Well here's the next part. I hope you find it interesting. I've finally found time to write it. I have to say it's been a challenge trying to write all the funeral's and trying to keep the slightly amusing side that JKR always seemed to manage.
Harry woke the next morning to see Ron sitting up in bed just starring at the wall in front of him. Harry had to admit he hadn't slept that well either, and well Ginny had once again screamed in the middle of the night, causing Hermione and Harry to sit in the Kitchen with her and a hot Chocolate while they waited for Hermione's sleeping potion to work.
The whole Burrow had an air of somberness about it that couldn't help remind Harry what was going to happen later on in the day. George came down stairs for breakfast and took a place next to Harry. No one talked. Fleur, Molly and Audrey worked in the kitchen silently moving around each other to get breakfast on the table. Harry could hear Molly sniff every now and then, which would mean either Fleur or Audrey would pat her back or give her hand a squeeze.
Ginny came to the table with swollen eyes and slipped on the other side of Harry resting her head on his shoulder whispering. "Hey." In his ear.
Harry placed an arm around her and pulled her in closer to himself. Glancing at George he noticed that George was just starring at the table not even looking up as more of the family joined them.
Molly and Fleur dished up everyone's breakfast and placed the plates down on the table. Harry was almost relieved that the sound of food being eaten and scraping forks broke the silence and the fact that for the first time since Harry had ever been there no one was talking at the Weasley table.
This went on for about 5 minutes before Percy could be heard letting out a great sigh which was followed 30 seconds later by his food exploding into his face and over the table. Everyone looked up.
Harry could have sworn Bill and Charlie hid a smirk while Molly and Arthur glared at George. Who burst out laughing at the sight of Percy's face covered in egg and couldn't help but say. "Fred would have loved that look on you Perce."
George's comment was followed by Molly breaking into a full swing lecture. "George Weasley. I know you love your pranks but of all the days, the day of Fred's memorial service I expected better. I don't know why, but just look at Percy He'll have to change now."
George had stopped laughing and glared at his mother. "Oh, of course it's always my fault isn't it? I don't even have Fred here anymore to share the blame with." George stopped and took a breath. "I had nothing to do with this one." Finishing with a huff and pushing his own breakfast into the middle of the table.
Harry found the next few moments almost comical as each of the Weasley siblings looked at each other trying to work out just who had blown up Percy's Breakfast except for Percy who seemed to be turning a bright shade of Red even under all that egg and the odd strip of Bacon.
"It wasn't me." Ron complained. "I don't waste good food."
"No you just eat it all." Hermione muttered.
"Don't look at me." Charlie held his hands up. "I'm with Ron."
Which left Arthur and Molly looking from Bill to Ginny and back again, sneaking the odd glance at George which said they weren't quite sure whether to believe him or not.
Until Percy groaned out loud. "Bloody hell! Well so much for trying to cheer everyone up a little bit."
Everyone turned to look at him. "You…you were in on it?" Ron asked as if he was hearing something. Percy who had always been the most out spoken about how stupid he thought the twins pranks were.
Percy used his wand to conjure up a cloth and wiped his face. Putting the cloth on the table he still looked very red. "Everyone was just so quiet. I couldn't help but think Fred would hate us to be sitting here like this. So, well I thought about what he would do and did it to myself. I just wanted….to you know…remember him how I think he would want to be remembered."
Molly burst into tears. Ginny got up walked around the table and gave Percy a large hug from behind. "You're right." She said. "But Fred probably would have caused Ron's plate to blow not his own."
"Nah Fred would have blown up everyone's plates except his and George's." Bill added.
"Or made all the eggs fly around and around our heads in a pattern before they splattered us." Charlie half smiled.
"Nah, he would have sprinkled some sort of potion on them to make us all have a great day remembering him but that also gave us all the runs later on tonight." Ron smiled at his own idea.
Molly sat down and leaned into Arthur. "They're right aren't they? He would hate to see us all like this."
Arthur nodded looking at Percy with pride in his eyes. "Thank you Percy." He paused and looked around at everyone one by one. "Thank you for reminding us that Fred found a sense of hope, laughter and joy in everything he did."
It wasn't much after breakfast that Kingsley flooed in from the ministry to talk safety issues for the memorial service. Quite a crowd was waiting outside the burrows wards already to attend the service which was to be held in the meadow that had held so many Weasley Quidditch matches over the years and Kingsley was quite sure most of them were only there to see the war hero's and doubted many of them knew Fred at all.
Percy offered to wait outside with the Aurors to say who was family and who wasn't and that he would be able to point out the people that knew Fred from school as well. George suggested that Lee stand with him when he arrived to allow the staff and business people they had worked with over the last year through. Then struggled with the fact he knew there would be some muggleborns wanting to pay their respects to Fred. Probably owing their lives to the fake papers they had been provided with from the twin's forgery artist. But so much had been done in secret they hadn't even met most of those they helped except the ones escaping from Hogwarts.
Arthur and Molly were worried that some people who should be at the memorial weren't going to be able to make it in due to the crowd. But overall the insistent at breakfast had broken the ice enough that the household worked together and seemed to expand as more and more extended Weasley family members arrived. Harry very quickly got sick of meeting people he had actually meet at the wedding but who as far as they were concerned were meeting the hero of the wizarding world for the first time.
