When Fred opened his brown eyes, he looked around at the very unfamiliar place that looked very sunny and bright, unlike Hogwarts which was currently in the middle of a battle right now. Everything was pure white. The color of snow and it looked like a waiting room of a train station, very much like King's Cross Station in Fred's mind and he knew he wasn't in Hogwarts anymore. There wasn't the big crowds or busyness of the train station like there was when he and George (along with his siblings) boarded Platform 9 ¾ every year. It was empty and that was not a common thing for the real King's Cross Station. There was an empty bench to sit in that was in the place where people would usually walk. There was another platform, but the entrance was blocked, so he could only sit and wait to board the train and go wherever it was going.
Since he wasn't at Hogwarts anymore, did this mean that he was dead? Oh Merlin, where was George? Had George been killed too? What about Harry? Or his family and friends? The last time he had seen George was to help out in the Great Hall with George going to help stray young students that hadn't left Hogwarts when it'd been instructed to. That was the last time he had seen them. The last thing he remembered was making up with Percy. Percy apologized for shunning them over the past couple years and wanted forgiveness. He'd been seeing a woman named Audrey who he was growing fond of was his last words. His last thoughts had been about his family finally being whole again when he'd seen a green jet hit his chest. Now, it was his fault that his family was broken again. Except this time, it was broken beyond repair since he'd died. This was all his fault; how could he have left George when something like this could've happened? Fred blinked back tears as he sat down and waited at the train station.
It still was hard to believe that he was dead when he was only twenty years old and had only begun his life.
Before Hogwarts, Fred and George had gotten into all kinds of trouble, usually for pulling pranks on their parents, brothers and sister. They loved to trick Ron and Ginny into doing things for them, having the typical older brother attitude, but they were often caught by their mother. So, they would pull pranks on each other or on the house or yard if they could keep from getting caught by their mother. They had been constantly compared to Percy, Bill or Charlie. Merlin knows they loved them but they hated their mother pressuring them into being a goody two-shoes when the fun was in pulling pranks and making people laugh.
"FRED AND GEORGE WEASLEY! GET DOWN HERE NOW!" Their mother yelled as she stood in the kitchen and put her hands on her hips, a posture that was not uncommon for her to do, especially with how much the trouble Fred and George loved to cause.
Fred winced as he heard his mother screech at the top of her lungs, knowing that he and George were in big time trouble for the prank they had most recently pulled in the kitchen. Their mother had the lungs of a banshee when she yelled so they'd been warned not to anger her too much, knowing what could happen as a result of that anger. Today, though, the twins had been extra bored and wanted some fun so they'd decided to let off some Dungbombs in the kitchen. That had been while Percy was cooking and of course, Percy had gone and tattled to their mother who applauded him for telling her.
"Better get down there, mate," Eight-year-old George looked at him sorrowfully. Bill and Charlie were away at Hogwarts while Arthur was at work. So, it was just the younger kids and their mother who was now angry.
"Reckon we'll be grounded and sent to de-gnome the garden again?" Fred asked as he looked at his brother sadly.
"Most likely though we'll get an earful from dear sweet Mum. Let's go down and not make things any worse. Percy's going to gloat about this for ages," George frowned as they made their way downstairs.
The door opened as they were walking to it and it was none other than Percy, who was widely despised by both brothers right now. Percy's curly red hair was neatly combed, with his horn-rimmed glasses on his face, resembling a teacher who was in the mood to punish. A smirk spread over his face and Fred and George frowned, though they were thinking of how to get them back.
"Mother, I found them!" Percy grinned.
"Careful, Perce, you'll make that stick up your arse wedge even further making it harder to pee," George taunted as he smirked at him.
"Yeah and then what will you do, tattletale?" Fred countered with a smirk.
Their years at Hogwarts had been just as eventful, maybe not the first two but the ones when Harry was attending Hogwarts had been the most fun they'd had until a joke shop had been created. They were known as the troublemakers of Hogwarts, especially by Filch and McGonagall. They were never known to take school very seriously since neither twin thought it to be useful. Instead, they devoted their time to going out of their way to make trouble especially with the help of the Marauder's Map that was so highly cherished. They'd given it up to Harry during their third year, but they'd used it so much that they memorized it. Since Harry was already a brother to them, it wasn't a wrench giving it to him! Their last year was a year they'd never forget, with the toad taking over nor with Dumbledore's army that had been taught by Harry himself. They finally gave the toad what she deserved and loved the expression on her face.
"Give her hell from us, Peeves!" Fred yelled as he rode his broom and that was the last time he had seen the school.
