The Girl who Survived (Fred Weasley)

CH 42 The Quiet That Follow

~Elodie's POV~

I felt like I was walking on a cloud. That is, if it was a big grey storm brewing cloud. Like everything happening around me wasn't actually happening. The day after the tournament I spent the day in Hufflepuff house sorting through Cedric's belongings. Professor Sprout even let me spend some time with his friends after. To say our peace in private, though none of us actually said much. They would all attend the memorial feast in his honor in a few days, but I wouldn't be here anymore. I stayed one last night in my dorm, not saying anything other than, "I'm okay," and "Thank you," when people would ask me how I was then proceed to offer me their condolences.

Fred stayed with me again, holding me, listening to my nightmares keep me awake. I knew that I probably broke his heart, to hear me cry over Cedric again. But he didn't pull away, and he didn't complain. It wasn't fair to him. I didn't tell him I would be leaving the next day. I didn't tell anyone. I just needed to be anywhere but here. In all honesty that was a terrible girlfriend move, leaving without telling him. But it seemed that I was destined to begin all my relationships on a rocky note.

While everyone went to breakfast and their first classes I went to Dumbledore's office and used the Floo to get as close to Grimmauld Place as possible. Dumbledore offered to apparate me there, but I told him I wanted to walk a bit. So instead he saw to it that my belongings arrived and assured me that he and Minerva would both join us after dinner on Monday. She would have come sooner, but she wanted to move things from the house in Godric's Hollow to the castle. It wasn't hard to find Grimmauld place. I didn't understand what they meant when they said that the door would be open. It wasn't until later that I realized the house had a Fidelius charm which kept it hidden.

I walked in to be met by a dusty hallway and front rooms. I proceeded through the hallway until I found the sitting room just outside the kitchen. That was where Remus and Sirius sat with their tea. They didn't notice me at first, I moved quietly, and they were both engulfed in their reading. Sirius a book and Remus the daily prophet. As I took a step up to the doorway, the wooden floor creaked underneath my feet, finally catching their attention.

"Sirius? Remus?" I said to them faintly.

"Oh, my darling," Sirius said as he stood up and crossed the room to take me into his arms. I felt Remus join us a moment later, sandwiching me in between them. For a moment, I almost forgot why I was here. I almost forgot about the pain and hurt surrounding me, but the tears that escaped my eyes were quick to remind me.

On Monday night, Fred's arms that had held me while I slept were replaced by Sirius and Remus. We stayed in the sitting room the entire time, even after Minerva arrived. On Tuesday Molly arrived with Arthur to begin preparing the house for everyone's arrival. Molly fixed me a bath while she and Minerva did their motherly magic to make me look alive once more. Minerva sat me in the kitchen and watched me diligently as I completed the exams she had brought with her for me to complete so she could send back and have graded in time for me to receive my marks with everyone else. From time to time Sirius would pop in with words of encouragement and try to point out the correct constellations for my Astronomy exam.

That night, we all sat in the sitting room once more, sipping tea and brandy. I sat on the cushioned windowsill that looked out onto the street with a blanket wrapped around my shoulders. The fire was crackling, and a record was playing. They let me speak when I needed to and shared the silence when it was the only thing bearable.

"You should eat something dear," Molly said as she handed me a plate of biscuits. I looked at the tea pot and floated it over my way to fill my mug.

"It's peaceful isn't it?" I asked them. "The quiet? I used to hate it. I'm tired, yet I feel like I've been sleeping too much."

"You may sleep as much as you'd like. But sleep doesn't help if it's your soul that's tired," Remus said gently.