Dying: A One-Shot

Summery: The rubble fell on top of me and there was complete darkness. That was the last thing I remember before waking up here. Where has everyone gone? Could it be that I, Fred Weasley, am dead? No. I can't be. I have so much more to live for.


Entered for Goddess Faith's Alternate Universe Challenge, Mihali1432's Absolute Death Challenge, and TheProphecy's Find Your Style Challenge.


There were screams all around me and I knew that there was nothing I could do to help whoever it was emitting them. I could only do so much to help everyone and, right now, I was too busy protecting my brother. Who would have known that after all these years I could forgive him for everything he put Mum through? Everything he put all of us through. None the less he was one of my eldest brothers, and he was fighting next to me. Right now, he was all I had to depend on.

We were easily outnumbered, but I would not let anyone hurt him in an instant. It wasn't until the Minister of Magic, Pius Thicknesse, was upon us did I worry about the loyalty of my brother.

“Percy, he's been Imperiused!” I cried out, hoping he would recognise the signs as easily as I had.

A wicked smile crossed Percy's lips and, with his wand extended straight at Pius, he said, “Hello, Minister! Did I mention I’m resigning?” There was a flash of blue light and the Minister was flying back and knocked unconscious. My mouth dropped in astonishment and I smiled, proud of my older brother's actions, and not to mention the ability to tell a decent joke.

"You're joking, Perce! You actually are joking! I don’t think I’ve heard you joke since you were –" but that was all I was able to get out before out of nowhere something hard and extremely heavy hit me in the back of the head. Soon after there were many more large and heavy things on top of me and I could only assume the castle had crumbled on top of me. My vision went black. It didn't even bother to go blurry first. How does that seem fair? Shouldn't I get some sort of warning before going blind? What a pair my twin brother and I would make. Me blind and him partially deaf. The sympathy sales we would get at the shop!

“Fred! FRED! F...........R............E............D!”

What's happening to me? Obviously the voice belonged to Percy, but what was going on with my hearing? Could I be going blind and deaf? Blind I could handle, but to never hear the voice of an especially attractive woman again was out of the question. Everything around me began echoing and I could hear the shouts of curses and jinxes from far away. Percy's voice was ringing in my ears and it was nothing short of quite. Maybe my hearing is going the opposite of deaf? Maybe from now on I will hear everything at such annoying decibels I'd rather be deaf! Then it hit me, if I am to be permanently blind, then my ears were just heightening my senses to make up for the loss of sight. I just wish it would hurry up because Percy was beginning to give me a head-splitting headache.

“F.........r.......e......d?” Percy called out my name, but it was so low and slow I could hardly recognise it. Was this normal? Even for adjusting senses? “Are you still with me, Freddie?” he asked, this time his words were coming at a normal rate, but it was still incredibly hard to hear him.

Yes!

“Oh no... Fred?” His voice was far past desperation now.

Yes, you bloody idiot I'm right here!

“Wake up, Fred!”

I waved my arms to show him I was perfectly fine and, obviously, awake. Well, I tried waving my arms, but they were extremely too heavy for me to lift. What is going on with my body? Why can't Percy hear me? Am I dreaming?

Percy, I'm right here! Can't you hear me? Percy! Stop shaking me!

At least, I think he is shaking me. I can't really feel my body moving, but that is what people generally do when they try to wake someone up, right? They shake them until they're awake? It obviously isn't working.

Finally I became more aware of the rest of my body and how I could not feel it in general. In fact, I could no longer hear my brother desperately calling out for me. Did he leave me to finish off the rest of the battle? Maybe that was a good idea. Staying here over my vulnerable, currently incapable, body will do him no good in surviving. If my body really is as motionless as it feels, the Death Eaters will think I'm dead and pass me by. I just hope no more rocks fall on top of me... I wish he'll hurry. I don't like feeling like this alone.

Maybe...




Mum....




will...






be...






able...





to...





fix...







this...




They'll...





take...





me...





to...













St....






Mungo's....




…..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................








“Mum?” I mumbled, hoping she would be by my side. When I opened my eyes no one was there. Instead I was immediately blinded by an extremely bright, white light. At first I thought that maybe there was a light blinding me and I was at St. Mungo's, having survived the battle. After looking around and waiting for several desperate minutes, I realised that wasn't true. Well, I wasn't at St. Mungo's anyway.

To my right, there was nothing but the ongoing bright light.

To my left, there was nothing but the ongoing bright light.

Above me...

Same.

Am I blind? I always thought going blind meant darkness, but I guess that's only something the seeing assume. I looked down and saw my dirty, rubble covered, white trainers. So I can see? What in the bloody hell is going on? Is this a prank? Is this due to some trick George and I worked on? It reminds me of our Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder, but I don't recall this product at all. No, this must be George testing a new product on me. I have no other reaction than to laugh.

“Alright, George, you've had your fun. Turn whatever it is off now so I can see.”

There was no reply.

