9. Remembering Fred

Everyone gradually relaxed after Ron and Harry had cleared the air although Bill still looked at Harry, when he thought Harry wasn’t looking, as if there was still some mystery to be solved. Harry listened as conversation around them gradually started up.

“I want to replant the garden, when we get home,” said Mrs Weasley. “Perhaps there will even be time to fix up The Burrow a bit.”

“Yes, it’s overdue for a painting I’d say,” mused Mr Weasley. “I wonder what it will be like to work for the Ministry under Kingsley Shacklebolt. I expect that after the horrible place it has recently been I’ll more likely be fixing things up for a while rather than chasing biting teakettles.” Percy engaged his father at once in a discussion about working for the Ministry and where he might set his sights next. Harry’s attention wandered to other conversations.

“I can’t leave just yet,” Charlie said softly to Bill, “but I do want to go back to the dragons.”

“I don’t even know if I still have a job,” said Bill. “Who knows how the war’s affected how Gringotts runs.” Hermione was talking animatedly to Fleur about completing her magical education but the conversation that transfixed Harry began when Ron questioned George about what he was going to do when they left Hogwarts and began to settle back into life again.

“I’ve got to back and see what the shop’s like, haven’t I?” George began. “I mean we left plenty of charms on it but who knows what sort of state things are in. I expect Auntie Muriel’s a bit swamped in Owl Orders by now as well. They were coming in thick and fast a couple of days ago. Oh she’s going to be furious with us for leaving that cauldron going, come to think of it. There will be so much we have to do. I wonder if Verity will be able to come back and work for us. She’s a great little shop assistant and-” George broke off abruptly. He sighed as he scrubbed a hand over his face.

“Auntie Muriel’s not going to be furious with us, is she?” he said tonelessly. “And Verity isn’t going to work for us at all. We don’t have a lot of work to do. I do. Just me. There is no us anymore.” He turned to Ron suddenly.

“How do you do it? Be, just yourself; just me. Just I, no us? I can’t even think of me as an ‘I’. I keep saying us. How am I going to live by myself, with no us, with just me?” George’s voice dropped to a whisper that Harry only barely caught. “How do I just be me Ron? I don’t think I can be alone. I’ve never been alone.” Ron gazed solemnly at George before reaching out a hand and resting it on George’s arm.

“You won’t be alone, George. I know I’m not Fred but I won’t leave you alone,” Ron looked resolutely at George. “I’ll be there.”

“What about your seventh year?”

“I’ll figure something out.”

“You would do that? For me? Because I don’t know how to be alone?” Ron nodded. George studied Ron for a moment.

“Okay, but you can tell Mum!” Ron laughed. It rang out across the Great Hall. It didn’t take long for George to join him.

As the dishes vanished down to the kitchens below people began drifting over to the group of Weasleys. Soon there was a large group of current and former Gryffindors crowded around the table telling stories and reminiscing. Charlie soon had the group listening avidly to a recount of his first Quidditch match. Harry looked over at Ginny who was listening to her brother, a smile on her face. He watched her for a while, his hand still resting in hers before he slowly began to trace lines between the freckles on her arm. The small gap that had been between them diminished as Harry began playing with her hair and the back of her neck. Ginny still hadn’t turned to look at him but somehow she was in his lap and his nose was buried in her hair as he nuzzled the side of her neck behind her ear.

“So, Potter, have you got a better seeker catch than that?” challenged Charlie when he finished his story. “And do I have to watch you two do that?” Harry blushed. Not only did he have no idea how Charlie had caught the snitch in his first game but he’d been caught out by one of Ginny’s brothers while totally lost in her scent, the heady rush he got from just being near her.

“Well, tell Charlie your first match, Harry,” suggested Oliver Wood, who was sitting opposite Harry. “I reckon that was pretty impressive!”

“Well I suppose it is a pretty good story. And I don’t think Charlie would appreciate the story of my first practice – you know, the one where you told me that you’d not be surprised if I was a better Seeker than Charlie Weasley,” Harry grinned. “My first match I was so nervous I couldn’t eat, we were playing Slytherin and I’d never even seen a Quidditch match before. And yet Professor McGonagall had said how I’d caught Neville’s Remembrall during flying lessons, after a fifty foot dive without a scratch and Charlie Weasley couldn’t even have done it, it was a lot to live up to!”

“I thought you were going to tell us about your first match, Potter, not how everyone thought you were better than me,” Charlie grumbled.

