My beta seems to have dissappeared off the face of the earth (figuratively speaking), and thus this chapter remains unbeta'ed. Terribly sorry about that. However, pleae enjoy, and review -- reviews make me write faster :)

Fred sat heavily down on his bed, quickly averting his gaze from the space where his brother had once lain, now occuppied by another teen -- a Gryffindor 7th year that he didn't recognise.

They were now in the same year, the two of them, due to him having to re-do his 7th year after the disastrous effect of last year's final term. If Ron were here, it would have been slightly worse, having to deal with his younger brother's teasing -- but Ron wasn't here. And that was the whole point, wasn't it? His entire family was dead -- or at least a good portion of it.

His conversation with Dumbledore had been ... unpleasant. Simply more dry facts about his parent's up-comming funeral, and the following one that would be held for his siblings, held togeather in these times of war. It made more sense, especially in regards to cost, to lump the proceedings togeather, if you looked at it from that point of view.

Damn his analytical mind. It had been good in the joke business, but was simply cold and dispassionate when it came to real life.

Rolling over on to his side, facing the wall, Fred blinked back the tears that stung at his eyes, forcing himself to take slow, deep breaths as he fought back the rising tide of his grief.

He would not cry. You would think that he wouldn't have any tears left to cry, after all the waterworks he'd been putting on, lately. Yet they still insisted on comming, no matter how many times he had cried himself to sleep.

But he wouldn't do that tonight. He wouldn't give in to his grief yet again. He wasn't some little girl who couldn't control her own damn emotions!

It didn't work. It never did, really. No matter how often he tried to hold his grief in, it always came spilling out the minute he found himself alone in his bed, lgihts out and prepared for sleep.

Somebody had put up a silencing charm around his bed -- and drawn the curtains closed around his bed. A person who was easily identifiable, from the note that had been left on his nightstand, in the untidy scrawl of one Harry Potter.

There's a calming potion in my drawer, if you need one. Got a couple from DD for the summer.

-- Harry

Fred smiled slightly at that, crumpling up the paper and throwing it at the waste basket, uncaring of wether it actually made it into his goal or not, before creeping over to the younger boy's nightstand and drawing out one of the glass vials, downing the whole of it in one go, before carefully replacing the vial, making a mental note to thank the dark-haired boy later that day.

With a quick glance down at his watch, Fred cursed quietly as he made a mad dash for his trunk, throwing clothes in every direction as he hurried to get dressed. If he was lucky, he could grab a bit to eat before finding his schedual and heading off to his first class.

He just wasn't lucky enough to have the first period of the day free from class.

Apparently, Lady Luck had decided to grace him for once in what seemed like a lifetime, but had only been, in reality, a handful of months. His entire first day was free -- he'd only taken the minimum requirement of courses, having no great ambition to become anything high and mighty in his future that would require th e extra courses that so many other students were taking.

Thus, he was one of the only students to be found wandering his way back to the Gryffindor Common Room, hands stuffed in his pockets as he stared down at his feet, wary to glance at walls tand passageways that always reminded him of this twin brother -- and his younger brother and sister.

Percy was actually easy to forget -- or, well, not forget, but simply not think about. And Mum and Dad ... well, he couldn't really remember them ever visitng Hogwarts for any extended period of time, thus making his memories of these halls absent of their presense.

But ever since 3rd year, he had so many memories of his other three siblings, roaming these halls, playing pranks, teasing his little sister as she went from one boyfriend to the other, driving Ron up the wall with their antics and playful ribbing ...

So many memories. So many painful remembrances that brought a tug to his heart, a tightening to his throat.

He kept his mind focues on his task at hand, however, his feet taking hjim where his mind knew he had to to go -- some place quiet, some place where nobody would think to look for him. He didn't know where that might be -- but his feet seemed to know the way, if he just let them lead him.

He ended up at astronomy tower, daylight pooring in to what was normally seen in only the dark-time hours, giving it a cheery, if somewhat silly look. Afte rall, what point did a telescope have durring the dylight hours? Really? None, that he knew of.

But it was the perfect place to just sit here alone and thik -- or try not to think, as the case may be.