HAPPY BIRTHDAY FRED AND GEORGE!
As you see I wrote this short story in honor of Fred and George Weasley's birthday. This idea came to me during my Engineering class (which I hate! Evil sexist class. Totally not taking that next year). I don't own anything by the way. So here it is…
George Weasley stumbled down the middle of Diagon Alley making is way toward the extravagant building that was widely known as the best prank shop ever. Also known as Weasleys'' Wizarding Wheezes. The usually bright excited place was pitch black radiating a dull dreary aura.
George sniffled loudly as he drunkenly tried to place the key into the lock. It took him a few tries before he just gave up and pulled his wand out of his back pocket to unlock the door. Stumbling horribly in the dimly lit room George made him way slowly toward the back of the joke shop.
With his head pounding he barely knew where were he was walking as he headed up the stairs toward his flat feeling like he was climbing a mountain instead. George's vision was swimming in and out of focus making him more nauseous than he had ever felt. That was quite an accomplishment considering George has been buried in fire whiskey's bottles since the final battle last year.
George shouldered open the door of his flat above the shop. Fred and George had thought it was perfect for them. Being able to create the products above the shop than instantly putting them downstairs was great for them. Also they didn't have to walk far to crash in their rooms after a long hard day of corrupting the innocent minds of prank virgins.
George walked past the living room that was covered in papers and old bottles of fire whiskey not even giving it a glance. All he really wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep well into the day tomorrow. George walked toward the first door in the small hallway that led off of the living room and kitchen.
His room was a mess. Clothes were thrown all around the room, covering every surface possible. The room had the stale smell of alcohol mixed with the familiar gun powder scent that remained permanent in the flat. George shivered involuntary walking more into the room to collapse onto the bed which for some reason only had a sheet covering it.
George felt the rise of hot sticky stomach acid rise in his throat. He gagged thankful that he didn't throw up. Being able to feel the disgusting sensation was great to him since all he has been feeling since May 2nd last year was numbness. Mixed in with alcohol and George couldn't feel anything anymore. Just the way he wanted it.
George snorted into the pillow. "What a wonderful birthday this is. Our 21st and I'm celebrating it alone."
The Weasley's had all gotten together to celebrate but like usual at the recent family gatherings it ended with everyone in tears. George had been refusing to go back to the Burrow because his mum couldn't stop crying around him. Not to mention all the painful memories that had been held there. Yet he had been dragged there by his fiery little sister Ginny. Now here he was drunk out of his wits.
George inhaled deeply. Gun powder, alcohol, and something sweet smelling entered his nose making him feel completely at home. Taking long deep breaths George was instantly lulled into a gentle dozing state. Feeling compelled to fall asleep George almost did until-
BAM
George shot straight up like a bullet. Dragging his wand out of his pocket he scanned the room looking for any possible threat. There on the ground in the middle of his room was a light blue transparent heap of something alive. The heap moved straightening itself up and George had his wand trained on it.
"Ow, I wish that someone would have given me some warning before they just dropped me here," The figure winced with a low rumbling voice mixed with a hint of amusement.
As the heap straightened to its tall self it turned around to survey it's surroundings. The heap froze when it caught sight of the rumpled grumpy George with his wand trained on them. George froze as well, but for a whole other reason. There staring straight back at him was his own face.
Blinking George grumbled. "Damn, I must have drank more than usual to be hallucinating. Than again not enough since I still know what the word 'hallucinate' is."
"Drinking, naughty, naughty, George," The figure in front of him smirked waggling his finger at him. "You shouldn't be drinking on a work night."
George narrowed his eyes at the figure in front of him. The tall thin man could easily pass for him. Except that his bluish tinted transparent figure had both ears unlike George. He blinked repeatedly but the figure remained.
"Merlin, I'm hallucinating Fred," George shook his head mumbling.
"You're not hallucinating my dear twin," Fred grinned that same identical grin that hadn't showed up on George's face in a year.
"Yes I am," George argued.
"No you aren't," Fred spoke amused.
"Yes I am," George shook his head sending his shaggy red hair flying around.
"No-" Fred started with laughter laced in his voice.
"Great! Now I'm arguing with my hallucination!" George sighed loudly wishing that he could just lay back down to get rid of the pounding headache that was making him wince.
