"To die will be an awfully big adventure!"
-Peter (Peter Pan)
Dying is like being thrown into the ocean when you don't know how to swim. Nobody knows what happens after you die, and the only people who do are the ones who have actually done it. And, unfortunately, the afterlife doesn't sell postcards. Ghosts weren't much help either, because they didn't exactly move on, so they knew next to nothing except for what it felt like to actually die. So, in the end, the mystery of what happens leaves people to simply use their imaginations.
The vow had gotten Fred thinking about what would happen to him if it didn't work out. The last few days in particular, he had thought about it a lot. What would happen to him? How did people who became ghosts get that option? If he didn't become a ghost, what would happen then? He had no idea. He hadn't been scared, though, just curious. He figured no matter what was waiting for him, he'd figure out what to do. He'd probably meet other dead people who could give him information and help him out.
But out of everything Fred had imagined about what would happen to him after he died, none of it had been like this. He hadn't imagined that his head would painfully ache, or that his mouth would feel dry and like it was filled with dust. He hadn't imagined that he would feel so achy, and he definitely hadn't imagined that he'd hear the sound of crying.
He forced his eyes open with some difficulty, considering his eyelids felt like lead, and blinked a few times as his vision slowly came into focus. He let out a groan as his head throbbed painfully, and that's when a figure next to him moved so suddenly, it almost caused Fred to jump.
"Fred? Fred, can you hear me?"
Fred swallowed and blinked a few more times as he became accustomed to his surroundings. He was lying on his back on something uncomfortable, a stone floor maybe. Someone was beside him, holding his hand, while other people were gathered standing around his feet. His vision finally cleared and his brain became less foggy and the first thing he saw was the enchanted ceiling of the great hall. He turned his head to the left and saw George peering down at him.
Why was George here? Had he died too? Fred hadn't wanted that to happen. He supposed it was great for them to continue to be together, but what about the rest of his family?
"Fred," George whispered, breaking into a smile. Fred saw tear tracks on his face. He had been crying. Why?
"George," Fred croaked. "What's going on? Are we dead?"
George laughed. "No. We're both okay."
"No, we can't be. Or, at least I can't be. I was hit by a wall. It exploded. It killed me. And then the time limit for the vow expired and—where's Scarlett?"
"She's right next to you. On your other side," George said, pointing.
Fred turned his head, slowly on account of how stiff his neck felt, and looked at his other side. Sure enough, Scarlett was lying there. Her eyes were closed and one arm was lying over her stomach while the other rested at her side. "Is she dead, too?'
"No, Fred," George said. "Neither of you are dead."
"But we have to be! I already told you what happened. The wall exploded and the vow…we didn't complete it on time."
"But that's the thing. You did," another voice said. It was one of the people standing by Fred's feet. He looked up and saw his parents, Bill, Fleur, Percy, Ginny, Ron, Erica and Hermione standing there. Most of them looked as if they had been crying as well, but now they just looked relieved. His father, who had just spoken, was smiling.
"I don't understand," Fred said quietly. None of this made sense to him right now. He obviously hadn't wanted to die, but he seriously thought he had.
"You completed the vow right on time," Percy said. "I was there when the wall exploded and by the time I made my way over to you, I saw Scarlett passing out just as the three glowing bands appeared again. The last one was actually glowing. The one that had been incomplete. I glanced at my watch right as the time limit expired. After that, Ron and I dragged the two of you down here. We were worried, though since you were both unconscious. We knew you were alive, but we didn't really know anything else."
"But shouldn't the wall have killed me?" Fred asked. "I thought it had….I felt awful. I couldn't breathe and my vision was blurring and—"
"That was the vow," Bill explained. "The time was running out, so you started feeling symptoms. I'm sure Scarlett was feeling the same way and it's why the both of you passed out. But you completed it in the nick of time. And as for the wall, you made it out with a nasty cut on the side of your head, but that's it. You made it out of the way just in time."
"I saw Scarlett start pulling you away," Percy said as Fred reached up and gingerly touched the side of his head, wincing when the contact caused the cut to sting. "If she hadn't done that, you would have been killed for sure. A huge piece of the wall hit the spot you and Scarlett had been standing in before she pulled you out of the way."
