Vega Montgomery felt her sister's hand slip out of her grasp and heard the choked sob escape her lips. The Great Hall has been transformed into an extension of the hospital wing, a place of anguish and a mortuary. Vega felt her knees tremble as she saw how many people were lying motionless on the cold stone floor.

Suddenly there was a flurry of action next to her. Her sister, Capella, screamed and fell to her knees and George Weasley ran forward into the center of the room. Vega stared after him, watching where he went. Suddenly he too was on his knees, next to a body identical to his. Vega felt her throat constrict and her face grow hot and she had to turn away.

Stumbling over crumbled stone she walked away from the terrible nightmare inside. Her feet were as heavy as lead but she kept walking. She passed the splintered oak doors and crossed the courtyard before she even realized what she was doing. Pausing, she glanced back at the ruined castle. She felt guilty about leaving Pell alone in the Great Hall, but then the image of Fred rushed back and she turned away again.

In her rush, Vega tripped on a smashed step and fell. Her jeans tore at the knees and her palms smacked the hard stone. But the pain inside was far worse than the physical pain in her hands and knees. She turned over her hands and looked at her bleeding palms. Every motion was slow and it felt like she was struggling through a heavy current.

Fred Weasley was dead. As soon as Vega said it in her mind, she couldn't stop repeating the horrible fact; Fred Weasley was dead.

The thought of his lifeless body suddenly made her very sick and she couldn't stop herself from vomiting. Her throat burned and she groped around, looking for something to hold on to as she was violently sick again and again.

When she was finally able to stand she ran, down the gently sloping hill towards the lake. She didn't bother to look around at the dark red stains on the brilliantly green grass. When she reached the edge of the lake she threw herself to her knees, not caring that the stones tore into her already bleeding skin. Thrusting her hands into the cool water she stared at her rippling reflection.

Her honey-colored hair was wild around her face, which was streaked with blood, and there was a cut under her left eye. She stilled and waited for the water to do the same. She knew that some of the blood staining her face was hers and some was Pell's. Bringing her cupped hands up to her face she washed the best she could.

Without warning, the image of Fred's face was back. Fred Weasley was dead. Vega pressed one wet hand to her chest. Her insides felt like shattered glass: heavy and sharp.

Vega stood and kicked violently at the water lapping gently against the shore. Fred, the boy who had held her when her brother was killed. Fred, the boy who had taught her the meaning of laughter. Fred, the boy who had smiled wickedly across the table at her every night at dinner. Fred, the boy who had kissed her tentatively and secretly in the Weasley's back garden. Fred, the boy she had been falling in love with, was dead.

The thought of never seeing him smile, never hearing him laugh, never finding out what could have been, was too much for Vega to bear. She curled her hands into tight fists and screamed. Quiet, demure Vega Montgomery screamed until her voice failed her. When she couldn't scream anymore, she cried.

How could this happen? How could someone so full of life suddenly be gone? Vega held her head in her hands, crying silently.

Off to her left she heard a small sound. There was a faint crack of a breaking twig and the tumble of small stones under moving feet. In a flash Vega drew her wand and turned, ready to fight.

"Woah." A tall, broad shouldered man stopped mid-stride and threw his hands into the air. "It's alright, I'm Adrian Pu – "

"I know who you are," Vega said, her voice trembling. "Pucey, Adrian Pucey. Why are you here? Why didn't you run with the rest of them?" She nodded in the direction the Death Eaters had gone after You-Know-Who had been killed. Her hand was shaking but she pointed her wand at Adrian's face.

Adrian pressed his hands against his chest. "I'm not a Death Eater, never was. Not all Slytherins are bad," he added. "I heard you screaming," he said as he took a few steps closer. "I wanted to make sure everything was alright." He took a few more steps towards her. "Are you alright?"

Vega lowered her wand and shook her head. "No," she said, wiping away the tears that were still falling. She didn't want to tell Adrian anything but the words spilled from her mouth. "No, I'm not alright." She shook her head again and struggled with her shaking breaths. "He's dead," she whispered. "He was wonderful and full of life. Now he's lying up there," she pointed up at the castle. "He was funny and handsome and…and…alive." She buried her face in her hands, still holding her wand. "And now he's not."

Adrian didn't know what to do. He suddenly realized that he didn't even know who she was talking about. He awkwardly took a few steps towards Vega but folded his arms across his chest and listened to her cry.

When her wracking sobs had lessened she dropped her hands and looked up at Adrian. "What do I do now?"

Adrian shook his head. "I don't really know. I'm sorry," he added. He sighed and scrubbed his broad hands over his face. "You wake up tomorrow. You wake up and try to put together the broken pieces."

This is in response to The Tribute to Fred Weasley competition by aroundtheriverbend on HPFC. This chapter is for the competition but I will continue Vega's story from this point.

Vega and Capella(Pell) Montgomery are the sisters briefly mentioned in HBP. I've created Pell's story in a piece called Thirty Interactions, if you want to read more.