As Lavender Brown's body lay amongst the ruins of what was once her home, she watched a family grieve the loss of one of their own, wondering why fate had so cruelly dealt them such cards. From a young age, all she wanted was to love and be loved in...
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»»» "THAT doesn't necessarily mean anything though, right?"
Fred glanced up at Lavender, he could already see the cogs working in her brain as she tried to make sense of it. He reached out, but she took a step back, shaking her head at him. His stomach twisted at the action, arm falling limply to his side. There were a million things he wished he could tell her, reassure her that there was nothing to worry about. Even if there were, he would always be there. He noticed how she stared at the far corner.
"It might just be a coincidence," he repeated in a low voice. He hated how much additional stress she now carried and loathed the fact that it was his doing. He ran his fingers through his hair and shut his eyes momentarily. This was just another problem that required a solution, one that he needed to come up with quickly because his ghoulie was losing it.
Fred opened his eyes and glanced back down at the book to read through the information. He skimmed the parts about a blood bond between Master and Apprentice. He flicked through the paragraphs detailing how the relationship was foiled between the most powerful Warlocks resulting in an immense duel. He breezed through until he reached a section about Mordred and read through at a slower pace.
"His eyes were a trait of the magic that he was experimenting with," Fred read aloud, casting a quick glance up to check that she was paying attention. "Apparently his eyes would shift when he used magic, but there are case stories of it remaining golden after he completed his training. It refers to some diary, but there's nothing else here," he continued, heart dropping as he skimmed through the rest of the chapter to ensure he wasn't missing anything. Aside from confirming that the eyes were some sort of side effect to Dark unknown magic, the information was useless.
He closed the book firmly and regarded her. Lavender was staring at the corner, mind clearly racing with a million different thoughts. He cautiously approached her, noting how she didn't retreat away again. His mind was blank with how he could possibly comfort her, cheer her up, bring a smile back to her face and it bothered him. More than anything, he wanted to unburden her mind, take some of the load away.
Since she had refused his offer to open up to him, there was little else he could do. And perhaps earlier he would have found it frustrating and describe her as stubborn (amongst other things), now his heart was heavy at the sight. He knew it was difficult for her to have the same mindset as he. He just wished it would be easier to help her.
Fred stopped a few centimeters away, her back propped up against the shelves. He hooked a finger under her chin and gently lifted her face so that she would be level with him. Slowly, at a pace that was almost painful, he watched as her eyes flickered to meet his. They were watery and filled with multiple questions. He ignored all that. Instead, he asked a silent question of his own.
Lavender responded by closing the gap between the two of them as she pressed her head against his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her instantly and held her as her body shook. He blinked a few times before placing his lips on the top of her head, inhaling the scent of her curls and exhaling shakily.
