Patience

Chapter 22

I wake up to the sound of knocking at my door. Juno walks in with another tray of food and a warm smile. He sets it on my lap and sits next to me on my bed.

"Breakfast in bed." He smiles, taking a bite of my toast.

"Where are we going?"

"We aren't going anywhere." He says with a sad smile.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm sorry Mills, but I have to stay here and handle things." He explains. "You're going to the Weasley's house to stay at least a few weeks. I already owled them and they are happy to have you."

"But why can't I stay here with you? I'm fine with everything. You can't handle it all on your own. Let me help Juno." I plead. I'm more than happy to go to the Weasley's, but I know Juno can't carry the burden of our parents by himself. I wish I were older, that way people wouldn't baby me and would actually trust me to help them.

"I have Grandma Zulu. As much as I appreciate your concern, you shouldn't be around this kind of home Mills. It's not good for you, you need to trust me on this one. Okay?"

"Fine."

"Good. Molly will come to pick you up by Floo Network in an hour. Now get ready and stay in here until I come to get you." He says indefinitely. I nod and with that he leaves me alone once again in my room. I finish breakfast and shower. The warm water flowing over my body, waking me up and preparing me for the day. I put on a pair of straight legged jeans and a button up, V-neck, argyle patterned sweater. I put my hair up in two low buns and wrap a white bandana around my head, knotting it on top.

"Ready Mills?" Junos asks, knocking on my door.

"Yep." I reply, grabbing my things and Calypso's cage to bring downstairs. As I walk out of my room I notice the house is much tidier than the previous day. There are a few broken windows and I can see places where furniture is now missing, most likely because it was broken. But the floor is now free of glass and my parents are nowhere to be found. Juno notices me looking around.

"They're at work." He clarifies, I nod and continue walking in silence. We go to the living room to wait for Mrs. Weasley. As soon as we enter a large puff of smoke comes from our fireplace and when it clears I see Mrs. Weasley's smiling face. Before I can greet her she brings me into the tightest hug of my life. I struggle for air, but find myself enjoying her compassionate gesture. I hug her back and after a while she pulls away and puts both her hands on my cheeks.

"Oh, I'm so sorry dear." She says, her eyes fill with tears and she once again hugs me. I stand there in shock. Had she begun crying for me? I can't lie, it kind of felt good, to be pitied. It was like George had said, about not always having to carry yours and everyone else's emotions. To not always have to stand strong, to let go sometimes and break. I couldn't break just yet though.

"No child should have to go through what you have. You are so strong." She says sweetly. Welp, there it is again. The lie people keep telling me. I've learned to accept it and let them believe it, even though it wasn't true. Maybe if people continued to tell me it and I kept saying it to myself I'll begin to believe it and it'll become a reality.

"Thank you for letting me stay in your home." I say, changing the subject.

"Of course dear! Like I said before, you're always welcome." She grabs my duffle bags, full of random items I assumed I'd need at some point in my "trip". I hug Juno goodbye and follow Mrs. Weasley to the fireplace where she grabs a handful of Floo powder and yells:

"The Burrow!" Being careful to enunciate every syllable. I do the same, smiling sadly to Juno before I throw down the powder and reappear in the fireplace of the Weasley's home. Fred, George, Ron, and Ginny are waiting for me excitedly, surrounding the fireplace in anticipation of my arrival.