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Chapter Twelve: You Don't Have To Pretend

The hours melted into one another and Juniper slept on, even after Madame Pomfrey had finished with her leg. When she finally did begin to stir, she had no idea what time or even day it was. Juniper moved her leg slightly, expecting to feel pain, but she didn't, so she peeled the thin pale green blanket back and saw that her leg was no longer broken, but still heavily bandaged. At first, she had no memory of what happened, and how she had gotten here, but images soon started to run through her mind, like one of those old Muggle movie reels. She soon remembered the Bludger coming at her, the pain she had felt when it struck her leg, being taken to the Hospital Wing, but after that was when she had blacked out.

"Good, you're awake." Madame Pomfrey came in carrying a jar. She set it down on the bedside table and flicked her wand, the bandages loosened and disappeared. Juniper turned white when she saw the rather nasty pink burn scar. "It was much worse before," the nurse said as she twisted the top off the jar and began to run a very thick orange paste over the scar. "It's healing up quite nicely, but as the burn was quite severe, the healing process is taking much longer than usual. I'm afraid you'll have to stay here over the weekend."

The paste created a very cool, soothing sensation. Madame Pomfrey flicked her wand again and new bandages were conjured and wrapped around her paste covered leg. "How long have I been asleep?" Juniper asked.

"Well, today is Friday, around three o'clock. So, you've been sleeping well over a day now," the nurse replied as she twisted the top back onto the jar. "Your friends have also been here to see you multiple times."

"My friends?" It was then that Juniper happened to glance at the other bedside table on the right side of the bed and noticed the presents. There was some candy, mostly Juniper's favorite, which were Sugar Quills. Madame Pomfrey opened another box to reveal a few small Strawberry Shortcakes. Juniper smiled lightly when she saw a large stuffed badger plush toy.

"The whole Hufflepuff Quidditch Team has been in here to see you, Miss Lamdar the most out of all of them. Even Miss Mariano has paid a few visits, but no one has been here more than Mr. Potter. Oh, speak of the devil."

James was standing in the doorway with a rather strange expression on his face that Juniper couldn't exactly put her finger on. The young Hufflepuff soon became aware of the fact that she was lying in bed wearing only a nightgown, a rather thin one at that. She guessed that she wasn't dressed in pajama bottoms because of her wound. Even though she didn't really have much of a chest to be proud of, her modesty kicked in and she lifted the nightgown up slightly, covering her poor excuse for a bosom.

"I'll let you stay for half an hour," Madame Pomfrey said firmly to James. "No longer than that. Remember, she needs her rest. Oh, before I go," she reached into her wand and produced Juniper's wand. "I kept it safe for you while you were asleep." She set it on the bedside table that was piled with gifts. "Thirty minutes," she reminded James.

He nodded and Juniper and he watched as she walked away. James reached over and lightly put his hand over Juniper's that wasn't clutching the blanket. "How are you feeling?"

"I suppose pretty good, considering I had my leg broken and burned by a Bludger. I still have no idea how I could have gotten a really bad burn, though."

"Kaylynn thinks that it may have been tampered with." He lightly began to stroke the back of her hand with his thumb, making Juniper blush.

"Does she have any idea who might have done it?"

"She has a few, but I think she probably wants to tell you, herself." He then grinned widely and reached over, plucking the stuffed badger from the table. "Do you like it?"

"It's so cute!" Juniper squealed as she took it in her arms, the blanket forgotten. "Is it from you?"

James nodded, a slight pink tinge upon his cheeks. "I figured it would be fitting, since you're in Hufflepuff. I ended up getting it from my Uncle George's shop last time we were in Diagon Alley after you had left with your family that day. It's actually enchanted to play music. Go on and give one of the stripes a tap with your wand."

Juniper did as James suggested and let out a cry of surprise when music started to play from it, a Number One Hit by one of Juniper's favorite bands, "The Hippogriffs". James told her to tap it again, she did and the music stopped, then to tap it a third time. When she did, she was shocked to learn that it played a different song.

"It's like one of those Muggle stuffed toys!"

