Jade groaned, blinking. Her eyes were adjusting to the light as she saw three faces peer down at her.

"That was some fall you took back there. I might not want to look in a mirror for a few days, just saying." Fred said.

"Hey troll! Look at my grapefruit face! You're all grown up, snogging my husband and saving lives around the world." Astoria cooed.

"Ginny…I see dead people." Jade moaned.

"Jade I think you might want to relax. You really took a bad fall." Ginny said.

"My face hurts." Jade groaned.

"Love, just relax. You're still the most beautiful woman I know." Fred said.

"I can't believe I can see you." Jade said, starting to cry.

"We can't believe that you can see us. How did you do it, Ginny?" Astoria asked.

"Well, I noticed Malfoy talking to himself and a few conversations he had been having, I knew he was seeing the two of you. How? I have no idea but if he could communicate with you, there had to be a way for us to see you two as well. I just found a way by twisting Hermione's arm and borrowed a few things from Harry." Ginny said with a wave.

"How long can we see them for?" Jade asked.

"Only until they move on. I don't know why your souls are stuck here but you need to find out in order to leave." Ginny said.

"Well we figured. I wish we had a guide or something. The afterlife is such a riddle." Astoria said, shaking her head.

"This is really happening. I can actually see you both." Jade said, staring at them.

"We've been trying to find you for so long, darling. I guess I can be grateful to Malfoy for finding you. We have a lot to talk about, little lady." Fred said.

"Uh oh." Jade said, her eyes widening.

"Oh! Oh! I'll start! Ginny has no idea about anything!" Astoria said.

"Naturally." Fred grinned.

"I am almost regretting bringing you back." Ginny told Fred who clamped his mouth shut.

"So are you in love with him?" Fred asked, sitting next to Jade.

"Fred, you can't ask me that." Jade said.

"Oh yes I can. I've seen everything. Things that I didn't even want to see but I accepted it." Fred said.

"Why would you do that?" Jade asked.

"I don't have too many options, love. I want to see you happy which brings me to this question…why on earth out of all the creatures in the world would you marry Cormac McLaggen?" Fred asked.

"Here we go again." Jade said wincing when she hit her head back against the pillow.

After explaining everything to Ginny and having a two hour long conversation about how Jade had felt about Draco and why she was marrying Cormac, Ginny decided to tell Jade the truth.

"So I might have gone to his house and told him not to see you." Ginny said.

"What?! When?" Jade asked, sitting up.

"It was really obvious that you two were…special friends." Ginny said.

"What the fuck is a special friend?" Astoria asked.

"Like a friends with benefit type of thing?" Fred asked.

"No! We've never! I don't even know what we were." Jade said.

"You can't be marrying Cormac and enjoy Malfoy on the side too." Ginny said.

"I wasn't enjoying Malfoy like he was a piece of meat. I'm just having a hard time understanding what I want. This is even more embarrassing because I can see Fred and Astoria now." Jade said, looking down at her hands.

"Well it wasn't your fault that you fell for him. He's just that handsome." Astoria said.

"Oh shut up." Jade said.

"I thought she was mad to get you two together. Now she's having second thoughts but you shouldn't be embarrassed. I think he's a good fit for you." Fred said, blushing.

"I've missed you, love." Jade cried.

"I've missed you and love you as well but I have to beg you not to marry McLaggen. I hate him. I hate him." Fred pleaded.

"I can't go back to Draco. He's so busy with Sheila now and why wouldn't he? Why am I special? Ginny's right. What was I thinking when I thought it would be to think that anything would ever happen with Draco while I already accepted Cormac's proposal?" Jade asked.

"You're not even listening. NO ONE WANTS YOU TO MARRY MCLAGGEN! Ginny would you slap this idiot? What is wrong with you?!" Astoria yelled.

"What do you people want me to do?!" Jade yelled back. "I have no stability in my life! I need something stable to come home to. You both left! I was set to marry the love of my life and he was taken away from me. I thought I was hopeless and that I'll never find anyone who would love me like you, Fred. I don't love Cormac. I've been trying for so long but it just doesn't happen for me." Jade said.

"This is going to make you unhappy for the rest of your life. Cormac can love you enough for the both of you but if you don't love him, it won't work." Astoria said softly.