"So I'm really still alive?" Fred asked. He couldn't help but grin.
"You're alive," his mother said, kneeling down next to George and smiling softly. "You're in the great hall." Her smile faded. "Voldemort stopped the battle for an hour to give Harry a chance to turn himself in."
"And has he?" Fred asked, frowning as he realized Harry wasn't there.
"We don't know," Ron said. "We haven't seen him in a few minutes, but Voldemort hasn't said anything, so we aren't really sure what's going on."
Fred inhaled through his nose and turned towards Scarlett again. She was still unconscious, but he could see her chest rising and falling slowly. She was breathing. He smiled as he looked at her. She was beautiful, even when she was covered in dirt and dried blood. There was a gash on her cheek and a burn mark on her collarbone, but otherwise, she looked unharmed. She was paler than usual and her hair was fanned out around her head, which almost made her look like an angel. At least, in Fred's opinion it did.
Something shiny caught his eye and he looked down at her left hand, lying across her stomach. She had her wedding ring on. He frowned. When had she put it back on? He thought they had decided to take them off in order to keep the marriage a secret. He had even thrown his at the wall in anger, something that completely embarrassed him now. Seeing Scarlett with the ring on, though, made him love her even more, if that were possible. He had been so stupid. Over the past two weeks, he had thought that she hadn't wanted this. He had thought she wasn't happy with him and would never be brave enough to love him. But now, looking at the wedding ring on her finger, and knowing that she had taken that chance and been brave for him was a reminder that she did love him. She had loved him all along and it was how much she loved him that had scared her and made her want to pull away just in case she lost him tonight. She loved him, though, and in the end, she had come through for him—for both of them—and it was enough to make Fred smile.
"When will she wake up?" he asked.
"Should be any minute," his dad said. "Now that you're conscious, she should be coming to soon as well."
As soon as the words had left his mouth, Scarlett's eyes fluttered slightly and she let out a quiet groan. Fred grinned as an idea popped into his head. He rolled onto his side so he was facing her and propped himself up on one elbow so that he was now hovering above her. Then, he leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. He pulled away slightly and smiled as Scarlett's eyelids fluttered again before they opened completely.
"Fred?" she asked hoarsely, blinking up at him.
"It worked," he grinned. "I kissed you and you woke up. I guess that means you're a princess after all. Then again," he added softly, "I always thought you were a princess."
She actually gave him a tiny smile. "What's going on?" she asked, taking in her surroundings as her smile began to fade.
"We didn't die," Fred said. "I thought I was dying from being hit with the wall, but it was actually the vow's time limit getting close to running out. But that's all it did. It got close, but didn't run out. You finished it right on time." He reached down and brushed her cheekbone with his thumb. "You did it, Scar. You did it."
"So we're alive?" she asked, smiling the first genuine smile Fred had seen in a while.
"Yeah," he laughed. "We're alive."
Scarlett laughed too, and threw her arms around his neck. Fred smiled and held onto her as he gently pulled her to a sitting position. He could hear his mother crying behind him, but he knew they were happy tears. At least for now.
"So, what about the battle?" Scarlett asked as she pulled out of his hold.
"Voldemort stopped it for an hour," Fred explained, "to give Harry a chance to surrender himself."
"There's only a few minutes left," Hermione chimed in, "and we don't know where Harry is, but we haven't heard anything from Voldemort, so we're not sure what's going on."
Fred watched as Scarlett finally looked around the rest of the room and her face slowly turned into one of sadness and horror. Fred took the chance to look around as well and he could see why her expression had changed.
They were surrounded by other injured people at the front of the room, but in the middle lay a row of everyone who had died. Fred's mind seemed to come out of the clouds as he realized what they had actually been in the middle of before falling unconscious. He nervously scanned the row of people who had died, looking for anyone he knew. His heart sunk when he noticed both Remus and Tonks lying in the middle of the row, pale and still.
"Both of them?" he asked hoarsely, looking at his parents, who nodded sadly.
"But I thought Tonks was supposed to be with Teddy at her mother's house," Scarlett said in horror.
"She came here and left Teddy with Andromeda," Mrs. Weasley explained. "She was thinking along the same lines as Ginny and couldn't stand not knowing what was going on."
