Towers - Fred Weasley

83

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THE SAD NEWS OF ALBUS DUMBLEDORE'S DEATH SPREAD LIKE WILDFIRE. Ebony hadn't heard anything about Death Eaters anymore after the attack in Ollivanders but this set the whole Wizarding World upside down. It was clear people were scared, absolutely terrified.

Apparently Bill was attacked during the raid at Hogwarts, but he was fine. Apart from the big scar that now ran down his face and the few wolfish traits Greyback had given him, he was fine. The world had never known such a downfall and Ebony was sure this marked a tragic day.

She had gone to Hogwarts together with her best friend and boyfriend to pay their respects on the funeral. Ebony felt sick when she stood near the Black Lake.  Hundreds of chairs had been set out in rows. An aisle ran down the center of them: There was a marble table standing at the front, all chairs facing it. It was the most beautiful summer's day. 

An extraordinary assortment of people had already settled into half of the chairs; shabby and smart, old and young. Including members of the Order of the Phoenix: Kingsley Shacklebolt; Mad-Eye Moody; Tonks, her hair miraculously returned to vividest pink; Remus Lupin, with whom she seemed to be holding hands; Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and Bill supported by Alyx. 

Then there was Madame Maxime, who took up two and a half chairs on her own; Tom, the landlord of the Leaky Cauldron in London; the hairy bass player from the Wizarding group the Weird Sisters; Ernie Prang, driver of the Knight Bus and Madam Malkin, of the robe shop in Diagon Alley. The castle ghosts were there too, barely visible in the bright sunlight, discernible only when they moved, shimmering insubstantially on the gleaming air.

Hagrid was walking slowly up the aisle between the chairs. He was crying quite silently, his face gleaming with tears, and in his arms, wrapped in purple velvet spangled with golden stars, was Dumbledore's body. It felt incredibly weird to see this happening. Ebony took her boyfriend's hand and squeezed it slightly. Fred squeezed back to let her know he was there.

They could not see clearly what was happening at the front. Hagrid seemed to have placed the body carefully upon the table. Now he retreated down the aisle, blowing his nose with loud trumpeting noises that drew scandalized looks from some. Hagrid sat down next to his half-brother, and Grawp patted Hagrid hard on the head, so that his chair legs sank into the ground.

A little tufty-haired man in plain black robes had got to his feet and stood now in front of Dumbledore's body. Ebony did not hear what he said, too occupied in her thoughts. Odd words floated back to them over the hundreds of heads. "Nobility of spirit"..."intellectual contribution"..."greatness of heart"...It did not mean very much. 

How many people still had to die? How many loses should this world know before it was time to put an end to all this suffering and pain? Ebony had felt this way many times over the past years, so much that she could now put down her feelings to numbness. There was nothing left in her chest, not a feeling of care. She was sure she was slowly becoming a rock.

The little man in black had stopped speaking at last and resumed his seat. Everyone waited for somebody else to get to their feet; they expected speeches, probably from the Minister, but nobody moved.

Then several people screamed. Bright, white flames had erupted around Dumbledore's body and the table upon which it lay: Higher and higher they rose, obscuring the body. White smoke spiraled into the air and made strange shapes but next second the fire had vanished. In its place was a white marble tomb, encasing Dumbledore's body and the table on which he had rested.

There were a few more cries of shock as a shower of arrows soared through the air, but they fell far short of the crowd. A moment passed before most people stood up and lifted their wands to point towards the sky. Ebony did so too, to show respect for a professor that had sadly passed away. 

She remembered the bet McGonagall had made with Dumbledore during their third year. A bet that consisted of Ebony's dating life. Minerva said she was sure Ebony would someday date either of the Weasley twins but Dumbledore didn't believe this. It turned out -- obviously -- that McGonagall was right and earned a fair amount of galleons for guessing this. 

It was nice to think back on it but when everyone began to walk away from the ceremony and decided to pay respects to the fellow professors of Albus Dumbledore, she walked closer towards the Lake. The Black Lake where she had spent some time studying throughout her years at Hogwarts. The place she felt nice and safe at. 

There was a quick ruffling next to her but she didn't bother looking up at the person who joined her there. Instead, she let two strong arms wrap around her and the familiar orange locks appear next to her in her eyesight. She leaned into her boyfriend's arms and continued to stare at the water in front of them.

"War has officially begun." Ebony muttered to which she heard Fred hum back. "How many more people have to die?"

"Unfortunately, I'm sure we will lose many more people in the next few years." Fred whispered to her, it was sad but true. "We will just have to fight our way through it. Dumbledore was old, he did not have much time left anyway."

"Time." Ebony huffed out as she shook her head slightly. "How much time do any of us have left?" Fred frowned slightly but continued to listen to his girlfriend's words. "I mean, we could step outside into the world right now, get attacked and it could be very much over."

She stepped away from his embrace and turned around to face him. Fred looked sunken into his thoughts, absorbed into a new reality. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say this to you like that." Ebony said softly and reached up to kiss his cheek. Again, Fred nodded but did not reply.

The days that followed Dumbledore's death were sombre and gray. Everyone was worried for their friends and families. Children weren't allowed outside anymore and a bunch of people were taken away from Hogwarts to never return as it deemed 'unsafe'. 

Fred hadn't talked much after the funeral. Ebony thought this was her fault, she had maybe slapped him straight into reality with her harsh yet true words. Nobody had much time left, especially considering the Death Eaters were growing in quantity. Which is why it was so weird to feel his arms wrap around her from behind once again.

"I know I shouldn't be awake at this unholy hour but I couldn't sleep anymore." Ebony whispered as to not wake up George -- who wouldn't have heard it anyway really. 

She was currently standing in her kitchen while waiting for the thee to be ready so she could, hopefully, fall back asleep in no time. It wasn't new that she woke up in the middle of the night because her thoughts kept her awake. It was, however, new that Fred joined her. 

"Do you want some thee too, love?" Ebony asked softly and looked at him as Fred hummed slightly and dipped his head down to rest his chin on her shoulder. Ebony chuckled and reached for another mug.

"Marry me." The words had left his lips so easily, so quickly. Ebony didn't process them at first but when she did, she turned her head to look at him. 

"What?"

"Marry me." Fred repeated as easily as he had said those same words the first time. "I love you, you love me. . . you were right, we do not know how much time we still have left. However much it is, whether it be a day, a week or a year. . . I want to spend it with you." Ebony did not know what to do, she had not expected this to happen at all.

She felt the two arms around her drop. Ebony turned around and watched as her boyfriend went to sit down on one knee and reached for a box in the pocket of his pajama pants. He retreated it and opened it to reveal a pretty ring while looking at her with a small smile. "Marry me?"

There was a small glint in her eyes, it would've been invisible to spot but Fred knew her so well, he noticed it immediately. "Yes, of course I will marry you." He smiled at her, pushed the ring gently on her finger and stood up to be enveloped by a tight hug from his girlfriend -- fiancé.

"Let's spend the rest of our lives -- however short or long they might be -- together." Fred whispered softly as she nodded against his shoulder, overwhelmed by the sudden event.

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Written: 27/07/2023

Word Count: 1500