Denouement

Angelina looked at the man lying before her. Her throat burned. She couldn't breathe.

"Angelina, don't! You can't fight. What about-"

"Fred, stop it. You're being ridiculous. I can't just sit here while everyone else-"

"To hell with everyone else! Lina, if anything happens to you..."

"What about you? What if something happens to you, Fred?"

"I'll be fine. Don't worry about me."

She replayed the conversation over and over in her head. Nothing she said would have stopped him, but she hadn't wanted to, not at the time.

"Angelina..."

"Fred," she responded meeting his eyes. "I have to do this."

He nodded, not totally convinced. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her forehead.

"Please be careful," he whispered. "I love you."

She wished she knew what he had been thinking when it happened. Had he been afraid? Had he thought of her?

She crossed the Great Hall looking for Fred, but caught sight of Ginny instead, who averted her eyes and bit her lip. She was standing next to Bill, who had an arm protectively over her shoulders.

Angelina walked over to the Weasley family, fear apparent in her eyes. They were huddled around someone- who?

Not Fred, she pleaded inwardly. Please not Fred.

The tears were falling quickly now. Charlie put his arms around her and hugged her to him. She couldn't see, she couldn't think. How could this be happening?

George stood and was the first to walk towards Angelina. His eyes were red and his skin pallid. She shook her head.

No," she whispered. "No. Not Fred."

George took her hand in his and she couldn't meet his eyes, knowing what she would see there.

She pulled on the chain around her neck, snapping it. She slipped the ring it had held onto her finger. She hadn't wanted to lose it during the battle. The battle he hadn't wanted her to fight. The irony stung. He had been so worried about her, but it hadn't been her he had needed to worry about in the end.

It was over now. Voldemort was dead. They had vanquished the Death Eaters. She was alive, but her heart was breaking. The room was spinning and she couldn't take her eyes off of him. He was supposed to be beside her, comforting her, holding her, living. His skin had lost all its warmth and color. He looked dead.

He is dead, she told herself. He's not coming back. He'd never hold her again, never tell her stories when she couldn't sleep, never serenade her with the Muggle songs she loved so much when they were alone and he was a bit tipsy.

She could still feel Charlie's arms around her, the only thing that was keeping her grounded to this world. To a world without Fred.

"Oi, Angelina!"

"What?"

"Want to come to the ball with me?"

She'd nodded nonchalantly, acted like it wasn't a big deal, but she'd loved him even then.

"All right, then."

"Angelina?" Ginny said, kneeling beside her. Angelina forced herself to meet Ginny's swollen eyes. "He was smiling when we found him," she said softly. "He didn't know. He didn't feel anything."

Angelina nodded, not knowing what words to use to thank Ginny for this. The tears fell fast and hard from her eyes. She reached out for Ginny and they embraced, crying for the boy they had both loved.