A Christmas Wish Ch. 25
It was unlike anything she had ever seen before. It was beautiful and haunting all at once, it was mysterious and alluring, full of intrigue and questions. However, it also warned of secrets that should forever remain hidden in its darkest corners. The evergreens surrounding her offered protection from the outside world, but she couldn't help feeling trapped within their branches. The world constantly changed and moved as more memories and experiences were gathered. Flowers bloomed, withered, and died in a matter of seconds. And there were some things, like the giant, solid oaks that she passed, that had stayed the same forever. The scent of flowers and honeydew wafted through the air, but there was also the scent of blood, fear, danger.
There were so many feelings and emotions, all at once. There was kindness and bravery and love, and yet it was tainted with the ever-present growing darkness of doubt and fear.
And death.
It was a less than pleasant reminder of the purpose of Hermione's visit. Regardless of how beautiful the scenery was, the threat of death still loomed over everything.
Hermione stepped through the trees and made her way to a small garden. It was like a dream, almost unnatural in its peace and serenity. It was a splendor of color, bright green splashed upon the leaves and grass, electric blue filled the quiet river, hues of pink, orange, and violet danced upon the flowers.
And, sitting in the middle of it all, a young boy with red hair so vibrant it put all the other colors to shame.
However, despite the beauty and the grace within the garden, there was something about it that sent chills up and down Hermione's spine. She saw the water rushing through the river. She saw several birds chirping in the air. She saw the wind rustling the leaves in the trees. There should have been a symphony of sound, a glorious combination of the garden's music.
There was nothing but silence. Cold, empty, dead silence.
Hermione tried not to let it bother her, tried to ignore the chills that ran down her spine. She was on a mission, and couldn't afford to be deterred. Maybe the boy would know more about this place.
"Excuse me?" Hermione asked.
The boy turned, and his compelling blue eyes met her. Her eyes quickly registered the angular jaw, the prominent freckles, the lanky figure. He was several years younger, but there was absolutely no mistaking who he was.
It was Fred, as a young boy.
His face scrunched in confusion. "What are you doing here? No one ever comes here, this is where I go to be alone." He turned back around, and drew his knees up to his chest.
Hermione was unsure of how to react. Being an only child, she had very little experience dealing with children.
She knelt next to him on the grass, her white dress a contrast to the vibrancy around them. "How long have you been here?" She asked conversationally.
The boy shrugged. "Long enough, I suppose. I don't really know."
Hermione nodded. There were so many things she wanted to ask, but suddenly she was so unsure of what to do. Part of her ached to spill the entire story about her and Fred, tell him she needed to find the source of his power in order to save his future self's life. But part of her wondered if he would understand, or if he would just think she was crazy and run away. She had to handle this carefully.
"Why are you sitting here all by yourself?" She asked. Maybe he would remember his family.
The boy spread his legs out on the soft grass and laid back, staring up at the sky. He looked slightly to the side, almost as if he was ashamed.
"I think my mum loves my sister more than me," he admitted.
Hermione hid a smile at his confession. She had similar thoughts herself as a child, so unsure of the world and those around her. However, she knew Mrs. Weasley, and knew that there was no chance of that in a million years.
"Why do you think that?" Hermione asked, tilting her head to the side.
The little boy shrugged. "She gets more attention than the rest of us. Mom used to play with us, but now all she does is hold the baby. Do you think I did something to make her mad?"
Hermione smiled and shook her head. "No, Fred. Your mom loves you very much. She's probably just tired now, that's all. It's hard work keeping up with a baby. Do you remember when Ron was born, and the same thing happened then?"
Fred's face scrunched in confusion. "You know my brother Ron?"
"Uh, er, yeah! Yeah, I do." Hermione recovered.
A smile split the boy's face. "Wow! That's so cool!"
Hermione sighed in relief. She had never been more thankful for the fact that children were unconditionally trusting.
"So, you don't think she's mad?" The boy asked.
Hermione smiled and shook her head. "Your mother will always love you, Fred. Go back to them, tell a joke or two, and cheer them up. They'll appreciate it, I promise."
Fred hopped up on his feet immediately. "I'm good at telling jokes! Wanna see?"
Hermione laughed, but her laugh was cut short. The world around her started to fade, the distinctive flowers and trees started to lose their shape. Colors started to melt together, like a painting left out in the rain. Finally, the boy that had seemed so real moments ago was merely a faded splotch of color in a canvas of smears.
Hermione stood up and glanced around, but could see nothing but gray as far as she could see. There was nothing above her, nothing below her. She didn't even know what surface she was standing on, didn't know where she was supposed to go. There was simply endless, countless, nothingness.
Maybe this was where the real Fred was, her Fred. Maybe if she just looked around, she'd run into him eventually.