“Just setting the scene,” Harry smiled. “Halfway through the game I’m up above all the other players, so pretty high, and my broomstick starts going nuts and I was dangling off it with one hand. Actually, let’s skip the bit about why. So when it stopped I got back on, how I managed that so high in the air without falling I’ll never know.

“I saw the Snitch and I just headed into a dive to catch it. Brilliant dive by the way. There I am, hurtling to the ground when I caught it … in my mouth. Nearly swallowed it actually. Of course it wasn’t exactly graceful since I let go of the broomstick to clap my hand over my mouth and fell onto the ground. Oh wait, I’ve got it here …” Harry reached into his pouch and found it, pulling it out. It fell in two halves on his palm.

“It seems like a lifetime ago,” said Hermione. Harry sat quietly contemplating the Snitch and remembering that during that match Voldemort was actually trying to kill him and Snape was trying to save him. They were events that took on a whole new meaning for him now.

“I wonder if we are going to have Quidditch next year,” mused Ginny. “There wasn’t any this year, not that we’d have stood much of a chance really, down a Chaser and the Keeper and Seeker and Captain missing in action. I’d love to play next year.”

“Well the Seeker and Captain were one and the same,” Ron said, “It’s not like you were missing four players. I reckon if they’d had Quidditch you still could have fielded a side. You had Beaters didn’t you?”

“Reserve Chaser wasn’t about either and who do you think was going to be Keeper? McClaggen had left anyway but it’s not like there’s any other contenders,” continued Ginny, “I don’t know how we’re going to field a team next year anyway. Guess I won’t be playing any more Quidditch.”

“Well,” said Harry slowly, “you’ll have to try out like everyone else or it’ll look like favouritism, but I’d say you’ve got a pretty good chance of making the team.” Ginny spun around so quickly she nearly fell off his lap. Harry smiled at her.

“What do you know, Harry?” she asked, “What do you know that I don’t know?” Harry casually reached into a pocket and withdrew the Quidditch Captain’s badge he’d received from Professor McGonagall the night before.

“I’ll let you know when trials are when we get back,” he said offhandedly. “I haven’t decided when to hold them yet.” Ginny stared at the badge.

“You’re coming back to Hogwarts? You’ll be here, next year?” she said in wonderment.

“Yeah, I’ll be here,” Harry said. “I’ve hardly been on a broom this year though.”

“Oh that won’t make any difference Harry! You never miss the Snitch!” called Oliver Wood.

“No, because someone drummed it into him in Second Year to catch the Snitch or die trying!” George yelled. “He’s taken that on board you know!”

“I did miss it third year though,” Harry said. “When I fell off during that Hufflepuff match and Cedric caught it. Fred reckoned you were trying to drown yourself afterwards!” Harry had managed to say both Cedric’s and Fred’s names without flinching and only a slight tremor of the badge he was holding gave away his emotions.

“Pffft, Harry,” said George, “If you are going to relive that memorable moment when you were devastated and Wood was suicidal because we lost a Quidditch match, you have to do it right! Here, you lay down and be all banged up from falling fifty feet, shouldn’t be too hard, you look about as good now as you did then, only taller. Wood, remember to sulk, and Harry, moan about losing to Hufflepuff.” George leapt onto the table.

“Remember what Fred said before we left?” George asked Harry. “I’ll impersonate him, since none of you sods will do as good a job as me.” George turned to Charlie and winked.

“Don’t beat yourself up, Harry, you’re still the best Seeker we’ve ever had!” George finished with a flourish.

“Oi!” protested Charlie. “You guys are supposed to be on my side!”

“Fred, do get down off that table!” Mrs Weasley said absently as she hurried past. The silence was deafening. George remained standing on the table; his eyes followed his mother as she hurried away. The rest of them held their breath.

“And she calls herself our mother,” muttered George. He turned to the group sitting around the table. “Told you I do a downright accurate impersonation of Fred!” The silence was still laying over the group like a thick blanket when George climbed down from the table. Harry could see that George’s knuckles were white as he grabbed the edge of the table, holding on as if to steady himself. Suddenly George burst out, desperately, as if trying to fill the giant void that had opened up in the room,

“Harry! I have a great idea!” his voice was unnaturally loud. “Let’s play Quidditch!”

“What? It’s kind of dark,” Harry started. George waved him off impatiently.

“Not now, tomorrow. We’ve got all the old team here,” he waved in the direction of Oliver, Katie, Angelina and Alicia. “Well, al-almost anyway, we can play together, like old times and you can get some practice in. Wouldn’t do for the Gryffindor Captain to be so out of practice he has to drop himself from the team!”

