Chapter two - Intervention

After the funeral everybody including Mrs. Weasley seemed happier. For George however, the firework display had only served as a reminder that the comedy team had ended for good. He again, shut himself in his room, refusing to see anyone. This time there were attempts to coax him down. Even Percy made an attempt. He refused however. None of them could understand this. True they had all lost Fred. Fred the brother, Fred the son, Fred the friend. But only he had lost so much with just one fatality. Where Ron had Harry to confide in and console him, He'd had Fred. They had spend most of their lives together joined at the hip. No one understood what it felt like to be a constant reminder of the son that was lost. He knew that they couldn't help it but every time his mother looked at him with that momentary hopeful look, it cut open a fresh new wound. He of course knew that she loved him, but the look of disappointment always made him feel inadequate.

As he lay on his bed he thought back to all those people who had been present at the funeral. With a pang of sadness he remembered seeing the tear streaked face of Angelina johnson, who he remembered had been Fred's girlfriend since the 6th year at Hogwarts. He hated the sight of her so upset, but how could he comfort her, when he couldn't even comfort himself.

On the second day Mrs. Weasley timidly knocked on his door.

'George please come down,' She pleaded, 'we want to speak to you.' as usual he ignored her, continuing to stare at the picture of the shops grand opening.

'George Weasley,' she said, a renewed force behind her voice, 'Get down in the kitchen in five minutes or so help me I will jinx you until you look like a grindilo!'

He sighed and after another minute, when he had heard her go down stairs he forced himself to sit up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. Slowly he dragged himself out the door and down the stairs into the kitchen.

To his surprise it wasn't only his parents sitting around the table, but the whole family, plus Harry and Hermione were gathered around a large table in the garden. He sat down in the only available seat and immediately his father began to speak.

'George,' he started, 'We are all very aware that this for you has been difficult,' George raised his eye brows but said nothing.

'It's been difficult for all of us georgie,' Mrs Weasley almost sobbed, 'But you need to stop hiding from the world'

To his surprise Harry was the next one to speak.

'It doesn't work,' He said, very carefully looking at the table, 'Remember when your dad was attacked. I hid for days dwelling on the fact.'

'Fred wouldn't want you to shut yourself out from us George,' Bill said.

This was the thing that finally burst something from inside George, and his rage finally exploded from out of him.

'I'll never know what fred would have wanted.' He shouted at them, slamming his hands on the table, 'I hate being the one who lets everyone down when they look around and take a while to realise I'm not him, I hate the feeling that the other half of me has been ripped away. Everywhere I look I see him, something that reminds me of him. I can't even look in the mirror without thinking that maybe it's him standing behind me. Do you know what it feels like to feel that you don't know who you are anymore?'

He sat down, still breathing heavily, and buried his face in his hands.

'Oh george,' Ginny whispered softly and walked over to him, gently she put her arms around his shoulders, and for the first time in his life, he didn't push her away. Instead he began to sob, like he had never done before. He didn't notice them leave, but somehow when he surfaced again, it was his mothers arms wrapped around him, and he was crying in her arms like he had done when he was small. It felt natural. She stroked his hair, making soothing sounds, her own tears falling silently down her face. When he had finally finished crying he felt better. It was as though he had released some of his grief, either though shouting or crying. He had no idea how long they had been sitting like that but eventually, in a thick voice, but still gentle his mother began to speak.

'I don't understand how you feel, and I won't pretend to, but you and I both know that Bill was right. Fred would not want you staying in your room all day everyday. You too were two peas in a pod, and you were both two of the most troublesome boys I have ever met,' She laughed a little after this, 'But you were both your own men in your own right.' Cupping his face in her hands she drew is face to eye level. 'Just because you two were similar does not make you a different person now he is gone. Don't let Fred's death turn you into someone unrecognisable.'

He pulled her in for another hug, grateful for her soft hands stroking his hair as they sat in silence again in the garden.

'do you remember,' He finally said, with a slight grin, 'That time we set Bill on fire on his first day of Hogwarts.'

She nodded, smiling a little at the memory and said in a tone he had never heard her speak in before.

'The colours in that fire really were fantastic weren't they.'

They both laughed together, at the memory of that day. Although she had almost screamed the house down at the time, George had always had the feeling that the was partly to hide the amusement she felt. Finally he had proof that his mother was a lot more like him than he had ever fully appreciated.

'I love you mum,' He whispered.

'Oh Georgie,' She said covering his face with kissed.

'Mum, Get off.' He moaned struggling to get out of her grip.

'That's my boy,' Mr Weasley said with a smile from the door of the burrow.

I'll try to write the new chapter sooner as i have a week off coming up =]