just for me ? a Fred Weasley Fanfiction

41. prefect duties

"Hey." He said quietly, looking up from his lap. She just nodded in response, she had no idea how she was meant to react. Draco wasn't responsible for her grandmother's death, and for the horrible feeling at the bottom of her stomach, but that didn't mean she could look him in the eye, or look at him without wanting to throw up. Trying her best to avoid all awkwardness, she forced herself to look at him, avoiding his eyes.

"What happened?" She gestured to his messy, white-blond hair, and briefly wondered if they looked like twins, now that Narcissa had all the colour removed from her hair. "Did you forget to pack your hair-gel?"

"Ha ha." He mumbled sadly, sitting further back in his seat. Juniper felt a wave of guilt hit her, she hadn't even stopped to think about how traumatic it'd be to hear your father proudly admit to murdering the last of your girlfriends family.

"Sorry." She blurted out without thinking, a confused grimace spreading across her face, wondering why she was the first to apologise. Draco's eyes darted up, his mouth curving into an equally confused frown. 

"What do you have to be sorry for?" He asked. "I should be apologising to you."

"Don't, I'm fine now." Juniper lied, crossing her arms and turning to the group, before she got singled out in front of everyone for talking.
She completely zoned out for the entire hour that the meeting dragged on for, only taking in that she and Draco had to patrol the corridors of the train for the duration of the trip, because Draco was late, and that they'd get an in-school patrol roster later that night. Other than that, she had no idea what being a Prefect meant. She knew she could give out detentions, but she didn't know how or why.

"So where are you staying now?" Draco asked as they made their way down the train, glancing into the compartments. He stuck his hands in his pockets awkwardly, not knowing what else to talk about.

"It's a secret." Juniper shrugged the question off. "You only find out once you become an orphan."

"Right." Draco grimaced, banging on the window of a compartment of first-years, scaring them so much they screamed. "I'm sorry for what happened."

"Don't be, I'm fine now." Juniper repeated through gritted teeth. The last thing she wanted to think about on the train, and in front of Draco, was her dead grandmother. "Are we meant to change into our robes now? I wasn't actually listening..."

"I don't think you're fine." He ignored her question, stopping in the hallway, expecting her to stop for him. Except Juniper continued to walk, happy that she was by herself, until he caught up to her. "Jones, you can tell me if you're not."

"Why? What are you going to do to make me feel better?" She asked sarcastically, pretending like she didn't care about the topic. Up a bit further, she watched two identical heads of red hair run in and out of two carriages. Draco hadn't said anything in response, so she turned to him and cocked her head to the side. "Hm? What are you gong to do Draco?"

"I don't know Jones." He inhaled sharply, running a hand through his already messy hair as he thought. "Just be there for you? I don't know. I haven't had to do this with a friend before."

"I don't think we're friends exactly." Juniper scoffed.

"Probably not, but I don't have anyone else to talk to about this." Draco huffed. This was probably the most that he had talked about someone else's feelings. Ever. "Can we try and be friends?"

"I guess." Juniper shrugged, continuing down the corridor. "I'm not coming to your family dinner's though." She joked morbidly.

"And I won't come to yours." He joked back, testing the waters. Juniper had to hide her laugh.