Never Is Our Always

St. Mungo's With Arthur 5

(Minnie pov) (continued from last chapter)

I felt a hand shake my shoulder as I stirred from my nap in the chair, I open my eyes, fix my glasses and then smile tiredly at whoever woke me up.

"Alice, dear, are you all right?" I shake my head before sighing.

"I'm not feeling really well," I reply, "woke up and... felt bleh."

"Oh dear," she frowns, "maybe have a shower?" I nod my head. "Do you want me call Fred?"

"I think he should be left alone," I got up with a tremor in my movements, "I m'kay."

"Fred!" Mrs Weasley calls. I shake my head, trying to say "no, it's okay." But Fred was already down.

"Yes Mum?" Fred said cautiously. "Oh Merlins, Minnie!" I shake my head as I try and swat him away from me, but I was picked up and taken upstairs.

-

(Fred pov)

I was sitting on the floor in the bathroom as Minnie threw up again, "want water?"

"If something goes inside my body..." she gave a rattling gasp, "I think it'll come back out..."

"Babe, you should've stayed at Hogwarts," I sighed. She was kneeling over the toilet with only a towel on after her shower that I helped her with.

"It's not safe," she wheezed, "Dumbledore doesn't want me there... and I came for you and your family."

"As much as that makes me smile, you're very ill," I frown.

"My mark did it," she retches again.

"How?"

"Felt... like I was... being torn apart," I flush the toilet and then wiped her face with toilet paper.

"Does it hurt now?" Minnie slowly shakes her head. "Are you empty?" Her head nods.

"Don't sleep with me," she managed to say, "you shouldn't be in here."

"You're my girlfriend, this is my job?" I reply, Minnie always hated it when people saw her sick, it made her uncomfortable.

"I'll be in my room," she slowly gets off the ground and flushed the toilet again.

I watch as she went to the sink sluggishly as she turned the water on and washed her face, then started brushing her teeth.

As Minnie wiped her face again, she was leaving, but I stop her. "Not so fast," I got off the ground, then kissed her clammy forehead.

"Fred," she groans, I picked her up and turned the light off as I carried the poor soul to her room.

-

She was fast asleep after I changed her into new clothes, I shake my head at the woman in my bed, she came with us because of me... she did that for me and my family.

"I love you," I say, placing a bucket beside her bed, her arm moves and her fingers looped into my sleeve.

"I don't want to bother you," Minnie croaks, "but can you sleep in here with me? I know I-" I straight away got into bed with her, I was exhausted anyway.