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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»»» LAVENDER jolted, hand outreached, aimlessly searching for something to ground her.She spluttered, her chest heaving as she struggled to open her eyes. Her brain was still trying to orient herself, the sensation of being trapped in a never ending free fall haunting each cell that dared to wake up.
"I'm here Lavender; you're safe," came Fred's steady voice. With his hands on her shoulders, he gave a gentle squeeze. Arms splaying wildly, it took Lavender a few moments to calm down. Sweat travelled down her face, mixed with hot tears that she couldn't recall shedding.
"F-Fred," she said in a raspy voice as her hand grabbed onto his forearm. She met his gaze and something snapped within her; Merlin's cold touch echoed on her skin. "He's coming, he's coming for me. We're not safe, he's coming," she rambled out, eyes wild, causing his heart to lurch, especially at the way her voice cracked at the end. He narrowed his eyes. Taking one of her hands, he shifted it closer to his inner wrist.
"He knows everything," she added, repeating the same phrase over again. Fred gritted his teeth as he pressed her finger against his skin, resisting the urge to shiver at how cold she was.
"Can you feel that? I'm right here Lav," he said in a controlled tone. He wrapped his free arm around her and when she struggled in his grip, he placed a leg over hers, anchoring her to the ground. He kept repeating the phrase in every moment of silence she spared. Lavender continued fidgeting, energy slowly depleting, until eventually, she slumped back into his arms.
Lavender blinked into the daylight, her chest heaving. Her curls had long since matted against her face and she became acutely aware of a pair of lips on her forehead. The action alone convinced her that she was no longer in the dream and away from any prominent danger. All the same, she focused on the strong pulse that demanded her attention.
"That's it," Fred encouraged as she increased the pressure of her touch. The steady beat, which had never once faltered, made it easy to calm her erratic mind, and it was not long before she was breathing in time to him.
Lavender stared out at the field, her expression guarded. Unlike the last time she woke up in his arms, she had no intention of moving. Instead, she tilted her head back, so that it was resting against his chest and let out a shaky exhale.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Fred asked in a low voice. Lavender paused, the memory of the dream replaying in her head like a broken record. She nodded, her free hand joining with his.
"I saw him. He spoke with me, pretty much confirmed that he's looking for a way back into the land of the living," she started, surprised at how toneless she sounded. Whilst she felt more physically rested, mentally she was drained. She hadn't yet decided how much she was going to confess, following her instinct to share rather than overthink it.
She felt him stiffen underneath her and pressed her lips together tightly. "Did he give any indication as to how?" Fred questioned. Lavender didn't reply, choosing to pull his arms around her more tightly instead. She was far too emotionally exhausted to listen to the rational side of her brain. She knew exactly what would happen. A painful reminder would follow, highlighting how unfair the situation and her actions were. But she was tired of being rational.
