I walked towards the cliff, no tears falling down my face. I was empty. I had cried for you. Every night for a month I cried myself to sleep. My pillows tear stained. But now, I was just a shell. You left my world and I became nothing. Just a shadow of my former self.
~8~
A twelve year old girl, with hair the colour of ravens, ran through the corridor. A smile plastered on her face as she raced away from her best friends who were chasing her, their normally bright orange hair now a shade of blue.
They finally caught her, the three of them panting.
"Change it back Arabella." One of the identical former red heads said to laughing girl before them.
"Never." Was her reply before running away once more, all the way to her dormitory where they could not follow her.
~8~
Arabella, now fourteen, looked at the scene before her, with tears falling down from her hazel eyes. Most of them were there, the Weasley clan that she had grown to love, mourning the youngest member Ginevra. Ronald was most likely with his best friend looking for the smallest red haired family member.
The twins, sitting on either side of their mother, holding her hands in theirs as she wept for her only daughter. Their own eyes full of tears, breaking Arabella's heart, who, up to this point, had only ever seen smiles grace their faces.
Fred looked up at her, a helpless look in his eyes. She moved towards them, sitting on the arm of the chair next to him, ignoring the butterflies in her stomach as he grabbed her hand in his free one.
~8~
At sixteen, she watched as Fred asked Angelina to the ball, her heart shattering at the sight. She had been hoping he would ask her, but soon the thoughts gathered in her head that he only liked her as a friend.
"Ara, you okay?" Ginny asked from next to her, most likely seeing the same scene as Arabella did.
"Fine." Was the older girls reply, as she torn her gaze away from her secret crush to look at her youngest friend. A forced smile appeared on her lips as she tried to hide the hurt. "Perfectly fine Gin. Don't worry about me."
"Hide it all you want Ara, everyone but my stupid brother knows how you feel about him."
Arabella blushed and looked down, hiding her face behind her black hair. "Doesn't matter does it, he'll never see me that way."
"He does, he is just too scared to admit it. Like I said, he is stupid." Ginny smiled at the girl as she let out a small laugh. "Just find someone to go with and make Fred jealous."
~8~
The night of the ball came and Arabella found herself sitting with her date, a Hufflepuff boy from her year. She felt eyes on her as she looked around, her eyes soon founding Fred whose gaze was on her date, looking as if he was ready to kill the poor boy. Fred shifted his gaze to her and his eyes softened. He looked away as Angela began to nudge his arm to gain his attention.
Arabella didn't even notice as her date left to dance with another girl but when she heard someone clear their throat next to her she looked in surprise to see George sitting there.
"You look totally miserable Ara. What could have caused such a sour mood on this fine night?" He asked her, watching as her gaze quickly flickered to his twin across the room, now dancing with his date. "Ahhh. My dear brother. I should have guessed."
His gaze returned to her to see her looking at her hands that lay in her lap. "Why would Fred cause you to be in such a depressive state I wonder. Maybe it has something to do with the little crush you've had on him since fourth year."
Her gaze jumped to his, shock clearly written on her face. "How do yo-?"
"Everyone knows, except the man in question. No idea how he hasn't noticed. It's not like you hide it or anything. Even mum knows and she is always dropping hints that fly right over his head."
Arabella nodded and looked back down, a blush creeping onto her face.
"But if my brother is too stupid to ask you for a dance, I think I might. I dislike seeing my future sister-in-law looking so down." A grin on his face as he forced Arabella from her seat, ignoring her protests, and towards the dance floor. "Don't worry, he'll notice soon, even if I have to hit him over the head."
Arabella laughed and started to enjoy the night with the help of her best friend.
~8~
Sitting in Grimmauld Place, Arabella was trying to hide from Mrs Weasley who was trying to get everyone up and cleaning the dusty and gloomy home of the Blacks. She currently sat behind a dusty old bookshelf as she heard the door open. Her heart started beating faster, praying that Mrs Weasley hadn't found her. But to her surprise, the body that had entered the room and sat down next to her belonged to the person who was always on her mind.
"You hiding too Bella?" Fred asked her in a whisper, after she nodded in response, the two fell into a slightly awkward silence.
After four minutes of silence, Fred spoke up."George told me something interesting last night."
"Oh." Arabella answered, keeping her gaze to the ground. Every since the Yule Ball, she had tried her best to avoid the gaze of the man next to her.
"Mmm. He said something about me being a daft prat and you having an obvious secret crush on someone."
"Oh." Was the only answer she gave as her cheeks started to burn. She felt his warm fingers gently grab her chin and forcing her to look up at him. Their eyes locked and her face blushed more.
"You should have told me." Was all he said before he placed his lips on hers. Her eyes widened in shock before she melted into feeling of his lips finally on hers. All too soon he pulled away to look her in the eyes once more. "If I had know, I would have done that much sooner." He told her before slamming his lips back on hers in a more passionate kiss. His arms found her waist as hers found his hair, both forgetting the world around them.
Until, someone cleared their throat from behind them, causing them to jump apart and look up to see Mrs Weasley standing there. "It is about time you two, but could you please get back into cleaning, this place wont clean itself."
She turned and left, Arabella noticing a small smirk grace the woman's face before the door shut, leaving the two alone once more. The two turned towards each other, looking each other in the eyes, goofy smiles on both their faces. Fred placed a kiss on her forehead before standing and helping her up. Entwining their fingers as they stood before each other.
"I'm hoping I don't have to ask." Fred said to her.
"You know I'd make you do it anyway." She replied to the man before her.
