Author's Note: Thank you so much to GeorgieForever, gwin, mebyrne, Aris1013, and anon for reviewing! It means a lot and the reviews have been absolutely wonderful :D They're a great motivation! Personally, I'm a bit iffy about this chapter, but I don't want to pick and prod it to death, so here we are! :P I hope you all like it anyway :P

Disclaimer: I sadly own nothing, but I wish I did :P

Summary: Four months after 'the incident,' George has to face his attackers in court. Fred is bent on getting him through it, but can he even handle it himself?

Rating: T

By Your Side

Chapter Four

The morning started off rather slowly. There was much groaning and resistance on the twins' part on being up 'way too bloody early.' But Mr. and Mrs. Weasley didn't want to be late this time. The ride to the Ministry wasn't nearly as awkward as it was yesterday, and the family actually managed to chat about things that didn't involve the case. Charlie told them a few dragon tales and Bill reckoned that he might be getting a promotion soon.

They weren't the most exciting topics, but anything to take their minds off of George's case was good enough for George. But as they approached the Ministry, everyone seemed to get antsy. The suspense on what would be uncovered weighed on everyone's shoulders, and George was nervous that they might not be able to handle it. But still, they walked into the courtroom and waited for everyone to file in.

"What are the odds they got attacked by a venomous snake and won't make it?" George asked Fred in an undertone, his tone more joking than not.

Fred chuckled a little. "I hate to say it, but probably not great." But he got a mischievous look on his face. "But it could be arranged."

George grinned. "Good."

Unfortunately, a few minutes later the jury began to enter and take their seats, and that meant that the two Death Eaters would be following them. And when Sebastien and Horace entered, they shot George cold glares, like they were promising him harm should they ever get the chance. Fred's sudden fury took him off guard, and he nearly lost it. The older twin stood completely this time and balled his fists, standing in front of his twin as if to protect him from shielding him from view. Charlie stood too, but placed a hand on Fred's shoulder to keep him from doing anything, though Charlie was seething. Back the hell off, Charlie's glower seemed to say, but the two Death Eaters weren't fazed. They seemed to enjoy the reaction they got out of them.

George, meanwhile, stared at the ceiling as if he found the paneling to be particularly interesting. 'Hogwarts, Hogwarts, hoggy warty Hogwarts, teach us something please,' George hummed in his head, trying to keep his mind focused on something trivial so nothing else could seep through. The trial started quite abruptly if George did say so himself, but he managed to block out the beginning completely, much to his relief.

'Whether we be old and bald or young with scabby knees...'

But a short segment cut through George's attempts to become temporarily deaf like a knife. " - gruesome pictures of George Weasley's injuries," Malkuivich said somberly. "If you do not think you can look, then please do not do so. But they will go around to everyone. Simply pass them to the next person without a glance if you do not wish to look."

'Our heads could do with filling...' George sang louder in his head, feeling his heart sink. He had to keep himself distracted...but for Merlin's sake, did they have to show pictures?

Fred's heart was pounding. This was it...he would find out what those bastards did to his brother. And now that the moment came, he was even more unsure of whether he really wanted to know.

Malkuivich had a list in front of him, and with a calm expression, read out, "The injuries George sustained were as follows: deep knife wounds on his legs and back -"

'With some interesting stuff...' Fred gripped on to George's arm as if trying to remind himself that George was still here, still with him.

" - three broken ribs -"

'For now they're bare and full of air...'

" - a shattered tibia bone of his left leg -"

'Dead flies and bits of fluff...'

" - deep and extensive bruising on his face, arms, and abdomen -"

'So teach us things worth knowing...'

" - the use of the Cruciatus curse for hours on end -" Mrs. Weasley buried her face into her husband's shoulder, muffling her sob. A strangled sound seemed to escape from Fred's mouth and his grip was painful on George's wrist. His family seemed to need physical contact in order to remind themselves that George was okay, that he lived, because Charlie grabbed hold of George's other wrist, albeit lightly, while Bill managed to reach his arm around to rest his hand on George's shoulder. Ginny merely gripped on to Fred, wide eyed.

'Bring back what we've forgot...' But George couldn't remember the next line.

"- and -" but Malkuivich stopped abruptly, the next thing seeming to stun him. But he cleared his throat nonetheless and continued, "- and alcohol poured on the open wounds."

There was a loud intake of breath throughout the court room, both from the list of injuries and the horrific images being passed along. George froze, each muscle locking in to place. He faintly heard his mother give another sob and the choked sounds of misery from his family, the most prominent from Fred. George shuddered violently as the memory shoved itself into his mind.

'I'll ask you one more time,' Sebastien growled, seeming to be frustrated by George's will power. 'Where is that envelope?'

George, bleeding profusely and in terrible pain, sucked in a deep breath through his teeth and spat, 'Go to hell.'

Sebastien snarled, reaching into his 'torture bag' and pulled out a large glass bottle. 'Concentrated alcohol,' he hissed. 'Maybe this will loosen up your tongue.' He cracked it open and began to pour the substance into the wounds on George's leg.

