Author's Note: So here we are! The last chapter is this rather lengthy story. :'( I'm going to miss it! This one's a bit short, but I hope it seems like a proper ending because, of course, when I was typing this and I just felt extremely productive, my computer decided to refresh itself -_- I lost the entire chapter, which frustrated me to no end. But I think this one is pretty close to the original, so I'm happy with it :) I have learned to save every five seconds incase my laptop decides to pull this kind of stunt again :P But, moving on, I want to thank Cristina Weasley, GeorgieForever, Spiralling-Down, Punzie the Platypus, melkyre, Jojo, DisgracedxMia,Aris1013, Blue Luver5000, BeingHannah923, stargirlak, mybryne, EricaX, Anonymous, Dimcairien, SolelyReader, DarthAbby, 93 Diagon Alley, and Amanda, Centaur Watch, Amanda, Anonymous Reviewer, Native Ayako, Dark Calamity of Princess, Ziva Lou, hachoo, Yay for Yaoi, www. purtydino .org, GryffindorGrl97, chocolateMnMs, LunaLovegood2902, xTeionx, Bookwormiie, ,ForgeandGred7, ravenlovestwilight, SlytherinPotionBrewer, HideyoshiK, Amanda, Anonymous, BlueWolf65, cutietrp, tiara, .Happy, Shinan7, Moonlight900, Mischiefer, Ridwa, Moon-Princess-Serena1993, Mehehe, HappyIsWhatHappens, My-Toxic-Wings, romirola, Bookwormie, Cheetos234, MadCatta, Tezan, sashafrazzle, Mauraderfanwantspadfoot, weasleytwins4eva,SaphireEyedDancer, runeaglerun, Real Men Play Quidditch, MoMoHappy1, Dreamer-.-LNYX, and MyOwnPurpleWorld for reviewing my story throughout its entirety. If I missed anyone I'm sorry!
Disclaimer: I own nothing that is copyrighted!
Summary: After an accident with a Bludger, George has lost his memory. All of it. And Fred is determined to bring it back.
Rating: K+
Once A Weasley
'This has been a day to die for,
Now the day is almost done,
Here the pipes will lay beside me,
Silent will the battle drum.
If friends in time be severed,
Someday here we will meet again.
I return to leave you never,
Be a piper to the end.'
~ 'Piper to the End,' Mark Knopfler
"Georgie?"
There was a second's pause in which Fred's twin's name passed through his lips and Lee finally caught up with what was happening. A second's pause that held every unspoken question in Fred's mind, yet every question had a simple answer. Fred couldn't breathe, his heart pounding so hard it hurt. He was a little amazed that the beating organ didn't simply burst out of his chest.
George blearily opened his eyes, his vision fuzzy for a few moments before it corrected itself. Well that's good at least, he dazedly thought, not understanding the significance of that simple fact. But then it hit him like a brick. George's face transformed into something akin to shock and his eyes, currently half-lidded, suddenly pinged open. He made all kinds of connections in the span of three seconds. His head felt bloody fantastic.
George rolled his eyes quickly to his left and found a wide-eyed and bloodshot pair of blue irises staring back at him. Fred looked like he was fearfully awaiting for something. And George knew exactly what.
George gave a fond, crooked smile before he said what came naturally to him. "Wotcher, Fred." Perhaps it wasn't the intense, dramatic moment that they all had expected, but it did the trick.
Fred lost it then. He threw himself haphazardly on George, burying his face into the crook of George's neck and sobbed. His death grip made George positive that'd he have bruises later, but he didn't care. He grabbed Fred back and hugged him, patting his back as his own shirt got increasingly damp. George's eyes suddenly spotted another figure just a few feet away. Lee.
Lee's lower lip quivered until he launched himself at George as well, and for the first time this year, as well as George's friendship with him, Lee was crying. But depite the tears on his neck, George was grinning from ear to ear. His head felt great, his eyesight was obviously perfectly fine, and it was clear that his memory and ability to speak were still intact. Of course, that didn't mean he was scot-free, but was pretty damn near it at least.
Lee was the first to pull back after some time, but Fred, if possible, clutched on to George even tighter. He just couldn't believe it...it was over. All the notches that nearly claimed both George's life or Fred's sanity was all over. George was back.