“Georgie?” My voice echoed throughout the white room, sending a slight vibration down my legs and back. Wait, where is it vibrating? Am I lying down? I put pressure in my fingers so I could feel for the ground I was laying on and, sure enough, I am.

I force myself to stand up,but it hurts as I do so. I feel as though this room is trying very hard to keep me down, but I fight against it. Out of habit, as everyone does after getting up from the ground, I dust myself off and a cloud of dust shoots out all around me. Where did that come from? The battle? Then I remember how the rubble fell on top of me and there was complete darkness. That was the last thing I remember before waking up here.

Where has everyone gone? Could it be that I, Fred Weasley, am dead?

No.

I can't be dead.

I have so much more to live for.

I am very much so alive, but not in the normal form. Hell, I never even knew there was a normal way of being alive until now. This is most definitely some prank George is just simply refusing to let off too easily.

“Okay, George, you have had your fun. You can stop now.” The only answer is the same vibrations as before, but underneath my feet this time. I take a step forward in hopes of muting them, but as soon as my foot makes contact with the white floor, what sounds like two attracting magnets hitting each other fills the room instead of the sound of my soft footsteps.

“Well that is damn annoying, George. No one is going to buy this product at this rate!” but again there was no answer besides the sound of my voice echoing what I said around me.

“Damn, Damn. Damn. Damn. Damn. Annoying. Annoying. Annoying. Annoying. Annoying. Annoying. Annoying. George. George. George. George. George. George. George. George. George. George. George. George. George. George. George. George. George. George. George. George. George. George. George. George. George. George.”

What is going on in here? Is this the effect the battle had on me? Is this some sort of trap of the Death Eaters? I don't understand. I want out of here!

“Mum? Dad? Percy?”

Percy? Have I really reached the desperation point to call out for him? Surely not!

“Ron! Ginny! Bill! Charlie! George, please answer me!” It is safe to say that I've never felt so alone or scared in my entire life. I started walking again, disregarding the annoying sound that followed even though I did. Now the room, however big it was, was full with my voice and the noise my footsteps made.

“Answer me! Answer me! Answer me! Answer me! Answer me! Answer me! Answer me! Clap! Answer me! Answer me! Answer me! Clap! Answer me! Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!”

I stopped running and placed my hands over my ears, trying to keep out the terrifying sound of my voice, closing my eyes tightly. It was in this position that I realised everything was black again. I opened one eye barely to peek at the room to see if I was somewhere else, but it was the same blinding white as before. I closed my eyes again and thought extremely hard on Hogwarts. I know that no one can aparate to or out of Hogwarts, but sure I can do it now that the battle has begun. Would it still be going on? How long have I been here? A day? Two? A week?

Stop it! I need to concentrate on getting back to George. Hogwarts. Hogwarts. Hogwarts. Hogwarts. I open my eyes to see if apparition worked. It didn't. I reached in my back pocket for my wand, even though I didn't remember putting it there, but it wasn't there.

No wand. No magic. No family. A never ending room of nothing.

“HEEEEEEEEEEEELP!” I scream, instantly regretting it.

“HEEEEEEEEEEEELP! HEEEEEEEEEEEELP! HEEEEEEEEEEEELP! HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELP!”

It is like someone put me on repeat and left the record going. The scream seemed to be never ending. And, as I should have expected, no one came to my rescue.

But someone heard me.


“Fred?”

It was my voice, but I never said my name. Was it...? Is it...?

“George, I'm over here!”

“FRED?”

George sounded hysterical. What was the big deal? Was he somewhere in here, too? Does he hate it just as much as I do? I must find him so we can help each other get out of here.

“George, where are you?” I call out, looking around. There is no point, however. The room, if that is what I can call it now that I think about it, is never ending and there is no George. There were no walls as far as I could see, and really there wasn't a ceiling. I would question there being a floor if I wasn't obviously standing on something.

“Oh, Freddie!”

That's not George's voice.

“Mum?”

There is sobbing now, but I don't know exactly who it belongs to. My whole family maybe? Why are they crying? Where are they?

Suddenly my hand was jerked out in front of me and I felt the pressure as though someone had just yanked my arm and immediately let go. Then I, though it is hard to explain, was swiped out from under my feet and was left floating in the air until I was laid on the ground yet again. The thing is, I can feel hands doing this to me. What kind of magic is this?

“Fred! Fred! Percy, what happened to Fred?” George's voice rang clearly throughout white room, full of rage and devastation.

Percy? Was he here too? Why? Didn't he show everyone just how much he despised us now? Merlin I hope the Minister of Magic didn't follow him. It would be bad enough having to tolerate Percy's voice echoing around me, but the Minister's, too? Kill me now!

Wait....

“I'm sorry, Mum!” Percy choked.

“Answer me, Percy!” George demanded.

The Minister....

“It's my fault, George. I'm so sorry.”

Me warning Percy....

