Ashes and Embers

As the wizarding world crumbles under the weight of Voldemort’s return, Hermione Granger is separated from Harry and Ron while they hunt for Horcruxes. Left behind at the Burrow for her safety—and to assist the Order in secrecy—she is haunted by the silence of not knowing if her friends are alive. She throws herself into research and missions, trying to stay useful, focused, and in control.Fred Weasley, once the life of every room, now carries grief like a second skin. As the war steals away laughter, he finds it harder to breathe in a world that keeps asking for more. But when he begins to see Hermione not just as his younger brother’s best friend, but as someone unraveling in a way he recognizes all too well, he starts showing up.At first, it’s a cup of tea. Then it’s late-night conversations. Then it’s something neither of them dares to name.In the quiet between raids and the chaos of loss, something small begins to bloom between them—slowly, like embers refusing to die out.But nothing is certain in war. And love, like magic, doesn’t always follow the rules.