Chapter Fifty-Four

The voice faded away. Bill and Ginny stood for a moment more, clinging to one another. Slowly, from all around the grounds, there was a quiet rustling. Those fighters still standing began the work of helping those who could not. The night gathered its darkness close like a blanket over the grounds, but dawn would soon come. Holding Ginny at arm's length, Bill tried to think of what to do next.

"Remus," Bill started, his voice hitched. "He—"

"Is he injured?" Ginny asked, but her lip trembled.

Bill shook his head, and Ginny choked out a sob. "He's near Ravenclaw Tower. Help me, please?"

"Do-do you think Tonks knows?"

"I don't know."

Ginny bit her lip, scrunching her nose. "Let's go then."

Bill turned to lead Ginny from that spot, and she placed her hand in his.

oOo

The silence in the castle was complete. All around her, Fleur could see the defenders of Hogwarts, wands in hand, shoulders tense, waiting for the next blow. None of them moved, though there was much work to be done. It was not time for that yet. First there must be silence, funereal and reverent. At Fleur's side, George leaned against the wall, covering his eyes with his hand. She did not think he was crying. It was not time for that yet.

One by one, the defenders came to life. Walking heavily away from the corridor. They reached for each other, hands finding partners to hold, arms across shoulders. There were no tears. The work was not done yet.

Fleur glanced at her brother-in-law. His hands dangled at his sides, his gaze staring straight ahead. There was a bit of blood trickling from a cut over his eye, dirt streaked across his face. He looked incredibly hurt.

"I have to find him," George said quietly.

Fleur knew there were many injured. She should lend her skills to Madam Pomfrey.

"Where do we begin?" she asked.

"He was supposed to be covering the secret passageway nearest the Room of Requirement, but I don't know…."

"Zen we shall start zere."

oOo

Percy climbed the stairs and walked down the corridor until he stood before the niche where he and Harry had stowed Fred's body. That need for violence had not carried him very far from this spot. Percy had dueled Rookwood until the man had fallen backwards down a staircase. Then there was another Death Eater, and another and another. And now he was back where he started.

There was a howling wind where his heart was meant to be. Fred's body was undisturbed. His laugh still marked his face, his limbs arranged as though he were sleeping. Sometimes, when they were growing up, it was Percy's job to wake Fred and George. It was like walking into a hexing. But for a moment, especially when they were very small, Fred and George would look so peaceful. Well, there would be no waking Fred now.

Stooping down, Percy hooked his hands under Fred's armpits and heaved. The body was already growing stiff, his weight immense. It didn't matter. Percy would take care of his brother this one last time, he owed him that much.

Percy managed to get halfway to the staircase, when running feet brought him face to face with Katie Bell. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew he should be surprised to see her, but somehow he couldn't muster it. He simply stared at her dirty face, blonde hair matted to her cheeks, blue eyes wide as she gaped at Fred.

"Oliver!" she screamed, her voice shaking. "It's—Percy—Help!"

It was a moment, then Oliver was standing before Percy. Oliver looked windblown, like he'd just walked off the pitch. Relief flooded Percy, his knees went weak, and it was all he could do to remain standing. Looking from the body to Percy, Oliver didn't hesitate. He grabbed Fred's legs.

"Why aren't you using magic, Perce?" Oliver asked, then directed his next words to Katie. "To the Great Hall."

Percy had no idea how long it took them to get to the Great Hall. It felt as though time ceased to exist—though it was currently a precious commodity. Still, for Percy, there was only that moment where his little brother was dead, and it stretched on for an eternity, unrelenting. He backed into the Great Hall, no longer familiar. The tables were gone. The students and staff gathered there were in tattered robes and dirty nightclothes, smeared in blood and soot. Katie Transfigured her sweater into a rough blanket, and they lay Fred's body across it. And then, Percy was kneeling beside Fred.

"Percy," Oliver's voice rumbled overhead, then he hauled Percy off the ground and into his arms where Percy collapsed into his friend. He sobbed into Oliver's chest, curled there like a child. Undignified and unbearable. The weight of Fred's death was crushing.

"It was my fault," Percy choked out. "I distracted him. I-I should have stayed away, I—It was my fault."

"Shut up, Percy," Oliver cupped his hand around Percy's head.

"I'm a terrible brother."

"It's war," Oliver rasped.

After a moment, Percy pulled away, extracting a handkerchief from his pocket and wiping his eyes.

"Does anybody else know?" Oliver asked, one hand still on Percy's shoulder.

Percy took a deep breath before speaking, "Ron." His voice broke. "Ronnie was there."

