Fred opened his eyes in a white room, blinking in confusion. An instant ago, he was in a corridor with Percy, Ron and Harry, and then there was an enormous explosion, and a red sort of blackness, and now, this white room.
He jumped up more quickly than he would have imagined he could move, and looked around for his brothers. But he couldn’t see anything, just a white fog that swirled and shifted and stayed. He wasn’t alarmed, however; he felt quite happy.
Percy was back. Percy had made a joke.
His most pressing thought was finding his way back to his brothers. He didn’t quite know how he had gotten here, but he wasn’t concerned with that now. He was rather curious where ‘here’ was, but he’d attend to that detail later.
Even as he had that thought, the foggy mist began to disperse. He heard the clang of a brass bell and the call of seagulls, and he cocked an eyebrow in surprise. The taste of salty sea air filled his mouth. Was he at Shell Cottage? How had he gotten there?
“Bill?” he called, even though he knew his brother was still at Hogwarts, fighting.
There was no response and the fog swirled around on itself, caught in a breeze Fred could not feel. He caught sight of a ship’s mast in the fog, and his forehead wrinkled in confusion. He started walking toward the boat, and the clanging of the bell became cleaner and crisper. The rest of the boat faded into view, a hazy object through the dispelling murkiness.
He was not at Shell Cottage. He was at a secluded dock, the lone boat rocking ever so slightly in the shallow waves. As the fog shrank away, Fred was startled to discover it was the dock from which they’d set sail when they’d journeyed to visit Bill in Egypt.
But what was he doing here?
Fred walked down to the dock and paused, listening to the soft splash of water against the boat’s worn sides, the gentle creaking of wood as the boat shifted with the waves.
“Hello?” Fred called, walking to the far end of the dock, hoping to see someone. He paused a moment to listen to the seagulls calling peacefully to each other. It was so calm here, so without worry, and after the fright and chaos at Hogwarts, it was like a breath of fresh air. Fred inhaled deeply, feeling the air flood his lungs. He sighed. He had to get back. His brothers might be in danger, and they needed his help. He turned to go back.
The fog shifted slightly, and Fred saw someone approaching him through the white murkiness. As the figure neared, it gained shape and color and substance, as though coming together out of thin air.
“Hello, Fred,” a warm, faintly familiar voice called. When the man was within a dozen feet of Fred, he slowed his approach, and Fred examined him, confused.
The man had a wide, friendly smile, a face of freckles, and most importantly, red hair. He looked like Charlie, except his chin was more rounded and his cheeks were flushed brilliantly red. And the shape of his eyes reminded him of Ginny’s eyes…
“Do you remember me?” he asked, coming to a halt in front of Fred.
Fred shook his head in wonderment.
The stranger grinned at him, and then shook his long hair down into his eyes and made a ridiculous face at him. The odd image sparked a long buried memory and Fred gasped in surprise.
“Uncle Fabian?” he ventured, not concerning himself with the possibilities of talking to relatives who were supposed to be dead. His mother would be thrilled.
The man grinned. “Ah, even you can’t tell us apart, can you, ickle Freddie? I’m Gideon.”
Fred gaped at his long lost uncle, the one he remembered more from stories than from actual memories, the one who had died when he and George had just been toddlers.
“How “ how is this possible?” Fred asked. “You’re dead!”
Uncle Gideon smiled sympathetically at him. “Ah, Fred,” he sighed.
Something in his uncle’s voice made Fred pause.
“What?” Fred asked, already knowing what.
“Fred,” Uncle Gideon said, smiling kindly.
“Am I “ am I dead?” Fred asked.
Uncle Gideon reached out and squeezed his shoulder, and said frankly, “Yes, Fred.”
“Oh.” Fred thought back to what had been happening before he’d found himself in the white room. He remembered Percy making a joke, and laughing, and then nothing. Had the shock of Percy’s joke killed him? “How?” Fred asked at last, walking with Uncle Gideon as he walked back toward the boat.
“Does it matter?”
Fred pondered it a moment, and then decided that it did. “Yes.”
“A curse hit the side of the castle and a wall fell on you.”
“Wow,” Fred said, blinking slowly. A sudden thought occurred to him. “What about my brothers?” he rushed to ask.
“They’re fine. You can see them, if you like, but first you need to get on the boat.”
“Why?” Fred asked, not wanting to go anywhere his twin could not follow.
“To move on, Fred,” Uncle Gideon said. “There are people waiting for you there.”
“What about the people “ ” Fred stopped, about to say ‘here’, but remembering he didn’t know where ‘here’ was. “What is this place? Is this heaven?”
“It’s more like a waiting room. A place to gather your bearings before you move on. To make peace.” Uncle Gideon gestured to the gangplank which led to the deck of the boat. “If you’re ready.”
Fred found himself drawn to the gently bobbing boat, a faint tugging sensation guiding him forward, but stopped before he stepped onto the gangplank.
“Are they going to be alright?”
“Your brothers?” Uncle Gideon asked kindly.
“Yeah.”
“They’ll be alright. Harry will see to it.”
Fred smiled at that, knowing that his family was in capable hands. “Alright, then,” he said, feeling anticipation building in his chest. Uncle Gideon stood to the side as Fred bounced onto the boat. The mist cleared at once, and Fred looked around at the pristine, sparkling ship, the white sail, and the scrubbed deck. He turned back to look for his uncle and discovered he’d gone, as had the dock. The boat was cutting through low waves at a seemingly impossible speed.
