all of this...It was the most comfort she ever felt being back at home.

Because before that she was in denial in calling it home until the adoption went through, but it was in facing her lowest moment in the presence of everyone she made the connection.

She imprinted on the likes of everyone here, and whether that be the settling beast within her or otherwise. She felt happy, she was at home.

Phoebe had left the two by themselves and Aidan had taken a leap of faith. "You won't want to get some dinner tonight, would you?" He asked, and a slight tint elaborated onto his cheeks as he was starting to feel the nerves.

"Like...Like a date or—" Aidan had shyed away, much like she would if the situation were reversed. But had he had a bit of confidence he would've seen the surprise in her expression.

"I didn't know if you'd still want to date after—"
"Gods Aria, you deserve someone who doesn't dare betray you like he had. If you're not ready to date I understand that but... wouldn't it be better to move on?"
"But you're more than just a rebound, it's only been...A few weeks." It left the two silent for a moment before Aria reached out to pull his hand into her embrace, and he smiled just a tad in feeling the wrap around her wrist tickle his skin.

"I would love to...Pick me up at 5?"

"Perfect." He grinned, his whole persona erupting in happiness as he hadn't planned to ask—Well he had, just not so suddenly.

But the good game was still coursing through either of them, however with Aidan, it was always a surprise to where they would go.

"Er, muggle or—"
"We're taking the car today, you could dress up if you want." Leaning up towards him did she settle a small kiss to his cheek before returning home with her duffle bag and new broom in hand.

Something she learned from Rabastan—Probably the only thing she took out from the relationship was that she shouldn't be afraid to buy something she absolutely wants. And thus, she splurged and bought the newest broom.

It made both her family's and Aidan's jaws drop.

Well that and the tattoo on her thigh, but it'd seem she came back home with a new one every summer so it was little surprise on that end.

However in coming home she decided to spend the free time that she did have before her date cooking with Chrissy. And the mother of five was immensely thankful, it was only ever Aria or Michael in the kitchen, and when he did come home he was quick to join the two.

"Ari, I was thinking we could go see that Carrie movie together?" The offer of a plan caused Chrissy to squeal. "Oh tell him the good news Ari!" The mother cheered, and Aria hadn't thought she had any good news to tell.

"Er...I managed to gas the car myself?" She questioned in complete confusion.

"Well that too, I meant going on a date with Aidan tonight sweetheart!" Aria had made a face and closed her eyes.

"Well it's just a little date, I don't really know what—"

"Bubbles...?" Michael interrupted her mid-thought to cease the growing anxiety—Though it was easy to predict when her hair was starting to ombre silver at her tips.

"I think it's a great idea you're moving on from that Brit, and at least if Proctor breaks your heart I can easily find him and break his jaw."

"You'll do no such thing!" She shrieked, causing her hair to visibly shift to bronze then silver.

"Wouldn't that be something, I should drop you off at the platform with dad." Aria pouted in defiance, she didn't want any more of a mess than it already was but it seemed like that wasn't the way it'd be headed.

Instead she chased after Michael through the house until she managed to tackle him.

"I gotchu and I say no attacking anyone! If I wanted him to have a broken jaw the Black brothers would've delivered." Michael's back straightened as he motioned for her to get off, and it was considered perfect timing as the Scamander family had come in.

Or mindful of Tina, but the Scamander men had been talking to Eli outside only to just now come in.

"Randall! How was Japan?" She asked all while reaching them and giving them a hug. It was a bittersweet moment but Randall was smiling up a storm.

Something that Michael caught on quick enough.

"Aria, I've heard you gotten all Outstandings on your OWLS. And racked up quiet the work these past few weeks, I'm sure everyone is proud." It was all bright smiles around as she started to feel genially embarrassed with the attention on her now, but it was easy to get the conversation rolling. And it was very sweet of the Scamanders to get her gifts from Japan.

From Randall himself, but to save himself the trouble he said his mum mentioned it was her birthday and thus—It turned into a birthday gift than just a general 'I thought of you a lot during our time in Japan,' type of ordeal.

But Aria enjoyed learning about the culture, and he returned with dresses—Perhaps going a bit overboard a tad bit but his mother said it'd be sweet.

Especially after hearing what happened.

"You wouldn't happen to have his address to—"
"There's a line that wants to break his jaw Randall, and he doesn't know I know." Randall sat in awe with Omen in his lap, he hadn't believed that Aria had been in America the entire month and simply ignored the Brit's advancements in thinking that they were alright.

