Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine; this story is.
A/N: This could potentially be the last chapter unless anyone has any additional ideas. I do think it wraps things up pretty well, but I'd never say never. Please read and review. Thanks. :) Hope it's not TOO sad... though I don't hold out much hope for that.
This is it, the last of these terrible days, the last of the funerals where he has to stand and look appropriately sober and dignified when all he really wants to do is curl up in a corner and howl. But he pulls on his dark robes, glances in the mirror and sighs. He can't wait until he can wear colors again – and then the guilt overwhelms him. How could he even think of something like that at a time like this? He catches sight of Ron's reflection in the corner of the mirror, and the guilt swallows him.
Ron is also pulling on his own dress robes, but he looks as if he is moving in a dream. In the three days since Fred's funeral, it's been impossible to get a word out of him or even get him to make direct eye contact. Hermione is the only person who seems to be able to get anywhere near him, and Harry wishes she were here right now as he watches Ron sink slowly back onto his bed as he stares into space. And there's nothing Harry can say.
Luckily, the door opens, and Ginny and Hermione walk in. Hermione and Harry glance at each other, and without another word, she moves to the bed quickly, sitting beside Ron. He doesn't look at her, but he grabs her hand and holds it tightly. She is his life preserver these days. And Harry has to gratefully acknowledge that he knows how that feels because he's finally allowing Ginny to be the same for him. Well, "allowing" would imply that he has a choice in the matter. He would never choose this.
While Ron seems to have retreated into a shell, the likes of which none of his family members have ever seen from him before, Ginny has found strength in the closure that Fred's funeral brought her. And as much as Harry hates to admit it, this couldn't have happened at a better time. Because as much as he was dreading Fred's funeral, and as horrible as it truly was, he has a huge pit in his stomach whenever he thinks of where they have to go today. Without Ginny's solid wall of understanding, he just might collapse.
They sit on his cot, facing Ron and Hermione. The only speech in the room is the small talk the girls manage to create, but that is quickly stifled when Molly calls to them. Exchanging looks of pure dread, the four friends rise to their feet and reluctantly make their way downstairs. Molly and Arthur are standing before the fireplace with floo powder at the ready. Percy, George, Bill, Fleur and Charlie are already there, waiting for them. Harry is slightly relieved to see that everyone else looks like they are dreading this just as much as he is. One by one, they disappear into the flames, and finally, it is his turn. He steps in, wishing he were going anywhere else, but there is no help for it as he says his destination in a flat, clear voice. If only he could end up in Knockturn Alley now…
But he arrives at Andromeda's house in one piece, and as he stumbles into her living room, brushing the dust off his robes, he is unsurprised to see a small crowd watching him. He tries to force a smile. The last thing he wants – and the only thing they all do want, he knows – is for these people to be able to read the emotions tumbling through him right now. Fortunately, Ginny is hot on his heels, and as soon as she stumbles to her feet behind him, he turns, grasping her to his side. He can't do this without her, and they both know it.
It isn't long before the service is to start, and Andromeda approaches Harry with the small bundle in her arms that he can barely look at. But he quietly takes Teddy in his arms. Ginny leans over to smile at the small face poking out of the blankets. Teddy is asleep, but even now, the small fluff of hair is a vibrant pink, and Harry can't help but smile. He is even starting to relax, but that is short lived because suddenly Andromeda is nodding at him, and he knows he has to bring Teddy to her. He also knows that she wants him to sit in the front row of the chairs that have been set up in the backyard. He casts a desperate look at Ginny, and she puts her arm around his waist. As he approaches Andromeda, he hands Teddy over, and she tries to smile.
"He's glad you're here, Harry," she says quietly. He looks at her skeptically. He's a baby, and he's asleep. He knows what she's trying to do, and he's grateful, but this is slightly ridiculous. But she holds his eyes, and suddenly he feels tears pricking the corners, and he blinks hard. She turns away, and Ginny takes his hand now, squeezing it tightly. He squeezes back. He won't let go. He can't.
Gently, Ginny leads him to seats in the first row. Hermione and Ron are already there waiting for them. Well, Hermione is waiting. Ron seems like he hardly knows where he is at all. Charlie is sitting on his other side, and he keeps glancing at him worriedly. Harry can't blame him. Every time he looks at Ron, he worries, and he feels even guiltier if that's at all possible. It's his fault that his best friend is so miserable, and there is no one who deserves to feel this way less than Ron. And today is not going to make any of this any easier.
The service starts, and it is the same little old wizard who must be having the worst summer Harry can imagine. He's been officiating at every funeral Harry has been to, and he can't imagine how he is managing to do all of this and stay in one piece. The more he speaks, the more Harry is afraid of breaking into a million pieces. But he can't. Because he knows that all of the people in the rows behind him are waiting for just that, and he refuses to give in. Not here, not now.
But it's getting harder because now, it's that horrible moment when there is nothing more to say, and nothing hurts Harry more than this silence. The last thing he wants these days is to be left alone with his thoughts. Memories from his third year at Hogwarts start rumbling through his mind, and he remembers all of those times Lupin patiently sat with him, trying to explain the intricacies of Patronuses, telling him about James and Lily… now his eyes are burning again, and he has to stare down at his lap. He knows Ginny can hear his unsteady breathing because her grip on his hand tightens. He thinks he has managed to master his emotions when he catches a movement out of the corner of his eye, and he looks up quickly. He wishes he hadn't.
Ron has leaned forward in his seat and is holding his head in his hands. Even though he isn't making a sound, Hermione is rubbing his back in small, soothing circles as silent tears drip down her face. Harry lets out a shaky breath, and Ginny wraps her own arms around him. When the service ends, the rest of the Weasleys go back to the house although they all keep looking back at Ron nervously. He hasn't moved, though, and Hermione is still rubbing his back. It isn't until everyone else is out of earshot that Ginny speaks.
"They're all gone now," she mumbles, and she's looking directly at Ron. He seems to know this somehow, and he finally raises his head. His eyes are dry, but the pain in them hits Harry like a physical blow. Ginny, too, seems to be at a loss for words. Her own eyes fill, and Ron stares at her for a long moment before he whispers something none of them hears.
"What?" Ginny asks, and Ron clears his throat. His voice is hoarse when says, "Fred—Fred really isn't ever coming back, is he?"
Ginny shakes her head now, and her eyes are filling even as the tears well up in Ron's at last. "No," she whispers, and something inside Ron breaks. As the tears start to roll down his face, Ginny lets go of Harry's hand and puts her arms around her older brother. He buries his face in her shoulder, trying not to think about the fact that he is crying into Ginny's shoulder. Or that Harry and Hermione are both sitting there. Or that there is potentially a large group of people watching them from the house. None of that matters right now.
Harry is biting his lip when he realizes that Hermione is shaking with silent sobs beside him as she watches Ron cry in his sister's arms. Without a second thought, he puts his arm around her, and even though they are all crying now, he suddenly feels like a small weight has been lifted. He's helping. It helps.
