2nd May 2078
I opened my eyes.
I shut it tight almost instantly.
Darn light.
"Angie dear, draw the shades please," I grumbled, reaching over on my right where my wife usually sleeps.
It was empty.
Oh, right. Angie passed on last year.
I never could get used to sleeping alone.
What's today's date, I wonder.
Ever since I hit the big nineties, dates became nothing more than a blur of numbers for me.
Very reluctantly, I opened a fraction of my eyelids, although I doubt it would help. My eyesight had been failing rather rapidly the past years.
So it was to my surprise to see the empty bed beside me with a vision so sharp, I could see the pillars of a very familiar and nostalgic maroon colored four-poster bed.
Wait, what?
I sat up instantly, blinking my eyes rapidly to deal with the unusually sharp vision. Mind you, a man who was a little over a hundred years old should not have such wonderfully sharp vision. It made my brother's new High-Definition flat screen television seemed like a child's toy.
Hang on, that's not my point.
Why on earth am I back in Hogwarts? I have not stepped into the school since my daughter came of age decades ago. My youngest grandchild was just celebrating his acceptance into Auror training last week!
I looked at the empty beds across from me, visions of familiar figures flashed across my eyes. I spotted one dark-skinned teenager with dreadlocks and one other. Redhead, blue eyes, two ears, wicked smile.
I moved slowly. Extremely slowly. I am a hundred-year old great-grandfather after all.
But it was with ease as I swung my legs off the side of the bed. I looked at my feet with increasing bewilderment, and then at my hands.
Those were not the hands and feet of a hundred year old wizard.
I stood up, noting the difference as the chronic ache deep rooted in my back and knees were non-existent.
I grinned.
I must be dreaming again. I loved dreaming of myself as a young lad again.
For all you muggles out there, have you ever experienced the wonders and joy of knowing you were dreaming whilst dreaming?
(Yes, that's a mouthful, I know.)
I believe muggles called them lucid dreaming. We magic folks called them somniums.
Check the Internet if you had no idea what this grumpy old man was referring to. My niece, Rose, could do wonders on that thing.
Back to my somnium.
I opened the trunk next to my bed, pulling out my Beater's uniform. My broom appeared magically on the other side of the bed.
What did I do?
I changed of course.
I have not played Quidditch since I injured my back a few decades back. Mind you, the last time I played I was an awesome sight; a seventy-year-old Beater. Tell me how many seventy-year-olds could stand up against their offsprings and their offsprings' offsprings..
Of course, I shan't reveal the fact that I fell off the broom that one last time and was grounded for the rest of my life.
Oops.
Anyway, I reached for my broom and jogged with comfortable ease out of the Hogwarts dormitories. As I leapt down the spiral stairway two steps at a time, a familiar voice called out to me.
"George!"
That voice with that thick Southern accent could only mean one person.
"Oliver!" I yelled, leaping off the last few steps and hurried to wrap my old captain in one tight hug.
"George!" Another familiar voice yelled into my one good ear and I winced. But it was soon followed by a hearty laughter as I reached my arms out and pulled my best friend, Lee Jordan into the hug.
"Lee!"
At that moment, Katie ran into the common room in her seventeen-year-old self, her brilliant blonde hair shimmering like gold in the sunlight.
"Katie!" I yelled, ecstatic at seeing one of my oldest friends appearing. She was immediately wrapped up into our group hug by her husband.
"Anyone missed me?" A familiar voice sounded from the entrance and I was blessed with a beautiful sight. My wife, Angelina Weasley walked in, her long black ponytail swinging behind her as she headed for our group. I reached for her, lost for words while I held her in a tight embrace.
For a long, long moment, there was nothing but silence all around us.
In case all of you readers out there don't know, these friends of mine had passed on, back in the waking world. Oliver passed on a few years ago, just four short of his big hundred, while Lee passed on a decade ago, a few years after his wife, Katie had. Angie and I attended each of their funerals, and gave eulogies of our own for each of them. And last year, Angie left, leaving behind a hundred-year-old husband, two children, six grandchildren and two newly born great-grandchildren. That was not including our extended family, the nieces, nephews, grand-nieces, grand-nephews, and so on and so forth.
As of this year, we have more than enough Weasleys to make two Quidditch teams.
Seeing my best friends and wife again in their youthful seventeen-year-old selves, dressed in the familiar red and gold uniform just made this dream all the more surreal. I was determined to enjoy every minute of it.