"I'm not going to talk about this anymore. I love the two of you but our lives aren't the same anymore." Jade said, taking her cloak and leaving. Astoria turned to Ginny.

"Right, you need to get them back together again." Astoria said.

"What?!" Ginny asked. Astoria nodded. "I am not doing anything to help Malfoy and Jade get together." Ginny said.

"Okay don't but at least break up Jade's engagement with McLaggen. Ginny, it will ruin her life." Fred said.

"We've been trying to convince her since she told me that he proposed! Cormac's ready to pick up where Fred left off and I don't know what Jade thinks but she wants what Fred promised her." Ginny said.

"She's gone a little insane." Fred said.

"Could you blame her? With her parents with Alzheimer's and a dead fiancé and best friend. I would think so." Ginny said.

Jade watched her father look at the lake, his eyes watering from old age. He was probably reminiscing about a fonder memory but Jade couldn't tell these days. She touched her father's arm and he turned his head and put his arm around her.

"I want you to be happy, my love. I want you to be able to do what your dreams commands of you." Algie said.

"That's really sweet, dad." Jade said.

"Fuck, sweet! Go and get your hands dirty! Vomit into a mailbox! Wake up in a farm! Meet random beautiful…no on second thought, don't do that honey." Algie said. Jade cracked a smile.

"I jumped off a cliff." Jade said.

"That's not living." Algie said, brushing her off.

"I got shot in the arm by an indigenous tribe." Jade said.

"Now you have my attention." Algie said, raising his eyebrows.

"I've told you that story a million times, dad. I'm glad Mum doesn't remember it anymore. Would have never been able to leave home." Jade said.

"Be a little careful. I know your old man was a little reckless in his days but you are my only child…I hope." He said. "Dad!" Jade said.

Algie chuckled as they sat down on a bench, facing the sunset.

"When did Mum get sick? Is she going to be all right?" Jade asked, seeing Algie shake his head and frowning.

"I don't know. They tell me things to not upset me but I don't think she's going to get any better, honey." Algie said. Jade sighed, holding her father's hand.

"Your mother is the love of my life and my best mate. Whatever you had to experience, my love, it only makes you stronger. I'm sure Fred would have made the best husband and the best match for you in so many ways but life has to adjust. Now, I'm not saying that you getting married to that idiot, happy and oblivious fool is a bad idea but you're too young to fuck up your life." Algie said.

Jade didn't say anything. She could see Fred standing against the tree with his arms crossed. His eyebrow was cocked as he watched her, revering in every single word.

"Be honest with yourself, darling. You're young, successful and I am thankful to all the gods above that you took your beauty after your mother and not me." Algie said with a sigh of relief. "But please try to reconsider. If he makes you truly happy. If you can see him like how you would see me and your mother, alone and locked in a room for a week, then you have my blessings." Algie said.

Jade nodded, not being able to think how she would ever manage to be locked in a room for a second with Cormac. She didn't want to see her father panic. Things were going to work out perfectly. Cormac was going to be the perfect husband for her. Jade looked at Fred again and felt embarrassed for even thinking that. Jade slowly walked her father back to his room and met Fred where he was standing at the same spot, watching her while she was speaking to her father.

"Why the gloomy face?" Jade asked, sitting on the bench again.

Fred pushed himself off of the tree and sat down next to her. "Your father's right." He said.

"I knew you would agree." Jade said softly, looking over him. It was painful to see him in pure form. He was sitting so close to her, but Jade would feel the breeze hitting her arm, right through him as if she were sitting all alone. He didn't look tired or happy but slightly worried. "What's the matter? I thought you'd be a little chattier if I can see you now." Jade said.

Fred tried to smile the best he could but it withered. "I wish I could touch you. You don't know how incredibly lonely it feels to be in this realm." Fred said, looking at her.

"I wish I could touch you too. If you only knew how lonely it feels to be without you." Jade said, putting out her hand. Fred could see her already in tears. He looked down at her hand and put his hand over hers. They couldn't touch but Fred had his hand over hers anyways.

"I love you." He said.

"I love you too, darling." Jade said.

Ginny was shaken awake by Harry at night. Her heart was racing, thinking that something must have happened to James. She looked at the clock on the wall and looked back at Harry who pulled a sweater over himself. He crouched over to Ginny, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Hermione's here. Algie passed away a few hours ago." He said in a low voice.

