Author's Note: today is the official start of my Christmas season so I'm posting this to the tune of God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen. I hope you enjoy; reviews are always a blessing.

Proceed with caution and a box of tissues...

Title: Kindred

"Hello, Charlie," whispered the girl weakly. Her gold-tinted eyes were bleary and clouded with pain.

"Who – do I know you?" said Charlie, because he hadn't any idea how to react to this. He hadn't even expected the girl to be alive.

Her chest rose and fell in obvious strain. Her breathing was shallow and wet sounding. She seemed to be trying to smile. "I – I'm Alicia," she croaked. "Don't you…don't you remember?"

Charlie's brain took a moment to recall, and brought him a picture of a skinny girl with flowing black hair and more precision on a broomstick then her age called for. "Alicia. Of – of course I remember."

She'd have been graduated by now. He wondered how she had gotten word to come back. She must have family or friends who had notified her, like Charlie.

"You look good, Charlie," she said, her breath hissing from her teeth in an agonizing stream. Blood and sweat clotted her face. She was barely recognizable.

"So," so do you. "It's good to see you again, Alicia," said Charlie, forcing his voice to issue from behind the block in his throat.

"How have you been, Charlie?" said Alicia. It was strange, unnatural and entirely unthinkable for this conversation to be taking place now – here. When she was dying, and Charlie was kneeling by her side and didn't know how to help, and Fred was –

"I've been fine."

"Getting any Quidditch played? You were good, Charlie. Could have played for England…. Good Captain…." Her voice was slipping away, as if she was running into the distance. Half the time her lips moved and no sound came out.

"Not much anymore, Alicia. What about you? You were a stellar Chaser – I would have made you a starter if it hadn't been for Aiden. You deserved it. I'm sorry –"

"Ts okay, Charlie," she murmured. "I haven't been playing much…either. Angelina has…though…wonderful, her…signed with the…the Wasps…"

"Take it easy," breathed Charlie. He reached over to untangle a string of hair from her cheek.

Alicia seemed unable to stop. Her words left her in wheezes. She seemed feverish and unsteady. "Good old times at Hogwarts…I hadn't realized how much I…I missed it. I…good to be back…."

"Yes," whispered Charlie. The words stuck to his tongue on the way to tumbling out of his mouth. "They were good years."

"Is it…is the Battle over…?" she hissed.

"All over," whispered Charlie, and took her hand, because it was lying lifeless and lonely by her side, clutching at the blood-stained rock.

"And – and he's gone?"

"Yes, Alicia. He's gone," said Charlie. "Harry finished it."

"I'm glad," she murmured, barely moving her lips, as if the strength was leaving her even for that. Her eye-lids fluttered and she seemed to struggle to keep them open. "Am I going to die?" The question came out of the momentary silence, sounding clear and strong and not at all like the stuttering of her voice before.

Charlie couldn't answer.

"Stay with me…" she whispered. "Don't…leave."

"I won't," he said with difficulty. He swallowed and cleared his throat.

"I…I'm glad you found me…Charlie. It's good…good to see you again…you were…good captain…."

"Take it easy, Alicia. Don't talk so much."

"I used to have…had a bit of a crush on you…Charlie." Her voice left her lips in a light breeze, the last dregs of the calming storm. "I…I was heart-broken when you…didn't pick me… for the team…."

"I'm sorry," the words left him like the something that had held them back had been broken. He felt broken. He felt like he was dying, too. He felt water pool at the base of his eyes, blinked, and felt it slip down his cheeks.

"Ts okay," she mumbled sleepily, and shut her eyes finally. "I wanted you…to know…'ts okay… you were a good captain…don't leave…hold…."

"I'm here. I won't leave you."

Charlie didn't know anything about Alicia Spinnet, whether or not she had a boyfriend, if she was leaving anyone behind, whether or not she had ever been kissed…been loved. Charlie had kissed many girls. He had loved many, been loved back by many.

But Charlie had never known love like this. This desperate keening of a soul to be loved one last time before death, to be held one last time by any kindred human being….

"Thank you…."

He waited for the calming rhythm of her voice to continue. He'd grown accustomed to the broken melody of her voice even in this short time. The silence that met his ears was cruel and unexpected. He looked down at her face, calm and gone utterly still, and knew she had left him.

He clung to her hand and cried, because it was so much easier to sob over an almost nonentity then to return to the Great Hall where Fred –

But Alicia wasn't an unknown. For that last moment, the last breaths of her life he had felt a part of her – had felt joined, as if he'd known her all her life, not just the few weeks all those years ago….

But she was – was gone, and so was Fred, and Charlie sobbed.