The days following Fred's death didn't gradually get easier to bear, as Hermione originally thought they would. The ache in her -now shattered- heart, didn't lessen. She stuck to the darkness of her chambers in Grimmuald Place. She stared off at the pale walls, imagining that this was all some horrible nightmare. That soon Fred would pop into the room and tell her everything was going to be alright, he'd never leave her.

That never happened and it was never going to. He was truly gone. Hermione's mind seemed to shut off of everything except that knowledge. She showered in her room, didn't eat and only ventured out into the rest of the mansion to take care of James. No matter her internal suffering, she would not allow her son to be without her love and care. Most of the time, James sat in the chamber with her. The concerned little boy would curl up at his mother's side on the bed and cuddle with her. Though just a kid, he understood Hermione was depressed.

No one else dared come into the room. For the first three days following that terrible night, she would only scream at them until they left. Usually, it was Charlie. Harry and Ron had tried numerous times as well. They were all grieving, too. The loss had certainly hit home. Hermione remembered waking up in her bed, hours after falling unconscious in Little Whinging. Molly's woeful cries echoed through the entire house. Thus, encouraging more of Hermione's to join in.

Five days after Fred's death, Charlie came into the room and told her she needed to get ready for the funeral. He had tried to break it to her as lightly as possible. His insides churned at the look upon her face. Her eyes were brimmed with tears unable to be shed. He left after she had nodded in understanding.

That was what had her standing in an aged cemetery which branched off of Diagon Alley. The sky was clear of any cloud cover. It was beautiful out; yet, the gloriousness was lost on the people standing around a maple coffin. Everyone looked utterly grim. Molly was sobbing as she kept a vice-like grip upon Arthur's arm. Ginny was crying into Harry's chest as he stared unseeingly ahead, taking in the whole situation. Ron was standing to the right of George, who was silently shaking in an attempt not to breakdown.

The entire Order of the Phoenix had shown up for the event. Paying their respects to a man who died so heroically. Hermione stood between Bill and Charlie. They each were throwing glances at her every once in a while. James stood right in front of her. Hermione had both hands on his shoulders gently, holding him to her. He didn't seem to understand what was happening; however, he knew it wasn't a joyful occasion.

The ceremony went right over Hermione's head. She didn't even realize it was over until people started to wander away from the circle. Charlie turned to face her, noting the glazed look in her eyes. "You going to stay here for a little longer, Sweets?" he whispered cautiously, not wanting her to erupt into another round of cries.

"Yeah," she nodded, "Take James home for me?"

"Sure thing," Charlie said, "C'mon, Tyke," he lifted James into his arms. The little boy smiled at him before waving at his mother.

"I'll be there in a little while," Hermione told.

"Take your time, Sweets," Charlie gave a tiny grin before leaning in to kiss her cheek, "Love you."

She smiled a little. The action felt strange and awkward after days of sorrow, "You too."

The moment Charlie was gone, tears filled her eyes once more. This was it. The funeral just made all this tragedy a reality. This was goodbye. She moved closer to the burial site, "You know, I never thought it'd be you that I found love with, Fred. I had always imagined myself marrying a Weasley, though. Ever since I spent my first summer at the Burrow. I thought it'd be Ron, to be honest. I bet Molly and Ginny thought just the same. Then, I met you again...Was it only a little over two weeks ago? Merlin."

"But, you captured my heart in so many ways. I knew I could grow old with you and take care of James with you. I even fantasized about giving James a brother or sister. It was all with you, Fred. I thought about us getting married, how happy I would be. How Remus would walk me down the aisle and George would be your Best Man. Ginny, my Maid of Honor. James could be the Ring-Bearer. Now, its all been ripped away from me. Any fantasies of our future. And I can't help but be mad at you for it."

Hermione cried to herself silently, staring ahead at the magically dug grave. The tombstone already in place and grass already growing over the fresh dirt, "No matter how much I'm mad, though, I'll get over it. Because I love you so much it hurts, Fred. It's not fair that you were taken away from me. That James will never meet the man who could of been a father to him. I know it will hurt, but I'll get over this eventually."

"I won't ever forget you, but I will overcome this blow. Maybe -if you're okay with it- I can love again. Let someone have the shattered pieces of my heart and slowly put them back together. Thanks to you, The Hunter is gone. He was too occupied by what you did -jumping in front of that curse for me- that he didn't see Charlie's spell in time. He was sent to Azkaban, or so Ron says. Harry said that the bastard would be given the Dementor's Kiss, by next week. The Ministry doesn't want to take the chances that he'll escape."

"Anyway...Do you see how much good you did for us? The entire Wizarding world owes you so much, Fred. You made the life of our children, safe. James will grow up without all the tragic deaths and frightening times that we knew...Well, I'd best be off. Charlie will get his wand in a knot if I'm not back soon. He worries. I never got to tell you this, but I named him James' Godfather. They're very cute together. So, I just wanted to say...Take care of yourself, where ever you are, Fred. Say hi to Sirius for me. And tell Mr. And Mrs. Potter that Harry is definitely a man to be proud of. I love you, Babe," she whispered, "Forever and always."

That night, Hermione laid in bed with James in her lap. This time, the curtains were drawn open and the shutters were ajar. The cool night air flew through her hair, bringing with it a new beginning. She would overcome this loss. She would never give away the piece of her heart that Fred owned, but she would give away a different piece. The sky was still as clear as it was earlier in the cemetery. The stars twinkled in their places.

"Mommy," James said, softly, "When are you gonna tell me why you're so sad?"

Hermione closed her eyes before leaning down and kissing his temple. She ran her hand through his dark, fine, hair. "I'm sad because a very good friend of mine went away."

"For how long?"

"Forever," she whispered, "He won't be able to come back."

"Oh," said James, his hands were playing with the edge of the bed's comforter, "Why'd he go?"

"Because, if he didn't go...Then, I'd of had to. He didn't want that. So, he took my place. It was a very caring decision." She hugged James closer to her body, "It must of been hard for him to do."

"Why'd he do it then? If he didn't have to take your place...Why did he?"

"For us. So, I could come home to you. So you wouldn't be without me for the rest of your life. Fred was always a very loving soul. We both owe him a lot of thanks for what he did for us," Hermione explained. She smiled sadly at her son.

"Oh. Well, I'm glad, then."

"Glad?"

James nodded his head, "Yeah. I'm glad he did that for us."

Hermione shut her eyes and sighed, "Me too, Sweetheart."