Ginny could see that Jade was trying to compose herself the best way she could in front of everyone who was offering her their sympathies. For the past two days, she was a mess, crying over her father and grieving madly. Ginny couldn't help but choke up every time she thought of old Algie and how devastated Jade was to lose her father. It made her think about her own aging father. The world had changed within a few years. The days where she had been a little girl that was concerned about what her Mum would make her for lunch or where her friends wanted to play and explore every day was gone. There were responsibilities now, stresses of all kinds and death. Loads of death.

"I knew this was going to happen." Fred said, appearing next to Ginny.

"What? How?" Ginny asked. Fred shrugged.

"You just know. How awkward would have it been to warn her? She doesn't know so please don't get me into trouble." Fred said.

"How can she mad at you for something you have no control over?" Ginny asked. She saw Draco walk in, wearing a black suit. He carried Scorpius in and looked at Ginny who smiled at them. "Hey." She said softly.

"Hi. How is she doing?" Draco asked.

"She tells me she's all right but I can see that she's not. She shouldn't even be having the funeral party here." Ginny said.

"I would hardly call it a party." Draco said, looking around. He saw Cormac set up a refreshment table and berate a few mourners for not using a coaster on Jade's 'old and horrid' coffee table. Cormac walked by Jade and placed an arm around Jade. He brought her close, whispering into her ear but Jade pulled back and walked away from him, rubbing her temple.

"He is so irrelevant right now. He's trying to make this entire thing about himself." Astoria said, looking disgusted.

Draco looked at Fred who had the same anxious and helpless look on his face. If he were human again, he would have been sweating profusely. Draco couldn't imagine how it must have felt from Fred's side. To mourn silently and not be able to offer any kind of help or comfort. It made him almost wish that Fred was human again so he would be able to console Jade. Another part of Draco was secretly almost happy that Fred couldn't, just so Draco himself could.

Ginny saw Cormac making his way towards Jade again. Ginny held him back. "McLaggen, maybe you should give her a break." Ginny said. Cormac looked at her as if she asked him to grow another head.

"Pookie needs me." Cormac said.

"Sometimes, people just want you to leave them alone. Just check back at her after a while." Ginny said.

Cormac listened but hesitantly. He looked at Jade and looked back at Ginny. After a moment, he asked.

"Can I go check on her now?"

"What are you going to ask her?" Draco asked.

"I'll just ask her how she's feeling. Oh and also, she needs to pick a flavor for cakes. I've gone over a few ideas and I really think we should go with butterscotch but because a wedding is a team effort, I'm willing to listen what Jade has to say. Especially after Algie's died, I'm going to have to listen to her now right? Because I care about her feelings and love her." Cormac said.

"Jade must be as mad as you to go through with this wedding." Draco said.

Fred was swinging his arms back and forth through Cormac's body.

"I wish you experienced the love I have with Pookie but your wife's dead. Hey!" Cormac said when Draco grabbed his collar.

"Stop it!" Ginny said, trying to separate them. Harry walked in between Draco and Cormac. He grabbed Draco's arms and pushed him back.

"This is not the time and place to rough someone up, mate." Harry warned quietly. Draco smoothed his hair back, looking at Jade who walked over to Ginny and Cormac.

"How am I going to stand back and listen to him make comments about my dead wife?" Draco asked.

"I understand and I sympathize but this really isn't the time and place. Otherwise I'd help you beat a fat one on that bastard's face." Harry said.

"Are you all right? What happened?" Jade asked softly. Draco shook his head.

"I'm really sorry about that. I shouldn't have reacted that way. It's okay, really silly of me. I'm sorry." Draco said.

"I'm just going to…I see sausage rolls." Harry said awkwardly when he saw Ginny furiously motion him to leave them alone. Jade's cheeks burned brightly as she stood in front of Draco. She felt waves of her own emotions overtaking her but she bit her lip from crying.

"You look like you could use some sleep." Draco said gently.

Jade nodded, trying to smile but ended up looking at her fingers. Draco placed a hand on her arm as he slowly stepped closer and had his arms around her. He felt her tremble slightly and start to convulse in sobs. He took a deep breath, hugging her tighter as she cried louder. Everyone stared at them, feeling bad for the little girl that lost her father. The way she was crying was breaking their hearts. Jade tried to cover her mouth and contain herself but she was unable to.

