Different

AN: I wrote this a really, really, really, really long time... probably a year ago and it just popped out in front of me while i was searching through my files... hm... either way, hope it's good enough to read!

Today class- we shall be discovering the meanings and lengths of our soul through our palms," Professor Trelawney's voice was just above a whisper.

The thick air swam around them carrying the heavy scent of perfume and mist and some other knick-knacks of those sweet-smelling herbs and spices that were left to spread from the far corner of the room. A type of pink mist was surrounding them- or so he thought.

George Weasley sat down, slumped on his table shamelessly- his mind blank from anything that would give him and escape or offer him a smile on this drowsy day. Fred, on the other hand, who was directly in front of him had his cheek on his hand and was fast asleep- the occasional snore escaping him. His mouth was hung open and his hair was tousled everywhere. On a moment like this, George would've liked to kick the chair away and watch his twin fall but now… too tired and too lazy was more like it.

"And what have we got here?"

Professor Trelawney's face suddenly popped between them. George straightened up immediately and –as though on sensors- Fred did as well, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand.

"Wha?" he asked stupidly.

"Your palms! What do you observe from them?" she asked, her voice faltering every second.

"Oh! Our palms… right," Fred then snatched George's palm and observed it. "I see…" Fred looked at him questioningly.

He shrugged, not even knowing what they were supposed to do. But before he knew it, Professor Trelawney snatched his hand back from Fred and started observing it as though it was some precious diamond. She kept muttering to herself as she started to trace the different lines on his palm before frowning at him.

"I see a long future-"she said tracing her long finger on a long line. "But cast with misery in the next few years-"she pointed at some tiny lines cutting through that long one. "Oh yes… lots of misery… lot's of pain- agony! Oh!"

George started to freak out from the woman who was trying not to look at his palm but still gaze at it at the same time. Slowly he started to pull away- but the frail-looking lady was stronger than she looked- so with a final, hard tug, he felt his hand free of her grasp. However, the lady would not go grasp-less. Instead she took Fred's hand and starting to gaze into it.

"Oh?" she said, her face crinkled to a question. "Oh?" she turned his hand in different directions as if to get a better look at it. "Oh! Oh?" Fred looked Professor Trelawney like she was nuts- well, there was no doubt about that there.

"My boy- this- this is terrible!" she gasped, sitting on a stool that magically appeared under her. "Terrible!" she wailed.

"Why? What happened?" a far off voice echoed from the end of the room.

Fred looked as confused as I did before she snatched his hand once again only to throw it back onto the table.

"So… so short! My boy- your fate will end in a few years time! Oh the shame! A short life- a short line!" she wailed.

He saw Fred relax his shoulders and plaster his usual smile on his face while Trelawney made her way back to the front of the room, still wailing with a hand on her forehead.

"Let me see that," he said as he took his hand before he even had the chance to answer.

It was true. Fred's life line was much shorter than his- much shorter that it ended somewhat mid-way while his own- his own crept to the end of his hand.

"Don't tell me you believe what the old fraud said- short life, yeah right! She's always predicting deaths- who says that this one isn't different?" he challenged good-naturedly.

"Yeah," he sighed.

Even though he didn't know whether it was true or not, that Fred would have a shorter life than his… after all, he always imagined that if Fred suddenly died, then he would too in a couple of minutes… but as he looked back at the idea now, it was a bit unrealistic…

But he did know one thing for sure… there was something that marked them different.

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