NOTE: Hey guys! Again, thanks so much for your reviews (they make me happy!) and for reading my story. There's only one more chapter after this one, so yay! Let me know what you think. Here it is!

Chapter 4

At the exact moment George hit the wall, Fred sat straight up in bed, wide awake and clutching his stomach. A moment later, he remembered why he was lying on the bed. His twin had stunned him to keep him from going to the battle.

"Oh, that stupid, bloody prat! If a Death Eater doesn't kill him, I will!"

He jumped off the bed and got to Hogwarts as fast as he could to join the fight. He took down quite a few Death Eaters before Voldemort's icy voice was heard announcing that Harry Potter had an hour to turn himself over.

Fred, still ignoring the pains in his stomach, went to find George. He was furious that his twin had the audacity to stun him. He knew George was worried, but it was just a stupid dream. It had to be. Because George couldn't see the future. That was just impossible.

He stormed towards the Great Hall, knowing that's where most people would probably be. Before he could get to there, Bill, Charlie, Percy, Ron, and his father ran into him. Arthur sighed with relief.

"Fred! Thank goodness. We were just coming to look for you-"

"Where's George?!" Fred interrupted. "That bloody git stunned me and left me at home! When I get my hands on him, I'm gonna-"

"FRED!" Fred stopped short. Bill, who had yelled his name, was looking at him determinedly. The others had varying expressions of sorrow on their faces. Percy looked absolutely terrible. Fred scanned them one more time before slowly speaking again, looking at them warily.

"Where's George?"

"Fred, there was an explosion…"

The family paused and looked at each other, unsure of how to continue. Fred took a deep breath and heard himself say "no", his voice so low he was surprised anyone even heard him. Without another word, he pushed through his family and into the Great Hall. Instead of tables, rows of injured and dead were lining the floor. He stopped and took it all in, allowing his family to catch up with him. Before they could say anything, Fred spotted his mother and Ginny sitting in the intensive care section with a figure whose face he couldn't see.

He took off running, not pausing when his name was called by someone who might have been Lee Jordan. He didn't stop until he reached Ginny's side. She looked up at him, tears streaming down her face, and he looked down, panting, to see a body usually identical to his own. George now had cuts and scrapes on his face. His chest was covered in bruises and oddly shaped welts. Fred couldn't move until he saw the slight motion of George's chest that meant he was still alive. He realized that the rest of his family was there now, surrounding George. Bill stood beside Fred.

"He was in an explosion. There weren't a lot of external injuries, but…he hit the wall behind him with a lot of force. The internal injuries are extensive. Madam Pomfrey's done all that she can. If we don't get him to St. Mungo's soon…"

The unfinished sentence hung in the air heavily. Fred suddenly became conscious of what he'd known since he sat up in bed after being stunned by his brother. George was hurt. Badly. And he might not live. That was why his stomach hurt. It hit him like a ton of bricks.

Charlie stood next to Fred, looking concerned. "Fred? Are you okay? Fred?"

Fred couldn't hear anything. His legs gave out and he fell to his knees, a blank expression on his face. His brother was dying. There was nothing he could do about it. And it was his fault. He didn't hear his family's worried questions and calls nor did he feel their hands as they lowered his sagging body to the ground.

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Fred opened his eyes without knowing he'd closed them. He was lying flat on the floor next to his brother. He couldn't see him, but he could sense that he was there. He looked up at the worried faces of his family. Ginny, Charlie, and his father were standing over him.

"What happened?" he asked as he sat up dizzily. He pulled a knee up to support his arm, as he brought his hand up to hold his head, much like George had that night he'd said he'd first seen him die. It seemed so long ago now.

Ginny spoke first. "You passed out. Madam Pomfrey said it was probably from stress and shock."

Fred turned to look at his still unconscious twin, who was surrounded by the rest of the family.

"How is he?"

This time Charlie spoke. "The same. He'll be in the first group once we can get people out."

Before Fred could speak again, Voldemort's voice rang out through the hall. "Harry Potter is dead." [quote from Deathly Hallows, page 728

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Fred and the rest of the Weasleys sat in the waiting room at St. Mungo's. Harry Potter had seemingly come back from the dead and finally succeeded in destroying the thing that had shattered the lives of so many. The dark wizard known as Lord Voldemort was dead and the wizarding community free from his terrible shadow. Outside, there were probably celebrations going on.

But not here. In this particular waiting room at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, the mood was somber. Fred sat on the floor in a corner, knees up to his chest. He hadn't said a word since they had left the Great Hall, just stared into space. He knew his family was worried about him. They kept glancing over in his direction. He didn't care.

He couldn't help but think about his last conversation with George. Well, it was less of a conversation, and more of an argument. Conversations didn't generally end with one of the speakers stunning the other. He felt guilty about yelling at his brother. He felt sorrow about what had transpired. He felt a little confusion because, as he'd realized in the Great Hall, George's dream had come true, or could have had George not stunned him. He might have died if he had been there. Then again, maybe he wouldn't have. Maybe he would have changed the outcome himself. So mostly, Fred felt anger because George hadn't trusted him enough to give him the chance to change it on his own. Instead, he'd gone off and nearly gotten himself killed. And Fred wasn't sure if he could get over that.

After what seemed like an eternity, the healer came in. He explained that George's injuries were extensive, that they'd done the best they could, but that now it was up to George. There was nothing more they could do for him. The family stood for a minute before Arthur spoke.

"What are his chances?"

The healer paused, as if debating what to say.

"Not good."

Molly sobbed. Bill and Charlie tried and failed to look stoic. Percy let his head fall back against the wall he was leaning on and closed his eyes. Ron pulled Ginny into a hug as she attempted unsuccessfully to hold herself together. A single tear ran down his cheek. Fred continued to look blankly down the hall.

The healer gave them a minute before continuing. "You can go and sit with him if you'd like. I think it would help for you to be with him."

After thanking the healer, the whole family went down and sat with George. A few hours later, Percy took Ron and Ginny back to the Burrow, at his parents' suggestion, to get some food and rest. Bill and Charlie followed soon after that. As night fell, Arthur and Molly tried to get Fred to go home as well. He hadn't eaten in who knows how long and the last two times he'd been "asleep" he'd either been stunned or passed out. Despite this, he refused to leave his twin's side.

After a battle of stubbornness, Fred finally won out. The healer and his parents agreed that he could stay the night, so long as he ate a decent meal and promised to actually sleep. Fred agreed to the terms, but insisted that his parents go home. The family needed them and they deserved a little bit of rest. After Fred agreed to contact them if there was any change in George, the Weasley parents reluctantly went home. A cot was set up for Fred.

He didn't sleep well that night, his head filled with images of his brother lying on the ground before him dead or dying. He sat up many times just to make sure George was still breathing. Morning didn't come soon enough.

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Note: quote from Deathly Hallows page 728

Another note: So I had another scene in here with what happened during the battle between Harry and Voldemort, but I took it out because it seemed to mess with the flow of the story. If you really want to see it, I could post it as an extra scene or something. Let me know and if I get enough responses, I'll go ahead and post it. If not, that's okay, it's not integral to the story (thus me not putting it in the first place). I'm just curious about whether you want to see it or not. Okay, I'm done now. I'll try to post the last chapter in a couple of days. Thanks!