Brought on by a beautiful bit of fanart over on dA. "not anymore." by viria13
Also used for the cover image.
George Weasley braced himself for what he knew lay on the other side of his front door. With a soft huff and a stiffening of his upper lip, he gave the handle a firm turn and pushed the door open.
"SURPRISE!"
George managed a smile as he looked at the happy faces that filled his kitchen. Harry and Ginny were there with Ron and Hermione, and Angelina threw her arms around George's shoulders as he stepped over the threshold and closed the door behind him.
"Happy Birthday, darling!" She said, quickly kissing his cheek.
George held her close, breathing in her scent for a moment before letting her go. "You didn't have to do all this…" He muttered softly.
"Are you kidding?" Ginny asked, lifting an eyebrow at him. "It's your birthday. We're not about to let you celebrate it alone!"
Ron was grinning hugely. "Besides, with the kids at school and all…"
George laughed softly. "I suppose…"
Angelina smiled softly up at him, a gentle sort of comprehension crossing her face. "Don't worry about it. Now come on, dinner's ready and there's cake for after."
"And presents!" Ron added with a wink.
"And presents." Angelina confirmed.
George had slipped out of the house through the back door, taking a quick apparition to the graveyard. He knew the way through the headstones by heart, and within moments he was standing at the edge of his brother's grave.
"Hey there, Fred." He whispered, taking his wand out of his pocket and conjuring a wreath of purple and orange roses. "Angelina's fine, by the way. She threw a party for me, actually…" He opened the bottle of champagne he'd brought with him with a flick of his wand. "I miss seeing your name next to mine in the icing." He admitted softly, taking a swig from the bottle and sitting atop the gravestone. "Remember the way mum used to write it out? You were always so pleased that she put your name first… Cheeky bugger."
George sighed softly, pouring roughly a glass-full of champagne onto the green fuzz of grass that had sprung up on the gravesite. "Here's to us, eh?"
There was no reply, but George wasn't expecting one. He had grown accustomed to the silence. To being one half of what had once been a whole. He sighed and took another swig of champagne. "Ginny said to say hello, by the way. She caught me sneaking out of the house. Don't know how that girl does it… I think she's got as much cunning as the two of us combined…" He trailed off, voice slipping. "As much cunning as we had combined." He amended, sighing softly.
"You know, Fred, life's a dammed awful mess." George shook his head, taking another drink. "I knew that after we left school. But I always thought you'd be there to make it a bit less damnable and a bit less awful." He grinned. "Remember the portable swamp in our seventh year? Priceless. And the Skiving Snack-boxes? And Hermione's threats to tell mum about them…?" His smile faded slightly as he looked down at the multicolored wreath that adorned his brother's grave.
"God, I miss the good old days."
With another sigh, George stood up and moved to look at the engraving on the headstone.
Fred Weasley; 1 April, 1978 - 2 May, 1998
Beloved Brother, Son, and Prankster-in-Chief
"Happy Birthday, Fred."
All characters and locations belong to: J. K. Rowling