"But what'll happen to Teddy?" Scarlett asked, her voice cracking with tears.
"He'll probably live with his grandmother," Mr. Weasley said. "She'll take good care of him."
Fred exhaled through his nose and leaned back on his hands. When he looked at Scarlett, he could tell she was still trying to hold back tears. She was gazing at the line of people who had died and her nostrils were flaring as she inhaled deeply, one breath after another.
"Come here," he said gently, leaning forward and pulling her against him so she was sitting between his legs. He shifted her hair off of her shoulder and kissed the base of her neck before resting his chin there and looking out at the great hall again.
"Colin Creevey snuck back to fight?" he asked, noticing the sixteen year old towards the other side of the room.
Scarlett nodded. "I saw him get killed," she whispered. She turned and looked at him over her shoulder as she scanned his face. "Actually, watching him die and knowing how brave he had been to come back here…how brave everyone was to be fighting…it's kind of what made me realize that the least I could do was be brave about taking a chance on loving you."
Fred smiled sadly and gently kissed her forehead, letting his lips linger there for a few seconds.
Suddenly, a high, cold voice echoed through the hall. It was the same voice that had spoken at the start of the battle. It was Voldemort.
"The battle is won. You have lost half your fighters. My Death Eaters outnumber you, and the Boy Who Lived is finished. There must be no more war. Anybody who continues to resist, man, woman or child, will be slaughtered, as will every member of their family. Come out of the castle now, kneel before me, and you shall be spared. Your parents and children, your brothers and sisters, will live and be forgiven, and you will join me in the new world we shall build together."
The room fell into silence. Everyone was frozen in shock. Fred and Scarlett looked at each other. Fred could see all of his current emotions etched plainly on Scarlett's face. Shock, terror, confusion, and even a bit of denial. There was no way Harry could be dead.
Professor McGonagall was the first one to move. She practically flew out of the great hall and towards the front doors. After that, everyone moved to follow her at once. Fred helped Scarlett to their feet and they made their way outside with everyone else.
When they got there, Fred saw Voldemort and his Death Eaters lined up on the front lawn, facing them. Voldemort was at the front and beside him was Hagrid, carrying a limp Harry.
"Oh, no," Scarlett whispered, putting a hand to her mouth and shaking her head.
Ginny, Ron and Hermione were letting out screams of anger, terror and grief and Fred felt as if he was going to collapse. It looked as if it were true. Harry was dead.
"Silence!" Voldemort yelled. "It's over! Set him down, Hagrid, at my feet where he belongs."
Hagrid obeyed the order and once Harry was lying on the ground, Voldemort continued speaking.
"Harry Potter is dead! He was killed while trying to sneak out of the castle grounds. Killed while trying to save himself!"
Just then, Neville ran forward, almost out of nowhere. He charged at Voldemort, but Voldemort stopped him with a flick of his wand.
"And who is this?" he asked quietly.
"It's Neville Longbottom!" Bellatrix cackled. "The boy who's been giving the Carrows so much trouble! The son of the Aurors!"
"Ah, yes," Voldemort said. He smiled at Neville. "You show spirit and bravery, and you come of noble stock. You would make a fine Death Eater."
"I'll join you when hell freezes over! Dumbledore's Army!"
There was an uproar as almost the entire crowd let out a cheer. Fred felt himself grinning. Merlin, that kid had sure come a long way since he was eleven.
"Very well," Voldemort sneered. "If that is your choice, Neville Longbottom, on your head be it." He flicked his wand and Fred cringed, expecting something awful and instantaneous to happen, but all was quiet.
Everyone else seemed confused as well until there was a crash from a castle window and an object soared straight into Voldemort's hands. It was the Sorting Hat.
"There will be no more sorting at Hogwarts school," Voldemort said. "There will be no more houses. The emblem, shield and colors of my noble ancestor Salazar Slytherin will suffice for everyone. Won't they, Neville Longbottom?"
He pointed his wand at Neville and silently performed Petrificus Totalus. Neville became rigid and still, allowing Voldemort to force the Sorting Hat onto his head.
"Neville here is now going to demonstrate what happens to anyone foolish enough to continue to oppose me," Voldemort continued, and with another flick of his wand, he caused the Sorting Hat to burst into flames.