"I'm not a hallucination," Fred grumbled.
George ignored him and decided to try to tune out his hallucination so that he could go back to sleep. To get rid of his headache and the strange Fred hallucination. Burying his head beneath his pillows George didn't respond to the Fred hallucination. When he thought that he sanity was finally returning the mattress bounced as the hallucination plopped itself next to him.
"What are we doing?" Fred questioned laughing joyfully.
"I'm trying to sleep," George hissed annoyed. "You need to disappear back into my mind."
"You're mind?" Fred grinned. "Do you want me to get lost in that cramped cluttered space? You're so mean to your brother George."
"You arent my brother," George growled angrily. "My brother is dead! He died! You arent him. You-whatever you are-are just a hallucination that appeared because I drank too much."
"Will you stop saying I'm a hallucination?" Fred demanded getting angry. "I'm not! I don't even know how I ended up here."
"Well isn't it obvious?" George jerked up into a sitting position looking at the Fred hallucination that was lazily laying next to him on his stomach. "You came out of my head. How many times do I have to say it? I imagined you up."
"You George? Sorry bro, but you didn't," Fred snorted. "I was having a perfectly prank war with Sirius Black and James Potter when this huff of blue smoke wrapped around me dragging me roughly from our game. Then I'm thrown down onto the floor, roughly might I add. When I turn around I'm faced with my dear twin brother who I havent seen in a year. I don't know how I got here but I know one thing for sure. You didn't imagine me."
"Yes I did-" George started.
"Merlin! I forgot how impossible you are at times!" Fred cried throwing his hands up in the air in an exaggerated fashion. Just like Fred.
"I'm not impossible. You are," George rolled his eyes at his usual response to that statement.
"Too true," Fred agreed grinning widely but it faltered somewhat. "You wont believe that I'm a ghost-wispy-thing will you?"
"Ghost-wispy-thing?" George raised his eye brow the edge of his mouth turning upward.
"Come on look at me," Fred waved his hand in front of George's face. They both watched as the light blue wisps surrounding Fred's outline moved slowly. "I came back from the dead…well my soul did. So I'm a ghost, also wispy, and we really don't know what I am."
"Ghost-wispy-thing it is," George nodded in agreement. "I don't know what to believe. Even if you are my own hallucination would it be wrong that I'm actually enjoying this?"
"Not at all," Fred smiled sadly. "I'm glad to see you George."
"I'm glad to see you too Fred. Even if you are my hallucination," George added at the end not seeing the frown that lined Fred's face. "You don't know how much I have missed you. Nothing the same is around here with you."
"Really?" Fred raised an eyebrow falling back down on to his back to stare up at the ceiling.
"Yeah, everything is different," George stared at his brother hungrily smiling despite his constant reminder that this is all a hallucination. I like this hallucination, George thought, I never thought that I would get to talk to Fred again.
"How has it changed?" Fred questioned amused as he placed his arms under his head as a support.
"Mum cries constantly whenever I walk into a room. Its getting annoying that is-" George started to explain feeling strangely at ease with the Fred hallucination.
"I told you that you have an ugly face," Fred smirked. "Did you believe me? No."
"Its your face as well," George pointed out.
"My dear brother I am much more handsome than you are," Fred teased.
George snorted. "Sure you are. As I was saying before I was interrupting was that I can even return to the Burrow without someone there crying. The only one who doesn't didn't sob every time I came into the room was Bill. I only bet that was because Fleur was crying enough for both of them."
"How's their marriage goin'?" Fred tilted his head with a devious smile. "Did any more veelas come into town that we can played with?"
"Gabrielle came, she's a veela," George grinned when Fred pouted. "You would have to be careful. Fleur would rip your head off if she knew you were after her sister. Remember that the French have quick tempers."
"She's around 10. That's just disgusting to even think about," Fred shuttered at the thought.
"You asked," George pointed out before relaxing more into the mattress liking that he could tell his brother everything again. "Charlie is back in Romania like usual, fighting off vicious dragons to piss off mum. Ron and Hermione are finally together."
"Thank Merlin!" Fred laughed. "I do believe I won the bet."
"No I said they would get together during their school year which they technically did if they had gone to Hogwarts for their final year," George pointed out.
