A/N: Okay.. I know I'm working on a series right now, but this lil' thing popped into my head last night and I wanted to see what you-my faithful reviewers, thought of it! Ummm... It's supposed to be sad, so, tell me if it is, or if it just makes you laugh hysterically . It's a fic about IF a certain person died . I say if because I do not actually believe this person will die in the actual books . Anyway, thanks to all who reviewed Another Golden Year, you're really great! *hugs* Oh! And btw, All these characters are J.K. Rowling's . They came out of her much worshiped head, not mine (not that my head is worshiped tho..) Anyway, here we go .
THE BOY WHO LAUGHED
Dumbledore stood up at the staff table, a very sorrowful expression on his face .
Sitting at the Gryffindor table, Fred Weasley looked up to the headmaster, much the same type of sadness on his own face .
Dumbledore cleared his throat, and opened his mouth, about to give the traditional end-of-the-year speech . "It is the end of another year." He began, "If there is one word describing this year, I certainly cannot find it . This year has been very hard for all of us . The dark lord is still at large, and a student who we cherished highly is gone from us ." Dumbledore sighed, "This young man brought laughter into all of our lives, and made our time here one of the happiest times we will ever have the pleasure of having .
"Yet another death at the hands of Lord Voldemort."
Several people in the hall gasped at the name their headmaster had just spoken . Fred Weasley's expression did not change, he just starred forward, unmoving . A year ago, he would have been among those who had gasped, but not after the horrible torture he had been through .
"Is that what it all comes down to?" Dumbledore's strong voice demanded the students . He was not being harsh, Fred knew, only trying to make a point, and it obviously had worked, the words he had just voiced set deep into Fred's heart .
"Lord Voldemort," more gasps from the students . "has taken another one of us!" He paused, "Do you remember what I told you all last year, at this exact time?" he asked ."I told you all that you needed with all your heart to remember Cedric Diggory, to remember what happened to him, because he strayed across the dark lords path . Now you need to remember, ever as much, ever as strongly, what happened to a boy who made us laugh ."
A sob from someone down his table .
This all was becoming too much fro Fred . For a minute he had the urged to stand up and run--bolt out the doors to the great hall . No. He thought harshly, and restrained himself . I need to be here, for the sake of his honoring his memory .
"This boy, of course, was George Weasley."
Ginny let out a long wail from her spot beside Fred and he patted her on the back . Then the intensity of Dumbledore's words set in .
George dead? How could that be?
George had been almost like Fred's other half, no one ever mention Fred without George or George without Fred .
Fred's eyes wandered a few places down . Ron's face had gone very white . Harry and Hermione, beside him, looked speechless, Hermione looked about ready to cry .
"George died an honorable death..." Dumbledore went on, "He had the courage only a true Gryffindor could have . He stood before the dark lord and he did not back away! He showed true greatness in the face of danger . So tonight, we raise our goblets to the boy who laughed!"
Everyone in the hall raised their goblets silently and drank .
As soon as the feast was over, Fred made his way up to his dormitory with a heavy heart . He didn't want to think about anything right now, just go to sleep and never wake up .
It was the last day of school, and tomorrow he would be boarding the Hogwarts express and heading back home to the burrow, where his mother would burst out crying when she saw him .
Fred threw his robes in the trunk, some battered old school books (they had once belonged to Percy,) and...... a bag .
The bag was simple enough, brown in color, paper, but all the same, Fred's mouth tightened as he opened it to check what was inside .
It was a bag full of jokes . Canary Creams, Fake wands, and a number of other tricks he and George had invented .
Then Fred seemed to fade away from reality .
George couldn't really be dead, could he? He had been there all Fred's life, standing by his side, playing Quidditch with him, and just joking around . Fred remembered countless jokes they had played on Percy, and felt a faint burning sensation in the corners of his eyes, and a lump in the back of his throat . He tried to swallow the lump .
Crying won't do any good . He told himself .
Fred gritted his teeth and continued to pack . But a million thoughts were still whirling around in his head .
Why couldn't it have been me? He thought .
Fred remembered it all so clearly....
Fred, George, Harry, Ron and Hermione had headed out to play Quidditch, on a bright sunny day when Fred had noticed something suspicious heading into the woods and suggested they follow it . Hermione had not been to keen on the idea, "Oh No! We aren't allowed to go in there! There are reasons it's forbidden, you know!" If only they had listened to her....
It all came down to that. Fred thought . I said, "follow it", we did, it's my fault we were there in the first place, and now he's dead .
They had all it on foot, not able to see where it was on their broomsticks . They followed it as far-and farther than they had ever thought the wood went, and there they found it .
At last they came face to face with that suspicious something-Lord Voldemort .
I said we should follow it-and it lead to his death . Oh why couldn't it have been me?
The dark lord had said he was going to kill Harry-he said he wanted one last death, and he would end his reign of evil, and that was Harry's . He said he's let us go if he could have Harry . George had stepped in front, ready to stop him, while Fred stood there starring at Voldemort in fear .
He was the hero-I stood there, like a coward-and he died . I deserved it so much more- It's all my fault .
"Step aside!" The dark lord had shouted, but George didn't move . Fred had it like a photograph in his mind-the way George had just.... fallen limp... ceased to be.....
I was the idiot, the coward, the rat... and he's the one punished for it...
Fred had cried in anguish and pain as his brother collapsed on the forest ground . It felt to Fred as if he had lost half of himself .
He remembered almost nothing after that-he was dazed . Death Eaters-Pettigrew-Harry and Voldemort dueling while He, Hermione and Ron watched-Dumbledore arriving at the last moment....
"Sometimes it's okay to cry..." said a small voice in the corner of the room, snapping him back to reality .
Fred turned around to see Ginny .
"Ginny!" He started angrily, about to say the rudest thing that came to mind, but then his voice softened, "I just need to be alone for a while." he said .
"Of course..." she said, and nodded, "I just wanted you to know that I'm always here if you ever want to talk ."
Fred could see that she had been crying heavily, her eyes were red, and even now, her lip was still twitching .
He let out a small smile, "I know.."
Ginny shut the door to the dorm .
Maybe she's right. Fred thought, as bittersweet tears rolled down his face . Sometimes it's alright to cry...
A/N: PLEASE REVIEW!!!