our universe

- T E L L -

Juniper faded in and out of darkness, fighting for breath. Her body was shutting down, mind barely conscious, washed in a sea of low voices and arguments, screams and last thoughts. Snippets of conversation reached her ears, vision blurring when she began to black out again. She was cold. So cold.

"How could you let this happen, Harry?!"

"I'm sorry!"

"Sorry doesn't cut it! My daughter is lying in a hospital bed and she might never wake up!"

"Our daughter!"

"You're supposed to keep her safe!"

"You're supposed to be here!"

"I'm trying to keep everyone else fucking safe!"

"Clearly not everyone."

Angry voices, harsh and grating. Mixed with undertones of fright, voices shaking with more terror than fury. Scared voices, soft and on the verge of breaking.

"Don't do this to me, Potter."

"Hypothermic shock..."

"She'll be ok...right?"

"Please wake up."

"Please be ok."

"I need you."

Then warmth, sudden unexpected. Somewhere, a part of Juniper's drowning mind surfaced, touch sparking light in her body, a squeeze of a hand. Someone was there. She was not alone. And then everything went dark again.

The darkness was accompanied by dark images, cold images. She was trapped, pinned to the bottom of the lake all over again. Gasping wordlessly, screaming with no one to hear her, choking with no air to breathe.

Juniper coughed one, twice, three times, lungs flooding with air. She blinked her eyes wearily, adjusting to the light.

"Oh my god- James! James she's- get over here! Junie's-!" Rory leapt up from her place in the chair, rushing to the groggy girl's bedside. James followed her, rubbing sleep from his face.

"Mmm." Juniper croaked wearily, struggling to talk. Her eyelids threatened to close and confusion set in. Why did her whole body feel like it had been trampled on by a hippogriff? Jumbled pieces of information began to sort themselves out, clicking into place. The blurry faces peering over her coming into focus.

"Junie?" Rory ventured worriedly. She wrung her hands, "Oh god- James what if she doesn't remember us? Madam Pomfrey said she didn't know if there'd be any side effects when she woke up. I've read about this- memory loss can occur if-"

Juniper blinked again, slowly, "Ror, I'm-"

"Oh thank Merlin!" Rory attacked her with a giant bear hug.

"Fine," Juniper finished wryly, response muffled beneath Rory's arms. "Ow."

"Sorry! Sorry! I'm sorry!" Rory cried, agitated, relating Juniper from her grasp. "Can I get you anything? Tea?"

"No, Ror I'm- "

"Toast?"

"Ror-"

I could go down to the Great Hall and-"

"Ror!" Juniper said, with as much emphasis as she could muster, hacking out a dry laugh. "I'm okay, really."

"Remember me, sis?" James gave her a quick smile, the worry that had been etched in his brow for so many days beginning to lift.

"Hmmmm, "Juniper tapped her chin, pretending to be having a hard time with it, "I- oh no- who- who are you? I can't-"

James cut her off with a bone crushing embrace. "Worst twin sister ever," He mumbled into her shoulder.