Till Death Do Us Part

Walking down the halls hand in hand, Fred and Clara shared memories as they passed by certain areas. Recalling all the good times...and the bad. They were laughing as they approached the Great Hall, meeting their other graduating classmates. They found George and joined him toward the back of the group. They stood there talking for a while before the graduation started.

"FRED! GEORGE!" They heard woman's voice rang out in the hallway. The three of them turned around to see Mrs. Weasley practically running toward them waving like a mad woman.

"Oh no, here we go." George said bracing himself for what was to come.

"Oh, my boys. Look at you you both look so handsome." She said squeezing them in her arms.

"Mum!." They both said in unison.

"What a mother can't be proud of her boys?" She said smiling real big. "Clara! Darling! Oh it's so wonderful to see you dear." She said realizing that she had been standing there. "I'm so proud of you as well my dear."

"Thank Mrs. Weasley." Replied Clara smiling.

"Please, Clara how many times have I told you, call me Molly." Molly said. She smiled at Clara with a motherly smile. Then she caught sight of Fred's hand holding Clara's. Molly looked at Clara with a happy grin. They said no words only exchanged looks. Clara just nodded and Molly smiled sweetly knowing exactly what has happened. "Well, I'll go find Arthur and take our seats. See you three later." She said and walked off.

"I love our mum, but sometimes..." George said with a shake of his head. Fred nodded in agreement.

"Oh, stop it you two. She loves you both and is a proud mother. I hope one day I can be as proud as she is of you of my own kids." Clara said a little angered.

"I'm sorry Clara. We didn't mean to make you upset." George said sympathetically.

"It's alright." Clara said. "Let's not fight, let's just have fun."

"Agreed." Fred said smiling. They all turned and got in line with the rest of the class. As they headed inside they say The Great Hall lit up with the all the house colors and the teachers sitting all in a row just up a head. As Fred and Clara passed Professor Snape they shot him a grin, as to say. "Better luck next time mate." They took their seats as Professor Dumbledore approached the podium. He gave them words of encouragement and life lessons to think about. And then he did something unexpected and something Clara was not ready for.

"Now I would like to call up one of the highest ranking students in this years class. I hope this unexpected speech is not to out of nowhere. But, if I know her at all she won't mind to much. Will, Ms. Clara Roberts please come forward." As Professor Dumbledore said Clara's name her heart shot up into her throat. She was not prepared for this at all. As she reluctantly made her way up to the podium Dumbledore was saying some words about Clara. Even though Clara was a prankster and goofed around she was a straight A student at Hogwarts. Clara thought she was going to faint right then and there, but she just stood there as Dumbledore finished up. "I would like for this brilliant young lady to, in her best ability on such short notice, speak to you now. May her words have some meaning for you and give you great encouragement. Clara, if you will." He said stepping aside to let her by. He went back and took his seat. Clara stood there for a moment thinking of something to say. Her fellow classmate's eyes all upon her. She saw Fred just off to the side.

"You're alright." He mouthed to her and smiled. She smiled back and began to speak.

"Thank you Professor, for allowing me to speak to my fellow classmates. Even if it was short notice. I'm not really sure what to say, but, I guess I'll just speak from the heart." She took a moment to think and began again. "These past years at Hogwarts for me, have been some of the best years of my life. Before I came here, I was just a little girl who was shut out by her parents for being different. With no where to go and no clue what to do I thought my life was over. But then this whole other world opened up to me. And I became somebody. Somebody who has friends and people to care about me. A place to call home. Hogwarts is not just my school but my home as well. I was thinking earlier this morning while I packed and got myself ready for this day, about how different life is going to be outside of here. And how scared I really am of leaving. But, I know that leaving here is not the end of my life, I just have to learn how to start a brand new part of it out there. Where ever it takes me. That's what we all have to remind ourselves. If you are scared of what lies ahead, it will be ok. Don't think of it as the end of your life, or the end of all things good, think of it as a new adventure. A new beginning to explore new things you never had the chance to. We all have a story to tell. And life after Hogwarts is just the next chapter." She paused for a moment trying to think of something else to say, but she realized that she had said enough. She smiled at all her fellow classmates and said one last thing to wrap up her speech. "You all are more than just my classmates, you are my friends. And most important of all, you are my family. And Hogwarts will always be my home. Thank you." As she stepped away from the podium and made her way back to her seat, the crowd cheered and applauded at her words. She felt more sure that life after Hogwarts was going to be great.

"Thank you so much Clara for those words of love and kindness. I've always said the speaking from the heart is always better than speaking from your head." Said Dumbledore smiling. "Now lets get on with the diploma hand outs shall we?" This part of the ceremony was the longest but most rewarding to each student. One by one each student went and received his or her diploma and by the end of it all each one had a tired eye but a prideful smile. As Dumbledore drew to a close and announced for the final time the graduating class a calming feeling came over Clara as she looked at Fred who was smiling down at her. She knew great things were going to happen for them.

The rest of the night was filled with fun, laughs, and excitement. Clara had joined Fred and George on a trip to Hogsmeade for celebratory Butter Beers. And afterward a night on the town in London. A gift from Clara. As the night night drew to a close George had said farewell and headed home. Clara and Fred took their time ending the night with each other. They slowly made their way to Clara's house stopping in a few shops along the way. Around 2:30 am they finally had arrived to Clara's front door.

"This is your house?" Fred asked.

"Yeah, nothing to fancy. You want to come in and have a look around?" Clara offered.

"Sure. I've never seen a house outside of our world before." Fred replied excitement on his face. Clara smiled and opened the front door. They stepped inside and Clara switched on the light. There was a nice little living area with a couch, and a coffee table. A book shelf with rows of books all neatly placed on the shelves. And just through a little doorway Fred could see the kitchen sink and a couple of cabinets. There was a staircase leading up to what only could be the bedrooms and the bathrooms. However many of them that were in the house. Fred gazed at all the new sights. He was not used to seeing things like this. He never did get out of the wizarding world very much.

"Would you like to sit down?" Clara asked. Fred nodded and took a seat on the couch. Clara sat next to him. She sighed and leaned back into the couch. "I've missed this couch."

"Missed being home haven't you?" Fred asked.

"Very much. Glad I'm able to sit on this thing again." Clara smiled. "Can you believe it? We are finally on our own. No more school."

"I know, it feels so weird." Fred answered sitting back.

"What do you think you'll end up doing?" Clara asked.

"I'm not sure yet. Still trying to figure that part out." He said looking over at Clara. "What about you?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe travel the world, or something like that." She said. "Or maybe I'll just stay with you forever." Fred smiled and took her hand.

"I'd like that." He said. Clara smiled and leaned on Fred's shoulder. Fred put his arm around her and held her close.

"I love you Fred." She said.

"I love you too Clara." He said smiling. At that moment they both knew they would be together for the rest of their lives. Until death do them part.