the gentle moon / george weasley

hogwarts legends

She had just gotten out of the shower, staring at the foggy mirror before wiping it away and seeing what she had been trying to ignore. She tried her best to keep her eyes up, trying to only look at her face, but the scar was there. The word was there and then the memory. Her hands went to her throat, pulling at the invisible rope around it, and then she's digging at her own skin where Bole's wand had carved. She wasn't quick enough tonight to get dressed, because Jade came stumbling into her room with a laundry basket balanced at her hip.

"Here's your-" the basket fell to her feet, and a sharp breath echoed in the air, "Oh, sweet girl." Jade cried, running to August, "Who did this to you?!" August watched her mothers contort, flashing all her emotions as she fell to her knees in front of her.

"It's okay Mum." August whispered, caressing the top of Jade's head, "It's healed."

"Oh, baby." Jade cried, holding August's arm shaking, "I am so sorry." Jade looked up at August with stained cheeks, "I'm so, so sorry."

"This isn't your fault!" August promised. "Why-why are you apologizing?"

"I should have protected you more..." Jade sobbed, "I should have done better! I could have stopped this, I shouldn't have brought you to bed that night!"

"No," August began to cry, "No, don't say that. You did everything you could! I saw what you did! You did everything you could that night!"

Jade looked up at August confused, "What... What do you mean, you saw... August, are you remembering?"

"Snape showed me." August swallowed hard, "That's why I changed my mind about the mission." August kneeled down in front of her mother, holding her face in her hands, "Mum, you did everything you could. None of this is your fault. I'm safe now, I'm with you."

Jade pulled August against her, "I don't know what I would do if you left." Jade cried into her shoulder, "You're my girl August. I can't be away from you. If you did leave, I would follow you."

"I know you would." August smiled sadly, "All I can think about is if they found out why I was really there, that they would come for you like they came for me... I can't leave you, mum. I would be so lost without you."

"I'm so sorry, August." Jade pushed herself back, looking at August's arm, "I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you."

August looked down at her arm, it was midway through May and those chilly nights were growing warmer and warmer as days passed and she knew that she couldn't hide it forever under her sweater.

"Do we have to tell dad?"

"Do you want to keep this from him?" Jade traced the scar, shivering at the curves and straights of the letters.

"Sirius knows..." August admitted, "He knew something happened."

Jade swallowed hard when she watched August trace her scar with her finger.

"I couldn't fight them off," August admitted. "There were too many of them, and he choked me before I knew what was happening." Jade gasped at the confession, "They used the Incarcerous Spell on me mum..." August choked, "Like Peter used on me..." August let out a sharp breath and started to sob uncontrollably, "Like-like I used on him!"

"Oh." Jade's voice was shaky, "Oh, sweet girl. It doesn't mean you deserved this."

"I should have died that night." August cried, "But, I don't think Peter could do it... I don't think he could kill me."

"Of course, he couldn't." Jade sighed, "He didn't personally kill Lily and James, Voldemort did. Peter is still much as a coward as he was when we were children. He couldn't kill you, you're Remus' blood."