Friendless » Fred Weasley

clxxxviii. victoria silvers

"Impedimenta! Seal that shut, quick. Everyone through, come on, come on." Dove Silvers ushered the group of fifth years into the passageway out of the castle that Hannah Abbot had found. She stood in front of the doorway, keeping any Death Eaters away.

"Nice one, Dove!" Hannah shouted, closing the door after the final fifth gear had crawled inside. They both pushed through the crowd once more of older students, this time on their way back.

Dove needed to find her sister.

Until suddenly, You-Know-Who's voice reverberated from the walls and floor, and Dove realized that he was talking to Hogwarts and to all the surrounding area, that the residents of Hogsmeade and all those still fighting in the castle would hear him as clearly as if he stood beside them, his breath on the back of their necks, a deathblow away.

"You have fought," said the high, cold voice, "valiantly. Lord Voldemort knows how to value bravery."

"Yet you have sustained heavy losses. If you continue to resist me, you will all die, one by one. I do not wish this to happen. Every drop of magical blood spilled is a loss and a waste."

"Lord Voldemort is merciful. I command my forces to retreat immediately."

"You have one hour. Dispose of your dead with dignity. Treat your injured."

"I speak now, Harry Potter, directly to you. You have permitted your friends to die for you rather than face me yourself. I shall wait for one hour in the Forbidden Forest. If, at the end of that hour, you have not come to me, have not given yourself up, then battle recommences. This time, I shall enter the fray myself, Harry Potter, and I shall find you, and I shall punish every last man, woman, and child who has tried to conceal you from me. One hour."

Dove glanced at Hannah Abbot beside her as the two girls walked down the stairwell. She was unable to shake the feeling of dread inside of her as they walked through the now empty corridors.

The castle was unnaturally silent. There were no flashes of light now, no bangs or screams or shouts. The flagstones of the deserted entrance hall were stained with blood. Emeralds were still scattered all over the floor, along with pieces of marble and splintered wood. Part of the banisters had been blown away.

Dove pushed forward, leading herself into the Great Hall where she stopped in the doorway.

The House tables were gone and the room was crowded. The survivors stood in groups, their arms around each other's necks. The injured were being treated upon the raised platform by Madam Pomfrey and a group of helpers. Firenze was amongst the injured; his flank poured blood and he shook where he lay, unable to stand.

The dead lay in a row in the middle of the Hall. Dove recognized a family of red hair standing around and began to walk towards them. She walked alone as Hannah had left for a group of Hufflepuffs across the room.

Victoria. She needed to find Victoria.

She continued to move with that thought only in her head. She glanced down a few spaces away from there to see Professor Lupin and a woman with bright pink hair.

Dove had liked Professor Lupin, despite what her friends had thought of him. He was a good teacher and she learned an awful lot in his class.

She swallowed the lump in her throat, moving onward. When she came close to the family, she cleared her throat.

"Where's Victoria?" She asked one of the twins. She knew it must have been George because Fred had both ears. She then noticed immediately he was crying.

Dove's heart stopped, the same feeling of dreading flowing through her. "W-where's Tori?" She asked once more, using the nickname she had heard before.

"Dove..." George said slowly, clearly trying to pull himself together but she pushed him out of the way to ask someone else. That's when she saw it.

Tori laid next to Fred, clutching his hand. The ghost of laughter upon both their faces as they laid on the ground. Mrs. Weasley was lying across Fred's chest, her body shaking. Mr. Weasley stroking her hair while tears cascaded down his cheeks.

"No..." Dove gasped, dropping to her knees next to her sister's head. "No, no, no, no, this... this can't be happening. No... I— I just got her back. No, no, no, no..." Her voice broke as sobs escaped her mouth.

"No. No, no, no, no. Please. No..." Dove sobbed, letting out a cry of despair. She reached to grab Tori's hand when she noticed the ring on her finger.

She stared at it for what felt like hours.

Fred and Victoria were engaged?

And that's when she completely lost it.

She couldn't feel anything. She was sobbing so much she could barely breathe. Her sister couldn't be dead. She just got her back.

When Dove managed to look up once more she realized there were more people around. Three girls stood at the foot of Tori's body crying. It took Dove a moment to recognize them. It was Angelina Johnson, Katie Bell, and Alicia Spinnet.

Dove had seen her sister hang out with the girls over the years. When she turned her once more she could see Lee Jordan, the old Quidditch commentator, standing above Fred and Tori, tears in his own eyes.

She saw Ron Weasley hugging his older brother Percy and Ginny Weasley with Hermione Granger.

She felt very out of place.

She didn't like how they were all looking at her either. Her world was spinning, a thousand thoughts going through her head. She wanted to run away, hide from these people, but she couldn't find it in her heart to leave her sister. She had abandoned her enough already. And she was sure she would never forgive herself.

So Dove stayed in her place next to her sister's head, tears running down her face as she clutched her hand, mentally begging her to wake up.

And it absolutely destroyed her to know she never would.

trust me.
this hurt me more than it hurt you