Jennifer ran her hands anxiously over her the end of her dress, trying to smooth out non-existent wrinkles as she waited for Fred outside of the Hufflepuff dormitory. She wasn’t sure why she had worn it, other than the fact that it would please her mother to know that Jennifer had liked and used the gift. But this was one of the few instances where Jenny would have been alright with a little white lie. That had been her original plan after all. And yet here she was, standing in a somewhat chilly corridor in a light pink dress that felt far too short, despite the fact that it went to her knees.
The basket hanging off her arm was a little heavy and she thought of setting it on the ground as she waited. Opening up the lid a crack, she checked for roughly the eighth time that she had brought everything necessary. The date wasn’t anything special, just a nice lunch out by the lake. But it had still required more items than what should have been able to fit into the small container. It was times like this where she was very glad to have magic. All it had taken was a simple spell and she’d been able to fit everything securely within.
Acorde con la actividad de esta tarde/noche: Horror Movies at the garden: delacroix-g, mademoiselle-lefebvre, chiarapasarelli, its-frederik y Benjamin Levallois.
Roxy was numb. Everything around her was just a swirl of colors that she couldn't quite made out. Everytime someone touched her, the feeling went right through her. Noises were muffles and her stomach always seemed to reject food, despite there being a child growing inside of her. Questions were answered with mumbles and shrugs. Gazes were never met. Her mind was too occupied playing the same scene over and over and over, refusing to let it fade.
It was his screams that seemed the most memorable. They still echoed in her ears, days later, and made her want to scream in return. Nothing seemed to block them out. She tried everything from making loud noises to overpower it to holding her head under water until she felt like her lungs would burst to boxing her ears because maybe if they didn't work she wouldn't hear the horrid noise anymore.
If she could fall asleep, she'd have nightmares. Menacing eyes, broken eyes, regretful eyes. They would all stare at her as intensely as they had that day. And the curious eyes, the eyes full of false concern, would suffocate her like they seemed to so often. It's a good thing she hadn't slept since then. Staying awake seemed like the more bearable option.
Pomfrey tried to get her to think of the baby, to eat and to sleep for him. But even that wasn't enough. Everything around her lost its meaning. Friends, family, classmates. They were all just blurred faces. The only one that seemed to matter was dead, buried six feet under the ground.
Her parents came to the Headmaster's office late in the evening that day. Her mother was hysterical, crying about losing her eldest son and how her young, innocent daughter had to witness it. How she should've done more or been there to help, even thought everyone knew that was impossible. Her father was stoic, almost as if he was just as numb as Roxy. He couldn't believe that he not only lost his son, but his second Fred. The namesake for his brother who was also lost in battle.
And she told them everything from what happened that night to her pregnancy. It was about time they knew and it seemed like the best opportunity to tell them. They didn't seem to care as much as she thought they would--maybe it was grieve that calmed them--though they still demanded her be pulled out of school as soon as possible.
No time was wasted as she packed her trunk, finding the organization of her things as relaxing as anything could be at that point. She tried to think of happy things. Of his smile, of his laugh, of what would've been, but it only made her break into a fit of sobs all over again.
They were supposed to grow old together. He was supposed be there for Thomas's birth. He was supposed to make some cheesy, embarrassing toast at her wedding. He was supposed to call her late at night just because he missed her. And, one day, when they had grown without even noticing it, she was supposed to point out the laughter lines etched into his face and tease him about how he was getting old.
But none of that would happen now. He was only a rock in the ground with 'A beloved son, brother, and friend who was taken too soon' carved into it.
