Disclaimer - I own nothing you recognise.
Challenges listed at the bottom.
Word Count - 713
Warning - Grief.
A Chance To Say Goodbye
He was frantic as he opened the map, stolen from Hermione's honey coloured beaded bag. If he could just—
"I solemnly swear I am up to no good," he said, his voice catching in his throat.
He knew he must look a sight, but he didn't care. This was the way, it was, he'd be able to find Fred, the marauders map showed ghosts after all and Fred, well, he wouldn't leave George behind.
He just wouldn't.
Twins didn't separate like that. How could one half work without the other?
He searched each and every room painstakingly. With every one that passed with no sign of Fred, George felt his heart break a little more.
"George?"
He looked up and met emerald eyes. Harry looked as rough as George felt, his eyes rimmed red, his hair a mess, cuts and bruises littering his skin.
"What are you doing?" Harry asked softly.
"I, Fred… I thought I'd be able to find him, if I… if I used the map."
Harry stared at him for a long moment. "Fred… wouldn't come back as a ghost, George. I think you know that."
George shook his head in denial. "He wouldn't just leave me, Harry! He wouldn't!"
Harry held his hand out. "Come with me," he murmured.
George hesitated, looking down at the map in his lap.
"You're not going to find him on there, George. Trust me, come with me."
Slowly, George reached his hand out to take Harry's.
…
"Why are we in the forest?"
"Just… you'll see."
George waited and waited and waited. Just when he was about to give up, to leave Harry to whatever it was he was doing, Harry made a soft noise of triumph.
He stood, holding something in his hand, and looked at George. "I'm going to let you use this once, and then, it's going where you can't get to it. Understand?"
George shook his head. "Not really, Harry."
"Just… tell me that you know this is a one time deal. And that you can't tell anyone else about this."
"I… okay?"
Harry handed over a small stone. Turn it in your hand, three times."
George did as he was told, and then Fred was there, and George's legs gave out.
"Georgie," Fred murmured softly. He sat down in the grass beside his twin. The leaves moved slightly, so Fred wasn't a ghost.
"You left me," George accused, tears streaming down his cheeks. "You left me, Fred. How could you leave me?"
Fred sighed. "I'm sorry, George. It's not fair, it's not, but being a ghost… that's not who we are and you know that."
"You left me," George shouted. "What am I supposed to do without you? I can't… I don't know how…"
"Hey," Fred chastised gently. "You're going to go on and continue with everything we planned to do, you hear me? Mum needs you Georgie. Don't you hurt her more than she's already been hurt."
"I know," George whispered. "I know. I just… I don't know who I am without you."
"You'll find out," Fred replied. "And hey… you know I'm never actually going to leave you, right? I'll be right with you, for everything. And I'll be waiting for you, when the time comes—which better not be anytime soon, you hear?"
"I… yeah."
"I love you, Georgie."
"I love you too," George sobbed. "You… don't go, Fred… I can't… I'm not ready for you too—"
"You're never going to be ready, George, but I promise, it won't always hurt like this. And I'm with you, I promise. I'm always with you."
George dropped the stone as he sobbed into his hands and Fred faded away. Harry crouched beside him, rubbing a hand over his back as he picked the stone up and put it away.
"Thank you," George whispered, leaning into Harry. "Thank you for letting me see him."
Harry nodded silently, and George just leant more firmly against him. It was nice, to be close to someone, to feel the heat from Harry's body.
"Come on," Harry murmured, an indeterminable time later. "Your mum will be worried, you should go see her."
George nodded. "I… yeah. Yeah, I should."
Harry helped him up, and they walked side by side back to the castle.
Written for;
Auction - Marauders Map
Basement - Wanda Maximoff - Twins
365 - 140. Frantic
1000 - 935. Honey