Surprises of the Holy Kind

by agent iz hyper

It's been a month since the end of the war, and not everyone's got over their grief yet. Ginny and George get a surprise visit from their deceased brother though technically, he's not allowed to and it's his job to cheer them up again.

Surprises of the 'Holy' Kind

A/N: Yeah, another story. :P And this one was written late at night on my iPod too. I just felt like writing something about George and Ginny after Fred's death *:'(* and I came up with this. Originally, I wasn't going to have Fred come in, but I couldn't resist. And, um, sorry about the jumpy structure – it goes from really serious to joking around quite often, but that's probably because I can't keep things serious. :S Rated T for slight suicide mention (I know, it's probably not believable to some people, but... well, I was in a sort of melancholy mood.)
Well anyway… yeah, enjoy. This is the first time I attempt a story like this. x)

It had been a month. Exactly one month since the war ended. The first of June brought promises of warm summer days to be spent outside, lounging lazily in the shade of a tree with friends, or hanging out with family in the backyard at least.

What the soft winds and bright sunlight did NOT promise, however, was locking yourself in your room and refusing to come out.

This behaviour was expected by the Weasleys from George, who had been holed up in his old bedroom frequently since the war ended... and since Fred had died.

It was not, however, expected from Ginny. But sure enough, when her mother had called her down to join them outside (them being Mr and Mrs Weasley, Bill and Fleur, Percy, and Hermione, as Harry and Ron were out helping Kingsley round up Death Eaters), Ginny had replied that she didn't want to, and nothing was going to make her. By the sound of her choked up voice, Mrs Weasley could tell her daughter had been crying, which saddened her considerably. Ginny didn't cry much, but since her brother's death she'd been getting weepy at things quite easily.

Mrs Weasley was about to go up to see her, when George came out of his room, looking the worse for wear, but a shimmer of his old self peeking through this dull exterior.

"Leave her, Mum, I'll go talk to her," he said to his mother, eyes determined.

Mrs Weasley hesitated. "If - if you're sure, dear," she finally said. George nodded, and she gave him an affectionate hug. "Alright then, you do that Georgie."

George watched his mum go back down and sighed to himself, making his way to his little sister's bedroom. Before he knocked, he hesitated, but then heard a sob from inside and felt concerned for Ginny. He knocked once then opened the door slowly, looking in cautiously.

Ginny was sprawled on her bed, flicking through a photo album and drying her tears rather unsuccessfully. She didn't look up when her brother opened the door, but said softly, "Hey George."

George moved in and sank onto her bed next to her. "Hey baby sister."

Despite herself, Ginny managed to feebly aim a weak kick at him and mumbled half-heartedly, "I'm not a baby."

He shrugged. "Doesn't stop you being ou- my baby sis," he said, slipping slightly on 'my', as he'd been doing since his twin had gone. George added with a curious look at the album, "What'cha looking at anyway?"

Ginny sat up properly and wiped her eyes again before propping the photo album between them. She said somewhat thickly, "I was going through some old stuff and found it... Pictures of random times at Hogwarts... and summers... And a few when we were all kids."

George wordlessly flipped through the pages, and almost smiled at the photo. A seven year old Ron looked between his nine year old twin brothers with quivering lips, throwing away his teddy bear in fear. The George in the picture was smirking evilly while Fred made spooky faces at their younger brother.

"I remember that," Ginny said in a quiet voice, a shaky smile appearing on her face. "Though Ron likes to exaggerate a bit when he tells the story..."

George half-grinned - it was the first time he'd smiled in a month. "Last I heard, the spider was twice as tall as him and was trying to poison him with its pincers before he, in all his five year old glory, managed to snap a leg or something like that."

Ginny chuckled shakily, "Really? I haven't heard that version yet."

Her brother flicked to the next couple of pages and was hit by a wave of nostalgia. "The Hogwarts toilet seat," he muttered, watching his thirteen year old self holding up the toilet seat with Fred next to an unconscious Harry in the hospital wing, while Madam Pomfrey occassionally tried to come into the picture to take it away.