James chuckled. "Except these don't run out of battery life and you're not limited to just a few songs. It's enchanted so it'll never run out of your favorite hits."

"Aww, so it's like a Wizarding Radio?"

"I guess you can say that, but without all the annoying commercials between songs."

Juniper laughed and turned the song off with one final tap of her wand and set the badger aside. When she looked back at James, he was staring down at the blanket where her bandaged leg was underneath. "So, does it hurt a lot?" he asked.

"Well, when it first happened, it did, but Madame Pomfrey is a miracle worker. I don't feel any pain right now. Besides, I'm more concerned with how it happened."

James gave a bemused smile. "So, I take it you wouldn't care if your entire leg had been missing?"

"Why should I care? Madame Pomfrey would have been able to reattach it, nerve endings and all. If not, then I'm sure I could have gotten me one of them nice prosthetics." She just hoped that James wouldn't see the real reason behind her making light of the situation.

Yet, his brown eyes narrowed, making her fidget uncomfortably. "You don't have to pretend that you're not scared."

"But I'm not," Juniper objected, yet if there was ever a time when she sounded very unconvincing, it was now.

"Would you stop lying and passing it off as nothing?" James snapped making Juniper blanch.

"Why would I be scared?" Juniper began to wring her hands nervously. "It was something that could have happened to anyone." However, something told her that the Bludger had been meant for her.

James ran his fingers through his unruly black hair in frustration and took a deep breath, as if trying not to lose his temper. He then reached over and gently tucked a lock of loose hair that had fallen into her face. "I'm just saying that you don't have to pretend with me. I'm not going to think any less of you just because you're afraid. Anyone in their right mind would be."

Juniper gave a dry laugh. "I guess I'm not in my right mind then."

James reached over and playfully poked her nose. "Sanity is overrated," he grinned impishly. Juniper smiled lightly and shoved his hand away.

"I hope it's a male student that did it." James' voice was tight with anger.

"Why?"

"Because then I'd make him wish he'd never been born. I can't do that to a female student. It's against my morals."

"James, don't do anything that would get you hurt and into a lot of trouble," Juniper chastised with a small frown.

"You're worth getting in trouble over. I'd risk expulsion over you."

Juniper almost laughed, but she could see how serious he was. Any other girl would be immensely flattered and want him to find the culprit and beat them towards an inch of their life, but Juniper knew that if he did and suffered any consequences, it would be all her fault as he would be doing this in order to protect her. She reached over and touched his hand. "Please promise me that you won't do anything reckless."

James gave a smirk. "I'm a Potter and a Gryffindor, it's kind of in my blood. If someone hurts any of my friends, you know I'll go after them."

"I'm serious, James, I'd never be able to forgive myself if anything happened to you."

James opened his mouth to say something when the two of them heard the sound of someone clearing their throat. Kaylynn and Eileen had appeared in the doorway of the Hospital Wing. The blonde Hufflepuff winced upon witnessing the exchange between James and Juniper and Eileen looked just a little uncomfortable. She was also holding a small package.

"Bloody hell, sorry, we'll leave." Kaylynn began backing away, but James shook his head.

"It's fine, I was about to leave, anyways."

Juniper frowned, wondering if she had said something to upset him, but relaxed when he smiled reassuringly at her. "I'll visit you after dinner," he promised. "Ladies." He acknowledged Kaylynn and Eileen before walking out of the Hospital Wing. Once he was gone, Kaylynn swooped down upon Juniper with her interrogations.

"Okay, be honest, were the two of you about to snog before we so rudely interrupted?"

"What? No!" Juniper blushed furiously. "We weren't even close to a little peck on the lips!"

"But you wanted to, didn't you? You wanted him to take you in his arms and-"

"Leave her alone," Eileen chastised in her usual thick accent, but the corners of her mouth twitched in a telltale sign of amusement.

Juniper folded her arms across her chest and pouted feeling like they were laughing at her. Kaylynn sat on the edge of the bed and plucked the box of tiny strawberry shortcakes from the bedside table. "Oh, don't get all huffy. Here, enjoy these yummy cakes I got you."

