A/N: Chapter 2 is here! Thanks to the lovely people who reviewed Chapter 1. It helps to know people are enjoying it so far!
As Kingsley spoke words over his brother's casket Ron clutched Hermione's hand, his eyes burning with tears. He wished with every bit of himself that he were somewhere else. He thought he might be sick. It was wrong, putting his brother in the ground. It felt final.
Ginny had her face buried in Harry's shoulder. His mother was being supported by their father, pale as a ghost and looking on the verge of collapse. But George was the worst. He was standing perfectly straight, grief etched into every line of his ashen face. Kingsley finished speaking and lowered the casket into the ground. "George," he said quietly.
Ron watched as his brother stepped forward and raised his wand to lower a mound of earth on top of his brother. His outstretched hand trembled as the mound rose slowly into the air and then wobbled dangerously as George fell to his knees. Before Ron could move, his father was there, grasping George's hand, keeping his wand aloft.
The earth landed with a hollow thud on top of the casket and George collapsed against his father in tears. Ron felt his own knees going weak and leaned heavily against Hermione who squeezed his hand. It was done. Fred was gone.
People began to depart and Ron sighed. Hermione pulled away and looked at him seriously. "Ron, Harry and I are going to go after the wake."
"Go?" Ginny asked. "Go where?"
"Hermione and I thought we would let you have some time alone," Harry said. "As a family."
"What are you talking about?" Ron said incredulously. "You are family. You're not going anywhere."
"Are you sure?" Hermione asked.
"You loved Fred as much as we did," Ginny said in a tone that put an end to it.
All Ron wanted was to go up to his bedroom and sleep, preferably with Hermione close by. But there was a wake to be had and it didn't seem anybody felt much like leaving when they could be telling stories about Fred instead. Or maybe they just needed an excuse to finally celebrate their victory. The pall that had hung in the air since the battle seemed to have lifted a bit, leaving them free to breathe again.
The food never seemed to run out either considering how many witches and wizards were filling the house and yard. They soon found out why. "Ron," Ginny appeared at his side, her eyes worried. "It's Mum. Can you talk to her?"
Ron entered the kitchen and ducked as a frying pan flew by his head. "Mum?"
She scurried past him a knife in one hand, a pie in the other. "Oh Ron, can you hand me that spoon?" she asked as she opened the oven.
"Mum I—"
"Ronald, please, I don't have time. There are a lot of people here and they're all hungry and I just need you to—"
"Mum."
He grasped her arm, looking into her sad, tired eyes. She'd aged in the last year. Gently he removed a fork from her hand and guided her to a chair at the table. "You do not have to feed all these people."
"Of course I do. They're hungry."
"Mum."
She looked up at him and he watched the frenzied look fade from her face. She nodded. "All right."
"Where's Dad?"
"He's outside. On the hill with George."
"Ginny's coming to help you. Stay right here."
He caught Ginny's eye when he reached the yard and saw her head for the kitchen, Hermione close behind. Ron nodded to a few people who had gathered by the gate and headed for the hill. As he began his ascent he saw his father coming down. "He wants to be alone," he said.
"George has never wanted to be alone in his life," Ron said.
His father sighed. "He wants to be alone now son."
He couldn't leave his brother up there by himself. "I won't stay if he tells me to go."
Arthur gripped his shoulder briefly and then continued on toward the house. Ron braced himself and finished the trek to where George was sitting, watching the sun go down. Ron sat next to him. George sniffed and wiped his eyes.
"Remember that time, when Fred blew up the broomshed and nearly burnt the whole house down?" Ron said finally.
"Yeah," George said flatly.
"He'd want us to remember the good times."
"How the hell do you know what Fred would have wanted?" George snapped at him.
"I'm his brother—"
"Yeah well, I'm his twin and I think I bloody well know better than you do what he would want."
"Yeah, yeah I guess you do," Ron said, stung by his brother's words. Fred and George never hesitated to poke fun at anyone, but they weren't vicious. Or at least, they hadn't been.
"Just leave me alone," George said, refusing to look at him even as tears welled in his eyes again.
"If that's what you want, then I will. But Georgie…" Ron swallowed hard. Emotional words like this didn't come naturally. "I don't want to lose you too. Fred being gone is…it's the worst. It's hell. But both of you being gone," he shook his head imagining it, "I don't think we could come back from that."
George scrubbed a hand across his eyes and Ron saw a nearly imperceptible nod. "Yeah."
That was apparently all he was going to get for now. It would have to be enough. "I'm going back in. D'you want to come?"
George shook his head. "Not yet. Soon."
Ron nodded. He'd done all he could. George would have to do the rest on his own.
Back at the house he found Hermione. He took her hand and kissed her cheek. "You've been doing that a lot lately," she said.
"I'm still having a bit of a hard time letting you out of my sight," Ron said. "I can stop if you want me to."
Hermione stood on her tiptoes and kissed him soundly on the mouth. "Don't you dare. How's George?"
Ron shook his head and she seemed to understand that whatever they were all feeling, it couldn't be put into words right now. "How about you? Are you going to be okay?" she asked.
He looked up at the hill where he could just barely make out a single figure where there used to be two. "I hope so."
Hermione squeezed his hand. "Me too."
A/N: Leave your love in the reviews!
