He had to run. Run. Just get away from it all. All the fright and terror and pain and sorrow and anxiety and worry. Escape from everything.
George Weasley ran out of the castle into the grounds of Hogwarts after the Final Battle, fighting the tears that were threatening to fall from his eyes, and ignoring the pain from all his cuts and bruises. He ran until he reached a willow tree beside the black lake. The one he always went to… with his twin… Fred. His tears started to fall. He thought about all the time they had spent there... making mischief and plotting pranks…. even occasionally doing some homework.
Crazy right? Him doing homework… with his brother... Dead brother… MURDERED BROTHER!
All because of the war. The war that killed his twin… And so many others… Remus, Tonks, Dumbledore, Snape, Sirius, Dobby, and so many countless others. All because of Voldemort and his followers. "STUPID BLOODY WAR!" he screamed aloud.
"George?" he heard a concerned voice ask from a short distance away. He knew that voice. He knew it all too well. It was his best friend…. Well…. His OTHER best friend apart from Lee Jordan and… Fred. But no, Fred was dead now. Gone forever. The tears poured even faster.
"Oh there you are. I would ask how you were feeling, but I know it's pointless." He felt a warm body flop down beside him.
"You shouldn't cry. I think Fred would want you to be happy." He saw a pair of sparkly brown eyes looking at him kindly. He was getting lost in them when he was snapped back to reality.
"Go play a prank on some first years." He wiped his tears away as he continued listening, and started to feel better by the second, even enjoying the company when he thought all joy in the world had been lost.
"Maybe you could turn their hair purple." He laughed at the joke. He actually laughed. It felt weird though. After all the loss and sadness, he was shown there was still some hope in the world.
"I remember that." George replied, his voice croaky from all the crying and lack of use. "Our first time on the Hogwarts Express. Me and... Me and Fred turned your long brown hair purple. We got a detention on our first night from McGonagall, ruined our plans of playing tag with the Whomping Willow. McGonagall changed it back, but I actually kind of liked it that way." They both looked at each other, and laughed, just laughed. It felt good, just letting out all of their emotions, into something good, something happy, something called laughter, something he thought he would never feel now that he had lost Fred, his twin, his other half.
"Thank you, you know for coming out and comforting me. I really, really needed that after… Well after everything that has happened tonight. You're a great friend, you know. One of the best." George said looking out over the black lake, which dazzled in the sunrise.
"Didn't quite catch that?" Angelina Johnson said, a smirk appearing on her face.
"Oh shove off." He replied giggling with her, and giving her a light push on the shoulder.
He felt her head lean onto his shoulder. They both sat there for hours on end, looking out over the lake as the sun rose further into the sky, illuminating the sky with different colours from the oranges and pinks of the early morning, to the pale blue of the day. There wasn't any talking, but it was nice, a comfortable silence. It was… different… good different though. Sitting there under the willow, with the leaves rustling in the breeze, no commotion, no worry, no nothing, just silence, with his female best friend beside him, basking in the morning light after the battle. He was glad of a distraction from all the sadness the night had brought. He heard her sigh.
"This is nice." Angelina said, a bit dreamily, as she was off in another world, without battle and war. She turned to him and said, "Don't you think?"
They looked into each other's eyes, brown meeting brown, and all the feelings from tonight, and from the nine years of their friendship, poured into one, long, passionate kiss.
There was a big clean-up ahead in the castle, after all the commotion from the night, everything that had happened. But that could wait till later. Right now, all that mattered was that Angelina was safely wrapped inside of George's loving arms, and hoped to stay there forever.
The couple parted long enough for George to say, "Yeah, but it would be better if your hair was purple."
"Oh shove off.", said Angelina as she giggled and lunged in for another passionate kiss.
