44Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
A/N: This is my new story, it's a Time Travel story so when you read that someone's dead, don't take it to heart. Also, while this is slightly AU, there aren't any major changes apart from the OC I added. By "slightly AU" I mean up to the Final Battle. After that, it's 100% AU.
A/N II: I would like to give a big thank you to my new Beta, XsaekostarX, for helping me rewrite this story :)
WARNINGS: Twincest, description of wounds. Neither is overly graphic, I assure you.
I. Keep the Faith
The morning ensuing the Final Battle, the sun rose once again, its incandescent light serenely settling over the grounds of Hogwarts; these haunted, blood-soaked grounds which will always hold a part of the wizards and witches that died the night before. An eerie silence creeped through the hallways, dungeons and classrooms of Hogwarts. The survivors couldn't speak more than the bodies of the fallen could. But along with the shock, sorrow and silence was hope; hope now the Dark Side had been defeated. Yes, Tom Riddle had died. And Harry Potter...
Harry Potter lived.
Kingsley Shacklebolt, Hestia Jones, Nymphadora Tonks, Remus Lupin, Percy Weasley, Minerva McGonagall, Filius Flitwick, Horace Slughorn, Pomona Sprout, Septima Vector, Rolanda Hooch, Sybill Trelawney, Rubeus Hagrid, Bill Weasley, Charlie Weasley, Hannah Abbot, Colin Creevey, Dennis Creevey, Katie Bell, Fay Dunbar, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Susan Bones, Anthony Goldstein, Terry Boot, Lavender Brown, Cho Chang, Michael Scabior, Oliver Wood, Parvati Patil, Padma Patil, Lee Jordan, Ernie McMillan, Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas, Zacharias Smith, Alicia Spinnet, Michael Corner, Blaise Zabini and Narcissa Malfoy did not.
In a dark, gloomy corner of the chilly Potions classroom a frightened young man sat, crying silently with his beloved twin's body in his tired arms. A body neither dead, nor alive. Both battle torn brothers were covered in dried blood and dirt; one of them was missing both his legs and his insides were not entirely inside anymore. The other only seemed to be missing his right ear and the wound seemed to be old, but it would be painfully obvious to anyone who knew him well that he was also missing a part of his soul.
"Don't worry Freddy, don't you give up. Everything's gonna be alright, you're safe now, I've got you and no one's taking you from me ever again", he said letting out a shaky, aching breath. "We're just gonna sit here, sit here and wait. You know what's coming love, you'll be as good as new. Don't lose faith Freddy, believe. I do.", he said and tenderly kissed his unconscious brother's bloody forehead. He was certain they were seconds away from being saved, he had this feeling in his heart that things were going improve dramatically very soon.
Just as that comforting thought crossed his worn-out mind, the heavy door opened, hesitantly at first and then more urgently. And then she was there, her face full of shock and concern as she rushed to the floor, kneeling next to the severely injured twins.
The sullen man behind her stood stiffly, unusually unsure about how he should proceed; he wanted to assist her in some manner, or somehow console the distraught young man that he knew could call friend, but he found himself unable to move. Despite having lived -and fought- through two wars, this was an aspect of it he was completely unfamiliar with. Never had he been in a position as difficult as this one; having lived most of his life in confined solitude had wholly deprived him of the social skills that were necessary to play the burdensome part of the consoler. What could one say to a man whose soul mate is laying on the ground moments away from death? So when she told him to summon the others, he acquiesced and convinced himself he shouldn't worry, because everything would turn out alright as long as he kept the faith.
SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS MSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
The first to answer the summons was Ginny, who entered the gloomy classroom cautiously, clutching a foreign wand in her trembling hand. As soon as she caught sight of what was going on she swallowed hard, but refused to cry. At least one of her brothers was alive, and if Moira was here the odds were in favor of the other as well. Still, seeing him laying on the ground like this, his poor body torn and bloody and his eyes, once warm and full of life now empty and vacant, made her want to collapse to the floor alongside him. She had had enough of Death claiming her family members, and if Fred died then George would surely follow soon after, and she would be left alone with her mother, which was a fate worse than death for both of them.
She felt someone pull her into his arms and peered up to see Neville. He had been so fiercely ruthless and merciless during the Final Battle, yet now his eyes showed only compassion and kindness. Unable to hold back her tears, she cried softly on his tense chest while he promised her everything would be alright.
When he let her go and asked her to look at Fred, she couldn't help but smile. Seeing Moira's red lips on Fred's nearly blue ones, his formerly glassy eyes wide open and alive, was like the immense weight on her chest had been lifted. Draco and Hermione were there too, having arrived shortly before. Looking at them made her realise something; they all looked like shit. Covered in blood and dirt, they looked like... Like they'd been through a battle. And suddenly, Ginny felt a powerful urge to clean herself, dispose of every evidence of the war, make herself new again. Witnessing the miracle that had taken place moments ago filled her heart with immense relief and hope for the future. If Fred could be saved, than so could many others.
Evidently, she wasn't the only one who thought about it, because seconds later Draco asked Severus, "Can she do this to others? Can she bring them back like she did with Fred?"
"A few more, yes. But no more than five or six, bringing people back to life is a dangerous and draining thing," the Potions Master sighed, clearly hoping he could have given a different answer.
"Five or six? Do you know how many people died? Most of the Order and a shitload of Aurors died in this battle, this war! My entire class was wiped out, Snape!", Hermione shouted. "I saw those people every day for seven years, I talked to them, some of them were my friends", she said, her voice lowering with sorrow.
His immediate reply was devoid of anger, irritation or sarcasm, there was only remorse, "You forget that I have been through two wars. I've known more death than you have, you think I don't know what you are going through?"
"Hey, we're all... We're all in this together, we're the only ones we've got. Let's just talk about this later," Neville pleaded.
Hermione took a few calming breaths but remained silent, which was unusual for her but justified after all that had taken place. "I'm sorry, okay? But I'm not... I'm not in my right mind" she said a few minutes later.
"What do we do now? Where do we go?" Draco asked no one in particular.
"We need to get Fred somewhere more confortable, and we all need some rest. Severus' quarters are probably wrecked, but my place's intact." she proposed. Everyone agreed, and Moira Apparated there with the Twins, telling the others to follow her.
One after the other, the two Slytherins and the three Gryffindors Apparated to Moira's living room, preparing themselves for a much-needed conversation.
A/N: Here we have the first rewritten chapter! I would love to know what you think of it. I have tried very hard to make it longer, and I think the difference is obvious. I would like to add that Apparating is possible in Hogwarts because Severus, as the Headmaster, allowed it to be.
A/N II: Fred/George is one of my favorite pairings, and it will be featured frequently in this story. There will be very few, if any, graphic discriptions of Fred/George "action", but since I love this pairing there will be plenty mentions of them together (such as "Fred and George were snogging on the sofa while Hermione was doing her homework"). If you are not able to tolerate something like this, don't read my story. Flaming and telling me that Fred/George is disgusting will not get me to change the content of my story, or my opinion that Fred and George are soulmates.
Thank you very much for reading. Reviews are appreciated :)