She couldn't think of any other way to find him, so she took one tenuous step forward.
FWOOOOOOOOOM!
Her hair whipped into her face and noise screeched, she winced at the tone. She reflexively took a step back, trying to protect herself from whatever had appeared. Her arms wrapped around her head, and she crunched into a ball.
Tentatively, she opened her eyes. The world of gray had turned into a scene that she knew all too well, a world that was achingly familiar. People milling and shoving about, voices trying to be heard above the raucous noise, suitcases and bags shuffling through the chaos. A steam engine chugging along, exhaust pumping into the air. An enormous train, speeding by just moments ago, less than an arm's reach away.
She was at platform 9 ¾. The thing that had almost bowled her over was the familiar Hogwarts Express.
"You know, they told me I'm a wizard!" Hermione felt a hand wrap around her wrist, and a voice that held the potential of the one she knew so well.
She knew who she'd see before she turned around.
"That's great!" She exclaimed to an eleven year old Fred, his eyes impossibly bright with hope.
"I'm gonna make so many new friends at school. I'm great at making people laugh." Fred exclaimed.
"And you'll learn a lot, too!" Hermione excitedly added.
Fred scrunched up his face. "I don't really like all that learning stuff…"
Hermione knelt so that she would be at eye level with him, thinking carefully about her words. "You know… learning is important, but what's much more important is the friends you will make while you're at school. Spells and enchantments are good to know, they can make life more convenient or get you a good grade. But things like loyalty, trust, honesty, companionship, and courage… those are the lessons you will remember forever."
Fred cocked his head to the side, his eleven-year-old brain struggling to process her words. Why would one need courage, if there was nothing to fear? Why would one need trust if no one could possibly hurt you? His perception of the world wasn't quite what it would be in the years to come.
"You'll learn to face your fears here, Fred. Learning not to run away when your friends and family need you, even when you're scared… that is what's most important." Hermione added.
Fred looked up at her and smiled. "I'll never run away when you need me, Hermione,"
Her heart stopped when he said her name. He knew who she was? Was she getting closer to her destination, closer to finding the source of his power?
Hermione smiled at him, her affection for this little boy growing with every encounter. "I know you won't, Fred. I know that I can always count on you. You're brave, and strong, and fearless. Don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise."
Fred laughed and rolled his eyes. "Duhhh! I'm invincible!"
Hermione laughed at his antics. As abruptly as her laughter cut through the noise, a single, shattering, slice cut through the entire world. Everything around her froze, all the noise stopped. She frantically glanced around, watching as the cut traveled directly below her, right in between her feet.
She took one last look at the boy, thinking about all the changes he would experience in the next few years. It was nice to hold onto this one moment, when everything was simple. When there was nothing but friendship, love, and peace.
Her moment shattered when the two halves of the world ripped apart, and dropped her into the abyss.
She fell straight down, the scene before her growing smaller by the moment. She reached out for something to grab onto, something to slow her fall. Her heart slammed in her ribcage, she was going to die, this was it. Nobody could survive a fall like this, every single bone would be broken, she couldn't even see the bottom, wouldn't even know when she hit, wouldn't even feel it when she-
OOOOOF!
Hermione slammed into a solid surface, and yet, felt no pain. Gingerly, she reached her arms underneath her, and picked herself up.
And then abruptly fell another few feet to an equally hard surface.
Hermione rubbed her back, already feeling a bruise forming. "Yep, this is definitely Fred's brain, alright…"
She heard a familiar chuckle to her right, but couldn't place the voice. "Why Hermione, dear, how did you get in here? Shouldn't you be out there with the rest of them?"
Hermione turned, and was greeted with none other than the portrait lady.
Was she going backwards now? That didn't seem right. She was looking for Fred. Maybe she had somehow taken a wrong turn…
"I… I don't know." Hermione shook her head. What was she supposed to do now?
"Oh, the students are returning from dinner, child. You should probably get out of sight, it wouldn't do for them to see you in here." The portrait lady pointed out.
Hermione turned and saw what she meant. The surface that she had originally crashed into was none other than a rectangular frame, portraying the familiar halls outside the Gryffindor common room. Somehow, she had managed to land inside the portrait lady's frame. She ducked to the side quickly, heeding the portrait lady's advice.
"Banana Fritters." She heard an unfamiliar voice call.
She saw the portrait lady nod her head, and felt the entire world rock as the door swung open. She was thrown from one end of the room to the other – if it could even be called a room. She stumbled, regained her footing, and slowly righted herself.
"Banana fritters."
Abruptly, she was tossed back to the other end of the room as the door swung open again. She barely managed to catch herself before she fell yet again.
"How do you put up with this?" Hermione asked.
