Two more from Mugglenet, from the same challenge. 'Write a drabble in which one character who died in the books comes back to speak with someone they left behind.'


George Weasley sighed in exhaustion as he flopped down onto the rickety wooden chair that stood next to the counter. Halloween was always one of their busiest nights of the year, and even though they had stayed open an extra two hours to accommodate the crowds, he and Ron had practically had to drag the last few children out of the shop.

Thinking he should probably lock up, he flicked his wand lazily in the direction of the door, and, with a loud bang, several boxes of Gangreen Gauges came shooting off the shelves. He grinned to himself sheepishly before aiming his wand more carefully. This time, the locks clicked smoothly together.

He went to direct his wand at the mess on the floor, but let his arm fall back into his lap.

'Ah, I'll do that tomorrow,' he said to himself.

'Atta boy, Georgie, mate.'

George span around, nearly falling off his chair. He knew that voice, it was a mirror of his own, but surely… it couldn't be.

Yet, it was. There, lingering in front of a shelf of the old favourites, Skiving Snackboxes, was Fred. Pearly and transparent, he was clearly a ghost, but he wore the same old smile, and the way that he was casually leaning against the display behind him was just so… Fred.

'What? Fred?' George said, getting off his chair and stumbling forwards. 'But how come you're here? You're not a ghost, well, not usually!' George was aware just how ridiculous he sounded, but, really, the situation in itself was rather ridiculous. Was he dreaming? Had the rush of the day finally taken its toll on him?

'Well, no, I'm not,' Fred said with a grin. 'I had to pull a few strings to get here, and it will only be for a few minutes.'

'And why are you here?' George asked.

'I came to see you,' Fred said simply.

There was silence, during which George continued to stare, almost aghast, at his twin's ghost. He looked just like George remembered him, yet there was something different…

'You're older!' he exclaimed! 'You look my age!'

'Well of course,' Fred said with a grin. 'I wasn't going to come back and have us not be identical. We can't have people telling us apart!'

'But how'd you do that?'

'Like I said, I had to pull a few strings.' He moved away from where he had been standing, to another section of the shop, looking around him with an appreciative look on her face. 'Business is going well then, I see. These look good.' He had paused to examine a set of large boxes.

'Oh yeah, Removable Rain Storms. Ron came up with that particular idea.'

'Ron?' Fred said. 'Well, it's good to know he's finally proving his worth.'

'I've missed you,' George said in a quiet voice. Fred stopped examining the merchandise and turned to face his twin, his expression now serious.

'Yeah, I've missed you too.'

There was a loud bang from outside, and a bright flash of red and green light.

'Oops, I've got to dash off now,' Fred said, his head jerking towards the window. 'I wish I could come down and talk to you more often, but you know, this isn't a rule I can easily break. Plus,' he added in a more serious tone, 'I'll see you again properly, one day.'

'Yeah,' George said he bit his lip. He wanted to say more, to tell Fred just how hard the years had been without him, how he never felt quite whole any more, how he had cried himself to sleep nearly every night for near on two years, but he couldn't quite find the right words. 'You were my best friend,' he said eventually. 'Life hasn't been the same without you. I love you, you know.'

'I know,' Fred said with a softer, more wistful grin. 'I miss you too. I really wish I could stay, but I have to go. You know, I'll see you again, George.'

'Goodbye, Fred,' George said.

'Bye, George,' Fred replied with a wave. His eyes looked duller for a moment, but then they flashed brighter once more. 'Oh, and Angelina? Nice catch.'

Fred grinned at his twin and winked, before there was another flash of blinding light. When George looked once more, Fred was gone.