A/N: Oh wow. I am kind of blown away by the number of story alerts I got for this. Thank you! And a big thanks to everyone who reviewed! You guys make the world a better place. My gift to you lovely people: the next chapter in the story. I hope you guys enjoy it; it's gone through a lot of editing because I can't decide whether I'm happy with it or not. Sorry if any characters seem OOC… there's just SO many Weasley's, it's hard to fit them all in. But oh well. Please leave a review if you can!
Chapter 2: Want
The sound that escaped Molly Weasley's mouth when she saw Arthur walk into the Great Hall cradling Fred's body was one that George never wanted to hear again. She ran forward, Bill, Fleur, Percy and Ginny at her heels, tears already falling rapidly.
"Oh, my boy!" She cried out between sobs, falling to her knees. Behind her, Ginny burst into tears and clung to Bill, who was already holding a weepy Fleur, while Percy bowed his head, tears streaming from his already puffy eyes.
"No, Molly, it's not what you think," Arthur started. Charlie helped him lower Fred gently to the ground, both supporting his body which George quickly gathered into his own arms protectively.
"I've got him Charlie," George said quietly as he rested Fred's head against his shoulder, adjusting him into a somewhat comfortable position. The slight breath he could feel against his neck was a comfort. Arthur turned back to the rest of the family.
"He's alive."
Molly stared at Arthur in shock. Percy's head flew up, Ginny stopped sobbing, and Bill's grip on Fleur tightened. Their eyes all flickered to Fred, to George, to Arthur, and then back to Fred.
"What?" Percy whispered, his eyes hopeful.
"He's not dead. He's still got a heartbeat," Charlie told the family, a slight grin on his face. "It's faint, but it's there. He's alive."
Molly burst into tears again, this time smiling. Percy knelt down next to Fred and George.
"He's really alive?" Percy asked quietly, gazing down at Fred's face. George nodded.
"Yeah."
A smile emerged on Percy's face, one George hadn't seen in years. He started laughing, tears streaming down his face. "Oh thank God!" Percy cried out, burying his face in his hands. Hearing footsteps behind them, the Weasley clan turned around to see Ron, Harry and Hermione walking into the Great Hall, looking despondent. Noticing the smiles on everyone's faces, they walked over cautiously. Only Percy was aware that they were still under the impression that Fred was dead.
"He's alive, Ron!" Percy surprised them all by speaking first. "Fred's alive!"
Ron blinked, before turning to Hermione and Harry, who looked just as confused.
"But we saw him…" Hermione's voice trailed off. "Are you sure?" She glanced down uncertainly at Fred's still form.
"You can still feel his heartbeat," Charlie said, nodding. Ron collapsed to his knees beside Fred in relief, and Harry let out a small laugh of happiness. Hermione smiled, but she still looked concerned.
"Why isn't he awake?" She asked, bringing up the question everyone was silently asking.
"That's what we need to find out" Arthur said grimly, turning to Percy.
"Percy, were you with Fred when he got hit?" He asked. Percy nodded, eyes growing teary again.
"Yeah, so was Ron, Harry and Hermione," he said quietly. Arthur nodded.
"Okay, we need to know what happened." The four looked at each other, wondering who would- could- speak.
"We- we were fighting the Death Eaters," Hermione finally began. "And then there was this explosion, I think one of them blew up the wall. When it cleared, Fred was lying there and we- we thought he was dead, so Harry and Percy moved his body into a niche."
"But was Fred hit by a spell?" Arthur urged. Hermione shook her head.
"I don't- I didn't see." She said in a small voice.
"It was a green spell," Percy spoke up suddenly. Everyone turned to look at him. He swallowed. "Green, like the killing curse. Which I why I thought- I thought he-" he swallowed again.
"Could it have been the killing curse?" Ron asked, with a sidewards glance at Harry. "I mean, could it have somehow hit him and he survived-?"
Everyone turned to look at Harry, the only person who had been hit by it and lived. He frowned.
"I- I don't think so. The only reason I survived was because my mother sacrificed herself for me. And even then, I don't think I was in a comatose state like Fred is," he said as he looked down at Fred, still resting in George's arms.
"Right, well I'm going to go find Madam Pompfrey," Arthur said as he walked off, followed by Charlie. Harry seemed to notice something, as he stumbled away from the group with Ron and Hermione, while the rest of the Weasley's discussed what could possibly be wrong with Fred.
"Georgie?" Molly's voice interrupted George's thoughts. He smiled weakly up at her.
"Hey mum," he said. She gazed at him with tear filled eyes.