"You never sent me one," Ginny sighed next to him in mock-disappointment.

"We tried," George said nonchalantly. "None of the owls would carry it though. No idea why." He ran a hand over the next picture, where a beaming Ginny ran up to hug her brothers at home after they came back from their third year.

"It was so boring that summer," Ginny said softly, watching it too. "No entertainment, no pranks or tricks on Ron, no Mum screaming her head off because me and Ron tried sending you a card that yelled swear words and beat you around the head..."

"You what?" George asked her, impressed and amused.

A ghost of a grin flickered on her face. "Yeah, it was meant to be payback for those self-catapulting Stink Pellets."

"Oh yeah. Did they hit you too?" George asked somewhat amusedly, his eyes glazing over reminiscently. "We sent them for Ronnie-kins mostly..."

"Yeah," Ginny chuckled, leaning on her brother as she gazed at the next photo, showing the twins supposedly caught redhanded by Ginny (who had taken the photo) as they set up a prank on Percy.

"Were they any good?" George queried, a grin flitting on his face as his sister smacked him lightly.

"Yes they were good. They left us stinking like... well, like Stink Pellets, for a whole week!" She wrinkled her nose at the memory.

George was silent as they looked at a few more pictures, some showing Ginny with Ron, some with the twins, and a few just the twins by themselves, looking like they were up to no good, as usual. He sighed as yet another one came up, with Fred setting up something out of the camera's view and George on the lookout. He vaguely remembered Ginny holding up her old camera before they sent her away.

"He used to think up of most of the big prank ideas, you know," he said quietly after a moment. Ginny glanced up at him before returning to the album.

"I figured... You were almost always the one fixing up any loopholes while... while Fred set up the stuff for whatever prank you were pulling," she murmured, feeling the familiar burning sensation in her eyes again. "I miss him..."

"Hard not to," George muttered nostalgically, wrapping an arm around his little sister's shoulders, lost in memories of happier times.

Suddenly Ginny gave a watery half-sob half-laugh. "If... If he saw us now... He'd be taking the mickey so bad..." she smiled, wiping her eyes.

George half-smiled too, glancing up at the ceiling. "I bet he is... Somewhere up there, he's probably laughing so hard he'll fall off those clouds or something..."

A sudden chuckle from the doorway made them both jump, and a very familiar voice said, "Yeah, or I'm down here so I can tease you face-on instead."

Ginny and George stared in shock and disbelief as he stepped into the room nonchalantly; or, well, he more glided in, but it looked like he was stepping.

He paused and waited, then when they continued to stare at him, said in mock-disappointment, "Well you could at least pretend to be happy to see me?"

The sound of his voice, sounding normal and even joking, seemed to snap Ginny our of her reverie. "Fred!" she cried, jumping off the bed and going to hug him. She immediately shivered. "You- You're like Nearly Headless Nick!"

Fred looked apologetic. "Ah, yeah, sorry bout that."

George seemed to finally remember how to talk. "How... But... You're dead." he managed, staring at his twin, who looked amused as he glanced down at himself.

"Yeah, how'd you guess?" he grinned, stepping in more and shutting the door behind him.

Ginny stood to the side and asked slowly and unsurely, "But how... Are- are you a-?"

"Ghost? Merlin, no," Fred said, looking slightly scandalized. "I'm not scared of death you know."

"Then how... How're you here?" George asked, looking like he believed this was some sort of bizarre dream.

His brother sniffed, pretending to be offended. "The way you two are acting, it's like you don't want me to be here! And," he added, looking at George, "No George, this isn't a dream." To prove his point, he reached out a slightly transparent hand and placed it on George's shoulder, and he jumped at the cold.

"Merlin!" He rubbed his shoulder, as though to get rid of the momentary cold. "Alright, so it's not a dream," he amended, a grin creeping onto his face.

