Double or Nothing
Chapter Twenty-Six
Trust Me
We'd be there for each other,
Always around,
But you can't hear me,
As you lie on the ground,
So let the tears fall,
(Though there's nothing I can do),
Let the tears fall,
('till the whole night is through)
A Brother's Lament- Let's Lumos
xxxXxxx
Dearest darlingest readers! Sorry about the delay, but never think that I shan't update .I love writing this story way too much to drop it! Anyways, here's the next chapter, I apologize if its shorter than usual...
Oh, and April Fools! And HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO FRED AND GEORGE! :D
xxxXxxx
Making his decision to stay away from civilisation, after all, surely he had a better chance of finding Dominío away from people? He was in hiding after all; George strayed from the path as soon as the slant flattened out with an intention to hike cross country and avoid coming across civilisation. Truth be told, the Muggle world somewhat intimidated him. The words of the dryads still rang over and over in his mind and then Fred's reasoning that he was bad for George echoed them. If that meant that Fred wouldn't speak to him to protect him then, and it almost killed him to reason this, then so be it, he wasn't about to intentionally put himself in danger to hear his twin's voice and throw himself off a cliff or something. Not that he would ever want Fred to leave him and never speak to him again; he just wasn't so utterly pathetic as to exist purely for that.
It was a beautiful country, George had to admit, so incredibly different to both Russia and England, he could vaguely understand why Dominío would choose a country like this to hide in, though the reasoning probably involved very little to do with the scenery. Was this search ever going to get him anywhere? So far all he had to show for his efforts were the words of dryads, a scar in his side from the shot and a chunk missing from his shoulder. Not exactly productive.
A part of him couldn't help but wonder if it would have been so bad to stay with those Muggles. At least he would have had decent food and a decent place to sleep. But he had revealed himself to them now by Disapparating in their presence. Not that he really cared but still, there was something about that that girl that he couldn't shake. Like he had seen her before somewhere, but of course that wasn't possible.
A sudden chill raced up George's spine quickly and he spun around, he could have sworn there was someone there, but of course there wasn't. Great, his old friend paranoia was back, how thrilling! No, he was sure he saw something. Quietly he turned around and tried to silence the crunching of the snow beneath his feet as he slowly moved toward the tree, wand raised.
Quickly as he could he spun around the trunk and promptly sighed, lowering his wand. At least he wasn't wrong, he had seen someone. "What the hell do you want?" He grunted.
A young girl, perhaps ten or eleven, stepped back. Her red hair billowing out behind her as a surprisingly forceful breeze blew.
She swallowed and glanced nervously at George's wand. He just glared at her and grunted when she didn't reply.
"Whatever." He turned around to continue, only a minute later he sighed in exasperation and turned again.
"What do you want, kid?"
This time she spoke, to George's immense surprise, in an English accent. "I know what you are."
"Goodie for you." He grunted, rather surprised at his own bitter attitude towards a kid. "Now stop following me."
"Aren't you going to ask why I'm here?" The girl asked in a manner that George found oddly familiar.
"Fine." He humoured her "What are you doing here?" He really ought to be more suspicious than he was as to why an eleven year old British girl, not only was in Greece but how on earth she got there. That was enough to instantly set his defences up.
"To find you. I know who you are."
The Weasley blinked for a moment before his eyes narrowed and he stalked almost threateningly over to the girl, towering over her. "You're not Bill are you?"
She just blinked at him with large brown eyes and shook her head "No, silly. But I know who you are."
Come to think of it, George realised, this kid looked a lot like Ginny when she was that age, very much like a Weasley.
I don't trust her.
'Really? What was your first clue, dear brother?'
Could have done without the sarcasm, George.
"I want to help you."
George, playing along with what appeared to be a charade replied "You can't be serious."
In response, the Ginny-like child tugged a golden chain that hung about her neck out from the confines of her coat. George's eyes simultaneously narrowed and widened, if that was what he thought it was. And he twirled his wand in his fingers suspiciously.
"Who are you, kid?"
"Guess." She smiled, an expression that reminded George so much of himself and Fred's smirks.
"Hell no, I know what you're doing and it won't work on me." He turned around, refusing to believe that this child could be in any way a Weasley, it had to be someone in disguise trying to get to him.
"Clever, I'll give you that, whoever you are." He muttered and began walking again. "But give me some credit would ya? I'm not that gullible.
"Please? I really can help, I've heard stories, from you."
"And just who the hell are you supposed to be?" He roared, suddenly losing his temper and then paused "Are you my niece? No, sorry, is your disguise supposed to be my niece, come back to help me using stories I told you? Forgive me but that's a little farfetched!"