"Oh, you get used to it. It helps if you sit down, like me."
"Banana fritters."
Hermione plopped to the ground just before the door swung, heeding the portrait lady's advice. Instead of being tossed within the room, the room simply moved around her. She watched as the grassy hills tilted from side to side, the sky and clouds weaving around each other. As the door shut, everything righted itself again.
"That is… incredible…" Hermione muttered to herself. What kind of magic was this? She had to return here, had to do further research –
"Banana fritters."
Immediately her thoughts stopped. She would know that voice anywhere.
She bolted towards the frame, bracing her hands against the wooden pieces and willing her knees not to shake. Her eyes landed on Fred's blue ones. His eyes lit up in recognition, softened in desire, but then scrunched in confusion. He obviously wasn't expecting to see her inside the portrait lady's frame. She reached out her hand towards him, desperate to make contact, desperate to save him.
This was her Fred. She knew it.
Abruptly the door swung open, and the world hurled once again.
Hermione was launched forward, she felt her body fall through the frame, felt her tennis shoes catch on the last piece of it as she tumbled yet again. She turned in mid-fall, watching the frame disappear behind her once again.
What was happening to her now? She had found him, she knew that she had! That was her Fred, the one who swore to love and protect her, the one who faced death again and again just to see her smile. Finally, she had found him, and now this? She didn't know where she was going, didn't know if she'd even see Fred again. What had she done wrong? Could she even find him again? Was Fred going to die just because she couldn't figure out this stupid mind game of his?
She was so frustrated, and so stressed. His life hung in the balance, his heart dimmed with every beat, and she was being thrown around in some twisted world. How the hell was she supposed to help him if she couldn't even get her bearings? She was sick of it all, she just wanted everything to –
"STOP! Just stop already!" She screamed.
Surprisingly, it did.
Hermione froze mid-fall, her arms and legs still outstretched, her hair stiff and unmoving. Gingerly she moved her leg, bringing her foot down, and finding solid ground beneath her. She brought both her legs down, then her torso and arms. Tentatively, she took a step.
Slowly, rain began to fall, quickly drenching her. She looked up and squinted through the droplets, but didn't see a sky anywhere. She looked back in front of her, and slowly the world began to take form. She saw pitch black pavement underneath her feet, brick buildings on either side.
A trash can lid next to her feet.
Her heart caught in her chest as instantly she realized where she was. This was the alley where she had killed Jack, this was the alley where she had tried to kill Fred.
As soon as she thought of the two men, their bodies appeared. Fred, lying on the pavement, his life pouring out of his body. Jack, menacing and dark, standing at the end of the alley. Somehow he still managed to look dark, despite the moonlight that bathed the scene.
"I'm dying, you know." She heard a voice to her right.
His voice.
Fred sat casually against a brick wall, looking healthy and very much alive. Hermione's head whipped back, and saw that another Fred still lay dying, bleeding to death slowly on the dark pavement. Her mind questioned how such a thing could be possible, but her heart didn't even really care. All she knew was that her Fred was finally here, and for a few moments everything was right again.
She launched herself into his arms, and he held her tighter than he ever had before. They didn't say anything for several moments, both of them relishing the other's embrace for what might be the last time.
"I've come here to save you," Hermione said, her voice muffled by the rain.
She felt Fred shake his head. "I can't be saved anymore, Hermione. That wound was fatal. It's taking all my energy just to stay here like this, just to exist halfway."
Hermione sat up abruptly, looking him straight in the eye. "But that's not true! Dumbledore found a way to transfer Pansy's curse into a healing spell, all we have to do is find your power!"
Fred looked at her like she was crazy. His expression then turned to suspicion, and then at last, sadness.
"Not again…"
Hermione felt like a dagger had passed through her chest. What was that supposed to mean?
"You're just another illusion. Just another figment of my imagination." Fred said hopelessly as he put his head in his hands.
Hermione shook her head, wondering how she could turn this situation around. "No, no Fred it's me! It's your Hermione, I've come here to get you out-"
Fred chuckled, "I must be really crazy for that girl, you know. Wanting her so badly that my own subconscious creates illusions of her, even when I barely have the power to think. I was so convinced you were real, so convinced you were her."
Hermione took him by the shoulders, trying desperately to be heard. "You have to believe me, Fred! I am Hermione!"
Fred sighed, completely ignoring her pleas. "I was so convinced you were her, too. You look just like her, but so did the rest. However, there's something more to you, something that even my own brain couldn't replicate. Something that's very uniquely… Hermione."
Hermione gazed into his eyes, wanting so badly for him to simply recognize her.
"I must really be going crazy…"
Hermione shook her head. "No, no you're not going crazy. It's really me, I promise."
