Fool Me Once (Book One) - Fred Weasley

29. Broken

TW. MENTIONS OF MISSCARRIAGE AND GRIEF.

AN. I KNOW THAT THE MISSCARRIAGE IS A SENSITIVE TOPIC FOR PEOPLE TO READ ABOUT BUT I DONT WANT TO RUSH AALIYAH AND FREDS GRIEVING PROCESSES. THIS IS AN EXTEREMELY CHALLENGING THING FOR PEOPLE TO COPE WITH AND I THINK IT WOULD BE DOING MY CHARACTERS AN INJUSTICE IF I JUST GLOSSED OVER THE MISSCARRIAGE. AND AGAIN I APOLOGISE THAT IT EVEN HAPPENED BUT IT DOES PLAY A HUGE ROLE IN THE PLOT OF THE STORY

'I cant keep pretending Im okay' Aaliyaj said. And Freds heart broke.

Draco looked over at the girl he had known his whole life, and his heart shattered. How could he not have noticed the changes in her in the last few weeks?

Aaliyahs once bright skin was now ashen and sunken, she had dark black bags under her eyes as if she hadnt slept in days. And if Draco was to guess he would say that she hadnt. She had lost weight aswell, a lot of weight, her arms and legs had gotten too thin and her cheeks were hallow. She looked a wreck, and Draco knew however bad she looked, the outside only showed a fraction of what she was feeling like on the inside.

'You dont have to pretend youre okay darling' Draco told Aaliyah who only cuddled in closer to Fred. 'You can be however you want okay. And me and Fred, we will be here for you, always.' Draco stated. 'No matter how bad or how not okay your feeling. '

'I dont feel bad though Draco.' she whispered from her position in Freds arms. The two boys looked at each other confused before Draco asked her 'and what do you mean by that Liyah?'

'I dont feel bad' she said again. Slightly raising her head, but never removing it from the comfort that Freds chest supplied her with. 'I feel broken' she whispered, as though she was ashamed of how she felt. She started to cry again, nuzzling her head into Freds chest as though she wished that she could disappear into it.

'What do you mean, that you feel broken darling?' Draco asker her as Fred was trying his best to fight back tears, he hated that he hadn't noticed until now how badly Aaliyah was coping with the loss of the baby .

Draco didnt want to push her but he knew that it was important for her to talk through her feelings. She has been like this since they were kids, if she didnt talk about something and let it well up inside her, she would end up lashing out and hurting people that she didnt really want to hurt.

'Im broken Dray. Theres a piece of me missing' she stated and instantly draco knew what she meant. Fred did too and draco could see how he was trying not to fall apart as he was holding Aaliyah together. She lost a piece of herself when she lost Angel and draco couldnt help but feel sorry for the poor girl. 'I know there is darling. I know. But I promise you that it will all get better with time.'

Fred nodded in agreement and placed a long kiss on the top of her head. Draco smiled at the small action, thinking that even though now is really not the time, they really are an amazing couple.

'Im here' Draco continued, as Fred rubbed a hand up and down aaliyahs back trying to comfort her, 'Freds here, Madame Pomfrey, Riviera, George, Lee, Amelia, Blaise, Pansy. We are all here for you darling. All you have to do is say the word and any one of us would be at your beck and call.'

'Hes right princess. I would drop anything I was doing, just to make sure that you were okay' Fred added as she placed a soft kiss onto his chest.

'I know' she mumbled against him. 'I just wish that someone could have been there for Angel when he needed one of us' she started to sniffle and Draco immediately reached his hand out to rub her back, it was pure instinct and muscle memory. Although she didnt coil away from him this time. She allowed him to comfort her.

'There is nothing any of us could have done princess' Fred told her. He was holding onto her so tight, it was like he was afraid she would break if he loosened his grip for even a second.

'Hes right darling' draco agreed with Fred with a short nod and placed another kiss on the top of Aaliyahs head, leaving his lips there to linger for a few seconds longer. There really was nothing any of them could have done. Nobody is able to stop it when Merlin decides that he wants to take a child home early.

'I told you princess. Angel was too good for this world. Merlin needed him up above to do something very important. And I dont know, and I may never know what it is. I just know that taking him from us was Merlins plan, and who am I to argue with Merlin' at this Aaliyah let out a soft chuckle, it was barely audible, but it lifted the spirits in the room tenfold.

'But, just like you said to me in the hospital wing that night, I know that Angel Frederick Weasley is watching us from above, and he is guiding our every movement. He is going to be our guardian from now on okay my love? He is always going to be here. For everything that we do. We will always have Angel with us princess. Because he lives in our hearts. He lives within us, and because of that, he can never truly die.'

Draco could see a few tears finally escape Freds eyes as he talked. He knew that Aaliyah loosing the baby must have been hard on Fred, but he think that comforting her, telling her all these things finally made him realise that his son was truly gone, that he would never actually get to meet him, and teach him how to play quiddich and make jokes and pull pranks. And Dracos heart went out to them, it really did, because as much as he didnt like the Weasleys, he loved Aaliyah. And for as long as Aaliyah loved Fred, Draco would have to make sure that Fred was going to be okay for Aaliyah.

'Dray?' Aaliyah called after a few minutes. Although she tried to talk at a normal tone, it came out in barely a whisper, but draco heard her none the less.

'Thank you for coming' she said. Slightly coming out of Freds hold so she could give Draco a quick hug. 'Anything for you darling' he muttered into her hair as he held her tight to his chest.

'Draco, I hate to be rude, because I love that you came to me, but could you go, so that I could get some sleep' Aaliyah asked before looking up at Fred. His eyes were red raw from trying not to cry, they were bloodshot from all the emotions that he had been holding in. He was pale and he looked as though, if he blinked for more than a second he would fall asleep. 'And Freddie looks like he could do with some sleep aswell' Draco nodded before giving Aaliyah another quick hug and kiss on the cheek and clapping Fred softly on the back.

After a moment Aaliyah nestled her self back into Freds chest as he wrapped his arms protectively around her again.

'Im going to meet with Poppy' Aaliyah told him and right after she said it she could feel him looking down at her. 'Kind of like you do' she continued after a breath. 'Just to talk about everything and get everything off my chest.'

Fred leaned down to place a kiss on Aaliyahs temple and Aaliyah could feel a small smile on his face as his lips pressed against her. 'I think thats a wonderful idea princess.'

Gently Fred picked her up and carried her over to the other side of the bed. He then laid Aaliyah down before walking over to his own side and slipping under the covers. When Fred was in the bed he pulled her into him so that her head was resting on his chest. Aaliyah could heart the thumping of his heartbeat and feel his chest rising and falling as he breathed.

'I love you Freddie' she whispered into his chest as she listened to his heartbeat.

'I love you too princess' He said. 'I always have and I always will'. Fred turned his body more towards hers so that their noses were almost touching. Then he wrapped both of his arms around Aaliyahs back and held her tightly. After a moment or so he fell into a peaceful slumber, the room slowly filling with the sounds of his little snores as he slept.

This was Aaliyahs favourite place to be. In the arms of the boy that she loved. She felt a lot less broken.