Fred waved those aside. "Technicalities."
George snorted. "Our Gin-Gin is dating the savior of the wizarding world, Harry James Potter."
"Ginny's dream came true?" Fred groaned loudly. "Damn I'm not there to make fun of her. You have to tease her all the time about it, understand?"
"Of course," George smirked.
"Did you threaten Harry?" Fred raised an eyebrow as a slow smile crept across his face.
"Yeah," George smiled sheepishly. "It was one of the most awkward conversations I've ever had."
"More awkward than the 'talk' with dad?" Fred questioned.
"Way worse," George shuttered at the thought. "I really didn't want to talk to him about that since he is like a brother to me. My brother and sister dating is just creepy."
"Man that is creepy," Fred shuttered at the thought as well.
George paused before continuing. "Percy's back in the family once more."
"No kidding?" Fred raised an eyebrow.
"Even more surprisingly is that he was nearly as cut up as I was when you died," George muttered lowly, sitting up to lean against the bed frame.
"Now you're pulling my wand," Fred gaped at him shocked.
"No I'm not," George shook his head. "He blamed your death on him. He said that if he hadn't made that joke you would have gotten distracted which led to that."
"Percy making a joke was odd to hear," Fred chuckled with amusement. "I had to make sure I heard him correctly. Percy shouldn't blame himself. Its no one's fault. Well it was the stupid Death Eater's but I know he paid for it so I'll call it even."
"Yeah we got the Death Eater," George confirmed. Fred tilted his head, signing for him to go into more detail but George remained oddly quiet.
"What's wrong?" Fred half sat up looking over at his quiet twin worriedly. Fred noticed that George had choked up on his words that he was trying to say. George was also froze in place with tears glistening in his blue eyes. "Gred?"
"I killed him Fred," George whispered into the cold silence.
"What?" Fred blinked shocked completely sitting up to rest a comforting hand on George's shoulder.
George brushing him instantly off like he had burned him. George jumped up jostling the bed as he went. Fred watched shocked as George, the more mature sensible twin, began to pace in front of him. George cursed under his breath as he stumbled over the mountains of clothes on the floor.
"George? George! What did you say?" Fred demanded in a firm tone that made George pause an turn toward him.
George gulped as he ran a freckled hand through his red hair. "I killed him. I killed the Death Eater."
"What? Wait-When?" Fred stiffened.
"During the final battle right before Harry faced Voldemort," George hissed violently kicking a the mountain of clothes beside him. "I'm sick and disgusting. I kill the Death Eater without a second thought. All because I wanted revenge for you."
"It was during a battle," Fred argued. "If you hadn't he might have killed another innocent person. You did the right thing George."
"No I didn't!" George exploded. "I killed someone Fred! I KILLED someone! I'm a murdered. It doesn't matter if it was during a battle. The truth that everyone knows is that I killed someone who could have had a trial instead."
"There would have been no time," Fred shook his head jumping off of the bed to calm down his brother. "It was during a battle when everyone isn't thinking straight. You would have had to stun the Death Eater then take him into another room for all the trials after the battle. I bet it was chaotic after the battle. It was the best thing for everyone."
"He deserved a trial," George hissed pulling away as Fred's icy cold hand touch his shoulder. "I killed him without a second thought, like some scum. He was a wizard. He deserved a trial like everyone else."
"This is why you're drinking isn't it?" Fred questioned deciding it would be better to change the subject. "You're feeling guilty about everything-"
"I don't know what you are talking about," George turned away from Fred's penetrating glare.
"Sure you don't," Fred's voice dripped with sarcasm. "There just happens to be dozen of empty fire whiskey bottles on the floor. That doesn't mean a thing."
"It doesn't," George shook his head. "I could be drinking because I want to."
Fred snorted humorlessly. "You cant lie to your twin George. I know for a fact that you don't drink much. You are only drinking to drown your feelings. Your guilt about killing the Death Eater, the depression you feel with ever you think about me, the anger at the world for everything that has gone wrong-"
"Shut up Fred!" George shouted. "You don't know anything!"
"Don't I?" Fred remained perfectly calm. "I'm the one who knows you the best. That hasn't changed since I've been dead."
