Where The Sage Shrubs Grow,

Chapter 129

Songs recommended for this chapter:
• As The World Caves in by Matt Maltese
• Mia & Sebastian's Theme by Kim Bo

Janexxgeorge_weasley as I start this chapter, I still have not decided. Good luck.

Sage's POV:
Everyone wasted no time organizing groups. One to find remaining death eaters and capture them, one for cleaning up rubble, and one for finding bodies and survivors.

I offered help but almost everyone told me that I wouldn't be much help in my emotional state and Madam Pomfrey told me I would be doing no physical work so long as I had sixteen stitches in my side. I didn't put up a fight, the thought of stumbling across Fred's body somewhere made me sick to my stomach.

Even Hallie was off doing something helpful, so I kept Clementine company. Harry had to be removed from the room when he wouldn't calm down, so she had been laid down on a mat in the corner next to everyone else. She was all alone. George had brought me a blanket that I kept wrapped around myself. The lack of life around me made me shiver.

She stared at the ceiling as I talked to her. More bodies were found, so were survivors. Hope burned through my heart but I gave up after the fifth person found and just prayed they wouldn't find his body. I wouldn't look at him if he couldn't look back.

"We'll take care of Harry. I promise."
She didn't reply.
"Don't worry, he'll be ok one day. He'll forgive you, and so will I. You and Fred."
Still no answer.
"We found another!"

I didn't even bother to look as I tried to fix Clementines misshapen hair. I half expected her to ask me what I was going but she never did. She just, stared.
"Bring him to me, it's all or nothing now. He'll either be as good as new in fifteen minutes or... you might as well have left him there." Madam Pomfrey spoke

I felt guilty for the surge of anger I felt whenever I heard a family or a couple reunite after thinking the other was dead. Knowing it wouldn't be me made me want to rip myself apart.
"Did you get enough love? My little dove." I hummed quietly
I continued to sing to her the songs I knew she liked. Even as the tears flowed, I sang. It's what she would have wanted.

I pulled my legs to my chest laying my head on my knees letting the tears fall down the side of my face and over my nose. I sang her songs of romance and heartbreak, some in other languages, different genres.

"Sage, Sage!" Hallie screamed
She came running and tripping up behind me. She grabbed my arm trying to pull me up, I looked at her. She was acting crazy. She had tear stains streaking her face but a new color had appeared on her face, probably from crying but at least she looked less pale.
I stood up letting her lead me away from the makeshift morgue.

She held my hand tighter than she ever had before as she ran across the great hall and to the temporary hospital wing they'd set up.
"What's going on?" I felt dazed a
Hallie turned a corner into the small half destroyed room. Letting me go she pushed me in front urging me to go past the curtain.

I hesitantly pulled it back, faced with the backs of almost everyone. Molly, Ron, Percy, Arthur, Apollo. They heard me behind them turning. They had been crying too. My heart sank. The worst had happened, they found his body.

I staggered back, I didn't want to see him. I didn't want to. They started to move apart making room. I didn't want to. My body started to shake as the beginnings of another panic attack bubbled. I didn't want to-

My feet cemented to the floor as my limbs continued to shake. He stared back at me as if he was seeing me for the first time. I thought I was going to suffocate. The emotions I felt were indescribable as my grip loosened on the blanket. My fingers twitched with a longing so deep that I had never felt before.

My lips parted as if to say something but no words would come. I thought for sure this was a dream and I would wake up only to find him still lost and out of my reach. But my heart felt differently as I took a hopeful step towards him. It felt as though he could vanish at any second and my heart would be shattered again.

He was covered in dirt, his clothes ripped and damaged. His cheeks and nose were dusted with pink and his eyes were bloodshot like he'd been crying. He was the most perfect thing I'd ever seen in my life. Hallie nudged me forward forcing my feet into action as I stepped closer to him.

I lifted my hand daring to touch him just barley. His chest rose and fell and his heartbeat raced beneath my hand. I broke.

Third Person POV:
She had barley touched him when suddenly she was hyperventilating through sobs. She gripped his shirt tightly refusing to let go as her knuckles turned white. Sage pressed her face into his battered shirt crying harder than she'd ever cried before.

Fred's eyes welled up with tears again but this time he let them go and he too started to cry. He moved her hands around his neck so he could wrap his around her trying to get as close as possible. She bawled onto his shoulder and he cried into hers not caring who watched him cry like a baby.

"You jerk!" She cried
"You left me!" Her hands fisted dripping his jacket as hot angry tears rolled down her face "You left me and you promised!"
Fred had never seen her so emotionally thrown.

Fred's eyes drifted to everyone relieved faces. His mother crying still, but she was smiling. Her son was alive. The two held each other so tightly they could barely breathe, but they didn't care. Holding each other as if it were the last time because it almost was, both were sure they could stay like this forever and be ok with it.

Fred held Sage until she stopped crying and was a hiccuping, sniffling mess. They both pulled back as one of his arms wrapped around her waist and the other hand stroked her hair. Her nose was red, her skin was blotchy and her eyes were puffy. She had never looked more beautiful. Fred stared at her for a beat before kissing her passionately.

It didn't matter that they were both disgusting and beat up. It didn't matter that everyone was watching them. It didn't even matter that her brother was watching them. The whole world could have watched for all Fred cared. He was alive and he still had her.

They kissed fervently until an absolute need for air broke them apart, letting themselves gasp for air. They stared at each other as if they'd known the other for an entire lifetime. Sage pulled Fred down to her keeping his face next to hers as she rested her head against his shoulder.

"Come on, let's leave them." Molly spoke ushering everyone out of the small makeshift room. Hallie and George spared them one last glance before leaving. The two continued to stand there holding each other not daring to let go. No, they would never let go again.

"Marry me." Fred spoke finally
His voice was practically hoarse from everything he'd put it through but these words were more important than anything he'd ever said before in his life.
"Okay."

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