Amelia Merlin and the Songs of the Elves

Chapter Seventeen: Sonnet 116

It was nice to be away from the school for once. Although Hogwarts was her home, Amelia was exhausted from the constant state of panic everyone seemed to be in. There were always more students to save, always someone who wasn't pulling their weight, and always something that needed to be done. And she was just getting tired of it.

So when Fred had surprised her and pulled her away from the Room of Requirement, out the entrance to the Hog's Head and apparated from Hogsmeade, Amelia hadn't resisted in the slightest. 

They were on a beach. The wind whipped their hair around and it was practically empty because people don't really go to the beach in November. There was an old couple walking their dog, who was plodding slowly along, seemed as old as they were. They held hands and left footprints in the sand. 

The ocean was a gray-blue color that mirrored the coming storm in the sky above. Fred and Amelia held hands and she had to keep brushing her hair from her face so they turned and walked the other way so the wind blew her hair behind her. Fred had a blue coat on that brought out his eyes and made his hair all the more ostentatious. 

"Things are bad out there, Amy," Fred was saying. "You-Know-Who's everywhere and the Order is basically useless now."

"Hogwarts is pretty shot too," she admitted. "Between the Carrows and Snape, we haven't got much to go on."

"This is a shit situation," he laughed and she looked up at him. Fred shrugged, "It's just weird to think how terrible it is out there when we're standing here." 

Amelia grinned at him, "Yeah, you're right."

"Has anyone ever told you how great you are?" He teased and her smile grew wider. 

"Now that you mentioned it," she said, laughing. "I don't think they have."

"Well, you are wonderful. You really are the smartest," he kissed the top of her head, "Bravest," he kissed her nose, "Strongest," he kissed her cheek, "Most incredible girl I ever met." and he leaned in and kissed her on the lips. 

Amelia smiled up at him, "You're pretty alright too." He laughed and shook his head. The two of them clambered up a giant rock that came protruded onto the beach. When they reached the top the wind was so strong they had to shout to be heard. Her hair blew straight back and both their noses were a soft pink color. Fred laughed and whooped, his arms spread wide as if to catch the whole world in them. He turned to her and had to yell to be heard. 

"Amelia Merlin it's glorious out here!" he yelled and she couldn't help laughing. Not because she thought it was funny but because she was happy. She spread her arms too and her eyes watered from the wind stinging at them. 

She looked over at Fred who was watching her with that grin on his face that she knew all too well. It was the look he got whenever he had some stupid idea. 

"Amelia Merlin will you marry me?!" he shouted over the wind. 

"What?!" she laughed.

"Will you marry me?!" Fred yelled so the whole world could hear. 

"Fred Weasley, you are a madman!" she shouted back. "Are you serious?!"

"As a heart attack, love! Marry me! Let's do it! In the middle of this crazy messed up world, let's get married!" 

She didn't even have to consider it. "Okay!" Amelia laughed, she felt giddy, she couldn't even process what was happening around her. She just looked at him and laughed again, "Yes, of course, I'll marry you." 

He pulled a small black box from his pocket and opened it. There was a small gold band with a diamond centered on it. "I bought this when my family went to Egypt. You told me you wanted me to bring you back a jar of sand from Egypt and I thought that was the dumbest thing ever. But I also thought, holy shit, I'm going to marry this girl. So I bought a ring."