"Draco, take the boy to Borgin and Burke's and have him equipped with everything he is going to need, will you?"

George's face was a blank state as he looked up from his breakfast to stare at Lucius. He had been living at the Malfoy Manor for a bit over a month now, but never had this conversation come up before – though that could also have been because he spent all his time down in his tiny 'bedroom' when he hadn't been summoned for meals and meetings.

Draco sneered at the redhead, but he knew not to argue against his father for such matters. He nodded, and as he pushed his plate away, he said, "I've eaten. Let's get going, Weasley."

"Come now, Draco, I see no rush that you should deprive him of his meal." Lucius' eyes fixed on the plate of food that hadn't been touched in the twenty minutes they had been here for before they skimmed over George's body that had become so thin from lack of eating, he was a walking skeleton. "He will not be of much use to the Dark Lord if we can't fatten him up some; he's much too underweight."

"He's already fat as a bloody pig," Draco sneered. "He could stand to lose some pounds, actually, father."

"Don't argue. Just do as you're told, Draco."

If George had cared anything for the argument right in front of him, he didn't anymore once they arrived at Diagon Alley and pushed through the hordes of people to get to Knockturn Alley. The redhead wore a thick cape and a hood that hid his face from everyone; all the Missing posters plastered everywhere with his face and a giant WARNING – DO NOT APPROACH may have made things harder for them to go about their business undisturbed if people knew who they were walking past.

So it came as a shock when, as he and Draco had been standing not far from the entrance of Knockturn Alley, a strange aura of dread washed over him, and arms wrapped around his middle in an embrace.

It broke his heart to realise that those arms, and that thin, thin body pressed up against his belonged to Fred, and all resolve he had been broken of quickly came back to the surface as it took everything he had to not turn around and hold his brother tight and promise him that everything was going to be okay – no… If he were to do that…

He couldn't; people knew what he had become…

"Fuck off, Fred," George hissed. He spun around and shoved the older twin in the chest to break their contact. His emotions turned wild once again, and though he was sure he may have been able to control himself so as to not hurt Fred badly, he lost all the confidence in his self-restraint when Fred stumbled back to his side again. That anger he was constantly feeling boiled all the way back to the surface, and it no longer mattered that there were dozens of people on the streets watching them; all that mattered was creating his twin's hatred. "Fred! Go away! I don't want you!"

"George!" It was Ron's voice calling from somewhere close by, and as he looked around, he found his youngest brother clutching Ginny tightly, both looking terrified. Were they right to feel that way? He wasn't sure; part of him was glad they hated him, but at the same time… Was he capable of causing harm to Fred, just like they were thinking he was going to? "George, leave him alone!"

George glanced back to where Draco had been but found the other had disappeared into the shadows somewhere. He felt his body trembling with anger; there wasn't going to be an easy way to do this, but now was perhaps the only chance he would get to be able to do things properly.

"Fred…" George's hand ghosted intimately up his brother's arm and over his shoulder until his fingers caressed the other's pale neck in a tender, almost affectionate manner. He rubbed circles into the soft flesh before, ever so slowly, his fingertips curled inwards and he was crushing his twin's windpipe. He growled, "I hate you, Fred. I hate you so much… That's why I left. Why I ran away. Because I didn't want you anymore. And I'll never want you again – ever."

Fred whimpered, and tears slid down his cheeks as he tried to pull the younger's hand away so he could breathe again. He heard Ron running towards them, and he figured that was what had made George let go as the other hadn't showed any intentions of releasing his grip until heavy footsteps rushed to them.

"Stay back, Ron!" George had spun Fred around so he was holding the other like a hostage, with his wand against Fred's throat that was already showing signs of deep bruising. "You come near me and I'm going to kill him. You hear me?!"

"George…" Ron felt so sick; how had George ever gotten onto this path…? He didn't know about the rest of his family, but he'd known something had been very wrong with his brother – and he'd done nothing to try and help George; he'd ignored the other's cries for help and only avoided getting involved as best he could. Why…? Because he'd been scared of George and what the other was capable of doing in those states. If he had just… If he had tried to help… They may not be here today… He'd seen this coming that day in their shop in the unused bathroom, but he'd ignored it, convincing himself he was overthinking things and George was going to be fine… "George, stop! This isn't you, mate…"

"You really think so? Crucio." As much as George hated to hear Fred's screams, he had to keep going; he couldn't stop now; this was for Fred's own good. They all had to learn to give up on George, to think that he was too far gone to be saved – but most important of all; they had to learn how to forget he even existed. In the coming years, he'd wonder how he could have ever concluded that torturing his own twin like this would ever help his family to forget his existence – instead, it'd only drive memories they would never be able to shake from their minds, just like the memories he suffered from every day and night.

"George, you're hurting him!" Ginny's scream was horrible, but still, George kept the curse going until his brother had crumpled at his feet.

"Fred…" George glared down at his twin. When the other's head moved weakly to peer up at him, he aimed a kick into the older male's stomach, hard enough to make Fred vomit. "Fred, hate me. Resent me. But most of all… Forget me. I mean nothing to you now. Do you understand? Nothing."

It was when a shaking hand reached out towards George did the younger feel his resolve shattering; how could Fred still want him after this…?

"I told you to forget about me!" George roared as he aimed punch after punch in his twin's face. His knee swung out, knocking the breath from Fred before he kicked as hard as he could into the other's groin. "Why are you still reaching to me when I want you to hate me?!"

Despite the blood trickling from the corners of his mouth, Fred still found it in him to whimper, "…You… don't… hate… me…"

"What the hell gives you that idea?!" George rammed his elbow into Fred's nose, filling the air with a loud crack and a steady flow of blood that quickly made the immediate area look like a murder scene. "You think I'm beating you because I love you?!"

"Yes…!" Fred crumpled once more, and again his hand reached out. "You… don't want… to have left me… alone… And it's easier for you… to think I hate you back…"

George froze; where the hell had that all come from…? Had that potion Snape had them make been piecing Fred's mind back together in his absence? Or was their twin-connection still so powerful, Fred was reading him like a book despite the brain damage?

"…" George looked between Fred, to Ron and Ginny, before he let out an agonised scream and raised his wand to Fred once again. He screamed so loud, his voice cracked, "Crucio!"

And that… was the last time he saw any of his family until Harry Potter went after the prophecy.