SEVENTY

THE WAITING ROOM OF ST. MUNGO'S was busier than Rory had ever seen it. She had only been there twice before, but still. She walked up to the line behind the desk of the Welcome Witch. She looked down at her feet, white trainers stained horribly by dirt. Her hair was a mess, but at least she had changed her clothes.

"Rory," someone said, approaching her. It was her dad in his very official darker green Healer uniform, different than the other lime green clad Healers indicating very clearly that he was the boss.

"Dad," Rory said softly.

"C'mon, I'll take you to her," he said, touching her arm and leading the way up to the fourth floor. The Janus Thickey Ward; for spell damage.

"Her parents are with Angelina in the tea room... George is with her now. I've tried everything, Rory. All I can do is manage the pain... I can't even figure out what curse hit her. I think it might've... slashed her insides somehow and it's only a matter of time... at this point I just need to make sure she goes peacefully."

Rory just nodded, not saying anything.

He led her down the corridor as she passed rooms and areas designated for patients with all type of spell damage. They approached a room. Rory took a took breath and Andrew knocked then opened the door.

She looked worse than Rory ever thought she could. Marina always looked picture perfect. Perfect hair, perfect skin, makeup never out of place, her clothes always clean... but now she was still beautiful, but the color had been drained from her face.

Beside her bed, sitting on a chair was George. He looked just as bad as her minus the blood covering her hands.

"Hi," Rory said softly, "How're you, Mar?"

Marina smiled weakly, "Alright. Better now that you're here."

Rory looked at Andrew and he gave a solemn look. Marina wasn't alright.

"I'm probably going to die today," Marina said casually.

"Don't talk like that, Mar," George said sternly, yet softly.

Marina shook her head, "It's true. You can't heal Dark Magic. Whatever curse hit me is going to kill me. It's just far more painful than the Killing Curse. It's alright, though. To be honest with all of you, I never did think I'd live a very long and fruitful life. All of you have these big dreams, that just wasn't for me. Each birthday that went by I was shocked that I'd made it so far. Both of you have got some life long ambition, you can see yourselves growing old. I never saw a future for myself." She paused and coughed fiercely into the handkerchief in her hand. Red covered it so fully, Rory could barely tell it was once white.

She continued, "I love writing, but I never saw it as something I would do forever... I didn't have this image of myself much older, in some cabin in the woods writing world famous novels. I was always in the moment. Sometimes that mindset played out poorly for me but... I never changed it. I have regrets... but the one thing I never regretted was you, George."

Marina looked at George and George looked at her as if they were the only people left on earth.

It was almost apocalyptic, the look in their eyes. Yet at the same time, there was so much love behind it. Maybe they didn't have the same feeling for each other as they did when they were together, but they still cared for one another just the same.

"Don't leave me," George whispered, holding her limp hand tighter.

Marina shook her head, "I have to. This is how it's meant to be... George, you've got to show them to her."

Both their eyes flickered to Rory.

"Show me what? Marina, are you... what are you talking about?" Rory asked, walking over to stand at the other end of her bed.

"Rory... I'm sorry. I was silly when I was younger... but you and your friendship have meant so much to me, I hope you don't see me differently. There's... things I've written. And I never told you how I felt when we were younger but you need to know."

Rory looked at George, "What's she talking about?"

George ignored Rory and kept his eyes on Marina, "Mar... are you sure?"

"She deserves to know."

Rory tried not to let her emotions get the best of her as the two spoke in some secret code about her. She would find out soon enough, but her mind was whirling with possibilities. It wasn't the time for inquires, that could wait.

Marina winced, took a deep breath and began crying, not in sadness, but in pain. She coughed again. Rory had to look away as the blood, now a darker color than before, came out.

"Take them, Georgie," Marina said quietly, "I want my life to be for something. I want someone to remember me. Remember my time in the background of all of your excellent lives."

George nodded reluctantly and took a small vial out of his pocket as if he had somehow planned to do what he was, and collected Marina's tears. Her memories. Rory had learned about that particular form of magic. Marina was giving her most precious memories to George.

Rory held on her to friend's hand and looked her in the eye.

"Say hi to Freddie in heaven for me, will you?"