"Three-on-three Quidditch, anyone?" Oliver grinned.
"Aren't we one short?" I asked, counting the heads. There were only five of us.
Katie smiled, mysteriously I might add. "There's one more waiting for us at the pitch."
One more?
My gut started itching and my heartbeat quickened. Could it be…
At that, I ran.
The pitter-pattering of footsteps and endless chuckles behind me told me I wasn't the only one running. I turned at all the corners with practiced ease, my mind drawing out the map of Hogwarts as though I had never left the school. I was seventeen again.
As I ran into the Quidditch pitch, there was only one figure standing there.
For a moment, I was staring into a mirror image of myself.
Red hair. Blue eyes. Wicked smile. Two ears.
Two ears!
I launched myself into the arms of that one person; a grin threatening to split the corners of my lips as I laughed with tears stringing the back of my eyes.
"Hello Georgie," a familiar voice, my voice, greeted me. "Long time no see."
My arms tightened at the sound of his voice, wrapping my twin brother in a crushing bear hug. "FRED!"
I burst into tears, blubbering like a baby into my twin brother's shoulder. Yes, I know it was unbecoming of a grown man, not to mention embarrassing to boot, but that was the least of my concerns.
The tears lasted for all of five minutes, while everyone, including Fred, chuckled. I could feel his chest vibrating from the laughter.
"You arse!" I yelled, the moment I calmed down. I wiped my face with the back of my hand and blasted at Fred. "You couldn't have visited me in my dreams sooner, could you?"
He took no heart at my sudden outburst. "I missed you too, Georgie."
The rest of the group roared in laughter as I growled, but my anger was quickly quenched by a wave of indescribable joy. The sight of my twin brother, my wife, my friends; my dearly missed family who had passed on in real-life standing before me was enough to extinguish any spark of fury.
"Let's play some Quidditch," Fred grinned and a Quaffle fell out of the sky, landing squarely in Fred's open palm.
A chorus of agreement pierced through in the empty pitch, as we all took our places in air. Oliver, Katie and I formed one team, playing Keeper, Chaser and Beater respectively, while Lee, Angelina and Fred formed the other team.
There was no Seeker, there was no Snitch. There was only one Quaffle, one Bludger, and echoes of laughter.
The familiar feel of the Beater's bat in my hand.
The familiar feel of the chills on my face.
The familiar sight of my team mates in my vision.
My heart soared with the wind, higher and faster than any Firebolt 2012 could reach.
This was the best dream I ever had.
We had no idea how long the game lasted. Neither did we keep scores. In this dream, in my dream, we had infinite strength and energy. We played from daylight till dusk, taking intervals only to exchange sides or team members. We finally stopped when night fell upon us and there was no more light.
Six of us, faces red with the hours of exercise and reeking of sweat, came to a stop in the middle of the pitch. We never knew which side won or lost. The whole purpose of this Quidditch game was not about winning or losing, but a grand reunion of the best friends I ever had in this lifetime.
My shoulders were around Fred and Angelina the rest of the evening as we retreated back to the Gryffindor common room. We sat in a circle, still in our wet, dirty Quidditch uniforms, and talked.
I did most of the talking, actually.
I updated Angie on our youngest grandchild's acceptance into Auror training. I told Lee and Katie about one of their grandsons dating one of my granddaughters. We shared a huge laugh after I shared how I "tortured" the poor guy before giving my blessings to the couple. I told Oliver how his grandson followed in his footsteps and joined Puddlemere United.
Then, I told Fred about everything that happened to our family since he left. The smile on his face never left as I told him about how Angie and I dated and eventually married.
I told him all about the weddings of our siblings; Percy, Ron, and Ginny.
I told him all about Angie and mine children, Fred II and Roxanne.
I told him all about our niece and nephews.
I told him all about the weddings of Fred II and Roxanne, and birth of our grandchildren.
I told him how Charlie remained single.
I told him all about Mum and Dad, who passed on decades and decades earlier. They lived to see their great-grandchildren.
I told him how Weasley Wizarding Wheezes expanded across all of Europe, with stores in France, Norway, and Ireland.
I even told him about his funeral. And my eulogy.
I told him everything he had missed in the past eighty years, and my twin brother listened intently to everything I shared. We laughed, more than once, in the midst of the conversation, the sound of our identical voices laughing in unison bringing back nostalgia.