And from the pile of parcels lining up on her desk it looks like he was owling every day. "What's this?" He held up the envelope that held the title of 'raba' and it caused Aria to shrug.

"Aidan said it would be good to write him a letter, not one that I'd send of course but it was nice to get out all my anger. It helped a lot, and well...Here I am."

"And all that ink?"

"Oh these I've had, it's this one that's the newest." She said lifting up her skirt just a tad, and it caused Randall to blush profusely—Luckily Aria was looking through the mist of her own things to find his gift.

It involved pictures of Ghost, the candies from Hogsmead and toys from Zonks. Because Aria knew that part of Randall wished he did go to Hogwarts instead of traveling the world with his father.

Luckily Randall was exhausted from traveling, he and Newt just wanted to stop by and say hello. This allowed Aria not to be rude in terms of leaving for her date, but it wasn't that she dressed differently than normal.

She was wearing a new dress, that wasn't at all like the 'Salem dresses' it had a mature flare. And goddess was it a blessing to be able to do magic outside Hogwarts, having been used to doing her hair with her wand most of the year left her unable to do it on holidays.

However it was Eli who was standing in her doorway leaning against the frame in silent question. "And where might you be off to young lady?"
"Out."
"Out?...Just out? Or on a date?"
"Do you think it's too early to be dating?"
"Oh Bubbles not at all, your mother and I are ecstatic, the same as when Michael started seeing a witch." Aria let out a small smile, but then pouted.

"He keeps owling."
"I will happily collect them as they come sweetheart." She thought for a moment then pulled out an old shoe boxes and placed them all in there except the one she wrote before handing it over to her father.

"It's for the better, and it's ingenuous to leave him thinking."
"I'm just thankful I don't feel the pain anymore, oh...And Coach says we're up in the runnings to play against other towns."
"Sounds promising, could this lead to championships?"
"After we beat all the towns in Massachusetts, though I think there's only a few." The two found themselves talking applicably before Aidan had come, and sure enough he was dressed much like she was.

With a hint of witch or wizard, formal but comfortable.

"I'll have her back by—"
"You two have fun tonight." Eli smiled softly to his daughter, and Aidan was taken off guard. Surely this was a joke, he was entirely prepared to be interrogated as to where he was taking Aria.

In his car no less.

"Sweet Diana, is your dad alright?"
"What?... Oh, well what could you possibly do that's worse than Lestrange? N-Not that you would."
"I understand Sunshine, but we should get going...We have reservations." And Aria invited the idea of being wined and dined before leaving the car at the restaurant and apperenting to the nearest beach to walk on the sand without shoes.

And it was all Aria had needed, to sink her feet down into the sand and hear the waves crashing out before them both.

"How'd you feel if we...We went to Hawaii?"
"I'd like that, Phoebe had loads of fun the last time. Maybe we'll have enough time for snorkeling." She laughed, but Aidan sighed. Why was it so hard to ask Aria out on a date?

"N-no, I meant just us."
"Oh...Aidan, I don't know, what would us going on vacation mean?"
"What do you want it to mean?" Aria wiped her hand on her ankle to get the sand off, while she gripped her shoes in another. They were simply sitting a few feet from the incoming tide, though it was starting to creep up on them.

"Aidan I don't want to have to end a relationship when I head back to Hogwarts..."
"Then we won't, we'll stay together. That book you're talking with Black in, we'll get one to have so we could talk in real-time. Sending owls to talk to you was—Is awful." Aria looked away for a moment at his declaration, but the wine in her veins was making her slightly disoriented.

"Do you remember the nickname I gave you, a long long—"
"Bubbly. Yeah, goddess you were hammered." The two fell silent for a moment before he pulled her free hand into a sandwich of both of his.

"I would love to be Bubbly again, Ari I love you. And I know it's not what you want to hear now, I hate that you're hurting. And I hate that what that Brit did to defile your trust, but I will never—Could never hurt you like that Sunshine. I love you, I always have. Even when I was with Jackie, it didn't make sense. She wasn't you." Aidan had felt instantly discouraged as Aria closed her eyes, and with the light of the moon casting a bright ray onto either of them, he could see clearly the tear slipping down.

Even if she attempted to stop it.

"Ari—"
"I love you too Aidan, but I don't know if I'm ready for a relationship. Much less a long-distance one, I think I need time to be independent." Her declaration had confirmed one thing at the very least, she still loved him.

