Before you (Fred Weasley)

CHAPTER 90

I felt the hem of my dress flutter against my legs as I watched the casket placed on the long table against the river. Next to the casket was a podium, where we were to give our eulogies.

For some reason unknown to me, I didn't feel grief. I didn't feel anything at all. I had run out of tears to cry. Amelie had always been there, somewhere in the background, somewhere amongst the flowers in the garden or the cassette tapes in her bedroom. Now, she was amongst the clouds, possibly flying far far away from us, happy and content as always.

Fred was seated with Bella on one of the chairs, she was still learning how to walk on her prosthetic leg. I walked over to them and sat next to them, crossing my hands in my lap.

"You alright?" asked Fred.

I shook my head no.

Fred simply put his hand on mine and squeezed it,

"Remember what I said earlier, you're the strongest person I know Al, you'll be able to do it" he said reassuringly.

I didn't respond, staring blankly at the casket in front of me. A man stood behind the podium and started to speak,

"And now for the eulogies, if we can have Ms. Alice Malvolio please" he announced.

I stood up, shaky on my legs, glancing nervously at Bella and Fred before walking on to the podium. If it were Amelie giving my eulogy, she would've done so confidently, she would have even managed to make a few people laugh.

"Good morning, I'm Alice, Amelie's best friend" I clutched the cue cards in my fists and pocketed them. I wanted to let the words flow out on their own.

"I honestly don't know where to start with Amelie. She was..different. Outspoken but mysterious, funny and kind, beautiful and smart, the list goes on. There are not enough words in the English language for me to tell you how much I love her, how much she meant to me. She was my light when I was stuck in the dark, my wand when I felt lost, hopeless. She taught me beautiful things and welcomed me into her world with open arms and the most winsome smile on her face. And what a delightful world it was, her jokes, her charm, her books, movies and music. Her"

I paused for a moment, letting all the memories rush through my head before taking a deep breath,

"Even though she was one of the most social people you could meet, she somehow always managed to remain in the shadows, and that is what was most beguiling about her. Her enigmatic aura. She knew every inch of me but I didn't know her. She was observant and I was ignorant. And it pains me to know that I'll never be able to find out more" my voice cracked, tears threatening to flow down my cheeks.

"I love you for everything you are, for everything you gave, for everything you shared and for everything you loved. Have a lovely flight"

The last sentence wouldn't make much sense to everyone else but it did to me. I always imagined dying to be like flying on a broom.

Knowing Amelie, she would fly the highest she could, amongst the stars, while 'La vie en rose' played in the background, and all the clouds would be pink, just like she had told me when we were little and we had just put on pretend rings on each other's fingers: 'Mrs. and Mrs. Lume'

"You see those clouds in the sky Alice? They may appear white from below, but on the top, they're the most beautiful shade of rose you will ever see, 'la plus belle nuance de rose'"

.

When Fred, Bella and I returned from France, we decided to visit The Burrow where everyone else was gathered. Harry was in Grimmauld Place, his new residence. Hermione was at The Burrow with Ron, she was going to go back to Hogwarts to finish her last year.

The dinner table was full of loud chatter but I remained quiet, a bit exhausted from our journey to France. Bella was already fast asleep on the couch. 

George and Emma had finally started dating and they made an excellent couple. I was happy to see them happy, they deserved it after waiting for so long.

I pushed my plate away, not feeling very hungry. Fred noticed and pushed his own plate away, getting up from his chair.

"Follow me" he said, holding his hand out. I put my hand in his and he lead me out of the Burrow into the cold and dark night, illuminated only by the twinkling stars.

"Where are you taking me?"

Once we were a bit far away from the Burrow, he spun me around and placed his hands on my waist, beginning to sway.

"Why are we dancing?" I chuckled.

"No reason" he murmured, lowering his head in the crook of my neck and taking a deep breath. I rested my head against his chest, following his swaying movements. This reminded me very much of the night back at Hogwarts on the 5th of Jan, 1996.

We had just pranked Umbridge and Fred and I had ran out to the grounds, dancing without a care in the world. It had been one of the more beautiful moments of our relationship.

"Thank you for being by my side through all of this" I said.

"I'm always going to be by your side" he said, stroking my hair before pulling away.

He dug his hand in his pocket and pulled out a small box. He opened it to reveal a diamond ring.

"Fred!"

"Am I still marrying you?" he asked cheekily.

"Of course you are, but you shouldn't have!"

"You can get rid of that ugly metal band now" he said.

"I liked it to be honest" I said truthfully.

Fred removed the metal band from my ring finger and put it on my middle finger. He then put the small diamond ring on my ring finger before lifting my palm and kissing it softly.

"It's beautiful" I said.

"Just like it's wearer" he said in a cheesy tone and I smiled, pulling him in for a kiss.

"Y'know, we still haven't told your parents about our engagement" I mumbled against his lips, my hands playing with the ends of his hair on the nape of his neck.

"How about we do it now?" he asked and I nodded nervously. We went back to The Burrow, hand in hand.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were in the kitchen and everyone else was in the living room, chatting amongst themselves.

"If mum's face goes red when we tell her, that's our cue to run" Fred whispered seriously.

"Hello Mrs. Weasley" I said.

"Hello dear, anything you need?"

"Um..no, we uh" I started and Fred interrupted.

"We're getting married" he said bluntly. Way to go Fred.

Mrs. Weasley immediately dropped the dishes in her hand and Mr. Weasley almost fell out of his chair.

"You're what?" she said, her eyes wide.

"Run. Now" said Fred.

"Shut up" I scolded.

"That's amazing! Another married couple in the family! This is excellent!" she said, enveloping us in a group hug.

"Mum-y-you're choking me" said Fred, desperately trying to free himself.

"I'm sorry, I'm just so happy! We have to start planning! Have you fixed a date?" she asked.

"No" I said.

"Actually, if it was alright with Alice of course, I was thinking of the 5th of January?" suggested Fred.

A smile reached my lips, knowing exactly what that date meant. This was one of the million reasons why I loved him, he remembered even the tiniest things.

"I think it's perfect" I said.

--