2 a.m. where do I begin?
Crying off my face again
The silent sound of loneliness
Wants to follow me to bed
It was early morning and Hermione was sitting at the Burrow kitchen table, complete silence engulfed the usually rambunctious house. Every once in a while there was a shuffle of someone pacing, a bed creaking, a sniffle, a sob or even a muffled scream. She felt herself begin to feel tired. Tired of waiting. Tired of crying. Tired of mourning. Tired of being put together. Tired of being...alive. She didn't feel like she was living she was just there taking space.
Tears came to her eyes again for the nth time since she sat there for the third day in a row. Her usual shining eyes. Now dull, red-rimmed and had dark bags that were becoming darker every hour. She hadn't slept in 3 days, 14 hours, 13 minutes and 10 seconds, 11 seconds, 12 seconds…
Hermione took a shaky breath, her hands on her forehead as she began to let the tears fall, they silently fell she no longer had the strength to hold them back. She no longer wanted to hold back her tears, she no longer could, soon that tear became a whimper, then it became a sob. Soon Hermione could no longer stop herself. She began allowing her true emotions flow out. Her hands tugged at her hair as she struggled to breathe in between each sob and wail. Her vision began to grow spots. She couldn't calm down. She couldn't breathe. She can't breathe.
The walls around her began to feel as though they were closing in on her. She can't keep going on. She stopped living the second he stopped breathing. She couldn't live without him. Bloody hell she hadn't been able to sleep eat or even breath without him. She loved him and she lost him!
I'm a ghost of a girl that I want to be most
I'm the shell of a girl that I used to know well
A pair of arms encircled her picking her up from her spot at the table. The same spot where he last sat when she last saw him. She last saw him. That rung within her brain, that word was the only one she even remembered by this point in time. Last. It made her cry harder. As the arms around her were familiar but they weren't the ones she wanted around her. She wanted his arms.
After he died she didn't remember who the hell she was. Why the bloody effing hell was she still alive without him this was just cruel.
"Mione, love, please breath," George was now sitting on the couch holding Hermione tightly against his chest. His voice was shaky and rough. He had done his fair share of crying too. He drew patterns on this shell of a woman that was once his brother's. Holding her tightly he curled himself around her rocking them back and forth, whispering consoling words to his brother's other half. By extension his other half.
"Hermione, please." He pleaded to feel useless as he couldn't stop the sobbing with any longer than he could stop his own tears from arising and allowing them to join hers. "We have to get through this he wouldn't want us both to be suffering this way. Please, Hermione, he wouldn't want you to keep mourning this way."
Hermione who had started to gain some semblance of being in control. She pushed her own emotions aside.
Dancing slowly in an empty room
Can the lonely take the place of you?
I sing myself a quiet lullaby
I let you go to take the lonely in my heart again
"I know, George I know." She whispered holding him tightly in return, as he rocked them back and forth. "I miss him too. You can pull through this." She began humming a small tune hoping to calm him down it was the one that he would hum to her while she was at Shell Cottage after Malfoy Manor. She hummed it at the second verse finding the words to be fitting to their predicament.
"Too afraid to go inside
For the pain of one more loveless night
But the loneliness will stay with me
And hold me 'til I fall asleep"
I'm the ghost of a girl that I want to be most
I'm the shell of a girl that I used to know well
Molly looked at her children. They were her kids both of them, even if Hermione wasn't by blood she was still a daughter to her even if she had said such horrendous words to the young witch during her fourth year. Although she couldn't contain her surprise at realizing as to why Hermione was having so many problems after Fred's death.
She never knew that her boy and she were together. Let alone that they had formed such a strong connection. Now looking at the remaining half of the jokester duo and the now newly revealed lover of her now deceased son, Molly felt sorrow brew deep within her. Her child had caused such an impact. Allowing for the tears to fall down, Molly cast one last look at the mourning duo and made her way upstairs making sure to not make a sound as she steadily climbed up the stairs and into the arms of Arthur who knew she would be crying.
She cried as her ever-steady husband held her to his chest whispering sweet nothings into her ear until sleep called her into his grasp. She dreamt of happier times that could have been if Fred had been alive.
"Dancing slowly in an empty room
Can the lonely take the place of you?
I sing myself a quiet lullaby
Let you go and let the lonely in
To take my heart again"
George sat there rocking himself and Hermione who was still quietly singing his twin's version of a lullaby to him. He knew that Hermione and Fred were dating he had known since after the Yule Ball their sixth year when he discovered the pretty little witch and his brother. who had left him with Angelina, snogging in an alcove in the school.
"'Llo there Gred and a lovely bird that my dearest twin is snogging against a wall," George exclaimed cheekily as he saw his brother jump inside the tiny alcove hitting his head at the top.
"Bloody git…" he heard his brother begin to curse under his breath as tiny hands went up and felt around the top of Fred's head. Fred shifted so that the girl that he was snogging was covered by his body not allowing for George to see her as both Fred and the mysterious girl had a conversation while it looked like she was waving her wand to adjust their clothes.