Fred's mouth dropped open in horror as other people, including Scarlett, screamed. In the next moment, everyone was charging at the Death Eaters and the battle was beginning again.
Fred managed to just register Neville slicing off the head of Voldemort's snake, and then Hagrid asking where Harry had gotten off to, but he didn't take a moment to think about what that meant. He was too busy trying to focus on finishing off as many Death Eaters as possible.
In the commotion, he was separated from Scarlett and his family, but he didn't have time to look for them. It was too chaotic. Eventually, the battle began moving back inside the castle. Fred was dueling a Death Eater named Rookwood and once he was in the entrance hall, he quickly scanned the room for Scarlett or a family member, but saw no one. He turned his full attention back to Rookwood and dodged a Killing Curse by a millimeter. Letting out a frustrated growl, he sent out a Jelly-Legs jinx and managed to hit Rookwood. He smiled. While that particular jinx wasn't exactly dangerous, it was still so amusing to watch.
He turned and scanned the entrance hall once more and then something caught his eye. Scabior was running up the marble staircase—or what was left of it for that matter—shooting curses over his shoulder at Scarlett, who was chasing him, a look of utter fury and hatred on her face. She was dueling him with as much skill and power as he was dueling her, but Scabior didn't look scared in the least. Instead, he was laughing as he continued to dart up the stairs.
"Come and get me, why don't you?" he taunted before running off down the hallway and around a corner.
Fred watched as Scarlett scowled and ran after him. Fred half-smiled. Even though he had no doubt Scarlett could take Scabior down, he decided it would be best if he went after them. He would actually love to be a part of the reason Scabior didn't live to see another day. So, with that, Fred raced for the stairs, dodging spells as he went. At the top, he took a left and ran off in the direction Scabior and Scarlett had gone. Adrenaline was pumping through him and hatred for Scabior was returning worse than ever. The foul git had killed Scarlett's mother and Justin. He had made Scarlett upset. He had practically destroyed her and Fred wanted him to pay.
Scarlett rounded a corner and slowed to a stop, panting as she turned slowly on the spot, looking for where Scabior could have gone. He was surprisingly quick and she had lost him. She had no idea where he was, but she was intent on finding him. She wanted to kill him. She wanted him to die for what he had done to her mother and Justin.
She slowly continued down the hallway, her wand held out in front of her. There was no one around; they were all fighting downstairs. She had almost made it to the end and was debating over what direction to go next when her wand flew from her hand. She gasped and turned around to see Scabior step out from behind a suit of armor, smirking and twirling her wand between his fingers.
"You'll have to pay better attention if you don't want people sneaking up on you," he sneered.
Scarlett didn't answer. Instead, she continued to walk backwards as Scabior kept walking towards her. "You killed my mother," she whispered menacingly.
Scabior grinned. "That's right, I did. I enjoyed that."
Scarlett scowled and lunged for him, but Scabior waved his wand and she instantly felt herself being pushed backwards. She fell to the ground and before she could move, Scabior magically conjured a rope out of nowhere. He tied her hands together and then levitated her by her hands to a torch bracket on the wall. He maneuvered her tied wrists above it and dropped her so that she was dangling from the bracket by her hands. The whole time, Scarlett screamed at him to let her go while trying to kick him.
He shook his head at her and stepped forward, casting a silencing charm on her as he did so. "Since I enjoyed killing your mother so much," he whispered, "I'm going to kill you now. Just for fun. You're too much of a brat for your own good and more trouble than you're worth."
Scarlett glared at him and continued to struggle against the rope binding her wrists together, but it was tied too tight. Scabior chuckled and stepped back, holding up his wand. He opened his mouth, but there was suddenly the sound of footsteps in the distance, echoing off the walls and getting closer.
"Sounds like someone's coming to rescue you," Scabior said, grinning wickedly. "And I think we should let them in on the fun we're having, don't you agree?"
Scarlett shook her head wildly and tried to scream, but the silencing charm was still holding strong. She knew it was Fred coming after her and there was no way for her to warn him. She struggled harder against the ropes to no avail.
