Warning: This contains spoilers for DH. If you haven't read the book, don't read.
Disclaimer: Everything mentioned in this story belongs to the best writer I know, JK Rowling. I'm just borrowing it for a bit.
"I've had enough trouble for a lifetime."
Hermione smiled, squeezing Ron's hand, which was entwined within hers. Ron grinned back at her, but it didn't reach his eyes and lasted only a moment. She felt her own smile fall, as well.
Fred.
"I'm gonna go check up on Mum," Ron finally said. Hermione nodded and let her hand go limp within his, thinking that he would want to lament his brother's death alone, but was pulled along by Ron as he left the headmaster's office.
"I don't… I don't want to do this by myself," he whispered. She nodded.
A huddle of Weasleys surrounded Fred's body, each mourning the death of their sibling or in Mr. and Mrs. Weasley's case, son, in different ways. Mrs. Weasley was sobbing into Mr. Weasley's shoulder, her howls breaking the unbearable hush that often follows a bloodbath. Mr. Weasley patted her back and held her tightly, tears streaming silently down his cheeks. Charlie was sitting in a chair someone had conjured, his face in his hands, a tear dripping to the floor every minute or two. Bill was standing with Fleur, who had a look of immense grief upon her face, holding her as two tears squeezed out of his bright blue eyes. Percy was shaking his head, his hand over his eyes, whispering to himself, "All my fault… all my fault…" Ginny was shaking, her face obscured because Harry was holding her with his back to them. Hermione hadn't realized he had followed them. George was silent, looking into the face of his twin. No tears ran down his face; though the way he held himself and his expression clearly showed that he was in the most pain of all.
Hermione looked once more between the Weasleys and Ron, who was now holding her by the waist with a heartbreaking look on his face. It wasn't long before she was sobbing silently into Ron's chest.
"Ron… I'm so sorry…" she whispered after what felt like a lifetime. She lifted her head and saw that Ginny, Harry, Charlie, Bill, and Fleur had left. She wondered numbly how long she had been crying.
She detached herself from Ron, who heaved a great sigh. His nose was red and blotchy from crying, his eyes red and bloodshot. A large, dark stain on his robes showed where Hermione had been sobbing. He gave Hermione a look of helplessness and murmured, "Thanks."
Hermione felt a hundred years older as she walked to the Gryffindor common room with Ron, which is where she presumed Ginny and Harry went to get some sleep. The scuffling of their shoes as they walked was the only sound audible. It wasn't until the Fat Lady came into sight, sniffling into a sleeve of her silk pink dress, that she realized they didn't know the password to get into the common room.
"Er… We don't know the-"
"Just go in," the Fat Lady said in a broken voice, interrupting Ron. She swung forward to admit them and they climbed through the portrait hole.
Hermione spotted only two people in the common room; Ginny had fallen asleep with her head on Harry's shoulder on the couch. A fire, cackling merrily in the fireplace, seemed to mock them. Ron sank into his usual armchair, defeated. Hermione dropped into her chair after him, staring into the flames.
To think… I yelled at him when his punching telescope gave me a black eye… she thought. Her eyes stayed on the fire, though various scenes from her and Fred's time together played in her mind's eye. A single, final tear rolled down her cheek as she drifted to unconsciousness.
A low whispering reached Hermione's ears. She opened her eyes slowly as the anguish that had gripped her last night crashed down on her once more. Ron and Harry were whispering to one another, probably so that they wouldn't wake Ginny, who was still nestled on Harry's shoulder.
"Morning," Hermione whispered. Ron and Harry looked at her in surprise; they had not noticed her waking up.
"Morning. How did you sleep?" Ron asked anxiously.
"About as well as you did, I suppose," she answered. Ron almost smiled. Harry opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again as Ginny stirred. Her eyes fluttered open.
"Morning," the trio greeted her. She sat up and rubbed her eyes before saying "morning" blearily back.
"We oughta get to Hagrid's hut. That's where they said they were taking him until they could decide where to…" Ron trailed off. Harry nodded and stood up, followed by Ginny. His hand grasped hers reflexively; Ron and Hermione stood up and did the same.
"Are you okay?" Hermione asked Ron in a low whisper once they got outside. Ron forced a smile.
"No, but I will be. What about you?" He asked, squeezing her hand. He knew she was upset much easier than he was.