"Merlin knows where he is." Oliver looked around. "Listen. Stay here, I'll find Bill or your dad, yeah? What about Audrey?"

Percy's head snapped up. He hadn't thought of Audrey since before…before Fred. Now a new worry pressed in on Percy. He wanted her to stay away from Hogwarts, but he knew she hadn't. Audrey had true bravery—she did the right thing even when it scared her. The thought of her lying hurt somewhere in this castle made his chest ache.

"I don't know," Percy admitted hoarsely. "She went to fetch her brother-in-law. We were going to meet up here, at the castle."

"She's a scrappy little witch, Percy, she'll show up."

Oliver thumped Percy on the back, then jogged to the entrance hall. Without Oliver to hold him up, Percy sank to his knees beside Fred. It was only when he felt an arm around his shoulders that Percy realized Katie was still by his side.

oOo

"Bill!"

Pointing his lit wand in Ginny's direction, Bill squinted at her doubled form. They were searching near the rubble of Ravenclaw Tower. Bill hoped that Remus's body wasn't buried under the crumbled stone, but he couldn't be sure.

"Did you find him?" Bill called.

It was like they were playing a ghastly version of hide and fucking seek.

"Bill," Ginny said again, her voice breaking. "It's Tonks."

Bill dashed to Ginny's side, the tears in her eyes glinted like diamonds in the light of his wand. At her feet, pink hair and ridiculous boots, was Nymphadora Tonks staring up at the stars. There was a smudge of dirt on her cheek, and her eyes were brown. Bill went to one knee, reaching out to close her eyelids. Remus and Tonks, gone. His heart broke for the baby he'd never even met.

"They called him Teddy," Ginny whispered.

Bill nodded. Where was Charlie? Would he reach Hogwarts soon? How was Bill going to tell his little brother that he'd lost another friend to this blighted war? Who was going to tell Mrs. Tonks?

"Can you carry her?" Ginny asked.

Bill looked at Ginny. "No," he confessed. "My arm never healed right."

Tears dripped down Ginny's nose. "I'll make a stretcher. We'll take her to the Great Hall, then we'll come back for Remus."

And she did. Bill marveled at his baby sister as she took charge, but he wished she didn't have to. With a wave of her wand, the conjured stretcher lifted into the air and floated before them. As they neared the Great Hall, Bill saw a burly figure sprinting toward them, and fear hardened in his stomach.

"Bill!" Oliver called, stumbling to a stop, broad chest heaving.

Every nerve in Bill's body was on end, alert for fresh disaster. "What is it? Is it Percy?"

Oliver shook his head. "Not Percy…Fred. Fred's dead."

Beside them, Ginny began trembling. The stretcher jumped and shuddered as the convulsions overtook her. They all watched as if in slow motion as Tonks' body was dumped over the edge into the grass with a thud.

"Oh, Merlin!" Ginny screamed, she began to sink to her knees, but Bill caught her. "What did I do? I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

"They're in the Great Hall," Oliver said thickly. "I'll-I'll—" He motioned to Tonks, then scooped her up.

Bill turned away, pushing Ginny ahead of him. There was a weight in his face, his eyes burned, his chest was clogged. Fred was dead, but Oliver had said "they," they were in the Great Hall. Who else? George? Surely George was with Fred, but then Bill knew that the unthinkable had happened. He'd lost a brother—so many times he worried that this would happen, and yet not like this. Not just Fred. It never occurred to Bill to even worry that just Fred would die. Fred and George were invincible when they were together, how could this have happened?

Inside the Great Hall, the House tables had been Vanished. On the raised platform, Madam Pomfrey and Healer Pucey were tending to the injured. Somebody bumped into Bill, and he looked to his side to see Seamus Finnegan carrying a bloodied girl to the dais, a bow straggling in her hair. Other witches and wizards lingered along the edges of the room, hugging each other and crying softly. Down the center of the room, the dead were being laid in rows. At the far end where the Gryffindor table should have been, he saw Percy kneeling with a blond girl's arm around his shoulders.

"Percy!" Ginny shrieked, and broke into a run.

Their brother climbed to his feet, turning just in time to be enveloped in Ginny's hard embrace, her face pressed into his chest. Then Percy looked at Bill standing in the doorway, his expression broken. Forcing one foot in front of the next, Bill joined his brother and sister, the other girl melted away. Bill looked down at Fred, and his heart broke.

"I'm sorry," Percy whispered.

"Were-were you there, Perce?" Bill asked.

Percy's face crumpled, and he nodded. "I-I…yeah. And Ronnie."

"Where's George?" Ginny asked. She pulled back, her tear stained face staring up at Percy.

