Just as everyone was thinking about going to bed, several of them suddenly let out a startled yelp. Looking up from her book, Trish saw a silvery Patronus look around the room. "It's time to fight! Come to the Hog's Head in Hogsmeade!" Then the Patronus seemed to look her way. "Trish is not to follow." Then it disappeared.
"Who's was that?" Katie wondered.
"Don't know, it wasn't fully formed." Angelina answered.
"Does it matter?" Lee asked. "Let's go!"
They hugged Trish goodbye and she wished them luck and then they were gone and Trish was left alone with only her thoughts and worries. As time passed, her worries grew. Late in the night, her emotions got the best of her. She curled up into a ball and cried, instinctively reaching for her pendant. As her mind calmed, she remembered that Fred was her Secret Keeper. As long as she couldn't write her address, she would know that he at least was okay. Grabbing a paper she tried and couldn't. Every so often she tried again. Eventually, as tears fell onto the paper, she was able to write it. She cried until her pendant failed her and the panic claimed her and she fainted.
"Trish." She woke to someone gently shaking her shoulder and calling her name. It was his voice! Her heart leapt as she opened her eyes, only after a moment seeing that it was George. She grabbed him and hugged him tightly, glad that he was okay. He drew back after a moment. "I'm sorry, Fred… he's…"
"I know." Trish nodded sadly. "I was able to write my address." She took George firmly by the shoulders. "I have to see him, George. You have to take me to him."
Briefly George looked like he was going to protest, but then he nodded his head. "Okay, let's go." He took her arm and apperated her to Hogsmeade. It was a short, quiet journey from there to the ruined Hogwarts. They walked past people celebrating and others grieving, and still others doing both. No one questioned or stopped them as George led her into a room where still bodies lay covered with sheets. He stopped beside one and laid his hand on the still chest. With the other hand he lifted the blanket to show Fred's head. "I'll leave you alone with him if you like." He said softly.
"Yes please. Thank you." Trish whispered as she stared at Fred. She hadn't wanted to tell George about the chance that Fred might have taken. That there was the smallest possibility that he might end up okay. Once George had turned away, she fought with the clasp on her bracelet. Holding the precious crystal in her hand, she carefully dropped it in Fred's mouth. "This better work you prat, or I'll never speak to you again." Her voice caught on a sob. His lips were so cold, his face so still. As nothing happened, she brushed away a tear that had fallen onto his cheek. "I love you Fred Weasley." Reaching for the blanket she found herself unable to pull it back over him, unable to admit that the worst had happened. Grasping blindly for her pendant, she fought for breath.
George hurried to her side and draped his arm around her shoulders as she fought for control. "It's okay. I'll do it." He reached for the blanket but stopped halfway. "What the devil?" He moved around to Fred's other side. "His eyebrows! Trish, his eyebrows are turning blue!"
Without warning a smile appeared on Fred's face. He opened his eyes and spoke. "Guess I used a touch too much doxie wing, but I figured better safe than sorry."
George's jaw dropped as Fred spoke. "Oh you prat!" He whispered shakily. He grabbed his brother's shoulders as a grin crossed his face. "Mum is going to kill you!"
"Take it easy on me, the antidote is working slower than I expected." Fred groaned.
"Well a wall fell on you! I imagine you've more damage than you anticipated." George shook his head. "I want to hear all the details. You prat!"
Trish had backed off as George leaned over Fred. Now she turned and walked away to find a healer. Luckily the first one she came across was Madam Pompfrey. "Please come."
As the two of them returned, she heard George telling Fred all about how the battle ended. "You'd have been proud of Peeves, he made up this ridiculous song about Voldy being Moldy." The two laughed, George's sounding a bit hysterical, and Fred's sounding rather weak.
"He's alive?" Madam Pompfrey said in disbelief, then squealed for joy and hurried to Fred's side.
Once again the coward in her won, and Trish left to go find the rest of the family.
