He felt empty. Like something had been taken from him. No taken was the wrong word, he felt as though something had been ripped from him. It was the strangest sensation George Weasley had ever felt.
He had stumbled into the Great Hall in search for his family when the battle had been ceased in order for Harry to hand himself over to Voldemort and for both sides to recover. He had sustained minor injuries in his attempt to keep the secret entrances to the castle protected, but at least he was standing, with at least a second ear intact, he added as an afterthought.
What George found in the Great Hall was a harrowing scene as any could imagine. People lay dead in rows on the ground, he noticed some where incredibly young, students who had stayed behind who ought not to have done. He knew however if Fred and he had been that age and faced with the same situation they would have done exactly the same.
Fred. He had to find his twin, it was a shame they had to be split up in battle but in order to give the best defence they had to work on separate teams. Soon they would be reunited and the Death Eaters wouldn't know what had hit them.
One particular family caught George's eye as he scanned the room. A great number of them were crowded around a figure on the floor. Then it hit him. Then he realised who the family were. His own.
"Mum!" he yelled, forgetting the other people in the room. "What is it?"
His mother turned to him. So often had he seen her face resembling a sabre-tooth tiger ready to attack, now she looked so frail, so defeated. Great tracks of tears had travelled down her face and she was shaking uncontrollably.
"Oh George." She breathed as he ran up to her. He noticed the other members of his family look round to him, all with the same expression as his mother.
His father moved from his mothers' side to George's own and Bill came to take his place by his mother, Charlie moved to the left of Mrs Weasley. Percy was sat on the floor, his whole body was convulsing with the most awful sobs and Ron was comforting Ginny. He noticed one figure was unaccounted for.
"Fred?" he asked, his voice breaking slightly.
His mothers gaze met his own and he realised, he realised exactly who was laid on the floor. But it couldn't be true. It couldn't.
"I'm so sorry George." She whispered moving to hug him. He harshly stepped back. He didn't want comfort nor did he need it for Fred wasn't dead.
He strode past his standing family and looked at the figure. It looked like Fred, it was even laughing like Fred but it wasn't Fred. He would know if his twin, the person he was closest to in the whole world was dead. They entered the world together and as far as George believed they would leave it together, probably making a nurse laugh along the way.
Percy looked up at George. "He – he did it saving me. I should have been the one looking out for him b-b-b-but I wasn't. I stopped a Death Eater and actually made a joke. Probably the only time Fred's been proud to call me his brother... Anyway, there was an explosion; it took us all by surprise. He di-" But Percy did not finish his statement for George had erupted.
"HE ISN'T DEAD PERCE! I'D KNOW! DON'T YOU THINK I'D KNOW?!"
"George." His mother tried again. "None of us want to believe it but we have to. We just have to."
He felt empty. Like something had been taken from him. No taken was the wrong word, he felt as though something had been ripped from him. It was the strangest sensation George Weasley had ever felt.
George couldn't tear his eyes away from Fred. Even when his father came and pulled him into a hug he still stared at his twin, the boy who was basically him. If only he could switch places now like they had done so often in the past to fool people. If only this was some elaborate joke planned by Fred. But he knew it wasn't, he knew he couldn't switch places. He was alone. He was finally alone.
Finally just George.