A/N: Fred comforts Angelina one night in front of the Gryffindor common room fire. RxR. FxF. I do not own Harry Potter.
Submission for:
Open Category Competition: Could Be Canon - Fred/Angelina
Pick a Card, Any Card Challenge: Five of Clubs: Write about a Weasley.
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry (Challenges & Assignments): Speed Drabble - "This has to be a dream", "Please, stay with me", "privacy" and Fred/Angelina.
Fred stumbled down to the common room after midnight. He just couldn't get back to the sleep. He kept thinking there was something he was forgetting and it was just constantly on his mind and keeping him awake. He knew he wouldn't be able to go back to bed until he searched the entire room, whether he found the mysterious thing or not.
He stepped onto the wooden floor of the red and gold room expecting it to be cold and dark. Instead, the room was slightly warm, the small fire in the grate providing some warmth and light.
"Hello?" Fred asked hesitantly. Someone else couldn't sleep as well.
"Fred?" the person whipped around. Fred couldn't see their face in the shadow of the fire but he could recognize that outline and that voice anywhere.
"Oh Angie, hey. I'll just be going now," he said softly, turning about to head up back the stairs and give her a little privacy.
"No, no," she said quickly, rising from the couch and padding up to him softly. She reached out and grabbed his hand. "Please, stay with me," she all but pleaded.
He tried to read her face in the dim light. He could see her dark brown eyes, her soft lips and her smooth skin - everything that was perfectly Angie. But in her face, he saw something he didn't want to see. There was fear in her gaze, her lip trembled and her hands felt cold the touch.
He reached his hand up and placed it on her cheek, it too cold as ice though she seemed to have been sitting by the fire for awhile. His fingers brushed against a slight wet trail and he asked softly, "Angie, what's wrong?"
She sniffled and then pulled him towards the couch facing the fire. He took a seat beside her, careful not to invade her personal space, but she brought him close to her. Her hand was still in his and she looked into his face while biting her lip.
They sat in silence for awhile before Fred asked again, "Angie, what's wrong?"
Her lip trembled again and she looked away from him and into the fire, the tears starting from her eyes again. Fred reached and pulled into his chest, her cheek against his thinly clothed chest. He could feel the wetness seeping into the fabric but he didn't care. He made light hushing noises as she cried against him.
She gasped out, "I got a letter. My gran died this morning. I knew it was bound to happen. She was 92 and she was getting weaker. But now it's actually happened, and I can't help thinking this has to be a dream. She can't actually be gone. I keep remembering all our memories together: cookies, dance classes and silly conversations. There are things I never got to tell her or ask her. I can't even remember the last time I told her I loved her. And now she's gone."
Fred held onto Angelina tightly and said softly, "From you've said, I'm sure she knew you loved her, and you still do. Our actions speak louder than our words. You showed her love constantly and that spoken volumes of your love for her."
Angelina nodded against his chest and he heard her sniffles quieting. He continued to speak, "And I'm sure she loves you. She's probably smiling down at you right now, but I doubt she'd want to see you crying over her. She wouldn't want to see you sad, Angie."
Angelina nodded and then threw her arms around Fred's torso. She smiled against his chest and said, "Thank you, Fred, forever everything."
Fred smiled and then said, "And it doesn't hurt to that you have a devilishly handsome man to dry your tears does it."
She raised herself off his chest and swatted him. He just laughed and pulled her into him again and placed a big, sloppy kiss on her cheek. They sat like that before the fire, neither caring that it was past midnight, but just enjoying each others company.