Fred. Fred? FRED! Keeperoliver
It was three years after the fall of Tom Riddle and the wizard world was getting back to living a normal life. Shops had opened back up in Diagon Alley. Ollivanders had opened back up, as had Florians Ice Cream Shoppe, which was opened back up by his younger brother. It had been requested by several families that Gringotts find someone to open it back up. It didn't take much to get Phillip to open it.
However, not all stores opened back up. And one of them was the most popular store in the Alley Weasleys Wizard Wheezes closed its doors six months before the final battle and had not reopened. Two people were very upset about this fact. Verity Saunders and Lee Jordan were both working there when it was closed and with the passing of Fred Weasley, George Weasley did not have the initiative to open it back up. He did not see it as being the same without his brother there to help.
It was Christmas time and while the rest of the family was getting into a festive mood, George couldn't do it. He saw nothing to be festive about. He saw nothing to be happy about, or joyous, or spiritual. He felt nothing good about this time of the year.
He did the one thing he had been faithful about, and that was to visit his brothers grave in the tree line out back. He visited it every day and most of the time he just sat there saying nothing, or doing nothing. He had much to say for about a year, then he stopped talking to Fred. He didn't think he could be heard, or he would have been answered. He knew Fred would find some way to give him a sign. It just never happened, which told George that Fred had really left him alone in the world. Yes, he had his family, but they could not fill the gap that Fred left in his heart when he died.
He sat at the foot of Fred's grave and once again said nothing at first. Then he let it out. At first it was just him crying bout the pain Fred's passing gave him. Then he spoke his first words in over two years, "Why Fred. Why did you have to die? Why couldn't it have been Percy rather than you? No, I don't mean that. It would have been the same if it had been Percy, but at least you and I would still be together. Maybe we would have even opened the store back up. That was our dream, and now it's a nightmare for me. I couldn't bare to open it back up without you there by my side." and then he went silent again.
It was here that George got a rude awakening. He was so upset that he never saw something move in front of him, "Hey George."
"Hey Fred. Fred? FRED! Is that really you?"
"Na, I'm really Tonks here to cheer you up. Arse hole, of course it's me. Who else would break all the rules to be here with his brother. Now, you better have a good excuse why you never opened back up. Like you said, it was our dream. You let Lee down, Mum and Dad down and worst of all, you let Verity down. She loved working there as much as we did, and maybe even more because of what her other options were. We had no other options."
"I couldn't open it back up as no one was there to help me with our merchandise. Lee is a great friend and I love Verity almost as much as I love Ginny, but she could never fill your place in the think tank. I can't think or concentrate on our products. Without you, there's nothing for me to carry on."
"Bullshite, George. Have you reached out to anyone for help? Probably not, but there is no way I want you to stay in this state, while our dream becomes a thing of the past. You do know that if he wanted to, Harry could come back and ask for his money back?"
"Well, good luck on him getting it back. I don't have a sickle to my name."
"No, I know you don't, but do you think Harry would care if he got really hot about it? Don't say there is no way Harry would do that, because Ginny would try using Harry to get you to do something, like open the shop back up. You know Harry is still trying to win Ginny back. He will do anything for her within reason. She may be a quidditch star, but it is not a lifelong career and Her looks will only take her so far. I happen to know that she is working on Harry to get him to ask for his money back, forcing you to reopen. You do not want to be forced to do anything, like back in seventh year and Umbitch."
"Harry wouldn't do that to me Fred. He wouldn't do anything to hurt the family."
"You're right about mum and dad. Ron and Hermione, Bill and Fleur or Charlie. But you, he would do it for Ginny, if she made a strong enough point. You know Ginny and her power over Harry. She knows she has it, you know she has it and so do mum, dad, Hermione, Luna and in a small way, Ron. Face it George, if she gets through to Harry, you're going to be forced to do something. He could even call in a life debt on you."
"Now I know you're reaching there Fred. He would never do that to me. I don't have anything to give him."
"No? How about Ginny. If he wanted to, he could call in his debt as her becoming his slave. Oh, she would have it good with him, but it would still be as a slave. Is that what you want?"
