Disclaimer: I do not anything Harry Potter related. I don't own the song either.
Author's note: So I was inspired to write this fic a few after I was strolling around tumblr posts about Fred and George. I saw someone post that the first few parts of the song "You Are My Sunshine" remind them about Fred and George. I am not sure who that person was, so if you do know, or if you are that person, please let me know in the reviews so I can acknowledge you!
I instantly realized that someone could make a really beautiful story with this song involved, and as I was not sure whether any one ever would make one, I decided I would. I have to say that I think I did a pretty good job for my first ever fic, hopefully you agree too:) please R&R! Thanks!
"Fred! George! Get down here this instant!" the twins heard their mum call loudly, with a hint of laughter, from the garden to their eight-year old selves in their room.
Fred and George were dreading going down the stairs to meet their family in their gnome-filled garden. They were being forced by their mum to sing a song in front of the whole family as a punishment for their latest prank. They had locked Ron up in the attic for hours after telling him that the whole house was starting to flood and that it was the only safe place for him.
To top it all off, Fred and George had to wear sunrays all around their heads, courtesy of their mother, as well as all-yellow attire in order to look like what they were singing about.
"You know what, George," Fred said to his twin.
"What, Fred?" said George drearily, obviously not looking forward to what lied ahead for them.
"Why don't we try to make the best out of this?" Fred said with a sudden rush of excitement. "There's no use being so upset about humiliating ourselves. It'll get them to laugh, right? And we both know that our embarrassment will do that, as wrong as that sounds. Let's give them the best performance ever ok?"
George looked at his twin for a couple of seconds, thinking about what he just said, then replied with equal excitement as Fred, "I think you're right, Fred! Let's just have fun, and they will too. It'll make all of them happy."
Fred and George started running down the stairs, but then they both thought it would be better if they hid their giddiness from their family at first, to make the fun of it even better.
As Fred and George entered the garden, they saw that all of the Weasleys were seated on the ground trying so desperately to hold their laughter once they saw the sullen looks of the twins and their not-so-sullen bright yellow sun costumes. The real sun above them was shining bright and almost seemed to be holding in its own laughter as its rays moved every which way.
Once Fred and George got into position, both letting out a long and dramatic sigh, their family had to try even harder to hold in their amusement. But as Fred and George turned to face their family and start their song and dance, there was absolutely no hope in keeping their laughter on the inside. The twins started to sing in their sweet, little voices:
"You are my Sunshine
My only sunshine.
You make me happy
When skies are grey.
You'll never know, dear,
How much I love you.
Please don't take my sunshine away
The other night, dear,
As I lay sleeping
I dreamed I held you in my arms.
When I awoke, dear,
I was mistaken
And I hung my head and cried.
You are my sunshine,
My only sunshine.
You make me happy
When skies are grey.
You'll never know, dear,
How much I love you.
Please don't take my sunshine away."
They had acted out each line in the most literal sense: giving huge smiles, pretending to sleep in each other's arms. But George was not pretending to cry as he opened his eyes to find that Fred was not there. Seeing his brother crying, Fred rushed over and wiped away his tears with his tiny fingers, whispering, "I'm right here it's ok" to George before they sang the next chorus. They held each other tightly so that their sunshine would not be taken away, and they gave each other kisses on the cheeks at the end.
When the twins started getting into the song, the Weasleys' loud laughs stopped and they turned into large smiles as they saw how much Fred and George really loved each other. And soft tears quickly accompanied the large smiles on Molly, Arthur, and Ginny as they witnessed the tender moment of Fred wiping away his twin's tears.
George had not expected to react that way to the song, they had heard it many times as their mum sang it while she was cooking. But as George opened his eyes and felt Fred leave his arms, it scared him so much that he just could not help but cry for him. He did not ever want Fred to be taken away from him. He did not like the feeling of Fred leaving his side, and he did not want to experience it ever again.
Fred did not mind that things did not go according to plan; all he wanted was for George to be happy again. He never ever wanted George to be sad. He felt that it was his job to make him happy, and he knew that George had the same job. He did not like seeing George sad, not at all. Fred made a promise to himself that day: I will always be there for George, no matter what happens.
When Fred and George finished singing, the whole family gathered in an all-too-familiar group hug, but this one was different somehow to all of the rest. Maybe it was because the twins did not try to secretly poke everyone from the middle of the group hug, maybe it was because every single family member squeezed each other as hard as they could, or maybe it was because Fred whispered to George, "I will never be taken away from you, and you will never be taken away from me. I love you, Georgie" and George whispered back, "I love you too, Freddie".
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12 years later
As George stared with shock at the lifeless body of his twin, he started to shake violently and fall on his knees next to Fred's head. The rest of the Weasleys decided to give George some time alone, and left the Great Hall while holding each other tightly.
George held Fred's face between his hands, put his forehead to his now dead twin's, dropping tears all over his cold face. He started to sing a song that he had once sung a long time ago, the difference now being was that he was alone:
"You are my Sunshine
My only sunshine.
You make me happy
When skies are grey.
You'll never know, dear,
How much I love you.
Please don't take my sunshine away
The other night, dear,
As I lay sleeping
I dreamed I held you in my arms.
When I awoke, dear,
I was mistaken
And I hung my head and cried.
You are my sunshine,
My only sunshine.
You make me happy
When skies are grey.
You'll never know, dear,
How much I love you.
Please don't take my sunshine away."
As he sang the song he had once sung with his twin, all of the memories they shared swarmed through his mind and fell out in tears through his eyes, and only fell harder as he held on to Fred's motionless body.
George suddenly felt a comforting, familiar presence next to him that was singing the song with him. It was quiet, faint, but he still heard it even with only one ear. He wanted nothing more than to embrace the presence that he knew was Fred, to know that he was alive and breathing, to hear his laugh again, but could hold on to nothing but his cold body. He still felt him by his side though, he still heard his voice singing. The scene was eerily similar to the one 12 years ago, and it made George sob violently thinking about how his eight-year old self was right to be scared when Fred left his arms... He should have held on to him tighter, he should have gone after him, he should have never let go of him...
As they finished singing, George heard Fred whisper in his ear the same thing that he told him the day George had cried for him:
"I will never be taken away from you, and you will never be taken away from me. I love you, Georgie"
"I love you too, Freddie"
George felt a rush of warmth on his cheek, and wished it would stay there forever. He sat there, sobbing into Fred's shirt, hoping that somehow he would suddenly feel Fred's arms wrap around him, hoping that he would finally relieve him of the cruel prank he pulled, but whatever he had hoped was far from the sad reality: he was alone.
After Fred had given his twin one final kiss on the cheek, he sat next to him, painfully watching the torture he had put his brother through, wishing that he could tell him a joke and give him a bone-breaking hug the way they used to whenever one of them was upset. He did not want George to feel alone, but he knew that that was exactly what George was thinking. He was thinking that he was alone, that his best friend was gone and never got a chance to live his life, and he was wondering how he could possibly live his... Fred thought about all of the things that George was thinking too, but he was mostly concerned about George's future. Fred knew that if he were in George's position, he could not ever get through it. He would not be able to. But George was stronger than him; eventually, he would be able to live his life, Fred knew that he would. And he would help him along the way, for Fred would forever keep the promise he made to himself 12 years ago:
I will always be there for George, no matter what happens.