Scabior disappeared behind another suit of armor to Scarlett's right and vanished from sight. A moment later, Fred rounded the corner. When he saw Scarlett, his eyes widened and he ran to her. She continued shaking her head and trying to speak, but she couldn't. She saw Scabior slip out from behind the suit of armor and begin silently moving towards Fred with an evil grin on his face, but Fred's back was to him. Scarlett was actually crying now. She tried to signal to Fred to turn around, but he didn't get it.
"Scarlett, what is it? What's wrong?" he asked. He finally seemed to understand why she couldn't speak and removed the silencing charm.
The second the charm was lifted, Scarlett cried out, "Behind you!" and from there, everything moved in slow motion. Before Fred could even start to turn around, Scabior lunged forward and plunged a knife into Fred's side.
"No!" Scarlett screamed. This wasn't happening to her. Not again. Her worst fear was coming true already and she was watching someone else she loved be murdered in front of her very eyes. Why did this keep happening to her? It was almost insane. She wouldn't have believed it if she wasn't witnessing it for herself.
Scabior laughed and stepped back as Fred sunk to his knees and pulled the knife out. It was covered in his blood, but it was nothing compared to what his side looked like. Blood was already spreading from the wound and seeping through his shirt. He clutched at it and Scarlett could see the blood getting all over his fingers. She could see him struggling to breathe. She was losing him.
That very thought mixed with terror and pure panic was enough to make Scarlett dizzy. She blinked a few times as she continued to cry and struggle to inhale one breath after another.
"Make him better," she gasped, looking at Scabior through her tear-filled eyes. "Fix him! Please, I'll let you kill me if you just fix him. Please," she sobbed.
Scabior looked at her and grinned. "I was going to kill you anyway," he said, holding up his wand. "We'll do you nice and quick so your boyfriend will have just enough time to watch."
Fred tried to protest, but all that came out was a feeble groan, which broke Scarlett's heart even more.
"Please," she begged. "I'll do anything! Maybe you don't have to kill me. I'll do anything you want me to do if you just heal him. Or let me heal him, even."
"Scar, don't be ridiculous," Fred choked out from the ground.
"You can't heal him anyway," Scabior added, smirking widely. "The knife was charmed. There's no way to fix this. Your boyfriend's dying, but don't worry. You'll be with him and your parents again soon." He held his wand a little higher. "Avada Keda—"
Scarlett held her breath, but before Scabior could finish the spell, another voice echoed from the end of the hallway.
"Stupefy!"
Scarlett opened her eyes in time to see Scabior fly backwards in a stream of red light and hit the ground down near the end of the hallway. She looked to where the second voice had come from and saw George running towards her. He quickly waved his wand and cut the ropes around her wrists. She dropped to the floor and, ignoring the pain from the rope burns on her wrists, immediately crawled over to Fred, who was lying on his back now, struggling to stay conscious.
"Fred," she whispered, looking at his injury and all of the blood seeping through his shirt. She put his head on her lap for the second time that night and ran a hand through his hair. "Stay with me, okay? I'm going to make you better. I'm going to figure something out."
"Scarlett…." Fred winced.
"Shh," she said, trying to sound comforting even though she knew her voice was shaking just as much as her hands were. "It'll be okay. I just have to figure something out…quickly, though, of course." She chewed on her lip as George appeared on Fred's other side.
"Fix him, Scarlett!" he cried. He looked hysterical and Scarlett fought to remain calm, but she didn't think she was doing a very good job. She was still crying slightly and her heart was pounding rapidly.
"Scabior has my wand," she said. "Summon it for me." She didn't know why she even said that. She knew it wasn't going to do any good. The knife was charmed. She had heard about Bellatrix's knife and what it had done to Hermione and Dobby. That knife had been charmed as well. The word mudblood would never completely fade from Hermione's arm, and Dobby's wound had actually been fatal due to its irreversibility. This knife was charmed the same way.
George did as she said, however, and summoned her wand before quickly passing it to her. She took it and waved it over Fred's injury, deciding it was worth a try. Nothing happened. She froze for a second and tried again. And again. And again.
"Scar," Fred managed to rasp out, reaching out a hand to stop her. "It's no use. It's not going to work."
