It's been a long day without you, my friend
And I'll tell you all about it when I see you again
We've come a long way from where we began
Oh, I'll tell you all about it when I see you again
When I see you again
-Wiz Kalifah See You Again
Chapter Twenty-One: Brotherly Love
The train arrived at Hogsmeade a little after dinner, so the group got to eat at The Three Broomsticks before they went back to school.
Harry was indeed much better than he was when he had boarded the train earlier that day. He apologized to his friends for not speaking much, which they totally understood and held no I'll feelings.
He kept Daphne close to him, hand in hand with her as he laughed and chatted with Ron and Ginny. The siblings gave each other knowing looks as Harry and Daphne just radiated new relationship.
"So you two yeah?" asked Ron pointing back and forth to Harry and Daphne.
Harry and Daphne looked at each other and blushed.
"Sod off Ron." said Harry, smiling from ear to ear while throwing a crisp at Ron, who promptly caught it in his mouth.
"Well I'm happy for you two." said Ginny. "Someone has to take care of our dear Harry."
Daphne smiled as Harry put his arm around her. "She does. And once again you two, I'm sorry for last night. "
"Stop apologizing for that." said Ron. "It couldn't be helped. We are all dealing with this war in different ways, mate. Hermione and I still have dreams."
"So do I. Especially with Fred and Colin." said Ginny, smile disappearing. "This war has messed all of us up in some way. Of course you, Hermione, and my brother have it worse, with all you two endured last year."
Harry and Ron nodded. The trio still hadn't discussed fully what happened to anyone. One because of Harry's promise to Dumbledore, and two, because to talk about it all again to anyone else was hard.
"You didn't have it easy yourself Gin." said Harry. "Being here with the Carrows."
Ginny shrugged. "It wasn't as bad as it could have been. I had the D.A. of course. And also Blaise and Draco...on my side." she finished slowly. She didn't mean to mention Draco.
"Yeah, I've been meaning to ask you about that Ginny." said Ron, suspiciously. "What's this thing with the Slytherin Kings? Especially Ferret Boy."
"Let's just say Blaise kept me out of A LOT of trouble. And Draco and I have, well...we had something." said Ginny, blushing a deep red.
"Are you mental? You and Malfoy? You two dated?" said Ron, disgusted.
"I don't want to talk about it, Ron." growled Ginny.
"You fucked with a bloody Death Eater Gin?!"
"He isn't a Death Eater Ron! He never took the mark!"
"How the bloody hell do you know? He can easily use a concealment charm!"
"Believe me, I would know." said Ginny, angrily.
"How would you...oh bloody hell. You two fucked didn't you?" yelled Ron, getting the attention of the others.
"So what if we did, Ron?! It's no of your fucking business."
"Yes the hell it is! You're my sister! My sister fucked a fucking Death Eater!"
"Back off Weasley!" yelled Draco as he stood beside Ginny. "I'm not a damn Death Eater, and Ginny and I could have done anything we wanted to!"
"I guess you did! Thank Merlin he didn't impregnate you with his evil spawn!' yelled Ron, pointing at Draco.
"RON!" yelled Ginny, standing up while Draco whipped out his wand, pointing it in Ron's face. Ron took his out as well and pointed it at Draco, ready for anything the bloody git would throw.
"DRACO, RON, STOP! DON'T DO THIS!" yelled Ginny , stepping in between the wands. Draco lowered his, while Ron simply moved his from behind Ginny's side, still pointing it at Draco.
"WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY SISTER YOU PRICK? DID YOU IMPERVIOUS HER? SPIKE HER DRINK WITH A LOVE POTION?! WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO?!" demanded Ron.
"I DIDN'T DO A MOTHERFUCKING THING TO HER! SHE WAS MY GIRLFRIEND!" yelled Draco, moving Ginny out the way and pointing his wand back up at Ron.
Ginny started to cry. She didn't like to see her brother and the person she still had strong feeling for fighting, regardless of the fact that they despised each other. It was too much. Their fighting reminded her of the war and the war reminded her of...
Daphne saw Ginny trembling with tears running down her cheeks and ran over to her, hugging her close.
"You two please stop it!" she yelled. "Look at what the both of you are doing to Ginny!"
Ron and Draco looked at Ginny's shaking and crying body in Daphne's arms and immediately lowered their wands. They went over to her, each one eager to tend to her upset form.
"No more fighting." Ginny whispered on Daphne's shoulder. "I can't take it anymore. No more fighting. Please, no more."
"Ginny, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped like that. I shouldn't have..." said Ron as he stroked Ginny's hair. Draco wiped the tears that were falling from Ginny's eyes, apologizing as well.
Luka came over and calmly but promptly took Ginny's hand, pulling her from out of Daphne's arms and away from Ron and Draco.
"For two people who claim to love this woman, you sure have crazy ways of showing it. Guess I'll be the one there for her, as a real boyfriend should be. Come Ginni-vera, let's leave these two and go talk about it." he said, smirking quickly at the two dumbstruck boys as he led Ginny out of the pub.
Ron and Draco stood confused and angry. Did this prat really just snatch Ginny away like it was nothing?
"What the bloody fuck was that?" whispered Ron.
"I don't know, but I think a truce is in order, Weasley." said Draco, blood boiling at Luka's face.
"I'm in on it too." said Harry. "There's just something about that guy. I felt it last night when I glanced his way.
"We need to talk to Krum about his little brother." said Ron as Draco and Harry nodded.
Later that night, George sat on his four poster bed, curtains drawn with an impervious charm put on them so no one could get through. He also put up a silencing charm, as he didn't want to be heard.
