Chapter 45 – Trouble Ahead

Albus Dumbledore was dead. It didn't matter how many times she heard those words, she still couldn't quite believe it. It didn't seem real. Even sitting at his funeral hadn't made the fact sink in.

She kept replaying Harry's words in her head when he found her sitting in the Hospital Wing with the others after it had happened...

"Harry, is it true? What they're saying?" Remus had asked when Harry came bursting through the doors with Ginny.

"You knew!" he accused Grace angrily, ignoring everyone else.

"What are you talking about?"

"You knew Malfoy was planning on killing Dumbledore and you did nothing!" he shouted.

"I didn't know what he was planning!" she yelled back.

Harry stomped right up to her until he was less than an inch away. At once Remus leapt to her defence, pushing his way in between the two of them and forcing Harry back.

"Harry," he said, "Grace couldn't have known what was going to happen and she told Dumbledore everything that she knew."

Gradually Harry calmed down as the grief washed over him. They were all quiet, absorbing the information that Dumbledore was gone in their own ways. Since then Harry had apologised to Grace but she couldn't pretend that his words hadn't stuck in her head. She wondered if there had been more she could have done. As much as she searched her mind though, there were no answers there.

She was sitting in between Remus and Fred. She looked over to see that Remus was holding onto Tonk's hand. She had no idea how she had missed such a major development in Remus' life but then, she had had a lot on her plate over the last year (as usual).

Looking at the people in the row in front of her, she could see the shiny new scars on Bill's face as he turned to say something to Fleur; the souvenir from his fight with Greyback. Guilt settled in her stomach because it could have easily been her. Maybe it should have been.

Fred reached for her hand as her attention turned back to the marble tomb and her own grief took hold. Dumbledore couldn't be dead. The war wasn't over. They still needed him. How could he just be gone?

She tried to focus on what was being said but the words sounded meaningless to her. Who cared about his achievements now? Who cared what his accomplishments were? The truth was that he was not coming back. Never again, would he welcome the students to another year at Hogwarts. He wouldn't ever make them feel safe or give them the answers that they needed. He was unreachable to them now.

Once the funeral was over, Grace broke away from the others to find Harry. She found him talking to Ron and Hermione.

"So what now?" she asked, looking at her friends.

"Well Harry's under the impression that we are going to let him hunt down the horcruxes alone," said Hermione smiling slightly.

Grace snorted. "As if," she said rolling her eyes. "You wouldn't last a week without us for a start."

"I can't let you-" Harry began but Grace interrupted him.

"Harry, I would drop it if I were you. We are behind you, one hundred percent," she said, more seriously now. "Besides since when have you let us do anything?"

"You said to us once before," said Hermione quietly, "that there was time to turn back if we wanted to. We've had time, haven't we?"

"We're with you whatever happens," agreed Ron. "But, mate, you're going to have to come round my mum and dad's house first."

"Why?"

"Bill and Fleur's wedding, remember?"

"Yeah, we shouldn't miss that," Harry said finally.

...

Grace made her way back across the school grounds with a heavy heart. There was something she needed to do but it would not be easy. Slowly, she approached the group of people that she had come to think of as family; Remus and Tonks, Mr and Mrs Weasley, Bill, Fleur, Moody, Kingsley, Ginny, George and of course, Fred.

"Fred? Can I talk to you?" she said nervously.

They set off for a walk around the lake and the second they were out of earshot of everybody else, Fred pretty much erupted.

"You're leaving me, aren't you?"

"Fred, I-"

"I heard you say that you would-"

"Fred-"

"I don't know why I didn't trust my instincts-"

"Fred-"

"But you promised you wouldn't-"

"FRED!" she shouted to get his attention. "I'm not breaking up with you."

"Oh," he said, instantly relaxing.

"I just...I just have to go away for a while."

"How long's a while?"

Grace looked out over the lake. The setting sun made the water glimmer and sparkle; the effect was pretty. "I don't know," she sighed. "Days, weeks, months..."

"Years?"

She looked back at him. He looked so sad. "I don't know," she said again.

"Where are you going?" he asked after a minute of silence.

"I can't tell you that."

He studied her for another minute. "What are you going to be doing?"

"I can't tell you that either."

"Grace-"

"Look," she said. "I know I've been shockingly bad at this whole honesty thing so far but this is different. Trust me; you're better off not knowing. All I can tell you is that I have to help Harry with something."

"Are Ron and Hermione going too?"

"Well, yes-"

"Good, so me and George can come as well."

"Fred, how am I supposed to take you with me when I can't even tell you what we are doing?"

"You're a smart girl. You'll figure it out."

"Fred," she scolded gently. "You know I can't – please try to understand."

Slowly his shoulders sagged. Grace hated seeing him upset; she was so used to seeing him smiling and joking. She hated the fact that she was the reason for the frown that was on his face even more.

"Has this got something to do with You Know Who?" he asked evenly.

"If there's a chance we can stop him – for good this time – we have to try, don't we?"

Fred stared at her seriously. It looked like he was committing all the details of her face to memory, as though he would never see it again. Just as he stepped forwards to close the gap between them, she stepped back.

"Sorry, but it would be a lot safer for you if people thought we weren't together anymore," she explained, glancing around. "There are still quite a few people about. I should shout at you or something...mind if I slap you?"

"Yes I mind!" said Fred indignantly. He tried to look offended but ruined it when he smiled. To Grace, there wasn't another smile in the world that lit up the place like his did. She couldn't help but smile back. "People are going to ask my family questions when you lot disappear regardless of whether or not they think we're together," he said fairly. "And I've seen you smack someone before; I like my face the way it is, thank you very much."

Grace laughed. "Fair enough," she conceded.

Fred stepped forwards again. "Shall we give them something else to talk about instead?"

"What did you have in mind?"

She was still giggling when he pulled her closer. When he kissed her, the rest of the world seemed to melt away for that one perfect moment.