A/N- Second last chapter! So this is where all the action happens. Umm, I'd also like to apologise in advance. I'm not telling you what I'm apologising for, just… know I'm apologising. You'll understand later. So, as always, a MASSIVE thanks to my reviewers: cutietrp, chocolateMnMs, Cristina Weasley and Stars and Stripes. Your continuous support means the world. I hope you all enjoy this chapter; it was quite… interesting to write. Yes, we'll leave at that shall we?
Chapter 5- Trust
Fred was being yanked along the tunnel by the guard, George flitting in the shadows behind them, pausing every time they stopped so as to remain undetected. A part of him was glad that the guards in Fred's mind were so thick; he was sure if this had been real, he would have been noticed by now. After a few minutes they reached a black wooden door, which the guard opened. From inside, George could hear a low moaning, and he wasn't surprised when Fred ran forward into the room without any prompting. The guard turned and left, barely missing George who ducked behind a large rock formation. As soon as the guard was out of sight, George ran into the room after his brother.
It was cold and dimly lit, not much different to Fred's cell, although much bigger. In the middle, there was a wooden table, and lying on top of the table was-
"George!" Fred exclaimed, running up to his 'twin'. The George on the table was barely conscious, his eyes fluttering slowly, his clothes stained with what was most likely his own blood. George stared, feeling as though he were having an out of body experience. The George before him looked exactly like him, down to the last freckle. Even the hole George now had as an ear was exactly the same.
"George, are you okay?" Fred was murmuring, stroking the other George's forehead tenderly. The other George turned to look at Fred.
"You need to tell them, Fred," he whispered quietly, voice barely more than a croak. George watched in alarm as Fred's face fell. Tell them what, George wanted to ask, but he refrained, deciding to stay quiet until he could figure out exactly what nightmare Fred's mind was creating.
"No…. George, we swore we'd never cave, no matter what," Fred said weakly, tears forming in his eyes. The other George shook his head.
"I can't- I can't take it anymore. Please Fred, just tell them!" He said pleadingly.
"George, I can't," Fred said helplessly, his eyes sad, the pain clearly evident.
"For me Freddie," the other George was begging now, but Fred continued to shake his head, obviously struggling to stay in control of his emotions.
George's own eyes flew open as his doppelganger sat up suddenly, wincing slightly.
"You're placing Harry and the Order above me?" The other George questioned, his tone unexpectedly hard. Fred looked taken aback for a moment.
"No George, I- we promised each other-"
"I can't believe you Fred," the other George said in disgust, his lip curling in contempt.
"George," Fred pleaded.
"What kind of a brother are you? You're willing to let me be tortured while you sit like a pathetic lump in your cell, waiting? You didn't even try to come and rescue me, did you?" The other George's voice had risen as his face flushed red, his fists clenched tightly. "You're useless," he hissed viciously. "Everyone around you will die because of your own weaknesses, Fred. It'll be your fault, because you were too weak to protect them. My suffering, my death will be your fault."
Fred took several steps back from his brother, his eyes wide, tears falling.
"You- don't say that, George. Please, not you," he whispered, voice cracking. The real George took one look at the horror on Fred's face and raced forward, ignoring his doppelganger's surprised cry. He stepped in front of Fred, blocking his line of vision to the table.
"Fred," he said gently, and Fred's eyes flickered up to meet his.
"Ge-George?" He whispered back, tears still falling. George nodded, placing one hand on Fred's shoulder, the other holding the side of Fred's head, keeping his gaze locked on George.
"I remember what we promised Fred. We swore that if we were taken, that no matter what, no matter how bad things got, we wouldn't give up any information. We wouldn't tell them anything about Harry, Ron, Hermione, or the Order, because we're fighting for a cause. We promised that even under pain of death, we would never tell them anything, because the fate of the world is more important that the two of us." George voice was strong, his grip on Fred firm, keeping him grounded, hanging onto George's words.
"We promised," Fred echoed, his eyes locked onto George's, teary, pain filled and confused. George nodded solemnly.
"We promised. And you kept that promise, Fred. You kept it, and I'm so proud of you for keeping it," George said. Fred swallowed.
"But you got hurt," he said quietly, his hand unconsciously moving to grasp George's jacket, not seeming to realise that he was talking to the wrong George, the George he had declared a death eater only an hour before.
