One moment can change everything - decide between life and death, decide between winning a battle and losing one...
~~~~~~
“You actually are joking, Perce … I don’t think I’ve heard you joke since you were ““
Fred turned to see the transfigured Death Eater surrounded by a cloud of smoke. He ran as fast as possible, away from the Death Eater. “Run!” he yelled to the others; they had started to clear when the Death Eater caused an explosion; pieces of wall were flying through the air in every direction.
They all ducked, covering their heads with their hands, still holding their wands but tightening their grip hundred-fold. The ground cracked and shook, causing the rubble to fall in piles.
When the shaking began to slow, eventually stopping, they stood up, wobbling slightly on their feet. Fred smiled. “That was close,” he said. “What was I saying again? Oh, yeah, Perce, nice joke.” They all laughed before running in the direction of more nearby Death Eaters.
~~~~~~
Fred walked slowly in the direction of the Burrow, thinking over everything that had happened in the past. Everyone was always thinking now, reflecting on the past and speculating on the future. It had become commonplace to have alone time every day. Most would say that they preferred to be distracted, but distractions weren’t going to help anyone in times such as these. Of course, they were incredibly pleased with their victory, but many had died, and everyone knew they had to be thankful to count themselves among the living.
Fred had been musing lately on the topic of how he had survived. To be honest, he didn’t believe he should be living - so many had died, yet his life had been spared. It caused him great sorrow that his life had been saved when those of people like Lupin and Tonks had simply...vanished. He had to think about it “ how could he not? He had to reflect.
When he arrived at the Burrow, the atmosphere had drastically changed from the one he had previously encountered just a few hours earlier.
They were… celebrating. There were no balloons, Calestina Warbeck wasn’t playing, and there was no wine, but the mood of the household was happy, joyous, and thankful.
Fred smiled at his family and friends for the first time in… a while. Sitting down on the sofa next to George, he clasped his hands together, leaving them in his lap. Everyone was in the living room; it seemed awfully full. Every sofa was occupied, and several people were sitting on the carpet.
Mr. Weasley stood, clearing his throat. Everyone that heard him fell silent immediately, and those that hadn’t soon did. “I would like to thank everyone “ all of you “ for everything. I know that sounds awfully formal, but without your help in the battle, all of us would not be here right now. You cannot imagine how happy I am to be standing here and for all of you to be here with me. We have lost, but we should all be thankful that we are still here, breathing and laughing and… living.”
Mr. Weasley stood for a second longer before sitting down. Applause rang through the room. Every pair of hands was applauding; Mr. Weasley smiled at the sight.
Fred smiled back. He couldn’t help but forget all of his sorrows, forget all of the bad things that had happened in the past few days, when he looked at his father’s face.
There was a knock on the door, and everyone turned at the sound. Fred jumped from the sofa and hurried to answer the door.
“Oh, hey, Fred,” Angelina said, smiling.
“Uh, hey, Angelina; what brings you here?” Fred asked, his brow furrowing a little.
“Just thought I’d stop by, you know. Say hi,” she mumbled awkwardly.
“Oh, uh, that’s good.” Fred sighed slightly, opening the door further and pointing loosely to the living room. “Come in,” he said.
They walked into the living room slowly; they were greeted by all of the Weasleys, Harry, Hermione, and a few Order members who were also present.
Conversation had started to erupt across the room, some smiling and laughing and others comforting those who were upset.
Fred and Angelina, despite the awkwardness at her arrival, were talking animatedly now. They were both trying to forget about the hard times and the loss. Mr. Weasley couldn’t help but notice the shine in Fred’s eyes when he talked to her, one that even Fred wasn’t aware of himself.
~~~~~~
Fred stared into her eyes, at the small tears falling from them and sliding down her cheek. It was the most amazing thing, love. It seemed to appear in the most unlikely places...and if the existence of love wasn’t surprising, the amount of love that can fill a heart certainly was.
He slowly moved his hand from his side to her cheek, wiping away her tears. She stared back up at him, incredibly aware. She wasn’t crying anymore; not one tear rolled down her face.
“That’s your Daddy,” Angelina said to her, tears falling from her own eyes now.
“Hello, sweetie,” Fred whispered, a smile spreading across his face. His eyes were bright, and his smile was large. Happiness and love seemed to radiate from the couple. After all, they had never been as happy as they were at this moment.
Fred stared into Angelina’s eyes, and she stared back. He slowly bent down and placed a kiss on her forehead, whispering, “I love you. Both of you.” He stood back up, pulling away and placing a hand lightly in his daughter’s. She gripped her hand around one of his fingers; it was quite a ‘baby’ thing to do, one to be expected, but it nevertheless made his heart expand in his chest and pump louder, stronger and happier than ever.
~~~~~~
Angelina looked up at her husband, smiling broadly. The sky was clear, and few clouds disrupting the beautiful forget-me-not blue that was spread across the sky.
As always, Fred smiled back. He put a hand around her waist, pulling her closer to him. They looked across the room at their children, who were playing. Ruby, their eldest child, was playing with their youngest, Remus. They both had beautiful smiles on their faces, and Remus was bobbing up and down, having a great old time playing with his older sister. Cameron was outside playing on his new toy broomstick with Uncle George, Aunty Ginny, Uncle Harry, and Cousin Teddy. Pure joy was flowing through the whole home, and there wasn’t one person without a smile on their face. It made Fred’s smile widen impossibly and look up to the beautiful sky in silent thanks.
Silent Thanks by Annalise28
Story Notes:
This was originally written for 'The Cursed Quill' of the Beta Boards.
Thank you soo much, Apurva/DracoGurlFurever, for beta-ing this fic for me and for helping me with everything!
Chapter Endnotes: I really, really hope you liked it! Please review, and I'll love you forever! :D