Fred Weasley had never truly thought about dying and he supposed it was because he had always been so full of life.

Even as people fell around him, as the Battle of Hogwarts waged on, as he witnessed people he'd known for years fall to the ground, as though they'd been nothing but a small tree in a storm, he never thought he'd have to face that fate – at least not while he was still sprouting a fire in his heart as bright as the hair on his head.

I mean he didn't even expect it.

He was there, laughing, with his brothers by his side – he could feel them, see them, they were tangible.

And then, like a bolt of lightning, they were no longer there.

He was no longer there.

Everybody always said you'd see a light when you died, as you passed into what was supposed to be the next step in your adventure.

Fred didn't see a light, in fact, he saw the scene play out in front of him – the scene he'd left behind.

He saw his brothers, completely and utterly heartbroken.

He saw his twin and his twin was beyond broken.

It was then Fred Weasley realized he could not longer feel what his brother was feeling. He could see it, from this strange angle he was evidently hovering at, he could see how numb the other half of him was.

But he couldn't feel it.

He couldn't feel him.

That's what hurt the most.

He'd never know his twin that way again.

George Weasley had definitely thought about losing one of his siblings or even his parents in this war, for so many people were dropping like flies in a mother's kitchen on roast day. To him, it was almost impossible for any of his loved ones to come out of this unscathed.

Never in a million years did he think he'd have his twin ripped from his side and never did he dream it would all be over so quickly.

It was like he was watching himself die and he supposed a significant part of him truly did die that day.

It took a whole lot of courage for Fred Weasley to let go of his brother, to let George live his life without a corpse over his shoulder.

He supposed it would be harder for George, for George had to keep going.

It took a whole lot of pain for George Weasley to let go of his brother and he bottled it up for years.

Until, one day, his mother accidentally called him "Fred."

That was it for George.

Fred had been watching his twin since the day he died, in between the pranking wars that inevitably begun between himself and the Marauders.

Fred had never intervened, he'd always stuck to his word. Well, to him, this was letting go. James, Lily and Sirius always kept an eye on Harry, and Remus and Tonks were constantly itching to jump in for Teddy.

The day he cracked was the day his mother somehow got the twins confused. I mean one of them was dead, for Merlin's sake!

Fred could see the cracks in George's stoic armour that he'd kept himself locked in for almost two years – but what still shocked Fred, even after all the ridiculous pranks James and Sirius had pulled in that time, was that he still couldn't feel George.

George had disapparated back to their shop – his shop, Fred supposed these days – and was standing, well, shaking in front of the mirror. Fred followed and from this weird angle it could be perceived that his twin may have even been laughing.

He may not have been able to feel exactly what George was feeling in that moment, but he knew his twin enough to know it was probably similar to what he felt himself.

Pain. Hurt. Anger. Grief. Loss.

Separation.

He could feel it – but it was half strength to emotions he'd had in the past. Like he was just half a person – half a life. Well, a dead life. But still.

By Merlin, did it still hurt.

And then like lightning – it was suddenly full, whole.

Fred wasn't hovering at the strange angle anymore – he was right behind George, looking over his shoulder. He was in the mirror!

What in Merlin's name was going on?

"Oi!" Fred shouted and his twin's shoulders tensed for a moment, before they shook again. Fred rolled his eyes, leaned forward, closer to his brother and screamed, "GEORGE MARY WEASLEY!"

George stumbled as he turned around, but even he couldn't deny that what he was seeing wasn't real – because he could feel him again.

He could feel Fred again.

Fred was laughing.

George was crying.

So Fred started crying, and George started laughing.

For a while, the twins just stared at each other, taking in what they could.

This feeling wasn't going to last forever – eventually Fred would fade back to where he now belonged. He was already starting to feel the pull. Separation was upon the twins again.

Fred told him all he could about how everything was okay wherever he was. He told him all about the mischief he caused with the Marauders. George told him everything that was happening with their family, even though Fred knew most of it for keeping a watch on his twin.

"I'm so proud of you, Georgie," Fred whispered, after a moment of silence, where they'd both just stared, both unbelieving, but knowing.

"I wish it wasn't like this," George whispered, dropping his eyes, for this moment of weakness was unlike anything they'd ever shared.

"I know, Georgie, but it is."

Suddenly, there was a sharp pull, and this time, Fred could see a light. It reflected in the mirror, and Fred realized it was the aftermath of another prank the Marauder's were playing. He didn't have much time.

George panicked when he saw it – he could see it in his twin's eyes. It was time.

With one last grin, one that George hadn't even seen on himself in such a long time, Fred saluted his twin. "I'm always here Georgie. Don't forget that. Seriously, I've more than enough of Angelina Johnson to last me a lifetime."

Fred Weasley embraced Death again with laughter.

This time, George kept smiling.

"I'm always here, Georgie."