Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or anything. All I own is this sad sorry excuse of a plotline (which really isn't that bad.)

Summary: Don't really have much of one to give, because I don't want to ruin anything! Starts out Harry/Fred George, (YES! SLASH!) but that'll change and you'll see how. So it's their lives and everything. Completely AU! Takes place during year 6. I'm pretty much forgetting that Voldemort even exists in this one. Just ignore the evil madman in the corner kids; he only talks to snakes anyway.

Point of View: really, it's supposed to be 3rd person omniscient, but it's mostly Fred and George's thoughts.

OOOOO

Fred lay staring at the exposed-wood ceiling in the growing light, his hands resting beneath his flaming hair. George lay a few feet away, his light snoring competing with the chirping of the early morning birds. Fred sighed, rolled over, and watched as the sun began to drive away the shadows in the yard. There was no use in trying to fall back asleep.

Fred wondered what the date was as he watched the lawn-gnomes scurry back to their holes to escape the sunlight. The 25th, of July; six days before Harry's birthday he remembered. And yet he still hadn't anything as a present. Fred couldn't figure what to get the black haired boy, now that he'd finally decided that he would get him something. This whole thing with Harry was driving Fred crazy.

Harry had shown up at The Burrow on the first of July, eager as ever to spend the summer holidays away from his retched aunt and uncle. He still had the same tousled hair, the same brilliant green eyes behind black-framed glasses, and the same light olive complexion. But to Fred, there had been something different about the teen, something beyond his physical appearance and even the personality Fred had known for six years. Fred had deliberated over it for the past three and a half weeks, and he still could not identify whatever it was. And he just couldn't get Harry out of his head.

Fred hadn't told anyone, least of all Harry. He had considered asking George about it, but at the last moment he'd copted out and told he waiting twin the "it was nothing." Maybe he'd try again to breach the subject.

And so he still wasn't sure of his own feelings, knew he wanted to give Harry a birthday present, but didn't know what he should get him. This would be the first time he'd be giving a gift that didn't have both his and George's names attached to it, and wasn't a firework or an item from their soon-to-be-joke shop. He really didn't want to mess this up.

There was a loud crash from downstairs, in the kitchen it sounded like, and Fred heard his mother curse. George pulled out of his sleep and propped himself up to rest on his elbows. Fred rolled over at the sound of the creaking bedsprings and watched his brother blink the sleep from his eyes. "Wha' was 'tha?" George mumbled, still half asleep.

"Sounds like Mum's having trouble with the dishes again," Fred replied, getting up and walking to the dresser. He opened the top drawer, fished out a blue t-shirt, and pulled it over his head, covering his bare chest. "I'm surprised it woke you, you can usually sleep through a pack of Fillibuster's bombcrackers. Hey George?"

"Yeah Fred," George said, getting up himself.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, as long as you actually ask me this time," George replied wryly, his mind waking up at the quip.

"Well ... do you, I mean, did you, uh, notice anything... different... about Harry, when he arrived?"

"Different? Different as in what?"

"I don't know exactly what, per se. He just seemed, different," Fred clumsily replied.

George looked at his brother out of the corner of his eye, trying to discern exactly what he had meant by 'different'. George had noticed that Fred's behavior had changed over the past few weeks, though it seemed no one else in the family was aware of the change. He had had no idea what had triggered the transformation, but with this new information, he thought he had a pretty good idea.

"You ever think the difference was with yourself and not Harry, Fred?"

"What?" Fred exclaimed, feeling his face flush. "Something different with me? What are you talking about, George?"

"Well, I have noticed a change in you. Lately, you've been a bit unsure of yourself, like the last time you wanted to ask me something and you ended up not. We've never not been able to tell each other anything."

"Umm..." Fred mumbled, turning back around to find a pair of shorts. "Yeah, I guess I've been kind of, thoughtful about things recently. I don't know why, but I've found myself trying to choose my words more carefully, um, especially around Harry. And I thought maybe it was because there was something different with him..." Fred trailed off, digging deeper into this than he thought he would have liked. But there was no changing what he had said, and he knew George would try to help. He'd always been the more supportive of the two.

George walked over and placed a hand on his brother's shoulder, turning him around so that they were face-to-face. He saw embarrassment on Fred's cheeks and confusion in his hazel eyes. "It's okay to be confused," George consoled. "And there's no reason you have to figure this out on you own, you know that." Fred limply nodded. "So don't be afraid to talk to me about any of this." Again Fred nodded, and happiness began to fill him at the prospect of figuring this out with someone else's help. He gave his brother a smile and decided to tell him about everything he knew, which really wasn't much. But it would help all the same.

"Well," Fred began, sitting down on the edge of his bed. He told his brother how he had noticed some unidentifiable difference in Harry and how the boy had been on his mind ever since he had walked through the door. George listened intently, sitting on the desk chair he had pulled up in front of his brother. "And I couldn't make sense of any of it, so I pretty much just gave up trying to figure it out. That is, until Ron mentioned Harry's birthday a week ago, and then I began to wonder what I should get him. But then I thought, should I even give him something? Would it be weird if a present came that was only from one of us? We always give gifts together." George nodded in agreement, but didn't say anything, so Fred continued. "I finally decided a few days ago that I would get him something, but now I've been wondering exactly what I should give him. And all this thought being put into a present brought back thoughts of what exactly my feelings are. I mean, there has to be something different there, in him or me, or this whole deliberation over a simple bloody birthday present wouldn't be there."

Again George nodded in agreement, but this time he decided it was time to say something. "So, would it be so bad if you had feelings for Harry that were something other than friendship?"

Fred looked at him, thinking about the question. "No...No it wouldn't. Except, I don't think Harry..."

"It doesn't matter what Harry feels at the moment," George cut in. "We're trying to figure out what your feelings are at the moment. We can worry about Harry later." Fred gave an unsure smile, but continued.

"It wouldn't be bad. I've never felt like this about boys before, but I've never had any problems with anyone else who was gay. I mean, Lee's our best friend."

"Exactly, so the only thing I think you should being worrying about is that birthday present, and even that shouldn't be too hard to figure out."

"I wanted to give him something a little more personal, but I didn't know how that would look if I didn't know what my own feelings were."

"But you do know what they are now."

"Yeah, thanks to you."

"Don't mention it."

"But even though I feel okay with it, I don't know if I want everyone to know just yet."

"So, does everyone else need to know about your present? You could always give it to him alone."

"Yeah, I guess I never really thought of that. Bit thick, aren't I?"

"Sometimes, but I can overlook it in this case," George smiled. "So what were you thinking on getting...?"

OOOOO

Okay, so there's chapter one. Hope you liked it, and please review. There's more to come! And to those who're reading my other ongoing fic, I haven't given up on it, so don't panic!