A/N: Wow. The response I got for the last chapter was just… wow. I guess you guys did like it after all! GIGANTIC thanks to everyone who reviewed: ncis-lady, Linda, Moonlight900, Dimcairien, chocolateMnMs, Aris1013, MaddyGervais (thank you so much, I absolutely loved your review, it was so nice), midnightstar19, runeaglerun, Carkey, and . I cannot thank any of you enough, your feedback just completely made my day. Thank you so much. I'm posting this chapter early as a way of showing my appreciation. I hope it lives up to expectations!

Chapter 7

True to his word, George began accompanying Fred outside. At first it had been painful, having to apparate into side alleys so that George wouldn't collapse in the middle of the street. But as the weeks passed, George found that he began to grow used to the dizziness and nausea, and it took him less time to recover.

Fred was delighted at this, believing it to be a positive sign, and George was inclined to agree. Life was going quite well for the twins considering their situation; their family was still safe (apart from Ron, who they hadn't heard from since the wedding), and while their shop was only open on certain days of the week, they still received several tentative customers every day. They had also invented several more creations which they were sure would be a big hit once the war was over.

Of course the peace was too good to last.

It was night. Just a random night in early October, no special date, no special occasion. Fred and George were strolling down Diagon Alley, heading back to their flat, having left to get some fresh air after dinner. For once there were other people outside as well; there hadn't been an attack in a long time, and people were beginning to grow less cautious.

They probably should have guessed.

As they were walking, George felt a slight tingle down his spine. At any other time, he would have ignored it, blaming the weather. But they were in the middle of a war. Small details could mean the difference between life and death. He shot a look at Fred, who had apparently felt the same uneasiness. Together they slowly pulled out their wands from their pockets, coming to a halt shoulder to shoulder.

All of a sudden there was a loud explosion from a shop down the street. Startled, Fred and George spun around in time to see a large fireball soar into the air.

"Move!" George yelled, as both he and Fred darted across the street away from the fireball. A few seconds later it hit a building, causing an explosion of flames. Clouds of dust fell over the street as people began running outside, screaming in terror.

Through the dust George could make out several figures dressed in cloaks and wearing masks approaching, and he felt dread creep through his stomach.

"Death Eaters," he muttered. Fred, still by his side, nodded wordlessly. They were both recalling what had happened the last time they had faced a Death Eater attack. At that moment George felt the same dizziness he had experienced at the reception hit him, although with less force. Gasping slightly, he aimed a curse at the Death Eater closest to him. The Death Eater fell down immediately, sprouting vicious looking boils. George dodged to his left, narrowly missing an unforgiveable curse aimed at him. Looking around, he realised that Fred was no longer by his side.

"Fred?" George called out, trying to see his brother through all the dust and spells flying through the air.

"George!" He heard a faint cry from nearby, but he still couldn't see Fred. A Death Eater appeared in front of George, leering menacingly.

"Stupefy!" George yelled out, trying to ignore the pain in his head. The Death Eater he had aimed at collapsed immediately, however a second Death Eater was looming behind him, wand pointed directly at George.

"Stupef-"

"Protego!"

George whirled around in time to see Fred cast a protective shield around George, blocking the spell about to hit him. It bounced off harmlessly, leaving both Fred and George slightly breathless at the close call. George's eyes widened as he looked over Fred's shoulder and spotted an advancing Death Eater; Fred, seeing the look, ducked immediately and George shot a spell, stopping the Death Eater in his tracks. Breathing heavily, Fred stumbled over to where George was standing.

"Thanks," he gasped out. George nodded but didn't say anything, the muffled noises growing louder in his ear. He could also feel the nausea beginning to rise in his stomach but he swallowed and ignored it. The two headed towards the nearest shop, trying to get out of the line of fire. Around them, there were several witches and wizards attempting to fight, but the majority were running away. Crowing, one of the death eaters aimed his wand and a nearby shop was blown to smithereens.

Fred and George were both thrown back from the force, landing painfully several feet apart. Breathing hard, coughing as he tried to clear his throat of the dust and debris, Fred struggled to get to his feet, groping for his wand. Ignoring the severe pain in his wrist, he ran over to where George was still lying down, his hands clasped weakly over his ears.

"George? George!" He yelled urgently. George turned towards Fred with a pained expression.

"George, what is it?" Fred asked immediately, kneeling beside George. There were several cuts on George's face, but Fred couldn't see any physical injuries that would cause the amount of pain George appeared to be experiencing.

"It's everything. Fred, everything's worse, I-" whatever he had intended to say was cut off by a choked gasp of pain. Fred frantically grasped at George's shoulders, hands darting uncertainly, unsure whether he should try and move George or not.

