A/N: Okay, I did have a story called I Promise already, but I've changed the ending. :) Once again, italics are used for flashbacks and memories. Hope you like it.
Sprinting down the corridor, he barely glanced back at the others shouting for him to stop. All around him, debris littered the ground, and the walls were slowly crumbling under the repeated hexes. Her face danced before his eyes, and he grimaced at the thought of her body lying lifeless, eyes glazed. He shook his head, trying to rid the thought.
What if-? No, he had to make it in time. Panting heavily, he skidded to a stop in front of the school doors. They were hanging lopsided off their hinges, and the marble floor was stained with traces of mud and puddles of blood.
On both sides, students and professors alike were dueling the death eaters. Both sides had casualties, but the death eaters seemed to be falling quickly behind. He gave a quick, weak smile, and hurried out the door into the midst of the fighting.
Spells and shouts were flying from all directions, and he yelped as he dove out of the way of a bright green curse. He saw many of his friends fighting, sweat pouring down their faces as they jumped about, dodging and throwing their spells.
"Hey!" A familiar voice shouted. "Take this!" He glanced toward her voice, and his heart fluttered at the sight of her. Her light footsteps looked like an awkward dance as she moved about. She laughed a beautiful bell sound as she cleanly dodged a spell. "Is that all ya' got?" She taunted the man. He threw his mask to the ground, aiming his wand at her chest. She smirked and took off into the forest, the man following shortly after.
He watched her hair bouncing lightly behind her, contemplating whether to chase after her or let her happily defeat the death eater. Turning, he glanced back at the fight. The Parvati twins were supporting an injured Dean, and Seamus was trying to keep Lavender inside the Great Hall.
A piercing scream broke from the forest, and he turned toward the sound, the other shouts and cries drowning away. He scanned the tree line for her, but the darkness had swallowed both her and the death eater.
Running to the forest, another shout came from his left. He followed the sound and found her, her back against a large tree, her wand several feet away.
The death eater smirked, revealing a row of jutting yellow teeth. He raised his wand slowly, toying with her. He could see her trembling from where he stood, her eyes wide with fear, her chest heaving.
The death eater waved the wand, preparing the strike. "I won't kill you right away." He said, his eyes crinkling in delight. "Why, I'll make it quite painful."
His eyes widened. How could she die? She was the one thing that kept the world spinning, the sun rising. Without her, how could the world go on? He had to do something, he had to—
The death eater shouted something unintelligible, a jet of light streaming from his wand.
Everything fell into slow motion as he watched, terrified. Closing his eyes, he pushed himself forward, catching the spell square in the chest. He fell to the ground, his shoulder burning with pain as it hit the tangle of roots.
"No!" She shouted, as he fell to the ground before her. Falling to her knees beside him, she brushed his hair from his eyes. "No," She murmured, blinking back tears. "It should have been me." Her voice cracked as a tear fell, splashing on his cheek.
He looked up at her, his hand clutching his chest where a massive hole was torn into his skin, blood pouring onto the grass. His eyes closed, and he moved his lips soundlessly. Gasping for a last lungful of air, he whispered, "Angelina…I love you."
Tears rolled down her dark cheeks as she looked down at his face, smudged with dirt. "Fred," Closing her eyes, she brushed a hand over her face, wiping away the tears which were quickly replaced. "I-I love you too."
"Really?" Angelina asked, raising her eyebrows in surprise.
"Yeah Angel. Why wouldn't I be with you forever?"
As she walked back to the castle, she saw others trudging back inside, their heads lowered as they carried their friends in their arms or across their backs. Why had the world not stopped? Why had the sun continued to rise, it's faint glow falling on the Irish castle before her?
Stifling a sob, she saw George, so much like his brother, waving her over from the door.
As she drew nearer, she saw the question in his eyes as much as he must have read the look on her face. He turned, holding the door open as she climbed inside, following her silently to the Great Hall to tally their dead.
It was a rainy day, as if the sky was feeling the same way she was; cloudy and dull grey. Silently, she watched with the others, seated around her, as the tomb was lowered slowly into the ground.
Angelina grimaced, rolling her eyes, as a group of giggling fourth years snuck up behind him. Fred glanced up, winking at her. She smiled as a girl, whose face was almost as red as his hair, inched forward, intent on asking him to the ball.
How can I watch, she thought, knowing I love you more than they ever could? Grabbing her bag, she stood, her thick hair swinging behind her, and headed to the dormitory. Fred's eyes followed her back as she climbed the stairs, turning his gaze politely back to the other girl as she swept out of sight.
Fred had, indeed, ended up going to the ball with Angelina, as he had hoped from the beginning.
"You," Fred mouthed, pointing across the class at her, "Me," He pointed to himself, "Dance?" he mimicked waltzing with an invisible partner. Angelina blushed a thousand shades of red, and grinned down at her notes. Looking up, she met his gaze and nodded, watching his face light up as he elbowed his brother to share his news.
She stood, walking forward to place the small white rose on the grave, blinking back tears as she returned to her seat.
