The Protector

In Your Head

Fred studied me closely for a second. "He's not back, sweetheart. Not this soon."

"Yes, he is! I heard him, I did," I sobbed, and Fred just pulled me tighter.

"You've been through some very traumatic situations lately, love. It's understandable that you would think that, but you have to understand-"

"You don't believe me," I whispered, crawling backwards on the floor. The mugs I had dropped previously had shattered, and the porcelain was cutting into the palms of my hands. "Damn it," I said, pulling my knees up to my chest and examining the blood welling in my cupped hands. 

"You're hurting yourself," he said, picking me up. 

"Put me down, Fred," I said softly. He stopped.

"What?"

"I said, put me down. I'm not helpless, I can do it myself-"

"Let me help you, Jade," he said sternly. I stared at him with angry eyes. "You go through out your days on your own, you have friends, but you're only interested in what you can help them with. You don't want their assistance, you don't want their attention. Let me help you," he said. I was quiet as he carried me to the bathroom again. He sat me on the counter top and began to remove the shards of porcelain from my palms.

"Oi!" I cried, as he yanked one free. He stopped for a minute and looked at me, and I bit my lip. He continued pulling pieces of the mugs from my hands, and I continued to try and hide the pain. When he was finished, he put my hands under the faucet and ran cool water over them. 

"Better?" he asked, his face kinder now.

"Stings a little, but yeah," I replied. "Fred, I'm sorry, I just-"

"Don't apologize. You've been through a lot," he said. And with that, he pointed his wand at my hands, murmured something unintelligible, and I was left with only tiny silver scars. He picked me up again, carried me to the bed, and laid me down. "It's only three in the morning, dear. Why don't we get some rest?" he suggested, and I just kept quiet as he cuddled up next to me. I laid my head on his chest, and listened to his heartbeat as the warmth of his body heated my skin. Soon, his breathing slowed, and he wrapped his arm around me, wrapping me in a cocoon of safety. I threw my leg over his, and drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

When I awoke, he was sitting up. My head was in his lap, and he was stroking my hair gently as he yawned. I laid there for a moment, enjoying the serenity and peace it brought me. I sat up slowly, stretched a little, and straddled his lap. He laughed. 

"Well, that's a proper 'good morning'," he said happily. I leaned forward and kissed him. He pulled me closer, and ran his hands up and down my back. I smiled into the kiss, and he laughed. "How did you sleep, love?" he asked, still groggy.

"I slept relatively well, actually. How about you?"

"Never slept better," he replied. He looked at me for another long moment. I knew my hair was a mess. The shirt and pants he had loaned me were a bit too big, and the pants must have fallen off when I was asleep. The shirt fit me rather loosely, and it draped down almost to my knees. He ran his hands up my sides, and smiled at me. "You're beautiful in the morning," he said lightly. Still straddling his lap, I leaned forward and rested my head on his shoulder. He rubbed my back and hummed a soft tune, sometimes stopping to kiss my forehead. We sat there for a long while before Sirius and Lupin returned. A knock on the door jolted me, and I repositioned myself beside him. His arm went around my shoulders, and I placed a hand gently on his chest. 

"Come in," he granted, and Sirius and Lupin entered the room, both looking rather disheveled, joined by Ron and Luna. Sirius and Lupin slipped into the kitchen, as Luna smiled one of her dreamy smiles. Ron's face flushed a furious shade of red.