TW: Blood and details of wounds// knives
The rest of last night was kind of a blur, my emotions were clouding my brain. I had to have fallen asleep beside Fred in the hallway because the next thing I knew, he was tucking me in and shutting off the light. He whispered "Goodnight y/n, you have no idea how much I've needed you." and shut the door. I laid there for a while, comprehending the past few hours, spiralling about what this would mean when Voldemort came around.
"Y/n!" I snap out of my daydream in an instant, being met by several pairs of curious eyes.
"Oh, um yeah," I respond quickly, waving off my complete unawareness of the conversation.
"You're going on the Herbology trip later?" Harry asks. If I'm being honest I didn't end up sending the permission slip to anyone to be signed because technically, the Parkinson's are still my guardians even if they're shit at it. I've gotten pretty damn good at forging their signatures though.
"Yeah. What time are we leaving?" I ask, tucking a loose strand of my hair behind my ear as I think.
"I believe 1 o'clock right after lunch. We have to meet up with Professor Sprout and have our partners picked out by the time we get there." I didn't read through the permission slip much, moreso scanning it over and assuming everyone else would be attending. And in nowhere did I acknowledge the need for a partner.
"Why do we have to have partners?"
"Probably because they don't want another incident like that git last year, he got absorbed halfway into a tree before anyone saw him. Horrifying to hear if you ask me." Ron states with a disturbed look.
"That and because we'll be going off on our own for a bit to find something to research on. The partner you pick will be the one that you'll do the project with." Hermione adds on, taking a bite of her pastry.
———
"...Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood." Professor Spout calls over the crowd of around a hundred students who signed up for this years' Herbology course. Two hands shoot up and they both respond with subtle 'here's.
"Alrighty, that is everyone." The plump woman tosses her quill and parchment into the air, vanishing within seconds. "Okay, as a recap since I'm assuming most of you didn't thoroughly read through the sheet-" She eyes the large group, one squinted in suspicion. "We will be hiking up the side of Surling Mountain and exploring what nature has to offer us, more specifically magical elements that you can find. You and your partner will always be together and you will have to find a plant or flower to research and write an essay on. Does everyone understand?" We all nod in unison at the woman who wears a crooked hat and grasps a short wooden walking stick, after all, she is at least a foot and a half below me.
My gaze instantly, but nonchalantly, shifts over to Fred who towers over the crowd beside George. He looks forward, not noticing my eyes on him, but when he does, the sides of his mouth curl into a gleaming grin that I always picture in my mind to make me feel better. I send him a look that asks 'partners?' without actually saying it aloud. He nods his head as the pack begins moving and everyone moves to their decided partners.
I am completely startled when he appears beside me, his look displaying his cheerfulness that I haven't seen myself in a while. "So, what were you thinking partner?" He asks, draping his arm around my shoulders.
"I don't know. Maybe some sort of flower, Neville has been telling me about some that he read out of the book I got him for Christmas. One of them was a rose that only comes alive and blooms at night and people have said that it glows so bright that you can see it from thirty yards alway. " I reply the feeling of his arm around me causing butterflies to churn in my stomach.
"Sounds fun, where might we find this nocturnal rose?"
"It's supposed to be hidden during the day so usually somewhere with shadows, shade you know, places deprived of light. They're difficult to spot though, don't like to be found often."
"Ohhh, I like a good mystery." He smirks, the curiosity in his eyes never fading. This kept me intrigued for a while as I tried to think of why he would be so excited to search for a flower, doesn't seem like an activity Fred would enjoy if I'm being honest.
Doesn't seem like something I would enjoy either. Maybe I'm developing a new hobby or maybe it's because I just had a hippogriff send me a message from my deceased biological parents in the great beyond and I need something normal. Yeah, one of those two.
After two hours of walking, the sun beating down on us, two water bottles and an ankle blister later, we make it to our destination. As the time went on the sun began to disappear, leaving a gloomy dark grey sky vacant with only fluffy dark clouds to hover above us.
"This is where we will break off, keep close beside your partners, remember the list of things not to come in contact with, and when the time hits 4 o'clock be ready to shoot a green flare into the sky." The Professor announces, starting down a murky pathway dusted by calf-high fog.
Characters never did well in foggy places in movies. They always ended up tripping on something they couldn't see and being taken prisoner or the simple route- dead. Which is what most likely stirred the eerie feeling in my stomach as Fred and I walked off the opposite way. It offers you the fear of the unknown, something I don't like thinking about these days.
I glance back, noticing George and Maddie starting down the middle pathway, his hand on the small of her back in preparation to catch her in case she did make the mistake of tripping on something. I return my gaze forward, receiving a concerned look from Fred. Apparently, I had been frowning and dropped my crossed arms as soon as I noticed them.
"Are you alright darling? You seem on edge." Fred asks, his arm still resting on my shoulders as his fingers rubbed me in a comforting circular motion.
"Yeah, it's just kind of creepy up here." I nervously laugh off.
"You'll be safe with me love, as you can see, I've been working out." He mentions smugly, flexing his right arm playfully. I giggle at that, being flashed with a smile of accomplishment from him as we continue walking.
Everyone else decided on taking a different road to their desired plant, leaving Fred and I alone on our path. It was nice having some time alone with him well, now that I'm not crying. I've gotten quite good at keeping in my emotions due to the past, but even in the toughest situations, I try to keep it all in. I don't like looking weak in front of people I don't know well. It feels like I'm giving them the upper hand over me.