Scarlett let out a sob. "It has to!" she cried. "I'm not going to lose you! Maybe if we get Madame Pomfrey, she'll know a—"
"No," Fred whispered, half-smiling up at her. "It's no use. I was stupid. I wasn't thinking properly. I should've known Scabior would be hiding somewhere. This is my fault and I'm sorry I have to put you through this a second time, but it'll all be over soon and you'll be okay. You'll make it through this. If I can't be here to help you after I'm gone, I'm going to make sure other people will. You're going to be okay, Scarlett."
"No, I won't," Scarlett began, but Fred shook his head, interrupting her. He turned looked at George. "Take care of her for me, will you? You have to help her. Don't let her hide and don't let her run away. Make sure she eats and sleeps. If she has nightmares, sit up with her. Make sure she stays safe."
"Fred—" George began, his voice thick with tears.
"No," Fred said. He was struggling to talk. "Promise me you'll take care of her. Promise me."
George nodded. "Of course," he whispered.
"You'll be okay, George," Fred said. "Scarlett will be here to help you just like you'll be helping her. You'll be fine."
"No, I won't," George responded. "You know I won't. I can't do this, Fred."
"You'll be fine," Fred said again, his voice weak. "You and Scarlett will help each other."
George didn't respond. He couldn't, seeing as he suddenly became overwhelmed by tears. He buried his head in his hands, shaking with silent sobs.
"And Scarlett," Fred continued. He winced and coughed slightly. "I want you to find someone else. Fall in love again. Don't be afraid."
"Are you mental?" Scarlett asked, her voice coming out in an odd half-sob, half-shout.
"No," he whispered, blinking slowly. Scarlett knew his vision must be blurring again. He reached up and brushed her hair from her face. "I want you to do it. Don't run away or isolate yourself again. You and George need each other. Take care of yourseslf. And then I want you to move on. Promise me, okay?"
"Stop being dramatic," she told him.
"Promise me," he insisted, grimacing slightly.
"No," she responded stubbornly, her voice breaking. "I won't."
"You can do it," he said. "If you could take a chance for me, you can do it for someone else. You don't have to be afraid."
"That's not why I won't do it!" she exclaimed. "I don't want anyone else. I want you. Just you."
Fred groaned and winced again. His breathing was becoming shallower and Scarlett's heart was racing even more. She wasn't going to let him die. There was no way she could let that happen. There had to be something, some way she could help him. She was not going to be helpless again. If he died, she didn't know what she was going to do with herself. She needed him to live.
She dropped her wand and dug her hands into the pockets of her jeans. Nothing. She moved on to her sweatshirt pocket and this time her hand bumped something. She pulled it out and stared at the object in wonder and surprise.
It was the vial of potion she had taken from St. Mungo's. She had never returned it. She had meant to, but hidden it in the pocket of this sweatshirt for safe keeping. Erica hadn't known that and had packed the sweatshirt and Scarlett had worn it today. It was pure luck and Scarlett hardly dared to believe it.
Dani's words came flooding back to her. The potion would work against the charms that Death Eaters used to make injuries unable to be healed, which was exactly the kind charm that had been on the knife. It was a miracle.
Snapping out of her state of surprise, she quickly uncorked the vial, yanked Fred's shirt up to give her easier access and poured the potion onto his wound. She let the vial clatter to the ground as she waited, her hands hovering in the air, frozen.
She must have only waited a few seconds, but they seemed to drag out for years. Finally, when the wound began to close up before her eyes, she let out a sigh of relief. She glanced at Fred's face. His eyes were closed and that made her heart stop for a second. She picked up his wrist and pressed her fingers to it, hoping she'd be able to feel his pulse; the thing that she relied on. The thing that ensured she still had what she needed.
It was there. He had a pulse. It was faint, but it was there and it was only going to get stronger.
"Oh, Merlin," she breathed out, burying her head in her hands and resting her forehead against Fred's wrist. She finally looked up to see George looking down at Fred in surprise.
"How did you do that?" he asked. "What was that potion you poured on him?"
"I didn't know I had it with me until now….It was something a Healer I work with was inventing. I wasn't even technically supposed to have it. It wasn't done yet. It leaves a scar when it heals wounds. She wanted it to be perfect and wasn't ready to start selling it yet. I don't know if I'll get in trouble for this or not, but I had to use it. I wasn't going to let Fred die. I'd rather lose my job than lose him."
