just for me ⚘ a Fred Weasley Fanfiction

68. Fleur Delacour

Juniper's only 'friend' at the Burrow, Arthur Weasley, was at the Ministry for 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. Molly rarely spoke to her, as expected, but was surprisingly civil. Ginny kept to herself, constantly sending and receiving owls from boys. And Ron straight up didn't like Juniper, which she already knew. So despite being in a full house with regular visitors and constant ministry surveillance, Juniper spent most of her days alone.

While it was light outside, she laid in the grass, soaking up the summer sun, until her skin darkened a few shades, and swatting away garden gnomes. She counted all of the steps in the house, as she usually did when she was bored, she sneaked some of Mrs. Weasley's yarn to knit a sweater, and she finished her holidays worth of homework, plus her extra reading.
And at night she curled up in the red covers of Fred's childhood bed, much happier with his own natural lavender scent they had retained. It didn't help with the sleeping, though. She continued to wake up every few minutes, thrashing and heaving as though she was being drowned. No one ever mentioned that they could hear her, so she thought it would be fine. It's not like she was sharing a room or a bed with anyone.

Members of the Order came to visit,  acknowledging Juniper's presence, to her surprise. She grew to like Tonks, who occasionally used her metamorphmagus-ness to change her hair to match Juniper's bright pink, but only on the days when she wasn't upset. Remus visited too, always staying a bit longer than he should, not that Molly would ever complain about it.
Fred visited as often as he could, once every two days or so, always with flowers or snacks for her, trying desperately to win their bet. He also brought back some of his old bedroom decor, mostly quidditch posters and CD's of wizard bands Juniper had never heard of. He promised a few times to take her to the shop, or at least bring her back a few things, but Molly had denied it each time. Insisting that it was too dangerous for Juniper to go to Diagon Alley, and that the twins products were banned in her household, as they were too disruptive.

So the most disruptive thing that entered the Burrow, was Fleur Delacour.
The sight of Fleur was enough to make Juniper stumble down the last few steps of the stairs, as she ran down to find some breakfast. Plus Bill Weasley standing beside her, his long, red hair pulled into a gracious ponytail. It was enough to make Juniper forget that she was angry about living in the Burrow.

"Ah! Another Veela!" Fleur chirped when she saw Juniper trip over her feet. Her French accent was still thick, making it hard for Juniper to fully comprehend what was being said.

"Uh... Of course, hi?" Juniper stammered, completely awe-stricken by Fleur's beauty from up-close. She couldn't believe that another part-Veela could turn her into a blubbering mess, but here she was, unable to tear her eyes away.

"Bill and Fleur will be keeping us all company for a bit," Molly said with a forced cheerfulness, though her irritation was clear. "Juniper and Fleur, you two will have to bunk up in Fred and George's room. And please, share the bathroom mirror with the rest of us. Otherwise, it'll be chaos."

"I've never been one to rely on a mirror, I'm quite confident in the way I look." Fleur replied with a hint of amusement, though her patience was wearing thin. Juniper let out a suppressed giggle, quickly quieting down as Mrs. Weasley shot her a fiery glare, cheeks burning red.

"Bill, could you please show Fleur to the twins' room?" Molly asked sharply, shooting Juniper another warning look. "And keep it strictly platonic, okay?"

"Of course, Mum." Bill gave his mum a kiss on the cheek, before whisking Fleur up the stairs, passing Ginny as she came down.

"Eugh, Fleur?" Ginny turned her nose up as she walked into the kitchen. She grabbed two biscuits off a plate, handing one to Juniper. "Does your kind just multiply or something?"