just for me ⚘ a Fred Weasley Fanfiction

102. riding a lion (with flames)

Juniper hadn't sleep a wink that night. Instead she sat on the windowsill, hugging her knees close to her chest, her eyes fixed on Fred as he slept soundlessly on his chest. The moon shined in through the open window, casting a soft glow across his bare back, leaving her awestruck. The soft crash of the waves outside filled the silence between Fred's calm breathing, and Juniper felt completely at ease. The spot beside him looked unbelievably comfortable, like she'd never be able to climb out if she slid back in next to him.

"I can feel you watching me." He mumbled sleepily, his face turned away from her, still pressed into the pillow.

"Good." She whispered back with a smile, her head tilting to the side in admiration. She had missed this, missed him for so long that she didn't feel the slightest bit selfish for drinking in the sight of him. With a tired groan he rolled over, stretching his arms out to his side. He looked over to her, sharing her smile.

"What you doing over there?"

"Just as you said, watching you." She answered, raising her eyebrows teasingly. "Is there a problem with that?"

"No." Fred smirked, sitting up slightly to flirtatiously flex his muscles. He glanced over to the empty space next to him, a slight frown on his lips. "But why are you over there? I'm almost certain the bed is comfier than the windowsill. Plus I'm over here."

"I'm glad you haven't lost your humility." Juniper rolled her eyes jokingly, crawling in beside him. In an instant his arms wrapped around her, pulling her in close, biting his face in her hair that he had missed so much. "Can you talk? I've missed the sound of your voice."

"You know better than anyone that I can talk." Fred murmured, kissing the top of Junipers head gently. "What do you want me to talk about?"

"What happened while I was gone?"

"What happened while you were gone? Let me think..." Fred started trailing off before staying silent for a while. Juniper was about to lift her head to check if he fell back asleep before he answered. "Nothing happened. Time stood still. Everyday without you stretched on for years, but it also felt like you'd were taken yesterday. Does that make sense?"

"That's what it felt like for me too." Juniper nodded slightly. reluctantly thinking back to her time at Malfoy Manor. How Draco's arrivals and departures was the only way she knew what time of year it was, and the days mushed together into one, occasionally separated by a few hours of sleep. "There weren't any windows in the cellar, and there wasn't really a schedule that Bellatrix followed. Sometimes she'd leave me alone for a week or two, or only a few hours. I'm still not sure."

"Can I ask you what happened while you were gone?"Fred asked, his fingers playing with the ends of her hair as a reminder that they were there together, and she was no where near Bellatrix. "Or is it too soon?"

"I don't really remember much, I think I blocked it out." Juniper said, taking a deep breath to ground herself. "But it was torture. Literally. The Cruciatus and Imperius curses, Legilimancy, humiliation, neglect, weapons, you name it."

"I'll kill them." Fred said, sounding so sure of himself that it made Juniper let out a small laugh. "I'm serious. I'll find and kill every single Deatheater, starting with Bellatrix, and we'll get married on the pile of their dead bodies."

"You have big dreams, Weasley." Juniper smiled into him, relishing in the moment before she asked another question. "Why didn't anyone come for me?"

"I-."

"I know Ron and stuff got me out, but they didn't come for me." Juniper reiterated nervously, glad that she wasn't looking up at Fred's face. "We all just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time."