The Girl Who Hid | ✓

|114| Selfless

The little man in black had stopped speaking at last and resumed his seat. I waited for somebody else to get to their feet; I expected speeches, probably from the Minister, but nobody moved.

Then several people screamed, including me. Bright, white flames had erupted around Dumbledore's body and the table upon which it lay: Higher and higher they rose, obscuring the body. White smoke spiraled into the air and made strange shapes: I thought, for one heart-stopping moment, that I saw a phoenix fly joyfully into the blue, but next second the fire had vanished. In its place was a white marble tomb, encasing Dumbledore's body and the table on which he had rested.

I looked at Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione: Ron's face was screwed up as though the sunlight were blinding him. Hermione's face was glazed with tears, but Ginny was no longer crying. She met Harry's gaze with the same hard, blazing look that he had seen when she had hugged him after winning the Quidditch Cup in his absence. Harry moved Ginny over to the side while I searched for Fred through the crowd.

Meeting his eyes, I took a deep breath and walked over to him. His smile fell when he saw the look on my face; I was never good at hiding my emotions on my face, more or less to him.

"Fred..." I said very quietly, once I reached him. There was a buzz of conversation grew louder around them and people began to get to their feet. "I... what do we have?"

"Well I like you and you like me, it's pretty obvious, isn't it?" Fred said, the cheeky smile reappearing on his face.

Taking a deep breath, I shook my head.

"I can't, Fred... I-I can't be with you anymore," I said softly. "We can't be together..."

His smile twisted and he shook his head, "It's for some stupid reason, isn't it? I bet Harry's doing the same thing to Ginny."

I looked over my shoulder to see Harry and Ginny in an animated conversation.

"Fred, I'm being serious," I said, tears in my eyes, "I can't... we can't be together. It's not safe."

The twisted smile on Fred's face fell, his eyes full on concern and confusion.

"Voldemort uses people his enemies are close to. He's already used Ginny as bait once, and I can't bare to think what he'd do to you! Think how much danger you'll be in if we keep this up. He'll know, he'll find out. He'll try and get to me through you. That's why Harry is also... leaving Ginny," I said firmly— well as firmly as I could through tears.

"What if I don't care?" said Fred fiercely.

"I care," I raised my voice. "Fred, I care, too much that is. I- I don't know what I would do if this was your funeral... and it'd be all my fault because I'd be too selfish to let you go! I—"

"I knew you had given me that Valentine's card your second year," Fred admitted. "I recognized your handwriting from the owls you had me send to Ginny and then for the Yule Ball, I was too afraid to ask you and was glad you had asked me..."

"You liked me all that time?" I said softly.

"Of course," he smiled. "My little Mousey... but you've been too busy saving the Wizarding world with Harry to notice that I like you just as much as you like me."

"Fred," I breathed.

"Well," sighed Fred. "I can't say I'm surprised. I knew this would happen in the end. I knew you wouldn't be happy unless you were hunting Voldemort with Harry. Maybe that's why I like you so much— starting, independent, brave..."

"Fred—"

Before I could say anything, he pulled me into a hard, longing kiss. The last kiss we'd have. I couldn't allow myself to allow him to be in danger. My heart broke at the salty kiss and broke, even more, when he pulled away. With a shaky breath, I turned away from Fred and Dumbledore's tomb, and walked away to Harry, who made his way around the lake.