Free rolled his eyes. "Took you long enough. Anyway, we need to get talking, 'cause I don't have much time here," he said, sitting onto Ginny's bed, as she perched herself on her chair opposite the twins.

"What do you mean, you don't have long?" she asked, not taking her eyes off her brother, as though doing that would make him disappear. "And how did you get here if... if you're.. you know-"

"Dead?" he supplied helpfully, amused. Ginny nodded. "Aw, c'mon, say it, it's not that hard: Fred's dead. See, it even rhymes!" he grinned as Ginny gave a reluctant giggle.

George cocked an eyebrow. "Death hasn't changed you much," he commented, still finding it unreal that his twin - his deceased twin, he should add - was sitting here in all his deadified glory, joking around, but decided to just accept it.

Fred shrugged. "Hey, I'm still new to this whole being dead thing, don't judge me." George smirked, despite himself - it was so typical of his twin to joke even about being dead.

His sister added, "Fred, what did you mean when you said you don't have much time here?"

This made him rake a hand through his hair sheepishly, "Well, technically, I'm not supposed to be here really... Had to pull a few strings, but if my absence is noticed, I've got Sirius and James covering my back." he explained, then added as an afterthought, "I'm not sure if Remus would agree to help though..."

"Woah, oh yeah, you got to meet the Marauders in all their Marauderly glory!" George said, impressed.

Fred snorted. "What's with you and all the 'glory' stuff. And by the way," he added with a smirk to his confused brother, "'Deadified' isn't a word, bro."

"Are you reading my mind?" George asked suspiciously as Ginny laughed in surprise.

The second twin shrugged, "Well that wasn't ever hard to do, being twins and all..." he said, trailing off mysteriously. He paused, then said seriously, "Alright, so anyway-"

"You're gunna tell us why you're here," Ginny said, reaching forward to grab her photo album off the bed and shut it.

Fred's eyes lingered on it. "Yeah." He looked up, first at Ginny, then at George, locking eyes with his brother for a couple of seconds before looking down at the carpeted floor of his sister's room and saying carefully, "Look, it's been a whole month since I died. You need to move on, do something useful. I'm not gunna sit up there and watch you - or anyone else really - mope around just 'cause I'm not here. You survived the war and battles, you got the chance to continue living, so live. Do something. Anything." He looked up then, and his siblings caught the desperate look in his eyes. Ginny's own eyes were brimming with tears again, and George had turned his face away in grim resolve. Fred seemed to take a breath as he hesitated, deciding something. He looked at George, who glanced at him but looked away again, and nudged him. "What's up with you then?"

George shifted in his seat, moving forward so his elbows were leaning on his knees and muttered somewhat resentfully, looking at his clenched fists, "That's all easy for you to say, isn't it."

Fred seemed confused at first by this sudden change of character, but then it dawned on him, and he frowned. "I'm saying that 'cause I don't want any of my siblings wasting their chance. I don't want anyone to forget how to live properly and go ruining their chances of going on in life normally!"

Ginny wiped away her tears impatiently as she caught on. "George... he's... he's right," she said in a slightly wavering voice. She took a breath and continued firmly, looking between both her brothers, "We can't... All those people that - that got killed in the war, none of them got to... live the rest of their lives like they would have planned. They might not have gotten the chance to do everything they wanted to do. So... so, being alive, we should be grateful. Fred's right, we shouldn't waste our chance to live on." she said, finishing softly and keeping her gaze on George.

Fred's mouth curved up into a proud smile. He slid an arm around Ginny's shoulders, "Spoken like a true Weasley." Ginny shuddered initially at the touch but didn't move away this time.

George didn't say anything yet. He got up and stood at the window, staring out at their family sitting outside. Fred thought he knew what he was thinking, but before he could say anything, George spoke, not looking at them. "How can you expect me to..." he trailed off, obviously not ready to share his thoughts. He hesitated then, seemingly unable to keep it in, burst out, "Why did you have to die anyway?" He turned his face away so they couldn't see his expression.

