A/N: Sad story… The beginning of this one is a songfic, and the lyrics jump around a little in the song.
Ages-
Ginny: 16
Ron: 17
Fred and George: 19
Percy: 21
Charlie: 25
Bill: 26
Enjoy
The mountains that rose near Hogwarts were barely visible through the puffs of smoke still hanging hazily over the grounds.
These mist covered mountains,
Are home now for me.
He had always considered wherever Fred was as home. Since this was the last place his brother had spoken, he would always feel a tie to it. Some of the best times he had had with his brother had occurred here, as well.
George looked around the Great Hall, remembering the last time he had been there. He and his brother- but no- he shouldn't lose himself to memory, not yet. He glanced down the rows of still figures, unable to let his eyes wander downwards to the one beside him.
Through these fields of destruction,
Baptisms of fire,
I have witnessed your suffering,
As the battles raged higher.
Lupin and Tonks lay nearby, so peaceful that he almost thought they were asleep. Peeking out from Lupin's coat was a photograph, the one that he had shown them only hours before. That time seemed worlds away now. Poor, orphaned little Teddy.
Everyone had lost so much, and still, they were prepared to fight to the death. They were fighting not only to avenge the fallen, but to bring about the dawn of a new age. An age that many would not live to see.
You did not desert me, my brothers in arms.
Lupin's photograph wasn't the only thing that seemed like a far-off memory. His mother and father, crying uncontrollably, were separated from him by a thin veil that was invisible, but definitely tangible.
What had he become, that even his parents weren't part of his world?
George knew the answer to that. Fred had been his entire world. His family had always been important, but through it all, Fred had been able to reach him when no one else could. He was barely aware of Percy, Charlie, and Bill gripping hands, their faces twisted with grief.
Dimly, he recalled all the instances in which he had been jealous of Fred, of how he was always the main man. He wasn't sure if he regretted those moments of pettiness, but he was certain that he would relive every injustice in his life, multiplied by ten, if only he could have his brother back.
He remembered the promise Fred had made him, so long ago that George had forgotten about it until then.
'Forever and always, Georgie. That's what twins are for.' The little boy's words drifted to him from the past.
"What happened, Freddie? I'm disappointed, I expected forever," whispered George, his voice rough and hoarse with anguish. He cracked a maniacal smile, desperately trying for his humor to show itself.
"George?" Percy's soft, tentative voice broke through his shell.
"What?" he asked gruffly.
"You… you alright?" he asked hesitantly.
"Just peachy, Perce," George responded sarcastically. He saw a flash of pain and hurt cross his older brother's face. "Sorry," he mumbled.
"S'fine," answered Percy quietly. The eerie silence clinging to the family was only broken by Molly and Arthur's hushed sobs.
"Percy… I'm sorry. Just, for everything," George said, before Percy could say anything. Closing his mouth, the older Weasley nodded.
"So am I," he replied simply. George looked back around, noticing that the stream of bodies coming into the Great Hall had lessened. The wounded were stirring, and, with a leap of his heart, he noticed more and more of his friends and teachers emerging from the grounds unharmed. Professors McGonagall and Sprout were watching over the wounded. By the door, Neville Longbottom and Oliver Wood were standing together, talking. There was Alicia Spinnet, and Katie Bell, with Angelina Johnson close behind.
The appearance of his old teammates made George almost forget whose body he was sitting beside. Closing his eyes, he took in a deep breath, savoring the bubble of hope in his chest. Not everyone was gone, not everyone was gone. Except… George opened his eyes again, looking at his twin. He silently laid his head down on Fred's chest, letting the familiar scent of his brother soothe him, missing with his entire being the steady heartbeat that had once been there.
George knew that he could reconcile himself to the loss of his brother. However, there was a part of him that would always keep watch, waiting for Fred to walk through the door, waiting for the greeting that would never come; the laughs that now were nothing more than a memory. He yearned for his brother with all that was left of his heart. He would never stop missing him, would never forget.
Forever and always.
A/N: RIP Fred Weasley and all the others. The song is 'Brothers in Arms' by Celtic Thunder and Ryan Kelly.