George was running – away from everything he had lost, towards a fight he might not win. His brothers, on Remus and Kingsley's order, had set up portkeys to various locations on the off chance that this battle went badly. They had been right to do so, and Hogwarts was definitely losing to Voldemort.

Most of the castle had been cleared, of death eaters and order members. The only few remaining in the castle were the dead. His brothers were probably outside though, the battle was still raging on the Quidditch pitch and the grounds.

As George ran down from the castle, he could see the centaurs lying dead and the giants thundering around the forest. The Quidditch pitch was a splash of ever-changing colors, as spells flew in all directions. People were falling on both sides – black cloaks of death eaters, and the colors of the rebels.

As he reached closer, he saw the individual fights more clearly. Bellatrix Lestrange was fighting Katie Bell and Lee Jordan, Yaxley sent a nasty yellow spell at Susan Bones, Kingsley was desperately holding off Rosier and MacNair. And so many others were jumping, dodging, rolling, falling.

George threw a spell at a Death Eater whose back was turned, and flicked his wand, sending one of the crumbling stands towards a mass of the werewolves. He was so busy paying attention to saving others, that he barely noticed the curse coming at him, until he was shoved brutally onto the ground.

Twisting, George saw a fellow redhead being tortured by Avery, the curse meant for him was being borne by another. With a roar of anger, he threw spell after spell at the Death Eater, who was cackling madly. None of his spells landed, and even if they did, George knew they wouldn't be enough to kill the Death Eater. If only the Order allowed kills. They should have been allowed to kill, then they would've stood a chance in this battle.

While he couldn't hit the death eater, and Avery was focused on him, the redhead that George saved threw two complicated, foreign curses at the wizard, one invisible and the other a pale green. Avery wasn't expecting it and went down. Thank Merlin for small mercies!

"What did you do to him?" George asked, turning to send a knockback and a bone-breaker towards an approaching death eater.

"Major internal bleeding, Georgie." Bill's familiar voice called out. "Shit. Reducto!"

George threw another impressive slew of curses and spells at the advancing death eaters, ignoring how he couldn't feel his twin any longer. That was not important right now. He didn't know what had happened to his other brothers – Charlie, Percy, Ron. Were they even alive?

"I need to get the anti-portkey ward down, George." Bill cursed, and George could feel his brother's magic react violently, sending a blast of fire out towards more death eaters. "We can't get out of here until I pull down some of the wards!"

"Do it, Bill." George said, turning to his task of keeping the death eaters away from his brother. The one brother he knew was safe, for now. Slowly, he saw some of the rebels moving towards them.

The next thirty seconds was the longest time in the world. The death eaters refuse to give up, but the rebels weren't planning to go down easily, most of them were fueled by the death of friends, family.

When Bill finally yelled in triumph, and the wards tore with a loud screech, Kingsley disappeared, portkey whisking him away. Similarly, a few other rebels still alive were whisked away. But that left those still fighting at a major risk, and Bellatrix cackled as she sent a violent brown curse at Katie.

George wasn't sure who screamed when Katie's internal organs appear outside, when Katie's brains explode. But at that, Lee was distracted for a moment, and it was enough for Bellatrix to send a pink spell at him. Lee's flesh had just started to rot, when his portkey activated, taking him away from the battlefield and hopefully to someone who could heal him in time.

George was still processing their deaths, while trying to fight a death eater that looked like Malfoy, when Bellatrix and Yaxley took a shot at him and Bill. Both block the two curses, but Malfoy's Sectumsempra hit George, and suddenly, he was falling.

He heard Bill scream and felt the familiar magic of his oldest brother surround him, felt an unbearable heat spread from his brother. And then he was being whisked away from the Quidditch pitch, tumbling through space.

When they land, he was confused about what was happening. He was not sure how badly he was hurt, or whether he would survive. George didn't expect to survive. Fred was dead. He had nothing to live for, when half of himself was gone. He wouldn't be able to live without Fred.

George opened his eyes, when he felt someone hold him. All he could see was a lot of red hair, falling across his face.

"Fred?" He asked, curious to see if he was finally dead. "Is that you?"

The person shifts, and he realizes that the figure is similar to them, but not identical.

"It's Bill, Georgie." Bill says, and George feels how his oldest brother runs his fingers through George's hair. He had always liked this when he was younger, it made him fall asleep, calmed him down from all the energetic playing.

He must have said something along those lines, or it must have showed on his face, because Bill spoke again. George wasn't sure what was going on, but Bill was here, so it would be fine in the end.

"You can sleep now, George." Bill whispered, as if it was the greatest secret in the world. "Fred will meet you when you wake up."

George remembered Bill saying that when Fred was injured years ago. They had been in St. Mungo's and Bill told him that Fred would be there when George woke up. Bill had been right. Bill was always right.

George blinked, and then struggled to open his eyes. He couldn't feel anything below his waist. What had happened to him? Where were his siblings? Fred?

He looked at Bill's eyes, pain flaring from his chest. Bill and Charlie had the same eyes – a stormy grey, like their grandmother, Cedrella Black. They rest of the siblings had brown eyes, other than George and Fred. But George was more surprised by the sadness and determination and fury in Bill's eyes. Bill had always been the most laid back and best of them. The kindest, most honest, down-to-earth person in their family. The most patient as well.

"What happened?" George tried to ask, though he didn't think that's what he sounded like. He didn't think he could speak. He couldn't even feel his throat. He couldn't feel anything now.

But Bill understood, as usual. "You got hurt, Georgie. And I can't heal you." Bill's voice broke. "I don't know the counter-curse, and I can't apparate you in this condition."

But what about his brothers? Were they safe? What happened at the Quidditch pitch? George had so many questions to ask, so many that he wanted answered, so many that he wanted to answer and be asked.

Bill sobbed, for the first time George knew. Bill was never sad, always so controlled. "Charlie, Percy, Ron and Ginny are safe, Georgie. So is mum, and dad is too. So is Freddie."

George knew that wasn't true. Freddie wasn't here anymore; he couldn't feel his twin. But everyone else was fine right? So why was Bill crying?

George wanted to make a joke, but his throat didn't work. His eyes were slipping shut. Bill continued to run his fingers through George's hair. "Go to sleep Georgie."

His eyes slipped shut completely, and he heard Bill whisper. "I will destroy them, George, for what they did to you and Freddie. I will destroy them!"

George felt Bill hug him, and he surrendered to the blackness claiming him. Maybe he'd get to see Freddie now.