"I don't know," Percy answered. "They weren't-weren't together."

"He doesn't know?" Ginny whispered.

The three siblings fell into silence at the horror of it. Bill looked again at Fred, he seemed to be smiling. Suddenly, Bill knew how it had come to be just Fred. They were invincible, together.

"I distracted him," Percy said. "I'm sorry, Bill—"

Bill looked back at Percy's face. It was white under the dirt and soot, tear tracks blazing a path through the muck. He didn't know what Percy was talking about, and in that moment he didn't care. There were things he needed to do, beginning with finding Mum and Dad.

"Whatever happened, Perce, it wasn't your fault. I-I need to find Dad, take care of Ginny, yeah?"

Percy nodded. He stroked his long fingers through Ginny's hair, kissing the top of her head. Patting Percy on the shoulder, Bill turned away and marched into the entrance hall, trying desperately to hang onto his resolve. The last thing any of them needed was for Bill to crumple into tears, too. The entrance hall was a mess. The emeralds from the Slytherin House hourglass spilled across the floor. The marble staircase was gouged, the balustrade blown away in places. People came and went, carrying the dead and injured. But Bill was an island. For a moment he was in a place where no thought penetrated his mind, just emotion. It was dull and horrific, waiting for the moment to slam into him.

That moment was not now. He would have to conjure a Patronus to summon his parents to the Great Hall straight away. Searching for them would be a waste of precious time, and it would risk letting them find out about Fred before he could tell them. With a deep breath, Bill fought to center himself, to find a happy memory. It didn't matter that all of those felt very far away at the moment.

But there was no need. Just as he was lifting his wand, Mum and Dad walked through the door, leaning on each other. They saw Bill almost at the same instant that he saw them, and his face must have betrayed some of his emotions. Mum became instantly alert, her brow furrowed. Dad braced himself, his mouth flattening into a trembling line.

"What is it, son?" Dad asked, as they approached.

Bill took a deep breath, the name coming out as he exhaled, "Fred."

Mum's hand trembled as she covered her mouth. "Only-only Fred?"

"Yes."

They glanced at each other, the horror of Fred dying alone becoming real. Mum was the first to move. She burst forward, through the entrance of the Great Hall and down the aisle until she stood at Fred's feet. Dad lingered a moment. He looked helplessly at Bill, tears in his eyes, then turned away. He followed at a slower pace until he too stood before Fred. He patted Percy on the back, he hugged Ginny, then he knelt with Mum by Fred's side.

And Bill remained in the entrance hall, watching. His job wasn't done yet. There was still George. Surely Ronnie would turn up on his own, with Harry and Hermione in tow. Somehow, for the first time in months, Bill didn't worry for Ron's safety. He was somewhere, doing what Ron did: helping Harry Potter be a hero. Besides finding George, Bill needed Fleur, but again his job was easier than expected.

Turning to the grand staircase, he saw both of them walking down. George's head hung heavily, but Fleur stared at Bill. She was whole, dirty and unscathed, and Bill couldn't take his eyes off of her. Some of the tension in his chest eased. George walked right past Bill and into the Great Hall, but Fleur stopped before him.

"He knows," she said softly.

Bill closed his eyes, not surprised.

"He knew zee moment it happened. I was wiz him."

Bill's love for Fleur knew no bounds. He was so grateful that she was with George when Fred wasn't. That his little brother didn't have to be alone in the worst moment of his life. Bill choked as the clog in his chest shifted. Tears forced their way out of his eyes. Fleur's arms were around him, and his face was in her sweaty neck.

"Come," she whispered. "Be wiz your family, and I will be zee strong one for a little longer."

oOo

Bill straightened. Tears glistened on his face, and he reached up to wipe them away, but Fleur stopped him. Gently, with the sleeve of her blouse, she patted the moisture from his cheeks. He clasped her other hand, his eyes closing, but only for a moment. When they opened again, he pulled Fleur out of the way as students carried a body into the Great Hall.

Glancing again, Fleur noticed the careworn robes and thin mustache. "Is zat—"

"Remus," Bill said hoarsely. "Tonks is gone, too."

Fleur looked up at Bill, too stunned to say anything. Remus, he had shown her a picture of the baby only hours ago, and now that baby was an orphan. For a moment, Fleur wanted to run away from this place, she wanted to find that baby and never let go. Non, she was needed here. Pulling on Bill's hand, she led him into the Great Hall.

