"Juni," a soft voice whispered, seemingly from her dreams. "Juni, it's time to get up!"
Groaning and rolling onto her back, Juni rubbed her eyes with her hands before opening them to stare at the ceiling of her bed's curtains. Turning her head to the side, she found Rue watching her, her grey eyes already bright and alert.
"No," Juni sighed as she rested the back of her arm over her eyes, shutting them again. Rue laughed softly as she sat up in the bed and stretched upwards.
"Come on, come on!" she playfully pushed Juni to move her closer to the edge of the bed. "Breakfast is almost over already. Look, the sun's already shining!" Leaning over Juni, Rue pulled the curtain open, letting the sunlight pour onto the bed and onto Juni's face. Groaning again, Juni pulled the blanket over her face to shield it from the new light.
"Juniper White, don't make me shove you onto the floor," Rue threatened, and Juni honestly couldn't tell if she was joking or not. Peeking at her from under the blankets, Juni narrowed her eyes at the other girl.
"You wouldn't."
"I would too!" Rue made a motion as though she were prepping to shove her as Juni hopped straight out of the bed, not wanting to land on the cold stone with more than her feet. "There you go!" Rue laughed, swinging her legs over the bed after her.
The two dressed quickly into their school uniforms, and Juni absentmindedly braided her hair, tying it quickly with a thin, black ribbon. Sighing softly as Rue admired the braid, she shook her head as she opted for a high ponytail instead.
"One day you have to teach me your ways," she insisted. Juni looked at her, confused for a moment before realizing what she was referring to and laughing softly.
"'My ways?' It really isn't that hard, Rue."
"Says you," she countered defensively.
"Sometime this week, then," Juni nodded once, as though that signified it being official. "I'll teach you until you can do it perfectly."
"Hey," Rue pointed a finger at Juni seriously. "I'm going to hold you to that!" Juni shook her head and smiled at her friend before offering her arm to the girl.
"Shall we?"
The Great Hall was noisy as the girls found their way to an empty stretch of the Slytherin table and sat down.
"I mean," Rue continued the conversation they were having on the way to the hall quietly as she filled her plate and poured a glass of juice. "Who could you even have gotten to hate you so much so quickly if it wasn't Riddle?" Juni held back a groan of frustration at Rue's insistence that Riddle had something to do with her attack. Instead her eyes darted up and down the table, searching for his face. After a few moments, she spotted him, at the far end of the table.
As per the standard, Tom Riddle sat surrounded by a small pack of 5th-7th year boys who all seemed as obsessed with Riddle as he was himself. Juni felt herself get irritated all over again at his audacity from last night- stealing her antidote and sticking his nose in her business. He said he was looking for Professor Dumbledore, but she was sure he knew she was supposed to be there last night. He just wanted to find new ways to make her life a living hell, and she knew it.
"June?" Rue asked, leaning forwards in front of Juniper's vision, blocking Tom from her line of sight and waving a hand in front of her face. "Hey! You're making a mess!" Flinching slightly, Juni realized that she wasn't, in fact, scooping eggs onto her plate like she thought.
"Oh," glancing around, she found a stack of napkins and began piling her table-eggs onto them instead, her face flushing lightly.
"What were you looking at, anyways?" Rue asked, turning her head to follow where Juni's vision had led to. Screwing her face up slightly, she looked back at Juni. "Black?"
"What?" Juni looked up from successfully piling eggs onto her plate and looked back at where Tom had been. Only Tom had disappeared, and a 5th year named Orion Black had taken his place. "Oh, no, I wasn't-"
"Why were you death glaring a fifth year?" Rue laughed as she looked back at Juni. "Or were you considering him a suspect?" Suddenly going serious again, she looked back down the table at Orion, squinting her eyes suspiciously.
"Stop it," Juni elbowed her as she took a few pieces of sausage. "I wasn't looking at anyone, I was just spacing out trying to figure out who it could've been, is all. I just happened to space out looking in that direction."
"Mmmmhm," Rue raised her eyebrows at the other girl, taking a bite of toast. "I think we have our new suspect number 1. Incredibly suspicious, that one is." Juniper slowed as she glanced back at Orion and then at Rue.
"I… I can't actually tell if you're joking or not." Rue held her gaze seriously for a few moments before cracking a smile and dissolving into giggles. Holding her hand in front of her mouth, Rue shook her head.
"Him? Absolutely not. From what I've heard, he couldn't even bear to harm a dead thing in class dissection, let alone a whole person." Juni couldn't help but laugh, quickly taking a sip of water as though to disguise it.
