Finding Yourself : Fred Weasley

67

     I slowly open my eyes and blink a few times to get my eyes to focus. When everything stays blurry I realize it's because I don't have my glasses on. I slowly sit up, as I do a throbbing pain in my head hits me. 
     Fred looks at me and hands me my glasses. I take them and put them on. I look around to see I'm in the hospital wing. "How do you feel?" Fred asks me, a worried expression on his face. Mrs. Weasley sees me and hurries over. "How do you feel dear?" She asks quickly. "O-okay," I stutter. "What happened?" 
     "You fell and hit your head," Fred answers. That's right. We were at the third task. It just ended. Harry and Cedric have just shown up, the cup was a portkey. Cedric, he wasn't moving. I start to breathe heavily. "Harry and Cedric, where are they? Are they okay? Cedric isn't- he isn't-" I can't get the words out of my mouth. I feel sick just thinking them. 
     "Shh, dear calm down," Mrs. Weasley says softly. "Cedric isn't... He can't be..." I say quietly, my voice breaking. "I will be back dear..." Mrs. Weasley walks back over to Madam Pomfrey. Bill, Ron, and Hermione are there too. I look at Fred. 
     "What happened?" I ask quietly, the tears welling up in my eyes. "I don't know love..." He says softly. He takes my hand and holds it tightly. My chest starts to feel very tight. I want to be alone so badly. I want to see Cedric. 
     We all look over as Harry and Dumbledore walk in, a black dog following them. Harry looks very tired and out of it. His clothes sweat and bloodstained. I jump up, ignoring the pain in my head. "Charlie, you shouldn't get up," I hear Fred say. However, I don't care. 
     I hurry over to Harry and how my arms around him. I force myself to not start bawling my eyes out. He lightly hugs back. I slowly let go and wipe the tears from my face. go lay back down," Madam Pomfrey commands. I don't listen. 
     "Oh, Harry!" Mrs. Weasley says while starting to walk over. "Molly, please LIsten to me for a moment," Dumbledore says while holding his hand up to stop her. "Harry has been through a terrible ordeal tonight. He has just had to relive to for me. What he needs now is sleep and peace, and quiet. If he would like you all to stay with him you may do so. But I do not want you questioning him until he is ready to answer, and certainly not this evening." 
     Mrs. Weasley nods. She quickly turns to everyone else. "Did you hear that? He needs quiet." Fred walks over and puts his arm around my waist and walks me back over to the bed. I sit down. 
     Dumbledore talks to Harry for a moment before leaving. Madam Pomfrey leads Harry over to a bed. The black dog walks over and sits my Fred who is sitting in the chair next to the bed. I reach my arm down and lightly pet his head. Fred looks a bit confused but doesn't question it. 
     I look over at Harry who is drinking the potion for dreamless sleep that Madam Pomfrey gave him. She then walks over to me and hands me a cup. "It will help your headache." I take it and quickly drink it. Not really caring what it does to me. 
     "Where is Reno?" I ask quietly. "Hufflepuff common room I think," Fred answers. I lightly nod before standing up. "I will be back later, I need to see him," I say quickly. "I can go with you," Fred suggests. I shake my head. "No, I want to go alone." 
     He looks like he wants to argue but he doesn't. "Be careful and be back soon," is all he says. I lightly nod then hurry off. When I get inside the common room it is almost empty. I am assuming that most people are in their beds or their dormitories for more privacy. 
     Reno is sitting on the couch in front of the fireplace. For a second I can picture Cedric sitting next to him. I walk over and sit next to him. He looks at me, his eyes are red and puffy, his cheeks tear-stained. He quickly pulls me into a hug. Him and I both start silently crying while holding each other. We stay like that for a long time. 
     "What happened?" I finally ask. He slowly let's go and wipes his face. I do the same. He takes a deep breath. "I'm not sure. No one has told us yet. Harry I guess was saying that You-Know-Who is back and did it. That is all I heard though." 
     I look at the fire and lean my head onto his shoulder. We sit like that silently for a long time. I can't stop as I silently cry. Some people come in or some leave, but no one bothers us. I want to yell, I want to scream at the top of my lungs. But I sit there silently. 
     "Remember that time Ced wanted to take up painting and painted us those awful paintings of us?" Reno says with a very light laugh. I slightly smile. "Yea, I still have mine," I say quietly. "Me too." I wipe my eyes. "Or the time where we were practising flying in our second year and he fell into the lake," I very lightly laugh at the memory. 
     He lightly laughs. "When we met on the train and he bought you all that candy that you'd never had before."  "I got such a bad stomach ache," I lightly laugh. I smile slightly as I think about all of those good memories. How can it be real that there won't be any new ones? 
     "This doesn't feel real. This feels like a horrible nightmare," I say quietly. Reno nods in agreeance. "Have you talked to his family?" He lightly shakes his head. "Not yet. I figured we should together." I lightly nod. 

