George Weasley was always misunderstood. His family didn't understand why he was always playing pranks and getting in trouble at school and they especially didn't understand why he dropped out and opened up a joke shop. The staff at Hogwarts didn't understand why he played the pranks he did. They didn't understand him.
Nobody did.
Except for Fred.
Fred was the one and only person who understood him just like he was the only person who understood Fred. They were each other's biggest support, business partners, best friends, and brothers. They did almost everything together. It was rare to see one without the other. Even in their teen years when they had the occasional different hobby, they could still be seen with each other doing their own thing.
They had big dreams. They were going to open their shop and eventually expand to other places. All Fred and George ever wanted to do were make people laugh and smile. They wanted to make people happy.
When they opened their shop their first day open was a huge success. So much so that they thought they were going to run out of products that day. "I can picture it now, George." Fred had said, reaching out and moving his arm as he talked, "Stores all over Britain." He had such a huge smile on his face as he wrapped an arm around George's shoulder.
George smiled, "Parents are going to hate us." He said with a laugh as he counted the galleons. Besides the money that Harry had given them to open up their shop, this was the most galleons they'd seen. Galleons they earned.
They made it.
"It only goes up from here, Georgie." Fred had said. He was so excited. He was ready to take on the world.
But the world wasn't ready to take on Fred.
Their shop continued to be a huge success and George was right. Parents hated them but they continued to bring in their children because their shop made the children happy and they continued to eagerly invent product after product. Their shelves were constantly being refilled and then immediately emptied but they didn't care. They were just excited that people were loving their products.
Products they made.
However, they fought like cats and dogs. They were never huge fights and they'd always make up. Fred and George had a talent for getting under each other's skin but they could never stay mad at each other. Ever.
But that still never stopped their fighting.
" I have a genius idea!" Fred said, barging into George's room. "A wizard chess board but you can hear your opponent's thoughts!" Fred was practically bouncing in excitement.
George raised an eyebrow. Typically he'd agree with Fred's ideas but lately, he had been more stressed than usual. Ron had been on the run with Harry and he hadn't heard anything from anyone in weeks. Tensions from the war were high and it was starting to get to him. "I don't know Fred. I don't think that's going to sell." He said, turning his attention back to his magazine.
Fred scoffed, "Of course, it will! Imagine playing against Ron. I reckon you'll be able to finally win." He said, plopping down on George's bed next to him and nudging him.
George tensed up. Fred always had been the more optimistic one. "If he's still alive." He muttered.
Fred sat up. "Don't talk like that." He said sternly.
George rolled his eyes and closed his magazine, "Don't talk like what? Realistic? We haven't heard from him in weeks, Fred." He said, glaring at his twin.
Fred rolled his eyes, "He's fine. He's with Harry and Hermione. They're fine. You saw what had happened to them at Hogwarts. If they can survive that they can survive being on the run."
He didn't know how Fred could be so confident that Ron was okay. How was he okay not knowing? How could he even think of making new items for the shop right now? George didn't understand.
George felt anger spread through his body. "Oh, I'm sorry I'm worried about my brother." He said sarcastically. "This is so much bigger than things that happened at Hogwarts and you know it."
"George he is fine." Fred stood up from the bed and crossed his arms. "Why are you being so negative?"
"I'm being realistic!" George yelled as he stood up as well. "Why are you being so delusional?" He shot back. "How are you fine when our brother is being hunted down? We haven't heard anything in so long. He could be dead right now and we wouldn't even know!"
"He's not dead." Fred was getting visibly angry now too. "You've always been so negative. Would it kill you to be positive for once?"
George's hand tightened around his magazine, "I'm being realistic, Fred. At least I'm worried about him! You're only concerned about the bloody shop."
Fred's face dropped, "You think I care about the shop more than I care about Ron?"
George was still angry, the magazine was now crinkled to the point of no return. "All you do is talk about needing more products to put out and not once have you asked if I've heard anything from him." George tossed the magazine aside. "And you want me to believe that you're not worried about him?" George asked as he crossed his arms. "It's like all you care about is money."
Fred's anger was gone and all there was on his face was hurt. He was hurting Fred and at that moment he was happy. Fred needed a reality check. "Have you thought that maybe I'm using the shop as a distraction?" He asked before walking out of George's bedroom and slamming the door.
The next morning George cooked breakfast and they were back to normal. They were back to joking and laughing like usual.
George never apologized after their argument.
He would never be able to apologize.