"And what has got us so giggly so early in the morning?" David Avery sauntered over to the side of the table across from where the girls sat and took a seat. "Talking about boys, are we?" Winking at Rue, who in turn huffed and took a bite of toast, Avery turned to Juni. "How are you holding up, June?"
"Err," stealing a glance to Rue out of the corner of her eye, Juniper immediately wondered if someone had told Avery about what had happened to her.
"I heard you were sick and holed up in the hospital wing all weekend," Avery continued due to Juni's lack of a real response. "I wanted to make sure it wasn't from something I said on Saturday morning." He laughed softly and looked at the table. His expression falling slightly, he looked back at Juniper. "I'm only joking of course. Really though, are you feeling alright?"
The look in David Avery's eye seemed genuine enough that for the moment, Juniper didn't even want to consider him as a suspect - at least not for now.
"Oh, it wasn't all weekend," Juni smiled gently at the boy before taking a small sip of water. "Only over Saturday night. I'm not sure, I must've eaten something funny at lunch."
"Mmhmm," Rue agreed solemnly, nodding and putting a hand almost defensively on Juni's shoulder.
"But I'm feeling much better now, thank you," Juni glanced at Rue then gave David another quick smile.
"Well," Avery returned her smile and let his fist gently bounce against the edge of the table before standing up again. "I'm glad. That's good to hear. Hey, are we still on for our group study session for ancient runes tonight before dinner?" David pointed his finger, trading between pointing at Rue and Juni until one of them answered.
"I think so," Rue looked at Juniper for confirmation, unsure if she would be up for it after the weekend.
"I, uh…" Juni's mind drifted to Riddle again. She usually was supposed to meet him every Monday, Wednesday and Friday to work on their project with very little exceptions… And sometimes added weekend days on top of it. But after the glare he gave her last night when she quite literally ran into him… "Yeah, we're still good. Before dinner." Juni smiled up at David as he beamed at the girls.
"Perfect! Where do we want to meet up?"
"Why not the libr-"
"The common room," Juni interrupted Rue, giving a quick apologetic smile. "I've had my fill of the library lately. Let's just go to a quiet corner of the common room. It's a Monday, most students should be studying, anyway, right?"
"I s'pose that's true," Avery considered her curiously but seemed to accept her odd aversion to the library as normal. "Alright, let's meet up in the common room, say, 3:30? 4 o'clock?"
"Sounds like a plan," Juni gave an almost awkward smile as if trying to will him away with it.
"See you then, David," Rue smiled sweetly at him, gently tugging down on Juni's cloak sleeve under the table.
"See you!" Avery took the cue and turned to leave, glancing back once at the girls before sitting back with his friends further down the table and out of ear reach.
"What was that?" Rue all but demanded as soon as he was gone, turning to look at Juni who shifted in her seat uncomfortably.
"Err, well, I mean. Technically, it's a Monday, and I'm supposed to meet-"
"Riddle!" Rue inhaled sharply between her teeth as she grimaced. "You have to meet him. He isn't one to take getting stood up for a study session 'nicely'.
"Not after last night," Juni shook her head quickly and leaned in. "I didn't actually tell you… After that weird incident in the hallway? I sort of… Took off running down the hall. Just in case, you know?"
"Right, I mean, I get it."
"Exactly," Juni glanced down the table at where Riddle had sat earlier, only to see the group of boys had all dispersed by now. "But when I was running, I wasn't exactly paying attention. And I, uh. Ran into him."
"What do you mean?" Rue shook her head, confused. "Like he was in-"
"Like physically I ran into the man and full-on knocked him and myself down." Rue froze, a cup held halfway to her lips.
"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh," she lowered the cup back onto the table, her tone hushed.
"I know."
"Ohhhhhhh, yeah, you're doomed, actually."
"Thanks."
"Doomed, doomed."
"I'm aware."
"Like if he wasn't the one who tried to you know what, he's certainly going to try now-"
"I get it, Ruth."
Rue's eyes were wide and serious as she finally completed her cup's journey to her lips and took a sip.
"However, I accept my mission," she declared as she set down her cup again, giving her a tiny salute and smiling at her.
"Your mission? I didn't give you-" Rue tossed an arm around Juni's shoulders and gestured dramatically - only not dramatically enough to draw too much attention to themselves.
"To protect you from the evils of Thomas whatever-his-stuck-up-middle-name-is Riddle!" Juniper couldn't help but burst out laughing as Rue spoke. "That's my mission, and I accept!"
