Chapter 15

Silence reigned as thick as custard. Even the clock seemed to have stopped ticking. No-one dared move, speak, blink, or look round at anyone other than Fred. He was looking at her, the girl he had just declared his love to. He had been dying to say those three words for far too long, yet no evidence of relief and undying affection illuminated his fallen features; all that lingered in his unreadable expression were the pains of desperation, guilt and immense sadness. Even his skin had grayed and his eyes lost their wondrous sparkle that made Hermione's stomach leap every time she caught it flash in her direction.

Her own eyes were frozen into his – the bond was as stiff as steel, they refused to be wrenched away. The seconds dragged on like years. He loved her. He had actually said it. He had shouted it! The possibility of that elevating moment had been pulsing through her, spurring her on, constantly igniting her motivation all night – the hope of him feeling the same way as her. And it had happened, yet as the icy seconds fell away, she had never felt so unloved in all her life.

Her eyes were starting to hurt now – his eyes were burning into her own. So many times when she had looked into Fred's eyes had she seen his magnificent fiery spirit, his luminous striking character and his beautiful entrancing soul. Now all that existed in them was her own reflection, and she hated it. Nothing else entered her vision; the surrounding people and objects were blurred, uninvolved, non-existent, outsiders looking in. She didn't care about anything else. Fred was all. Everything. The thing at the end of the tunnel. She loved him. He said he loved her. That's it. All. Everything. She was so sorry she felt like screaming it.

"CRACK!"

"No!"

Hermione cried; she leapt forward, threw her arms out and grasped at thin air, and collapsed onto the cold hard stone floor from where Fred had just vanished. Her head was thrown back as she fell, and pain like nothing she had ever before experienced surged through her heart, her mind and her senses, yet her body was completely numb. She could hear loud panicked voices above her. She was vaguely aware of being tugged by several pairs of scrabbling hands. Her heart was beating in her throat. Gradually taking over her vision was a blanket of sickening purply-blackness. The floor was cold on her cheek. Fred was gone.

A/N: Hi everyone! Oh my gooosh it's been so long! I am really sorry for being away from this story for so long because I love it and couldn't bear to leave the cliff-hanger any longer. I hope you canforgive myawful absence and enjoy! Lots of lovexxP.S Pleeease review! What d'you thinkshould happen next?