The ceiling overhead reflected the cloudy sky. Hardly any stars twinkled in that inky sky, as if they could not bear to witness the sight below them. The dead were already so many. The mourners many more. Fleur glanced at the raised platform where the injured were being tended. The magnificent centaur was there, bleeding profusely. She was needed there, but first Bill needed her.

The Weasleys were gathered around Fred's body. It was the quietest Fleur had ever seen the family, who seemed noisy even in their sleep. George kneeled by his twin's head, staring into that familiar face, at that ghostly smile, but no tears came to George's eyes. Maybe he had already cried them all. But Molly and Arthur's grief was only beginning. Molly wept until finally she collapsed across Fred's chest with a sob, and poor Arthur could only stroke her hair. Ginny clung to Percy, who looked up as Fleur and Bill approached. His eyes were red behind his glasses.

For a moment, Fleur wondered where Audrey was but stopped her thoughts there. Looking around the room, Fleur did not know most of these people. She recognized some of the Order members and professors, but most of the students were strangers to her. Yet, she had fought by their side. Now, she felt their sorrow and desperation. The need to know that friends and loved ones were alive, the fear that they were not. Fleur wrapped her arms around Bill and leaned her head against his shoulder.

It was then that she saw Ron and Hermione approach. The bushy haired girl hugged Ginny tightly. Ron slipped between Bill and Percy, who flung an arm around his little brother's shoulders. The Great Hall held a holy quiet, disturbed only by snuffling cries.

Until that quiet was broken.

"PERCY!"

Heads turned as the shriek rendered the silence, and Fleur knew that voice. For a moment, the urge to laugh poked at her ribs. Ridiculous relief tightened her skin. Maybe she would cry instead. Craning her neck, Fleur saw a blur of dark hair as Audrey sprinted down the aisle.

"Oi," Ron said, elbowing Percy in the side. "Step lively, Perce, incoming."

Percy looked up just in time to brace for impact. Fleur was not sure how it happened. Maybe Audrey jumped, or maybe Percy picked her up, it did not matter. Audrey's arms were around Percy's neck, his face buried in her hair, her feet dangling above the ground.

oOo

Somehow, Audrey had ended up with Luna Lovegood and Anthony Boot fighting Death Eaters near the Black Lake. After You-Know-Who called off his minions, it had taken her forever to pick her way across the grounds in the dark. The smell of blood exploded into the air with every step she took. Only one thought kept her from puking: she must find Percy.

The destruction was even worse near the castle. Audrey knew rather all too well that part of Ravenclaw Tower had crumbled, but now she could see that a hole gaped in the side of the castle. Stone blocks tumbled like an untidy mess at its base. Dark forms lie motionless on the ground. Bodies. Guiltily, she knew she should have stopped, helped where she could, but she didn't. All she wanted was to know her Gryffindor was safe, she would pay her penance later.

Now, holding Percy's face between her hands, she kissed his cheeks and his mouth. "Where have you been? We should have never separated. We should have agreed on a meeting place. I've been so scared…."

She meant that in a million tiny ways. She had been so scared, and not only of the fighting. Kissing Percy's cheek one more time, Audrey pulled away and took in his ashen face and red eyes. Looking around for the first time, Audrey noticed the other Weasleys. There was a tall boy with a long nose that must be Ron. He and Bill looked torn between the desire to laugh and cry.

Then she noticed Mr. and Mrs. Weasley staring up at her from beside the body of one of the twins. Audrey slid out of Percy's embrace to land on her feet at the exact instant that she was hit with the enormity of the moment she had intruded on. She looked at Percy again, his heartbreak written across his face. Reaching up, Audrey placed a hand on his cheek and he closed his eyes.

"Bill," Fleur's melodic voice cut in. "Zere are so many injured, and I can help…."

"Of course," Bill said, glancing behind him at the raised platform. He looked at his brothers and said, "Ron, Percy, we should help with the recovery effort."

"I'll go, too," Ginny said.

"Right." Bill nodded and clamped Percy on the shoulder as he walked by. "Take a moment."

Percy glanced at Bill, then back at Audrey.

"I'm so sorry about…" Audrey whispered.

"Fred."

Looking once more at Fred's body, Audrey moved into Percy, wrapping her arms around him. It felt like not enough, but she was at a loss to know what to do for him in that moment. She couldn't help but think of her own siblings, all safely far from Hogwarts on this night. She was a little disgusted with the lot of them, but relieved, too.

"I'm-I'm glad you're…here," Percy said quietly bending to speak into her ear. "Not here—safe—alive—I'm glad…."

"That goes both ways," Audrey said, cutting off his rambling.

