Happy New Year everyone! I hope 2009 is going well for you so far. I'm on vacation, and nearly forgot today was Saturday! I had to check my calendar!

Thank you to my reviewer, Puff2836. I'm so glad you liked it.

To get the full affect of this chapter, if you could please go back to Chapter 24, and read the last section, beginning with "As his mother...", and then go on to this chapter. They're meant to be read right after the after.

Chapter 25: Knowledge

Sarah ran as fast as her legs and bags would allow her. She reached the top of the hill, and there it was. She stopped, allowing both her parents and breath to catch up. She had asked the limo driver to drop them off when the road turned to dirt, deciding to enjoy the beautiful weather. The Burrow was still there after all this time. How long had it been since her last visit? Last summer felt like a lifetime ago. With a flick of her wrist, her hair was put up in a neat bun, and she shivered with the anticipation of seeing Fred. As they got closer, she felt that something was horribly wrong. It was in the air and tried to dampen her spirits, but she wouldn't let it. They walked up the path, and the front door opened. The entire Weasley family, including Harry, Hermione, and Luna came out.

At first Sarah was elated as she and her parents hugged and greeted them all. Then she noticed.

"What's wrong?" she asked, taking a step back. The uneasy feeling in the air took over her. "Where's Fred? Something's wrong. I can tell."

"Sarah dear, I- I don't know how to tell you this, but-" Molly broke off, looking to the others for help, tears in her eyes.

Sarah looked at them all. She grew numb. She realized they were all in black.

"What happened?" she demanded. "Where's Fred?" Her heart pounded.

"You heard about Voldemort?" asked Hermione. "And the fight?"

"Yes," Sarah replied slowly. "It's all over the news. How could I not?"

"Well, you see," started Ron, "we were all fighting. It was brilliant, really. Everyone showed up, and Harry, Hermione, Fred, Percy, and I were in this one room with two Death Eaters, and we got them… but then…you see…" he trailed off.

"The room exploded," George finished, tears running down his face.

"But he's alright, isn't he? Fred's alright?" Sarah asked frantically, tears starting to fall, because she already knew the answer.

She saw Percy shake his head. Sarah burst into tears. The rest of her family and friends cried too. Sarah couldn't believe it. He couldn't be dead. She loved him too much. Her numbness and sobs forced her to the grass, where she ended up crying in a ball. Her hair came loose, and her fiery red hair clung to her face in wet clumps. Sarah shook and rocked back and forth, wailing and sobbing. Fred was dead. She hugged her body, and felt as if her heard had been turned to stone, and she wanted to rip it out.

Hermione, Ginny, and Luna all came and embraced Sarah. They sat, sobbing in each other's arms.

After everyone had calmed down, they began filing back inside the house. George approached Sarah before they reached the door.

"Sarah?" he asked quietly.

"Yes?" Sarah's voice came out in a hoarse whisper. She looked up at him, eyes red and puffy, and her hair still stuck to her face. He saw that she was still shaking as she stood.

"Never mind," he said. This wasn't the best time.

Sarah met up with Molly as she entered the kitchen.

"Dear, I'm afraid I have more bad news," she said, putting her arm around Sarah.

"Who else?" Sarah asked weakly.

Molly sighed sadly. "I'm afraid quite a few."

Sarah began crying again.

"Colin Creevey, Professor Snape, who was actually a great man, but Harry will have to tell you later, Hedwig, Ted Tonks, Tonks' father, Alastor Moody, Dobby, Remus Lupin, and Tonks herself." Molly began crying again and brought out a handkerchief.

Sarah gasped and moaned at all the names, now crying into her hands. Her parents helped her into a kitchen chair, and the rest of the Weasleys and guests sat down, all lost and in shock.

When she was finally able to see through the tears, Sarah forced herself to look up at that famous wall clock. Every hand was on "Home". Fred's was no longer there. This brought on another round of tears.

Once again Sarah calmed down, and Arthur and his wife explained to the McFlairs that the wake was until tomorrow night, and the funeral would take place at dawn on the eleventh.

George stood up. It was now or never.

"Sarah," he said, and dully she looked at him, tears forming once more. He knew why: he was Fred's identical twin.

