freya mckinnon may share the same face as her aunt marlene, but she was more than just the niece of a war heroine, though no one seemed to see that. no one but george weasley, her rival on the quidditch pitch who quickly became so much more.
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CHAPTER NINETEEN: BEYOND HER
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DEPENDING ON WHERE YOU began the story, it was about Fraser McKinnon. He was the lost soul, the heartless man; sometimes, even when it came to his own daughter, though Fraser did try his best not to hurt Freya. Be that as it may, Freya McKinnon's story started the day Fraser's life collapsed in on itself, and so everything would begin and end with him in one way or another, even if it broke her in the process.
Freya truly hadn't expected him to show up, not after the impact of Travers' escape and certainly not after Sirius Black lost his life in the Order's most recent fight in the Department of Mysteries. Freya hadn't been there, but Fraser had been dragged along to help Harry Potter and the likes. He was already spiralling beforehand, so if Freya knew her dad even the tiniest bit, she knew Fraser would have to hit rock bottom and then some after losing yet another friend to death. So she donned her graduation cap and smothered down her sadness, and plastered on her prettiest smile as she followed Solana and the rest of the Hufflepuff Seventh Years down to the Great Hall. It might've been Graduation Day, but for Freya, it was just another day of pretences.
She didn't see him at first. Of course she didn't. Freya refused so much as to glance at the crowd of loved ones who were there to watch their sons and daughters, nieces and nephews celebrating their hard work. It would only torture her, but the human mind always had a horrible habit of putting itself through unneeded pain. With Solana separating from her side to hug her mother and Dean, Freya was left momentarily adrift, encouraging her eyes to move until they located Fraser standing by the doors.
For a split second, she thought she'd imagined him, her very own Mirror of Erised. But after blinking several times without Fraser disappearing, Freya determined this to be reality.
Fraser McKinnon might've been a lost soul, a heartless man, but he was also a father. At times, he might've been a distant one, but like called to like even when the conscience resisted. Fraser wouldn't just abandon Freya on one of the biggest days of her life. He knew Estelle would never have forgiven him for missing any of their daughter's milestones let alone graduating Hogwarts, and quite frankly, the part of Fraser who wanted to be better wouldn't have forgiven himself either.
Bit-by-bit, Freya's smile relaxed into a genuine expression of happiness. George wasn't there and neither was Fred, but she had her dad, and she had Solana -- she always did -- and for just one second, the whole year felt like a dream. Everything started with Fraser, extended to Solana, and finished with them both.
Freya would be lost without them.
Together, Freya and Solana took their seats, for Dumbledore was waiting at the front of the room. And from there, the ceremony went by fairly quickly. Before either of them could truly comprehend it, they each had a diploma in hand and Hogwarts was, technically speaking, behind them. They followed the dispersing crowd out to the Black Lake where their families had regathered to continue the celebrations. Freya searched passing faces for her father, freezing once she spied him towering uncomfortably beneath the shade of the oak tree that resided beside the lake.
