Thank you so much for your reviews, as a first time writer they could not have made me happier, I wasn't expecting so many hits with a story about a non-canon pairing but thank you to anyone who is reading.
Ok, we are now moving ahead two years to the aftermath of the Battle of Hogwarts but I will be going back to the events of chapter one in the future. Some angst on George's part to begin with, but a certain blonde will hopefully be changing that soon. Of course I still do not own anything. Damn it!
George Weasley's knuckles turned white with his tight grip on the calendar in his hands.
How many days? How many weeks? How long had it been since he had seen his brother, his best friend? His temper getting the better of him, George threw the calendar back under the register counter of Weasley Wizard Wheezes and turned back to the packed shelves of his business.
It was now the middle of August and George still hadn't stepped a foot into the flat upstairs. The only reason he was in the shop now was to make sure that everything was where it should be. He and Fred had wanted this for so long, and George knew that Fred would never want him to leave the shop for ruin, so, recently George had taken to coming into the store twice a week to check everything was in order. However, he could not bring himself to go up the stairs and return to Fred's last home. George struggled to even look in the mirror sometimes, he never saw himself anymore, only Fred. If he couldn't even look at himself, how could he ever go into a place that would be constantly reminding him of some long lost memory of his twin brother?
Ron watched his brother from behind the register, wishing so much that he could do something, anything, to help him. So far the most he had been able to do was offer to open and run the shop until George was up to it himself again, but he still felt nothing short of helpless. Just minutes after losing his ear to Snape's curse, George had been smiling and joking about how he was 'holy'. It had been a month and a half since Fred had lost his life at the Battle of Hogwarts, and George had not once come close to smiling even the slightest.
'George mate, I think I can handle all this now if you want to go home.' George turned to his younger brother and nodded, handing him the stock details he had been checking over.
'Thanks Ron' George grabbed his coat and walked out of the shop without looking back once.
Diagon Alley was finally recovering from the war, the damaged street had been completely restored to its former glory and was packed with witches and wizards buying the usual everyday goods, while some seemed to be emptying out their Gringotts vaults paying for more luxurious items, mostly likely replacements for the non-living things they had lost in the war.
George walked past the rebuilt Ollivander's, but quickly retraced his steps back to the shop's window as he caught sight of an unmistakable long blonde head of hair out of the corner of his eye. Inside he could see Ollivander having a conversation with a woman George had not see for a long time.
Luna Lovegood came to visit Ollivander every time she came to Diagon Alley. They had gone through a lot together at Malfoy Manor and she had promised Ollivander that she would come visit as often as possible. They would always ask how each other was, Luna would ask how the shop was doing and he would ask her how she was coping with everything.
Today she had been buying some flowers for her father in a shop nearby the Leaky Cauldron and had nothing better to do than go for a stroll into the wizarding street and visit the old wizard. However, as she turned to leave Ollivander's shop she did not expect to see George Weasley looking through the window.
'Hello George.' Luna said softly as she met him on the street outside. Ginny had told her of the change in George since he lost Fred and she was very weary of how to act around him, so she played it safe; not to happy, not to sympathetic.
'Hey Lovegood. Long time no see.' George's voice was hoarse and quiet, and hearing it made Luna's heart go out to him even more than it already did. George looked down at the bunch of flowers Luna was holding in her hands. 'What are those for?'
'Oh, I'm going to stop by my old house and leave them for my dad.' George was confused by what Luna had said, he knew that her father had turned over Harry, Ron and Hermione to the Death Eaters to try and save her, but something in the way Luna spoke told him that he did not know everything.
'Why would you leave them for your dad?'
'After Dobby helped Harry rescue me and Mr Ollivander from Draco Malfoy's house, You-know-who made sure my father was dead before I could get back to him. One of the members of the Order of the Phoenix came to tell me while I was at your brother's cottage.'
'I'm really sorry Luna.'
'It's OK. I know daddy wouldn't want me to be sad. He would want me to remember all the good times we had, and then he would want me to carry on being happy, so that I'm not sad while he's watching over me. I know that's what he would want. I'm sure you think the same way about Fred.'
Luna's words affected every cell in George's body. Could she be right; he knew Luna had been brought up to believe in the most ridiculous of things, but could Fred be watching over him right now and, more importantly, would he be happy with seeing his brother acting the way he has been; switching between hiding himself in his room in the Burrow to checking over the shop, keeping himself shut away as much as possible and becoming a shadow of his former self. George knew the answer would be no; if Fred could speak to him now, it would involve using a few choice curse words that their mother would not approve of and knocking some sense back into his brother.
After a few silent moments Luna spoke again.
'Are you going to the remembrance ceremony at the school next week? Ginny said your family was going, but none of them had actually asked you yet because they were worried about how you react.' Luna paused, thinking over what she had just said, her expression suddenly changed; a deer caught in the headlights. 'Oh, it seems as though I may have said something I wasn't supposed to.'
Luna saw a smile break across George's face and a wave of relief crashed over her. She, however, did not consider the true importance of the smile George was wearing at that moment, that it was the first in a month and a half.
'It's OK Luna. I've already overheard my mum and dad talking about how they were going to ask me. I really should go; I can just imagine Fred calling me a git if I didn't.' Luna smiled and nodded in agreement. A few moments passed and George's smile finally fell away as he pondered his reasons for not being there. 'The thing is; I swore I would never go back there when I lost him and I'm sure as soon as I step inside that place again – '
George's trailed off, the sadness getting the better of him, but he did not need to finish for her to understand. Luna placed her hand on his arm and gave it a light squeeze; another smile worked its way on to George's face; this one soft and small, but enough for Luna to know that he was grateful to her.
'No one will think badly of you if you weren't there George, but you will have your family there to take care of you and Fred will be with you too.' George looked down at Luna, her face so clear and certain, George really could believe Fred would be there with him. 'And me, of course. I'll be there too.'
'Good, I think I'm going to have to hire you as my therapist Luna. You always know what to say.'
'Well I would be exceptionally honoured.' Luna replied, a small laugh accompanying her words. Suddenly noticing the time on her muggle watch, her face fell. 'I think I should get going now. I'm meeting Ginny at the ceremony so I will see you if your there.'
She stood on the tips on her toes and placed a gentle kiss on George's cheek.
'Take care George.' George watched Luna's retreating form until it disappeared amongst the crowd of shoppers.
'How does that girl affect me so much?' George thought. He decided that it didn't really matter, he was endlessly grateful to her for what she had just unknowingly done for him, and as he apparated to the Burrow with a smile on his face, it would not be long before Luna Lovegood became the Weasley family's favourite person.
Next chapter: George and Luna begin to notice the effects of their conversation with the help of a couple of Weasley's.
Please R & R. I will not beg, OK I'll beg. Pleeeeaaaassse :D