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“Does it hurt?”
Her voice came out hoarse, smaller than what he was used to hearing coming from her and yet it filled the dark room they’d secluded themselves in for the last several hours. He ceased playing with the trim of her dress. She watched as he gulped, as he put on a hard stare of contemplation.
Perhaps she’d asked too much-
“No. No, it doesn’t. Easy as falling asleep, really.” His voice came out clear, loud in comparison to hers a moment ago.
It felt as if the entire world were holding its breath with them at that moment. There it was then- confirmation of the truth that, really, she’d known all along. Knew not because of all the intricacies and dark magic she was sure were part of a much larger story. But because she felt it- knew in her bones when that awful voice rang in her head saying that he was dead that it was the truth. That he really was gone, had given his stupid noble self up on the behalf of a cause that so much greater than him.
He had given her the truth- not the lie he, Ron, Hermione and Kingsley had agreed on stating as the truth. He trusted her with that. She was so thankful for it… almost like a sort of closure. Maybe this meant she could get the full story eventually- that this time there wouldn’t be sneaking and lies and heartbreaking goodbyes.
What his truth meant for Fred was a relief in its own. She’d heard the story- that he’d died laughing and surrounded by his family. She had even found it in herself to comfort her other brothers that night he lay before them unblinking, and still, and lifeless- the exact opposite of how he’d always been. But that wasn’t comforting knowledge to her. Had he felt pain? Had he had enough of a moment of consciousness to reflect on what that pain meant? Had he been scared?
She realized she hadn’t said anything when she looked up to see a worried expression etched deep into his brows. Only Harry Potter would be worried about how someone was taking the news of his death when it was null and void anyway.
“Thank you.” Was all she could manage before burrowing herself back into him, arms tight around his stomach, ear resting on the left of his chest. He hugged her back fiercely and they fell asleep just like that, not finding it in themselves to ever rejoin the crowd downstairs after all.