"Shut up! Stop talking like you are actually the real Fred! You are just a hallucination," George shook with rage. "Nothing more than that. Nothing more."
Fred stayed quiet allowing George to control his raging emotions. Fred cleared his throat before starting to speak. "You shouldn't drink George. It doesn't help anything."
"What do you know?" George shot venomously. "You're dead! Well the person you are hallucinating is dead. I don't want to feel anything anymore, I just want to be numb. Fire whiskey helps."
"I understand that," Fred spoke with care, something he rarely did. "You shouldn't push your feelings away. The pain will lessen in time, but fire whiskey just makes the pain go on longer. You need to move on."
"Move on?" George hissed. "Move on to what? A life where my twin is dead? A life where I'm all alone with no one to talk to? To plan pranks with? I don't want that kind of life. If I have to live I want to live in the past, with you. When everything was good."
"Oh so Voldemort is good now is he? Innocent people dying is good as well then?" Fred snorted.
"You know what I mean," George growled not in the mood for an teasing.
"Calm down. I know what you mean," Fred sighed. "I'm just saying you need to stop hurting yourself by drinking to remain in the past-"
"But-"
"Shut up," Fred hissed. "You need to move on. I wont be gone forever. I can never be gone. As long as you are here George part of me will never leave. As long as you keep WWW alive then my memory, my life, with continue on with the rest of you guys. But when you slack off, drink, and just plain try to forget me then my life wont be remembered."
"I don't want to move on," George muttered into the silence.
Fred snorted. "No doubt you don't. I wouldn't want to either. But George the only way for you to continue your life-and my memory-is to move on."
"How do you suggest I do that?" George asked sitting heavily down on the edge of the bed. "I cant just decide to do something than automatically become better."
Fred snorted loudly. "First my dear twin no more drinking-"
With the evil demonic glare George shot at him Fred altered his answer.
"-As much. Like a glass or two, but that's all," Fred ordered. "Next forgive yourself for what you did in the past. That's the only way to move on. Forgive yourself, forgive your past, and start fresh off. Last but not least don't change. Don't become less of a prankster because I'm not there to help, continue with the shop until you are an old man who can barely walk-"
As Fred was talking to George he seemed to be started to lose his bluish tint. George watched in shock as Fred started to shimmer slightly in front of him. The blue wisps began to flow tighter around him while most of the wisps dispersed throughout the room.
Fred seemed to noticed something was happening to him. His voice started to shift fade in strength. "Never give up our dream George. We worked too hard for the shop for it to fall flat on its face."
"Fred what's happening?" George questioned worriedly as he stood up.
"I-I'm not sure," Fred whispered his voice sounding like a whisper. "I think I have to go. My times up."
"What do you mean your times up?" George demanded. "You're my hallucination, you should be able to stay as long as you wanted to."
"Still believing that?" Fred smirked in spite of him starting to disappear.
"Please Fred don't leave yet," George's face fell when he watched in disgust as his brother started to disappear slowly.
"Sorry George," Fred's voice was soft but still had that hint of amusement in it. "I cant stay. Just remember that I miss you all the time and that…well I love you."
"I love you too Fred," George's voice cracked.
"Bye Gred," Fred's voice didn't hold any more amusement in it as he said his final good bye to the person he was closest to. Reaching out Fred took George's hand in his like they did when they had been little toddlers.
The comfort of his twin's touch brought tears to George's eyes. "Bye Forge."
With the good bye that George had been unable to say the first time Fred disappeared. There was no sign that another person had entered the room. Everything was quiet and calm, all but George who stood in the middle of the room with tears streaming down his face. He swore he could still feel Fred in the room with his familiar grin.
George sighed wiping the tears that continued in a flow down his cheeks. George stumbled back towards his bed feeling his heart become heavy with the sudden loss of his brother, again. Reaching out toward the half bottle of fire whiskey on the end table beside him George paused. Slowly retracting his outstretched hand George let out a huge breath of air.
"Happy Fred?" George questioned into the silent room.
And if you asked George later about the story he would swear he heard Fred's joyful laughter fill the room.
Good? Horrible? Never write again? Please review with any suggestions or comments on how I could write better.
I wrote this really fast and I'm trying to post it before April 1st is over so sorry for any errors. Please tell me and I'll fix them. Thanks~