Old Books and Firecrackers: Chapter XI

A Harry Potter Fanfic

War

Fred stared up at the stars, enjoying the silence and the dark. He heard the door creak behind him.

“Fred? Are you alright?” He smiled when he heard Hermione’s voice. When he nodded, she came out and sat beside him. “What are you doing?”

“Hiding from Mum.” He turned to grin at her. “Dunno if you’ve noticed, but she’s gotten a bit crazy about Bill and Fleur’s wedding.” Hermione laughed. He smiled, watching her for a minute.

“What?” she asked when she noticed him staring.

He shook his head. “I was wishing I had actually asked you out when I had the chance. There’s nowhere to go now. Nowhere that’s safe, anyway.” He looked back up at the sky.

“That’s really sweet of you.” He could hear the smile in her voice. “But I don’t think now is the right time. Even if there was somewhere to go, well–soon I’ll be leaving with Ron and Harry.”

Fred glanced back at her. He had been expecting something like this, but that didn’t mean he was happy about it.

“Where will you go?” he asked finally.

Now it was her turn to look at the stars. “I honestly don’t know. I mean, we have a bit of a plan, but nothing specific.” He nodded.

“So, about the whole not-going-out-yet thing, can I still ask you to dance at the wedding?” he asked.

“Of course!” She smiled and took his hand.

He stared at her fingers wrapped around his. “Have you told Ron and Harry about us yet?”

She dropped her head and covered her eyes with her hand. “No. Last year was just–Ron and I were fighting most of the time, and then he got poisoned, and then Dumbledore–” she choked on her words and he squeezed her hand.

“I thought that might be the case; I was just checking. Are you sure you want to be the one to tell them?”

She sat up and wrinkled her nose at him. “I don’t trust you to tell them.” He laughed and looked up again, enjoying the silence that settled between them.

“You know,” he said after a while, “I never really cared much about the fact that George and I could see the future. I mean, sometimes it could be interesting, or good for a laugh, but now I keep hoping I’ll see–well–everyone, so I can know they survive and they’ll all be safe, but it’s like, now that I need it, I can’t see the future anymore.”

Hermione didn’t answer. He glanced over at her and noticed her pointedly avoiding looking at him. He laughed.

“Don’t tell me you still don’t believe in divination.” She made a noncommittal sound. “You’ve seen an entire room of prophesies!”

“Yes, well. Are we sure any of them came true?”

“What about Harry’s?” Fred asked.

Hermione looked up, startled. “It smashed. No one heard it.”

Fred laughed. “Oh, come off it. Harry knows what it said somehow. He’s Harry Potter! And I know he would tell you.” She looked like she was about to protest and he raised his hand defensively. “I’m not asking you to tell me what it said, but did it come true?”

She pursed her lips for a second. “Yes,” she said finally, stretching out the syllable. “But Dumbledore thinks–thought–it only came true because Voldemort thought it would, and I’m inclined to agree.”

“I’m starting to think you just don’t want to believe George and I can see the future.”

“No, I just don’t believe the future is so firmly fixed. I think our choices affect it quite a bit.”

“Agree to disagree, Hermione,” Fred said with a smile. She tried to frown, but within a few seconds it had melted into a smile.

He felt his own smile fade. “I’m going to miss you.” He squeezed her hand.

She squeezed back. “Me too.”

He let go of her hand and put his arm around her, sliding closer. “Be careful,” he whispered.

She rested her head on his shoulder. “You too.”

“You’re joking, Perce!” Fred turned to his brother. “You’re actually joking! I don’t think I’ve heard you joke since–” he broke off as the wall exploded behind them. He started to leap out of the way, but saw a red flash and couldn’t move.

The wall collapsed on top of him, but strangely didn’t hurt. Did being stunned make you stronger?

“Fred!” Percy and Ron came running as soon as the danger was past and froze when they saw him. “No, no!” Both his brothers burst into tears and collapsed beside him. He tried to move. Tried to tell them he was fine. He was alive, just stunned!

Harry and Percy carried him over to a nook out of the way and then disappeared. All he could do was sit against the wall uselessly as everyone else fought around him.

When He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named called the truce, Fred was carried into the Great Hall along with all the other injured and jinxed, as well as the dead.

His mum screamed when she saw him. So did George.

He was still frozen when the battle resumed, eventually moving into the Great Hall. He could hear the fighting going on around him, but couldn’t participate. He hated not being able to move. He couldn’t even see what was going on. Couldn’t tell who was dead and who alive. He could only hope. How long did these bloody spells last?

Then Harry was talking about a wand, and He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was arguing with him. Fred didn’t understand what they were talking about, but it sounded important.

“Avada Kedavra!”

“Expelliarmus!”

And the room was silent.

Was it over? Was Harry–he couldn’t be–

Then everyone was calling Harry’s name, cheering and thanking him, sobbing and laughing. He was alive! He had won!

Over the next couple of hours, Fred’s entire family gathered around him slowly. They seemed unable to leave after seeing him.

He wished he could make them stop crying. Tell them to save their tears for those who deserved them.

His mum was sobbing and clinging to his father, who seemed in shock. Percy was muttering, blaming himself it sounded like. Ron was trembling, silent tears running down his face. Ginny had her face buried in their mum’s shoulder. Bill was standing frozen, staring at him, clinging to Fleur. Hermione was crying and clinging to Harry, who was avoiding looking at him. Charlie was the only one not present. He had taken one look at him and left the room. He hadn’t returned.

But worst of all was George. As soon as everything was over, he had collapsed beside him and wouldn’t get up. He hadn’t stopped crying yet.

Fred hated this. Hated what it did to them. He wanted to scream. Scream at the top of his lungs that he was fine! He was alive!

He tried. Tried as hard as he could. He finally managed a slight sound that no one could have possiby heard except maybe–

George froze. “Fred?” he whispered. Fred managed the sound again and George’s eyes widened. “How–what–what happened to you? How do I fix it?” He was speaking louder now and everyone stared at him like he was crazy.

“Hermione!” George gasped. “He’s been jinxed! What–what could make him like this?”

“George, he’s not–he’s–” Hermione began.

“WHAT JINX COULD KEEP HIM FROM MOVING?” George shouted. Hermione flinched.

“Well–well stupefy, I suppose, or–”

“Stunned,” George muttered, grabbing his wand and standing up. “Yeah–yeah, that makes sense.” He muttered a spell and Fred regained the ability to move.

He sat up quickly and now everyone was staring at him. He forced a grin. “You lot look like you’ve seen a ghost.” And then everyone was piled on top of him, trying to hug him.

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