Disclaimer: I don't own anything that has to do with the Harry Potter series.
It had been two months since the war at Hogwarts. The Burrow seemed a lot quieter but slowly the occupants of the house were recovering from their losses.
Harry was living in the Burrow temporarily. He didn't feel ready to move into Sirius's old place yet. He also felt like he should stay there to comfort the Weasley family.
At the moment Mrs. Weasley and Ginny were in the kitchen preparing lunch. All the old Weasley boys were with Mr. Weasley at the ministry helping the Order sort things out. Harry sat with George in the living room. Little Teddy sat on his godfather's lap.
The little boy was so much like his parents it surprised Harry. The unfortunate child had inherited his mother's clumsiness but also her shape shifting abilities. When he was not changing colors though, he was the spitting image of his father. However he was also the spitting image of his father during full moon too.
Even though the infant was too small to hurt anyone, it was still very frightening for everyone when he transformed the first time. Luckily Hermione found and produced the very potion that Remus took each month and they managed to force it down the baby's throat before his next transformation.
Right now though, Hermione was in Australia with Ron. She wanted to go find her parents since the war was over. She so kindly waited till all the funerals were said before voicing this wish. Rod had insisted that he go with her and Harry would have gone too if it wasn't for Teddy.
He felt that Teddy was his responsibility till his grandparents could take him. They had insisted that they would raise their daughter's son since Harry was not old enough to care for him just yet.
The infant suddenly changed his hair from gray to bright yellow throwing his godfather off-guard. Harry soon found his glasses in the mouth of the yellow haired infant.
A slight chuckle came from the corner of the room. Harry quick stole the slimy glasses back from the baby to see what the source of the chuckle was. Of course he knew that it came from the room's only other occupant, but Harry hadn't heard George laugh since Fred had died.
George sat there watching Teddy with a half interested look. The slightest smirk was on his face.
Harry put the squirming baby on the floor and conjured a patronus to entertain him while he wiped off his glasses. The stag nuzzled the baby's cheek as Teddy drifted off to sleep.
"I'm going to close the joke shop."
The sound of George talking above a whisper caused Harry to drop his glasses again.
"I don't need the money anymore and… I just can't," George broke off.
Harry understood probably better that anyone else could. He was accustomed to loss. Though that didn't make it any easier.
Harry reached into his back pocket and pulled out a blank piece of paper. He tapped it with his wand and whispered before handing it to George.
"Your need is greater than mine," he said. George said nothing at first, but then he took out his own wand.
"Mischief managed," he said. He tried to pass it back to Harry. His words seemed to haunt the air around them. Without Fred, all mischief would be managed, just like he had said. George wouldn't want to continue without his partner in crime.
Harry held up his hands. "I want you to keep it."
George drew it back and looked at the map again. "Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs," he mumbled to himself.
"Remus, Pettigrew, Sirius and James," Harry corrected. George looked up at him.
"They made this?" Harry nodded. "So your Dad…"
"Was Prongs," Harry said. "He could change into a stag." The two watched the potronus lay down beside the sleeping baby and vanish.
George sighed and then tapped the map with his wand again. "Reveal," he said.
At first, Harry thought George had forgotten how to open the map, but he soon realized his intentions.
Prongs wishes Mr. George a good day and would like to remind him to wash behind his ear and hole.
Wormtail agrees with Mr. Prongs and would like to add that George is a big slimy git.
"One of them always says something like that," Harry said.
"I know," chuckled George. "That's the best part."
Moony says Mr. George needs to get his head back on so he doesn't lose it like he lost his ear.
Padfoot would like to say that George is acting like he has a hole in his head.
George started to laugh, but it died quickly.
"Fred died laughing, George. I don't think he would want you to stop laughing too," Harry said.
"He died laughing?" George asked suddenly looking up from the Marauder's Map.
Harry realized everyone else had thought someone else had told him this comforting thought and didn't think George would like the constant reminder to cheer up. Knowing that he was the first to mention this to George, Harry felt rather odd.
"Erm… yeah. Percy told a joke," Harry said.
George smiled slightly. "I haven't heard him make a joke since he was…" He broke off again.
Harry felt as if he should say something else to comfort George.
"You two are a part of each other. Fred lives in you just like Lupin and Tonks live in Teddy." Harry glanced at the now blue haired sleeping baby. "To the rest of us you'll always be Gred and Forge."
George couldn't contain his laughter. "Fred is probably more 'holey' than me right now," George said reaching to feel where his ear used to be. Then he frowned.
"Pathetic! With the whole wide world of ear-related humor before me, I go for holey!" Then George laughed. He stared down at the Marauders Map and Harry could practically see the memories flash in George's eyes.
"Wish you were 'ear, Fred," George said and laughed again. He reminded Harry of exactly what Fred looked like before- and after he died. Harry smiled. Even when one of them was dead, the twins were identical.