Darker Shadows (A Harry Potter Fan Fiction)

Epilogue

Neither of us said anything, and as I sipped my hot chocolate, I started to feel sleepy.

The moment my eyes slid shut, I saw a flash of green light and the silhouette of Dumbledore’s body falling through the green-tinged sky.

I awoke with a jerk, my heart pounding, my hands shaking.

Fred turned to me, his voice soft,

“Hey, hey- ssh, it’s okay”

My eyes were wide, and I shook my head, trying to control my breaths.

“You have to remember, Ava- it’s not your fault.”

I shook my head, ignoring the tears sliding down my cheeks,

“I haven’t- I haven’t told you everything… I’ve lied to you.”

“Ava, I know all I need to know…” Fred soothed.

He grabbed hold of my wrists as I sobbed,

“You don’t understand… I-”

Fred tried to still my hands, “You couldn’t have stopped-”

“Yes I could!” My voice was loud, and I stared at him, “I had a choice, Fred!”

His grip on my wrists loosened in confusion,

“What are you talking about? A choice?”

“When…” I gulped, taking a deep breath, “When Lord Voldemort gave me the mission… the mission to take Harry to him- I had a choice.”

Fred didn’t say anything, he just simply stared at me.

“He told me that he would kill… he would kill you if I didn’t do it. It was a choice between your life or Harry’s. I could have stopped it all- I could have told someone everything about Draco’s mission and what Voldemort had asked of me- but at the price of your life. I didn’t want to lose you.”
Fred looked at me, his eyes wide, his hands frozen. I shook my head,

“I didn’t know what to do- I had no choice.”

Before I could say or do anything else, Fred’s lips were against mine, sending my nerves into overdrive and the blood rushing to my fingertips as I reached out for his hair.

I could taste a mixture of sweet hot chocolate and salty tears. I deepened the kiss, brushing my hand against the back of Fred’s neck.

I heard him start to whisper something against my lips,

“I am so sorry… so sorry that you had to go through that. You could have… you could have chosen to save Harry instead of me. I can’t believe that you would do that for me.”

I pulled away slightly so that I could see his face more clearly,

“I couldn’t bear the thought of losing you, and I knew that somehow there would be a way for me to save Harry. I knew it.”

Fred’s lips brushed against mine again, and it was as a kiss should be- soft and warm, causing my cheeks to flush red.

I pressed my forehead to his, and Fred whispered softly, his eyes locked onto mine,

“I will never leave you again, not for a single second. Not after you did that for me. Not after you saved my life.”

And then he wrapped his arms around me, resting his head on my shoulder. I relaxed in his arms and closed my eyes.

And in that moment, I felt safe, I felt trusted and I felt as if- for the first time- I had made the right decision.