George's eyes widened once he realized that he only knew two women who could perform wordless spells and one of them was McGonagall although he doubted that Old Minnie would be snogging his brother.
"Well, bloody hell Gred! You're snogging Granger?!" George yelled as he saw the final solid piece of evidence being a head full of auburn-copper curls of a now ruined updo. George had thought that he was no longer able to be shocked about simple things that to other people doesn't seem to be so simple. Now if they had told him that his twin was snogging the Gryffindor Princess, he would have waved it off as gossip that was running wild. But in front of his eyes in all her glory was Hermione Granger official Gryffindor Princess in her periwinkle dress wild curls blushing as my twin turned to glare playfully at me.
"Really Forge, you couldn't have waited until I had finished thoroughly snogging 'mione here?" He gestured to both of them before Hermione elbowed him in the stomach.
"Could you be any more crude Fred, I mean sincerely," she asked mockingly as her eyes glittered with mischief while he watched both of them joke with each other feeling as though George had gone into shock. THE Hermione Granger, Gryffindor Princess, Ronniekins' best friend, and practically the boy-who-lived's sister was there snogging my brother. Not just any brother. No. She was snogging Frederick Gideon Weasley, my twin brother, Ron's older brother and Prankster Extraordinaire.
George blinked feeling himself turning around muttering 'I'm insane I've gone insane. No not insane, just too much firewhiskey… yeah, this is all just my body telling me to go to sleep' George mumbled and stumbled off to the tower leaving the couple behind him as he headed back to the tower. Behind him, he could hear Fred and Hermione's conversation carrying on as he left before he heard footsteps coming up behind him. He felt a tiny arm swing around his waist and another one around his shoulders.
He shook his head but allowed the grin to take over as he saw how gleeful his brother's eyes looked as they gazed at the younger girl who was currently grinning up at him hopefully. He then decided that he would stick with this couple through thick and thin no matter what. Soon they began joking and thinking up new pranks with Hermione gently and not very seriously scolding them.
Broken pieces of
A barely breathing story
Where there once was love
Now there's only me and the lonely
Hermione felt more than saw George fall asleep as she slowly grabbed her wand and wordlessly cast a levicorpus on the sleeping redhead and took him up to his room making sure to place cushioning charms around him in order to not have his be woken if he was slightly jostled. He needed to sleep those bags around his eyes spoke volumes of missing sleep since the last battle.
She slowly made her way downstairs and walked out the door looking at the letter she had in her hand that was sent out the day right after the war in which there was a declaring of marriage law. She didn't want any part in that she was already happy before the bloody war had started Fred was her soulmate and she couldn't be matched with anyone else. She didn't know it only based on her heart but also the soulmate potion that she had made her fifth year. If and when the ministry decided to make a second pairing that would pair her with someone other than him.
She looked out and saw that she was by the Weasley's pond that sat in the middle of the property. She looked out over the pond and smiled as happily as she could remembering every moment she possibly could between her and Fred. Then silently whispered expecto patronum.
Three silver otters burst forth and swam around her. She placed charms on them that would allow for the next part of their task to be possible.
Kneeling she beckoned one forward and whispered in its ear. The otter then disappeared and the next one came forward. She repeated the process again and as the third one disappeared she stepped towards the lake and whispered as though the words were a slow tune that she could dance to "3 days 17 hours 29 minutes and 50 seconds, 51 seconds, 52 seconds, 53 seconds…" She continued to count until she reached thirty she gripped her wand tightly, then squeezed her eyes shut as she raised her wand to her heart and said two words as soft as a lullaby escaped her lips as smiled remembering Fred. The person whose space could never be filled. Her lover. Her life. Her soulmate.
"Avada Kedavra"
In a flash of green everything was quiet after tiny thud was heard from where Hermione laid motionless forever frozen with a serene smile on her lips. The bags under her eyes still there but adding to the morbid beauty as her tangled copper coiled hair spread around her in a halo. Her thin frame laid on the grass that had dandelions fluttering around her as the morning breeze began to blow and morning dew began to form. As daylight rose so did the Weasley family and Harry.
Dancing slowly in an empty room
Can the lonely take the place of you?
I sing myself a quiet lullaby
Let you go and let the lonely in
To take my heart again
Molly had just finished making breakfast and everyone slowly began to make their way down to the kitchen as they sat down she counted the redheads and saw that there was only one missing. One that would forever be missing now. She saw one messy haired boy but no wild copper curls.
"Ginny, where's Hermione?" She looked worriedly at her daughter remembering what had occurred yesterday. She saw as an otter appeared. Molly felt herself start to panic. Death Eaters? She pulled out her wand and looked at the patronus in front of her. As it began to speak.