"I missed you, Fred," I said, when there was nothing else to be said. Fred's grin deepened and he reached across my shoulders.
"I missed you too, George."
I had no idea how much time passed until the sun caught my eye at that point in time. It was past dawn and if my past experience at somniums were any indication, I should be waking up any moment now.
"I am waking up, aren't I," I sighed reluctantly, realizing I sounded very much like a child. I tightened my hold on Fred, burying my face in his shoulders.
"No, you're not."
My father's voice shocked me into sitting straight up again. I turned and saw my parents standing before me, their red hair glistening like precious metals in the morning sunlight.
"Dad? Mom?" I called out uncertainly; my voice was shaking.
My mother reached out and I found myself in her familiar hold after almost two decades. "My dearest George."
As always, her hand patted the back of my head.
"Mom!" That was all I could say for the moment. I reached out and held my father tight, only managing to mutter 'Dad' before I lost my ability to tears again.
And yes, again I blubbered like a baby in my parents' loving arms.
Who wouldn't?
One never realized how much they would miss their parents until they passed on.
I felt Fred's arm snaking across my shoulders and the four of us embraced each other, as though this was the last time we could hug each other like this.
It probably was the last time.
"What are you guys doing here?" An eternity, or perhaps more accurately, a few minutes, passed and I pulled away.
My parents didn't answer. Fred was the one who answered my question.
"They were waiting for you."
As he said that, more familiar faces appeared in the Gryffindor common room. I saw the faces of the friends I lost in the Second Wizarding War and the others whom embraced Death after the natural progression of old age. My wife, and friends had joined the crowd that gathered around my family reunion and each of them had the identical smile on their face.
Understanding began to dawn in my mind.
I turned, looking at my twin in disbelief, and there was his wicked smile again.
Only, he had tears in his eyes.
"It is time, George," he smiled, emotions weighing his words. His arm never loosened its grip on my shoulders.
"Fred?"
"Fred had been with you, with all of us, the whole time, for eighty years," my mother said, her eyes shining with tears. "He refused to cross to the other side without you."
My jaw dropped.
"You kept to our promise, George," Fred spoke, with a soft, gentle voice that I had never heard before. "You lived to the ripe old age of a hundred, spending your last days at St Mungo's and continued with pranks on the Healers."
At that, the memories of the past few days flashed across my mind.
Roxanne, Fred II and all my grandchildren sitting around my bedside.
The Decoy Detonator he dropped just as my Healer, Stacy Thomas, turned my back on me.
The chaos and laughter of the aftermath.
The memory of my son telling me, it was the eightieth anniversary of Fred's death.
Today's date.
2nd May, 2078
The memory of my last words to my son.
"Your Uncle Fred better be waiting for me."
Then, there was the blacking out.
And, the waking up.
I gasped.
The realization punched me with a strength that made newest Punching Telescope felt like child's play.
"I was there, George, at the hospital with you," he continued, softly. "I was at my funeral. I heard your eulogy. I was with you at your wedding; I was at everyone's wedding; I was at the hospital with you during the birth of Fred II and Roxanne; I was at their weddings and then at the birth of my grand-nieces and grand-nephews."
I couldn't speak. I could only stand still with tears blurring my vision while my twin continued.
"I wasn't in any of your dreams because I was with you the whole time."
"I couldn't, Georgie," he whispered, with a smile, tears streaming their ways down his cheeks.
"I just couldn't go on ahead without you."
"So I stayed behind."
He choked and started wiping his face with the back of his hand. He wasn't the only Weasley who started crying.
The sight must have been pretty hilarious. Two fully grown adult twins blubbering like identical twin babies, surrounded by more blubbering adults.
After a few minutes, I calmed down enough to ask.
"Is this for real?"
I looked at the faces of my wife and friends and they nodded.
I looked at my parents and they nodded.
Finally, I looked at my twin, seeing the identical features of myself, and he nodded.
The group of friends stood aside, revealing a bright light shining from behind the portrait hole of the Gryffindor common room.
I grinned.
Fred grinned. He spread his arms out.
I reached my arms around his shoulders, just like the countless times we had done so in our youth.
"Are you ready to pull more pranks on the big guys, Forge?"
"Ready when you are, Gred."
With the company of all of my loved ones, we walked, arms around each other, towards the portrait hole of Gryffindor Common Room.