As Trish entered the Great Hall, she saw Ginny and her friends walking out. "Ginny, I have great news! Where's the rest of your family?"
"In there yet. What's going on?" Ginny asked.
"Come on, I'll tell you all at once!" Trish hurried with them to where Mr and Mrs Weasley sat with their oldest sons and daughter-in-law. "I'm so glad you're all still here! Now this may come as a shock, but it's all good I promise." She had their attention now. "Fred is alive!" She said happily.
The family started at her in disbelief. Just as questions began to form on their lips, Molly Weasley stood up and slapped Trish across the face. "How dare you!" She growled as her sons pulled her away.
Trish held up a hand to her cheek, feeling the heat of the slap still. Tears gathered in her eyes from the pain. "No, it's true, I swear it. George and Madam Pompfrey are with him now. Really he is." She backed up as Molly lunged for her again. Grabbing her pendant, she turned away in confusion.
Ginny stopped her. "Mum's gone mad with grief, don't pay attention. Are you okay?"
Trish shook her head. "It doesn't matter, go see, please! You know I wouldn't make this up!"
Ginny hesitated. "Bill, you go, check on George and Fred." They heard Molly's cries as she grieved anew. "Make it quick though!"
As her brother raced off, Ginny put her arm around Trish and led her to a quiet corner. "No one will bother us here. Calm down now."
Trish tried hard to stop crying, but it seemed like all the emotions of the day had taken over her. Though she was holding the pendant, it didn't seem to be helping much. Her curiosity distracted her from her feelings, as she felt a crack that had opened in the stone.
Ginny sat beside her, tears on her own cheeks. "We're going to be okay, you know. We just have to get through this day." She patted Trish's hand. "Not that I don't believe you, but I'd feel a sight better if I could see Fred."
"Go, then." Trish pushed her gently. "I'll be okay, really, I'm past the worst of it now."
"No, I'm not leaving you alone. I can be patient, see?" Ginny wiped her tears and took a deep breath and tried to look calm and collected. "Look, here comes Bill now… and George, and… oh, it really is true!" Giving Trish a quick apologetic look, she ran over to her family as they all surrounded Fred. Soon they were joined by friends and classmates, and a horde of joyous laughter filled the room.
Trish took a deep breath and grinned, happy for the man she loved so hopelessly. Unwilling to join the crush of people and unsure of how Mrs. Weasley would react when she found out how Trish had been involved in Fred's miraculous recovery, she walked out of the school.
Trish walked into the ruined courtyard, saddened by what she saw. Friends or no, Hogwarts had been her home away from home. She stood looking over a ledge reflecting on how her life had changed. She'd lost her parents to this war, her home, her job, and now her school as well. She felt completely lost.
"There you are! We've been looking all over!" Ginny stared at her intently. "Are you okay then? Cause Fred's asking for you." She cocked her head. "Mum is too, she's terribly sorry."
Trish shook her head. "She doesn't need to be. I probably would have done the same."
"Well she is, and she's going to gush all over you, so you best be prepared!" Ginny said with a chuckle.
As they crossed the courtyard to go back in, Ginny chatted at her side about Harry. "It's so strange to see him again. I don't know how to behave. We're finally free to be together, but we've been apart so long that it feels awkward."
Trish nodded. "I understand completely. Be patient, I'm sure in time…"
As they walked through the entryway, a voice spoke from the shadows to their left. "Think you know everything, don't you?" Fred said harshly as he stepped into view. "You know all about relationships, right? Made a move on that prat from your daydream yet? Course not!" He crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes. "Too scared of your own shadow! Poor bloke would be better off dead than have you mooning after him!"
This last was too much for Trish, her pendant failed her though she clutched it as tightly as she could, and she fainted. As she went down she vaguely heard Ginny casting the spell to banish a boggart.
As she came to, Trish heard Ginny again. "Best to take it as slowly as you can."
"I suppose." It sounded like Fred, only unhappy.