"Sarah," George began again, taking a deep breath. "Before we left to help at Hogwarts, Fred talked to me about you. He said that you were the most wonderful person he had ever met, besides me of course." He had to smile a little at the memory. "He said that the past year had put a lot into perspective, and he realized that he truly and deeply loved you. So much so," now was the hard part, for both parties. He pulled out the box, walked over to Sarah, and squatted down next to her. Then George opened the box.

"He planned on proposing to you at your graduation party."

The ring was beautiful. It was a white gold claddagh with an aquamarine stone surrounded by diamonds. It represented both her Irish and Greek heritage.

Sarah let out a cry and burst into tears once again, and fell to the floor. Her body shook with emotion as it curled back into a ball. Everyone else cried with the shock of this tragic surprise.

When Sarah was finally able to pick herself up again, she sat back on the chair and continued to sob as she allowed George to put the ring on her finger.

George let go of the ring and placed the box by Sarah. The box closed with a snap, and as it did, so did his heart. It was all he could take. He was done. He walked out of the house and away from the Burrow.

Sarah sobbed as they all stared at the beautiful ring.

"My boy," whispered Molly to herself as she cried. "My Fred. He never ceased to surprise me."

"Where is he?" Sarah sniffed.

"I- in the living room," Molly replied.

Sarah raised a trembling hand to wipe away the tears and thankfully took the tissue offered by Ginny. Then she slowly got up and walked to the next room.

When she saw Fred's body she was forced to the floor again. She wanted, now more than ever, to rip out her heart that had turned to stone from the pain. She wailed, and in the kitchen Callista told Hermione to let her daughter have some time alone with Fred.

Sarah got up again, still sobbing hard, almost hyperventilating. Walking towards Fred, she called a chair over so she could sit next to the body, and she gazed at her boyfriend though the salty tears.

"Na na
Na na na na na

I miss you
Miss you so bad
I don't forget you
Oh it's so sad

I hope you can hear me
I remember it clearly

The day you slipped away
Was the day I found
It won't be the same
Oh

Na na
Na na na na na

I didn't get around to kiss you
Goodbye on the hand
I wish that I could see you again
I know that I can't…"

He looked happy, she thought. He still had a smile on his face, a trace of laughter. That smile of his always made her happy. Sarah sat there, and tried to remember the last words he said to her. The memories of that night rang through her head.

"The Ministry has fallen to the Death Eaters! We're Apparating to the airstrip and going home!"

"Go. I'll be fine. I'll send you a letter as soon as I can. I love you. See you soon."

She looked at the ring on her finger after wiping her eyes for what seemed like the millionth time.

"Oh Fred," her voice cracked, "I can't believe it. Of course I want to marry you." Sarah reached up and caressed his face with her trembling hand. She smoothed his hair away from his face. "You are the most wonderful, kind, caring, amazing, thoughtful, hysterical, handsome guy- man, I've ever met. I can only imagine how you would have proposed. I know it probably would have been romantic and funny at the same time. Why did you have to go though?" The tears returned. "Why did you have to leave me? I love you, and I always will. I'll never take the ring off. This beautiful ring, which is the most perfect ring I have ever seen. I promise I will be yours forever, Fred.

"But what am I supposed to do now without you? What are any of us going to do? Your parents have lost a son, Bill, Charlie, Percy, George, Ron, and Ginny lost a brother. Percy." She shook her head. "Who would have thought he'd come around? George lost his twin! You're his other half, his best friend, his business partner, his partner in crime! What is he supposed to do now? What about the shop? You and your siblings can't have your own Quidditch team anymore! What am I supposed to do? I've lost one of my best friends, my boyfriend, and fiancé. You've left me in a pickle Fred Weasley. Am I widow or not?" Sarah almost smiled, knowing he would have laughed, but didn't, because the idea hurt too much.

"I love you Fred Weasley, and I will never stop. I never want to leave your side, but I have too. How am I supposed to manage now? You were my life. Everything around me reminds me of you. Now what?" Sarah wiped away more tears. "I love you Fred Weasley, with all my heart and all my soul, and every fiber of my being. Never forget that, alright?" She leaned down and kissed him one last time, softly on the lips, and two tears landed on his face.

"Don't forget," she whispered, wiping the tears away before getting up, returning the chair to its rightful place, and walking out.

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

It was a beautiful funeral two days later. Everyone came to pay their respects to the Weasleys and Sarah, for by then they had all heard about the planned proposal.