White hot pain erupted and George screamed, writhing desperately to get away from it. But he couldn't; he was tied too tightly.

'Where is the envelope?' Sebastien roared, baring his teeth venomously. George bit his tongue so hard that blood filled his mouth. 'TELL ME WHERE IT IS!''

George couldn't breathe. He could almost feel the excruciating pain right then and there.

Fred was alarmed to see George's face go white, his breathing become irregular, and his whole body tremble uncontrollably. He realised with detached horror that George was reliving the memory. Fighting back a sob of his own, Fred whispered desperately, voice thick with unshed tears, "Georgie, please, you're okay."

Charlie became aware and started to panic himself. "George..." But he too had the sense to keep his voice low.

"George, you're alright," Fred said pleadingly. "Listen to me, I will not let anything happen to you. Ever. You're safe, George, they can't hurt you."

George closed his eyes, focusing on the comforting tones of his twin and trying to still his ragged breathing. Charlie glanced up and found some relief flood through him that no one seemed to notice George's break down. "Hey, buddy, you're going to be okay," he said, rubbing soothing circles on George's back. He was disturbed to feel some of the scars on George's back through his shirt.

"I can feel it, Fred," George whispered, his voice breaking from fear. "It hurts."

Fred's eyes began to really burn and he blinked furiously. "It's not real, mate, I promise, you're okay. Look at me." George pried his eyes open and looked right into Fred's identical blue eyes. Fred was anguished, but he hid it well. "Nothing will happen to you, not as long as I'm here. And I will be. We will never separate again."

George's eyes were haunted, but he managed to calm down enough to nod. Fred squeezed his hand and offered a crooked smile. The younger twin took a deep breath and directed his attention back to the court room, trying to ignore his family's stares. Fred kept a hand, feather light, on the back of George's neck so as to remind him at all times that he was there.

Ginny tugged on Fred's sleeve until he looked at her. "Is George okay?" she asked worriedly, stealing a glance at Fred's identical brother.

Fred sighed and leaned over to say quietly, "Not really, but he's holding for now."

Ginny bit her lip and they straightened. Charlie, Bill, and their parents were utterly confused, but there wasn't much they could do at the moment.

Just give me one minute with these bastards, Fred snarled in his head, clenching his free hand into a tight fist. He wanted nothing more than to wipe those damn smirks from their faces.

" - do not seem like injuries someone who was under the Imperius curse could inflict," Malkuivich reasoned. "People under this curse do not do things with such deliberate action. And under such a long period of control, how could one person have done so? Being awake for twenty-four hours is not easy, and to produce the Imperius curse one must use absolute concentration. And certainly having two people control them is too precarious."

George stared at the wall opposite him, determined not to make any eye contact with anyone. He could feel people from the jury struggling to get a good look at him, but his eyes never wavered. Fred's cool hand moved in comforting circles on the back of his neck, constantly reminding him of his presence.

The trial went on for a little while like this, Malkuivich trying to drive home the concept that the Death Eaters couldn't have tortured George the way they did under the Imperius's hold, before Kingsley was brought to the stand. George was surprised; he completely forgot that Kingsley was a part of this too.

"Mr. Kingsley," Malkuivich said, pacing as usual. "It is my understanding that you were the person who gave Mr. Weasley the task of retrieving the envelope, is that right?"

Kingsley looked guilty. "Yes."

"Can you tell us a little bit about it?"

Kingsley nodded. "A while ago a few of my colleagues got wind of plans to assassinate the Muggle Prime Minister. Now when my good friend and Auror gave me the news, I was visiting the Weasleys and their children, Fred and George, overheard." George couldn't help but smirk at that. Kingsley had completely glossed over the Order, their family's part in it, and that they had all been at Headquartres at the time. He wasn't lying; the Weasleys were there had he had technically visited them. Kingsley was just not giving specifics.

"Every Auror I knew had other equally important matters to attend to, and I was desperate for help. So when Fred and George offered their assistance, who was I to refuse? They were of age and skilled wizards. The job was never supposed to be dangerous. Fred Weasley, George's twin, ironically had probably the most 'dangerous' part, which was to see if he could ask around and get any information. All George was supposed to do was retrieve the letter." Kingsley shook his head remorsefully. "If I'd known what would have happened to him, I never would have sent him."

Malkuivich nodded sympathetically. "It must have been surprising to hear that George had been kidnapped." Kingsley nodded, shooting George an apologetic look. "Did you have any suspicions on who had been behind it at the time?"

"Not at the time," Kingsley replied. "But we managed to identify a single fingerprint off of Mr. Millard's jacket that matched a Mr. Sebastien Woodriff. We weren't altogether surprised; there had been stories on him," Kingsley said, narrowing his eyes at the Death Eater. "But he had never been caught or convicted of any crimes. Hence the supposedly 'clean record.'"

"What were the stories about?"

"Objection!" Rutsklich called, standing up. "This has nothing to do with the present case!"

"Overruled," the judge said.

Malkuivich smiled slightly. "On the contrary, I think this might have everything to do with this case. Please go on, Mr. Kingsley."