And George was reminded so forcefully of Fred when he was eight, his voice small, his expression twisted into one of pain and guilt when George had fallen down the stairs whilst trying to race Fred. George had told Fred that he didn't blame him, that it had been his own decision to race, that Fred hadn't forced him, but it had taken more than an hour for Fred to stop feeling guilty. And George knew that same guilt was going to stay with Fred if he didn't say something.
"We knew what could happen. It wasn't your fault, Fred. We both made that promise, didn't we?"
Fred sniffed. "Yeah."
"So this isn't your fault, Fred. I don't blame you. I'll never blame you," George whispered. Fred seemed to believe him, smiling slightly, until his expression changed.
"Then why-?" And they both turned to look at the figure on the table. To George's surprise, the other George was beginning to grow hazy, almost translucent. He glanced quickly at Fred, who had noticed the same thing.
"What-" Fred let go of George, in the process of taking several steps towards the table when the other George unexpectedly vanished in a flash of light. Fred turned back to George, his eyes wide.
"You were telling the truth," he whispered. "That wasn't George."
George smiled. "And an hour later, you finally believe me," he said jokingly.
Before Fred could reply, the room began to shake abruptly, and in the distance George could hear the tunnel beginning to tremble. He looked back at Fred in horror, who was staring at him, bewildered.
"What's happening?" Fred yelled to be heard above the noise.
"I- I think your body is shutting down, and its dragging your mind down with it. Fred please, you have to trust me. We need to get out of here now," George yelled back. To his dismay, Fred was shaking his head.
"How do I know? How do I know I can trust you?" Fred had stumbled closer to him, his voice barely audible amidst the noise echoing outside. The shaking grew more violent, and the ceiling was beginning to crack.
"How do I know you're the real George?" Fred asked, and George could see the desperation in his eyes. Fred wanted to believe. He wanted to, but after what he had just seen he didn't know how. George stumbled forward until he was standing directly in front of Fred. He reached out and placed a hand on Fred's chest directly over his heart, looking straight into his eyes.
"It's me, Freddie. I'm right here, like I've always been. And right now you need to come with me because I can't go back alone. Not without you Fred, I can't survive. Please." George's voice was trembling with emotion, and he could see the tears in Fred's eyes. And finally to his relief, Fred nodded.
"I believe you," he croaked, and George felt his face split into the widest grin his mouth was capable of.
It was a violent shake that brought them back to reality.
"Come on, we have to get back to the mirror," George said, grabbing Fred's hand. The two of them ran down the corridors to Fred's cell. Around them, the world seemed to be crumbling, pieces of the wall breaking off and falling to the floor, the roof trembling ominously as shock waves riddled the tunnel. George narrowly avoided being squashed by a chunk of stone falling, and he could hear Fred curse behind him.
"You okay George?" Fred yelled as the two neared the cell. George was prevented from yelling back a response when he heard a cry of pain from behind him. Spinning around, he spotted Fred kneeling on the floor, his head bleeding profusely. A large rock nearby was the culprit, stained with blood. George ran back, pulling Fred to his feet, wrapping an arm around his waist.
"Come on!" He yelled, pulling Fred along beside him. At first Fred seemed half dazed by the blow, but soon he was able to run by himself, and George's arm moved from his waist to grip his wrist, keeping the two close.
They finally stumbled back into the cell, which was beginning to crumble from the force of the shock waves. George pushed Fred in front of him, preparing them to go through, when Fred turned to him.
"How do you know this will work? Last time I just hit the mirror," Fred asked worriedly.
"Last time I just chucked you at the mirror. You didn't actually believe me. But now you know the truth," George said. Fred stared at him for a second.
"Just made that up on the spot, didn't you?" He said, a grin spreading across his face.
"Yep." George admitted. Fred laughed.
"See you on the other side then?" Fred said with a grin, which George returned despite the situation.
"I'll hold you to that," he said seriously. At that moment, both twins felt a shock wave approaching, aiming for the one thing in the room that had yet to break. George's eyes widened.
"Jump!" He yelled, grabbing Fred's hand and launching himself forward at the mirror just as it began to shatter. He could feel himself falling through when Fred's hand slipped out of his own.
"No!" George yelled, desperately grasping, but Fred's hand was gone.
Back in the Great Hall, George's eyes opened.