Till Forever Falls Apart

Blossoming

Hello, loves! A few things before we get started:

1) This chapter has been a journey writing and editing... an absolute rollercoaster. I would say more, but... well, I'll let you see for yourself.

2) It's my birthday today, November 29th! I was so happy when I looked ahead on my schedule to see that I would be posting this specific chapter just because of the number of times I had to pause because of secondhand embarrassment, or I was too giggly to continue. Your guys' comments always keep me motivated to post new material and I always look forward to seeing what all of you have to say on my best and worst days <3 Every one of you never fail to make me smile or laugh when I go through comments!

That being said, I hope all of you enjoy this ride. Let's get on with it!

*Mentions of blood, puberty, suggestive material. You get the gist of it.

July 14, 1993

Over the next few weeks, things were strained at the Lupin-Black house. They had moved from the Godric Hollow home to their summer cottage, and while the vitality of the season was fully alive in the flowers, the gentle rustling waves of the pond, no one in the house knew what to do.

    They had tried for the first few days to forget anything had happened, making leisurely conversation, asking about weather conditions and thanking their lucky stars when Val's friends had come. This meant they didn't have to try to talk to each other and avoid what had happened-the child was too occupied trying to make things look normal to even contemplate the very fact things weren't.

    The day was too bright; that was for sure. The sun was brutal and overbearing, showing no mercy on the three children who were out playing by the lake. Harry and Neville were swimming in all different styles, splashing and diving to see who could create the biggest waves while Val sat by the drop-off with an umbrella overhead, reading a book.

    She couldn't shake the feeling inside of her lower abdomen. Her stomach turned uneasily, not similar to when she was nervous, but pulsating, as though she needed a heating pad and was experiencing the symptoms of an illness she couldn't self-diagnose. To her, it could only be because she had tip-toed around her father since that disastrous night.

    "Are you going to come in?" Harry shouted, flinging his hair around his head mercilessly while beads of water flew. "It's not that cold in here, I promise!"

    "I'm fine where I am!" She yelled, looking at him over her sunglasses. "I don't feel like getting in."

    "Suit yourself!" said Neville loudly, going back under the lake's surface and emerging on the other side of the body of water. Val could see he was a good swimmer, though a little awkward when using his arms and kicking.

    Today was a garden party, the group had decided. Lily and James were bringing salads and fruits of all assortments, while Marlene and Dorcas made custard sweets. Mary was in charge of drinks, which included Val's favorite homemade fruit punch. The only thing her fathers had to do was make sure they had a table long enough to fit all of them and layout dinnerware for the occasion.

    It would be a few hours before they arrived, and Val was not going to wait for them to get everything settled before she ate. A snack was what she decided she needed, putting her bookmark firmly in its place as she got up, resting the book on the cushion of her chair.

    "Did one of you spill juice on my chair earlier?" She walked barefoot through the grass, trying to catch their attention. They were too busy trying to see who could reach the other end of the lake first to hear her question. Giving up, she put on shorts over her swimwear and slid open the door.