After leaving Hogwarts, he and George moved to the flat that was over the location of the new joke shop that they were opening soon. Neither had desired to encounter the wrath of their mother more than they had to. News of Sirius' death had spread and he was greatly saddened, another reason they opened the joke shop earlier than later but both twins wanted to bring laughter when there was none. Their family attended the opening day of the joke shop to give support to the twins and it'd been the happiest day of their lives to open the shop. What was even more fun was that he and George got to run the shop and have their own freedom for once.
"How much is this?" Ron held up one of their items that was on display.
"Five Galleons," The twins replied at once.
"How much for me?"
"Five Galleons."
"But I'm your brother!"
"Ten Galleons!"
Now, Fred had gotten himself killed and George was alone for the first time, stuck fighting the war and now Fred was here, about to board a train that came while he had been stuck in his thoughts. How could he leave his brother all alone? The mere thought made Fred want to sob and he hugged himself, looking around before he felt a tender hand on his back.
"It's going to be okay," A familiar voice spoke that was now rubbing his back.
"W—wait, Sirius? It's true then, I am really…dead," Fred frowned. "Or am I just unconscious?"
"Unfortunately, you're dead, but now you're safe and can never be hurt again," Sirius smiled at him with a look Fred saw him give Harry numerous times before. It was one of reassurance and that alone was comforting him.
"What—What about George?" Fred asked as tears brimmed his vision, looking at a younger and happier version of Sirius. "He's all alone, I can't leave him! Sirius, I can't leave him behind!"
His face was younger, about his age actually, with long black hair in a bun with grey eyes that were caring and didn't have any sign of unhappiness. He looked so peaceful and Fred guessed this was how he looked before Harry's parents were killed and he was sent to Azkaban. Fred never had gotten to have a friendship with Sirius since his mother kept trying to interfere, calling Sirius a bad influence. This was a man who cared about Harry more than anything.
"George is alive and well," Another voice spoke as he walked next to Sirius and Fred recognized the voice as Professor Lupin aka Remus.
The only competent teacher for that subject they had and he was very friendly, making it known that the students could tell him anything if they desired and he'd been a friend. Not to an extent where he'd give everyone O's but he always was there whenever you needed. Fred loved having him as a teacher and was sad to see him go. He hadn't cared that he was a werewolf, he was an amazing teacher.
"R—Remus? You're dead too?" Fred stared at the ground sorrowfully as he tried to hold back the tears for his brother. "Your son…"
"Teddy will be alright, he'll have his grandmother and Harry. Over time, he'll learn about us and why we died. Harry will be for him what Sirius was for Harry. It was the sole reason we chose him as godfather. I had a hunch I might not live long. Plus, he's the only family I had left. After Sirius died, all I had was Harry. We may not have been as close as he and Sirius, but we were family." Remus shrugged.
Fred frowned, knowing that Teddy was put in the situation that Harry had been put in, but was glad that he wouldn't go to relatives that hated his guts just like Harry's aunt and uncle did. Still, he was sorrowful about his brother, his best friend and partner in crime, the only person who knew him inside and out. He couldn't come back to comfort him and that tore Fred apart. He desperately wanted to go back and tell George everything was going to be alright.
"George, he's all alone. We've never been apart before. I can't leave him," Fred's brown eyes filled with tears.
"Hey, no more of that, now," Sirius scolded softly but hugged him. "I know how you feel, it's okay. I felt the same way when I died. I left Harry and Remus alone in this world and I couldn't comfort them. It hurt to see them so broken up towards my death, especially when Harry fell into a depression for a while. We have to get on the train to get to where we need to go but we can continue to talk. There's guests waiting for us on the train."
Remus nodded at him in agreement and the former professor boarded the train first while finding an aisle and sitting in it. His light brown hair no longer was gray and looked like a twenty-year-old's hair should. It was combed over and didn't show any indication that he'd been a werewolf. The scars on his face were gone and they were hardly missed, his face looking whole and young again. If he'd known Remus (and Sirius) when they were kids, he would've loved to become their best friends.
Fred uneasily boarded the train, but any feelings he had disappeared as he felt right at home back on the train again, reminiscent of old times on the train. He and George (and their best friend Lee) loved to cause trouble and would make the cab laugh or they'd set off Dungbombs. The train took away any pain that he felt but a longing for his brother was still there. Who else was going to finish his sentences or have the intimate knowledge that twins knew?
"Come, sit, Fred," Remus patted the seat. "It'll be a quick ride, unfortunately, but I think you'll love who you're going to meet."
Fred sat by the man who now looked about the same age as him, surprised at how comfy the chair was. It felt like the softest chair he'd ever sat in and that was saying something. The chairs at Hogwarts had never been exactly comfy and ones at home weren't very comfy either. Sirius sat by the two of them and the train went off immediately, seeming to pull itself. This was all fascinating to him.
"Who am I meeting?" Fred asked. "Dumbledore?"
