Juniper climbed the tree in the court yard that evening, bound to get to the bee hive up top. Draco yelled at her to get down but she paid him no mind, pushing her foot onto each branch as she spoke to herself slightly under her voice, "You're gonna kill yourself!"
"I would have killed myself forever ago if I was going to!" Juniper yelled back down, wobbling slightly on the tree branch, "Don't worry cousin, the wind will catch me if I fall."
"She's insane." Pansy commented as she stared up at her friend, watching her climb higher.
"She is not." Blaise argued with a eye roll.
"She is." Theo corrected him with a large smile up at the girl, "But she's brilliant."
Juniper huffed as her arm scratched across the branch, the faint metallic smell filling her nose. The Lestrange girl got higher, hearing the buzz of the bees as she nearer. Junipers loud and chilling laugh could be heard from below and she stopped before it, "Hello."
"Lunatic." Ron commented as he watched from the other side of the tree, a good look at Juniper who was speaking to the bees as if she knew them for years.
"Maybe a little bit." George said as he took a seat on the bench to stare up at the girl, "She's wicked cool though."
"Nothing cool about it, she's putting herself in danger." Hermione said with a worried expression, "Those aren't just bees! They're poisonous, one sting could kill you."
"Someone get her down from there!" Ginny yelled in fear after hearing Hermiones words, "They're StingBuzz's!"
The words made everyone around the court yard panic in fear. George went to go toward the tree but was cut short by Cedric Diggory dropping his notebook and hurrying toward the edge of the tree.
"Look, aren't they just pretty?" Juniper asked the bees as she showed them her new crystal she got in the lake this morning, "Fought off a Merperson for it, wanna see my scar?"
"Juniper! Juniper Lestrange! Can you hear me up there?" A new voice spoke as Juniper looked down to find Cedric Diggory, the same boy she met just a few hours ago standing under the tree to strain his neck up at her.
"Hello." Juniper greeted down to him, "How are your fingers?"
"Lovely, thank you." Cedric said as he held his hand up to show her, "Would you come down?"
"Oh no!" Juniper said with a crazy look, "The bees need me!"
"Why?" Draco yelled as Cedric shoved him back, making Juniper keep her focus on just him.
"They're lonely, cousin. They don't like it up here, too high up." Juniper spoke as she looked to the hive again. Cedric swallowed hard as he took notice of the few bees swarming around her wild curls, "You leave me alone!"
"They're Stingbuzz's, do you know how dangerous those are?" Cedric called up at her with a look of disbelief, wishing she'd just hurrying down before either falling to her death or being stung.
"Of course I do, what do you think so am? A idiot?" Juniper asked in disbelief down toward the Hufflepuff boy, "Do you think i'm a idiot!?"
"Of course not! You're very intelligent!" Cedric defended himself quickly with a small laugh.
"Oh please." Draco rolled his eyes at the Diggory boys words. Blaise shhed him with a smirk, wanting to see how this played out.
"Liar!" Juniper yelled down at him. Cedric sighed in disbelief as he pulled his tan jumper off and threw it onto the ground.
"Woah, what are you doing?" Harry asked in disbelief as he watched Cedric grabbed hold of the branch.
"Going after her, of course." Cedric said as if it was obvious, hoisting his leg into the branch and pulling himself up in no time. With a few grabs and grips, he made it up to the branch she was sitting on, "I don't think you're a idiot."
"I can take care of myself, boy." Juniper defended herself with a angered face toward him, "I couldn't leave them up here all alone, it's dark out."
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Cedric asked as he kept a good distance from the hive, looking out at the night sky, "The stars."
"I prefers sunrises." Juniper said as she looked out at the darkness, "Makes me picture people being set on fire and screaming in joy."
"Is that so?" Cedric asked hesitantly, "Why are they happy?"
"Think about it, Cedric Diggory." she said, recalling his name from earlier, "You're dying in such a beautiful and majestic way, fire is the strongest and most stunning element, why wouldn't they want to go that way?"
"Well, for one, it would hurt horribly." Cedric spoke as he moved to sit before her, a branch under her but better to face up at her, "All that burning, melting your skin to the bone, can't be too pleasurable."
"Well, of course not." Juniper nodded alongside his words as her wide, deer like eyes looked down at him slightly, "But sometimes you have to feel a little pain in the things you want most."
"Why are things you love supposed to be painful to achieve?" Cedric asked, trying to understand her way of thinking but was failing.
"That's just how it is, for me anyways." Juniper said as she looked to the hive, "Nothing ever is worth it unless there was a form of pain involved, it would be clique and too easy that way."
Cedric thought about her words, he could imagine she had gone through plenty of pain in her life from the stories he'd heard about the girl, "Your mind must be such a beautiful yet odd place to be."
"I quite enjoy it." Juniper said as she twisted her crystal in her hand, "What's yours like?"
"Simple, I think." Cedric said with a slight odd look, "Maybe a little too simple."
"How could something be too simple? It's your mind, just add something." Juniper spoke as Cedric grinned at her words, his teeth a shiny, white glow at her which made a small smile form on her lips as well.
"I sometimes thing I need too." Cedric spoke with a nod to her words, "I'm not too sure what I could just add in that doesn't feel simple and plain, I tend to go that way."
"Perhaps you need one of these." Juniper said as she held out the multi colored crystal, "Every time you turn it you'll be met with a different shape or color."
"Not simple at all." he said while taking it slowly from her hand, Junipers body twitched slightly as he did so, a soft and gentle smile on her face.
"Simple isn't always bad, sometimes it is, but look at these." Juniper said while pulling plain white and shiny crystals from her boot, "Very simple but my favorite."
"Why so?" Cedric commented as he stared at the small, shimmery crystals that didn't seem like her one bit.
"Makes me feel safe." Juniper said as she admired them, "My mind is different, but it doesn't always keep me safe or make me feel it."
Cedric listened to her words, understanding them in a way as she stuck the crystals back into her boots, "The assembly should start soon."
"Oh, goodbye StingBuzz's, until next time." Juniper said as she gave a smile to the bees, climbing down after Cedric as he kept looking back at her to make sure she was close by. Once he jumped down, the Hufflepuff reached his hand down to help her jump down. The ones in the Court Yard cheered when the two jumped down, cheering Cedric on for saving Juniper.
"What are they cheering for?" she questioned confused as she glared around at the people, "Stop clapping, all of you are snollygosters!"
The crowd stopped clapping and heading inside once the bell tower went off, indicating it was time for meals and the assembly.
"Until next time, Juniper Lestrange." Cedric said as he threw the crystal she gave him into the air slightly as he caught it into his hand once again with a half smile.
"Cedric Diggory." Juniper spoke with a small as she gave him a nod before joining her fellow friends, receiving scolded for two and praise from the other.
•
kylie speaks
the amount of
foreshadowing
and hints i stuck
into this chapter
is killing me!