"Hello, Molly, Arthur, Bill, Fleur, Charlie, Percy, George, Ron, Ginny, and Harry. Now you're probably either eating your fill, wondering where I'm at or just waking up after a long night. With my Patronus, I'm guessing that you're all waiting to hear about a death eater attack from rouges. But this isn't the case. I just wanted to say thank you for being my second family. Thank you for loving me, crying with me, laughing and even just being there for me. I don't think I would ever be able to express how much I loved being accepted by you. Now I know that you'll be shocked by everything that I am about to say. Ron, I hope that you don't hold what I did against me but keep my happiness in mind. Harry, you're my brother, you truly are don't think you're alone...look at those people around you. They love you. You'll also be receiving something else after this. Georgie, Forge, the better-looking twin, my favorite brother," The otter seemed to grin teasingly at George. "Live Georgie, Fred would want you to live, to prank, to laugh as though there's no tomorrow. He'd also say 'Forge you're my twin, sure you're better looking you blighter but I'm clearly the brains seeing as you haven't made a move on that bird you've fancied. Get a move on you bloody git you're wasting time, not only yours and hers but mine and Hermione's' You also will receive something else separately"
George let you out a bark of laughter at that thinking how Fred-like Hermione sounded. Tears gathered at the corner of his eyes as his anxiety began to build feeling as though this was becoming something he didn't want to hear. But the otter continued.
"Gin, you're the best girl friend a girl would ever ask for you are just, brave and not scared to hex the living daylights out of anyone you truly are a Gryffindor and more than worthy of the title Gryffindor Princess more than I ever will be. Now Bill, Fleur, and Charlie I haven't spoken to any of you quite yet but trust me I loved you guys like I would any brothers and sister. Percy, I see you've stopped being as Fred says 'A bloody perfect prefect git' and came back home I thank you for guiding me when I was younger whether it was slyly giving me books with hexes written them or giving me an ear to vent when I was young. Now don't blush or deny it we both know that it's true.
But now to the actual part of my Patronus. Since my fourth year Fred and I have been dating in secret with the war, Ron's feelings and expectations we never told anyone, well we weren't planning to. Right, Forge? Well, that's the reason as to why I've been so distraught. But by now I think that I know what I need to do. Fred wasn't a fling or just a crush that was a pass by we both saw it my fifth year when I brewed a soulmate potion that was made into chocolate for WWW both me and Fred tried it. It would tattoo in any area of the body an animal, shape, plant or anything to the person who took the chocolate. Both Fred and I ate a piece and we had matching tattoos meaning that we were indeed soulmates. It ended up being my wand and his wand crossed mine with swirls that moved to form my otter shooting out of it, while his shot sparks that formed his hyena.
Now I'm sure some of you never saw it coming but it happened we clicked and we loved each other. From what George told me Fred had planned on proposing for me to move in with them. To tell Molly that they needed another employee and who better for publicity than a golden trio member…But I miss him so much in the 3 days, 17 hours, 20 minutes and 54 seconds, 55 seconds...
But by now it'll be too late. I'm sorry but there isn't anything that you can do anymore. You'll find me by the lake please take this vial reach into my Patronus and take it… I love you all. Goodbye."
Before the otter had even finished speaking George was already out the door running towards the pond, he saw Ginny and Harry running beside him followed by a stumbling Ron who appeared to be in shock. As he ran he saw something on the ground...no, someone. There laid Hermione Granger appearing as though she was sleeping. Tears crept out of his eyes as he saw that her chest wasn't moving. He dropped to his knees and hugged the woman his brother had loved. She was the only person who knew him as well as his twin why did she leave him too.
He heard Ginny shrieking in anguish but that was soon joined by Harry's own scream and Ron's sobs. They were muted in his ears as the ringing became louder and black dots spotted his vision. She was dead. Hermione Granger. Gryffindor Princess. Brightest Witch of her Age. Was. Dead. Then everything went black.
The rest of the Weasleys ran outside as soon as they heard screaming after the other members had run out. There they saw something that had them shaking to their core which was George passed out on the ground beside Hermione and Harry, Ron and Ginny screaming and crying. But while George's chest was moving Hermione's wasn't.
Molly and Fleur soon began to cry hugging their husbands for consolation as Charlie went to George. Tapping his wand on George's head he made him conscious again. As soon as Charlie saw George's eyes he felt sorrow for his brother. Then another otter appeared, in front of George. Percy dropped to his knees beside George bowing his head at the loss of her life.
"George go confess and live, don't worry she's your soulmate. I and Fred checked. Don't make your soulmate live without you. Take the vial and also you got a tramp stamp on you. I love you, Georgie. Go to my room and pick up my trunk I left everything there for you. You know what I'm talking about, also inside there is a pensieve that I made along with Fred before the war just for you. So that your kids know how much better their Aunt 'Mione than their Uncle Gred and to see how you were the better-looking twin. Say goodbye to Angelina for me too. Bye George and remember goodbye isn't forever, it's only temporary."
With that, the otter shrunk down into what appeared a large crystal orb that was inside of it and dropped into George's lap. George felt a new wave of tears being shed as he saw that it also contained the soulmate markings of his brother and Hermione along with his own Patronus that played with theirs. He turned to look and saw that while he received that Harry, Ron, and Ginny received a similar gift except that it was a simple necklace for each one where they had their patronus playing with each other and Hermione's.
George had lost his twin. He had lost Hermione. Now he was all lonely in the world.
With that he screamed as his agony swept inside him leaving him cold.