Trish realized she was laying on a cot and opened her eyes to see the two siblings sitting on either side of her. She sat up with a groan. "What was it this time?" She said wearily.
"A boggart. That's not your fault. I remember Mum went into hysterics over one once too." Ginny patted Trish's hand.
"I think I need to charm you a new stone." Fred added. "This one's cracked clean through."
"Yes well, I've asked a lot of it in the last several hours." Trish said with an eyeroll.
"Right," George said as he joined them. "For research purposes…" He said with a grin. "When did you notice it break?"
"I noticed it earlier when your mom hit me." The twins looked at each other startled, obviously they hadn't heard about that part of her day yet. "But it probably broke last night, because it failed then."
"When?" Fred asked softly, almost reluctantly.
Trish closed her eyes, reliving a portion of the panic and pain she'd felt. "When I was able to write my address, and I knew my Secret Keeper had died." She answered slowly, taking a deep breath when she was done.
"Yeah," said a new voice tersely. Trish looked up to see Bill standing there. "When's someone going to explain that?"
"Gryffindor common room?" George suggested. When they all nodded in agreement, the family made their way upstairs with their closest friends in tow.
As they settled in chairs and on couches, and even on the floor; Fred caught Trish's eye. "Right, you sit here, next to George because I know you're going to have a hard time and someone needs to be there to catch you." He smiled, and motioned for her to take his place on the couch. Then he stood and told them all about reading about the poison and how he developed it and the antidote. He made it clear that he'd told no one but Trish to keep it safe.
"Truth is, I didn't actually mean to try it. See Percy made a joke and I started laughing, and I guess I swallowed the capsule by accident." Fred said sheepishly. "Turned out to be good timing though! The wall would've done me in otherwise." He spoke louder as the family began to voice their own opinions. "And now we've got a new product!"
"No, Fred, you can't!" Everyone else quieted as Trish shouted. "You can't just sell that to everyone! Think of all the people who would come in to buy the antidote, just on the chance that their loved one might have tried the potion! They'd be filled with hope and have it dashed away when it didn't work. And someone else's grief would be lining your pocket. You can't sell it, you just can't!" She was clutching her broken pendant and tears filled her eyes. "When you didn't wake up straight away, I…" There were no words, really to describe that moment. "It's such a horrible feeling." She finished quietly.
Then Fred was kneeling beside her, one hand clutching her shoulder, the other holding hers. "I won't. I promise. I didn't realize…" His voice broke. "I didn't think about how it would be for you."
George reached over to gently loosen the tight hold she had on the pendant. "That's not going to do anything for you now except maybe cut your hand. Just take it easy. Everything's okay now."
Trish nodded, trying to catch her breath, when Harry spoke angrily. "You should have shared it with the Order at least. Then we could be discussing it with Remus and Tonks as well."
Fred rocked back on his heels, stricken and pale. Trish stood and shouted. "You don't get it do you? This wasn't a guarantee! It wasn't even fully tested! Just because Fred had it didn't mean he was safe! He could have died before he got a chance to take the poison, or something could have happened to his body afterward so that the counter couldn't restore him!" Trish looked away from Harry to the others. She wished she could shake them and make them understand. "Not to mention we might have lost everything if people had used the poison. How many of you faced down death tonight? How many would have taken the poison if they'd had it? And once that happened, who'd be left to fight?" Her questions were met with silence, but she could tell she'd gotten her point across by the bowed heads and tears she saw.
From across the room, she heard Mr. Weasley suggest that they had all had enough excitement to last a lifetime and it was time to get some rest. Trish wiped the tears away and noted that Fred was standing beside her with an odd defeated look on his face. "I'm so sorry." He said softly. "I didn't mean to hurt you." He looked about to say more, but then his expression became utterly dejected and he turned away.
George put an arm around her shoulders. "Don't worry about him. He's only just realizing how badly hurt we all were that he died. It's only fair he suffers a little too. He'll be fine, you'll see. Try to get some rest."