just for me ⚘ a Fred Weasley Fanfiction

100. Bill and Fleur's

All of the air was knocked out of Juniper as she landed on her back. Her hands reached out to the side, hoping to feel anything but marble or concrete. Thankfully, she picked up handfuls of wet sand, and she let out as much of a laugh as she could manage. Basking in her freedom, it felt impossible to get up. The air was salty as she breathed in deeply through her nose, finally smelling something other than the mould and mildew of the Malfoy's cellar. The cold wind was biting at her, goosebumps crawling up her arms, a sensation she never knew she'd be relieved to feel. Slowly, she opened her eyes, looking out into the open for the first time in months. The sky was dark, making the stars shine even brighter, the moon glowing and casting a white reflection on the ocean in front of her. It was easy to mistake the crashing of the waves for blood rushing in her ears, but as her fingers sunk deeper into the sand beneath her, her eyes pricked with tears, her breath catching in her throat.

"DOBBY! DOBBY! HELP!" Harry screaming in a panic a few feet away, ripping Juniper out of her moment of peace. She bolted upright, sand flicking out from her hair, looking for where everyone had ended up. It was only Harry, who cradled a limp Dobby close to his chest. Juniper rushed over as best as she could, losing her balance and stumbling her way to them. She looked down at Dobby's wide eyes, which were focused entirely on Harry, who was begging through sobs. "Don't die, don't die, don't die."

"Harry... Potter..." Dobby whispered, his body falling still, his eyes losing their shine. Harry let out a guttural scream of pain, throwing a fistful of sand into the air, sobbing over the death of his friend. All Juniper could do was place a hand on his back, attempting to soothe him as best as she could.
After a minute or so, they were surrounded. Luna, Dean, Bill and Fleur, all standing around them, speechless, watching Harry as his cries fell to silence.

"W—where's Hermione?" He finally spoke again, looking around at the group as he kept a firm grip on Dobby.

"Ron took her inside." Bill said, taking a seat on the sand beside Harry. He looked over to Juniper, his eyes locking with hers, and a painful shock rippled through her body, making her jump back in pain.

"You came back." Fleur spoke quietly into Juniper's ear after sharing a worried look with Bill, cautiously helping her to her feet and guiding her towards the dimly lit house in the distance. Juniper hung loosely off her shoulders, determined to push her pain to the side. "I've been waiting for you. You have your own room, fresh sheets on the bed and everything."

"Someone else can take the room, I don't need it." Juniper muttered in response, glancing back over her shoulder at Harry.

"There's heaps of space, and I saved it specifically for you." Fleur replied, leaving no room for argument. "You can stay in there as long as you need. Come out whenever you're ready."

"I promise I'm fine." Juniper insisted as they stepped into the house, her eyes immediately landing on an unconscious Hermione on the couch, her face bloody and bruised. "Hermione needs the help more, look at her."

"You look far worse, Juniper." Fleur rushed her past Ron and Hermione and up the stairs, showing Juniper to a plainly decorated room, a knitted blanket draped across the bed. "Molly made that for you."

"Please don't-" Juniper winced, bracing herself at the mention of a Weasley. "I just... can't hear, or see, or even think of any of them without..."

"I'm sorry, I'll tell the others." Fleur sighed, sitting Juniper down on the edge of the bed and backing away towards the door slowly. "There's a protection on the house, so you're safe here. Take your time to... process, recover. No one will bother you. Come out whenever you're ready."

"I'm fine, Fleur. I'll be out of-."

"You're wearing Deatheater robes, Juniper. You are not fine." Fleur said, ending the conversation by leaving the room, shutting the door gently.