Hello all. I apologize to those who thought the last chapter was the end. When I was typing up my author's note, I had said that it wasn't the last chapter, but somehow, due to editing and moving things around, it was deleted. We still have a few chapters left to go, and I hope that you all will stay with Sarah until the end.
Thank you so much to my reviewers-
Steve- Thank you so much. I'm so happy that everything I put into this story came through. Thank you once again for continuing to review each chapter. I truly appreciate it.
M.A.- Three reviews! Thank you so much! I'm so glad that you are reviewing now! Ah, the house. Yes, it is a tad extravagant, but that is how I dreamed it up when I was little, and I wanted to keep some of the original ideas in the story. Just curious, what about how Sarah phrased her blow up with Jacob didn't you like? I'm not offended or anything. To be perfectly honest, I was kind of hoping someone would say something about Sarah's temper. If you could let me know what about the phrasing you didn't like, that would be a great help to me. If it is too confusing, or not enough background is provided, then I can fix that. If you just think she was mean, then I might agree only slightly. Let me know please, whether it be through a review or message, and if it's anything I can change I'd love to talk about it! I thank you so very much for your wonderful review of chapter 25. I'm touched. And in answer to your question about more stories, I can honestly say I don't know. Sarah has been in my head for almost ten years now, and I was finally able to finish her story. So will there be any more stories about Sarah? No. Sarah's previously untold story has been told. I hope that when you watch the Order of the Phoenix and the remaining Harry Potter films (if you do indeed watch them), that you think of Sarah. That is one thing I ask of my readers. I do have other stories and poetry. I have a completed story entitled Narnia: The Musical, if you like that series. The Hidden City of Orceania, a LOTR story, is currently on hold, because I plan on redoing a lot of the plot, and I still don't know how I'm going to end it. My poetry for now consists of my first poem, View From Behind the Statue, a Phantom of the Opera poem (My favorite musical and movie), and Haras' Tribute to the Fallen, which you may like, because it is a whole tribute to everyone that has died in the Harry Potter series (only the good characters, of course). I have other ideas developing in my head, but for now, I am done with Harry Potter fanfiction. I hope that you will enjoy the rest of this story, and that you will read more of my work. Again, I thank you for your praise.
So now, please enjoy the next chapter. I hope you like it.
Chapter 26: Hardships
The McFlairs returned home after one week to prepare for Sarah's graduation from Universe. It was hard for Sarah to go back to Malibu now. She had called Liz, Maggie, and Rose from the limo on their way back from the airport. All three were horrified to hear the news, and Liz promised to meet Sarah at home. Maggie and Rose would arrive as soon as their shifts ended at work.
"Oh Sarah," said Liz as her cousin ran forward to hug her, eyes streaming. Wiping their eyes, they went up to Sarah's room.
Sarah did not lie when she said everything reminded her of Fred. For her, nearly every inch of her home reminded her of a specific memory. The elevator doors opened, she punched in the code, and her bedroom doors opened.
There on the floor lay everything from school. Slowly Sarah walked to the pile and started unpacking. Liz helped, as did Maggie and Rose when they arrived. She had to stop and cry when she got to her trunk filled with pictures. There, on top, lay her two favorites: a headshot of Fred and the one of them dancing at Bill and Fleur's wedding.
She stared at both, watching Fred smile back at her and the two of them laughing in each other's arms. Sarah cried again, and was comforted by her best friends, who were actually quite scared at the transformation in her. Their once spunky, hot-headed, independent and outgoing friend was now a sobbing mess. Even Liz, who had known her cousin the longest, had never seen Sarah this sad.
The worst days for Sarah soon became the worst weeks, and each day she lay in her bed, unable to move. Her body went into meltdown, and soon her parents were very concerned.
Her mother came up each morning to force Sarah out of bed, and made sure she ate something. After a week of lying in bed, Callista told Sarah she should go back to work to get her mind off things. Being Sarah's boss as well, Sarah had no choice but to return to The Luxury Pearl Hotel.
The guests wondered why the usually joyful concierge was now so sad. Somehow word got out about her fiancé. This only made things harder for Sarah.
She was almost happy, but not really, for that emotion no longer existed, when guests started arriving at the McFlair home for the graduation. Everyone on the list came, except for the three fallen friends.
The last journey to Universe was bittersweet, and as the grads threw their academy-colored hats in the air, Sarah had tears streaming down her face, crying for the ones who weren't there.
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
The next day brought Sarah and Liz's combined graduation party. It was a little hot so guests cooled off in the crashing ocean waves.
Callista had already spoken to her daughter and asked Sarah to try to be cheerful for the guests. Both families from Ireland and Greece were there, and Sarah and Liz greeted them all, but halfway through the party, Liz noticed her cousin was missing. She quietly mentioned this to Hermione, Ginny, Luna, Rose, and Maggie, and they split up, hoping to cheer up their friend on a day that was supposed to be joyous.
