just for me ⚘ a Fred Weasley Fanfiction

4. the unstable shelf of paintballs

Weeks of friendly, and rather flirty, conversations between Juniper and Draco had passed, and they had warmed up to each other significantly. Draco had stood up against Pansy a few times, telling her to shut her mouth before he cursed it shut. Which prompted Crabbe, Goyle and Pansy to hang around the couple less and less, making it easier for Juniper to keep meals down. And Blaise had introduced her to Theodore Nott, a Slytherin who Juniper had seen around but hadn't bothered acquainting herself with. The four of them, being Juniper, Blaise, Theo and Matilda, slowly bonded in their classes together, slowly creating a small, but extremely exclusive friendship group. Something Juniper never thought she'd be apart of.

It was the third years first time visiting Hogsmeade, and Juniper was ditched by Draco and his group the second they arrived. Well, she knew where they had gone, but she wasn't really interested in stuffing her pockets with roach-lollipops and stealing whatever she could get her hands on from the lolly shop. Being on the brink of November, the weather was horrible. There were puddles all the way through the town, coating the bottom of Junipers trousers and shoes in a thick layer of mud. She tried to walk under shelter and around the puddles as best as she could, but it was so busy she couldn't avoid it. She barely managed to squeeze into a random store after she got drenched with a sudden burst of pouring rain. She closed the door behind her and started rubbing her hands together to warm back up.

"Bit wet outside?" George Weasley teased, as her hair was dripping, creating a tiny puddle at her feet. The entire Weasley gang and Hermione Granger were staring at her, cocky smirks plastered across their faces. Juniper scoffed in response and tried to work her way into the store, only making it a few steps before she was squashed by bodies. The shelves of the store were stocked with fortune sticks and nose-biting teacups, the front of the store had a blinking sign that read 'Zonko's Joke Shop'. She continued wiggling her way through, trying to get away from the group of Gryffindors before something cruel could slip out of her mouth. She came to a stop in front of a display of small, brightly coloured balls.

"It's busiest at this time." Junipers breathing stopped. "It's better to come back just before it closes." She screwed her nose up and turned to face Fred Weasley, resting her back on the shelves holding the balls.

"Okay? I don't remember asking." She folded her arms and stared straight up at him. The sight of him made her stomach churn with anger. The way that he towered over her and had a permanent grin on his face, made her madder than ever. She inhaled through her nose as she waited for whatever witty comment he'd respond with, and all she smelt was wild lavender. She hated that about him too.

"Oh, um." He struggled to think, surprised that she actually acknowledged his existence. "Just trying to help out the comedically-challenged."

"Are you saying that I'm not funny?" She challenged almost immediately, catching him off guard once again. After a second, he reacted.

"Yes." He flashed a smile and rested his hand on the shelf above her head. "You're not funny." She followed his arm with her eyes, rage filling her when she saw how close he was to her.

"Fuck y-." As she went to leave, a student shoved his way past, pushing Fred into Juniper. As he bumped into her, the display of colorful balls came crashing down, covering the two of them in bright coloured paints. Bright green paint coated Junipers hair, dripping down her hair and mixing with the bright pink and orange that covered her favourite jumper.

"I'm so sor-." Fred began to apologise, trying to wipe the electric blue paint out of his eyes. Every single pair of eyes in the store were glued to her and Fred, laughing at them. She looked to the door and saw Hermione Granger standing in front of it, her hand covering her mouth, trying to hide her laugh but failing completely.