Wearing a fire red strapless dress that contrasted nicely with her skin, Angelina waited patiently on the common room couch. Minutes passed and the excited girls and smug boys slowly left, one by one until she was alone. Blinking back tears, she stood to go change into her pajamas. As she was kicking off her heels, she heard a sharp intake of breath. Glancing up, she saw Fred coming down the stairs to the boys' dorm. "What?" She snapped, wiping at her cheek. "Felt bad about ditching me have you? Well, I'll have you know-" Fred pressed his lips to hers, silencing her.
"No," He whispered. "I didn't ditch you."
"We were to be there two hours ago!" Angelina replied. "I would call not showing up ditching."
"I didn't show up," He said, tracing her cheek with his fingertips. "Because I was trying to find something that would make me look at least half as beautiful as you do now."
The service was quick: Family and a few good friends. Most had stayed at Hogwarts, leaving his family time to mourn on their own.
"Angel," he whispered, caressing her face, his scent mingling sweetly with her own. She blushed, her chocolate brown eyes meeting his green ones. Pulling her face closer, she closed her eyes, letting him guide her. He brushed his lips against her collarbone, swiftly moving across her neck, cheeks, lips. He pushed his lips gently against hers, but she replied greedily, willing herself as close to his body as physically possible. He smiled, but did not pull away, instead, reaching around to hook his arms around her back in an awkward embrace. Her hands traveled across his back and neck, her fingers knotting eagerly in his hair.
She stood with the others, not pausing to chat mournfully with the family and friends, and stalked out the gate and Apparated quickly to Hogsmeade. From there, she would return quickly to Hogwarts, as she had been granted the day off to attend the funeral.
"Ange!" George called across the field, waving his bat wildly.
"Angel, you're late." Fred whispered, appearing at her side, using the nickname he had insisted on calling her.
"Sorry," She laughed, tugging at her team robes. "I was eating breakfast."
"Who can play on an empty stomach, eh?" Oliver chuckled as they drew near. Angelina and Fred rolled their eyes, and George did a poor imitation of Oliver from behind him. "Katie and Alicia are already here," he pointed across the field at their waving figures, "But I don't know where Potter is."
"There he is," George smiled, pointing to Harry, running out of the changing rooms, his robes pulled on hurriedly as he made his way over.
"Think we can still make it to practice?" a sullen voice asked beside her, drawing out of reverie.
She looked up, her heart jumping into her throat. "I-I…" She swallowed thickly, her mouth dry.
"I'm sorry." George muttered, digging his hands into his pockets and hurrying ahead.
"No, it's not that." Angelina called, her voice hollow and empty. "You just caught me off guard."
"No doubt," He said, looking away. "It's been like that all week. The stares, the pity…." Running his hand through his hair, he looked so small and incomplete, with only his shadow by his side.
Angelina nodded, not trusting her voice again.
"Have you ever kissed anyone?" He asked, his head in her lap.
Angelina, sitting cross-legged on her bed, was slowly smoothing his bangs from his forehead. "No," She said looking down. "You?" She asked quietly, afraid to hear the answer, but desperate to know.
He nodded. "My mum," he said with a smile.
Angelina grinned. "Git." She said, jokingly.
He smirked. "Yes, but I'm a lovable git."
As they approached the field, they saw five figures flying smoothly through the air, catching and tossing a small leather ball as they went. They landed softly in the grass as Angelina and George approached, no one saying anything, for several moments.
Cupping her face, he pushed his lips to hers, kissing her. Pulling away, he grinned at her startled face. "What was that?" she cried, blushing.
"For good luck," He laughed, as they grabbed their brooms.
"Hmm," Angelina replied. "I may need a bit more."
"Well," Angelina's voice was weak. Swallowing, she continued. "Shall we?"
Katie nodded, warily watching her friend as they headed to the changing rooms.
Once they were all changed and standing silently in the playing field, Angelina brought out the trunk with the quaffle, bats, and snitch in it. George dove forward to help, but Angelina pointedly moved forward, floating it along with her wand.
"Let's go kick some snake tails!" He whooped, running from the changing room. The three girls laughed as Fred and George ran wildly onto the field. Glancing back, Angelina could swear he winked.
Setting it down in the field, she opened it, the quaffle soaring out. George reached in for his beater's bat, and another, oddly indifferent hand reached for the other.
No! Angelina wanted to scream, struggling to keep her face calm. That's Fred's! Put it down, he'll be here any minute to play! Blinking back tears, she turned away.
"We won!" She cried, jumping into his arms. "We won the cup!" Glancing around, she met Alicia's eyes, and she winked. Pulling herself from him, she smiled, looking around. "Good work, team." Grinning, Fred pulled her to him once more.
Grabbing her broom, Angelina soared into the air, Alicia and Katie following immediately. "Ok, let's practice for our match against Slytherin." She said, trying to focus on her team. "George, try to hit the three of us with the quaffle…. McLaggan…try to stop his attempts."
They nodded, and Angelina tossed the ball into the air, speeding out of the way. Glancing behind her, she saw the other two diving for cover themselves as George took the ball.
