Elusive // The Weasley Twins

7. The Funeral

 ---

Gripping the edge of the sink, George lifted his head up to look at himself in the mirror. He had never been one to shy away from his own reflection, but looking at himself now felt so wrong.

He half expected Fred to jump out of the mirror

But after a few seconds of his breath fogging up the glass, George took a step backwards and rubbed his hands over his face. He took a deep breath before walking out of the bathroom and back to where the rest of his family was gathered.

A few of them were in the kitchen, most were seated in the living room. Charlie and Percy were over near the staircase, but it was the same wherever George looked. Everyone was dressed in black from head to toe, talking in low volumes and there were crumpled up tissues all over the bloody place.

Bill noticed George standing by himself and stood up from the couch to talk to him. He waited until George finished scanning the area, already knowing what he was going to ask.

"Where's Cosette?" George even turned around to take another glance in the kitchen, but the only girls in there were Ginny and Molly. He tilted his head towards the staircase but he was in the bathroom for only a few short minutes and he definitely would have heard footsteps going up if that was where she went off to.

"She left," Bill answered quietly when George finally met his eyes. They had both been crying. George could barely hold it together long enough to have a conversation, especially since the most popular topic today had been their brother.

"What do you mean she left?" The words felt bitter leaving his mouth. It didn't sound right. Cosette leaving during a time like this wasn't right.

It was hard on everyone, attending funeral after funeral of those who had lost their lives during the battle. But holding one memorial to commemorate their lives as originally suggested wasn't enough. Each wizard who died deserved to be remembered separately.

Today was Fred's funeral.

Although a few families chose to bury their loved ones on their land, the Weasley's opted for Fred to be buried in the cemetery near Hogwarts. It had become a designated spot for those who had fallen on that night, giving grieving wizards a chance to pay their respects in one place as opposed to traveling around Europe if they wished to visit multiple gravesites.

The memorial itself was inside of Hogwarts. George was one of the last people to speak, but as he stood at the lectern his hands were shaking to the point that he wasn't able to unfold the piece of paper he wrote his speech on.

Cosette, who had been sitting near him on the bench, watched him struggle for a few seconds before she stood up. Her heart was racing as the crowd of people behind her started to talk amongst themselves, wondering what she was doing. Cosette took the short steps up to the lifted platform and walked to George's side.

She knew that he wasn't ready to say anything yet. Sharing memories of the life they had would mean accepting that he was gone and George must have realized that as soon as he got up there.

"Take a second," Cosette whispered to him. "It's okay."

She placed a hand gently on his back and he looked down at her, tears welling up in his eyes. He released a difficult breath and without saying a word, George moved aside to let Cosette take center place behind the podium. He stayed at her side, but his nod was the confirmation that she needed to take over.

Cosette scanned the room slowly. She recognized the faces of Fred's family members and the friends close enough to be considered blood. She saw her own family in the audience as well, along with old members of their Quidditch team and other students that she couldn't put a name to, but Fred must have left an impression on them anyway.