Nobody talked about the weird things that came with grief. Everyone only talked about the hurt, sadness, guilt, and anger that came with grief. Nobody talked about remembering things like not apologizing after a fight having the ability to make one bedridden for weeks at a time after a loved one's death or seeing their loved one's favorite shirt in their closet because they stole it and still hadn't given it back.
George would never be able to return Fred's favorite shirt.
The first two years after Fred's death George was riddled with guilt over their last fight and the memories of seeing Fred dead. It even haunted him in his dreams. He shouldn't have said anything. He should've kept his mouth shut. He should've told Fred his idea was genius. He should've done a lot of things and he had so many regrets. He should've appreciated Fred more. He should've fought harder during the war. He should've protected Fred. Fred was so full of life and wanted to live but the world took that away from him and left George. George was negative and wasn't as happy to take on the world compared to his twin.
George sometimes wished he would've been the one who died. Fred would've appreciated surviving the war more than George did.
But he knew he couldn't let his life go to waste. Fred wouldn't have wanted that and George couldn't let him die for nothing so he did something about it. He started to see a mind healer and besides fighting in the war it was one of the hardest things he had ever done. He only ever talked about his emotions with Fred.
Healing was hard and painful and nobody talked about that part of healing. Nobody talked about the guilt of continuing a business without a business partner or how creating a new product would have George on his knees in tears because this was the first product in his shop that Fred would never see.
It took him two years to pack up Fred's room. Each box he packed felt like he was betraying Fred. It took him another six months to get rid of the boxes but he did it. George was moving on. Every time he got rid of a box he hung up another picture of Fred as if to remind himself he wasn't getting rid of Fred but he was taking steps in the direction of healing.
The third year after the war was when he reconnected with Luna. He hadn't really known her too well before the war but he remembered seeing just how hard she fought. Her exterior was very soft but he knew she wasn't as weak as she appeared. She and Ginny had a duel with Bellatrix. Luna was not someone to mess with.
When he saw her again he was drawn to her. It was a gloomy day because of the rain but she was so bright.
Just like a rainbow.
He had gone up to her and started a conversation and the two walked around Diagon Ally until all the shops were closed, not that they noticed because they were too busy talking. Luna was quirky and that drew George in. To him everything she did was beautiful.
The way she spoke.
The way her face lit up when she was happy.
The way she dressed in bright colors.
The way she wore earrings that never matched the outfit.
She was just so beautiful.
George ended up asking her on a date and she agreed. Since then they'd been together. It wasn't easy being with George. He still had his bad days, and nightmares, and would get moody often but she was always right there. Always helping him with a smile on her face. She never made him feel weak or like a burden on his bad days. She always listened to him talk about his feelings or nightmares.
She was his rainbow and George finally felt like he was starting to live again.
Just when he thought he was as content with his life as he could be, he saw Draco Malfoy at HIS mind healer's office. Sitting in HIS waiting room. George felt so angry. All the memories and feelings came back. He was so overwhelmed and angry he even pulled out his wand but he heard a voice telling him not to. It sounded like Fred's voice but George knew it was just his conscious so he lowered his wand. He didn't know why he sat next to Draco and struck up a conversation but he did.
George thought it was because Draco looked like he needed someone. He'd never seen Draco look like that. the blonde had a near permanent sneer on his face when they had been in Hogwarts so to see him as an adult having a panic attack he couldn't help but feel bad for him.
That day he went home and told Luna about the whole interaction and her response shocked him.
George and Luna were sitting at the table eating dinner. He was still processing the interaction with Draco when Luna asked him about his session. He should've expected her to ask since she always did.
"How was your mind healer session?" She asked, looking at him with curious eyes. Even after two years of being with her he still got butterflies when she looked at him.
He shrugged, "It was alright I suppose. You won't believe who I saw today though." He said as he put his fork down. "Draco Malfoy." He said, partly expecting her to be outraged.
Instead, her face lit up. "Draco? He's going to see a mind healer? I'm happy for him." She said with a smile. "He's such a lovely person. Did you tell him hello?" She asked, tilting her head slightly.
"Draco Malfoy? A lovely person?" He asked. This was the first time he ever doubted Luna's opinion.
She nodded, "When I was held prisoner at the manor he would sneak food and water to us at night." She explained, "He would talk to me. I think he thought he was comforting me but I believe I was comforting him more. He's got such a beautiful heart." The way she talked about him was as if she was talking about Harry.
"He was a death eater, Luna," George said, but he kept his voice neutral. He was trying to understand her side. "How could he have a 'beautiful heart'?"
