It was very fitting, she thought, for the sky to be cloudy and gray today of all days. It matched her mood but even though she appreciated the commiseration she knew he would hate it. He would want a bright sunny day and a hoard of cornish pixies harassing the crowd that had gathered to see him off, so to speak.
She gazed down the hill where a rather large group was gathered. Bright ginger hair stood stark against the cluster of black cloaks. She couldn't quite make out their faces from the distance she stood but she assumed there were sniffling and tears. A part of her wished she was standing with them but she was also glad that she wasn't. After all, she didn't have to worry about masking her sorrow when she was alone.
Watching as the coffin was lowered into the earth, it was clear now more than ever that she was truly alone.
It started out as an entirely ordinary day.
All she wanted to do was make a quick trip to Diagon Alley. She needed to run to Eyelops' to get some supplies for her Tawny, Hazel, and then to Bender's for some groceries. A quick shopping trip with little interaction. Luckily for her, the September morning was just cool enough that she could get away with wearing her cloak out. It hid her well from anyone who might want to stop and talk to her. She was working efficiently through her short to-do list and hadn't run into any trouble yet. She was even thinking of stopping by Sugarplum's to reward herself, but those plans went up in flames as soon as she saw it.
Red hair.
It had been quick, just a flash, but she saw it. She could see it again whenever a pocket opened up in the crowd. Her feet began following behind, trying to catch up with the ginger mop, even though it was not the logical thing to do. It had been months since she last saw that hair, but every step she took brought her closer to running her fingers through it again. The red hair bobbed into view once more and she could hardly contain her excitement.
"Fred!" She shouted as she took off. She fastened the lower buttons on her cloak to free up her legs and let her hood fell behind her, allowing her loose hair was whipping in the wind. She probably looked absolutely mad, but she ignored the confused looks around her and forced her legs to go faster. She could see shoulders and that familiar bob as he walked. He was so close. "Fred!"
She reached out and grabbed his elbow, pulling him to a stop. Her heart was pounding against her chest so hard she thought it might burst through but as soon as he turned and those brown eyes met hers, it stopped. Her eyes flew towards the now-healed wound where an ear had been and they widened in recognition. Her stomach immediately felt like she'd swallowed concrete.
She jerked her hand away as fast as if it had been burnt. She took a step back and finally noticed the several perplexed faces framed by bright ginger hair before swinging her gaze back to the man right in front of her. She met sad, knowing eyes.
"Oh, God." She felt the sting of tears burning her eyes and the panic rising from her stomach. "Merlin, I'm so sorry!" She spun around and pushed her way back through the crowd. There were too many people and with the sadness cementing her heart, it felt impossible to breathe. She stumbled into an alley and leaned against a wall, yanking her cloak open and away from her neck and pressing her head to the cool brick.
It was so stupid. She was stupid. She had known there was no way it was Fred. She had watched his family bury him, for Merlin's sake. But she couldn't stop the hope that bubbled up every time she caught a flash of red hair walking around Diagon Alley. She'd been avoiding the block with the twins' shop and she knew she would George walking around eventually but even three months later she wasn't prepared for the devastation of seeing that painfully familiar mop turn around, only for it to be an entirely unfamiliar person.
She just had to collect herself enough to apparate away. At least then she could break down in private.
"Ella."
She squeezed her eyes shut. Of course he knew who she was, probably as soon as he turned around. And of course, he followed her. It's what Fred would've done, and he was his other half after all. She took a moment to pull her courage together before turning around.
"George." The last person she wanted to see right now. "How did you know it was me?"
"I saw you at the funeral." He shoved his fidgeting hands into the pockets of his trousers, a sign that he held some of the same uneasiness as her. "You were the only one I didn't immediately recognize so I figured you must be, well, you. I was going to talk to you but you left before I could."
"I didn't want to intrude. It felt weird being there without ever having been introduced."
George's eyes soften a bit.
"You would've been welcomed." She looked away. Ella sincerely doubted she would've been welcomed if she'd talked to his family. "How are you holding up?"
"I'm fine," she answered, although the doubt was clear on his face confirmed that he picked up on how strained her words were. "Well, I'm getting there at least. And you?"
His gaze narrowed on her. This was his first time meeting the infamous Ella and although the circumstances were a tad uncomfortable he had expected a little warmer of a conversation. After all, Freddy had been quite smitten with her and he wasn't known to gravitate towards the proper, snobby type.
She almost reminded him of a mouse, a little flighty, and ready to run as soon as she got the chance. Looking at her face he saw the dark circles and the cheekbones that were probably more prominent than they had been four months ago. That wasn't too unexpected, after all, if anyone could understand downplaying the pain it would be him. Still, something else seemed off.
Just then, a gust of wind blew down the alley, Ella's cloak whipping with it. She tried to tame it down but it was too late. His eyes went wide and froze on her abdomen.
"Right, well, I need to leave now." Ella started backing away, ready to turn on her heel and apparate away but he stepped forward and grabbed her arm, tight enough to stop her but not enough to hurt her. Entirely inconvenient considering all she wanted to do at the moment was to leave.
"Ella…" George's voice trailed off as he searched her eyes. "Are you...Is it Fred's?" She had been holding her emotions together fairly well given the circumstances, but hearing him say it made it feel real. Looking at the face so similar to Fred's with that same look of concern he used to get for her was too much. She looked up, hoping that gravity will force her tears back into her eyes and the right words to say would float above her head.
"Did he know?" George asked. Ella met his gaze again and it was like the dam finally broke. The tears ran down her cheeks and she threw a hand to her mouth to try and stop the sobs from escaping with them. All she could do was shake her head violently.
George felt his own grief leering over his shoulder, trying to work its way back into his heart. Losing his twin was like losing a limb. He had tried to bounce back as fast as possible, had thrown everything into getting the business sorted, and opened back up. He had his whole family to lean on while mourning Fred but he suspected Ella didn't have that support system.
Fred had said they were keeping things quiet until after the war. He knew the twins had put a target on their back with their blatant support of Harry and Fred didn't want his Muggleborn girlfriend getting any of the flack from it when she already had to watch her back simply because of her lineage. Now, he was gone and on top of that she appeared to have a constant reminder that he was here and now he's not.
A thousand thoughts rushed to the tip of his tongue without actually leaving his brain. How far along was she? Did she plan on keeping it? Was she ever planning on cluing his family in any of this? Sadness and anger filled him.
Ella tried to tug her arm away to leave. It was George's turn to panic. His brother was gone, he'd accepted that months ago, but he couldn't live his life knowing Fred had a kid out there living life completely independent of his family's.
"Do you have anywhere you need to be right now?" George asked. His eyes were an open window into the frantic desperation he was feeling inside. This was the one part of Fred's life he hadn't let George step into. He suddenly had the feeling that he had to keep her there somehow or risk her slipping back into the shadows of Fred's former life. "I think we need to talk."
She wasn't sure she wanted to go with him. It was so obvious, even he could tell. But she knew Fred would want her to. She eyed the hand he held towards her and before she could talk herself out of it she reached for it. It felt strange holding a hand that wasn't Fred's but before she could dwell on it too much he apparated them away.