Fred and George were in the middle of an intense game of Exploding Snaps when Harry burst into the room. Ginny, Luna, and Ron stopped mid-conversation to look over at their friend. Harry stood in the doorway with a note clenched in his fist and his breath ragged.

"What. Did. You. Do?" He choked out, green eyes lit with rage.

Baffeled Ron stood up. "What are you on about, mate? What's that you've got?" He indicated towards the letter in Harry's hand.

Harry raised the letter and shook it. "She's left! Said she needed to find her parents! But I know Hermione. I know something seriously bad had to have happened for her to take off like this. So what did you do?" He seethed, glaring at Ron.

The entire room was deadly silent while Ron tried to form words. "I haven't… There was nothing…." He ran a hand through his hair, then shook his head. "Things were fine with us. We decided we should just stay friends." He cringed a little at the term, remembering the pitiful look she had given him when she suggested it. "I swear mate. I had no idea anything was wrong."

"You're lying!" Harry yelled. "You've always been the one to say nasty things! Always been the one to hurt her! Even when we were just first years, you were always out to… out to.." Harry took a shaky breath and sat down next to Ginny, head in his hand. Ginny began rubbing small circles on her boyfriend's back, and whispering soothing words.

Suddenly Fred stood from his place on the floor next to George and stormed out of the house. Everyone that remained sat there in a shocked silence for what seemed like ages, before finally George left too, to find his twin.

Three hours later

George sat at his desk writing an angry note to Fred. He had searched everywhere and hadn't been able to find him anywhere. His only hope was that his owl had better luck than he had had. But as he was signing the note, there was a peck at the window. He opened it, only for an owl from some unknown owlery flew in and dropped a note of its own onto the desk before flying back out the window.

Georgie,

No worries, I'm alive.

-Freddie

George crumbled the note up and threw it at the wall. That's all? That's all he had to say to him? He shook his head and stomped towards the fireplace. There was no way he was telling his mother what Fred had said in person, he valued his life too much for that. He would have to Floo Call her.

"Well this is going to be fun… Not." He grumbled to himself before sticking his head into the flames.

Two months later

The distinct pop of apparition alerted George that he was no longer alone in his flat. He reached for his wand, and slipped into the hallway. There was a loud thump in the room next to his. Suddenly angry that someone would dare touch Fred's old things, he threw the door open and stormed in, wand drawn.

For a moment George stared into his own blue eyes, before realizing it was his twin standing in front of him. Fred blinked, then turned back to destroying his room.

George threw his wand down and tackled Fred to the ground. After hugging a non-responsive twin, George sat up and punched Fred directly in the face. George stood from the floor, "Never disappear like that again you git." Before attempting to drag him to the fireplace. "Well come on, then. Mum will want to see you with her own eyes, make sure you're alive, so that she can kill you properly for taking off for so long." He joked.

Fred shook his head. "Bugger off, George." He pulled away and crawled into his bed. George stood there staring at what a mess his brother had become in the time he had been away. There was something seriously wrong. He moved towards the bed to comfort Fred, maybe heal his busted lip from the blow George himself had delivered. "I said bugger off. As in go away. Leave." Fred growled.

Shocked at the anger and hurt in Fred's voice, George stumbled out of the room. He was going to need reinforcements for dealing with this.