“Who are we going to play?” Harry asked cautiously, he wasn’t at all sure how stable George’s emotions were.

“Well I can’t think of everything! Are there enough Ravenclaws here?” George’s voice seemed to be wavering and he was speaking almost too fast to understand him.

“I’ll find a team,” came Charlie’s unexpected voice. “I’d like the chance to settle who is really the best Seeker Gryffindor’s ever had.” He winked at Harry, his eyes watching George carefully. Bill was looking thoughtful.

“That’s really good actually,” he glanced around to check where Mrs Weasley was. “If we are playing Quidditch we have the perfect opportunity to be at the pitch – setting the fireworks. I’ll be your Keeper, Charlie.”

“Hey!” said Ron. “I wanted to be Keeper!”

“We need another Beater,” George said to him. “Come and be a Beater with me.” His tone was almost pleading and Harry didn’t know how much longer George would be able to hold himself together. Ginny went over to George and hugged him. With her arms still around his neck she said quietly,

“Playing a match is a great way to remember Fred. I think it’s a brilliant idea.” Wrapping his arms around his sister George laid his head on the top of hers and let his tears fall unrestrained at last.

**********************

“I can’t believe you’ve talked me into this Charlie!” Percy exclaimed early the next morning, holding a broomstick as if it was about to explode.

“Oh come on Perce! I was running out of options. We need someone! You’re all I could think of!” Harry was trying valiantly not to laugh at the thought of Percy acting as a Beater. Charlie had managed to convince Dean and Seamus to be Chasers with Ginny who had jumped at the chance to play Quidditch. Bill had cornered Neville and pleaded with him to be one of their Beaters but they had still been one beater short. Bill was currently trying to sweet talk Madam Hooch into giving them some practice Quidditch balls. Mrs Weasley had not tried to talk them out of playing Quidditch. It seemed as though she thought they deserved a day to have fun. She admonished them all not to hurt themselves however.

Bill and George had hastily conferred and informed the others that they’d practice in the morning and put the fireworks securely in place then. Lee Jordan had been drumming up a crowd to come and watch the actual match later that afternoon, after the grounds had been set up for the memorial the next day. Hermione had set herself the task of transfiguring ordinary robes into rudimentary Quidditch gear to distinguish the teams. Ron had tracked down enough broomsticks and he, Harry and Ginny had spent time cleaning and repairing them suitable for flying. Everything was set except Percy now seemed to be backing out at the last minute.

“I got the practice balls!” Bill exclaimed climbing through the portrait hole. “It’s easy to get anything you want if you tell someone Harry wants it.” Harry scowled.

“Yeah, I know,” said Ron. “Just tell them Harry’s after a few broomsticks and suddenly they find their keys to the broomshed!” Harry’s face darkened.

“They’re teasing Harry,” said Ginny. “I was with Ron when he wheedled the keys out of McGonagall and he didn’t mention you at all.”

“Well, it’s not funny,” grumbled Harry who had not slept particularly well the night before. “I’m going back to bed, wake me up when you all go down for practice.” He could feel everyone’s eyes on him as he climbed the stairs to his dorm. He closed the door to his dormitory behind him and slumped against it. He had not experienced nightmares the night before but every time he closed his eyes he’d seen either a pair of red eyes or flashes of green light or his sleep had been restless and interrupted. He’d soon given up trying to sleep shortly before dawn and sat in the Common Room, pretending he’d only been up for a few minutes when he’d been discovered shortly before breakfast by an agitated Ron.

His exhaustion must have been the antidote to the visions of red and green and he fell asleep within minutes of crawling into his bed and pulling the covers up to his chin.

He wasn’t sure how long he’d slept when he felt a pillow crash down on his head and a voice yelling.

“Get up lazybones! It’s Quidditch time!”

“Ron, keep it down to a dull roar,” Harry complained as he crawled out of bed. Ron threw a set of transfigured Quidditch robes at him.

“C’mon, get dressed, let’s go!” Ron seemed hyperactive but Harry couldn’t help smiling because he hadn’t seen Ron this excited for a long time. As they stumbled down the last few steps and burst into the Common Room Harry saw Charlie and Bill still trying to convince Percy to play. It was not going well. Apparently during their practice, while Harry had been sleeping, Percy had not had a good time. Suddenly a flurry of activity burst across the room as Fleur leapt out of her chair and strode across the room, snatching the broomstick from Percy’s grasp.

“I weel do eet!” she huffed. “I do not know why you deed not ask me before!”