"I'm going to…;"

Audrey nodded, knowing that Percy needed to be with his remaining siblings. She wanted to stay with him but wasn't sure that was what he wanted or needed. Presumably the battle would resume in…she didn't even know, she'd lost track of time. That was just it, though, she didn't want to lose track of Percy again. She watched with a pit in her stomach as Percy followed Bill and Ron out of the Great Hall.

When Percy was gone, Fleur came to stand in his place.

"Zat was quite zee entrance," Fleur whispered.

Audrey glanced at Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, noticing George for the first time. "Shut it."

Fleur hugged Audrey.

"That was maybe not the best way to meet my boyfriend's parents, huh?"

Fleur snorted, which made Audrey laugh just a little.

"Oh, Merlin," Audrey said, tears were gathering in her eyes. "I just realized that I'm the type of person who makes jokes at the absolutely most horrible moments."

"It is a gift," Fleur said, and pulled away to look at her friend.

"He looks so lost," Audrey said, her tone serious. "I'm not sure what to do for him."

"Do not give up on him, zat is all."

oOo

A few small groups still combed the grounds for the dead or injured, but the Great Hall was now crowded. Minor injuries were segregated at the Slytherin table, tended to by anybody with a capable healing spell, such as Percy. He moved from one student to the next, closing up cuts and setting broken fingers. Fleur prowled through the tables, assessing more serious wounds. Bill and Neville Longbottom had been drafted into helping her move those patients to the dais where Madam Pomfrey worked.

Percy was glad for the distraction. Inside, he felt numb and raw all at once. As long as he kept moving onto the next task, he didn't have to deal with the chasm inside his chest. Still, every once in a while, he looked around, searching for each family member. Fleur's silvery hair was the easiest to find. Bill was usually nearby. A little while ago, Percy noticed that Ron and Hermione had disappeared. He didn't like that and wondered if he should alert Bill, but decided against it in the end. The battle was not truly over, after all, and Ron still had a part to play. Cowardly, Percy avoided looking at the center of the room. He knew what he'd find because it hadn't changed. Mum, Dad, George, and Fred.

Glancing further down the row, Percy saw Audrey. She, too, was setting fingers and healing gashes. A flicker of warmth lit in his chest every time he looked at her—he knew what it cost her to perform such tasks, she was positively green. Then guilt would swoop into his stomach. Every time he felt something near gratitude, let alone happiness, he remembered that Fred was dead.

Tears tried to creep into his eyes, but Percy blinked them away. Looking up at the ceiling, he noticed that the sky was lightening. Their hour must be close to over. He looked again at Audrey. There was no way to know what would happen next, except for one thing. Percy knew they would keep fighting, probably to the end. So be it, but he wasn't going to let guilt keep him from the people he loved, not even Audrey.

Standing, Percy walked down the aisle until he stood behind Audrey and tapped her on the shoulder. She was mending the hand of Dean Thomas, but she turned to look up at Percy with those big eyes. For the first time, Percy noticed how bruised and swollen her face was. Tapping her cheek with his wand, they faded away.

"What happened to you?" he asked.

"Fell off a tower."

Percy swept her into his arms, kissing her.

"Oi! Get a room!" Dean laughed.

Percy ignored him, instead looking down at Audrey with a small smile. "Better?"

"I have bruises in other places, too, if you want to heal those."

Laughing wasn't something he could do at the moment, but still the void in his chest didn't feel so empty. Gathering Audrey near, he tried very hard to stay in that moment. Not something he was good at, admittedly. Under normal circumstances, his mind had a tendency to race ahead to future possibilities and consequences, and at the moment, more than half his brain was with his family. Still, he wanted to be with Audrey in this quiet space, in case it was the last.

"I love you," he murmured into her ear.

She sighed, her arms tightening around him. "I love you, too, Gryffindor. I-I am so, so sorry about Fred. When this is over, you'll tell me everything."

Percy made a non-committal sound. Promising anything for the future seemed like dangerous business.

Almost as one, the people in the Great Hall turned to the entrance. From outside, there was crashing and jeering. Again, Percy glanced up at the ceiling to see the darkness thinning. This was it. Their hour reprieve was over. McGonagall marched from the dais, down the aisle between the dead and the injured, and through the entrance hall. The survivors followed.

From the front steps, illuminated by the torches, they could see Hagrid's large form tethered by ropes. Death Eaters spread out on either side of the half-giant. Before them was Voldemort himself, giant snake around his shoulders. Percy had never particularly liked snakes, now he thought maybe he hated them. Then he saw him. The body in Hagrid's huge arms. McGonagall let out an anguished shout.

"NO!"*


*Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling, Chapter 36 The Flaw in the Plan page 730