She just gave him /that/ look. "It is not my place to tell his story," she said with a small sigh, "But he loves his family just as much as you love yours. He was doing what he could to protect them and survive. You just had the right guidance."
He hadn't expected to become friends with Draco but they were and George was glad to have Draco. Draco treated him like a person and not glass like Harry and his family did. He was grateful for them but sometimes George wanted to be a person to someone and not the brother of a dead twin. Someone who didn't walk on eggshells around him because they were scared he was going to break down.
He also hadn't expected to enjoy being friends with Draco. Once they got past their trauma bonding stage and into forming an actual friendship it was nice. The more George learned about Draco the more George opened up to Draco. He discovered that Draco wasn't the uptight rich kid he has originally thought. When Draco allowed his guard to come down he enjoyed the pranks and such that George pulled. He was even more surprised when Draco gave him a potion to prank Ron. Draco listened to all his ideas for new inventions and even gave his opinions on some of them, sometimes Draco's ideas and opinions were better than the ideas George had originally thought of.
Sometimes it almost felt like he had a partner in crime again.
Almost.
George helped Draco on his bad days where he couldn't get out of bed and Draco did the same for George when Luna wasn't around because of work. A good example of this was only moments earlier because George couldn't get out of bed. He didn't have any energy or motivation right now. All he could do was think of how sorry he was.
He was so sorry.
He shouldn't have fought with Fred that day. He should've just kept his mouth shut. Why didn't he keep his mouth shut? Why did he have to fight?
He'll never get to say sorry and hug it out with Fred again.
He buried his face into his pillow and tried to hold back the tears. Luna was at work so she wasn't there to comfort him. He just stared at his wall until he heard Draco apparate into his apartment.
"George?" Draco called out but George couldn't respond. He was stuck reliving the scene in his head. He didn't know what Draco was doing but he could hear him walk around the apartment for a second before making his way to George's bedroom. "George." His tone was soft as he approached the bed. He knelt in front of him. No response again. George knew if he said anything he'd break down. This wouldn't be the first time Draco witnessed a breakdown but George still hated having a breakdown in front of people. They'd been down this road enough times to know what was bothering each other. Draco gave George a small smile, "You're lucky your sad eyes tug at my heartstrings or else I'd drag you out of bed as you do to me." He joked.
This earned the smallest smile from George. "Sod off." He said weakly and pulled his covers up.
Draco stood up again and walked to the other side of the bed to sit on it. "Want to talk about it?" He asked as he took off his shoes and laid down on the bed with George. He knew he'd be there a while so he knew to make himself comfortable.
George closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I miss him." He said, but it came out more like a whisper. He could feel his eyes start to sting. He'd never told Draco much about his nightmares. Not because he didn't trust Draco but because talking about his last fight with Fred was too hard. "The universe must fucking hate me because I keep having these reoccurring dreams of-" he had to pause since he was getting choked up. "Everything." He said as he turned on his back to look up at the ceiling.
Draco nodded as George spoke, "It's not the universe it's the trauma." The blonde pointed out.
"Merlin, you remind me of Hermione sometimes." George groaned but he let out a small laugh. "If it's not of me finding Fred's body it's of us fighting the war." George said, wiping away his tears. "Fred was always so stubborn and when he thought he was right there was no convincing him otherwise. He could be a real prat sometimes." He said but he couldn't help but smile with fondness.
He could just tell Draco was smirking, "You sure you're talking about Fred and not yourself?" He said, earning a slap to the arm. "Ow!" He said with a small laugh and rubbed his arm. George didn't hit him hard so he was just being dramatic.
"Shut up, I didn't even hit you that hard." George laughed weakly, "He was worse- Don't you even dare say anything." George warned playfully, "That day he was convinced his idea for a new item was genius but I was a mess. We hadn't heard from Ron in weeks. I was so scared something happened to him. Fred pointed out how negative I am so I called him delusional for being able to think of new products. I knew he coped with things by distracting himself but I was just so frustrated. I accused him of caring more about the shop than Ron." He broke down when saying the last sentence. "I don't know why I said it. I knew he cared about Ron and I knew how worried he was." He was crying so hard he could barely speak. He wondered if Draco could understand him. "I never got to apologize. I'll never get to."
Draco was looking up at the ceiling while he listened to George. "He knew you were sorry." He said, reaching over and awkwardly patting George's shoulder.
George let out a bitter laugh, "You don't know that."
"If the roles were reversed would you have known he was sorry?" He asked, looking over at George.
He thought for a moment. Of course he would've known Fred was sorry. He wouldn't have even cared about the fight after a few days. "But he'll never know how sorry I am." He muttered.
