When I finally saw your broken, laughing face, I thought you were joking. You were far too still, far too pale, everyone else was far too disconnected—surely you were only joking. But Mum's face said otherwise. Her eyes were all scrunched up and there were an uncontrollable amount of tears streaming down them. Dad just looked distraught, almost like he believed it was a joke too. I could see Bill and Fluer's wary expressions as I walked toward your lifeless body, but I'd pasted a sloppy half-smile on my face, daring them to get in on the joke as well. Ginny's face was swollen and blotchy. But it was Percy who finally made me realize that this was, indeed, no laughing matter.
Before I'd even managed to reach you, Percy came forward, stretching his arms out to me, the look of vengeance etched into every line on his face.
"George," he said, and his voice broke. I watched as he reluctantly seemed to painfully swallow the rest of his words. Percy's eyes kept daring me to look at them, but I couldn't. I had to see you. Why wasn't anybody laughing yet? I had expected Ginny to break into a chorus of "Gotcha!" by now, but she was still as silent as ever, watching me intently for my next move. Everyone was—even Mum had stopped her sobbing.
Ever so boldly, I stepped around Percy, shrugging him away. There was something in the way he said my name, but I couldn't place it—didn't want to. All I wanted to do was see you, for surely then this would all make sense.
But it didn't.
Because after a while I realized you weren't joking. You truly were gone, away from me forever. I felt my heart drop into my stomach, beating its way down madly; there was a deafening pounding in my ear; my feet gave way, my knees buckling so that I collapsed to the floor by your head; and you were still laughing, only no sound came out: it was completely lifeless—just like you.
I shut my eyes tightly. Why didn't I feel anything? Shouldn't I have known that you left me—and Mum and Dad and Ginny and Ron and Percy and Bill and Charlie—before everyone else did? We did everything together, finished each other's sentences. So why did I not know until now? Why was I just now finding out?
"Fred," I said, as I traced your smile with my index finger, and my voice broke, much like Percy's. And then Mum was crying again, pouring over your unmoving chest while Dad stroked her hair, tears cascading down his cheeks, finally giving into the joke as well. Ron and Hermione appeared just then, Hermione taking in Ginny's small frame as she collapsed into her. Ron made his way to Bill, Fleur, and Percy, diverting his eyes away from you. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Percy fling an arm around his shoulders.
It wasn't until Ginny and Hermione moved away (and I finally stopped looking at you) that I saw Remus and Tonks lying next to your body. They were just as still and pale and peaceful-looking, but that didn't matter to me.
You were gone, and from that moment on, a part of me was too.