"Where are you coming up with all this shite Fred? Harry wouldn't do any of that. After all this time and love with our family, why would he change?"
"Oh, I don't know, maybe frustration, or pissed off. Maybe Ginny is playing with his emotions and he is getting tired of it, because no one is helping him with her? There could be more if you looked hard enough. What ever the reason, Harry would have the backing of the Ministry, because of Kingsley being the Minister."
"OK, who is this really? You're not Fred, that's for sure. The Fred I know would be telling me to tell them all to shove off, if he tried something like that. Kingsley knows us as much as he knows Harry. Ginny would never use Harry like that. If you had gone with Ron as being the one behind it, it may have been believable. It wouldn't have worked as Harry knows Ron and would see through his attempt at getting even with me for whatever reason."
"I came back to tell you goodbye and to warn you to open back up or you would be forced to do it. Like me, you don't want to be forced to do anything you don't want to do. But I thought you wanted to open the shop back up to see all the kiddies and their parents laughing at out products. To see Verity and Lee laughing with you and at you for your ideas. To be able to hear about our products causing havoc with Hogwarts. You're not the same George I grew up with. Goodbye George." and he was gone.
George looked at the spot he just saw his brother and cried again. But this time, it was because he finally got to say goodbye to Fred. It was also because the talk worked, and George got up and went in to make a few floo calls. Lee was the first and when George told him what he was going to do, Lee almost jumped into the flames to grab and hug him. He did tell him he would be there bright and early in the morning. When he called Verity next, he was surprised to see her holding a baby in her arms and almost didn't ask her to come back and work. "George, how are you doing? I didn't expect to hear from you ever again, after you called last time to tell me to look for another job. What are you going to tell me now, that I owe you money because you over paid me?"
George had a questioning look on his face as he said, "How did you Know I was going to ask for it back?"
"Really? I can't believe you."
George couldn't take it any more and he broke into a laugh, "Verity, I'm kidding. I'm not kidding about needing you to come back to work for me though. Lee and I would be lost with out you."
"If this is another one of your jokes Weasley, I'll rip every one of your hairs from your head and shove it up your arse and tickle you to death."
"Oooh, sounds kinky. So what do you say Verity, want to come back to work? You can bring your baby with you if you have no sitter."
"My baby? Oh, you mean Laurie. She's not mine, I'm sitting for a family who went to a Christmas Party. Yes Weasley, that's my new job. Saunders Sitting Service. You even got me thinking like you, with the SSS thing. I'll be there at 8AM sharp. If you're not there, then don't bother me ever again."
"I'm looking forward to seeing you there all bright eyed and bushy tailed."
"Just make sure to have the coffee brewed. I have to get use to getting up that early again. You said that Lee was going to be there?"
"Yup."
"Good, maybe he can say something to make me laugh and get me back in the mood again. You sure fell flat on your arse."
She heard his laugh then, "See you bright and early."
Meanwhile, Harry and Ginny were sitting down to a meal at the diner in Ottery St. Catchpole. Ginny was holding Harry's hand as she said, "I can't believe you pulled it off Harry. You sounded just like Fred and that projection of him was perfect. I can't thank you enough for what you did. However, I didn't like the way you made me sound like a controlling bitch. I would never do that to you. "
"I know that Gin. I wanted to see George open back up as much as the rest of you. But, just to let you know, That wasn't me talking. Believe me, I could never sound like Fred. Ya, they were my words, but I got no idea where the voice came from."
"Oh come off it Harry. I know it was you. How did you do it?"
"I'm telling you Gin, it wasn't me. I wish I could take credit for it, but you know me. I will not lie to you."
"If not you, then who was it?"
From out of no where a voice called out, "Need you ask?" and that was all it said. It sounded just like Fred.
A/N: Well, here is my small Christmas present to everyone. I hope you liked it. It's different and not real funny, but it did make a point. At least I think it did, but darned if I know what it was.
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! Ollie the Keeper. P.S. I am still working on Harry and Dobby, so don't worry.