Draco stood up and slipped his shoes on before walking over to George's side of the bed, grabbing his arm, and pulling him out of the bed.
"What the fuck?" George asked as he hit the ground. "What was that for?"
"To get you out of bed. Get dressed." Draco said as he offered George a hand up. "Hurry up."
He took Draco's hand and got up. "Hurry up? Our appointment isn't for another few hours."
"We will be late to if you don't hurry up." Draco said before leaving the bedroom.
George was confused but he made his way to the bathroom and showered. When he dried himself off he went back into his room and put on a pair of black jeans and a random t-shirt that wasn't dirty with a red hoodie over it. He found that muggle clothes were more comfortable these days. When he was done he found Draco sitting on his couch with breakfast spread out on the table.
"We don't have much time for breakfast as I've got an activity for us so eat quickly." He said, motioning to the food.
George gave Draco a small sad smile. He brought George's favorite breakfast foods. Sometimes it shocked him how caring Draco was. "An activity?" George asked as he grabbed a slice of toast with avocado on it. "What kind of activity?"
Draco smirked mischievously. "You'll see." George rolled his eyes and quickly ate. When he was done Draco stood up and offered his arm. "I'll apparate us. Close your eyes." George took his arm and closed his eyes. He was a little nervous to see what Draco had in mind if he was being honest with himself. He felt the familiar feeling of being apparated and braced himself for what he was about to see. "You can open them now."
George opened his eyes and gasped. It was Fred's grave. "How did you…?" That was all he could say before he started crying. "Why did you bring me here?"
Draco let out a soft smile, "Pulled some strings to find the location of as many graves as I could. I routinely make sure there are new flowers." He said, motioning to the flowers that were there. George always thought Ginny was the one putting them there. It had been Draco this whole time. "As for why, it's so you can apologize. I know it's not the same but…"
Fuck Draco and his kind heart. Luna had been right about Draco. He did have a beautiful heart.
George had only been to Fred's grave a handful of times. It was usually too hard for him. It still was. Right now he was struggling but Draco's gesture was so sweet. He felt the tears start to flow again but they weren't completely sad. "I don't think I can. It feels… a little silly." He admitted.
Draco rolled his eyes playfully. "Sure you can. I'll show you." He said before stepping closer to the grave. "Hey, Fred. It's been a while. How're you liking the flowers? I'm not sure what your favorite flower is so I've just been taking guesses. Hope that's alright." Draco said as he reached down and ran his hand through the red cyclamen, "Figured you're not a rose guy so I got these. A bit non-traditional but the red made me think of you." He said, smiling softly. "I also just wanted to say I'm sorry. For everything. The way I was at Hogwarts, the judgment towards your family, everything." George watched Draco talk and couldn't help but smile. He was talking to Fred as if he was there. It warmed George's heart. Draco turned to face George, "Your turn." He said, stepping back and motioning for George to talk.
George stepped forward and looked down at the gravestone. "This is kinda weird so bear with me, Fred." He said, wiping away a few stray tears. "I hope you're alright up there. I hope you're causing havoc like you did when you were alive." He said with a small sad chuckle. He looked up to try to stop his tears from flowing. "Fuck, this is hard." He said after sniffling. "I just… God, I miss you. I miss you so much. We all do." He tried not to choke up but he failed. He started sobbing. He felt Draco place his hand on his shoulder and gently squeeze. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry. I'm sorry I accused you of caring more about the shop than you cared about Ron. I didn't mean it. I know you cared. You cared so much." He wasn't sure how much of what he said sounded like words but he didn't care. "I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you."
Draco pulled George into a hug which George took a few seconds to return but when he did he hugged Draco with everything in him. He couldn't help but imagine it was Fred who he was hugging. Draco held onto George as long as George let him. He just rubbed George's back and let him cry.
"That was a risky idea for an activity," George said when he pulled away from the hug. He couldn't help but laugh lightly though. "But I think it may have helped a little so thank you." He said with a weak smile. He felt a little better. Fred might not have been standing in front of him alive but it still felt like closure to an extent.
Draco chuckled, "I planned on obliviating you if it didn't have the desired effect." He joked as he conjured up a box of tissues. "How do you feel?"
George took the tissues and blew his nose, "As good as one can get after talking to their dead twin." He retorted. "But I do feel a little better. Thank you."
"Don't mention it." He said with a small shrug. "Let's go back to your flat so you can make yourself presentable for our session." He said, offering this arm to George again.
George was already mentally preparing himself for the appointment.