His mind was made up when there was another loud explosion nearby, raining the twins with wood and glass shards. Fred instantly used his own body to protect George's from the flying debris, wincing as several pieces caught him around the head. Lifting his head as it finally stopped, Fred's eyes widened as he saw two Death Eaters slowly approaching him, their wands raised. Without a second thought, Fred grasped George's arm tightly and disapparated with a loud crack.

Fred blinked as the sound of waves crashing reached his ears. He could barely see beyond a metre in front of him, it was so dark, but he could clearly feel George's body in his arms, hear George's raspy, pain-filled breathing, sense his twin's agony.

"Bill!" Fred shouted roughly into the darkness. He felt George stir slightly under his hand.

"Fred?"

"Yeah, I'm here George," Fred said, squinting through the darkness until he could finally see George's pale face. "I'm right here."

"Fred, I don't- I don't think-"

"Hey, you're going to be fine, you hear me George? Saint-like, remember? We're going to patch you up and you'll be good as new," Fred said firmly. George didn't reply, instead rolling over and emptying the contents of his stomach onto the ground weakly.

"Fred…" He said feebly, turning back to his brother.

"No, don't do this George. Don't you dare, you stay with me, okay? BILL!" Fred roared, his breathing quickening. Nearby he could hear voices, one male, and one female. They seemed to be approaching, but Fred could barely hear what they were saying.

"George. George?" Fred asked frantically when he didn't get a response. "George, come on," he pleaded desperately. "George. Hey, hey, do you remember when we were nine and I fell off my broom?" He asked. It took a few moments, but he eventually felt George nod weakly.

"Was… terrified," George gasped out through the pain. Fred nodded, struggling to hold back tears.

"Yeah. Yeah well, that's exactly how you're making me feel right now, George," he replied, voice shaking slightly.

"Sor-sorry."

"You should be. But I'll forgive you George; I promise I'll forgive you if you stay awake, okay?"

Before Fred could elicit a reply from his brother, a beam of light fell across his face, temporarily blinding him.

"What- Fred? George?" He heard a voice cry out in worry.

"Bill," he sighed, feeling relief rush over him. Bill would help. Bill would make it better.

"Fred, what happened?" Bill asked, shocked at the condition his younger brothers were in.

"Death Eater attack. Bill, George, he-" Fred's voice broke off, but Bill seemed to understand. Kneeling, he carefully lifted George into his arms, taking care not to jostle George too much. Fred rose to his feet shakily.

"Be careful," he said, voice trembling as he saw George's pale face properly for the first time, lit up by Fleur's wand. George's freckles stood out against his pale skin, his eyes closed, face twisted in pain. Nodding, Bill began walking towards their cottage. Fleur gently took Fred's arm and he automatically followed her, head reeling from the events that had just transpired.

Bill and Fleur's cottage was small but homely. However Fred barely noticed any of this, his mind focus on only one thing.

George.

He watched silently as Bill gently deposited the now unconscious George onto a couch and began removing his jacket.

"Fred, what happened? What's wrong with George?" Bill asked urgently. Fred, who had been gazing at George's limp form, making sure George was still breathing, jerked his head at the sound of his name.

"What? Oh… we found out a few months ago that when George lost his ear, the curse Snape used caused some internal damage. He was feeling really dizzy and sick whenever we travelled anywhere, but lately he seemed okay. But then tonight- there was a Death Eater attack at Diagon Alley. We were just walking, but then there were spells flying everywhere, and buildings were exploding, and-" Fred closed his eyes, trying to block out the sounds of the screams still echoing in his mind, trying to block out the image of George lying motionless on the ground.

"And what, Fred?" Bill asked, his tone unusually harsh. Fleur, standing beside Fred, shifted slightly and gave her husband a pointed look.

"Bill, Fred 'as 'ad a lot 'appen to him-" Fleur began, but Bill interrupted her.

"I know, Fleur, but this is important. Fred, you need to tell us exactly what happened to leave George like this," Bill said, gesturing towards the still form on the couch. Fred, to his horror, could feel tears of frustration welling in his eyes.

"I don't know!" He burst out. "There was an explosion nearby, and we were both thrown back, and when I got up George was like this."

"Was he hit by a spell?" Bill pressed relentlessly.

"I- no, I don't think so. I don't know," he said helplessly, shrugging his shoulders. "But I don't think so; I think it was just the explosion. Maybe it- maybe it was too much for his ear?"

Bill looked searchingly at Fred for a moment before turning to Fleur.