"He's there too, but no, that's not who I had in mind," Remus smiled with a look of mischief on hos face.
"Just tell me who we're meeting!" Fred pouted as he slouched back and acted like a small child would.
"Nope," Sirius grinned at him. "You act very much like Harry when he doesn't get to know something."
"No fair." Fred pouted as the train kept going.
The train seemed to go through an endless tunnel, still very much lit, but from far away, he could hear animated chattering. Voices like Dumbledore and Tonks could be heard but he also heard…Snape's voice? Snape? But Snape was a Death Eater! Wasn't he? He'd always disliked the harsh professor for how he treated Gryffindor but it shocked him to learn that Snape killed Dumbledore. Would he meet Harry's parents and other relatives there? The ride was growing boring and Fred watched out the window while Sirius and Remus animatedly talked. As the train got closer to the destination, the voices got louder and he definitely recognized some voices. A clear one was Dumbledore and another was Snape. He heard Lavender talking to who he guessed was Collin.
Once the train stopped, Fred gasped in delight at the sight of what he saw. The room was rather large and it just looked like the Great Hall with enormous tables to sit in and pews that were attached to it. It was just like his home, he told himself. A person that looked like Merlin himself was sitting at one table, talking to unknown people while Moody was talking to Dumbledore, Snape, Tonks and two people that seemed vaguely familiar.
There was no food since they couldn't eat, obviously, Fred reminded himself. Most of the people were sitting at the tables while a few of them were standing and having animated conversations. Some were sitting alone, but a majority of them at tables were conversing with each other. The ceiling was pure white, with chandeliers hung that sparkled. The walls were white and it looked exactly like the Great Hall only everything was white. Was this where he was going to spend the rest of his life with Sirius and Remus? And the others who had died? Cedric had to be around here somewhere then.
"Ready to meet them?" Remus mused as Sirius got out of the aisle and walked towards the doors that opened forward to allow them through. Everything seemed to be automated and knew what to do. It was a better version of the Hogwarts train in his opinion, but he'd always love Hogwarts. There was no way that he was going to love Snape though.
"Snape's here?" Fred groaned.
Sirius laughed. "I thought the same, but he—well, I'll let him tell you."
"But he's a Death Eater?"
"Not exactly," Remus laughed softly.
Remus waited for them by the doors, giving them room to get out and he had a broad smile on his face. That look meant he had trouble coming and Fred loved to give that look himself, well, he and George had before George died. The thought of George made Fred sad but he brushed the thought away and got out of the train, his mind scared that he wasn't going to like this. Anything without George was scary, but he'd learn to live with it. What would they be doing the whole time? Would they just be talking? Or did he have other plans?
"We're going to the people over there with Snape and Dumbledore," Sirius pointed to the fiery red-headed lady and the black messy hair that reminded him so much of Harry's hair.
Walking towards them, Fred walked towards him gasping at everyone he saw that was apparently dead such as Collin and Dennis. Lavender had been killed too by a werewolf but he'd been too late to save Tonks or Remus. That pained him but there was nothing he could've done. It was just fate as his mother would tell him and his brother to encourage them to work at the Ministry. Remus' eyes softened at the woman who saw them and Fred watched her.
"Lily!" Remus hugged her and Lily grinned she hugged him back.
Fred gasped in shock at how beautiful she was. She had long fiery red hair very much like Ginny's with deep emerald eyes that were exactly like Harry's. She was so young and knew nobody had been exaggerating when they said she'd been a beautiful woman. He saw some distinct features of Harry in her, but her eyes were the ones that stood out the most.
"That's who you were getting? He's so young, Remus," Lily frowned. "Poor boy."
"Just a year younger then we were, love," Another voice told and Fred gazed at where the voice had come from.
The man had messy black hair and looked exactly like Harry, except for his eyes that were hazel instead of emerald. The man looked ruggedly handsome and had a look that Fred was all too used to. He had that fatherly look but yet he had that look of mischief that was in Sirius, Remus and George's eyes. This man had to be Harry's father, Fred told himself. He'd finally be meeting Harry's parents though not in the circumstances he wanted.
"Poor baby," Lily agreed. "Molly's raised Harry so it's only fair that I look out for Fred, James."
"You've got a good point." James chuckled at his wife with a smile.
"Are you going to introduce yourselves sometime, Prongs? Or are you going to talk to your wife all day?" Sirius teased, sticking his tongue out.
"Oh, shut up, Padfoot," James retorted as he looked at him. "At least Moony has brains enough to know not to respect my wife and not interrupt."
"Why don't you kiss my –?" Sirius didn't finish after receiving a harsh look from Lily that made him shut up quickly.
