Thanks to everyone who has been reading - I hope you are enjoying the story. If you are reading this story, please please please (yes, I'm begging) review, even if it's only to let me know that you're reading. It gives me more motivation to write/update! I'm getting a few hits, but I'd love to hear from some *cough*all*cough* of you! Unless you write, you have no idea how much a simple "Hi, I'm reading" can mean. Thanks!

Julie was standing outside Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. She had run the whole way and was now trying to gain her composure while she debated whether or not to go see George. It wasn't really that late, around nine o'clock, so there wasn't much of a chance that he would be in bed yet. Julie just wasn't sure what to say or how to tell him about the contents of the folder. Fresh tears streamed down her face when she pictured that last piece of paper.

It was a list. A list of every single person that her family had killed, as if it were something to be proud of. So many names were written there, written in fancy script as though it were some kind of special certificate or official document. Many names that Julie recognized were written on that piece of paper, as well as some she didn't. But the one name that had jumped out at her and was now causing her heart to feel as though it were breaking was Fred Weasley.

Julie felt as though she would be sick. Her own family, her own brother, was responsible for the death of one of her best friends. The guilt was almost overwhelming, and Julie momentarily felt as if she couldn't cry anymore because of it. She had never even thought of the possibility. Julie knew well enough that her family was not made up of good people, and she knew that her father and brother had been at Hogwarts that last fateful night. But for some reason, the thought had never crossed her mind that out of all the Death Eaters that had been there, it had been her own father or brother responsible for Fred's death.

Somehow, Julie found herself standing outside of George's apartment door. She felt so out of it that she didn't even remember entering the stop and climbing the stairs. When the door was flung open in front of her, Julie realized she must have knocked, as well. George was standing there, a grin on his face.

"Jules!" But the grin disappeared almost instantly. It was replaced by a deeply concerned look, and George took Julie's arm and gently pulled her inside. "Julie, are you okay? What's wrong?"

"George," Julie whispered and closed her eyes. She wasn't crying at the moment, but there was a tight knot in her through and she felt like she couldn't speak.

"Julie, you are as white as a ghost and you're shaking." George put his hands on her shoulders. "Open your eyes and tell me what's wrong."

"Please hold me." Julie spoke so softly she wasn't even sure if George could hear her and she didn't open her eyes to see. But soon she was being pulled close and warm arms were wrapped around her. Julie didn't move, but she was soon calmed by George's presence and when he pulled away, Julie felt as though she could speak. She looked up at his face, lined with worry.

"Now, you had better tell me what's going on, because you're scaring me," George told her firmly. He gently led her over to his couch and sat down next to her. "Does this have to do with your aunt?"

"Yes." Julie couldn't bring herself to look at George. She didn't know how to say what she needed to. She was afraid to say it because she didn't want to hurt him, and because she didn't know how he would react. She was afraid of losing him. For a moment she considered not even telling him, but she felt like she needed to. "The will…everything is mine."

"What?" George looked thoroughly confused.

Julie took a deep breath and started at the beginning. "My parents and brother are dead. My father left his will with his sister, my Aunt Lola, whom I had never met before today. The reason she needed me to come was so she give me the will and explain it to me. I own everything now."

"Go on." He knew there had to be more to it than that, because something like that wouldn't have upset Julie this much. "I'm listening."

"Well…she told me not to associate with you." Julie was just stalling now. She wanted to put off the inevitable as long as possible.

"And since when do you do anything someone tells you to when you don't want to?" George teased, then suddenly frowned. Was that why she was upset? Did she really not want to have anything to do with him anymore? "Julie, if you—"

Almost as if she could read his mind, Julie shook her head and said, "No, George, that's not it." She took a deep breath, feeling quite resigned now. She looked down at her lap and closed her eyes. "I'm so afraid to tell you…I don't want to lose you." George suddenly wrapped his arms around her and kissed her tenderly. Julie sighed and closed her eyes, enjoying it while it lasted. Finally she gently pushed him away and whispered, "George…my brother…he was at Hogwarts…that night."

George only nodded as his eyes clouded over.

Julie was trying to think of a way to say it gently, but wasn't sure if there was one. Her voice was just a strangled whispered when she said, "He…my brother is the one that killed your brother." Tears came to her eyes again and she finally looked up at George.

She felt as though her heart, which was already broken, was being torn out of her chest when she saw the look on his face. He pulled away from her and Julie didn't resist. He clenched his jaw and his hands before standing and walking across the room toward his bedroom. George turned to face Julie once, staring into her eyes with an unreadable expression, but then continued into his bedroom and shut the door.

Julie covered her face with her hands and sobbed. This was worse than she had thought it would be. It would have been easier if George had yelled at her or said he'd never wanted to see her. But for her to see that look on his face…Julie knew she would never forget it and never forgive herself for being the one to cause that pain. The guilt which had been so heavy earlier was unbearable now, and Julie had to get away.

She stood, still crying, but silently now. She walked over to stand just outside George's door. It was silent in his room. Julie was worried about him, but she knew he didn't want to see her, so she left him alone. She put her palm on the door and murmured, "I'm sorry, George," before leaving the apartment, not even knowing where she was going as she left the store.

- - - - -

George shut the bedroom door and leaned against it, sliding to the floor. Of all the things he was expecting Julie to say, this was nowhere even close. He was in so much pain emotionally that it was causing physical pain, and he buried his face in his hands. He didn't even know what he was feeling. Maybe anger, maybe sadness, maybe guilt – maybe all of that and more. There was too much feeling to know what for sure.

He had to deal with the old pain of thinking about Fred, but now he also had the fresh pain of knowing that Julie's brother was the one who had done it. Robert Tucker, whom Fred and George had known at Hogwarts, even though he was a couple of years ahead of them. George was having trouble coming to grips with it. He had wanted someone to blame for so long, and now here he found that the person was dead.

For a split second he blamed Julie. But then he acknowledged that was a stupid thing to do. She had had nothing to do with it and it wasn't her fault in any way. But George still couldn't bring himself to go back out and talk to her. He still didn't know exactly what he was feeling. He heard her sobbing where he had left her on the couch, and George felt a small twinge of guilt for that, but he decided it would be better to just stay here so they could both work out their own emotions before having to deal with each other's. This didn't stop him from wanting to go out there and hold her almost more than he'd ever wanted anything.

A few moments later, his breathing slowed. The clamor in his head, the utter chaos from all the emotions that were plaguing him, quieted somewhat and George could think a little more clearly now. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the door. As he did so, he realized he couldn't hear Julie's sobs anymore, and he listened harder.

Quiet footsteps approached and stopped right outside the door. She was standing right there – why didn't she come in? George waited to hear Julie put her hand on the knob and turn it, but the sound never came. Instead he heard a quiet, "I'm sorry, George," just before his apartment door opened and shut.

George didn't follow her. He didn't move at all. If she wanted to leave, he wouldn't stop her. She was probably disgusted with his reaction now. George didn't know how to explain himself, so he just let her go.

Some time later, it could have been minutes or hours, George stood and got ready for bed. His movements were all mechanical. He hardly knew what he was doing. He sat down on the edge of his bed and again buried his face in his hands. He didn't know why he had reacted so strongly to the news Julie had brought. It just hadn't been at all what he had been expecting.

Suddenly he wanted to see Julie more than ever. He wanted to comfort her and draw comfort from her. He even stood and began to hurry out of his room before he realized that it was very late now. Julie was probably back at the Leaky Cauldron asleep. George sighed and decided to get some sleep himself, if he could. He climbed into bed and tried not to worry about Julie. He would see her tomorrow and be able to set things straight then.