If I owned anything of any import you'd have heard of me. Since you have no idea who I am, I quite obviously own neither harry potter nor buffy the vampire slayer.

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Not Fred. NotFred. NotFredNotFredNotFred ...

Every time she closed her eyes she saw him lying on the ground, limp and smiling as though it were the funnies thing in the world. His eyes blank, not just soulless, but completely empty. As though everything had been sucked out and thrown away so she couldn't ever see it again. Her litany hadn't worked like she had believed it would. Her world was over.

"Dawn?" A soft knock on the door told her that someone else had come to check on the little head-case. Dawn didn't bother moving, just as she hadn't bothered any other time. There was nothing wrong with her method of coping, nothing wrong at all.

"Dawn, you need to get up," Great, there were two voices. Buffy and Hermione. Last time it had been Molly. Dawn vaguely remembered someone telling her that they had called her sister. The paste 4 days were kind of a blur. She hadn't slept, hadn't eaten. She'd had a glass of water when she'd needed to use the bathroom, and then climbed back in their bed.

"She's been like this since she woke up, no one can get her to talk, no one can get her to eat, it's like she doesn't even see us," Hermione told the tiny blonde slayer beside her. Buffy's large eyes, so like Dawn's in all but color, looked pained.

Dawn remembered waking up, a healer dividing her time between herself and George, who someone had decided needed a tranquilizing spell. After diving at Fred's body and demanded someone wake him, they had tranquilized Dawn as well. Dawn and George had been taken to the flat that they had shared with Fred and they were told to pack some clothing so that they could go back to the Burrow with Molly and Arthur.

Once at the flat above the shop (Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes) Dawn had looked around the bedroom she had shared with her soul-mate. Fred was everywhere here. Everywhere in the flat, he had touched everything, laughed everywhere, smiled every morning. Watched Dawn wake up every morning, without fail. Dawn had calmly told Molly that she needed to change. She had changed into a pair of Fred's boxers, and one of his dirty t-shirts. After that she had taken a large picture of Fred off the wall. A picture she had taken of him when they visited the beach on a rare care-free day. He was blowing kisses at her.

Once she had lain down on their bed, curling into a fetal position around the picture, she had refused to move. She still had dried blood matting her hair, giving off a noxious odor. She didn't want to wash though. He had held her. Fred had held her and kissed her and made love to her before they left for the school. At the school she had told him to be safe, and he had laughed. As though it were the funniest thing she could have said. As though the very idea was ludicrous.

"It's hard to lose the ones you love," Buffy said quietly. She looked down at her sister. Dawn was still so young, too young to have lost someone she loved. Buffy blamed herself. Dawn hadn't even told her that she was going into battle. Dawn blamed Giles and Buffy for the deaths of Gunn and Wesley and Spike and Angel. Dawn had left. She was so disgusted with Buffy that she had left. Gone to England, sent news that she was ok, made it clear that none were welcome to be near her, and made a new life. One that included a future husband. She hadn't told anyone. 2 years later, Buffy was only seeing Dawn because Dawn wasn't able to veto the idea.

"She hasn't even cried. She hasn't done anything but clutch that picture," Hermione continued. Buffy nodded understandingly. At least Dawn had told everyone about her family, she still loved them even if she was angry at them. Her friends knew that. Buffy walked to the bed and sat down.

"Careful. She has a natural shield, it's been blocking spells and people. She's very strong willed," Hermione said in a sadly proud tone. Buffy gave a sad grin of her own, understanding exactly what the younger girl meant. The blonde reached over and gently touched the younger girls shoulder.

"Hearts don't stay broken forever," Buffy said softly. Dawn didn't move. "Can you get me something to clean her up a little with? Please?" Buffy asked, turning to Hermione. The brunette turned and did as asked. Buffy didn't move again until Hermione came back with a small basin and a rag.

"Here you go," Hermione set the bowl on the bed and gave the rag to Buffy. The slayer wet the cloth and gently started to wipe away flakes of dried blood from Dawns face and neck.

"You know, I don't doubt that he's in heaven right now. Every time he thinks of you he'll be washed with feelings of love and he'll know you're safe. He wont ever hurt again. Nothing will ever harm him. He'll be happy and waiting for you to join him. Waiting for everyone he loves. No pain, no loss, no grief, no worry. Just endless love. and the knowledge that everyone you hold dear is safe," Buffy said softly, cleaning off the dirt and grime from Dawns forehead. Dawn turned and looked at Buffy, speaking for someone for the first time in days.

"Leave me alone," She said in a low voice, turning away once more. Buffy rinsed the rag and went back to cleaning Dawn's face.

"No," Buffy said with a sigh. "I've left you alone for 2 years, just like you asked. You deserve to have the space you need so I stayed away. Right now, you don't deserve to be alone. People love you and people need you. It hurts, I get that, really I do. It feels like your heart is being sucked out through a twisty straw and spit into a food processor. It sucks, but it's life," Dawn squeezed her eyes shut and curled tighter around Fred's picture. A brief flash of Green Light and Buffy was shoved off the bed and onto the wood floor.

"Are you alright?" Hermione asked worriedly, helping Buffy to her feet and spelling the woman's clothing clean.

"I'm fine," Buffy walked into the sitting room, Hermione following behind, and pulled out her phone. "We need the big guns. She's still mad at me. She'll open up to him, the funeral is in two days, yeah, I'll see you both tomorrow then," Buffy turned to Hermione. "I have people coming,"

"She needs to be at the funeral. She'll feel awful if she isn't," Hermione told Buffy. Buffy nodded and glanced over at the other bedroom door.

"That's the other one?" She asked quietly, hearing quiet sobs from behind the door.

"George, yes. His brothers were here, but none of them knew what to say, what to do. His sister was here. She got him to take a shower and eat something, but she's bullying the rest of the family into doing it also. The family is fractured and she's trying to set things so everyone can heal. Her mum is at St. Mungos, the Wizard Hospital. She had a complete breakdown. She'll be released for the funeral though. Molly's strong, she'll pull through this. Once she's up everything will start to get better. You'll see," Hermione sounded desperately hopeful. Buffy could tell that she had been doing a lot of caring without time to grieve as well. The brunette looked worn and torn.

"Willow and Xander will be here tomorrow. I know that doesn't mean a lot to you now, but you'll see soon what all that entails. When it comes to post-apocalypse care we're the best," Buffy pulled the girl in for a hug, and the girl desperately clung to the stranger, needing someone who didn't need her more. Just needing to be held and to cry. The slayer knew this and calmly stroked the girls hair as Hermione's tears fell onto her shoulder.

XXX

Damia - Originally I was gonna do like, 3 or 4 chapters for this, but I think it's gonna get a bit longer than that.