"Let's go to another room." Draco said, walking Jade upstairs.

"Why are other people always trying to take my place? I swear-" Cormac said, going towards the room where Jade and Draco went in but was held back by Ginny.

"Do you honestly ever think about anyone's feelings except yourself?" Ginny asked, outraged. Cormac looked highly offended.

"Excuse me? What are you talking about?" Cormac asked.

"We really can't be arguing over something like this out of all days. Ginny." Harry said sternly.

"Fuck off. My best friend does not need this pillock in her life at all. Especially today." Ginny said to Harry. She turned to Cormac, pointing a finger. "I'm going to beat the living shit out of you if you go near her. Merlin knows why she's got her head set on marrying a sad piece of self-obsessed rubbish like you but if you ask her what type of cake she wants to have during her father's funeral, I'll fucking kill you." Ginny warned. Cormac looked around, wide eyed.

"I hope everyone's heard this threat! I'll take you to court!" Cormac said.

"Good luck with that." Ron said with a curt nod.

Draco ran his hand through Jade's hair, seeing her calm down and stare out of the window. He held her close as they sat on the bed, their backs rested against the headboard. They both heard the exchange downstairs and couldn't help but chuckle.

"What a tool." Draco said.

"Don't you have somewhere better to be?" Jade asked, grabbing a tissue. She blew her nose and looked at Draco who smirked.

"I have a pretty girl in bed with the door locked. Do I really have somewhere else to be?" Draco asked.

"Why are you sweet talking me all of a sudden? You're so unpredictable with your hot and cold attitude." Jade said, shifting away from him.

"Look I'm really sorry about that. I felt really bad after what happened." Draco said.

"In order for you to apologize, I would have to know what I did wrong, don't I?" Jade asked, softly.

"Do you want to talk about this now?" Draco asked. Jade shook her head.

"Not really. I'm just confused about how long you'll be here for. I haven't gotten to see Fred all day. I don't really know what I'm supposed to even do now." Jade said, feeling defeated. Draco reached over and pulled her down with him. They lied on their sides, facing each other, their faces almost touching. Draco kissed her forehead and was lying there, observing her face. He knew how to cheer her up or possibly even scare her for that matter. He took a deep breath and started singing.

"May you grow up to be righteous-"

"What the hell are you doing?" Jade asked, startled and wide eyed, watching him sing off key.

May you grow up to be true
May you always know the truth
And see the lights surrounding you

Draco could see Jade smiling tenderly at him, her eyes brimming with tears. He smiled, still singing to her and brought her closer to him. Jade put her arm around him and tucked her head underneath his chin, hearing him lower his voice, singing softly to her.

"My father used to sing me to sleep every night when I was a little girl. It was his favorite muggle song and I will never forget what he sang to me every night." Jade said, her voice breaking during the eulogy.

An eight year old Jade was tucked into her bed. Algie had his arms around his daughter, patting her softly into a lulling rhythm. He started into a deep hum and Jade watched him with fascination.

May you always be courageous
Stand upright and be strong
May you stay forever young
Forever young, forever young
May you stay forever young.

May your hands always be busy
May your feet always be swift
May you have a strong foundation
When the winds of changes shift
May your heart always be joyful
And may your song always be sung
May you stay forever young
Forever young, forever young
May you stay forever young.

He watched her slowly relax into sleep. She must have been extremely tired since she fell asleep within minutes of closing her eyes. He gently started to get up and heard the door open gently. He looked up as he was taking Jade's shoes off and saw Ginny pop her head in.

"She's asleep?" Ginny whispered, seeing Draco nod.

"She was probably exhausted." Draco said, seeing Ginny nod.

"Poor thing. Are you staying for long?" Ginny asked.

"Are you asking me to leave? I'm not going to molest your friend like McLaggen." Draco said.

"That's not funny at all." Ginny said with a scowl.

"I'll stay as long as Longbottom needs me to." Draco said.

"No, you should just go back home. Everyone else is leaving now. After what Cormac's done, it just spoiled the entire thing." Ginny said.

"Tool." Draco said.

"Has she said anything? Does she need anything?" Ginny asked.

"Um, I think she needs a friend who can chase away Cormac like she chased away me." Draco said.

"Very funny." Ginny said.

"Oh I'm not being funny." Draco said, leaving.