Fred frowned and got up to stand next to his brother, while Ginny watched anxiously. He leant on the wall, glancing outside and said, "I know what you're thinking of."

George turned to face him, an almost betrayed look in his eyes. "How would you know that? You're dead!"

Fred didn't flinch at these words. He rolled his eyes exasperatedly. "Will you stop acting like a prat?"

George glared at him. Their sister was watching with wide eyes - she'd never seen the twins arguing before. They always agreed on everything.

Fred continued, "Yeah, I'm dead. But doesn't get rid of the fact that we're bloody twins and I can still tell everything you're thinking and feeling! You think that I don't know what it's like?" he added quietly, staring at his brother resolutely. "Do you know how many times I've turned to share a joke or waited for you to finish a sentence, then realised all over again that you wouldn't 'cause you're not bloody there?"

George didn't say anything - couldn't; because he knew what Fred meant. He'd been doing the same things himself. But he didn't want to listen to reason. "Well then why'd you bloody die?" he exploded, his pent-up feelings rising in him.

Fred didn't answer straight away. He stared out at the few chattering family members out the window almost wistfully, then said in a distant voice, "We made a vow... when we were six, you remember? We both promised-"

"That we're gunna do everything together," George finished slowly. This vow had been on his mind a lot lately. How could they do anything together if one of them was gone?

Fred glanced at him grimly, "It's crossed your mind a couple of times... And you've thought about it, but..." he shook his head. "It's not... the right thing to do. It'll kill everyone else, you know that." He eyebrows furrowed. "It's not your time yet. I only went 'cause, well, it was my time to go. You get what I mean?"

George was silent. Behind them, Ginny's curiosity and concern got the better of her. "What... What're you talking about?" she saw the look in Fred's eyes when he looked at her and felt cold as it clicked. "You don't mean... George, you can't..."

"I'm not going to," George's voice stopped her mid-sentence. He paused, as though contemplating whether to continue. "I was just... It seemed like an option, at the time... an escape..."

Ginny went over to hug her brother and murmured, "It's not an option. If- if you were gone too... I wouldn't..." she trailed off, taking a shaky breath and pulling away slightly, looking from brother to brother. Fred was slightly troubled that his twin had even contemplated that; where was the all-joking George? The one that made feeble attempts at jokes even when he lost an ear and was in pain 'cause of it? He needed to relocate that George before he left; the family needed jokes in times like this.

"Well then," he managed, trying to settle his thoughts. "I need to give you something before I forget." He searched in his pockets for something as they watched curiously. Fred pulled out a little vial with a swirly, cloudy substance.

"What's that?" Ginny asked, reaching out to hold it. Fred gave it to her, and she was slightly surprised that it was very much real and solid, unlike Fred.

He pouted, "Oy, I am very real, thank you very much."

Ginny glanced at him in surprise, then started laughing as she realised he'd heard that. George was looking bemused, but caught on. "You thought he wasn't real?" he queried, amused.

She shook her head. "No, it just crossed my mind that this vial is actually real unlike Freddie." she grinned as George smirked, finally looking more like his old self.

He cocked an eyebrow at his twin. "But you're not real... I mean, I can put my hand through you if I wanted to," he mocked, but Fred returned the smirk.

"Oh really? Go ahead then, do it," he snickered as George looked stumped for a moment, unsure whether he was pulling his leg or not. He decided to try it anyway.

It didn't work out. Ginny joined in Fred's chuckles as George crossed his arms and mock-glared at them. "You bullies, laughing at my expense." he sniffed.

Now it was Fred's turn to glare. "Oy, I'm the melodramatic one, you can't just steal my spot!"

Ginny was laughing more than she had in ages - which was half the reason the twins were pulling this act; they never liked to see Ginny down. But when her laughter died down a bit she held up the vial. "So are you going to tell us what this is?"

Fred raised his eyebrows, a familiar smirk in place. "Now why would I do that? It'll ruin the whole mysterious-ness of the thing!"

"Git," said George, rolling his eyes, then adding, "By the way, mysterious-ness isn't a word, bro."