Fred sighed. "I thought it might be her when I felt everything stop, just for a second. That seemed like something she would do, getting so frustrated and upset that she just loses her temper and yells at the world. Heh, I can see it now…"
Hermione took a moment to process his words. She had controlled her environment for that split second, hadn't she? She had wanted it with all her heart, wished it more than anything, and it happened. Did Fred really love her so much that she was now a part of him, and that part recognized that she could control it as she wished?
An idea spun in her head. Maybe she could still convince him.
"Do you remember that time we went horseback riding?" The rain slowed in its downpour, and the asphalt faded beneath them. Vibrant grassy hills covered the world, a bright blue sky embraced the landscape. Slowly, the red barn rose in the distance, exactly the way Hermione remembered it.
Fred looked up at her, his eyes still showing suspicion, but also a glimmer of hope.
"We had just gotten in a fight, and you wanted to make it up so badly. Of course, I blew it when I dropped the bomb about Jack. But I'll never forget it."
Fred nodded. "Of course I remember. You changed my life that day, Hermione."
"Do you remember when you saved my life, taking a knife for me?"
The peaceful, grassy landscape faded to the ravaged kitchen Burrow. The red barn was replaced with an army of death eaters, the cheery bright sky darkened to the shadowy night. Fred watched as the battle proceeded, exactly the way he'd remembered.
There was no denying it now. The memories she had, the way she remembered everything, and the way she could control his world so effectively… She was real.
Fred's eyes lit up with excitement, and he leaned forward towards her. He reached out and held both of her hands, refusing to let go to what he had been looking for for so long.
"Hermione, it really is you. I can't… I can't believe you're here, I can't believe you would come so far for me." Fred exclaimed.
Hermione laughed, "What did you expect, really? We are Gryffindors, we tend to plunge into life-threatening situations, don't we?"
Fred chuckled, the motion felt so foreign yet not unwelcome. It was healing to laugh after being alone for so long, it felt wonderful to hold her in his arms again.
"But Hermione, how are you going to get out of here? I'm done for, but you still have your entire life to live. You could move on, maybe get married, have some kids –"
Hermione shook her head. "I don't want any of that. Do you know what I want?"
Fred gazed at her, his heart pounding and pulse thrumming.
"I want to be with you, Fred. Nobody else."
Slowly, the environment began to react to Hermione's thoughts. The destroyed burrow and the battle within morphed into a small cottage, nestled in a cozy neighborhood. Fred watched as, seemingly out of thin air, he and Hermione appeared. They were both older, but still had so much love in their eyes. He watched Hermione stoop down, reaching for something.
When she stood back up, she had a child in her arms, with red curly hair and bright brown eyes.
"It's all I've ever wanted."
Fred felt tears form in his eyes as he watched his Hermione – his wife – kiss his daughter's cheek. He watched his daughter wrap her little arms around her mother's neck, completely trusting and loving. He watched Hermione hand his daughter to him, and watched the way his own face glowed with love and adoration at the sight of his daughter.
He'd never wanted anything so desperately in his entire life.
"That's what I want too, Hermione. That's exactly what I want."
She smiled up at him, and he saw his entire world in her eyes. He saw all the love and affection he would ever need. He saw his future, his hopes, and his dreams.
He had never felt so alive.
"I'll love you forever, Hermione."
Hermione beamed. "I'll love you forever too, Fred. No matter what happens here, no matter what happens to the rest of the world."
Fred chuckled. "But, you know we can't have just one kid…"
Hermione laughed as she watched another toddler run across their front yard, in addition to the one that her older self held in her arms. She saw a window open in the house, and two small heads peek out of the opening, one with brown hair, one with auburn.
"Maybe a dog too? I've always wanted a dog." Fred added.
A giant golden retriever ran around the corner of the house, chased by several garden gnomes.
Hermione laughed heartily at the sight, loving the way their dreams were coming together, building off of each other, creating something entirely new. Both of them were painting a picture together, filling a bland and hopeless canvas with life and dreams.
Suddenly, all the people in their dream turned and looked straight at them. The older couple smiled knowingly, much like a parent towards a child. It was as if they knew this would happen all along, as if it was destined to happen.
Slowly, everything began to glow. It started softly, but quickly grew to a blinding light. Hermione couldn't see anything anymore, not her family, not her future. There was only Fred.
"I don't know what's happening!" Hermione exclaimed.
"Just hold onto me," Fred directed. He pulled her into his chest, wrapping his arms around her as tightly as he could. She buried her head in his chest, trying to block the light that was becoming so overpowering.
"Don't let go," She begged. "Don't ever let me go."
Fred kissed the top of her head. "I'll never let you go again, baby. As long as I live."
Abruptly the world turned white, and everything vanished.