Chapter 63: The Cottage

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"Please!" you accepted gratefully, and she quietly made you one which you followed Fred upstairs with. After you'd drunk the warm liquid, you cuddled up with him in the spare bed in the attic and he held you tightly, continuously kissing your hair and forehead.

You didn't say much, but you were together and alive, and that was enough.

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The following week, you sat outside the cottage on one of the garden chairs, looking out at the sea as the waves crashed onto the sand while the evening sun sank lower in the sky. You took deep breaths, allowing yourself to absorb the fresh, salty air, finally feeling like you'd recovered from your ordeal. It had taken you days to recover from Bellatrix's continuous onslaught of the Cruciatus Curse on you, and you were glad of recovering fully, considering her history of torturing people to insanity like Neville Longbottom's parents. And while the healing salve had definitely improved the cut on your cheekbone, you knew that it would probably leave a scar.

You closed your eyes as the cool breeze brushed through your hair, and then you felt someone approach and kiss the top of your head gently. "Hey, Freddie," you greeted quietly and you opened your eyes to look up at your boyfriend, automatically taking his hand in yours.

"You alright, love? I can come back later if you want?" he asked hesitantly and you smiled and shook your head. He returned your smile, though it didn't reach his eyes, "take a walk with me? I brought you out your- well, my scarf."

You chuckled and stood up from the garden chair, and he wrapped the warm woollen scarf around your neck, carefully tucking it into your coat and reaching over to pull the ends of your hair out from under it.

You were glad you owned more than one coat after wrapping Dobby in your other one, you were unable to look at it the same way even after the bloodstains were removed. You were also extremely grateful that Hermione had managed to grab your bag as well as her own from Malfoy Manor, while George had snatched everyone's wands back from Draco, meaning you had your belongings with you for however long you needed to stay at the cottage for.

"Let's go," you said to Fred and he kissed your lips gently and then took your hand in his, helping you to climb down the sand banks.

When you got down to the flatter part of the beach, he tucked his hands into his coat pockets, your hand still in one of his and you walked close to him in comfortable silence as you strolled across the sand.

"You okay, love?" You asked him as you walked and he hesitated before letting out a sigh, and you could immediately tell that something was bothering him.

"I'm a bit cross with you, to be honest," he said and you stopped walking, pulling him to a stop with you.

"Why? What did I do?" you asked him, baffled.

He took his hands from his coat pockets and rubbed the one that wasn't entwined with yours down his face, not looking at you, "your lack of self-preservation is going to give me a heart attack one of these days, you know."

You stared at him incredulously, "Fred, what in the bloody hell are you on about?"

He lifted his gaze to meet yours, and his expression was serious, "I didn't say anything before while you were recovering, but you need to stop putting yourself in harm's way for other people's sake."

You said nothing, because you knew he was right, and he continued, "you're so bloody selfless, you know that? But I'm afraid it'll get you killed someday." He looked away from you, biting his lip nervously, and you could tell he was holding back a lot of emotion.

"It won't get me killed, Fred," you said evenly and he sighed in frustration, "you don't know that, Y/N. You can't possibly know that."

You were getting a bit irritated at his irritation, "so what would you have me do, Fred? Stay at home and wait until this whole thing is over? Stay behind when everyone else is out risking their necks!?"

Yours, Fred | f. weasley x readerWhere stories live. Discover now