Fred was buried as they sky became brilliant shades of orange and pink, on the hillside of the Weasley family cemetery. Sarah and George stayed long after even Molly and Arthur had walked out of the cemetery and Apparated back home, since it was bad manners to Apparate in a cemetery.

"I hope you can hear me
Cause I remember it clearly

The day you slipped away
Was the day I found
It won't be the same
Oh

I've had my wake up
Won't you wake up
I keep asking why
And I can't take it
It wasn't fake it
It happened you passed by

Now you're gone
Now you're gone
There you go
There you go
Somewhere I can't bring you back
Now you're gone
Now you're gone
There you go
There you go
Somewhere you're not coming back

Na na
Na na na na na

I miss you…"

George stood in silence with his hands in his robe pockets, looking at the epitaph which read:

Fred Weasley

April 1, 1978 - June 6, 1997

Always there with a laugh

Tears silently fell down his face. They had always hoped they would die together, so they would never be apart. He could never have imagined the amount of pain in was in now. Part of him wished he was dead too, but the other half knew Fred wouldn't like him doing that. He shifted his gaze to Sarah and felt a stab, and looked away. He couldn't look at the girl his brother planned to marry any more than he could look at his own reflection. He felt Fred staring back at him in the mirror, and heard his voice when he talked. It was too painful to look at the young woman who was once so vivacious and independent, and who now sat crying and looking at the tombstone, holding a bouquet of white roses in her lap.

As George thought of all this, Sarah sat, too numb to move. She sat in her black robe, holding the flowers she planned to leave on Fred's grave. The problem was that she couldn't leave, or budge for that matter. Her body had gone into shock, refusing to do anything more than stare at the tombstone and cry.

Hermione slowly walked towards the two. She hated to see two almost always happy people in so much pain. In truth, she hurt inside too. How couldn't she?"

She cleared her throat.

"Um, George? Sarah?"

Slowly George turned his head to look at her.

"They, the parents, I mean, sent me to get you. It will be lunchtime in a few hours, and we still have Colin, Mr. Tonks," and here her voice cracked, "Lupin, and Tonks' funerals."

They got up and left, but not before Sarah finally moved and placed the roses among the other gifts left by friends and family. She kissed her hand and touched it to the ground where, underneath, Fred lay in eternal sleep.

I was completely destroyed when I read Fred Weasley's death. When I was read the part where Harry passes him and George in the hall, right before the fight, I got a really bad feeling and started crying. I remember looking at his name and saying, "See you on the flip side, right Fred? You're going to make it, ok? See you in a little bit, when it's all over." I had a horrible feeling it would be the last time I "saw" him alive. And then that horrible scene came. However, after finishing the book and reading who else died, and how it was described or wasn't, I was pleased. Fred got the biggest death scene in the Hogwarts battle. It was his death that made Harry wonder, "The world had ended, so why had the battle not ceased, the castle fallen silent in horror, and every combatant laid down their arms? Harry's mind was in free fall, spinning out of control, unable to grasp the impossibility, because Fred Weasley could not be dead, the evidence of all his senses must be lying-"

"The world had ended..."

I originally wrote Sarah's story in elementary school, and for many years my writing took a break, but Sarah's character evolved. She went from a very stereotype "MarySue", though I had no idea what that was at the time, who had something with Harry but backed off because she was friends with Ginny, to a more complex character who fell in love with Fred Weasley. After reading his death, Sarah's story came back to me. I knew I had to finish it. Instead of writing the story from the beginning, I started with Fred's death, which is now Chapter 23. I knew it would take me a while to get to Fred's death, the near-end of Sarah's story, and I wanted my feelings about his death to be fresh in my mind. I began writing, and ended up with a hand-written 17-page chapter. I knew I had to seperate it into different chapters, so when I was planning out the story, I decided to make it into three, which became Chapters 23-25. Sarah's reaction and what I call her "monologue" are real. I cried writing the monologue. If any of you have read my story "Narnia: The Musical", you know what music means to me, and are familiar with my use of it in my stories. The song I used in this chapter is "Slipped Away" by Avril Lavigne. If you have the time, I recommend going to YouTube and watch the video by GioelleBrokenWings entitled, "Fred & George Slipped Away (I Miss You) DH Spoiler", and/or "Deaths of Harry Potter - Slipped Away" by ginnyredhead. Both are very touching.

This story is not finished though, and I would love to hear from you, my reader.

Haras