One Day
Harry reached the graveyard of Ottery St. Catchpole and stepped through the protective enchantments surrounding the perimeter. Almost all the seats were full of witches and wizards dressed in both black and orange, the orange a tribute Weasleys Wizard Wheezes. Fred and George's dream. Fred. The gnawing guilt settled in his stomach, making his eyes water and head pound.
He lowered his head as to avoid the gazes of the people not yet seated. He hoped they would leave him alone. He'd had enough of people thanking him and congratulating him.
Harry sat in an aisle seat right at the back; he raised his head and took his surroundings. The sky was a clear periwinkle blue, not at all reflecting his mood. It should be raining, he thought, and cloudy and cold, not sunny and warm. Rowan trees were dotted about the graveyard, casting their looming shadows over the sombre group of mourners. The sun glinted of the marble gravestones, winking and flashing.
Harry scanned the mourners, looking for the painfully familiar cluster of red heads, but to no avail, they hadn't yet arrived. He hadn't seen them since that terrible, terrible day. Hadn't been able to face them. He had been staying, no; hiding at Grimmuald Place, Harry had found t difficult to accept that the deaths during the second war were not his fault. If only he had given himself up sooner, Fred might still be alive, litter Teddy Lupin might still have his parents. He stopped himself there, pushing back the tears and swallowing another wave of guilt. There was no point dwelling on it, he was there to remember Fred but doing that was just as painful.
The mourners silenced suddenly, all turning around to watch a white coffin float its way down the aisle, Levitated by Mr Weasley, Bill, Charlie, George, Percy and Ron. Mrs Weasley, Ginny, Fleur and Hermione behind them. All of them held a look of pure devastation, except George, he just looked lost.
Mrs Weasley stooped when she saw Harry sat at the back. He tried desperately hard to avoid her watery, tired gaze but found himself unable to look away. She took his hand in her soft, warm one.
"You belong with us, Harry." She said softly.
Harry stood and was led to the very front of the gathering with the Weasleys. The Weasley men lowered the coffin next to a deep, rectangular hole in the brown earth. Mrs Weasley dropped Harry's hand and took her seat next to George and Mr Weasley. Harry sat between Hermione and Ginny. Only then did he notice the bright orange 'W' emblazoned on the snowy white lid of Fred's coffin, a tribute to his fiery hair and his and George's shop. A new wave of guilt swept over him. He lowered his head yet again, clenching his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white. Hermione noticed and took his hand, smiling a small, sad smile at him, tears cascading down her face.
The service, led by a small man in over large robes, started once everyone was seated. The wizard talked of Fred's bright personality and mischievous antics undertaken with his twin. Hot, heavy tears slid down Harry's face as he remembered everything from when the twins rescued him from the Dursley's in his second year to Fred's last act as a live man.
Ginny, next to him, didn't seem to be listening to any of it. She just stared straight ahead, tears staining her pale cheeks while her small hands clutched at the hem of her jumper. The look on her face made Harry fell sick, so lost, so sad, so pained. He wanted to reach out and hug her, comfort her in some way but he couldn't, he just couldn't.
xxxxxx
The service ended. Fred's coffin under a thick blanket of soil. George looked shocked and bewildered, as if he couldn't comprehend what had happened.
Harry stood and mumbled a quiet goodbye to Hermione.
"No Harry." She said, standing herself and pulling him away from the Weasleys. "You're coming back to The Burrow with us."
"But ..." He tried to protest.
"No Harry. Molly has already lost one son; she doesn't need to lose another one."
They both turned to look at Mrs Weasley. She was embracing George, tears running down her face.
"Okay." He murmured.
Hermione reached up and hugged him, Harry placed his arms around her and squeezed her back. He'd missed her, and Ron.
They broke apart and she took his hand. Ron was waiting for them, he slipped an arm around Hermione's waist and kissed the top of her bushy hair. Reunited, the three followed the Weasleys away from the mournful grave.
xxxxxx
She saw him lying in the meadow, looking up at the stars. She'd been watching him for half an hour, an odd thing to do but she was mesmerised. He hadn't moved at all, not even to adjust his position.
Ginny reached him and lay next to him, digging her bare feet in to the damp grass. They lay in silence just watching the glinting and winking sky. He hadn't acknowledged her presence but knew she was there.
"You haven't been eating." She said, turning her head to look at him. "Or sleeping." She had not missed the way his ribs seemed to stick out, nor the dark circles under his somewhat broken green eyes.
"I haven't." Harry met her gaze, he wasn't going to lie, there was no point. She'd see straight through it.
They lapsed into silence once more, bright green eyes meeting chocolate brown.
"Do you think everything will be okay?" She whispered, not sure whether she wanted to know the answer.
"Maybe, one day, it'll get easier." He whispered back.
She smiled slightly, but it didn't reach her eyes. He entwined his cold fingers with her small ones.
"One day."
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A/N: Just wanted to write my own version of the aftermath. In other fics I've read, Harry seems to get over the war pretty quick and I just think he'd be really cut up about it.
Anyway, please leave a review.
To all the Pitter Patter fans, I have a little bit of a block on it. So it'll be up as soon as it goes!
Oh and if you haven't seen Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 then go and see it, if you have already then see it again!