Juniper set them in her lap. "But how did you get them?"

"I happened to sneak down into the kitchens and ask the house-elves for some. You know how they are. They were more than happy to oblige."

The bedridden Hufflepuff plucked a strawberry from one of the small cakes. "You weren't caught?"

"Hell, no! You know the kitchens are practically a hop, skip and a jump away. Besides, I used my invisibility cloak."

"You're a right little rebel, aren't you?" Juniper asked, rather amused as she licked a bit of whipped cream off her fingers.

Kaylynn looked quite proud of herself before falling serious. "I think I may know who did this to you."

Eileen gave her a look, to which Kaylynn snapped, "You can't deny that it isn't suspicious!"

"Who do you think it is?" Juniper wanted to stop the building argument between the two girls before it even started.

"I, honestly, think it was Avery."

Juniper was silent for a moment. She looked up at Eileen to gauge her reaction, but only saw a grimace on her face. "Avery? Did she do anything that would give her away?"

"It's not so much of what she did, but what she said." Kaylynn cleared her throat and did an almost perfect imitation of the horrid Ravenclaw. "Too bad that Bludger didn't obliterate her face? The world would be so much better without her."

"That's not enough to go on," Eileen pointed out. "Just because she said something like that, it doesn't mean that she did it because it's not exactly a confession. That's like saying you wished that someone would die via the Killing Curse and then a few weeks later, that person was found dead. It doesn't automatically mean you killed that person. It was just a coincidence."

"So what are you saying?" Kaylynn demanded. "Besides, Juniper and I have known Avery longer than you have. You've only exchanged a small handful of words with her."

Eileen narrowed her eyes. "You don't have to tell me what I already know. I'm just saying that you should have solid evidence before you start accusing people."

Kaylynn opened her mouth and Juniper knew that she'd better stop them before her best friend was really provoked. "Hey, what's in the box?" she asked, her hazel eyes on the small package that Eileen was holding.

The dark haired Hufflepuff's expression softened slightly. "It's just a little something I thought might help you." She held the package out to Juniper, who took it and began to unwrap it.

Inside was a silver chain with a light green pendant at the end of it shaped like a teardrop. At first, it looked like an emerald, but then Juniper remembered that emeralds were a much darker green. "What is this?"

"It's a protective pendant. My grandmother is into protective charms and all that sort of stuff, so she's always sending me things like this. It's supposed to keep you safe from just about any sort of harm or misfortune."

Juniper frowned. "I don't recognize this stone."

"It's called a Peridot."

"Were you raised believing this sort of thing?" Juniper asked a little skeptically as she ran her finger across the gemstone.

"My grandmother believed it. I never really wore them, so that's probably why all that stuff happened at my old school." She shook her head when Juniper and Kaylynn looked at her curiously. "Nevermind, but who knows? Maybe it'll help."

Juniper couldn't deny that she was skeptical. After all, she felt that the only way a piece of jewelry would bring her protection was if it had an enchantment placed upon it.

"It's really pretty," Kaylynn said, leaning in closer to get a better look at the pendant. "But I don't think Avery...sorry, whoever did this to her is going to be afraid of some necklace, unless you shoved it down their throat and made them choke on it."

"Which is totally something you would do," Juniper muttered as she draped the pendant over her neck and tucked it into her nightgown where the chain rested against her skin.

"Damn straight I would!" Kaylynn must have been very loud, for, at that moment, Madame Pomfrey walked in.

"What's all this carrying on? Miss Clayton, you need your rest!" She rounded on the two other Hufflepuff girls. "The two of you, out! You may visit her again after she's had a nap!"

"But I'm not tired," Juniper protested. As she said that, her body betrayed her by letting out a very loud yawn.

"It's okay, Junie, we'll see you later." Kaylynn leaned in and hugged her best friend and Eileen offered a small smile.

"Thanks for the pendant," Juniper said appreciatively.

Eileen looked rather embarrassed, but nodded just the same before leaving with Kaylynn. Madame Pomfrey gave her stern instructions to get some sleep and, despite her efforts, fatigue won the battle and she found herself unable to stay awake anymore.