1st April 1978, St Mungo's, London
It had been a long tiring day full of high emotions to cap off a pregnancy that had given her far more cause for concern than those of her three eldest children. But as Molly Weasley stared down into the sleeping faces of her twin babies she knew that it had all been worth it. Their tiny little fingers were clasped so tightly together that they had started to turn a bright pink from the pressure each was applying. Fred had not stopped screaming until George had followed him into the world, but as soon as he was nestled next to his twin in his Mother's arms he had quickly drifted off into a peaceful slumber. Molly smiled at the clasped fingers, hints of a bond that was already strong from the intimacy of the womb and their miraculous origin from a single cell. The bond that Molly witnessed that day was one set to last a lifetime and more. It would grow stronger as they grew, deeper as they came to understand each other completely, a harbinger of both intense sorrow and utter joy.
Nineteen years later, 26th July, 1997, The Burrow
The Order of the Phoenix were gathered for a meeting at the Burrow in its cosy kitchen, which had become rather cramped with the extra chairs transfigured by Mrs Weasley to accommodate its members, all of whom were seated and waiting for their leader, Mad-Eye Moody, to begin the proceedings. A good proportion of those assembled possessed the flaming red hair which easily identified them as one of the Weasley clan.
Much to Mrs Weasley's dismay, four of her children were part of this society, which had been reformed only two years ago upon the news that the evil Lord Voldemort had returned. The Mother was only too well aware that belonging to the Order had a high chance of death, as she remembered with a pang how her brothers, twins Gideon and Fabian Prewett, had perished during the first wizarding war. Now, as she surveyed the six children who were present, she was reminded of her fear that she would lose one of them.
After much persuasion, she had allowed her youngest son, Ron, her only daughter, Ginny, and their friend, Hermione Granger, to attend the meeting, as it concerned their best friend, Harry Potter. Plans were underway to ensure his safe transportation from Privet Drive to the Burrow the moment that his Mother's protective enchantment broke upon his 17th birthday. Part of her was glad that the family's estrangement from Percy to some extent ensured his protection. There was also Bill, her eldest, soon to be married to Fleur Delacour, and Charlie, second eldest, who had briefly returned from Romania to attend the meeting. She let her gaze linger on them for a moment before turning and narrowing her eyes at her other two sons who stood out the most by virtue of their identicalness.
Fred and George, Gred and Forge. The tall handsome twins who had a love of mischief making and an unrivalled wit frequently clashed with their Mother. She did love them it was true, but her failure to share that feeling with them had created a difficult relationship marked by years of expressions of bitter disappointment and recriminations that had led to a wide gulf between them. They never confided in her with their fears nor went to her for maternal comfort; they had each other for that. The years of neglect had tightened what was already a close relationship as twins to a bond that was deeply intimate and strong. They depended on each other for the words of comfort and love that their Mother had never given them.
Their warm, chocolate-brown eyes scanned the room, searching for an opportunity to liven things up a little. Anyone would have thought that they'd gathered to plan Harry's funeral, rather than his rescue. Their eyes briefly met and mischievous smiles momentarily lit up both of their faces, their eyes sending affection through their bond. Although telepathy was near impossible unless you had years of training with occlumency, the Weasley twins had a bond that went soul deep, allowing them to partially communicate via eye contact alone. They had been inseparable since birth and cared for one another so deeply that when one was hurt, the other could not find it within himself to be happy. The boggart that they had encountered during their fifth year had revealed that their greatest fear was to lose one another, and have to live a life without being a Weasley twin. Whilst understanding the seriousness of the times, the twins frequently brought light to the darkness; their jokes and cheery exteriors sometimes serving as a front to their most deepest fear.
Feeling as though they were being watched, both twins looked up and met their mother's piercing gaze. Sharp, brown eyes met with narrowed blue eyes in a duel across the table. The message was clear: behave yourselves, or else this will be the last meeting you attend. Matching brown eyes turned back to each other, backing down and submitting… For now. Mrs Weasley relaxed her gaze and turned her attention back to the front of the room, where their leader had risen and now stood tall.
"Shall we begin?" Mad-Eye Moody barked…
With those three words to open the meeting, the clockwork mechanisms of fate were set whirring into motion, beginning a long journey of painful self discovery and suffering for the two twin souls who were so pure of heart.