Just as a dull ache began to brew in his lower back due to the odd angle at which his body was constricted in, George pried Fred as gently as possible off of him. However, when Fred looked at him with a mixture of confusion and embarrassment, George merely scooted over to one side and patted the spot beside him on the bed. Fred grinned and divebombed on to the mattress, nearly dislodging George althogether. He earned a laugh from his brother, though, so he was pleased with himself.
However, a sudden thought seemed to strike Lee as he jumped up and shouted, "Mr Rikialria!" before dashing out of sight. The twins, bemused, shook their heads in unison at them.
"Mental, that one is," Fred said in a dramatic, pitying way. George chortled at that.
Fred lost the humourous mood instantly as if planned, turning to look at his brother with a worried look. "Are you really alright?"
"I'm great," George grinned. "Honestly." Fred bit his lip, however, making George frown. "What is it?"
"I -" Fred started, but the words seemed stuck in his throat. He wanted to tell George how scared he still felt. Having lived in constant fear the entire year, it was hard to know that he didn't need to be so protective all of the time, that he needn't worry. He was still afraid that something would happen to him, that one day George would be alive right next to him, and the next he was in a coma, or injured, or...dead. He began to tremble. Old habits die hard, and he figured this one would take a while. So instead he locked his eyes on to George's, relying on their uncanny sixth sense of one another to figure out what he meant.
George understood. He reached for him without a word and hugged him. Fred gripped the back of George's shirt tightly, resting his chin on George's shoulder. They stayed that way for some time before they parted, and as if it were a habit, Fred instantly tucked George into his side.
And that was how Mr. Rikialria and Lee found them when they skidded through the drapes around the bed. Mr. Rikialria's eyes were shining brightly as he looked upon the younger twin, a clipboard in his hands. "How are you feeling, Mr. Weasley?"
"Pretty good," George grinned.
"I'm going to ask you a few questions, is that alright?" George nodded. "Do you feel any weakness in your muscles?"
George paused, flexing them. "Well, yeah," he admitted. "But I'm sure that's just because I've been out for...how long was I out for?"
"A week," Fred replied. He tried to sound nonchalant, but there was still a note of pain in his voice. George grimaced.
Mr. Rikialria nodded. "Do you have any pain?"
"Why don't you just wave your wand over him?" Lee asked.
"I have to know where it hurts to do the proper tests," Mr. Rikialria replied patiently. George shook his head in response to his question. Mr. Rikialria stepped closer and pointed his index finger towards the seeing while keeping his arm at George's eye level. His other fingers were curled inwards, and he said, "Follow my finger with your eyes only." He moved it left to right, up and down, and diagonal. George followed it with ease. "Okay, now I want you to count backwards from ten."
George's heart dropped and blanched. He searched his mind wildly for anything numerical, but came up blank. The younger twin began to panic and scrunched his face up in concentration. Uh-oh. "Er...ten...erm...tan, no, ten...er..." his face was a bit flushed with embarrassment. "I don't know."
Fred frowned, worried "Does that mean anything?"
"Let me finish, and then I'll be able to tell you," Mr. Rikialria responded. He turned his attention back to George. "Can you stand for me?"
But Fred gripped George and held him in place. "He just woke up," he said in a hard voice.
"I just need to check his balance," Mr. Rikialria said in a soothing voice.
Fred looked like he was about to snap at him, his grip tightening, but George said in a slightly exasperated voice, "Fred, I'm just standing. I'll be doing a lot of that in my life. If I start imitating a centaur, that's weird, hold me down for that."
Fred laughed despite himself. George wriggled out of Fred's hold and got a bit unsteadily to his feet. Fred was by his side in seconds, seeming prepared to grab George at any moment should he stumble.
"Fred, I'm going to have to ask you to step away," the Healer said. "I have to see how balanced he is on his own."
Fred opened his mouth to protest vehemently, but George shot him a sharp look. It seemed that George no longer needed a protector, a fact that Fred found oddly depressing. George might be able to switch it off, but Fred was left needing to protect him. As he stepped away, he found himself inwardly flailing for his new role in George's life. Fred couldn't just get rid of his worry; so what was he supposed to do?