"Can you-" he began but Fleur was already kneeling at George's side, her wand out as she murmured a stream of healing spells. Bill nodded as he turned to Fred, his own wand out. "Sit down," he said quietly, steering Fred into the nearest chair.

"But George-"

"If what you say is true and George didn't get hit by a spell, then there's nothing we can do apart from keeping him comfortable and wait for him to wake up," Bill said firmly but gently. "Now sit."

Fred protested for several minutes before finally caving in, and if it had been anyone but Bill (or possibly Charlie), he would have refused. Eventually, Fred reluctantly sat in the armchair, resting his head back for a moment. Now that they had escaped and he knew George was in safe hands, he could feel the adrenaline wearing off, leaving him exhausted and feeling thoroughly battered. He felt Bill ruffle his hair gently.

"Don't wanna sleep," Fred murmured automatically, refusing to let his eyes close despite their best efforts. Bill chuckled.

"I'm not going to make you sleep, Fred. I need to heal your wounds." Fred eyes opened properly at this statement.

"I don't have any wounds," he said, confused. Bill raised an eyebrow.

"I take it you haven't looked in a mirror recently. Well, I hate to break it to you Fred, but you're more scarred than I am right now," he said with a slight grin. Fred, slightly alarmed, raised a hand to his face. Sure enough, he could feel many scratches adorning his face and scalp, some shallow, others deeper. Bringing his hand down, he could see that it too was scarred, and stained with blood. He winced suddenly as his wrist twinged painfully again.

"And your wrist is sprained, if not broken," Bill said with a frown, gently picking it up. Fred couldn't hold back his gasp of pain.

"Sorry," Bill apologised as he examined Fred's wrist closely. "Mmm, definitely sprained," he mused as he pulled out his wand. Resting it gently over Fred's wrist, he murmured a few words and Fred instantly felt the pain begin to fade. Bill crossed the room to grab strips of cloth, which he used to bandage Fred's wrist.

"It should be fine in a few days, but don't put any unnecessary strain on it," he said warningly. Fred nodded mutely, eyes flickering over to George, who was still unconscious, although his face was no longer as pale as it had been, and the few cuts previously adorning it had vanished. Fleur was still hovering over him, trying to get him to drink some water. Bill shook his head, seeing that he had lost Fred's attention, and began the slow process of healing and cleaning each of Fred's wounds.

Nearly an hour later, Bill was finally done. By this time Fred was half asleep, his head lolling forward onto his chest.

"Fred?" Bill prompted gently. Fred's head shot up, his eyes bleary.

"George?" He asked groggily, blinking.

"No, Bill."

"How's George?" Fred asked as he scrambled to his feet and approached the couch George was on.

"'E is resting," Fleur told him quietly as she too stood up, glancing at Bill. "I did all zat I could." Bill offered her a tender smile as he pulled her into his arms. The two watched as Fred cautiously knelt by George's side, taking George's hand in his own.

"Fred, we have a spare bedroom upstairs. Do you-" Bill didn't even bother continuing as Fred shook his head.

"No. No, I'll stay here with George," Fred said quietly.

"Alright, we'll bring you some blankets and spare pillows," Bill replied. Fred looked up suddenly, eyes suspiciously bright.

"Thank you. Both of you. I'm sorry, I know this has put you in a dangerous position, but this was the first place I could think of. If the Death Eaters recognised us, the first place they would go would be Mum and Dad's. I'm sorry," he repeated. Bill gently let go of Fleur and pulled his younger brother into his arms.

"Don't apologise, Fred. We're family. That's what families do. And if you ever need help, we're always here for you," he said firmly. Fred buried his face into Bill's shoulder for a moment, and Bill was quite sure that Fred was attempting to compose himself. A few seconds later, he pulled away and flashed Bill a small smile.

"I'd hug Fleur, but I'm afraid that she'll be overcome by my amazing qualities and leave you, and that would put us in a rather awkward situation," he said, flashing then a cheeky grin. Both Bill and Fleur laughed, relieved at the normalcy, even if it was only for a moment.

"You wish, little bro," Bill said as he and Fleur headed upstairs, shaking his head. Fred watched them with a grin, which disappeared as soon as they left the room. He turned instantly back to George, dropping to his knees.

"George," he said quietly, desperation leaking into his voice. "George, please wake up."

But George didn't wake up, and as Fred lay kneeling beside his twin's still form he had the horrible sensation that he was kneeling at his brother's deathbed. Choking back a sob, he gripped George's hand tighter, resting his head beside their intertwined fingers as he prepared himself for a long, lonely night.

Next chapter: George's fate is revealed while Fred is having second thoughts about their decision to fight in the war.

Thanks for reading, and please review! :)