They were not the only ones searching for someone. Molly was busy trying to find George, who had been distant and rarely talked anymore. He insisted on sleeping on the couch instead of his old room, and hadn't returned to work at all. She stuck her head in the floor with the play place, and heard crying.
"Hello?" she called, walking to the landing for the ball pit.
She heard a sniff.
"Yes?" a faint voice replied.
"Sarah? Is that you?"
Following Sarah's sobs, Molly crawled and climbed as best she could until she found Sarah in a corner with a tissue box.
"Why are you here, dear?" she asked, sitting beside Sarah. "You should be outside having fun."
"I can't."
Molly looked at Sarah, who sighed. "For one, my pesky little cousins are here. Luckily they're all swimming, or I'd never get any peace. And I can't stop thinking about Fred." She began crying again. "Today would have been the day he proposed to me. This should have been one of the happiest days of my life, but I'm miserable."
Molly pulled Sarah close and smoothed her hair like she did when Ginny got upset. Tears started falling from Molly's eyes as well.
"I miss him too. Very much. Especially on happy days like today."
Sarah nodded.
"I'm- so- sorry," the young woman sobbed. "I'm- so- sel- fish. I'm acting like- I'm- the only- one who- misses- him."
Molly held Sarah, who hugged her back.
"You're not selfish Sarah, it's alright," said Molly soothingly. "We all deal with grief in our own ways. I've been talking to your mother, and she said you've taken this really hard. How could any of us who loved him not?" She took one of Sarah's tissues and dabbed her eyes. "You're parents agreed to let you come live with us for a while to help you heal. To help us all heal. Would you like that?"
Sarah nodded. "Yes. Thank you."
Molly smiled. "There now. It's all settled. It will be good for all of us."
"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley."
"Now, if you're going to live with us like family, which you are as far as I'm concerned. I know you would have married my son," she said, looking at the ring on Sarah's finger. She wore it on her left hand, with the crown facing inwards, to show she was engaged. "The whole family considers you a Weasley now, and so you can call me 'Mum' if you'd like."
"I'd like that very much, Mum," said Sarah, smiling just a little for the first time in weeks.
"Do you think that you can manage coming down with me for the last bit of your party now?"
Sarah nodded, pointed to her face, and the signs that she had been crying were gone.
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
Plans were made for Sarah to return with the Weasleys and stay until she was better. As soon as she got the chance, Sarah went up to her room and started packing. It was the liveliest she'd been since she ran to the Burrow, thinking she would see Fred.
Sarah grabbed this and that, putting them into the trunks she brought with her to school. Her things shifted, and she was too engrossed in her own thoughts to see books fall onto an 'on' button.
She was in the middle of wondering how she would be able to live at the Burrow without Fred when she frowned, having heard something, and looked around.
"How do I get through one night without you?
If I had to live without you,
What kind of life would that be?"
Her mood player had been turned on.
Sarah turned to walk over and hit the 'off' button, but depression set in again, wiping her of all energy. She instead lay on her bed, listened to both the song and the sound of her own sobs.
"Oh I, I need you in my arms
Need you to hold
You're my world, my heart, my soul
If you ever leave
Baby you would take away everything good in my life
And tell me now-
How do I live without you?
I want to know
How do I breathe without you?
If you ever go
How do I ever, ever survive?
How do I
How do I
Oh, how do I live?
Without you, there'd be no sun in my sky
There would be no love in my life
There'd be no world left for me
And I, oh baby, I don't know what I would do
I'd be lost if I lost you
If you ever leave
Baby you would take away everything real in my life
And tell me now-
How do I live without you?
I want to know
How do I breathe without you?
If you ever go
How do I ever, ever survive?
How do I
How do I
Oh, how do I live?
Please tell me baby
How do I go on?
If you ever leave
Baby you would take away everything
Need you with me
Baby don't you know that you're everything good in my life?
And tell me now
How do I live without you?
I want to know
How do I breathe without you?
If you ever go
How do I ever, ever survive?
How do I
How do I
Oh, how do I live?
How do I live without you?
How do I live without you, baby?
How do I live?"
She lay crying until, two hours later, the songs became calmer as she drifted off to sleep.
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
On the ride to the Burrow, Sarah hugged her knees and rested her chin on them as she gazed out the window. She was relieved to finally be leaving her California home. She loved her parents, friends, co-workers, and house, but she needed to get away.
Luna sat down next to her.
"Pastry?" she offered.
"No thanks," Sarah replied softly.
"I'm glad you're coming to England for a while," Luna said, trying to be cheerful. "I'll just be down the road. We can go looking for Freshwater Plimpies if you'd like."
Sarah nodded her head slightly.
Ginny walked by on the way back from the bathroom, and motioned to Luna. She got up and Ginny took her place. She pushed up the arm rest between them and put her arm around Sarah, leaning her own red head against her friend's.
"It'll be alright," Ginny sighed, only half believing it herself. "We'll all help each other. It will work you somehow. You'll see."
Song Used- How Do I Live by Leann Rimes.
Please review. Thanks.
Haras