Summers (with Fred & George Weasley)

A Broken Promise

20 A Broken Promise

April 1st came and went without a word from Fred or George. Beca hadn’t heard from either of them in 8 months. She knew, if George was going to come for her, he would have come on his birthday. She couldn’t wait any longer. Their son was due in only a few weeks. She knew she could keep him safe, as long as he was inside her body, but once born, he‘d be vulnerable.

Everything was all arranged. It had been since she and George spent there honeymoon in Oxford. It was agreed, if it ever became too dangerous for her, she would go to Oxford and hide in plain sight. She’d take her mother’s maiden name, Elizabeth Riley. George had magic’ed her a false ID, they’d opened her a bank account under that name and he’d placed enough muggle money in it to take care of her for 1 year. Only Beca and George knew of the plan. She’d stayed in Ottery St. Catchpole through Easter. Long enough to get out all the cakes and breads that had been ordered by the villagers for Easter, and to give George just a little more time to come for her, but now it was time for her to go.

She was in her flat, hurriedly packing. She wanted to make the last train to London and then catch a connecting one to Oxford. In her haste, she broke a mirror, cutting her hand, deeply, on the glass. Blood was dripping everywhere. She pressed the closest thing she could find, the apron she’d worn that day, into the cut in her hand. She bandaged her hand and then used the apron to wipe up the blood that had dripped onto the sink and floor. “What a mess.” she thought. “I’ll just pack this and wash it when I get settled.” And she tossed the apron onto the bed, next to her suitcase, not noticing it slip to the floor.

Beca placed her treasure box in her suitcase and closed it up. She grabbed her cloak and wrapped it around her, disappearing completely. Normally, she would not sneak onto the train without paying, but it was important that no one knew where she was going. If a Deatheater attempted to penetrate the mind of anyone in the town, no one would be able to tell them anything about her.

The train had already left the station when Bellatrix Lastrange apparated into the bakery. It had been discovered that Ron Weasley was traveling with Harry Potter. Bellatrix was furious and someone had to pay. She wanted to kill a Weasley and she knew just where to find one, a half-blood too and if its muggle mother had to die in order for her to get rid of it, no loss. The Weasley’s would pay for their treasonous acts.

When Bellatrix discovered that no one was at the bakery, she was enraged! She set off a curse throughout the building blowing the windows out and a hole in the ceiling, causing furniture from Beca’s flat to come crashing down into the bakery.

Beca found a place to live and got settled in, just days before going into labor. Oliver George Weasley was born on a rainy Spring day in Oxford. She named him after her father and his. She didn’t think George would mind. He had his father’s green eyes and the softest ginger hair upon his little head. He was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen.

A few weeks later, Beca had a restless night. Oliver was fussy so she was having trouble sleeping. When she finally drifted off, it wasn’t very deeply. Therefore, when she heard a man calling her name, it didn’t take much to awaken her. She recognized Fred’s voice immediately, but when she turned on the lamp next to her bed, he looked…funny, almost…transparent. “Fred, is that you?”

“Yes, Beca. It’s me. I’ve come to tell you that I‘m breaking my promise to you.”

“What?” she asked.

“I promised I’d come back safely, but I’m not coming back Beca. I’m dead.”

“Oh God! Fred, NO!”

“There’s a battle going on at Hogwarts right now and I didn’t make it. I know I promised you I’d come back safely, but it’s not going to happen.”