It was a warm sunny day at Shell Cottage. Much warmer and sunnier than it had a right to be, considering that later that day, the Weasley family would be burying a son and brother. Fred Weasley had been killed three days earlier in the Battle of Hogwarts and the family was already noticeably different. They seemed to have lost their spark. They were no longer as lively as they once were. Of course, it had been only three days, and perhaps in time they would get those things back. But for now they were gone.
And in no one was this truer than George Weasley and understandably so, as Fred was his twin brother. The two of them had been inseparable, quite literally from the beginning and trying to get along without him seemed more impossible than anything he had ever done or would likely ever do.
George had spent most of the last few days alone in his room or sitting out on the cliffs watching the sea, venturing in to the main rooms of the cottage only to get something to eat before slipping away again. He never spoke to anyone, no matter how much they said to him. He just wanted to be alone.
Today that would be impossible. He would go to the funeral and have to sit through hours of people coming up to him and telling him how sorry they were. He didn't want people feeling sorry for him. He didn't want people telling him stories of all the things Fred had done to them. He didn't want to remember those times alone, and he didn't want others reminding him of them.
These were the thoughts that were going through George's mind as he wandered the cliffs waiting for someone to come get him. He had come out here as soon as he had finished his breakfast, which, as best as he could figure was over an hour ago. Or maybe it had only been ten minutes, he didn't know. Time seemed irrelevant.
As he walked over the hill he saw a figure standing at the edge of the highest, most dangerous cliff on the entire shore. George had wandered out on it once or twice over the last few days, but never for very long.
His curiosity aroused, George walked over to the cliff and saw that the figure was his brother Percy. Percy had been ostracized from the family for the last few years because he felt that the Ministry was right all along. He had recently seen the errors of his ways and had rejoined his family for the battle of Hogwarts. He had been there when Fred had died. In fact Fred's last words had been directed at Percy.
I don't think I've heard you tell a joke since—and then the wall had exploded and Fred was gone forever.
"Perce?" George called to his brother as he approached him. "What are you doing out here?"
"I'm waiting," Percy said.
George waited for an explanation, but none came. "Waiting for what?" he asked
Percy slowly turned and faced his brother. It was clear that he had been crying. Not that that was unusual. The only time that no one in the Weasley family had cried in the last few days was when they were all asleep.
A small, ironic smile crept over Percy's face. "For this cliff to finally break away and allow me to fall to my death."
George paused and tried to read his brother to see if he was joking. "That's not funny Perce," he said, as he continued walking toward his brother.
"I've never been more serious in my life," Percy said. "I want to die."
Knowing that Percy was easily the most serious member of the Weasley family, George doubled his pace and quickly reached his brother's side.
"Stop it," he said. "You're being stupid and selfish."
"No I'm not," Percy said. "Selfish would be jumping." He turned around and faced the sea again. "I don't want to commit suicide. I want to give fate a chance to do what it should have done the night of the battle."
George took a deep breath and ran his fingers through his hair. He was unsure of what to do or say, but he knew that his brother needed him to say something. After a minute of thinking about it, he grabbed Percy, turned him around and looked him in the eye.
"Listen, Perce," George said. "It's not your fault. You can't blame yourself. All that's going to do is drive you mad. What you can do is live. Live the life that Fred couldn't."
At that Percy, who had been remarkably well composed through the whole exchange, broke down and cried. He collapsed into his brother's arms and sobbed. George was caught off guard, but recovered quickly and hugged his brother as they both slowly fell to their knees. After a minute Percy pulled away and sat down. He motioned for George to do the same.
As George sat there with his older brother, whom he had never seen show an emotion other than annoyance at his and Fred's antics, he realized that what he had just said was as much for him as it was for Percy. As he realized that, a smile crept over his face and he closed his eyes. Wherever Fred was, George was sure that he was smiling down on him and Percy.
Sometime later (George was never quite sure how long they were out on that cliff) George felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up and saw their sister Ginny standing over them. "It's time," she said. George nodded and stood, helping Percy up. Together the three siblings walked back to the cabin where the rest of the family was waiting.
George knew that he would never be whole again, but the moment with his brother helped him realize that his life wasn't over. Not by a long shot. He returned to the joke shop and made it a more successful business than he or Fred had ever imagined.
Percy never forgot his brother's advice and took the words to heart. He returned to work for the ministry and did his best to make everyone's day a little brighter. He continued to do so for the rest of his life, and upon his death was remembered fondly by many of his co-workers.