𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐋𝐄𝐒𝐒 | f. w

vi. a broken promise

chapter six
A BROKEN PROMISE

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» » EDITH AND FRED were friends for a very long time before either of them started admitting their feelings about the other to themselves. They met for the very first time at platform 9 3/4 at Kings Cross station the 1st of September 1989 and it wasn't long thereafter that they became the closest of friends. I guess you could say they were soul mates; meant to be, and even though life had them face all kinds of hurdles along the way, they managed to always stay that way. Fred loved Edith, and Edith loved Fred. That's just the way it was since day one. They always found a way to be there for each other, and nothing could ever change it.

So when Edith's parents couldn't find it in them to agree in any department, Fred was there to hold her when she cried.

In year two, when her first ever pet-rabbit died, he made sure to bring her a stuffed one, promising her it would bring the same kind of comfort that Marshmallow used to.

And when Edith's dad left when she was thirteen, Fred promised he'd always be there for her, no matter what. He said that they were best mates, and would never drift apart, if he could have any say in it. Of course, no one could predict what the future would bring, but Fred was heart set on never leaving her.

Which only made it hurt more, when Edith broke the news.

Flashback to just after the Second War

"I have to leave".

Edith could barely find it in her to look Fred in the eyes as she told him she was moving away. Charlie had put in a good word for her to the head employer at Gringotts and it was quickly made clear that she was going to have to leave, when the letter arrived telling her she got the job.

Working with dragons had always been her number one dream. Her father, Alexander Gannon, would tell her all kinds of stories about life in Romania. You see, Alexander himself was a Dragonologist, and Edith was given front row seats to seeing how happy it made him. Even when he would fight with Edith's mother Rose, he would somehow find solitude in his line of work.

Maybe that's why he left.

Maybe that's why she felt she had to leave too.

"What are you on about?", Fred looked up from nervously fidgeting with the rings on his fingers. He had had the feeling for awhile, that things weren't exactly top notch between them. Ever since George's untimely death a few weeks ago, nothing had been the same, and it felt like he was just waiting for her to make an excuse to leave him. It wasn't hard to understand why, but it made Fred's words echo on repeat in her mind.

"I'll always be there for you, you must know that by now. I'll never leave you. I promise", he'd reassured the broken girl when she learned of her fathers decision to leave his wife and daughter.

Fred wasn't the only one deeply hurt by his twin's passing, and no one had found a good way to deal with it yet. Edith's heart was broken and she couldn't see any brightness in the future if she stayed. She had to leave, if she wanted a chance to be able to live life normally. At least as best she could.

It was the day after George's funeral that Edith broke the news to the Weasley family. She had been dreading the very moment she would have to tell them, laying awake night after night, tossing and turning in bed. It was definitely not an easy decision, but one she had to make.

"I'm going crazy here, Freddie—it's like I can't breathe properly".

Fred drew a quick hand through his red hair, sighing deeply. Edith had asked to talk to him alone after spilling the news to the rest of the family.

"And you think what? That it's been easy on me? He was my brother, Edith".

Edith was propped down on the steps to the Burrow, while Fred stood just by the open door. It was in the middle of July, the summer sun gracing them with its presence, shading some light over the green-colored hills surrounding the little house that was the Burrow.

"I-I know-I know he was. He still is. Even though he left us, he's never really gone".

"Oh, don't give me that 'he'll-always-be-in-our-hearts'-bullshit! You were there too, you saw what they did to him!". Fred broke down in sobs, his head resting in the palm of his hands, hiding his face.

"And I'll never forget it. I just think we need to allow ourselves to breathe. I'm tired of suffocating, I'm tired of it". The tears spilled down Edith's blotchy face, shining like rhinestones in the evening sun. She could feel Fred's gentle hand on her back, drawing circles.

"So what? You're saying we're better off alone? I'm already completely shattered as it is, I won't make it if you go".

Silence crept out of its hole, surrounding them.

"We said we'd never leave each other". Fred continued sobbing, trying his utmost to wipe away the salty tears leaking from his now bloodshot eyes. "We promised each other we'd always be there".

Edith sniffled. "And I've kept that promise since the day we made it, but I think it's time I let that down". Sighing deeply, she took hold of Fred's hand. "I need to believe there's a reason for all of this. For George, for us. Because if not—well I can't think about that. And I'm not saying goodbye forever, it's more like 'see you later'". Edith smiled through her tears, looking deep into Fred's dark brown eyes. Eyes that always reminded her of the ground after it rains.

"So that's it? You're just leaving—just like that?".

"I'll be back soon. You'll barely have time to think about it. I'll just be gone—and you'll not even remember missing me. Then one day, I'll be standing outside the joke shop, smiling, and it'll be like no time has passed".

Edith lifted her hand to touch his tear-stained face, caressing the side of his cheek with her thumb.

"I promise you this; you'll be okay. Even though it feels like nothing could ever heal that broken heart of yours. You'll live. If not for yourself, then for George. He'd want you to be okay".

Fred pressed a kiss on the tip of her nose, leaving her slightly flushed and with hundreds of butterflies circling her stomach.

"I love you, Edith—but you're wrong, and you're only making things harder by leaving. I know you think you're doing what's right, that you'll only break my heart more if you stay. But guess what? My heart broke weeks ago when George decided to leave me. So yes, I'll think about you. I'll think about you every single day. I'll think about how you made the world's greatest mistake, how you left when I needed you the most. ".

"Fred—".

"—No—", he removed her hand from his face, holding a firm grip around her waist. "—You don't get to do this to me. Not now. Not like this".

Fred stood up quickly, dropping her hand. Seeing his tear-stained face made Edith's heart break into a million tiny pieces, and it wasn't until he turned around and went back inside the house, that she let the tears run freely, without caring to wipe them away.

So she sat there, alone in the summers breeze, sobbing into her hands, the world crumbling around her.

⬩ word count: 1294