Disclaimer: I don't own any characters or the world, they belong to J.K. Rowling. I, however, own the plot of this little story.
A/N:
Rewritten. Whatever JK says about George/Angelina, she won't be able to make me think that it's a good solution.


Understanding

Sometimes George feels that he just can't stand it anymore, that there is no reason to go on, because even if he reached all the stars in sky, he wouldn't ever again be anything, he is nothing without his Fred.

Lee knows him well enough to see, when George thinks like that. At those times redhead's face seems to change and his steps and breathing comes heavier – but the biggest change is that he looks so very beaten, knocked down. No – George looks always like that on these days.

Lee understands that George will never be again the same person who he was before that May, and Lee knows very well, why. He has felt pain because of the loss, too, stayed awake for nights after nights thinking why, he has shed too many tears down his cheeks and broken few of those porcelain statues his sister always brings to his home without permission, but most of the time he has had to concentrate on George, remaining, lonely, broken George. Lee cannot help but fear that someday he will do something to himself – and what on earth Lee would do after that?

George does not want to discuss about it with Lee, even though the young man dreadlocks stands for four hours behind his door, beats it so hard that finally his knuckles start bleading, shouts threats and finally tries to charm his way through that horrible door, not succeeding. Then Lee leaves, but he will come back soon.

When they finally meet again face to face, after George has finally gotten fed up with the unceasing knocking, Lee hardly recognises him. Not because of his unusual thinness, paleness or exhaustion, but because he doesn't glow anymore like earlier - he is not Georgeanymore, only a foggy memory of him.

The conversation doesn't go like Lee would have wanted it to, and finally it changes into a fight. In the end Lee finds himself outside of George's (and Fred's ghost's) apartment, a bruise slowly rising to a corner of his eye, shaking all over, not because the irritation or a little pain, but because he himself had lost control.

Lee remembers that you should not upset grieving people, or at least his sister said that while she was arranging again new porcelain cats to her brother's apartment's window boards. (After saying that sister had looked straight to her brother, trying to decide was he a grieving person too, and should she stop talking, but she has never been able to read Lee's face as well as some other people's.)

Lee is very sure that his sister knows what she is talking about, but can't help being little angry to George – he isn't dead, so why is he acting like he is?

Lee does not know what to do, so he sents a letter to George's mother, because she must know better things he hasn't ever understood. Letter is very short and just as helpless as Lee himself. The answer arrives after two days of waiting, it's restrained and just as sad as Mrs Weasley herself. It tells Lee just to wait, because time heals everything at some point. (Because it must heal everything.)

Lee grits his teeth together and returns to George's apartment's doorsteps, and bribes and persuades himself inside. He doesn't say anything to the living ghost with bright red hair because the bruise has faded long ago, just walks past him and makes hot chocolate for both of them.

It was Fred's favourite drink, too, and a distant look appears to George's eyes. Lee already knows that soon he'll find himself outside again, because Fred will always haunt somewhere in George's eyes, no matter what Lee will do. (Maybe someday Lee will be able to heal George, if time can't do it.)

Yes, Lee understands everything, but he is just so fucking tired of waiting.