Trouble → Fred Weasley

Li| REALISATION

She paused, locking eyes with her cousin.

"I have dreams like that all the times, yours and mine, but I knew that someone was wrong with it," She added. "What you did...you saved Mr Weasley's life, you know? I was...am...a mess. Hell,I can't protect crap."

"Don't be stupid, of course you can," Harry argued.

"My entire purpose in this world is to keep people safe," Sapphire stopped herself from telling him anything she'd regret. "Don't worry about it. I can't sit here in self-pity when poor Mr Weasley is in the hospital."

Sapphire slowly sat up in bed, the morning light filtering through the curtains and casting soft shadows across the room. As she swung her legs over the side of the mattress, the sheets slid off her body, leaving her exposed to the cool air. Harry instinctively bolted upright, reaching out in an attempt to stop her from leaving.

"Wait, where are you going?" he asked, worry lacing his voice. 

But Sapphire, with a determined look in her eyes, simply brushed his hand aside with a gentle yet firm push, signalling that she was resolute in her decision to get out of bed.

"Saph, you aren't—"

"It'll go away, I'm not sleeping so lying here is pointless," Sapphire argued. "I need to see my dad and you need to sleep."

Come morning, everyone was up and getting ready quickly. Unlike the others, Sapphire didn't go to St. Mungo's. Mrs Weasley had insisted that she'd caught some kind of virus and Sapphire agreed with her for the point of ease. Besides, Sapphire was currently avoiding Fred and this gave her a chance to do so.

He hadn't done anything wrong but Sapphire felt this overwhelming sense of guilt that she couldn't shake. In the back of her mind, she knew there was nothing she could have done for Mr Weasley but she also knew that if Harry hadn't been the one to say something, she likely would have thought it to be another nightmare. Fred never would have forgiven her for that.

Besides, she needed him to focus on her dad and right now, she looked as though she should be in St. Mungo's herself.

Then there was the second problem...that came in the form of a raging Andromeda Tonks and Sirius Black. Sapphire had never seen the two of them argue but hell, she should have got popcorn.

"She's not staying here! Absolutely not! I never wanted her to do any of this in the first place, let alone spend Christmas here—"

"She's my daughter, Andy! And incase you forgot I'm stuck here!" 

"This place isn't good for her!" Andromeda threw her hands up. "Look at the dirt, the dust. Now, look at her, she'd not well! She needs to be at home where she can be looked after."

"I'm looking after her," Sirius growled.

"Doesn't look like it to me."

Sapphire sunk in her chair, shielding her face with Padfoot. The cat didn't mind this as he sat on her chest and placed his nose on Sapphire's chin in a form of affection. She wished she hadn't told Alex to go with the others now. 

"I'm right here," Sapphire grumbled to her cat. "They forgot, I think."

"Just because you're stuck here, it doesn't mean those kids are...I know you are their dad and I know you aren't trying to cause them harm," Andromeda began.

"Here comes a 'but'—"

"But she's only gotten worse since being here in the summer. She's not sleeping, her eating patterns are all over the place and now she's got a mysterious illness," Andromde claimed, crossing her arms.