𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐞𝐫 | b. black

✧.*┊x. losing her

CHAPTER TEN
losing her

.·:*¨༺ ☾ ༻¨*:·.

𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐆𝐎𝐎𝐃 𝐂𝐀𝐍 𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑. The school year had come to an end, which meant that whatever this thing was that Bellatrix and Juniper had would need to be broken off.

Bellatrix didn't sleep at all the last night in the castle. Juniper was wrapped in her arms as they laid curled up together, the younger girl's head on her chest as she slept peacefully. Bellatrix lightly threaded her fingers through her soft brunette locks, her gaze fixated on the ticking hands of her watch, which read 2:45.

In the morning at 11 P.M. sharp, the Hogwarts Express would be pulling out of Hogsmeade Station. Bellatrix wouldn't be able to give her a proper goodbye with her parents waiting to pick her and her sisters up on platform nine and three-quarters.

Granted, this wasn't a proper goodbye either, but at least this way, she wouldn't have to see the look on her face as she shattered her heart.

Bellatrix carefully removed herself from the grip Juniper had on her. She ran a hand through her raven locks as she looked at the sleeping girl next to her, allowing a single tear to fall down her cheek before pulling herself together. She lit her wand tip and wrote her a note, which she placed on the pillow next to her. She pressed one last kiss to her forehead before quietly exiting Juniper's dorm, the door clicking shut behind her.

It was only once she was alone that she allowed herself to fall apart. This was her punishment for letting her guard down and getting too close. Juniper was going to hate her for leaving like this, but Bellatrix hated herself even more knowing that she had hurt someone with a heart of pure gold.

When Juniper awoke in the morning, the first thing she noticed was the absence of the warmth of Bellatrix's body. She sat up, her hair falling over her shoulders. She spotted the note on her pillow, a sinking feeling falling over her.

With a shaky hand, she picked it up and began to read.

Dearest Pip,

I will be gone long before you wake to read this. It's for the best — disappearing under the cloak of night.

I want you to know that I meant every word I said. Every whisper, every touch. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you, as Mr. Darcy would say.

Maybe in another life you could've been mine, but we could never be together in this one. It's for your own good.

~ Bella

Juniper didn't even realize she was crying until a tear splattered onto the note. She gripped it tightly with both hands, considering ripping it to pieces before deciding against it. She folded it up and tucked it away, a strangled sob escaping her mouth.

Everyone had warned her that this would happen. She knew herself that it would happen, and yet she still let it. She had no one to blame here but herself.

Juniper didn't see Bellatrix at all as the students boarded the train. She sat down in a compartment with Andromeda, Narcissa, and Ted. They all sensed what had happened but didn't ask her about it knowing that she needed time to heal.

As the train pulled into Kings Cross Station, Andromeda wrapped Juniper in a comforting hug. The shorter girl tucked her head into the crook of her neck, her body trembling as she fought back more tears.

"I'll see you soon, Juni," Andromeda whispered, her heart aching for her friend.

"See you soon, Andy," Juniper replied, her voice barely audible.

"Stay strong, June," Ted said, rubbing her back when she hugged him. "I'll write to you, okay? You can get through this."

Juniper didn't say anything. She didn't know how she was supposed to move on with her life when her whole world felt like it was falling apart.

That's what happens when you decide to dance with the devil.

She took a moment to herself, taking a few deep breaths before grabbing her trunk and stepping off the train, forcing a bright smile as she approached her parents on the platform.