Fred opened his mouth to retort, thought about it, then muttered, "Touché."

"I ain't the smart one of us for nothing," his brother mocked. Fred flashed him a grin and raked a hand through his hair.

"You can be as smart as you want, Lugless; we both know I'm the handsome one," he said cockily. George groaned dismally and shook his head while their sister chuckled.

"Not that old joke!" he groaned, but then stopped and added thoughtfully, "Huh, but incase you've forgotten, I AM holey. That trumps handsome any day!"

Ginny snorted. Fred just shook his head in disappointment. "You're sadly disillusioned, dear brother of mine," he tutted, corners of his mouth twitching. "I'm pretty sure that I'M the holy one now?"

George cursed. "Merlin's socks, even when you're dead you beat me," he said dismally.

Ginny patted his arm, amused. "It's okay George, not everyone can have a battle of wits with a dead person and come out the worst... You must be a special case."

Fred burst out laughing at that and at the indignant expression on his twin's face, and ruffled Ginny's hair affectionately. "I knew there was a reason you were my favourite sister!"

His 'favourite sister' cocked an eyebrow. "You mean, other than the fact that I'm your ONLY sister?" she asked innocently, and it was George's turn to laugh.

Fred mused over this, then amended, "Alright, you've got a point. Blimey, you should give this git here lessons." He nodded at George who looked unimpressed.

"I don't need lessons," he snorted. "Just 'cause I let you win..."

"Oh, is that your new excuse?" teased Fred, enjoying himself a lot. "'I didn't lose, I just let him win!' Could work... Against anyone with a quarter a brain, that is." he smirked.

George opened his mouth to retort but hesitated a few times, finally shutting it and muttering, "Merlin's shorts."

"Merlin doesn't wear shorts," Fred commented lightly, obviously disappointed by this information. "Told me himself... Said he finds it really funny the stuff people come up with when they want to curse at something."

He didn't realise that his siblings were gaping at him until he looked up. "What?" he asked unnerved.

"You talked to Merlin?" Ginny said, gaping at him.

He laughed at their surprise. "Yeah, he's sorta like Dumbledore in a weird way. And I wouldn't say 'talked' exactly," he added with a grin. "The guy's pretty hard to understand."

"How did he even get talking to you?" George asked, amazed.

He shrugged almost sheepishly. "Well I might have mentioned Merlin's stinking gym shorts..."

"And he heard you," Ginny laughed at his expression, which was half-abashed, half-amused. Fred really never ceased to amaze her.

"Yep," he said happily in a reminiscent way. "Seemed amused that I'd think he even owns gym shorts. Then when he went away again, Prongs pointed out that, even if he did, they wouldn't be sweaty 'cause, y'know, he's magical and all that," he chuckled and the other two joined in.

Then George realised something. "'Prongs'?" he commented curiously. "You mean James?"

"What- oh, yeah, James." Fred corrected. "Just gotten used to calling them by their nicknames, since they've accepted me as a sort of fourth Marauder since... well, you know." he elaborated, and George's face grew more awed.

"You are damn lucky," he whistled. "Can't wait till I join ya." Then, noticing the wary look Ginny gave him at these words, added hastily, "I don't mean that! I'm just saying..."

"Yeah," said Fred, eyes glazing over for a bit, before he remembered something and smirked. "But you're gunna have enough fun here anyway, if my suspicions are correct."

"What're you talking about?" George asked, nonplussed.

Fred's sly smirk grew as he leaned back on the wall and nonchalantly polished his nails on his shirt. "Just a certain pretty Chaser, goes by the name of... hm, let's see - Angelina Johnson?"

George's eartip turned pink, along with the faint blush on his cheeks. "Shut it," he said casually enough, but instead Ginny said cheekily, "Angelina? Really? I didn't know she went for 'lopsided, lugless and loopy'."

George glared at her, then at the thoroughly amused Fred. "What'd you do, give Gin lessons when I wasn't around?" he groaned. "She's like a mini, female version of you."

