Disclaimer: Don't own it.

Leaving

AN: Thanks for the reviews.

As the funeral ended, the man, standing beside his mother, stared helplessly at the coffin lowered into the cold black earth.

"How" escaped from his tear stained lips. As if answering his question, his mind flashed back to a happier time three days prior.

"Weasley! I had to be at work an hour and a half ago will you please get off me!" Wheezed a giggling woman. Fred and Lex had given her a three minute hug that had brought all three of them to the ground.

"And that goes for you as well young man."

The two year old had giggled and jumped off his dad's back.

"Alright mummy!"

"Angelina don't blame us, you knew you had to be at work at eight next time you say 'Just five more minutes.' I'm going to pour cold water on you." Fred mimicked as he helped his wife from off the floor.

Angelina snorted, pushed Fred away, and picked up their son who was listening to their conversation as if he understood every word of it.

"Come on Ally. Mummy's going to take you work!"

The baby cheered and wiggled out his mother's grip landing on his feet as agile as a cat. He then proceeded down the hall, his mop of reddish-brown hair slipping behind the corridor.

"You feed him too much sugar." Fred said looking after his son.

"Please you were the one who gave him that sugar quill before bed."

"He said he was hungry!"

"He just ate thirty minutes ago."

"Well he's a growing boy."

"Into what I don't know." Angelina murmured dryly.

Before Lex was born they had promised not to spoil him, but after he was born Fred tuned into a worse version of Mrs. Weasley, a notorious spoiler of children.

"Fred it took him all night to get to bed," another sigh, "he always gets his way when you're around."

"Ang my love," he spoke over his wife's protest of his usage of her much-hated nickname, "I think you forget that you were the one who let him eat three chocolate frogs before dinner."

At this, Angelina blushed.

"Okay maybe we do spoil him a wee-"

"Mummy! I can't find my firebolt!" A voice from down the hallway yelled.

"Er-I think a lot that-toy is one of the only two in Britain." Fred whispered as a smile struggled to get free.

A small smile appeared at the memory, but it quickly turned into a scowl when he remembered where he was. He walked over to his wife, who still hadn't taken her eyes off him since the procession to the burial site.

"Ang?"

"Don't call to me that." She snapped her eyes narrowing further.

"Angelina then, could we talk-"

"I don't want to talk to you." She started to turn away.

Fred grabbed her arm and whispered into her ear, "I lost him too, love."

She yanked her arm away from him and looked him dead in the face.

"Yes you did, but unlike me the blood's on your hands."

She detached herself away from him and joined the other mourners, leaving Fred stewing in his own grief.

That was three years ago today Angelina moved out a week later to her parent's home across town. She stayed there for about a month. She also visited her sister in Scotland for several months after Lex's death. When she came back to England, she was strangely subdued she never went out of the house and when she did it was to work. She threw herself into her work and she soon became head of Magical Games and Sports. Fred moved back into his flat he had once shared with his brother like Angelina he threw himself into his work. Both couldn't bring themselves to sell their once happy little home. Now the house stands as a reminder of what they lost, its empty eyes reflecting the tragedy that had happened.

Can love survive a death of a child? The answer appears to be no.

That is until today, since the tragic death of Alexander, Lex for short, the two grieving parents have visited him every year on the day he was born and also the day he died. Both parents visited him at certain times of the day. It was an unspoken agreement they had worked out with mutual friends. Angelina was the first she came in the mornings. Fred visited in the evenings. It worked for both parties until today. Fred had to go out of town. Some lost shipment ended up in a little town's water supply, a couple of the villagers had turned up with three heads and worse. If all turned out well he would be back the next week. Fred wasn't about to miss something so important as talking to his little boy, so he just decided to go see Lex a little earlier.

As Fred walked over to his son's grave the bottom of his gray coat, getting wet with the morning due, he spotted a familiar figure kneeling down next to another familiar figure. She was talking softly but in the empty graveyard her voice carried over to Fred who was walking slowly not to try and startle her.