“What do you mean, dear?” Mum was crying. Please, Godric, help her get through this.

“I said something and – and it distracted him.”

The joke....

“What did you say, Perc?” The voice belonged to my little sister. Ginny. Will she be able to help everyone after today? She is only sixteen.

“It was a joke, that's all it was! I swear! But it caught Fred off guard and he began to compliment me...” he trailed off into a fresh wave a tears.

The rubble....

Something is on top of me. I can't see what it is, but I'm positive it is George clutching onto my body. I want to pat his invisible back and tell him everything is okay. He will get by without me. But I can't. His body in the real world is covering mine in such a way that I can't move.

I didn't listen to the rest of what Percy said to my, no, our family. I could remember the rest on my own. How I thought I was blind and deaf, the numbing sensation that drifted over my entire body.

Am I dead?

No. Even I know that if I were dead I would be somewhere, anywhere, but here. If anything, there should be more people shouldn't there?

Then where am I?

I'm dying. Dying at the age of twenty. It hardly seems fair. Then again, who am I to determine what is fair or not?

I've heard people talk about heaven and hell, but this wasn't the description of either one. No, this had to be some sort of limbo. Do people wake up from limbo? Maybe that is how people become ghosts. They come here until they realise they are dead and decide if they want to move on or go back to the real world as ghosts. Is that something I would want to do? Since I died at Hogwarts my ghost would probably be stuck haunting it forever. Sure I would love to get the chance to shove it Georgie's face that I will forever be younger and far more attractive than him once he gets old and repulsive looking, but could I handle that? Will George choose the same fate once his time came?

Ginny will be the last of my siblings to graduate Hogwarts and she only has one year left. After that my ghost will be hanging around for years, waiting for my nieces and nephews to attend their first year. I would have to wait until then just to ask them how their mummies and daddies are doing at home. Would my family ever come visit my ghost again? Would George?

Is it my ghost, or is it me? No, it would be my ghost. I could never be me again if I were a ghost. Surely I will be absolutely miserable being a ghost.

“I forgive you, Percy. Don't be so hard on yourself for telling a joke. Merlin, don't let my death be the end of your joke telling. Someone needs to get Georgie out of this state, it is downright depressing.” I say even though I know they can't hear me. Or maybe they can. Somehow, deep down inside, just like I can still hear and feel them.

“Mum, and Dad if you're there, I love you. Thank you for putting up with the two of us all those years. Just, whatever you do, don't let George stop causing the same amount of trouble just because I'm gone.”

I would tell Ginny to stay strong and how much I don't approve of her dating boys, but for Harry I can make an exception, but I am pretty sure she already knows.

“George, if you can hear me out of that one good ear of yours, stop your crying.” The crying stopped. “I just told Mum that you will be causing mischief for the both of us now, so don't let me down. But do take care, it must be hard on her right now so I wouldn't jump right into it. I just want you to know that I love you, Georgie, and out of all of our siblings you were my favorite. Is that considered favoritism? S'pose so, but I don't give a damn.” I chuckled, and, I think, unless it was my echo that I have been able to tune out so far, so did George. “Just be strong, okay? Oh, and I have a new product idea! I don't suggest selling it to any of our friends though, only to those annoying buggers who keep trying to steal from the shop.” I informed him of the room I was currently in without exactly giving away I was in here. The last thing I need is for them trying to bring me back to life. I may not be dead, but there is no way I can be brought back.

“His eyes,”George said. Maybe he didn't hear me after all.

“What about them, dear?” Mum asked. She sounded close and I could only assume she was kneeling down by my side. I imagined everyone around me, and though I know it is a sad time, I can't help but picture them, all of them, smiling and holding on to one another. It is the way I want to remember them. They need to be there for one another, not drooping around because I'm dead.

“You can still see the laughter in them.”

“Thank you, Georgie.” I said, a small smile escaping my lips for the first time since I've been here. Have I really only been here for a few minutes? An hour at the most?

“So you can.” I don't know who said this because I am, at last, drifting away. In just a mere few seconds I will be leaving this world, and my world, forever. At least somewhere I'm not dying alone. I have said my peace and there is nothing left I can do but let my damaged body rest.

There was pressure just above my eyes as though there were two invisible fingers ready to close my eyes forever. Just before my eyes closed I heard, very faintly and barely able to make out the words, George's voice for the last time. By what I could make out, he said, “I love you, too, Freddie.”

And then everything was black.

“'Oh, are you a Prefect, Percy?' said one of the twins, with an air of great surprise. 'You should have said something, we had no idea.'
'Hang on, I think I remember him saying something about it,' said the other twin. 'Once– '
'Or twice–'
'A minute– '
'All summer–'
'Oh, shut up,' said Percy the Prefect.”
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone written by J.K Rowling


Feedback maybe? I tried basing it off of one of my favorite fanfictions of all time. I didn't catch the essence nearly as well as she did, but I do have to say this one touches me in a way.