"Okay, okay," Juni laughed, pushing Rue away from her, shaking her head. "Lord knows I'll need the help with that boy."
"I think if we play the avoidance game for long enough, he'll let it go enough to not actually murder you to death," Rue put a finger to her lips, loving the dramatics of it all.
"I think you're enjoying this a little too much already."
"Of course not! I take my duties very seriously," Rue insisted, a smile cracking across her face. "Do you think maybe 3? 4 weeks of avoiding is long enough?"
"Rue, how am I supposed to avoid him during potions class?"
"Hm," Rue considered this, pursing her lips slightly in thought as she glanced to the ceiling. "That one is tricky. It isn't like Professor Slughorn would ever believe his precious Tom-Tom could do any wrong… When do you have it next?" Juni's stomach suddenly lurched as she realized.
"First thing this morning," she groaned. Juni knew that Tom likely wouldn't actually kill her, but with the look he gave her last night… It meant class today would likely be particularly horrible. Rue blinked at the table, her mood seeming to change in that single instant.
"Ah." The pair sat in silence for a few moments, Rue taking another few bites of her breakfast, Juniper only staring at her half-eaten plate of food. "That is… Unfortunate."
"What happened to your 'mission'?" Juni nearly snorted in laughter at Rue's nearly immediate defeat.
"Hey!" Rue elbowed Juni's arm defiantly. "I was set up to fail! I can't be expected to protect you from the prick during class!"
"Sounds to me like you're just trying to get out of it early," Juni continued to laugh as Rue stammered an excuse.
"Look," Rue laughed with her. "If you want me to somehow nab you out of class and get you in trouble academically, all you need to do is say so." She placed a hand dramatically over her chest and sat up straight in her seat. "Your valiant soldier shall protect you!"
"Stop, stop," Juni waved her hand dismissively, still laughing as she took a few more bites of her breakfast. "I'll have to face him eventually. It may as well be now." Thinking for a moment, she pointed a finger and her tone grew quiet. "Though if I do die, let the 'number one suspect' be Riddle!"
"Understood," Rue gave a small salute, her face serious before dissolving into giggles again.
The pair were silent for a long time again, picking at their food for a while before Rue spoke quietly, her voice barely audible in the Great Hall.
"Do you think it could've been David?"
"What?" Juni looked at her, but Rue's gaze was fixed on her plate as she spun a small piece of crust from her toast in circles on the dish.
"Do you?"
"I don't-"
"How did he know you were in the hospital wing?" Rue turned slightly and looked at Juniper, her face a mixture between concern and something Juni didn't recognize.
"I…" Juni screwed up her face as she looked back at her plate, considering this. "I don't know, I just assumed you told him." Rue shook her head and scooted closer, her tone even softer.
"No one knew where you were, remember? I took a chance and checked the hospital wing. The nurse told me you were there, and…" She shook her head again, glancing around the table before continuing. "But I didn't tell anyone. So unless Tom told him, which I doubt. He isn't really one for gossip."
Juniper shifted uncomfortably in her seat, a chill running down her spine. She hadn't even questioned how he knew she was in the hospital wing. And Rue was right, Tom wouldn't have even cared enough to bother telling anyone she was there. If Rue didn't tell him either… Aside from the professors, Headmaster and nurse, no one else would have - or should have even known she was ever there… Picking at the dry skin on her lip, Juni considered the possibility of her attacker being David Avery even more.
What did she know about him? He was sweet, charming, and seemed like a wholesome young man. He was a Slytherin, but… Well, this is the 1940's. Did that mean something? She'd have to unpack that whole aspect of things later. What else did she know? She-
He was there.
When she got the letter telling her to meet someone at the Black Lake. He was sitting right across from her.
No. No, he was sitting across from her, he never saw the note.
Did he have to? He was watching her while she read it, he could have known she was lying about… Whatever the hell she told him it said.
He knew it wasn't time for mail. If it were anything normal - even whatever excuse she gave for it was - it still would've arrived at mail time. He knew.
He knew.
But did that really incriminate him? What motivation would he even have to try and kill her anyways? Is it because she took away Ruth's attention? He seemed like he could be interested in her, but Juni didn't think that was enough cause to try and kill someone. Unless it really was an attack that simply went a little too far.
He was friends with Riddle, but he wasn't a prefect, so he wouldn't have been at their meeting. If Riddle hated her and had enough influence over David…
Did David Avery try to kill her? Did Tom Riddle tell him to?