It was then that she realized she was trembling from head to toe. That had officially been her scariest moment as a Healer so far and she hadn't even technically been working.
George reached out just then and pulled her to him, holding her to his chest as she started to cry again. She didn't know why she was crying or what she was feeling. She was still shocked and scared, but she was so happy. Fred was alive. She had saved him.
"Shh, Scar, it's okay," George said, running his own shaking hand up and down her arm. "You did it. You saved him. Again. For probably the third time tonight." He let out a watery laugh. "I owe you so much, you know."
"No, you don't. You have no idea how bad I felt about the whole vow thing. I knew I was taking him away from you and I knew how unfair I was being. I'm sorry."
George pulled away and held her at arm's length. "Don't be. You did a lot for him tonight and you've also suffered through a lot. It's okay. In the end, Fred's still here and that's all that matters."
Scarlett nodded and smiled as she wiped her eyes on her sleeve. "You're right, it is."
"Come on," George sighed, turning back to Fred. "Let's get him back down to the great hall."
"Good idea," Scarlett agreed.
George helped her to her feet and Scarlett chewed on her lip in thought. "I think the best way would be to levitate him. That way, we—George, where are you going?"
She had looked up to see George slowly making his way to Scabior's unconscious body. He lifted his wand and aimed it at Scabior's face. "I want to kill him," he said quietly. "I want him to die." He wiped his nose on the back of his hand as he looked down at Scabior with pure hatred.
"George, no," Scarlett whispered, making her way over to him. She gently pulled his arm down to his side. "He'll get sent to Azkaban. He'll rot in there. I don't want you to kill him."
"After all he did?" George asked in surprise. "He killed your mother. He almost killed my twin brother. He almost killed my other half, Scar."
"But technically, so did I," Scarlett whispered.
"Don't be thick," George answered. "You couldn't control that. Don't put yourself in the same category as this piece of rubbish. He knew what he was doing. He could control everything he did."
"But you were so upset with me. What you said back in the Room of Requirement—"
"Yeah, I was upset, but not really at you. I just took it out on you and I'm sorry. I knew you couldn't exactly control how you felt. Not really, anyway. I just didn't want to lose Fred."
Scarlett nodded and looked down at Scabior again. "Don't kill him," she said again. "He's not even worth it. He'll suffer plenty in Azkaban."
"Fine, but let me at least do this." George aimed his wand at Scabior again and with a crack, Scabior's nose broke and blood began flowing from it. "He'll feel that when he wakes up," George said, smiling in satisfaction. He looked at Scarlett. "Anything you want to add?"
Scarlett hesitated for a moment before aiming her wand at the unconscious Snatcher and turning all of his clothes bright pink. "Not as mean as what you did, but still funny. He'll look gorgeous for his arrival in Azkaban."
George let out a laugh and grabbed Scarlett's wrist. "Come on, let's go."
They made their way back to Fred. George volunteered to levitate him while Scarlett walked at his side. They reached the great hall just in time to see Harry and Voldemort circling each other in the center of the room. They glanced at each other in surprise before looking back at the scene in front of them. What had they missed? Quite a bit from the looks of things. George lowered Fred to the ground and moved him off to the side, out of harm's way. He and Scarlett remained at the door, unnoticed by the crowd because everyone was too busy watching Voldemort and Harry.
Just as the early morning sun rose completely and shone through the great hall windows, the two enemies shouted two different spells at the same time.
"Avada Kedavra!"
"Expelliarmus!"
There was a loud bang as a jet of red light and a jet of green met in the middle. They remained connected for a second before Voldemort's wand went spinning from his hand towards Harry, who caught it just as Voldemort fell backwards and hit the floor. He was dead.
The room was silent for about a millisecond before everyone was running towards Harry.
Scarlett stood where she was, totally in shock. Harry had just killed Voldemort. She felt as if her brain hadn't really caught up yet; as if it couldn't actually be true. She was snapped out of her thoughts by George, who grabbed her in a hug. He spun her around and they were both laughing. Voldemort was dead, Fred was alive and everything was going to be okay.
A/N: They're alive! There was no way I was going to kill them. I love them too much to do that. But poor Fred had two close calls in one night. He's going to be okay though, so I think that calls for a celebration. :)
Thanks for reading!