My eyes set on a marvellously cloaked tree when we turn the corner, being masked by the seemingly never-ending wall of stone that sits behind it. My eyebrows scrunch at the oddly planted tree but am released from the subject when I spot a glowing red rose.
I tap Fred's arm excitedly not taking my eyes off of the large tree. "Look!" I point towards the tall extended branch where the flower sits, gracefully laying low in the shadows.
"Why is it on a tree?" He questions as I take his hand and begin jogging towards it. I soon realize that it is an odd placement for a rose, but who knows how it got there. The good thing is that we found it.
"Okay, we've found it now how to we suppose we get it? Climb the tree?" He asks, tapping his chin with his index finger.
"Yeah, I just need a boost up and I'll be good." I respond.
"Are you sure? It seems pretty bloody high up there." He states skeptically.
"Eh, I've gotten pretty good at climbing trees. I'll be fine." He hoists me up onto the lowest branch that is coincidentally six feet up. I take a deep breath before glancing back down to the boy who stands with his hands on his hips, watching as I make my way up through the canopy of branches.
I continue climbing, the palms of my hands being scraped more and more each time I grab a hold onto a new branch. The bark is rough and pretty cold considering it being covered by the wall from the wind.
I lock onto the illuminating rose, the pedals so effortlessly looking graceful. I reach the desired branch, straddling it as I tried to desperately to pull the flower from its roots imbedded in the tree. I let out a sharp sigh of exasperation as I let go, now noticing my bleeding hands. Let me just say- instant regret. "Shit." I mutter, the punctures in my skin oozing blood from its surface that trails down my forearms.
"What happened?" Fred calls at least thirty feet down.
"I cut myself on the thorns, I'm fine though." I quickly add, looking around for something to pat my hands on. I come to the conclusion that nothing could assist me so I resort to using the bottom of my sweater. Sharp pings of pain shoot through my hands as I pat away the streams of metallic liquid, leaving my palms and fingers with bright red dots.
I try to pull the rose again, this time avoiding the dripping thorns, but end up unsuccessful. The throbbing doesn't help, neither does my strength, I somehow can't get a hold on it.
"Hey Freddie! I can't get the rose out. It's like- stuck." I inform him, being followed by him telling me to catch something, which I did a moment later. The item is steel and wood, engraved 'FW' on the very bottom right side.
I flip it open, a sharp slicing sound being created as the shiny, sharp blade makes itself noticeable. "Where'd you get this?" I ask, admiring it.
"George and I made them the summer before first year."
"We have very different ideas of childhood summer activities." I giggle, pressing the piercing edge against the green stem and begin to saw. It takes me a few seconds to get a good feel on it, mostly because any pressure on my hands caused sharp pings of pain to travel up my arms. I'm pretty sure the thorns were coated in natural defensive poison because when I look down, I realize the area around the marks had begun to form purple streaks, almost like veins, but they looked to be glowing just like the flower is.
A bang echoes from the other side of the stone wall across from us as I hear footsteps nearing from where we had come from. "Fred! Get down!" I whisper quickly, causing an immediate reaction for him to conceal himself behind a large bush beside him. I bring my dangling legs up to lay on top of the branch, lowering my head to get a better look.
A boy in black pants and shoes walks from where we just were a few minutes ago, meeting another larger pair several feet ahead. The hidden stone door shuts with a slam, revealing Lucius Malfoy who analyzes the area around him before walking towards the other figure. "Draco! What are you doing boy? You can't be obvious like this!" He scolds, Draco's pale face becoming clearer through the brown shriveled up leaves.
"No one saw me father. I made sure of it. My partner is off somewhere looking for an idiotic flower." He responds in a tone lower and more solemn than his usual one. There isn't a smile on his face, seems like there isn't any emotion in him at all.
"Where is the girl. The lord wants to know. Have you kept a lookout on her like he ordered?" His father asks, looking down at him like he's a disappointment.
"Yes, she's here. I don't know where exactly though, we went our separate ways and I couldn't keep my eye on her. Then I came straight here."
A twig snaps below my foot, I wince as my body freezes, unable to move. I glance down to Fred who's eyes are already on me. I gulp, Lucius's attention shooting to the large tree that I sit in.
"We cannot speak here." He states lowly, scanning the area Fred and I are hidden in. The older man places his hand on his son's shoulder, leading him away from the stone wall.
The thudding of their shoes is soon replaced by the faint whistle of the wind. After a moment, I slide down the trunk of the tree, definitely not my brightest idea considering that my hands are torn up, but the adrenaline is pounding through me, causing me to not acknowledge the pain.
Fred's eyes land on my expression, instantly enveloping me in his arms as I take in his comforting warmth.
After a few moments, I take a deep breath and let out a sigh, concluding that I have calmed down. Fred checks that it's 4 o'clock and I hesitantly send a green spark through the air. On the way back, we keep mostly silent, taking in the odd conversation that was so obviously about me. Maybe it didn't occur to Fred who they were speaking so secretively about, but I seemed to catch on fast.
Voldemort is tracking my every move.
A/N:
Hey babes! Sorry for the filler story I'm tryna get my shit together rn tbh. Buttt I am planning a spicy scene in the next chapter to make up for it ;)
Lmk what you guys want more of! I love to hear ur suggestions :))