THC, Challenge 2, Delving back into past rounds.

Drabble, under 500 words.

Slytherin, HoH.

Prompt: Mika, Happy ending.

Word count: 496

Betas: CupCakeyyy

The Hardest Story To Tell

George slowly walked up to the pedestal for the anniversary memorial at Hogwarts. It had been four years since the end of the war, since his life had changed in a flash of green light. A few uncontrolled breaths filled and exited his lungs. He stopped suddenly, three feet from his destination to collect himself. He had never been asked to speak before for the memorial and wasn't sure if he was ready for it.

Finally, after what felt like an hour, but had only been a few seconds, he took the final steps and looked out to the crowd that was waiting patiently. He had been there last year, listening to the devastating words.

"This is the hardest story that I've had to tell," he started, catching eyes with a few of them; they understood. "If I pretend that it didn't happen, that nobody died, that everything was fine, then I can sleep, I can carry on with my life. But that's rare, my mind is always plagued with the loss of others, of my brother, who I have to spend the rest of my life without. Angelina finds me walking around at 2 am… I just can't sit down and do anything. My thoughts always jump to him, no matter what I do."

He had to stop to wipe his tears away. "From the hardships and traumas of the war came peace. I know that… with every heaven there's a hell, and I still feel trapped in the latter a lot of the time, but I know that it was justified. He… Fred didn't die for no reason, he died helping to save everybody, he went down… and left me with no hope, with no love, with no glory… and no happy ending. It was gone. My life had been taken away. This is the way Fred left me… broken..."

Another pause, this one was longer, but nobody moved to take over or comfort him. They left him to his feelings.

"But peace and love can't safely exist without sacrifice. And all it takes sometimes is a little bit of love to see what is important now instead of being stuck in the past. And as much as it kills me to say, life continues, and my love Angelina has taught me that." George took a breath. "Those who have left us will not have their happy endings, but their sacrifice has meant that we could have ours, we could find that little bit of love and continue on with our lives."

"I guess my final words are that Fred would want us to be happy. This is for Fred."

With a breath, he waved his wand and fireworks erupted into the sky. George turned his head down, he knew what they looked like, but he couldn't bear to watch. Fred would have wanted this but George wasn't ready yet. He turned and walked off the stage as he heard the happiness in others' voices.