A/N: The idea for this came quite quickly and was quite cathartic to write even if there were a few tears in the process. I would like to thank my alpha/beta team: bondgirltrb and pixileanin for all of their help with this. All rights to Harry Potter belong to J.K. Rowling. With that said, enjoy the story.

QLFC Season 11 Round 5

Task: Mausoleum at Halicarnassus – Turkey

Prompts: 4. (spell) Aparecium (Description: reveals secret messages or any other hidden markings), 7. (emotion) awe

Rating: K+

Warning: Post War AU

Word Count: 1107

The humid air encircled Hermione as she walked steadily along the stony path towards the ruins of the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, a grand monument that had been bounded by thirty-six marble columns, while a four-horse chariot had surmounted it. That had been until an earthquake had destroyed the beautiful structure, one of the famous seven wonders of the ancient world.

Now what remained were the podium and column fragments strewn across the grassy garden. Hermione knew that the decorative sculptures that would have once adorned the Mausoleum when it had stood in all of its might, were now in the British Museum in London, to be adored but not touched by glass sheets that acted as guards so that no one could touch the historical figures. It was the site of the structure that had drawn her to visit. She had always been fascinated by the seven wonders of the world, but had always been completely in awe of pictures of the Mausoleum and how it had once appeared, even now as she glanced at the sections of marble columns, she could feel the history oozing from the place, but there was something else which was just as strong – magic.

She'd heard the rumours while working at the Ministry, that each of the seven wonders had in some form magical properties. It had always been the decadent beauty of the Mausoleum that had drawn her, that was until she'd heard the stories that sometimes when visiting a loved one would return from the grave. She'd done quite a bit of research on this and from what she'd discovered it only happened once or twice every so many years. She knew she was alone at the site, the heat of the sun she guessed may have hindered tourists who would rather stay in the shade or perhaps by the pool side of a hotel to cool down. The touch of the sun on her skin was welcoming thanks to the cooling charms she had cast over her so that she wouldn't burn, but that wasn't to say she wouldn't leave without a nice tan. Taking out her wand, she could feel the magic in the air like tendrils of electricity, so close that if she reached out, she'd be able to touch them.

Placing the tip of her wand gently on the remains of a marble column in the garden that seemed to hold the most magic from the way it was vibrating intensely around her, she cast the charm.

"Aparecium!" A white light glowed around the expanse of the column for a few minutes like a halo, and then, ever so slowly the Greek alphabet began to appear in black, as though the words had been engraved into the white marble ever so delicately so as not to take away from its beauty.

Studying the long stream of words, she managed to translate the first line as: bring a loved one back to life. Underneath that the second line read: Half of me, please return.

She read the words silently again, letting them sink in as she thought about what she was about to try and do – bring Fred Weasley back to the land of the living.

She knew full well that it was indeed a long shot, that even though it was a powerful old magic that was built into the Mausoleum remains, it still may not work and she may well return to England empty handed if it felt that she was not worthy of the gift it sometimes gave. But she knew that she had to try. As much as she loved Fred, she wasn't doing this for her but for George. He was lost without his twin. The spark had truly extinguished, and it was heartbreaking to see.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she flexed her free hand steadily after noticing that it was shaking due to the nerves that had built up due to this moment. Feeling as though she was ready, she spoke the words aloud in their Greek form.

"O misós mou, Fred, epistrépste."

The magic buzzed even louder for a few moments while the black engraving turned gold on the marble before fading completely, as though it had never been there at all.

She waited for a while as the clouds that had slowly begun to move in finally covered the sun and its warm rays, but nothing happened. Sighing, defeated she turned and began to make her way back up the path that she had walked down earlier. She had tried but it wasn't to be. She wiped the stray tear that had fallen down her cheek away, her heart feeling heavy that she had failed.

I'm so sorry, George.

She was almost at the entrance to the garden when a voice stopped her in her tracks.

"'Mione?"

Please be you… please… she thought desperately as she slowly turned around to face the person that had said her name with such familiarity and longing.

Fred Weasley stood a few steps away, looking as he had at the Battle of Hogwarts before… no, she wouldn't think of that. He was here in the flesh, very much alive.

"Fred?" she managed to say in awe around the lump that had formed in her throat.

He nodded reassuringly; his russet brown eyes gleaming brightly. "It's me, love. I'm here."

The next thing she knew she was running until she was in his arms, sobbing happy tears as she clasped onto his faded brown jacket that had seen better days. Part of her was afraid that if she let go, he'd simply vanish into thin air as though he was simply a figment of her imagination.

"I didn't think it had worked…" she said, the words muffled against his chest.

Caressing her curly brown tresses, he kissed the top of her head as he held her. "Well, it has. You brought me back, 'Mione."

She pulled back to look up at him, smiling tearfully, he was right she had brought him back and she knew that she never wanted to lose him again. He cupped her face in his hands, leaning down he pressed a sweet kiss to her lips, all the love he felt for her flowing into it. She wrapped her arms around his neck, one hand going into his red hair as she kissed him back with vigour. She'd missed him.

The magic of the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus had settled down once more, its power having been used for good. It would lay dormant once more until the next person came to bring a loved one back.

If you enjoyed reading this, feel free to leave a review with your thoughts.

Until next time,

Grace x