Fred looked flabbergasted at what he just heard. Moony, Padfoot and Prongs… He knew those names! The founders of the Marauder's Map that he and George loved so much were right in front of him and he didn't know the entire time. He guessed that Harry knew which wounded Fred (teasingly) that Harry didn't tell him). This wasn't going to be so bad after all! He wasn't worthy to be in front of the Marauders, let alone talk to them.
"I am not worthy," Fred bowed down playfully in front of their feet. "I am not worthy to be in front of the Marauders."
James, Sirius and Remus laughed at the young man pretending to worship him and just stared at him, while Lily and Tonks laughed and rolled their eyes. Already, the two women knew that he was going to be just like James, Sirius and Remus. Not that it'd be a bad thing. Had she and James survived, she guessed that Harry would be very much like his father. Though she loved that he'd inherited her kindness and her love of life and both of their undying loyalty and fierce protectiveness. She loved the men that both Harry and Fred had become.
James knew that he'd be a perfect Marauder and that would set their plan in motion since Peter was sent to hell for betraying them and doing Voldemort's bidding. After talking to Remus and Sirius, he knew that whenever Fred and/or George died that they'd become Marauders, replacing Peter. Fred had already done most of what the Marauders had done and even given them a run for their money. That was saying something, in James' eyes and made him prouder then ever. Once Harry and Teddy died, they'd become Marauders too.
"You indeed are worthy, son," Sirius grinned but Remus shot him a look that made him shut up.
"Padfoot, you are not a god, not the last time I checked. Fred, we'd like to ask you something that we've wanted to ask for awhile now. Shall we?" Remus grinned.
James nodded and grinned eagerly at Remus and Sirius. All together, they asked: "Fred, would you like to be a Marauder?"
Fred stared at them in shock at being asked to be a Marauder. Him? A Marauder? He was worthy of being one? Of course, he'd say yes, but the shock was getting to him right now and he noticed they had smiles on their faces. James chuckled and Lily was beside him, rubbing his back. She really was acting like his mother did. It soothed him and he felt like he had his parents back with him again. This was going to be better than he thought!
"M—me? You want me to be a Marauder? What about Wormtail?" Fred asked.
Sirius' face darkened. "Wormtail was a betraying bastard who's burning in Hell for his actions right now. We're in need of a fourth Marauder. Once there's four of us, we along with Lily and Tonks get to come back to Hogwarts as ghosts. I have a good feeling that Peeves needs help making mischief." He winked.
Remus nodded in agreement. "You've made more trouble with George then any other student. Besides Harry, Ron and Hermione. But only Harry and Teddy get to become Marauders." He winked too. "You gave us a run for our money!"
James nodded in agreement. "That means you deserve to be a Marauder. We can play so many pranks on students."
"Don't forget professors. Just imagine Minnie's face when she sees us as ghosts when we're causing trouble!" Sirius smirked. "And we can help weed out teachers like Umbridge who are complete arses."
"Sirius Black," Lily scolded him and shook her head sternly.
"Stop acting like my mother," Sirius shuddered. "So what do you say?"
"Of course I want to be a Marauder! I need a name though."
"It has to be an animal name. What was your Patronus? I'm guessing you weren't an Animagus."
Fred grinned at him. "Hyena."
"Ooh, what about Jackal? I know it's not a hyena name but you remind me very much of a jackal." Sirius grinned at him.
"I love that," Tonks grinned at him.
"Messrs. Moony, Jackal, Padfoot and Prongs," James said in agreement. "Yes, I like it very much."
"What about George? I left him all alone," The pain of losing his twin pained him and made him start to cry a little bit.
Lily immediately stepped forward and hugged him close, rubbing his back and let him cry into her, acting like she would had Harry been upset like this. It pained her to see him so upset over the years without someone to comfort him like that. No one hurt her little boy and got away with it. She rubbed his back and let him cry in her while he settled down.
"Shh, it's okay. I know it's painful right now. I felt the same way when we died. I was so worried about Harry and didn't know who was going to watch him. Then I realized that I can watch over him. Once we go to Hogwarts, we can watch him when he goes to finish school. And when his eventual kids come to Hogwarts." She reminded him.
James nodded in agreement. "I was terrified for Lily and Harry but when I realized I could watch him from here, I did."
"George knows it's not your fault you got killed," Tonks reminded him. "I worried about Teddy and still do, but my mother has him. Plus, he has Harry."
Fred smiled sadly. "I know, I guess it'll take awhile to get over." He shrugged.
Lily nodded. "Enough about that now. Ready to go to Hogwarts?"
The four Marauders along with Lily and Tonks headed towards Hogwarts to make some mischief.
(Author's Note: I made this after thinking awhile and knowing that Fred would be made a Marauder once he was in heaven! I hope to continue it into some adventures they get into at Hogwarts!)