Roses and Riots | f. weasley

Chapter 58: Just Us

A/N: I really love this chapter, it made me really happy. Just a head's up: there's mature sexual content in this chapter, and later a discussion of pregnancy - NOT EMILIA don't panic lol. Enjoy! Xx

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"Avada Kedavra!"

A flash of green light. A falling body.

Emilia woke with a gasp, bolting upright in the bed, her chest tightening, and her breaths were coming too quick.

She closed her eyes, seeing nothing but green flashes and that sound, the sound of a body hitting the floor. She saw the fire, felt the burning in her chest as her bedroom collapsed into flames, and she couldn't breathe.

She couldn't breathe.

"Emilia, hey, you're okay. You're alright, love."

She felt hands cupping her face and then a strong arm wrapped around her back and pulled her into a warm chest. Fred pressed kisses to her hair and rubbed her back, whispering reassuring words to her, grounding her.

He always knew what to do, and her nightmares had come back worse than ever in the two weeks since Dumbledore's death.

Once her breathing had evened out, Fred lay back down and gently pulled her down with him, not letting her away from him for a second.

She curled up against him in the bed, her cheeks flushed with shame.

"Sorry for waking you," she whispered against Fred's bare chest.

Fred pulled back to look at her, tracing the back of his fingers lightly over her cheek.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, love. You know that."

She nodded, and he leaned in to kiss her meaningfully on the lips.

"Same nightmare as before?"

She sighed, "yeah, it's always the same. Godric's Hollow, Astronomy Tower, they just blend together. And every time I'm just reminded of how helpless I was."

Fred turned over on his side and ran his fingers through her hairline, and then thumbed a tear away from her cheek, "the sooner you stop feeling guilty for not being able to save everyone, the sooner you'll feel better."

"Stop that, Fred."

"Stop what?"

"Stop being right all the time," she muttered and he smiled and kissed her forehead.

"I'll forever remember you said those words, no takesey-backseys."

She smiled and closed her eyes, snuggling back up against his chest.

"Tell me something good," she whispered and she felt him smile against the top of her head.

"Remus and Tonks are getting married this week, which means you'll see Harry for the day. Mum's apple trees in the orchard are growing nicely, so we'll have loads of homemade apple tart in a few weeks. Oh, and you have a very handsome and funny boyfriend who loves you very much."

Emilia felt herself smiling properly, her eyes still closed as she felt that familiar peace settling over her once again. Fred had a way of grounding her, he brought her back to herself when she felt like she couldn't feel the earth beneath her feet.

"I love you," she whispered, pressing a kiss to his jaw.

"And I love you," he answered, kissing her forehead, and Emilia fell asleep without any more nightmares.

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Not wanting to waste any more time in the wake of such a devastating loss as Dumbledore's, which showed that no one was invincible in these dark times, Remus and Tonks had decided to get married that July, in a small ceremony in the following fortnight. Only Tonks' parents, Emilia and Harry were present as witnesses, and it was a simple but beautiful day and Emilia couldn't fight the tears of joy that filled her eyes as she watched Remus finally accepting the happiness he deserved, after spending the last few months worrying that he wasn't enough for Tonks.