"Hey there's my little boy. I haven't been to see you in awhile I'm sorry about that. I could give you some silly excuse of being too busy but you would know that I was lying. It's just that it's so hard to see you even after all these years. You would be five now I sure you would have been and handful to me and Fr-" She stopped and traced her fingers over the engraved name of her son. "to me. I'm sure you're in a better place right now. You're probably with you're grandmother being spoiled just like I was at five."

Fred gave a low sign as he sunk down the bark of the willow tree that was a few yards away from Angelina, 'Could she still not say his name after all this time?' But he didn't have time to brood on that fact because Angelina was still talking.

"…I really wanted to see whom you favored. I won't know how you liked Hogwarts or what house you would have gotten into, I don't know how well you would have done on you're O.W.Ls, N.E.W.Ts, you're life, what you wanted to be for that matter. Maybe if I could have been a better mother this wouldn't have happened. I know you've heard this before from me or d-I just feel so robbed, you probably feel the same way; you will never be a student, deal with Snape, Filch, or McGonagall, get turned down by the woman of your 'dreams' and have to settle for someone with a great personality, raise a family of your own…" Angelina broke off when she heard someone sobbing softly behind her. She turned and saw a person leaning against a willow tree. He was wearing a gray suit that was soiled with dirt, on the ground next to him lay an expensive Graphor suitcase; one hand ran over his windblown hair.

Angelina took a deep breath as she went to this man she knew too well. When she was closer to him, she heard him mumbling about it everything being his fault. She knew what to do.

Fred felt arms around him he dropped his hat and held on to this warm body.

"Oh Fred why are you here?" Came a soft voice from above him.

"Here's your tea."

"Thank you." Fred took the cup and drank it slowly savoring its strong, rich flavor.

Angelina shook head and gave a practiced smile. "No problem."

Once Fred saw that smile he knew it was time to leave.

"I should be going Ang-elina I have to be-er somewhere."

Her smile slipped off her face at the sound of her old nickname, "I-its good to see you again."

"Yeah you too." Fred thanked Angelina again and headed out the door. Once outside Fred leaned against the door and sighed.

Angelina stared at the closed door of her apartment. She started to think about the offer she had gotten yesterday. It was would bring her closer to her sister, but she was still unsure. Maybe I should she thought.

"There wasn't any blood. That's what I remember. Perhaps the blood was still in that tiny little heart of his. I heard it beat before he was even born. I used to listen to Angelina's stomach for hours. When he moved it was…amazing. I used to watch him sleep when we first brought him home. Who am I fooling? I watched him sleep until the end, even now lying in that coffin he looks like he's sleeping. I used to push him to be a beater like his dad. Angelina always said chasers were more respected they were also more dependable. Maybe she was right. I really don't know what to say Professor. Every time I wake up, I feel like it's going to be a great day. Then I remember and suddenly I don't feel like I want to get up anymore." Fred stood up from where he was talking to Professor Dumbledore and started to pace.

"Mister Weasley I know losing a child can be very difficult. However, you must try to live for that child and yourself. Starving yourself to death will not bring him back." Dumbledore took his glasses off and sighed. "I saw how much you loved Alexander we all did. Blaming yourself will never solve anything. Have you tried talking to your wife?"

At this, Fred laughed that sounded more like a growl, "What wife? She doesn't want to talk to me. She thinks that I did this." Fred gestured to his son's coffin, Alexander was wearing the same blue suit that he had worn at his grandparent's thirty-third wedding anniversary. Fred had come to the private corridor at St. Mungo's hours before the funeral to see Lex. He was surprised to see Professor Dumbledore there and he was even more surprised to hear what the Professor had to say. Speaking at the after the accident was hard enough now he had to deal with giving the eulogy. "And you know what professor? I did I kill my son."