Marina cracked a weak smile, "Of course. I'll make sure he doesn't get into too much trouble."

Rory smiled softly and so did George.

"He'll be happy to see you. He's probably getting really antsy up there, hanging out with my little brother." Rory said.

"I love you, Rory," Marina said, "I dunno where I'd be without you."

Rory shook her head, "Marina, I —"

"You don't have to say anything," the girl replied, "Your actions have shown it all. Take care of Hogwarts for me. Teach those kids about Fleetwood Mac, yeah?"

"Of course," Rory whispered, tears softly falling down her face.

"And George," Marina looked at George, who was crying much harder than Rory.

"Georgie... whoever that lucky girl is someday, she's really lucky. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me... I think that hardest part of all of this is leaving you."

This time, when she coughed, Rory knew something was terribly wrong. Rory and George looked at Andrew and the man just nodded and they got up and left. Whispering their final goodbyes to their friend.

Rory took one last look at Marina. Even in her last moments she was still so beautiful.

In the hallway, George collapsed against the wall opposite to the door, his knees tucked in and his head between them. Rory slid down next to him. He noticed her there and took the opportunity to find comfort in her arms.

She wondered how many times they were going to cry together like that. When would they ever be fine again? Would they cry in each other's arms every night? Depend on each other for any source of comfort? Leave their lives behind them and mourn forever? Sit where Fred used to sit with them every day?

What about their futures? Their goals? Their ambitions?

Could George run the shop without Fred?

Could Rory go back to Hogwarts, the very place she saw her soulmate die?

None of that seemed right, not when Marina was taking her last breath on the other side of the door.

How was she going to sleep in Fred's bed, without Fred? More questions came to her, and she had never felt more lost in her entire life.

Rory felt like a magnet of death.

She was cursed.

First Cedric, then her brother, then Fred, Lupin, and Marina... everyone she felt truly close with was gone. And for some reason she was still there? Why?

Why was she the one who survived?

She knew there had to be a reason for it, right? Maybe she was meant to go back and teach and go back to Hogwarts to make sure those who died were never forgotten.

She wouldn't let Hogwarts forget a seventeen year old boy who was murdered and made a mockery of because no one believed that's how he had died. She wouldn't let them forget her brother, a boy who represented all the good in the world. She wouldn't let them forget a girl who put her happiness above everyone else's. She wouldn't let them forget a brave man who had the ability to touch lives when his was crumbling around him.

And most importantly, she wouldn't let them forget the boy she fell in love with. The boy who died with a smile on his face. The boy who made people laugh when all they wanted to do was cry.

Fred Weasley would not be forgotten by anyone. Especially not Rory.

Marina died that day.

Rory and George went to the Burrow that night because the flat was still far too painful. Rory didn't ask him what him and Marina had meant when they spoke about her, it didn't seem important. Nothing seemed important anymore.

Getting dressed and brushing her hair seemed stupid and trivial, she couldn't bring herself to do it.

No one in the house could sleep. Hours prior they had all just fought for their lives. Sure, they'd won... but at what cost?

Was it worth the pain, the scars, the nightmares, the death? She hadn't slept since... April. And she didn't see herself getting any shut eye anytime soon. She lie awake in Percy's room while Ginny and Hermione "slept" not too far in Ginny's. Ron and Harry were together in Ron's room... but George was alone.

Rory got up and slowly left, quietly closing the door behind her. The trek to George and Fred's room was one she knew all too well, she didn't even need a light to navigate the way.

She opened the door without knocking. George looked as if he were expecting her. Seeing him in the moonlight hurt her. He looked so much like him. Sure, they were identical twins, but in Rory's eyes they were so different. It wasn't until Fred wasn't there anymore that she noticed how truly alike they were.

"George," Rory said softly, sitting on the bed next to him, "D'you need some company tonight?"

George nodded, "Yeah, thanks."

Rory moved to the top of his bed and lay down, getting under the blanket. He lay next to her and they slept.

The bond they shared was so beautifully platonic. He had always been there for her in a way that Fred sometimes couldn't offer. He was like a brother to her more than anything. It was nice, sleeping beside him.

She didn't want to think about what could come next. She knew she'd be alright eventually.

In the moment, all that mattered was the comfort of her best friend.

THE END