A/N This is a very random oneshot that I wrote on a snow day a few weeks ago. I tried to upload it, but it didn't want to until today, which is why I'm finally posting it.
Anyway, I obviously do not own Harry Potter. All I own is the books and movies. Actually, my parents even own those. So I own absolutely nothing, which is why I love reviews. They're mine! And, come on, you know you want to comment! Really, you do... (I'm hypnotizing you. Is it working?)
George stared out the window at the gently falling snow. His shop was empty, his assistant has asked for a day off. She was married to a muggle, and he hadn't been able to work because of the storm, so she had stayed home with him. So George was alone, and he couldn't help but think of Fred.
It had been about a year since his death, and it still felt as bad as it had the first day. Almost as if part of him, an arm or leg, had been amputated, but he could still feel the phantom pain in the missing limb. Because, having once had it, it was all the more painful because he knew what he was missing. His twin.
Looking out at the snow made George remember better days, back at Hogwarts, when they used to skive off classes and have snowball fights instead. It had been so much easier and less complicated then. Our whole lives consisted of pranks, quidditch, and girls, with a little bit of schoolwork thrown in. Sure, there had been a few scares- Ginny in the Chamber of Secrets, Ron's adventures with Harry over the years, Bill getting mauled by a werewolf, Dad getting bitten by a giant snake- alright, there had been a lot of scares. But everyone had always been all right in the end.
But now he was gone: my twin, my other half. The world seemed a little darker, and much less funny, without him. I looked over to the little table in the corner of the shop. My little shrine to Fred was located there, complete with pictures, his dragon skin boots, and even the last gismo that he had been working on. He had been tinkering with it before the final battle, and it had never been completed.
I had been completely broken for weeks after the battle. Everyone had assumed I wanted to be alone, but I didn't. It was so quiet, and I wasn't used to it. He had always been around, and my flat, my shop, my life seemed so empty. People hadn't realized, but he had always been the more talkative of us.
I had gradually gone back to normal on the outside, and everyone had just accepted it, which just made me more bitter. I couldn't help but think that if Fred had been there, he would have seen right through the act. But no one did, and I went back to work at the joke shop like it had always just been me.
But when I was alone, it got worse. All the feelings I didn't admit to in company came out, and I couldn't smile, I couldn't even move. Exactly like I was now. Looking at the winking picture of Fred hung on the wall, I couldn't help but think that he wouldn't want this for me. But the tears were welling up in my eyes, and I couldn't help but wish I were gone too.
I had to get out of there. There were no customers in the shop, anyway. So I hung the flashing orange "Closed" sign on the door and, pulling on a woolen coat and magenta hat that clashed horribly with my hair, I exited the shop.
Walking down the deserted street of Diagon Alley, I realized that this wasn't really were I wanted to be. Without really thinking about it, I spun and apparated.
When the slight dizziness from apparating subsided, I looked around at my surroundings. Hogsmeade looked exactly like it had when I was still in Hogwarts. With the lack of people and the picturesque pure snow, it looked like a scene from a postcard. But how to get into Hogwarts?
I went into Honeydukes and stood, apparently examining a display of Cockroach Cluster, but in reality watching the few costumers and employees in the store. I was just waiting for them to not be paying attention: the Cockroach Cluster display happened to be situated right next to the door that lead down to the basement.
Sure enough, only a minute later I saw an opportunity and slipped quietly through the door, closing it noiselessly behind me. Sneaking was one of the numerous necessary skills I had picked up as one of Hogwarts ruling Prank Lords.
Lifting the stone from the basement floor, I lowered myself into the tunnel. Doing this reminded me of school days with Fred, but in a reminiscing way, not such a sad way. We had used this passage ever since we stole the Marauders' Map to sneak into Hogsmeade, to buy pranking supplies and food, or just to get a butterbear at the Three Broomsticks. Merlin, I missed him.
My memories had carried me all the way through the passage, and I quickly exited at the other end and hurried through the corridor of the school. I didn't want to see anyone. I didn't want them to ask me why I was here.