"Bella, would you do me the honour of being my girlfriend?"
"Nope." Was all she said before running from the room, laughing at the sound of his sigh.
~8~
She stood in the corridor, her hand in Fred's as the time grew near for him and George to leave. She wanted to go with them, the three of them together like they always were, but Fred had firmly said no. Stating that he wanted his girlfriend would have to get NEWTS for the three of them and George adding that someone in the shop had to have them. She nodded and let the topic drop.
"I'll see you at the station at the end of term." He told her, pulling her into a hug.
"You better or I'll set Ginny onto you."
"I bet you would." He pulled away a little and planted a long kiss on her lips. "I love you Bella."
"I love you too Fred."
"Good. I was starting to think you had a thing for George." Fred playfully stated.
"Oh I do." She told him with her best poker face.
"Wha-"
"Oh you know I'm joking you prat."
They both looked at each other, grinning like idiots, when George returned.
"You two have the rest of your lives to look at each other like that. Let's get going Fred."
With one last kiss, Fred joined his brother, mounting their brooms.
"Ready Gred?"
"Ready Forge."
And the two were off, leaving a smiling girl behind them.
~8~
"If only George was right" I said to no one, hoping Fred would hear me. "If only you didn't die that night..."
I closed my eyes. "Why did you leave me Fred? You're a bastard you know. You promised we'd get married after the war ended. Told me that you would be fine, that we'd both make it out of the war alive. You lied to me."
~8~
Arabella walked into the Great Hall, bodies of the dead placed in rows in the middle, families mourning, the injured being treated. But Arabella didn't notice any of this, she saw the family of red heads and made her way quickly towards them until she heard the cries of Mrs Weasley.
Arabella froze. Her gaze falling to the body that sat between the distraught woman and the one eared twin that was obviously George. Her heart snapped as she saw the unmoving body of her fiancé, laying there, a ghost of a smile on his face.
She slowly walked forwards, ignoring the eyes of the others on her as she fell down beside her would be brother-in-law. Tears falling freely as she starred in shock at the man she loved... Unmoving... She didn't notice anything around her, she only noticed how her heart broke at the sight for her future, laying dead before her.
~8~
"You left me. Do you have any idea how I've felt since." I started to yell at the night. "I died that night Fred and I've been dying every day since."
~8~
In the twins room at the Burrow, Arabella lay curled up on her dead fiancés bed, staring at the wall. A knock on the door, before it opened and Mrs Weasley entered, a tray of food in her hands.
"I've brought you something to eat dear."
Nothing.
"You have to eat something dear. It's been days since you last ate."
Silence.
"I'll just sit it here and let you be." Mrs Weasley placed the food on the table next to the bed and left the girl in peace.
~8~
"Arabella, get out of bed, you aren't the only one who is hurting right now." Ginny yelled at her from the door way. "He was my brother, I loved him too."
It had been two weeks since Fred's death. Two weeks of her laying there, only getting up to use the toilet when she knew no one was around. Two weeks of crying her eyes out.
"The funeral is tomorrow. I'll come back then." And Ginny left to go cry in her own room. Not only did she loose her big brother, but it felt as though she lost her best friend at the same time.
~8~
The funeral was over. Arabella stood next to his grave, George next to her. Both had been there for a few hours after it had ended. Both were left alone to grieve as the wake was being held in the Burrow not far away. Neither spoke. They just stared at the ground where Fred now lay at peace. Both too depressed to talk.
Hermione and Fleur were the ones to drag Arabella down from Fred's old bed. Helping her shower and dress before walking her down to where the funeral would be held. They stood next to her, holding her hands, along with the hands of their partners. But Arabella never noticed. She just stood staring at the place where the love of her life would be from this day on.
She didn't notice as it got dark, or when George planted a kiss on the side of her head before walking away to his childhood home. She didn't notice as she collapsed in tears, crying her heart out onto Fred's grave. She didn't even notice when George returned or the pair of arms pick her up and take her back upstairs to Fred's bed where she soon passed out from emotional exhaustion.
~8~
One month since the funeral and Arabella stood in the bathroom after a shower Mrs Weasley forced her to take, stating that Fred wouldn't have wanted her to be like this. It was a month since she had cried. A month since she had felt anything but hollow.
She decided she wanted to see him again.
She decided she would join her love.
~8~
"So here I am Fred. Ready to see you again." I whispered. "I can't keep living like this. I don't want people to worry about me anymore."
I took a deep breath and walked further towards the cliff face, starring at the rocky waters below.
"I'm ready to join you my love."
"ARABELLA, DON'T!"
I looked back to see George running up to me, panting.
"Don't you DARE think about leaving me alone. I can't lose both of you. I won't survive that. Losing both of my best friends. Please, I beg you, don't."
He looked so broken. No trace of the man he was when his brother was still alive. I watched as he collapsed onto the ground in tears, muttering about not wanting to be alone. I walked over to him, kneeling in front of him, before whispering two words, before putting my arms around him and crying with him.
"I'm Sorry."
~8~
A/N: Just a little depressing One-shot for you all about the love Fred left behind. Fred's death was the one that hit me the most in the whole series, so obviously I fall in love with the dead prankster.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own these wonderful characters, those rights go to the lovely JK :D
I only own Arabella.
Would love to know what you all think about it. First HP fanfic (that I've published)
Also, haven't had time to edit, since my kids keep me from it, so if there are mistakes let me know and I'll fix it when I have time.
LOVE to you all. Xoxo
-MercurioC