He had been thinking a lot about what Angelina had told him about how she would "talk" to Fred.
He sat there, rubbing his hands together nervously. He found himself suddenly feeling absolutely stupid. Was he really about to sit here and talk to himself?
Oh what the hell.
"Hey...hey Gred. It's your good old Forge here. Just checking in to see if you're on the up and up...what the hell am I doing? Of course you're up. Way up actually. Shit. I feel ridiculous doing this. I don't know if you can hear me, but you're missing out on a lot, mate. By the way, you owe Angelina money. Our Ronniekins has finally gotten his bookworm. They are worse than you and Ang were. Absolutely nauseating, but I guess they are happy with each other, so it's okay. Our dear sister however, plays around with snakes now. "
George sighed. He listened to the almost deafening silence around him. It was eerily quiet and it was starting to make him nervous.
"If you don't know, I'm going to be expanding our venture to Hogsmeade, mate. Ang and I will be in charge out here, while Lee and Verity will take over the store in Diagon Alley. What do you think of that? Who knew that we would be swimming in galleons before our 21st eh?."
"I gotta tell you something brother, and I hope you don't get angry at me. I fancy your lady. There. I've admitted to it. I'm ready to hear your screaming now. I've actually fancied Angie longer than you have. I just never said anything because after the Yule, you two seemed happy. So I would bounce around from slag to slag and then back to Ali. But I couldn't properly be there for her you know? Because of Angelina."
"I wish you were here to yell at me for imposing on what has been yours for years. I know you love her Fred, but I find myself loving her too. And she still loves you, but I can't help but feel that she does fancy me more than she is saying. We just don't want to hurt you, mate. Dammit Fred, why aren't you here to help us?!"
George found himself getting upset. He felt the hot tears welling up in his eyes as he was thinking about how much he despised his brother for not being there at that exact moment.
"You are supposed to be here Freddy. Mum is broken, absolutely mental she is. She still puts out a plate for you. Did you know that? Bill wrote to me, telling me this the other week. She writes to me and your name is always written and then scratched out, Fred. Dad says that sometimes she goes to our old room and just stares at your bed. She almost doesn't look me in my eye. You did this to her Fred! Why?! Why did you do this to us Fred?!"
George started to yell at the top of his lungs in sorrow. He took a hold of his pillow and buried his face in it as he cried uncontrollably, as if he was a child again. He cried for what seemed like hours.
He lifted his head from the pillow and looked up at the ceiling on his bed. He took in a deep breath as he wiped the rest of the tears from his face.
Suddenly, he felt a cool presence in front of him. He lowered his head, and immediately his eyes almost popped out of his sockets.
There, hovering Indian style over his sheets was a very amused Fred. He was semitransparent, his hair just a shimmering tint of bright red, looking as if he wanted nothing to do but roll around and laugh.
George's jaw dropped. "Shut yer yap there Forge, you'll let a prick in you will." said the spirit of Fred Weasley.
George shut his mouth tight and rubbed his eyes hard. When he was done he opened them up. Fred was still there, grinning like a prat.
"Fr...Fred?" whispered George, not knowing if he should scream bloody murder, or piss his pants.
"In the...well I'm not exactly in the flesh now am I?" said Fred, chuckling.
George looked at his brother's ghost, awestruck. Did he stress himself to death?
"Okay, the 'Merlin's bollocks, it's a ghost!' act is wearing thin now, twin. If you don't stop right now, I'll haunt your shag dreams and have you having a go at Cormac from the rear, I will." laughed Fred.
George couldn't help but laugh at the joke. "You fucking cunt!" he said. "If you weren't a ghost, I'd kick your sorry ass!"
"I would have said something sooner, but you were too busy crying like a little bitch, I knew you wouldn't have paid me any attention."
"So you're here? Really here?"
Fred's face turned serious. "Not for long. I figured you needed a bit of a conversation. I got sick of hearing you blame me for my death and blame yourself for feeling for my Lina. Which by the way, I suspected. But I was selfish George. I loved her. Still do."
"So is this your way of telling me to back off?" asked George.
Fred grinned. "On the contrary, I wouldn't want to see Lina with anyone else but you. At least I know you would take care of her. I know that you wouldn't pull a fast one on her. You have my blessing, mate."
George nodded.
"As for Mum, I can't do anything about that. You can though."
"What do you mean?"
"What the fuck are you doing in Hogwarts?" asked Fred. "You need to be home with her. She isn't going to let me go. And as she is Mum, I don't expect her to. That's why she needs you. Go back home."
George smiled a smile that he hadn't smiled in the longest of times. It was the one reserved only for his twin, which Fred mirrored.
"I trust you to do right by my Lina, Georgie. To help Ron. Merlin, he needs it. To be there for Mum, to watch over Ginny. Oh and don't worry about her and Malfoy. I've watched him. He's not that bad of a bloke."
"You're talking as if you're leaving. Fred, please. Don't leave me, I need you." pleaded George, as he seen that his brother was starting to fade.
Fred smiled and shook his head. "You'll all right mate. You don't need me. And I can't stay here. You'll all right. Just do as I said, okay?"
George nodded as he wiped more tears from his eyes.
"Oh yeah. Good move on ya expanding out here. You'll milk these kiddos dry. Later on, expand beyond England. Soon. But not too soon okay?"
"Gotcha, mate."
"Tell Lina I love her. And that I'll pay her back in full sometime. But I'm a bit short at the moment. Hard to carry galleons when you're dead."
George snickered. Of course it would be Fred to make fun of his own death.
"You'll be all right mate? I love you." said Fred as he started fading even more.
"Love you too mate." whispered George as he watched his brother's smile fade away.
"Love you too."