Harry was watching aimlessly as he searched for the tiny snitch.
McLaggan was a good beater, but their team just wasn't the same. He didn't seem to have the same connection with George as Fred had. There was no game of chicken, to see how close to Angelina's face the ball could get before swooping in and beating it away, laughing as he nearly missed, laughing until you nearly fell off your broom….
Practice finished early, due to an unexpected bout of rain, and Angelina showered and changed quickly, leaving the changing room before anyone else, especially George, could follow her. Passing the Great Hall, She decided she would skip out on dinner. She wasn't hungry anyway.
Entering her dorm, she fell onto her bed, staring up at the ceiling, tracing the pattern with her eyes. A few minutes later, Alicia's head poked around the door, her eyes meeting Angelina's. Her head popped out quickly, and Angelina sighed. "You two can come in." She called softly, watching as Alicia and Katie entered, their hair still damp. "You didn't eat?" She asked, propping herself up on her elbows.
Katie shook her head, as Alicia explained, "You weren't there. We decided to find you."
"Thanks, but you can go eat." Angelina said, flopping back down against her pillows.
"Nah," Alicia said, perching herself lightly at the end of Angelina's bed, while Katie sat on the one next to her's.
"Ange," She said quietly, looking down at her hands. "He-" she couldn't seem to find the words, and her face turned a brilliant red.
"He loved you." Alicia finished for her. "He couldn't live without you, it's not your fault."
"No?" Angelina asked, sitting up, her voice rising. "Who said I could live without him?"
"Ange—" Katie began, her eyes huge.
"No," She snapped, reaching for her cloak. "I'm going for a walk."
"Wait!" Alicia called, jumping up as the door slammed closed. "Ah. Well, the wind will calm her." She assured Katie.
"You can't go!" She wailed, clutching his arm tightly.
"I'm of age." He replied, looking away.
"If you m-must go," She whimpered, tears leaking from the corners of her eyes. "Goodby-"
He shushed her. "Never say goodbye. It makes it too formal."
"If you go, I will too!" She whispered, his head snapping back to look at her.
"No!" he snarled furiously. "You will not, promise me, you will not go anywhere near there! Promise me you won't leave me!"
Angelina turned her face away. "Promise me you'll come back." He looked back at the school grounds. "Fred!"
"I can't make promises I don't know I can keep." Brushing his lips lightly across her fingers, he released her hand darting off toward the fight.
Tears welling up in her eyes, she shook her head. "Me neither." She whispered, running after him.
Standing atop the tower, the wind whipping her hair, she felt whole, as if he were there next to her. She closed her eyes, leaning against the cold stone, wrapping her arms around her shoulders. "Fred," she whispered. "What have I done?" A sob escaped her lips, and she slid down the wall, until she was sitting on the wet floor, the rain falling down around her. Shivering, she drew her cloak tighter around her. She heard a sharp clink, and looked down. The moonlight glinted off several shards of broken glass surrounding her. Picking up a piece, Angelina recognized it as a small crystalline flower Fred had given her on her birthday.
Angrily, she threw her fist against the wall. Gasping, she quickly unfurled her hand, dropping the now bloodied piece of glass. She stared down at her palm, watching the droplets of dark red blood grow larger, and run down her wrist and finally, drop onto her cloak. Grimacing, she watched as the blood flow slowed. Wiping her hand across her cloak, she thought about the surge of adrenaline that had pounded down her arm, and with a sickening sense of dread, realized she had enjoyed it.
Watching her blood swirl in the rainwater gathering around her, she picked up a slightly larger piece of broken crystal, turning it slowly in her fingers. Taking a deep breath, she placed the tip to her forearm, sinking its cool surface into her flesh. Pausing for a moment, she thought of what she was about to do.
"There's no turning back, Ange," She whispered to herself, her grip loosening on the shard.
"Fred, promise me that whatever happens out there…." She swallowed, gripping his hand tightly.
"Angelina, we'll always be together. I promise." He pulled her into his chest, hugging her tightly, the two rocking together under the darkness of the trees.
Closing her eyes tightly, she brought her arm across, slicing a large gash on the side of her arm. There was no pain, as she had thought there would be, no gasping for that final breath, regret pounding like a mantra through her head. No, there was silence. The wind seeming to slow to almost a standstill, her head lolling forward, blinking slowly with heavy eyelids, lips parted in a heavy pant. She did not regret it, not really, she decided.
Her eyelids fluttered, her lashes feeling like heavy stones weighing her down. There was a splash, as she fell forward, her blood mingling heavily with the dark water. Too weak to move, Angelina lay there, each ragged breath pulling a mouthful of blood and water into her lungs. Her already fuzzy vision darkened, the moon paling away, the raindrops echoing like thunder in her head. Closing her eyes, she let the rain wash over her, the water washing the scarlet blood from her clothes, and leaving her fading on the floor. With her last ounce of strength, Angelina gripped the crystal flower in her hand, pulling it towards her chest.
"I promised I'd never leave you," she gasped, the echoing silence pressing into her ears, her vision going black. I promised.