“Er, you play Quidditch, Fleur?” asked Charlie.

“Of course I can play Quiddeetch! Why you have not asked me zat before I do not know,” she huffed, nose to nose with Charlie. “Of course I do not like to play zis game on brooms and I ‘ave not played Beater before, but ‘ow ‘ard can zat be? You ‘ave too many bruzzers and forget zat women are capable of zings!” She looked quite ferocious and as she turned away to snatch the last set of transfigured robes form Hermione.

“Well if all women are like you I’m glad I haven’t got any more sisters thank you very much,” said Charlie under his breath. Harry was not surprised to see Ginny turn on him.

“What exactly does that mean?” Charlie cowered, she had her wand out. Ron grew impatient and began bouncing on the balls of his feet.

“Who cares what that means,” he whined. “I wanna go play Quidditch!” Ginny began spluttering.

“You-you, I, well, you’re just – BOYS!” She stomped away from Charlie and made to move past Ron and Harry when he reached out and pulled her to him, dipping her exaggeratedly and giving her a big smacking kiss amidst a chorus of wolf whistles and groans, the latter definitely came from Charlie and Ron, before setting her upright again.

“Something wrong with boys, Ginny?” he smirked. Ginny, whose face was now tinged with pink and wore a rather dreamy smile, shook her head. Harry released her and trailing his arm down to her hand, squeezed it, saying,

“I’ll see you after practice, at lunch,” before he turned and climbed out of the portrait hole with Ron.

*****************

It felt good to fly again. It was exhilarating to fly with his old team. After setting their packages of fireworks with the help of Lee Jordan and Hagrid (who had hugged Harry and squeezed him so hard that Harry was sure he’d almost cracked more than one rib), the team put themselves through some drills and played a number of games Oliver Wood showed them designed to practice Quidditch skills. By the time it came to playing the match Harry’s team seemed confident and excited.

The stands were packed, it was as though everyone currently staying at the castle had come to watch the match. Lee Jordan was commentating, though it seemed he had a hard time convincing Luna she need not assist. Harry found it hard to contain a smirk as he flew past to see Lee mouthing ‘Loser’s Lurgy?’ at the back of her head. Madam Hooch had agreed to referee the match and as Oliver and Charlie shook hands Harry soared upwards feeling freer than he had in quite some time.

“Welcome to the Inaugural Fred Weasley Memorial Quidditch Match!” announced Lee. That was new; Harry had not known they’d given it a name. As Lee announced the players of each team, who had been dubbed ‘The Best Team Ever’ and ‘The Challengers’ by Lee he noticed Charlie rise up to join him, high above the other players.

“Ready, Potter?” he challenged.

“Absolutely, Weasley,” Harry returned, grinning. “You are so going down.” Madam Hooch released the balls and blew the whistle to start. Harry began scanning for the Snitch, flying around the pitch with ease despite the rather dodgy broom he was on.

It took a while to get used to the quirks of the broom, it wasn’t anywhere near as fast as his Firebolt had been but his skills as a flier paid off and he soon had the broom responding exactly as he liked, if at about half the speed. As Lee commented on the manoeuvres by the Chasers Harry found himself watching Ginny, her face flushed with excitement and her ponytail streaming behind her. Charlie swooped past him.

“You’re not going to find the Snitch that way mate,” he laughed. Harry forced his attention back to the job at hand.

It seemed no one had taken Fleur’s assertion that she could play Quidditch seriously and equally clear that they should have. Angelina, Katie and Alicia spent more time dodging bludgers sent by Fleur than playing the Quaffle. This was balanced somewhat by Oliver being a much better keeper than Bill by virtue of his professional Quidditch experience. George and Ron seemed to delight in sending bludgers at Ginny in what Harry assumed was an attempt at getting him distracted for a laugh. It had the advantage of distracting Charlie who constantly flew between Ginny, to see if she was alright and Ron and George, to reprimand them.

“Would you two idiots stop that!” bellowed Bill at his siblings exasperatedly after his mother had screamed several times at the sight of a Bludger heading Ginny’s way. Ron and George looked at each other sheepishly and then hit the approaching Bludgers at Dean who, nearly unseated from his broom, swore at them.

After that Charlie spent his time alternating between various strategies that other Seekers had used on Harry before and when Charlie decided to tail Harry, he led him on a merry chase right through the centre of the pitch, easily dodging the Quaffle and the Bludgers that knocked Charlie sideways. At one stage Harry thought he had seen the Snitch and headed down the pitch but the glint of gold vanished before he’d gone more than a few feet. As the match wore on he found it harder and harder to shake the other Seeker. Lee’s exuberant commentary was, for once, largely uninterrupted by Professor McGonagall.

