Disclaimer: JKR owns this world, and the characters within it.
George Weasley sat on the edge of his bed, staring at a photo of he and Fred taken the day they opened their new joke shop in Diagon Alley. The two boys were standing in front of the shop entrance in their suits, laughing and joking. They had their arms slung over each other's shoulders, looking like mirror images of each other. George smiled sadly at the memory.
It had been two years since he lost his brother in the war. Two years to the day, in fact. George had never thought of this day as the day Voldemort had been vanquished, rather as the day he had lost half of his soul. He still couldn't bear the absolute sense of loneliness that had swallowed him up from the moment he had seen his twin lying on that stretcher in the Great Hall.
He felt his eyes prickling and burning and he rubbed them hard. Angela came into the room at that moment from the bathroom and sat on the bed next to him.
"Are you ready Georgie?"she asked softly. He sighed and put the photo back in its place next to his bed.
"Yeah, I guess so," he replied. Angela took him by the hand and led him out of the house.
"Will you be alright to get there?"she asked, concern evident in her voice.
"I'll be fine," was all he said. He closed his eyes and let the image of Fred's grave fill his mind. He felt the familiar pressure of Apparition close in on him for a fleeting moment before he was released again.
His eyes were still closed, not wanting to see the graveyard, not wanting to acknowledge his loss, when he felt a gentle hand on his arm.
"Just come when you're ready," said Angela, who turned and headed off towards his brother's grave. George could see the rest of his family gathered around the headstone, and didn't feel like facing them at that moment. He wanted to be alone with his brother. His mother looked up and caught his eye and smiled sadly. She seemed to understand his need to be alone and ushered the rest of his family away. George nodded to her, silently thanking her.
He made his way over slowly. No matter how many times he had visited the grave, he still couldn't shake the feeling of a vice clamped around his heart. That headstone was a very real reminder of his loss.
He sat down in front of the headstone, staring at the words etched on the stone.
FRED WEASLEY
BELOVED SON, BROTHER, FRIEND.
MISCHIEF MANAGED
George smiled sadly at the last part. He knew Fred would have liked that. His final joke, George thought.
"Hey Freddie," he said into the silence. He knew it was pointless, but he always felt comforted by talking to his brother. It almost felt as if Fred was sitting there with him.
"It's been two years today since you left. Freddie, I miss you every second of every day. I wish you were there to see Angela's face when I proposed last month. Though, you might not have appreciated the soppy romance." George laughed at the thought. "Freddie, I love her. She is the girl I am going to marry."
"Katie still misses you," continued George to the emptiness. He looked around at the small group standing a short distance away. There, talking to Ron was Fred ex-girlfriend. "She's here now even. She still talks about you all the time. I think she really loved you too." He sighed.
"Ginny and Harry are becoming more and more like a married couple by the day. We heard last week that Ginny is going to play Quidditch. She was selected as a Seeker for Holyhead Harpies. She was very excited about that. Luckily she doesn't have to go far, so Harry can finish his Auror training."
"Freddie, you should have seen Ron and Hermione fight the other day. It was actually quite funny. They were arguing over that ugly cat again. Eventually they ended up having a make-out session." George chuckled at the memory. "Who would have ever thought that those two would have ended up together? Well, they certainly make a good couple. I just wish you were around to tease Ron with me."
"Mum and dad miss you a lot too. I don't quite think they have moved on. The other day I walked past the kitchen and I saw them staring at that clock, the one with all our names on it. I stopped and watched them. Mum had taken your hand off, and she started crying. Dad cried too. Before you left, I had never seen dad cry. Nowadays though, he and mum are always having these moments."
"Freddie, I am trying to keep the shop running like we used to, but it really isn't the same without you. It still hurts to go to work, with reminders of you everywhere. I haven't invented a new product in months. I don't know bro, I'm just not feeling it as much anymore."
George ignored the tears that were now streaming down his face. He leant against his brother's gravestone, his head resting on his knees, and sobbed silently. Eventually, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up into his mother's face. There were tears in her eyes too, and George stood up and hugged his mother. He felt his father wrap his arms around him too, and other arms around them. The small group just stood there, all hugging George. He could feel the love pulsating in that little group.
As the group finally broke apart, George glimpsed something in the trees nearby. When he looked however, it was gone. But he knew. He had seen the flaming red hair, as pale as it had been. George felt a warmth in him that he hadn't felt since his brother had died.
Fred was there. He was always there. He had never left.
A/N: Please read and review. :)