Disclaimer: I really hate having to remind myself every chapter but nope still don't own Harry Potter, any characters, or anything recognizable. Excuse me while I cry.
A/N: I fully admit this one tore my soul to shreds in a very horrific manner. Fred and George have a special place in my heart, and this made that part shrivel up. You have been warned.
The noise and bustle of Diagon Alley was muted but seemed deafening to the ears, well...ear, of George Weasley. He wanted to be anywhere but here, would have given anything to never have to set foot in this building again. Little else could make the empty part of his soul ache quite as hard as being in a place that was once the root of all of their hopes and dreams. Dreams that were forever out of his reach now. What point was there in trying to continue without his other half? Who was he without Fred? Nothing could ever be the same again and there was no point in trying to pretend it could be.
Looking out at the remnants of their shop it was almost impossible to remember the happier times that took place here. Looking at the ruins of what was once a place full of life and laughter that was now just a place of desolation. The Death Eaters had destroyed the shop during the height of the war. All that was left of he and his brother's shop was rubble and ashes.
In the year and a half since the war had ended George had only been able to step inside once. Shortly after Fred's funeral his family had dragged him into the shop with the idea that cleaning it up and reopening the store would give him something to focus on. In the end he couldn't stomach facing the reconstruction knowing that he'd be facing it, like everything else now, alone. He could feel his tortured soul desperately yearning for the comfort of his other half. He'd fled and no power from even Merlin himself could get him to go near it afterwards.
Being inside the shop that they'd built was like being trapped in a dream whose only purpose was to taunt him with reminders of the presence that should be there and wasn't. Nothing could be right in a world without Fred in it. It was unthinkable. There was no great pranking duo, no mischievous twins finishing each other's sentences, no pair of shopkeepers to guide the next generation of pranksters to their potential. There was no anything anymore and how could anyone expect any different?
They wanted him to be "normal", wanted him to joke and smile and act like he didn't die under that wall with his twin. He couldn't do it. He couldn't be Forge anymore and why couldn't they understand that! George didn't know how to be alone. He'd never had to learn because he'd always had his twin beside him. How could he ever function as just a half. There couldn't BE a George without a Fred and yet they expected it to work. They couldn't understand and he couldn't explain it to them. No one alive could ever help him.
He'd already run through the options, even gone so far as to consider asking someone to obliviate him so he could forget everything and everyone. It was so appealing, the idea of never knowing what he was missing. How could he do it though? Even in the depths of the darkest pits of his despair he knew he couldn't ask his family to take that on as well. They'd all suffered so much and to ask them to face that would be too much. Still, some days the idea of that possible escape was all that kept him going.
Instead, George decided to do the next best thing, if anything could be considered "best" in this scenario. The only way he could move forward in all this that wouldn't completely destroy what remained of his family is to completely separate himself from who he was. He needed to leave all traces of Gred and Forge behind if he ever wanted to exist for any length of time without wishing he was in the ground too.
As he looked around the remnants of the shop, he wondered what Fred would think of his decision. Would he approve? Not likely. His twin was always the stronger one of them both. Fred would never have given up on their dreams if he were in his shoes. His twin would have found some way to carry on their dreams and keep going. He wished so badly that it'd been him under that wall instead of Fred; it'd have been better for everyone. The tears began slipping quietly down his face as he brokenly whispered, "I… I'm so sorry Fred. I just… I can't do it without you. You weren't supposed to leave me here alone!"
Unable to speak anymore around the lump in his throat, George swiped angrily at his face and shook his head to help him focus on the task at hand. Looking around once more, he began to walk towards the door, straightening up as he went. He grasped the handle slowly and sighed, unable to help but look back once more. Before his eyes he could almost see the store as it was when they first opened and a bittersweet pain tore through him.
Closing his eyes against the feelings washing over him, he steeled himself before opening the door to leave. Feeling like he was leaving yet another large portion of his soul behind him, he walked out the door into Diagon Alley. Making sure to lock the doors securely behind him, he looked at the large sign over the door as his stomach clenched painfully. Unable to look at the large "FOR SALE" sign any longer, George hurriedly turned and walked away into the crowds of the Alley.