"I'm… okay. Better now than I was last night. I'm just glad this is all over," she whispered back shakily.
"Yeah. No more Death Eaters, no more worrying, no more Voldemort…" Ron murmured. Hermione looked at him, shocked.
"You've never said his name before," she said numbly.
"Yeah, well… now I have, haven't I?" he asked lamely. She smiled at him as they went around Hagrid's hut, where the Weasleys, Harry, and Hagrid were in view.
"Morning Ron, Hermione," said Mrs. Weasley kindly. Her eyes were red and puffy, but she gave them a weak smile. Her eyes darted to their hands clasped together, and the smile became genuine.
"Morning, Mum," Ron said.
"Morning, Mrs. Weasley," Hermione whispered; she still seemed unable to raise her voice above a half-whisper.
Ron and Hermione made the way through the small, red-haired crowd to see George and Hagrid digging what would be Fred's grave.
"We're gonna bury him here… in the p-pumpkin patch, it was where he buried my Prefect badge on the first day I had it at Hogwarts," Percy told them. His eyes mirrored his mother's in that they were crimson and swollen, and his face was even paler than hers.
"Wouldn't he have wanted to be buried at the Burrow?" Hermione asked Ron breathlessly. He shook his head.
"Nah, he got into much more trouble at Hogwarts. He told us once, about a year ago, that if he would… you know… he wanted to be buried at Hogwarts."
With a final grunt, Hagrid threw his shovel to the side and said, "tha' should about do it." George wordlessly followed suit and his shovel went sailing through the air.
"Here," Mr. Weasley muttered, giving Fred's body to Hagrid, who took it like he would a small, fragile child. He knelt down and carefully lowered Fred's cold, still body, once so active and full of life, into the grave. George just stared down at his twin, pure suffering in his eyes, which were so like those of the brother he now had to bury.
Charlie lifted the earth Hagrid and George had just uncovered and hesitated a moment before letting it fall gracefully over Fred, obscuring his face, still frozen in a laugh, from view.
"Why isn't he in a coffin?" Hermione whispered to Ron, who was holding her by the waist once more. She didn't want to interrupt the makeshift funeral, but she wanted to know why Fred wasn't being given a normal burial.
"He wouldn't want to be in a box," Ron answered. He gripped her still tighter as Charlie used his wand to pack the earth down gently.
No one spoke for a minute. The Weasleys were gazing at Fred's grave, which still needed a headstone. Finally, George lifted his wand wordlessly and conjured a massive circular headstone. It read:
Fred Weasley
Here lies the best brother you could ever imagine and the best son you could ever want. He loved to laugh and make others laugh, especially through the bad times. He will never be forgotten.
Hermione wasn't sure how long they stood there. It wasn't until she realized that both her legs were asleep from standing still so long that she looked up from Fred's grave, lost in memories. The sun was almost down, and the moon was already visible in the rapidly darkening sky.
"We should get back home, everyone." Mr. Weasley said after a few more minutes. Wordless acknowledgement came from everyone standing, except for Hagrid, who started howling.
"I'm really gonna… gonna miss yer. Make sure ter write! An'…an' stop by every once 'n a while…" he sobbed.
"Hagrid, you're coming with, of course," Harry said in disbelief.
"No, I – I couldn'… My home is a' Hogwarts, an' yers is the Burrow…" he said thickly, through the tears that were now drenching his beard.
"You're not going to stay the summer?" Ginny asked quietly. Hagrid broke out into a watery smile.
"Coul'…could I?" He asked sheepishly.
"Of course, Hagrid. You don't have to spend three months here. And Harry, Hermione… you're living with us as well. Hermione, you can find your parents and lift the spell whenever you want, but you're going to be living with us until then, of course," Mrs. Weasley said matter-of-factly. She had stopped crying a few minutes before.
Hermione broke out into a nervous smile as Mr. Weasley said, "alright, let's all go on three. Hagrid, I know you can't Apparate, so you can Side-Along with me. One… Two…"
Ron entwined Hermione's hand within his own once again.
"…Three!"
With a POP, the Weasleys, Harry, Hermione, and Hagrid saw the Burrow in front of them.
Hope you guys like it... It's my first Harry Potter fiction. Please review; flames are expected.