Four Seasons Competition
2. summer
"I think I'm in love!"
Fred Weasley looked up from where he had been sitting by the fire in the common room, and then glanced around, certain that this girl must have been talking to someone else. She was not.
"How nice for you," he replied finally, staring at her. She was younger than him; he had no idea why she would approach a seventh year. She looked to be about Ginny's age, with untidy brown curly hair that was held haphazardly on the top of her head with her red and gold tie. She was grinning.
"I know!"
He squinted at her. She was pretty in the way that all young girls are when they're blissfully happy, and yet he still couldn't figure out who she was. Fred wondered if this was becoming a trend in his life.
"Corner didn't send you to annoy me, did he?" he asked questioningly.
"Who's Corner?"
Fred sighed. "Ravenclaw, dark hair, fifth year…"
"The cute one?"
"You could say that. I thought you were in love, anyway."
The girl sighed happily. "Oh, I am. Do you believe in love, Fred…or George…" She shrugged. "Whatever. Whichever."
Fred considered the question. Usually he wouldn't have done, it was just that he was in an unusually serious mood that evening in May. The fire was uncomfortably warm in the summer heat, even though it was evening, and he shifted slightly away from it. Did he believe in love? Ron loved Hermione, that was for sure, but they seemed to spend every day bickering. And Lee Jordan loved Ange, but Ange was going out with George, so that wasn't working out either. Ginny was in love with Harry, but she was dating Dean Thomas.
"Hey," he said to the girl, "isn't Dean Thomas gay?"
The girl shrugged again, extending on slim hand for him to shake. The gold bangles on her wrist chimed. "I heard so. I'm Demmy Robins, by the way."
He shook it. "Fred Weasley. I don't think I believe in love."
Demmy looked at him with something approaching pity. "You will when you're older."
And with that confusing statement she left, making her way across the common room to where Carlotta Vane, Romilda's older sister, was waiting with a curious expression on her face.
Fred scratched his head in bafflement.
It was summer again. The night weighed down upon Demmy like there was someone sitting on her shoulders. Was May summer? She wondered curiously, aware that she was thinking about this to avoid having to face what was in front of her eyes.
Michael Corner sat next to the prone body of his friend whilst Padma, face tear-streaked through the dust, held his unmoving head in her lap. Susan Bones had Justin in her arms and she was steadily rocking him, her eyes dry but her clothes soaked in his blood. And Colin (Oh god Colin), his hair mussed and his face calm, lay next to them-
She snapped her head around. She refused to look at him, thinking that maybe if she just focused on something else he would come up behind her and perhaps pull her into a kiss, because he was too young to die, it just wasn't fair and-
Do you believe in love?
Oh no, it couldn't be true.
But there he was, surrounded by his family, and even though she didn't even know him that well, the death of Fred Weasley brought Demelza Robins crashing down.
I don't think I believe in love.
You will when you're older.
This wasn't possible. It was different to Colin, somehow, because that hole was so huge that she wouldn't even face it. But this boy, he was a constant. You didn't have Fred without George, but there was one twin, bent over the head of the other, and that was somehow wrong, it was all a mistake, just like Terry and Justin and Zach and Lisa and Parvati and Wayne and Jack and Jimmy… they were all going to get up and everyone would laugh because it was all alright again-
Her heart broke over the difference between the redheaded boy by the fire and the redheaded boy under the stars.