Welcome everyone. I am George: Fred's twin brother, partner in crime, business partner, and best friend. He would have hated that we are all here in mourning of him, he would have wanted us to be out celebrating our dear younger brother,
Ron,'s friend, Harry Potter's success in killing off Voldemort once and for all. That and he would want us to be happy and joking, not sitting around on these uncomfortable folding chairs and being depressed. I say this but it is easier to be said
than done.
My family can attest that I haven't been myself since that dreadful night just over a month ago, on May 2. When we were in our 6th year at Hogwarts, Voldemort made his return and Harry saw him. Fred, myself, and our friends and family all believed him,
except for my git of an older brother, Percy. When Fred and I were back in the comfort of our dormitory we made a vow that should one of us die during the war that was sure to be brewing, we wanted the other to write the eulogy for our funeral. This
is the one that I wrote for him. It is composed completely of my favorite moments that I spent with him.
We were quite the jokesters in our day, both in and out of Hogwarts. I remember on the first day of our third year my sister Ginny was crying because she wanted to come to Hogwarts with us and we promised to send her a Hogwarts toilet seat, which made
her smile but made Mum furious. That year was the year that Mum nearly slapped us in front of the crowds at King's Cross Station because Fred and I pulled her leg when she was ushering us through the barrier onto the platform. I vividly remember her
saying: "Fred you next." Looking at him and he said "I'm not Fred! He is! Honestly woman you call yourself our mother!" She apologized, looking guilty that she couldn't tell her own twin sons apart. "Oh, Sorry George". And off went Fred towards the
barrier, but not before saying "Only joking! I am Fred!" I quickly sprinted off behind leaving Mum fuming. That is, until Harry came up looking lost and asked how to get onto the platform.
The two of us and Ron snuck out towards the end of the summer before our 4th year, Ron's 2nd and took Dad's flying Ford Angelica to Surrey and back in the middle of the night to break Harry out of his aunt and uncle's house/prison depending on who you
are in the equation. The four of us had so much fun cracking jokes and not thinking about the punishments that awaited us Weasley boys. Harry came to our assistance once again by being stick thin and causing Mum's maternal instincts to kick in and
insist that she make him some breakfast. Then Ginny came down and saw Harry, she turned around and bolted back up the stairs faster than you could even consider saying the word quidditch.
The summer before our 6th year at Hogwarts Dad had gotten tickets to go to the Bulgarian-Irish Quidditch World Cup match. All seven plus the two honorary Weasley children went. I remember, and I am sure Dad does too, that Fred and I made our first bet
there, with Ludo Bagman. Mum, I am sorry that you had to find out this way. Fred and I gambled all our savings: Thirty-seven Galleons, fifteen Sickles, three Knuts, and a fake wand (if I remember correctly) that Ireland would win the cup but Krum
would catch the snitch. Fred and I were miraculously right in the outcome of the match. That night we along with Ginny and Harry were teasing Ron about him being a big fan of Krum's because it was almost like him having a boy-crush. Sorry about that
little bro... not really though.
In our seventh year we fled from the reign of Dolores Umbridge at Hogwarts. She had suspended me, Fred, and Harry from the quidditch team, made it against the rules to have meetings of clubs with more than 3 students so "The Golden Trio", aka Harry, Ron,
and Hermione, started a secret club called Dumbledore's Army where Harry taught the club how to defend ourselves against the dark arts. It was like Defense Against the Dark Arts class but with a younger student as the teacher. He was the one of the
best DADA teachers I ever had and I know if he were today Fred would say the same. Fred's favorite thing to do that year once the DA got going was to practice those spells, hexes, and charms like there was no tomorrow.
When we left Hogwarts we opened Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes in Diagon Alley with the prize money that Harry won in the Triwizard tournament. We had always wanted to own our own joke shop like Zonko's and Harry made that dream possible.
On July 30th of last year Fred, Ron, Fleur, Hermione, myself and (reluctantly) Mundungus sacrificed our lives to impersonate Harry as we transported him to my family's home. In the processes I lost my ear, and Mad-Eye and Hedwig, Harry's owl, lost their
lives. I know that all of us who are here today are proud to say that we helped fight and defeat Lord Voldemort, but Fred was so proud of himself for his ear humour that he wouldn't stop asking me how I felt because I would always say "Saint-like",
gesturing to my missing ear and say "I'm holey Fred" .
Fred and I were never apart after he and I were both born, until now. Those must have been the saddest 4 1/2 minutes of his life. I know this must have been because these have been the hardest 4 1/2 weeks of mine. We roomed together at home, and at school.
We were both on the Gryffindor house quidditch team, as beaters. We served all detentions together, were on the same class schedule. Lived together after we left Hogwarts and started a joke shop in Diagon Alley. Not a moment apart until now. Those
were the good times.
Fred may be gone but his legacy will forever live on. As Dumbledore would say: "Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light."I will reopen Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes in November once I have had
time to compose myself and gotten used to the fact that I am no longer a twin. I will forever miss you Freddie! Keep laughing.