And before he had time to think about the journey, he spotted a distant smudge on the sun-dappled horizon, which rapidly took the shape of achingly familiar spires and towers. The boat bobbled to a halt on the crisp, cool lake on Hogwarts grounds, and Fred didn’t question how this was possible.
He supposed when you were dead, anything was possible.
He looked around for a small rowboat to take him to the shore, but just as he pictured himself standing on the rocky shore, he found himself there already.
He shrugged at this and walked across the spotless green lawn up to the massive oaken front doors to the castle. They swung open invitingly and Fred stepped into the Entrance Hall, looking around. Things were so much clearer now; he could see the lines of magic that held the bricks in place, the protective spells that guarded the castle. He pondered their brilliant colors for a moment before turning his head and letting his feet guide him into the Great Hall.
It seemed time had passed for the living, and he spotted Ron and Ginny flanking Harry at the Gryffindor table, Hermione sitting on the other side of Ron. They were smiling as they talked with each other, but he couldn’t really understand what they were saying. Their voices echoed and sounded far away, but that was alright. He watched them for some time, until they stood as a group and tumbled out of the Great Hall together.
Fred started to follow them, but paused, wondering about the rest of his family. He decided to head back to the boat. Maybe it would deposit him in the pond behind the Burrow. Fred grinned. Wouldn’t that be a sight: a boat bobbling in the shallow pond. But before he made it out of the Great Hall, it dissolved.
Fred was unbothered by this, as just a moment later, he found himself walking in the back door of the Burrow. In the kitchen, he found his parents doting over a toddler with hair that kept changing colors. Charlie was there, conversing with an older, tired looking woman that seemed somewhat familiar to Fred, but that he didn’t immediately recognize. As he stepped closer to his mother, Bill came in from the front room, leading Fleur, who was, Fred was surprised to see, quite pregnant. Both Fleur and Bill looked exhausted, but at the same time, incredibly happy. He watched them for some time, just content to see them all alive and happy. After awhile, he began to be able to catch snippets and fragments of words, and he perked up as his father mentioned George.
Fred smiled wistfully, thinking of his twin. The Burrow began to dissolve, and then in the blink of an eye, he found himself in the joke shop. Verity stood behind the counter, smiling down at a young girl as she rang up the girl’s purchases. Fred supposed George was upstairs, and he took the stairs up to the flat two at a time.
The flat seemed empty at first, but then Fred heard a giggle coming from the kitchen area. He turned, the giggle surprising him. A grin spread across his face as he saw his twin quite occupied with Angelina Johnson.
Their words, as with everyone else’s, were muddled, their voices fading in and out like a wavering radio signal. Fred was able to deduce from the words he could hear that Angelina was unsuccessfully trying to give George a cooking lesson. George, instead of paying attention to the pots on the stove, was clearly more interested in the cook, and was kissing the back of her neck playfully. Angelina spun around, smiling widely as she returned his kiss. Regretting he would not get to harass George about that for quite some time, Fred reluctantly turned away to give them privacy, and thought of the one brother he had not seen yet.
Percy was in a graveyard, hunched in front of a sparkling new tombstone. Though his eyes were dry, his face was inconsolable as he traced Fred’s name on the stone. Fred squatted next to Percy, and reached out his hand. He placed it on his brother’s arm, and Percy’s face shifted slightly. He blinked and smiled sadly.
When Percy spoke, his words were muffled, as though coming from a different room, but still understandable. “I was such an idiot, Fred. I missed so much time with you,” he said regretfully, pulling his hand back and scrubbing at his face.
“I wouldn’t feel bad. Being an idiot runs in the family,” Fred responded.
“I won’t make that mistake again, with everyone else,” Percy continued to himself.
“Good,” Fred praised, patting his arm. He couldn’t feel himself connecting with Percy’s arm, but he wasn’t really concerned about that. He was sure the message was getting through.
“I don’t know if Mum told you when she… came to visit, but Bill and Fleur asked me to be their baby’s godfather. I thought you’d find that funny.”
Fred did laugh, picturing Percy stiffly holding a baby, trying to dodge as the baby grabbed for his glasses. He was sorry he’d miss it.
“I can almost hear you laughing,” Percy said softly, ducking his head.
Fred stood then, placing his hand on his brother’s red head. “Be at peace, Percy,” Fred whispered, wishing his brother could hear him. “I am.”
As soon as he said that, he felt the faint tug again, like the world was trying to slip away from him, or he was slipping away from the world. He hedged, not wanting to leave his brother in his grief, but then Percy stood, taking a deep breath.
“Got to be off, now, Fred. Mum’s invited everyone to the Burrow for dinner tonight and I don’t want to be late.” Percy paused, running his hand across the top of the tombstone, and then he turned and threaded his way through the tombstones, leaving Fred alone at his grave.
It was odd to think about his body down there, under the ground, unmoving and unknowing, while he stood here above, able to see but not be seen. The faint tug became more insistent, but Fred shook it off again, not quite ready yet. He knelt once more, putting his hand on the grass on his grave. He read the inscription on his tombstone thoughtfully.
Beloved Brother and Son
Waiting Just ‘Round
The Bend in the Road
Laughter on his Lips
A New Joke in Mind
Until then,
May He Rest in Peace.
Smiling, Fred stood again. He looked up to the bright blue sky and remembered what Uncle Gideon had told him. There were people waiting to see him, just around the bend in the road. His grandparents would be there, and his uncles Fabian and Gideon. Fred decided it would be good to see them again. The others would come when it was their time. He closed his eyes and let the faint tugging sensation take him, ready to slip away, ready to slip around the bend, ready to accept life’s next great adventure.