Me: I'm writing this one-shot for Morning Lilies's Forgotten Family Ties competition! Hope you guys like it!
Albus Potter moved through the garden, tripping every few feet over scattered flower pots and the roots of trees.
It was almost midnight. Late for such a young boy to be roaming an unfamiliar hillside all alone. But to him it wasn't unfamiliar; he was near the Burrow. And he wasn't alone. He was following Roxanne Weasley.
He didn't know why he was. To him curiosity was just an instinct; the same as hunting to a cat. He needed to know where she was going. And why. He just did. No reason in particular.
He could almost make out her lithe shape quietly weaving through the long grass. He ran faster.
Suddenly, she stopped and twisted around, catching a glimpse of Albus as he struggled to hide behind a tree.
She laughed. "Albus? You do realize that I can see you. Red doesn't camouflage very well.
Albus looked down at his bright red Christmas sweater and blushed. "Yeah, I guess."
"Are the parents still awake?"
"Am I still in an itchy sweater?"
Roxanne laughed. "So I take it the answer is yes? Unless Grandmum's sweaters are suddenly comfortable."
It was Albus's turn to laugh. "No. It would be scary if they were." His face grew solemner. "So, where are you going?"
"Not much farther," Roxanne replied simply, walking a few more feet, then kneeling down in front of a tombstone. "Uncle Fred's." She said, tears beginning to well up in her eyes.
"I bet he's glad he doesn't have to wear Grandmum's sweaters anymore," Albus said, trying to lighten the mood.
Roxanne smiled through her tears. "I guess we'll never know. We never got to know him..." A fresh batch of tears came pouring down her cheeks. "I just really wish he were alive. Or at least that I could have known him. Dad's always talking about what a great guy he was."
"That would've been nice."
The two friends sat in silence for a few moments, mourning the deceased Weasley.
Breaking the silence, Roxanne asked, "What do you think being dead is like?"
Albus was shocked. "I-I don't really know."
"Well, what do you think."
"I guess it's a bit like crossing a bridge," Albus said at last. "Like the other side. It's not much different from here. It's a long and perilous journey across the bridge, but once you make it, it's happy. Everyone has to cross the bridge, but only the bravest cross it quickly. And even though you can't see them, they're helping you cross safely."
"Do you think it hurts? Death, I mean," asked Roxanne.
"Well, my dad always says, 'Don't pity the dead. Pity the living.'"
Roxanne stood up, and began brushing off her satin dress. She looked up at Albus, a smile forming on her tear-streaked face. "Race you back to the Burrow!"
And they were off.
R&R?