"Are you okay sweetie?" She asked him sincerely. George was tempted to shake his head, to tell her that no, he wasn't alright, how could he be alright when it was Fred who was lying in his arms, unconscious? His brother, his twin, who had been by his side since he was born, now on the verge of death?
But he didn't. He couldn't. Instead, he nodded and shot her a reassuring grin.
"I'm fine mum," he said, and to his relief Molly nodded, ruffled his hair, and moved away to comfort Ginny.
George, relieved to finally be away from all the attention, glanced down at Fred. He shifted slightly, supporting more of Fred's upper body against his own. His left hand found its way to Fred's, and he clasped Fred's hand in his own, their fingers intertwined, as he rested his chin on top of Fred's head. Sighing, he closed his eyes for a moment, imagining what it would be like to hear Fred's laughter echoing in his ears, his squawk of disapproval if he could see himself curled in George's arms.
"You girl!" He could imagine Fred exclaiming as he gave George a friendly shove. "George? More like Georgina! Get off me, you numpty, I'm fine."
But now… now George was facing the possibility of never hearing Fred's voice again.
"George!"
George frowned slightly. Could it be- no, that wasn't possible. But he was sure he had heard Fred's voice calling his name. George opened his eyes, and to his immense surprise found himself in a dark, damp cell. Beyond the bars, he could barely make out a passageway. George glanced around, unsure how he got into the cell, and then shrank back against the wall as he made out two figures walking towards him. It took him several moments to realise one of them had flaming red hair.
"You won't get away with this!" The red haired figure yelled, and George felt his heart rate increase drastically. Fred! He would recognise that voice anywhere. The second figure opened the door and thrust Fred violently inside the cell, laughing.
"Just watch me," he said mockingly before leaving. Fred immediately rose to his feet, clutching the bars.
"George!" He yelled again. George stepped out of the shadows.
"Fred?" He whispered. Fred whirled around, eyes wide.
"What? George, how are you- how did you get here?" He asked, confusion clear in his eyes as he looked at George and then outside the cell. George took a step forward, and was startled to see Fred take one backwards.
"Fred, it's me," he said, slightly hurt by Fred's reaction. But Fred shook his head.
"No, how can you- you can't be here, you're out there," he said, gesturing outside the cell. "I just saw you, I just heard you."
"Fred, something weird is happening," George said, glancing around again. "How did you get here? Where are we?"
"I don't know, we were fighting at Hogwarts and then these guys kidnapped us or something," Fred mumbled, running a hand through his already tousled hair. He looked back at George, a strange expression on his face. "Who are you?"
"What do you mean? I'm George," said George, confused. Fred shook his head again.
"Stop saying that. You're not George; George is out there being tortured for information." Fred's voice was choked with emotion, his fists clenched, and George could see how frustrated and upset his brother was. "So I'll ask you again, who are you?"
George took a step back, hands held up as a gesture of innocence and goodwill. "Look Fred, I don't know what's happening, but this isn't real. Okay? I'm me, I'm George, and I'm not being tortured. I just got here."
"How stupid do you lot think I am?" Fred demanded angrily. "You think as soon as I see my brother I'll start yapping away and tell you everything?"
"Fred, I'm not working for them," George said, pleading for his brother to believe him. "You need to listen to me; you need to wake up Fred. This isn't real, I think this is just a dream, because a minute ago I was in the Great Hall, but if you can hear me, the real you, you need to wake up."
Fred snorted. "You came from the Great Hall? Through what, the mirror?" He asked mockingly. George turned around and to his surprise saw a large mirror behind him, in exactly the spot he had emerged from. He looked at it uncertainly. To his surprise, he was unable to see his reflection. Instead, there was only darkness.
"I-" he leaned forward and raised a hand to the mirror curiously. Suddenly, he felt his body being jerked forward, and he found himself falling straight into the mirror, hearing Fred's voice calling out for him.
George's eyes flew open and he found himself in the Great Hall once more, his family's worried faces above him. Once they realised he was awake, they all heaved a collective sigh of relief.
"George?" Ginny asked, her hand resting on his shoulder. It was only then that he realised someone had manoeuvred him against a wall. His eyes flew down to look at Fred, who was still nestled in his arms, motionless except for the slight rise and fall of his chest. His mind flew back to the cell, to Fred's confused face before him. Was it real? Was Fred somehow trapped somewhere? Or was it just his mind's creation in a desperate attempt to see Fred again? But it had seemed so real…
"George?" Molly's voice jolted him back to reality. "Georgie, what is it? What happened, you just collapsed and seemed to fall into a daze…"
George licked his lips uncertainly.
"I- I think I just saw Fred."