Eleanor & Fred

All of the Weasleys, Hermione, and Harry had already gotten on the train. It was just Fred and I standing awkwardly a few feet away from the adults, not wanting to say goodbye. We were holding hands and staring into each other’s eyes as if trying to memorize everything we saw in them.

The whistle of the red steam engine sounded, causing Fred to sigh. “Don’t get into too much trouble while I’m gone?”

“Me?” I smirked. “I think you’re the one that needs to be worried about.” He grinned back before pulling me into an enormous bear hug. I knew that the minute we parted I would miss the warmth of his arms wrapped around me, his signature devilish grin, and his chocolate-brown eyes. “I love you, Fred.”

“I love you too, Ellie.” We pulled apart and reluctantly I stepped away from him. I watched until the train was out of sight. Molly Weasley placed a hand on my shoulder and alerted me to the fact that we should get going, so I followed the adults off of the platform, red-faced and sad-hearted.

We arrived at number 12 Grimmuald Place not much later and I silently trudged upstairs to the twins’ room. I knew that the adults weren’t going to bother me for a while. I stepped inside, closed the door, set my glasses on the side table, and lay down on Fred’s bed, pulling the covers over me and curling up into a ball. The bedding still smelled like Fred and I decided that I would be sleeping in that bed from then on.

It felt weird watching everyone else get on the train without me. It felt weird to think that I wouldn’t even see Jay, Alice, or Wes for many more months. I suddenly felt a pang in my chest as I thought of my friends; I would miss them nearly as much as I would miss Fred.
I regretted the distance that had formed between Jay and I the last few weeks, and I hoped that if I started to write him, we could reform our close friendship. I wasn’t sure how much Fred would like that, but I needed Jay as my friend.

In just a few minutes it had hit me, hard. I would be alone for quite a while. I had no idea what I would do to occupy my time. I couldn’t exactly traipse about with You-Know-Who back. I know that I wasn’t in much danger, being a pure-blood and not being anyone of power, but the thought still frightened me.

As all of these thoughts and many more floated through my brain, I began drifting off to sleep. The last thought I recalled having was of Fred, and then I was out.

------------------------------------

“Fred? Where are you?” I called, walking into the Gryffindor common room. I wasn’t sure how I was able to get in, but there I was. It was empty except for a fire roaring in the fireplace. “Hello?”

I walked over to a set of stairs and called his name once more. I heard giggling and I furrowed my eyebrows, following the sound up the stairs. I stopped in front of the door, not wanting to intrude on whoever was inside, but desperately needing to find Fred.

“Fred?” I said quietly. I knocked on the door, and when getting no reply, I lightly grabbed the doorknob and turned. It wasn’t locked. I slowly opened the door to the room and immediately I felt an invisible knife stabbing my heart.

The room was a dormitory, I guessed to be the girls’, and on one of the beds I found Fred. However, he wasn’t alone. Fred and Angelina were entangled so much so that the only reason I could tell where one began and the other ended was because of their difference in skin tones.

“Fred? What are you doing?” The answer to the question was obvious, but I was at a loss for what else to say. I felt sick to my stomach as Fred looked up at me, a grin plastered on his face.

“I’m sorry, Ell, but I’m a seventeen-year-old boy. What do you expect?”

“I thought you loved me,” I whispered, my whole body trembling.

“I do, but you weren’t around. I just couldn’t resist. Have you ever compared yourself to Angelina? I mean, she’s gorgeous.”

He winked at me and turned away, focusing his attention back on Angelina.

I turned and ran. I wasn’t sure where I was going, but it didn’t matter. The staircase was never-ending and I felt unsteady as I ran. My body wouldn’t cooperate, and I found myself falling. I never hit the stone stairs, though, but instead began falling through a vast nothingness. I didn’t mind, though, because I couldn’t feel any pain.

Beneath me, a small light was glowing. It grew closer and closer as I began falling faster and faster. Just when I was about to hit whatever the source of light was…

I sat up, shaking and sweating. I kicked the blankets off and reached up to place a hand on my chest, feeling my quickly-beating heart and mumbling to myself that it was just a dream. A horrible dream, but still not real.

Right when I managed to calm myself down, there was a soft knock on the door, startling me. “Come in,” I called.

The door slowly opened to reveal Sirius standing in the doorway, looking rather sheepish. I hadn’t spoken with him much since I’d arrived, but I had grown to respect him. With everything he had been through it was amazing that he was still as sane as he was. Not to mention, I found the relationship between Harry and his godfather to be completely heart wrenching in the best way possible.

“Did I wake you?” He asked politely.

“No, I was already awake.” I swung my feet over the edge of the bed and reached up to comb a few tangles out of my hair with my fingers before putting my glasses back on.

“Good,” he nodded. “Well, I know that this must be hard for you, if I may say so.” He stepped into the room and took a seat on George’s bed. “Since this is my house, even under the Order’s control, I thought that I should let you know that you should not ever think yourself a burden here. I am glad to give you a place to stay, and if you are ever feeling alone here, well, feel free to come and talk with me. I know a lot about being alone and I am more than willing to help keep someone else from being as familiar with it as I am.”

“Thank you very much,” I replied, slightly surprised by Sirius’ sudden outreach to me.
“You’re welcome, Ellie. And I know that the others feel the same way. Molly and Tonks, I’m sure, would be willing to talk with you if you ever need to, well, have a woman-to-woman conversation.”

He stood and began walking to the door, but stopped and turned before reaching the hall. “And one more thing. I have had Kreacher go and get you a little something from Diagon Alley. It’s downstairs, so whenever you would like you may come and have a look.”
He gave me a warm smile before leaving, shutting the door behind him.

I had to admit that Sirius’ talk had made me feel quite a bit better after the dream, but I was still considering writing to George and asking him to keep an eye on Fred for me.

Sighing, I stood from the bed and walked across the room, opening the door and heading downstairs to see what mysterious thing waited for me.