Forever and always, until the end (Fred Weasley&Anertha Diggory) WattyAwards2013

Gone...

Written 8/12/13

Gone..

Amos Diggory was released from St. mungo's after spending three and half years locked away. The air was cold on his paler skin, his limbs felt heavy. He stood on the doorstep of his house, yet it didn't look like his house, it was...derelict. Arthur Weasley was with him, an old friendly face he sorely needed, he knew his friend had suffered a loss of his own but Amos had lost a lot more. As the pair sat in the dusty kitchen on a rickety table set, Arthur didn't know what to say. His old friend was a shadow of his former self, a shell of a man, he was now just skin and bones. 'Amos, would you like me to make this place more liveable? You can't live like this..' He pointed around to the dust and the mould. Amos simply shook his head and croaked what sounded like a no. He stood feebly and walked his way through the house, picking up pictures of his deceased loved ones, he broke down when he found the last family picture ever taken: Christmas Day, at Hogwarts during the tri-wizard tournament he and his wife had gone to visit their children.

Arthur left him reluctantly a short while later on Amos' request. He found his way up the stairs and to his old bedroom, walking past those of his children, he didn't have the heart to look inside them. Upon entering his room he lit his wand, and scanned the place, it was exactly how his wife had left it before she died. The bedding was the same but now filthy, pictures laid on the floor discarded and on the pillow he noticed two school scarves. One red and one was yellow. His eyes filled up, this was the last place his wife had been, she had been held up in there for days crying over these scarves, she wore them both for weeks after Anertha died. He watched her crumbling away before him; not eating, barely moving and eventually she was too sick to leave their bedroom. He held her hand as her heart gave in and watched as the life drained from her body and the light left her eyes. Knowing there was nothing he could do he told her to say hello to their children and that he would see them again. The memory was too much for him, he picked up the scarves and left the room, closing the door behind him. His joints creaked as he went down the stairs, he felt so old. Too old. He sat in his old arm chair, it almost broke under him but it stayed stable. He held in his hands their Christmas photograph at Hogwarts and Cedric and Anertha's scarves were around his neck. Two weeks passed and no one had heard from him, Molly sent Arthur and Bill to see if he wanted company as he was family regardless if Fred and Anertha were no longer there. Arthur knocked on the old door but no answer came, Bill went up to the window and looked in, trying to get a view. His heart stopped. 'Dad...' His voice was quiet. Arthur came to his side and saw his view, a shallow figure in the shadows of the room, swinging in the abandoned house. Amos was found with his feet not touching the ground, two scarves around his neck and a smashed family photograph lay on the ground below.