Remembering Fred

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Story Notes:
11/2/14
Oliver can feel the crisp morning air cutting his face as he flies his broom as fast as it can go. There have been funerals for days, over a week, but none of them have mattered all that much to him personally. He reckons it’s wrong to consider death so selfishly, but it’s been a rough couple of weeks. Today is going to be the worst. Fred is one of the last ones being buried, and it’s the funeral that Oliver’s been dreading most. He still hasn’t really grasped that Fred’s gone. It seems impossible that such a bright light has been extinguished. There were other deaths in the war, tons of them, but none of those other people were part of his team. None of them had been his close friends. None of them sent him pranks on every birthday, even after he left school. He tries to fly faster, wishing he’d found out how much a coward he really is in a way that didn’t require one of his oldest friends dying.

*****


Alicia isn’t sure how many people are going to attend Fred’s funeral. She thinks anyone who ever had the fortune of meeting him is probably feeling his loss in some way. She knows there’s been an empty spot in her heart since she saw him lying motionless on the floor of the Great Hall, and she can’t imagine anyone else not feeling the same way. He is such a large part of her life…was, not is…She bites her lip because she still has trouble thinking of Fred being gone. Past tense isn’t appropriate for someone as alive and happy as Fred. She wipes the back of her hand across her eyes because she’s already shed so many tears and knows more won’t change anything. He’s gone now, so it’s up to her and the rest of them to make sure he’s never forgotten.

*****


Katie doesn’t know if she’s going to attend Fred’s funeral or not. The one for Colin was only two days ago, and she had felt emotionally exhausted once it was finished. She and Colin hadn’t even been that close, so she knows it’s going to destroy her to deal with Fred’s service. Just thinking about it has her upset, and she’s still in her bedroom with hours left until it starts. She rolls her eyes at her thoughts because of course she’s going. It’s a time to remember Fred, and she knows George is going to need support. She can’t even imagine how he must be feeling, and his need is more than enough to outweigh her own anxiety about staying strong when they bury one of her good friends.

*****


Angelina listens to the wireless announcer discuss the weather for the day. A chance of a shower, he claims, and that just makes her snort. There’s no way that Fred’s going to allow it to rain when they bury him. It’s going to be sunny with a warm sun high overhead and wispy clouds shaped into a variety of odd animals that only Fred can see. It always amused him to watch the clouds when they used to practice Quidditch, pointing out things none of them could recognize. She isn’t sure what the Weasleys plan for after. It’s been too difficult to ask when they’re all in mourning, and she knows it took her days before she could even think about him without a rush of memories taking her mind. Maybe they should plan something. A party to celebrate his life, because he certainly would be hexing them if they spent all their time crying and thinking about what’s been lost instead of fondly remembering what they had. She’ll owl Oliver about it, she decides, and let Katie and Alicia know they need help. Yes, a party to celebrate him is something he’d approve of, and he deserves nothing less.

*****


Harry is trying not to blame himself, but it’s difficult. So many people died because he took too long, because he didn’t understand the grand plan, because Dumbledore manipulated the situation instead of just telling him what needed to be done. Still, logically, he knows it’s not his fault. Hermione and Ron have been telling him that enough lately, even if he doesn’t always listen to them. Getting ready for Fred’s funeral makes it tough to be rational. He still can’t forget the echo of Fred’s laugh, the feeling he had when Fred died and everything became so much more real to him. Ginny’s still upset, but she’s being so brave about it all. Helping her mum and showing strength he has to admire. She’s stronger than he is since he still feels guilty over all the deaths, but especially for not being able to protect Fred in that moment when he needed it most. Guilt isn’t going to do anyone good, though, and Fred would be the first one to tell him that. No, he needs to get over himself and focus on supporting George, because that’s who needs him the most right now.

*****


George looks at the formal black robes that he’s been wearing to the funerals the past week. He doesn’t even remember how many or who they were for. There’s a numbness to his life that makes him feel like he’s just sleepwalking and will soon wake up to find out this is just a nightmare. Fred will laugh at him, and everything will be alright. The world will be normal again. He won’t feel like half of him is missing anymore. Won’t stop talking because he expects someone else to be there finishing his sentences. Won’t spend every morning searching for Fred believing himself to be out of this living nightmare each time he wakes up. George picks up his wand and murmurs a charm, watching the black fabric become a bright vibrant rainbow of colors that would make Fred laugh in delight. If he’s going to bury his other half today, he’s doing it in style.

*****


George leaves his room wearing the brightly colored robes. When he gets downstairs, he feels his breath catch and a large smile cross his face as he sees his team there with his family. Oliver is wearing bright red robes. Angelina’s got on the fuschia that always made Fred smile. Alicia’s wearing orange. Katie’s in purple. Harry’s in green. His family, his friends, not a single glimpse of black anywhere. He walks towards them, listening to Angelina talk about a party after, celebrating Fred, wanting to reminisce about him with smiles instead of tears. George is surrounded by them, arms around him, and he swears he sees Fred leaning against the doorway watching with a grin and a wink. George winks back and then he laughs.

This is how Fred would want to be remembered.

End