And that's all he needed.

"Then I'm here for whatever you need, a friend—A shoulder to cry on."
"Or a quick fuck?" She said with a silly grin, but gods it caused him to still.

He had forgotten that Aria was no longer a sacred virgin, she was no longer welcomed into one of the many groups the Sanctuary offered because of this. Along with this she was down a ring, leaving it as a symbol that she wasn't pure anymore.

Unless she devoted herself to a reborn virgin, but it didn't matter to her mind any longer.

It was a pointless devotion to excluding that form of lovemaking from her agenda, especially when she found a boyfriend.

"Sorry, that was defiantly the wine."
"Unfortunately you have a full house and my sisters are all home...And besides, I'd like to think we'd be more than just a quick fuck." Aria turned over, resting her chin on her shoulder with an adorably small smile.

"You're right, we'd be a lot longer than once." Was her normal teasing out of practice? She was failing to gain a reaction from him like Rabastan, but then she held the brink of her nose between her fingers.

"Merlin, excuse me...I don't have a filter tonight."
"It's refreshing, I'll admit. Tipsy Ari hasn't come out and played for a while."
"I think you just like that my alter ego wouldn't mind sleeping with you. But I still have a tad bit of guilt in bringing you down a hole. I told you that he might be a—"
"A Death Eater in the future?... Maybe it's for the better Ari, to slowly leave that spotlight with him. I told mom I might be looking at Darth Academy for a potion's degree and she's already horrified."
"I didn't know you wanted to go to Darth Academy." The bloke shrugged his shoulders and simply played it off that it'd be easier to go through the classes at that academy and come back to the states with that degree than anything else.

"I don't know yet, and besides...I'm sure it'd make the Crawfords comfortable if you plan on staying in Britain."
"Ugh...I don't know yet. I'm open to the entirety of Europe if I stay and work at the Academy. And Otto's put a lot of faith in me already." It was clear that either of them were starting to put a step forward to the future, but it was entirely refreshing. She didn't have to explain why she wanted to work, or what her goal was. Aidan knew.

Aidan knew her.

And whether it was the moon, the tickle of the waves at their bare toes. Or the ambiance of the night entirely, but seemingly the two had inched close enough—Both on the high of the beauty of tonight, but the connection that wasn't based on fate.

It was then Aria felt the freedom of what fate hadn't planned for her, and as much as she adored the gods and goddesses above...They weren't perfect, neither was Rabastan.

It allowed her to smile against Aidan's lips as he pulled her closer, dragging out this humble kiss.

Yet perhaps the wine was taking affect, as Aidan had pulled away for just a moment to see if this was okay and that he hadn't pushed the boundaries on Aria and her past experiences with that damnable Brit.

But Aria was desperate, she wanted to feel something...And was it wrong to want to be loved?

Once she had experienced it with Rabastan, opening the door to a sexual relationship. She started to count the times they make love—fucked.

Rabastan is a physical being, but she couldn't help but feel slightly guilty in faulting him in wanting to be loved either. And if anything, it sounded like Claudette was there long before Aria was in the picture.

So when she pushed Aidan into the sand, he chuckled. Urging her to come forward and pin him down, leaving her in charge on how far the two of them could go.

"I thought myself so clever in thinking of that nickname for you, Bubbly."
"My fault sunshine, I made fun of your accent when I first met you." She rolled her eyes and leaned back down to settle another kiss to his all too awaiting lips.

"You wouldn't want to go run in the water with me, would you?" She asked, with a devious smile growing on her lips. But how could he possibly say no to that?

In record of this, Aria had turned to throw off the likes of her dress. Leaving her in nothing more than her panties she had on for the evening, and before long she ditched her purse, wand, and shoes off to the side before taking a running start to the water.

Diving in fully.

Aidan watched in awe, sure he knew Aria had spirts of this childish excitement. But he hadn't thought he would get the chance to skinny dip tonight, however in record of following her lead he managed a quick spell around the area and undressed. Leaving his things right beside hers and taking a decent run in nothing but his boxers.

He met Aria in the belly-deep edge, smiling in the sense of seeing her tattoos—All of them, out in the open.

And once her arms wrapped around his neck, they were left in the presence of only the moonlight as their witness of the events that took place that evening...

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Date Posted: 06-1-2020

Time: 9:26

Words: 3066