I breathed deeply when I got outside, the cold air flooding my lungs. It hurt a little, but the pain reminded me that I was alive. I trudged slowly through the fluffy snow, the only sound the pitter-patter of flakes hitting my hat and shoulders.
When I reached the tree by the lake, I sat down, not caring about the cold or the wetness seeping through my pants. This had been our tree, the one we lazed around under on hot days or built forts for snowball fights under on cold ones. It was the tree we came to when we needed to plot, where we had hatched our brilliant plan to undermine Umbridge and leave the school.
I lay back in the snow, wishing the snow would just cover me until I disappeared. I would rather feel the numbness than the hurt that wouldn't go away. I felt the tears coming again, freezing against my face. Why had I thought that coming here would help?
"George Weasley." I looked up and saw Loony… er, Luna Lovegood standing next to me. She was bundled up in a striped scarf, muggle style coat, and a Ravenclaw blue hat topped in a pompom.
"Um, hello Luna. What are you doing out here in the snow?" I asked, trying to sound my usual cheerful self.
"Looking for you," she replied airily. "The question is, what are you doing out here in the snow."
"You knew I would be here?" I questioned skeptically.
"Yes, well, the nurbuflious wumbers told me that you would be here. And I noticed, when I went to the Burrow for Christmas, that you're still very sad," she replied. I was a little shocked: she had noticed that even though my family didn't? Although, I suppose they were all a little involved in their significant others…
"I'm fine," I muttered. Who did she think she was?
But she just sat down in the snow next to me and out her head on my shoulder. Her silvery hair tickled my nose, and smelled like oranges. "I lost my mother. I was very young, though. But I still miss her. Talking to other people helped. I told Harry about it once. Then he told me about Sirius. I think he felt better."
I could feel the tears coming again. It helped that she wasn't looking at me. Whenever she did, I felt like she could see through me. Those big, blue eyes never had seen the same things the rest of us did. But I just couldn't.
"I can't… I just can't talk about it," I said. We both sat quietly for a while, just watching the snow tumbling down around us. But eventually she stood, shaking the snow off of her clothes. So she was going to leave me, too. This is why I never admitted that I was in pain. No one would want to be around me. What was a Weasley twin without humor, cheerfulness, and a touch (or maybe more than a touch) of mischief? But she just stood there, staring at me for a minute.
Grabbing a branch of the tree, she shook it, and snow came tumbling down on me as she giggled. I looked up at her in shock for a moment, and, before I realized what I was doing, a smile broke out over my face.
Luna smiled back, but when I stood up, my smile turned into an evil grin. Her faced turned worried, and as I started forward, she turned and ran, occasionally glancing back over her shoulder at me. I bent down to pick up snow as I chased her, packing it into a perfect snowball, which I threw at her back, hitting right in the middle. She let out a shriek, and then turned for battle. She picked up some snow to make her own weapon, as I did the same. Darting quickly forward, she threw the snowball into my face at close rang. Then she turned to run again. I threw my snowball, but the snow in my face had affected my aim and I missed.
Seeing no other option, I gave chase. She looked back to see me gaining, and picked up speed. Merlin, she ran faster than I would have expected. But she ran to the edge of the lake and was left with no direction to run. So she tried to cut around me, and I made a spectacular dive, tackling her to the snow.
I looked down at her, lying underneath me. Her eyes were sparkling, her cheeks were rosy, and her hair was spread out in a halo around her. Her smile gradually faded away as our eyes met. Her tongue darted out to wet her lips. It would be so easy just to lean down a little… But no, not while I was feeling like this. I drew back slightly and smiled at her.
"You'll be fine, George Weasley," Luna said, looking up into my eyes. I stood slowly, and then helped her up. Luna caught me by surprise when she caught me in a quick hug.
Then, with one last tinkling laugh, she skipped off through the snow towards the castle.
A/N When I clap once, you will review! CLAP!