Kingsley cast Rutsklich a disapproving look before saying, "They were stories on torture and murder, actually. Quite like this one, only I suppose he didn't count on Fred's almost scary determination." Identical grins flashed on the twins' faces despite the situation, causing some people to chuckle. "I might vaguely remember something about Fred saying that he would feed everyone to Blast-Ended Skrewts if we didn't find George within twenty-four hours." There was another round of chuckles, and people glanced at the pair amusedly. But then Kingsley grew serious once more. "And the methods of torture, if I recall correctly, were almost exactly like this one."

"Objection!" Rutsklich shouted furiously. "There is no proven evidence on any of these!" The hint that he thought Kingsley to be lying made Fred grit his teeth, all humour gone from his face.

"Overruled," the judge said, almost as if bored and annoyed at Rutsklich's constant interruption. "Let the witness finish his testimony."

Kingsley glared at the man, hearing the implication as well. "I don't suppose you know who I am, Mr. Rutsklich," he said in a hard voice. "But if you did, you wouldn't dare make that claim. I am a strong believer in justice and no matter who is on trial, I wouldn't lie, and certainly not concerning someone I know. I would be careful who you say that to." Rutsklich flushed a little and George felt triumphant.

Kingsley soon stepped down and the judge called for a lunch break. George sank heavily into his chair, relief filling him. Finally.

But a low uttered curse was barely heard, and George glanced at Fred in confusion. But when he followed his twin's angered stare, his heart sank. Reporters.

"Mr. Weasley, how do you feel seeing your assaulters so soon after you were tortured?" one lady shouted out, fighting other reporters to try and get a better angle.

"What do you think you'll do if they are set free?"

"Are you likely to plan revenge?"

"Do you feel lucky to be alive?"

George, stunned, merely stared as they got closer. The callousness and insensitivity of these people enraged his family. But Fred grabbed George's arm and Bill furiously shoved people out of their way, hissing, "No comment," at everyone he passed. An invisible, impregnable barrier seemed to have been erected around George, however, by the way Fred hovered around him. No one dared get too close because Fred gave off a strong feeling that if they did, he'd attack them mercilessly. And when they finally broke away from the mob, George felt like he had run a marathon; he was spent.

Fred directed him without a word to a table far away from everyone else, and the family followed. The plates were already magically filled with food and George's stomach flipped dangerously at the sight of it.

Charlie, despite the reporters, grinned broadly. "No one talk to me for a few minutes," he announced. "I want that moment when Kingsley shot that prat down forever engrained in my mind."

"The nerve of him, though!" Mrs. Weasley said angrily. "Saying that Kingsley would lie about something like this! Especially when it's about my son!"

"He's a git," Bill agreed, stabbing his food with unnecessary force.

"Hey Gin," Fred said. "If you want to go use that Bat-Bogey Hex on Rutsklich, George and I will cover for you."

Ginny smiled evilly, twirling her wand. "Give me one minute with him and there won't be enough left to fill a teaspoon."

George smiled at everyone appreciatively. "I can think of two other people you can do that too," he said with a crooked smile.

Ginny's eyes flashed at the implication. "With pleasure," she growled with venom in her voice.

"I'll help with that one," Bill said firmly. "They should be left in Azkaban to rot."

"Or shut in a pyramid," Fred piped up. "Shame we didn't manage it with Percy, though," he added with a grumble. How could Percy not be here for his brother? True, he might not know, but Fred wasn't sure he'd ever forgive him for that; Percy should have been here to know and not have been a prat and left!

"Or eaten by a dragon," Charlie grinned, adding to the list. "No, wait, burned first then eaten."

"I, for one, opt to use a couple of misused Muggle items I've confiscated over the years," Mr. Weasley, to everyone's surprise, commented.

George felt a rush of affection for his entire family just then. "Thanks, guys," he said sincerely. "I know I haven't been the easiest person to live with lately, but it means a lot that you're here."

"Easiest person to live with..." Fred muttered, shaking his head at his twin. Didn't he know that they didn't care? That George had every right to be depressed and angry? That, considering what happened, George had perhaps been too easy to live with?

"Don't be silly, dear," Mrs. Weasley said kindly. "We love you no matter what, and we certainly are not letting you go through this on your own!" She dabbed at her eyes with a napkin, seeming flustered that she was getting emotional so easily. "Now eat something, George, you're far too skinny," she told him gently.

George grimaced and he could almost hear his stomach cry out in protest. "Er..."

"George, listen to your mother," Mr. Weasley said. "You need to eat."

George for the first time recognised how odd it was to hear those words. Normally, he and the rest of the Weasley boys ate just about everything except for the table cloth. Now, George couldn't remember the last time he had a full meal.

"George, you have to eat something," Fred murmured in his twin's ear. He himself felt anxious at the fact that George seemed to be getting thinner by the day.

The younger twin cringed at the worry in his voice. That was the last thing he wanted to do. Sighing, George inwardly told his stomach to shut up and began to eat as much as he could before the nausea became unbearable. Fred looked relieved, and George knew that he would eat even though it made him sick just to put his brother at ease. He was just nervous that his stomach might rebel in the middle of the trial.

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