Chapter 6
Finally, he shoved his way through the doors to the Great Hall, and heard almost immediately a shriek of "Bill!" Then his wife was in his arms, sobbing against his chest. "But where were you? I sought zat you were dead…" Bill held her hard against him, even in the midst of his sorrow for Fred delighting in the feeling of having her there, the relief that she was safe almost overpowering him. But this was a moment he could not afford to prolong, however much he would like to. Gently, he pushed Fleur away from him, stroking her silvery fair hair back from her face, and wiping her tears with his fingertips. "Fleur – Mum and Dad – where are they? I have to see them." For the first time, Fleur saw her husband's face clearly, and she gasped, realising something was terribly wrong. "Oh, Bill, no! Who?" she gasped, fresh tears springing up in her eyes. "Fred." The single word was nearly too much for him. Bill was filled with an overwhelming desire to collapse and cry in his wife's arms, to let out some of his grief for his little brother with her warmth and love to comfort him, to allow someone else to be the person to break his parents' hearts.
"Where are Mum and Dad?" he repeated, knowing he could not give way now. Percy and George would even now be making their way to the Great Hall with Fred's body. "Zey are over zere in ze centre," Fleur replied, though her tears, "wiz Remus and Tonks – zey are dead too, boce of zem …" She began to cry again quietly, but freed her husband from her clasp, realising how close to breaking down he was, and how he was steeling himself to break the news of Fred's death to his parents before he lost control completely.
With Fleur behind him, Bill made his way to where his parents were kneeling beside two of the bodies that were being lined up along the middle of the Hall. His father was bent over Remus Lupin, who looked more at peace in death than Bill had ever seen him in life. Beside him, Bill's mother was crying quietly, as she smoothed Tonks' hair – bubblegum pink – back from her bloodied face.
"Mum, Dad…" Bill's voice was husky, but he forced himself to speak firmly, to get through this without breaking down. "Bill!" Molly Weasley scrambled to her feet, and enveloped her firstborn in a hug, half sobbing, half laughing. "You're alright! Thank God!" Arthur Weasley, getting to his feet more slowly than his wife, saw the look on Bill's scarred face as he returned his mother's embrace and realised at once that something was terribly, appallingly wrong. Bill returned his father's look, and their eyes met.
Almost roughly, Arthur pulled his wife from their son's arms, putting one arm round her shoulder, the other hand on Bill's. "Tell us, Bill," he commanded. Molly looked from her husband to her eldest son, belatedly realising there was something she had missed. "Which one?" she whispered, her face a mask of dread. Bill put his free arm around his mother's shoulders, willing his voice not to break. "It's Fred, Mum. He's dead. He was with Percy and Ron – a spell hit the wall where they were. He's dead…" His voice cracked, despite his good intentions. For a full minute, there was silence between the three of them. Bill wanted to run away, not to see the looks on his parents' faces as the realisation hit them, but he couldn't. His father's face was expressionless, but the look in his eyes was bleak and appalled. His mother stared at him wide-eyed, willing him to unsay what he's just told them, but knowing that he couldn't. Then she screamed: "No, no, not Fred; not my Freddie!" before collapsing into her husband's arms, shaking with sobs.
Arthur looked over her head to his son. "Bill, where…?" He couldn't finish the sentence, but Bill understood. "Percy and George are bringing him. They're not far behind me, but we wanted to warn you first." "Then George knows?" There was a note that was almost relief in Arthur's voice. Bill nodded. "Yeah, he knows. He knew when it happened, even though we weren't there. He collapsed at my feet, I thought he was dead…" His voice broke, and he choked. "Then he told me: 'Fred's dead'. I've never seen anyone look so awful… I'm sorry, Dad, I'm sorry. We all started off together, but we got separated. I should have looked after them better. I'm sorry." His father freed a hand from around his sobbing wife and gripped Bill's arm. "No, son, no. Don't think like that. It wasn't your fault."