Lee sensed his distress and patted him on the shoulder. George was a little wobbly at first, but he seemed to gain his bearings. Mr. Rikialria had him do a series of tests, including standing on each foot and walking in a straight line. But his balance seemed fine.
George lay back on the bed and Mr. Rikialria pulled out his wand. "What are you doing?" Fred asked, eyeing the wand warily.
"Fred," George said rolling his eyes in an exasperated way.
"I'm just running a check," Mr. Rikialria explained. "He seems to have trouble with simple math."
Fred bit his lip and watced George avidly. It lasted for a few moments, and Mr. Rikialria didn't seem overall too concerned. "Well, this is far better than I expected," he said cheerfully. "There was a small complication, however. A part of George's brain has been damaged, which explains why he couldn't remember the numbers. It seems that George won't be able to do math, but all things considering, this is great news."
George frowned immediately, and a glance at his twin convinced him that they were thinking the same thing; their products for their shop. "So I can't measure things or do potions or anything like that?"
Mr. Rikialria shook his head. "I'm afraid not."
"Is it in anyway possible for me to just relearn it?"
"It is not your memory that is the problem," Mr. Rikialria replied. "The part of your brain that was damaged involved the understanding of mathematics. You can memorize the numbers, sure. But your ability to comprehend it, to understand how to use it, won't be possible. You can know that two plus two equals four, but you won't be able to understand why and put it into practice."
"Oh," George said, looking disappointed. But he forged on with new determination, seeming to forget about that small factor altogether, and asked, "What about doing spells? Can I still do that? Am I able to still invent things?"
"Those should be fine," Mr. Rikialria said slowly. "What will you be inventing?"
"Nothing," George said smoothly, shrugging. "Fred and I are more on the...creative side. It's more just about the principle of the thing."
"Ah," the Healer smirked. "Well, I still want you to remain in here overnight. I'll be back to check on you in a bit."
George nodded, and Mr. Rikialria left. "Are you okay?" Fred asked anxiously.
George waved his hand. "Fine, fine. Though the math thing was right depressing."
"Sorry about that, mate," Lee said sympathetically. "But I suppose that's what Fred's for..." he paused. "On second thought, you should still do that."
George grinned, and Fred chucked a pillow at him. "That reminds me!" Lee suddenly said. "I have to go get the 'welcoming committee.'"
"Why did a pillow in the face remind you of that?" George asked, amused.
Lee shrugged. "I dunno. But Madam Pomfrey's going to hate me after this," he smirked, sounding oddly triumphant at the fact."
"So, it looks like we're back in business," George grinned, looking at Fred.
Fred waved his hand. "I would've continued it even if you were drooling in the corner."
George laughed and smacked his shoulder. "Prat. You know I'm the brains behind it all."
"Sure, Georgie, whatever helps you sleep at night."
George groaned, flopping back on to his pillow and looked up at a beaming Fred. "You're going to be a real pain in the arse to work with, aren't you?" he asked in a mock serious voice despite the smirk on his face.
"You know it."
"You know, Fred," George suddenly remarked, "If I remember correctly, aren't NEWTS in a few days?"
Fred snorted. "For other people, maybe."
But then he got his trademark mischievous look in his eyes as an ingenius idea struck him. If Umbridge thought she could have a nice peaceful school after all the crap she'd done, she was sorely mistaken. They might not have enough time to plot something to get her removed from the school, but perhaps they could pave the way for other mischief makers to do it. He shared a delightfully evil look with his twin. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking, dear brother o' mine?"
Sometimes an arched eyebrow is worth a thousand words.
The End
Author's Side Note: And as they say, the rest is history! I also just want to clear this up for anyone who wondered why I put George in a coma. Honestly, I actually hadn't planned on it at first, but it was more of ending technique. :P If I could have ended the story within a few chapters without George falling into a coma, I would. But I felt like this kind of injury would take a long time to heal just using the meetings he had with Mr. Rikialria, and I couldn't go on for another thirty chapters. This way I could end it without boring anyone too badly :P
Seasonal Dreamer bids you all a farewell until a new inspiration strikes.
Mischief managed.