"By the way, Gred?"
"Yes, Forge?"
"I love you."
"Love you too, Forge."
"And…"
"Yeah?"
"You're still an arsehole."
The last sound I heard before I stepped into that brightly lit area outside of the portrait hole was the sound of our laughing, in unison.
I am the fifth child born to Molly and Arthur Weasley.
I am the husband of Angelina Weasley nee Johnson.
I am also the father to Fred Weasley II and Roxanne Weasley.
I have a twin brother.
We were born as identical twins on 1st April 1978. He was several minutes earlier than me.
He passed away on 2nd May 1998.
Today's date is 2nd May 2078.
I was reunited with my twin brother again, exactly eighty years after his death.
My twin brother's name is Fred Weasley.
Or you can call him Gred.
What's my name?
You can call me Forge.
In the wizarding world though, I am also formally known by another name.
Oh. You wanted to know my other formal name?
Merlin, why didn't you just say so earlier?
I am George Weasley.
Author's Note:
SURPRISE!
For the past 6 months, I have been regularly receiving email updates, alerting me of fellow FF-readers who reviewed, or favourited this story. The reviews, favourites, alerts, and reception I gathered for this story completed floored and humbled me.
Thank to every single one who had reviewed, favourited or put this on their alerts.
Now, you maybe asking why I put this special chapter up, almost 6 months after the completion of The Last Will and Testament of Fred Weasley.
This is in celebration of The Last Will and Testament of Fred Weasley being nominated for…
*drum roll please*
Spring 2012 Round of The HP Fanfic Fan Poll Awards for Best Drama-Angst Story!
Voting commences on 1st February through to 31st March 2012 at the following website
hpfanficfanpoll . livejournal . com
For all of you, who loved Harry Potter fanfiction and this story, please do visit the website. There are many other awesome stories that had my eyes GLUED to my iPhone in whatever spare time I have for reading. (Yes, I read fanfics through my mobile.) And if you still think my story deserves your vote of support, please do send a vote for me as well. *hearts*
If you are intending to submit your vote, please do note the following web page dictating voting rules and regulations:
hpfanficfanpoll . livejournal . com / 2225 . html
A huge THANK YOU to whoever nominated this story! *lots of hearts*
This nomination came to me as a complete surprise one day when I received the email alert informing me of this.
Could there be a better way to celebrate this nomination than a special chapter entirely in George's first hand perspective?
I doubt so. *winks*
For anyone who missed Fred, he makes a special appearance here. I do hope everyone enjoyed my rendition of him from George's point of view.
As usual, reviews are pure love.
Special mentions of the following reviewers:
Aaliona, 4good, remuslives, movinggirl, 2b0rlee, Loonaticslover13, ChelsHarp, L123Ryuzaki, DumbYetBrilliant, AimeRedWolfWeasleyTwinsGemini, adp1222, RoonilWazlib17, AngelBornOfHell, Axel8XIII, MaxRamBerna, MaxRamBerna, TheFourthIncarnationOfAmyPond, darkwings13, rhianna259, ZoomyStripes, ELMO-kibafangirl11, Ember Nickel, Bornatmidnight96, F Maurice, Kaitaru Seras Viktoria Hatake, FallForAnything25, alicenotinwonderland, mopotter17, WeLoveWeLive, 3l1n0r, fssquiggles, TheDeathlyHallows-123, Reading4Ever, KKool, alwaysapotter, Dorisling, Bittersweet x, Arish Mudra Rakshasa, Luna yes Luna, allreader, SparkySkye812, wisps of smoky blue cloud, runeaglerun, teddybear101010, Crycoria, Cristina Weasley, ncis-lady, mischief marauderly managed.
Thank you for all your reviews that were posted after the final chapter. I know some of you might have received personal notes thank you in reply, but I wasn't able to do it for everyone. Hence, I am taking this opportunity to thank all of you for spending your time reading this fic, crying along with the George and the rest of Weasleys in my story.
If you had cried in this chapter like I did, as always, I prepared cyber-tissues for everyone. *hands tissue*
Thank you, thank you, and thank you for everyone who read this quietly, favourited this, placed this on their alert, and reviewed this story.
Signing off
Rainremember
PS: (Minor advertisement) I am also doing Harry's and Ginny's wedding as a side story. Do swing by and join in the madness of the wedding of the century! *grins*
PPS: I am really excited in publishing this! *jumps*