"Mister Weasley-Fred you had nothing to do with this-"

"I should have watched him, I should have took his hand and let him help carry those boxes. Why didn't I see it?"

"Fred"

"He said-He said that"

"Fred."

"That-"

"Fred please"

"It was the first time he said that."

"Fred wake up please you're scaring me!"

Fred opened his eyes blinking out the sun. "Ginny?"

"Yes Fred. Welcome back, are you hungry should I make you something?"

Fred stared in confusion for a little while, "Ginny what are you doing in my room?" She visibly relaxed.

"I was trying to wake you but now I'm trying to see if you don't die of starvation. Really the way you cook I'm surprised you haven't died all ready, but I suppose Angelina made the food." Ginny got off Fred's bed and started pulling the curtains back with her back turned Fred wiped away the tears from his eyes. He had decided to stay at his sister's place until the case with the water supply was taken care off.

Tough love was the only way to snap Fred of the funk he had been in at the time of Lex's accident. When Fred had refused to get up from his bed or to speak, she had marched straight into his room while George had waited outside. In about three hours she had gotten him to do something that others could not do after Lex's funeral she had gotten Fred to cry.

Fred gulped and stood up.

"I'm glad you got up that saves me the trouble of coming in after you. I still have the bruises from last time." Fred chuckled at that statement.

"You could have just poured some cold water on me that's what George does."

"Oh that wouldn't be half as fun as jumping up and down on your bed singing at the top of my lungs now would it?" She gave a sickly sweet smile and continued to straighten up her brother's room.

Fred rolled his eyes and took the clothes that Ginny had put on the doorknob to the bathroom, "Are we going somewhere?"

"No-not we-you. What is this?" Ginny held up a lumpy gray object that was humming slightly.

"Err I think that might be a sock or last Thursday's dinner." Ginny dropped the item in question and it crawled under the bed.

"I think I should teach you how to cook."

Fred closed the door to the bathroom and turned on the shower.

"So, Ginny, where did you say I was going?"

"I didn't. Sit down and eat your breakfast." Ginny put the plate down on the table in front of Fred and turned her back to start making hers.

"Yes Mum." Fred mumbled picking up his fork and digging into his eggs.

"Good boy-as I was saying you're going out to join a big brother/ big sister program it's called Helping Hand."

"Why?"

"Why not? You're great with kids-"

"Great at pulling pranks on them. I don't know-"

"If you do this Fred you'll be helping out the Mums and Dads who can't spend as much time with their children as they would like to. And most of the kids are fantastic." Ginny smiled at Fred from across the breakfast table.

"How long have you been a big sister?"

"About a year it's so rewarding."

"What do you mean about most?"

"Well there are some bad ones-but the good ones make up for it-some are a little," She struggled to find the right words, "doubtful that you actually want to spend time with them. Others will break your heart." Ginny sighed. "Well come on you have papers to fill out."

Fred groaned. "Can't you just put in a good word for me-"

"I did that's why it won't take as long for you to get a little brother or sister."

"Sister? I can't get rid of the one I already got what makes you think I want another one?"

"Save your jokes for the little ones will ya?"

After Ginny had kicked Fred out, he followed his sister's instructions to Helping Hand. It was a brick building that looked a lot like a muggle fire station. He approached the door and knocked. The faded gray door creaked open and a small equally gray woman appeared.

"Yes."

"My name is Fred Weasley I think you know my sister Ginny. She sent me here for papers to fill out so I can become a big brother." Fred paused hoping that the woman would understand what he was saying. The old woman paused did a once over and spoke up.

"Oh yes I remember Ginny-funny I thought you would be taller." Fred's mouth went dropped.

"Well dear don't stand around with your hanging open come in." The woman shooed him in.

Okay next chapter:

Fred stepped into Helping Hand like all Wizarding establishments the outside never reflected the inside.

"It's amazing isn't it?" A young incredibly beautiful woman said standing beside him.