     We sit there and alternate between quietly talking and silently crying for a few hours. When I decide that I should go back to the hospital wing he decides to go and try to get some rest.
     I take my time as I walk. Maybe Harry will be awake. There is still a dull ache in my head, but it isn't nearly as bad as it was. This is probably from crying so much. 
     As I walk in Fudge is walking out, rather angry looking. Everyone looks at me as I walk in. I walk over and sit back next to Fred. It seems like I missed something. I look around. Snape is now here. 
     "There is work to be done. Molly, am I right in thinking I can count on you and Authur?" Dumbledore asks Mrs. Weasley. "Of course you can," She says with a nod. "Then I need to send a message to Arthur. All those that we can persuade of the truth must be notified immediately. And he is well placed to contact those at the Ministry who are not as shortsighted as Cornelius," Dumbledore says, seeming to be thinking deeply. 
     "I'll go to dad," Bill says while standing. "I'll go now." "Excellent. Tell him what has happened. Tell him I will be in direct contact with him shortly. He will need to be discreet. However, if fudge thinks I am interfering at the Ministry-"  "Leave it to me," Bill stops Dumbledore before leaving. Dumbledore gives orders to McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey before turning to Sirius. 
     I wish I knew what was going on. "Now it is time for two of our number to recognize each other for what they are. Sirius, if you could resume your usual form." We all watch as the black dog instantly turns into a man. 
     Mrs. Weasley jumps back and screams. "Sirius Black!" "Mum, shut up! It's okay!" Ron yells in a calming way. Snape suddenly looks furious. "Him! What is he doing here?" He snarled. "He is here at my invitation," Dumbledore says while looking between Sirius and Snape. "As are you, Severus. I trust you both. It is time for you two to lay aside your old differences and trust each other." 
     "I will settle in the short term for a lack of open hostility. You will shake hands. Time is short, and unless the few of us who knows the truth do not stand united there is no hope for any of us." Snape and Sirius are giving each other a bitter look of disgust. Nonetheless they still slowly reach forward and shake hands.  
     Dumbledore gives Sirius instructions that I don't understand. Mostly because he says a lot of names that I don't know. The only thing I understood was him saying that he needs to go and stay at Lupin's. 
     Sirius talks to Harry for a second before giving him a light hug. he then walks over to me. "Be careful and write to me, okay? If you need anything, write to me," he says quietly. I nod. He gives me a light hug as well before turning back into a black dog and running out. 
     Dumbledore was talking to Snape as Sirius was talking to me, and as Sirius walks out the door Snape follows. "I must go downstairs. I must see the Diggorys. I will see you all later," Dumbledore says before leaving. 
     Harry sighs and leans back against the bed. We all sit silently for a long few minutes. "You go to sleep and have a good long rest dear. Try to think about something else for a while. Think about what you're going to buy with your winnings," Mrs. Weasley says to Harry with a small smile. 
     "I don't want that gold. You can have it. Anyone can have it. I shouldn't have won it. It should've been Cedric's," Harry stays expressionless. He looks so different than he did at lunch. It looks a bit like tears are starting to build up in his eyes. He looks at the ceiling. 
     "It wasn't your fault Harry," Mrs. Weasley says softly. "I told him to take the cup with me," Harry responds. Mrs. Weasley bends over and hugs Harry tightly. They sit like that for a long time. 
     There is suddenly a loud slamming noise, causing them to break apart. "Sorry," Hermione whispers. Harry wipes his eyes then drinks the rest of the dreamless sleep potion and lays down. Fred and I walk over and sit together on the bed. 
     "So what happened while I was gone?" I whisper to him. He takes a deep breath before whispering back to me. "The portkey took Harry and Cedric to a graveyard. That's where Cedric was killed and You-Know-Who returned. Fudge brought a dementor and it kissed Barty Crouch Jr. who was taking polyjoice potion to be Moody all year long. That's who put Harry's name in the goblet. And Fudge doesn't believe You-Know-Who is really back."
     I run my hands through my hair hard before pulling my glasses off. I lean against Fred's shoulder. "This is such a big mess..." He nods in agreeance. I close my eyes and he puts his arm around me and lightly runs my arm. I'm soon pulled under into a deep sleep.