Disclaimer: Cheers to J.K. one of the greatest women I know. She created Harry Potter, I did not.
xoxo xoxo xoxo
Do you know what it's like to watch the one person you love most in this world die, right before your eyes?
I do.
The initial blow of it isn't as painful as you thought it would be. The world doesn't stop. The war continues around you and you're forced to struggle to your feet, stumble through the wreckage and fight the urge to give up and die right there with them. And that pain you're supposed to be feeling? That gut-wrenching absolute heartbreak that leaves you feeling like your entire world has been sucked into this big black pit of misery?
Well.. that comes after.
.
.
.
"No! Fred! No!"
I'm frozen, or at least it feels like I'm frozen. I can hear sounds, loud explosions, screaming and crying; Harry is holding my hand and Ron, where was Ron?
My eyes focus in on him and Percy, knelt by Fred's body. The prat wasn't getting up. This was most certainly not the time to be joking around like this. I want to run up to him and give him a nice square kick in the groin but something is holding me back. I'm paralyzed and the only thing I feel is Harry's hand in mine. Why can't I move? There's a war going on around me and I can't move.
I have but a whole five seconds to react before I see a body fall past the big gaping hole in the school, and the next thing I know Harry and Ron are pulling me to the floor. I am broken out of my stupor. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that people were trying to kill us. I'm screaming Fred's name. I am calling him all kinds of terrible things and still he does not rise. I guess it must be difficult to get up when you have Percy collapsed ontop of your body like that. I yell at Percy to get off him and I'm thankful that Ron has enough sense to try and pull him off of Fred.
"Percy, you can't do anything for him! We're going to –"
What was Ron talking about? For heaven's sakes all he had to do was get off of him and all Fred needed to do was stop being such a git so we could end this stupid war once and for all. I don't have time to yell at either of them as I'm distracted by a monstrous spider bearing down on us, followed by it's litter of friends as they crawled through the previously aforementioned hole in the wall. A terrible scream emits from my throat and Harry and Ron are blasting them out of sight. Ducking all the flying curses I make my way towards Fred and Percy but Harry has beaten me to it. I watch as the pair of them lift Fred's body out of harm's way and that's when it hits me.
I'm torn back into reality as I stare at his open eyes, confirming that he hasn't been knocked unconscious; but watching Harry and Percy struggle beneath his weight, watching as his arm fell limply to his side and drag along I knew he wasn't awake either.
Fred Weasley was dead.
A scream bubbles in my throat but I can't make a sound. Percy screams out a name and is in full pursuit of Fred's killer. Ron chases after them but I can't bear to be here anymore so I take off after Ron, refusing to believe this is anything but a terrible dream. I reach him and grab him by his forearm, yanking him out of the way of an incoming curse. I don't know if the sudden rush of adrenaline has made me stronger, or that Ron has suddenly become very weak because I manage to pull him behind a tapestry. I want nothing more than to follow Percy, avenge Fred's death but I know deep down the only way to truly avenge his death is to end this, right now. Ron begins to fight back and I feel myself losing hold of him. A panic starts to rise in my chest as I picture the thought of letting him go and losing him too.
"Listen to me—LISTEN, RON!" Harry joins us as I'm screaming at Ron and tightening my hold on him. "Ron, we're the only ones who can end it! Please – Ron – we need the snake, we've got to kill the snake!" I feel hot tears rolling down my face. I struggle in between heaving breaths to try and get these words out. I need him to see reason and more than anything I need him to calm down because it's taking every bit of strength I have to abandon all forms of sanity and run to Fred's lifeless body.
"We will fight!" I sob, holding onto Ron tighter, unsure of whether I'm trying to keep him here or keep myself tethered to this spot. "We're the only ones who can end it!" Magically I feel my sobs begin to subside and with a clear mind I know exactly what it is that we need to do. I need to keep Ron on track too. I need to stay strong or the both of us and not let him see how badly Fred's death has affected me.
Most importantly, I can't let him see how much I loved his brother.