"That's the best compliment you've ever given me Georgie!" beamed Ginny, enjoying annoying her brother.

Fred added slyly, "Yeah, who wouldn't wanna be like me? By the way... when're the babies due?" he asked mockingly, and George punched him on the shoulder. He didn't seem to feel any pain though judging by his smirk. "Just asking... Make sure you name the best-looking one after me, yeah?" he winked.

George rolled his eyes. "Sure thing, Your Holiness. Would you like another death-side wish?"

"Nah, they're all in that," Fred said, nodding towards the vial still in Ginny's hands. They both looked at it too.

"Is that... your will?" Ginny asked as it dawned on her. Fred thought about it.

"Well, sort of. See, there's this thing up there where, if you hadn't made a will yet before you died, you get to make one there and get it sent down to Earth where someone you know could find it and know what it was. And," Fred added disappointedly. "I just realised I ruined the mystery. Well, damn."

"Well aren't you a smart one," said George wryly, but he held up the vial in interest. "Is this a memory?"

Fred shrugged. "Yeah, I guess so. Most people just wrote their wills out but that's way too boring. Besides," he added with a cocky grin, "I know you all wanted to see my handsome face again."

George coughed something that sounded like 'Yeah right'. Suddenly Fred glanced up worriedly and muttered, "Aw crap, hold it up a little longer."

George sent him a quizzical look that read 'You gotta go?' Fred grimaced and nodded.

Ginny looked between them, catching the interchange. "Did they find out you're here?" she asked sadly.

Fred sighed and stuck his hands deep in his pockets. "Yep. Just remember what I told you, yeah? And don't forget to get the whole family around to watch that," he added, nodding at the vial. Ginny and George nodded, and the former ran up to hug him once more.

"I'm gunna miss you lots Freddie," she murmured as he hugged her back, chuckling slightly.

"Who wouldn't, with only this ugly one here?" he grinned at his brother who smirked, determined not to look too down.

"You keep telling yourself that," he retorted, laughing slightly as Fred put on an affronted face. "I'll have you know, I'm very good-looking."

"Yeah, you look like me. And I'm perfect," he smirked. Then they both laughed and stepped forward at the same time for a man-hug. "Look after yourself bro."

"You too. Don't give Saint Peter a reason to chuck you down to the pits of hell," George joked, and Fred pushed him away.

"Bugger off mate, I'm not that bad!" he laughed. Then he cocked his head to one side, as thouhg listening for something, and grinned. He patted both his siblings on the shoulder. "There's my cue to go." he said, looking them both in the face as he slowly faded.

"Bye Fred, love you loads," Ginny said softly.

"Love ya too," came the faint reply. They felt the coldness on their shoulders disappear too, and he was gone.

Ginny and George glanced at each other. Then the latter pinched himself.

"Ow. So it was real?"

Ginny chuckled and nodded, looking much happier than she had been in ages. She sighed as she looked out the window to the family.

"We should go tell them."

"What?" George stared at her. "They'll think we've gone crazy!"

"Nothing new there with you," she joked, making her brother laugh, then added seriously, "No, I meant we should tell them about this." She held up the vial containing Fred's will.

George nodded. "Oh, yeah we should. Wonder what he's giving…" he trailed off thoughtfully.

Ginny looked at the swirly mass in the vial, and muttered, "Well, I bet whatever's in here is going to be a big surprise."

"Great. And here I was thinking I've had enough surprises today to last me a lifetime," George said in mock-disappointment.

Ginny laughed at him. "Surprises of the holy kind?"

"Exactly," he grinned.

A/N: Yes, it's random. Yes, it's weird in some bits. But I felt like sharing it. Not expecting much reviews, lol. :P I changed the end a bit, though. At first, I had them telling the Weasleys and then they got to check out Fred's will. But I didn't finish that 'cause I got a sort of block, couldn't think of what to write. So yeah. I improvised. :)

Cheers.

Izzy xo