He escaped to Ron's room so he could go over what he was going to say at the service, smiling to himself as he left the room hearing Aunt Muriel asking were their nice cousin Barney was. "You know the one at the wedding last year." She was half yelling in Bill's ear.
Ginny joined him a little while later. "It's a mad house down there I swear." She muttered sitting down. "Silly Aunt Muriel won't stop going on about Cousin Barney either. Even though Bill and Mum have tried several times to explain it was you after drinking some poly juice potion."
Harry half smiled and took one of her hands as she sat next to him on the cot he slept on. "I must have made an impression." He quipped.
Ginny shrugged her shoulders. "Who knows what goes through the old witches head." She mumbled causing Harry to smile even wider at Ginny's almost endearing tone.
"You do know in the muggle world that would be a huge insult calling an elderly woman an old witch." He tried to explain.
Ginny glared at him. "Why, that's exactly what she is. She might drive me nuts, but she was pretty good when we all had to stay with her. I mean having Fred, George and I locked up with Mum and Dad would drive anyone crazy. But she was great."
"Remember they don't believe in witches, or fear them. So it's an insult to call someone one." Harry kissed Ginny on the cheek. "Can you check that this makes sense?" He asked handing her the parchment he had written on. "I still don't know how I'm going to talk without losing it this afternoon."
Ginny nodded taking the parchment and running her eyes over the words. Harry watched her facial expressions as she read, smiled, and even sniggered a little. Then got worried when tears started to fall. She eventually finished and handed it back to him. "It's beautiful." She sniffed and wiped her eyes with a hankie she conjured up with her wand. "I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't' be crying, Fred wouldn't want that. But well I can't help it."
Harry pulled her into a hug, and held her tightly as he fought tears himself. It just seemed so unfair that Fred should be taken from them all. That any lives should have had to be lost at all. Harry knew he couldn't help his destiny but no matter what people said about him, or how many people praised him, he just couldn't get over the feeling that he should have worked everything out sooner and maybe, just maybe most of the lives could have been saved.
Harry and Ginny joined the family downstairs again about an hour before the funeral. Harry couldn't help but notice that Angelina and Katie had arrived with Alicia Spinnet whom he hadn't actually seen for a while. Angelina was sitting with her in a corner holding her hand while Katie was talking to Ron and Hermione seeming to glance at Alicia every few moments like she was about to crack or fall apart.
Harry and Ginny joined Katie, Ron and Hermione.
"Hey guys. Do you know when George is going to be down?" Katie asked them.
Ginny and Harry shrugged having not been in the crowd for the last hour they didn't even know he wasn't down here. "Sorry, he must be still upstairs." Ginny answered.
"Well that was pretty clear as he's not here or out helping Charlie, Bill and Dad in the Meadow. It's looking pretty good now, thanks for all your help." Ron finished with a sarcastic comment aimed at Harry and Ginny.
"Ron." Hermione snapped. "Even now half the people in here are looking at Harry leave him alone."
"Ron's right. I should have been helping. Sorry mate last track of the time." Harry apologised.
"Don't be sorry. You were going over what you were going to say at the service. Ron didn't have to write a speech." Ginny exclaimed standing up for Harry.
Ron just grunted. "Yeah I suppose it was really important you snog him or whatever it is you've been doing up stairs to help with that."
Ginny turned red at Ron's comment and huffed. "If you must know he was helping me while I had a good cry. You happy Ron? We're about to bury our brother."
"I might leave you guys to it." Katie said taking a step back. She glanced up at Harry. "Can you let us know if you see George before we do? Alicia well she's just not sure how she's going to handle seeing him. But well, it's pretty important she's here today."
Harry watched her walk back to Angelina and Alicia taking a seat on the other side of Alicia and whispering in her ear.
Harry looked back at Hermione the question clearly written on his face.
Hermione nodded. "Apparently Alicia and Fred were seeing each other. And well….." She paused. "It was a little tricky with the fact George and Alicia had a short thing in their fifth year and Lee and Alicia dated until they finished school."
Harry frowned. "Surely George knew though I mean Fred and him did everything together."
Hermione shook her head. "Apparently Angelina would slip him notes in the shop from her and he would Apperate to Alicia's flat after George was asleep."
"Bloody stupid if you ask me." Ron added. "Apparently George and Fred had a pact never to talk about girls, something to do with them liking the same girl at one time when they were younger."
Harry nodded. "Yeah, Lee and George pretty much mentioned that the other day."
He glanced back to where Angelina was sitting. If she was…if she knew Fred was off the market. Maybe she was just missing him as a best friend.
"Anyway, Alicia apparently doesn't think she can cope with seeing George. She's convinced herself it will be like seeing a ghost." Hermione explained.
"Shouldn't we tell Mum and Dad she was Fred's girlfriend?" Ginny asked.
"Already offered, she doesn't think she can cope with that either." Ron added. "Its nuts."
"What about this whole situation isn't nuts?" Ginny asked waving her hand around her. "We're about to bury Fred."
Let me know what you think. Thanks for the few reviews I get. I suppose it's a positive I always seem to get as many people adding my story to their alerts as I do reviews.
Thanks. Hopefulled.