"Hmph, wow you had a temper. Just so you know, you don't change much." She pouted. "I'm not your niece actually." She paused, surveying the man before her. "My name is Josephine, I'm your granddaughter."
There was total silence for several moments, even the wind seemed not to dare disturb it. The man and child stared at each other, the former towering over her, snow gathering on his back and shoulders. It was he who broke the silence…with a laugh, an outright laugh. But there was no mirth in it.
"No you're not. You can't be..." He smirked and then, looking her right in the eyes finished his sentence "Because I really don't expect to be alive long enough for grandkids."
xxxXxxx
"See? See what you caused, Percy?" Bill roared rather uncharacteristically as the two stalked into the yard, past the chook pen outside the Burrow. "You were not supposed to tell them about George!"
"They're our parents, William! They need to know!"
"Mum's in a right state now because YOU gave her the impression George was kidnapped by Russians."
"I merely said what we saw, what we were told!"
"You thought that would give them peace of mind? God, Percy! You're supposed to be rational you ass!" Bill ran a hand through his long hair, absentmindedly brushing the scars along his cheek. He was sweating, despite the chill in the air. "Percy…please, stop this." He pleaded.
"You may not seem to care about our brother, Bill. But I do, I was there when Fred died! I have more right than anyone to redeem myself by protecting George."
Bill gaped, what a load of waffle! The nerve of Percy to think himself having the greatest right to be there for George! No single one of them had the right to interfere completely with George. He clearly didn't want to be found, and they should respect that. Even then a pang of guilt surged through his chest, he had gone to Russia. Despite George's wishes, he had gone to find him.
"Percy…I made a promise. I don't want that promise broken any more than it is." He admitted.
The younger Weasley sniffed, pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose and scoffed "A promise? More secrets, Bill? Are you serious?"
The eldest Weasley son sighed "I can't talk to you about this anymore, I just can't. You know what? Do whatever, I don't care. My wife's gonna be having her baby within the next few months and I'm not gonna deal with you!"
"Don't act as though I am ten years old!" Percival shouted indignantly. "I am merely a concerned elder brother, which is more than I can say for you."
"He doesn't want to be found!" Bill cried as his brother turned to head back inside, making him freeze. "Percy, please! Respect that, I want George back safe as much as you do but I don't want him to feel betrayed by me."
"So it is a selfish thing?" Percy turned around, his face stony, "This is bigger than you, William."
Bill ran a hand through his hair and didn't say anything. He really was getting quite distraught now. All he had wanted was to keep his promise and keep his communication with George a secret and he hadn't even managed to achieve that. Percy was a right pain, but Bill couldn't help but feel for him. Since his return almost a year ago and what with being right there when Fred was killed, Percy had constantly been trying to redeem himself. Even now, after it had been almost a year, Percy clearly still felt like he had to make amends for his actions.
"Nothing to say?" Percival snapped "Then fine…I'll not argue with you any longer." And with that he spun and stalked back into the Burrow without a backwards glance.
xxxXxxx
"But you are very much alive, I swear I am!" She cried.
"Prove it." George sneered, on the verge of turning to walk away, but he knew she would follow him so it'd be pointless anyway.
'Josephine' was silent a moment before replying quietly "You told me all about your quest, you told me about how your shoulder was bitten and about the Russian that helped you….and how you lost your finger…"
George gaped and self-consciously glanced at his hands "Wha-"
The child gasped "Oh…that mustn't have happened yet."
George…seriously, don't trust her.
"Please, let me help." She pleaded, looking remarkably childish for the moment as she played the pity card, an act that did not have an effect on the rather stoic wizard.
"Even if this is true, why the heck would my granddaughter come back forty odd years to help me?" George raised his eyebrow sceptically, shaking the snow from his coat.
"Because…" the girl began, burrowing deeper into her own coat "I love my grandfather, and you told me that these were very difficult times. You said that if you only had some help on your travels than everything would have been easier."
George raised an eyebrow, she did seem to know about his shoulder and surely no one outside of family would have known about Ivan helping him. But why, if he obviously survived on his own anyway, why would this kid come back to help him? He was not going to lose his finger, of that he was certain now. But, really? How likely was it that this could be true?
George… Fred's voice warned in his head.
'I can handle this myself thank you.'
Really…George…this is not right…
George narrowed his eyes "See, I still don't believe you. Who are you really?" He had to admit, whoever this was, they had put a great deal of effort into looking the part of a Weasley.
Josephine sighed "Alright, fine. If I'm not convincing you…"
"You're not."
Her lips twisted into what appeared to be half a smirk and half a grimace. "Then you are right not to trust me…"
xxxXxxx
Anyone who picks up on the less than subtle hint somewhere in the beginning there gets a cookie ;P