“Wood blocks a fabulous attempt at a goal by Ginny Weasley, she’s a great Chaser that one, could we see her in the professional league one day? And Bell, looking mighty fine I must say, has got the Quaffle for The Best Team Ever and she scores! Bill Weasley should stick to his day job! No, Luna, I don’t think he’s been attacked by Wrackspurts, I think he’s just not a very good player!

“Oooh that has got to hurt, Fleur Weasley has just sent a Bludger that’s hit all three opposing Chasers leaving the space wide open for all of theirs to assault the goals – Wood, you can’t save goals by ducking! And The Challengers score and it’s 90 – 120 in favour of The Challengers, who on the whole are probably just relying on Ginny and Fleur – Neville you’re not supposed to duck the bludgers, hit them man!” Ron and George seemed to change tactics then and began hurling Bludgers at Neville to take him out.

“He can face Voldemort but he can’t face a tiny little iron ball!” Harry heard Ron say as he swooped past him. It was then that Harry realised Fleur had changed her own tactics and was directing Bludgers that came her way to Harry. He began a complex weaving pattern designed to evade them, putting distance between himself and Charlie as he did so.

As he drew up in front of the commentary box he noticed Lee desperately trying to convince Luna that the weather conditions were not worthy of comment and he really needed to get back to the game. Percy had obviously been thrust the magical megaphone and was staring at it in distaste. He looked up and past Harry before raising it to his lips and bellowing,

“I think Charlie’s seen the Snitch!” Harry swore and spun around. Charlie Weasley was indeed hurtling rapidly across the pitch but following his trajectory Harry knew he wasn’t heading for the Snitch, plus he saw it glinting near Oliver’s head. His eyes on the Snitch, Harry flew at a steady pace towards Oliver who was hovering near the middle goal ring. It didn’t take long for Charlie to abandon the feint and begin circling the pitch. As the Snitch darted towards the ground Charlie seemed to have caught the flash it made as it changed direction and both Seekers were now heading for the Snitch, their acceleration making it apparent that they were both seeking the real target.

Harry took off after the Snitch which rapidly changed course several times, while deftly dodging Bludgers sent by a recovered Neville and a ferocious Fleur. George and Ron soon joined him to hit the Bludgers back at Charlie who was rapidly catching up. The Snitch led them the length of the pitch about four feet from the ground before rapidly spiraling upwards. Harry saw Ron go spiraling out of control towards the ground, righting himself only inches from the ground, before he tore upwards after the Snitch, Charlie close on his tail.

Harry sped past Bill, nearly knocking the older man off his broom, leveled off and tore across the pitch once more as he gained on the Snitch. Suddenly the Snitch dove earthward and Harry followed it without hesitation, the ancient school broom hurtling towards the earth with the speed of a rocket.

“And Potter is gaining on the Snitch, Charlie Weasley is totally on his tail, their reputations as Gryffindor’s best Seeker is at stake here, ladies and gentlemen, you will have the answer to that question settled this afternoon and if I am not mistaken Potter’s going to take out the title!” Lee did not distract Harry, his focus was on that tiny gold, winged ball. The ground was hurtling up to meet him at an accelerated rate and he thought he could hear Mrs Weasley scream something about foolishness and if her boys didn’t meet their deaths this way she would kill them herself.

A scant few inches from the ground the Snitch leveled out and Harry forced himself to remain hurtling towards the earth until the last moment. He felt Charlie pull out of the dive a few seconds earlier and as he pulled up sharply to skim the grass with his toes, Harry stretched out his arm to the Snitch and felt the ancient broom wobble precariously. It had obviously not taken the sharp turn and deceleration well and began to thrash from side to side. Desperately struggling to hold the broom on course Harry urged it forward, coaxing a few more feet out of it before he closed his hand around the Snitch, raising his hand triumphantly.

As the crowd cheered and Lee punched the air, declaring, “Harry Potter is the best Seeker Gryffindor has ever seen!” Harry felt the broom shudder and dart upwards. He clung with one hand on the broom as the broomstick wove dangerously from side to side, gaining altitude before suddenly losing all power and speed and dropping suddenly, heading to the ground below, it’s descent completely untamed. He considered that not actually being on the Quidditch team seemed not to affect whether or not he could go through a year without serious incident or injury during Quidditch as he hit the ground and blacked out.