Imagine George three months after Fred's death

It’s been three months and still George won’t set foot in the shop. Not that you can blame him. The business he and Fred worked so hard to set up is far too painful a reminder of the gaping hole in the Weasley family since the fateful night Voldemort was defeated. Instead, he has spent those months in the flat upstairs, refusing any visitors save for the occasional family member. If it weren’t for your insistence on staying with him he would be completely alone in his grief.

For pretty much all of your time at Hogwarts you’ve fancied George. Over the years it has developed into fully blown love and still you’ve never been brave enough to pursue him. You’ve always tried to keep your distance from him but when you heard about Fred you couldn’t help yourself. You needed to make sure George was ok and never mind what anyone else thought. Thankfully, no-one has yet put two and two together. They are too wrapped up in the events of three months ago and its aftermath. So here you are, running Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes by day and looking after George at night.

To begin with, the other Weasleys were here, helping out on a daily basis. As the days turned into weeks, then months with George still refusing to leave the flat and sometimes not allowing anyone but you up there, slowly the family drifted back to their own lives. They had their own grieving to cope with and seeing George’s suffering must have been too painful on top of the loss of a son, a brother, a friend. They still visit, regularly owl you for updates (not that there’s much to tell them) but mostly they leave you to it, safe in the knowledge that he is being well taken care of.

Now you run the shop single handed, closing up for short periods whenever it’s quiet to check on George - make sure he’s up, washed and dressed, get him food else he would surely starve, try and encourage him to do something other than wallow in misery. He spends most of his time quietly sitting in Fred’s room, staring into space, lost in his own thoughts and memories. Often he is still in there when you close up for the day, curled up on the bed. You always go and join him, ready to listen if he feels like talking or sometimes you simply hold him whilst he cries. At first he was embarrassed to let you see him upset but now you’re so comfortable around each other you can sometimes lay there for hours, arms tight around him as he quietly sobs against your shoulder. It breaks your heart but you know he just needs time to come to terms with the loss of his other half.

This evening, after the last customer has left, you make your way to Fred’s room. George is on the bed as usual but looks up and smiles as you knock gently on the door. This is a good sign. There have been less tears these last few days and slowly George seems to be returning to his former self. He pats the covers next to him, inviting you to sit beside him. As you do so, he places his arm around you and you rest your head against him wearily. “Busy day?” he enquires. “Mmmm. Very.” you answer. George is silent for a moment. “I’ve been thinking…..” he says slowly. “I need to stop moping round here.” You nod in agreement, head rubbing against his shoulder. “Something to keep you occupied, take your mind off things.” you interject. “Exactly…..” George replies “Although I’m not sure I’m ready to work in the shop. I’m not sure I ever will be.” You raise your head to look at him. He is gazing sadly at the floor and your heart yearns to make it all better for him somehow. If only it were that easy……

The two of you sit quietly together, contemplating George’s options. “Perhaps you should sell the business?” you suggest. “I’ll be fine on my own for the time being but if you’re thinking of staying out of the shop permanently it may be best to cut your losses, start afresh.” Personally, you can’t imagine anything worse but you want what’s best for George. He considers the idea then shakes his head. “I don’t think I can do that either.” he sighs. You take his hand in yours, stroking it absentmindedly. “What would Fred tell you to do?” you venture, hoping this tack might provide an answer. It certainly seems to perk George up. “He’d tell me to stop flapping about like a wet kipper and get on with it!” he chuckles, making your heart soar because it’s the first time you’ve heard him laugh since you’ve been there. “He’d tell me….” continues George, warming to the idea of Fred as business adviser “to get up off my arse and get back to making money.” He points to a pile of notebooks on Fred’s desk. “There’s all those ideas for new products that need developing too. Fred would want me to get a move on with them!”

You reach for one of the notebooks and flick through it. “These are brilliant!” you tell George enthusiastically. “That’s what you should do. I’ll stay minding the shop whilst you make a start on these. Perhaps you’ll feel up to doing a few stints in the shop once you get back in the swing of things.” George looks almost convinced. “Maybe…” he says quietly. “Think about it.” you implore him. “What better way to keep Fred’s memory alive? Every joke and trick you sell is a part of him, a part of his spirit.” you say with heartfelt sincerity. “And each time someone uses them, you can bet Fred is there, laughing along at the joke louder than anyone.” You reach up to tenderly brush George’s hair off his forehead. He gives you a watery smile in return. “You’re right.” he agrees. “I can’t sell this place. Fred would never forgive me!” He smiles properly and reaches for you, hugging you close enough for you to smell his scent.

“I don’t know what I’d have done without you.” he mumbles into your neck, his cheek resting against your bare skin, sending sparks of electricity through you. His fingers stroking you softly, rubbing back and forth on your spine and you daren’t reply. “There’s something else Fred would tell me to do….” George mutters. “and that’s find out why you’ve been so good to me.” He pulls back to study your face, his arms still holding you. “I mean, we were never exactly close at Hogwarts…..” he says gently. “but now here you are. Why?” Your heart thumps against your ribcage in panic as you struggle to think of something, anything to tell him. You look away, shiftily and reply. “I…… I….. just thought someone should be with you. Make sure you were ok.” you stammer unconvincingly. George grins. He blatantly doesn’t believe a word of it. “Ah, ok.” he says mischievously. “And there I was wondering if it was because you fancied me!” You smile weakly at him, unable to think of anything to say.

"So anyway," he continues brightly as if nothing untoward had just happened. "I was thinking you must be fed up of sleeping on that lumpy old thing" He nods towards the living room, where you’ve been staying on his sofa. You laugh at this, relieved at a change of subject. "It’s not the best for a good night’s sleep." you admit. "Well then…." George counters sounding more and more like his old self "you best sleep in my bed from now on.” You look at him bemused for a moment. “Oookaaay….” you agree slowly “but where will you sleep? In here? You can’t sleep on the sofa, you’re too tall!” George flashes you an innocent grin. “Oh, I’ll be in with you.” he says matter-of-factly. “I reckon I’d sleep much better with someone to cuddle up to.” You stare hard at him or a minute, trying to work out what his game is. “Don’t worry.” he reassures you. “It’s got nothing to do with the fact I’m in love with you. Honest.”

You recoil as if you’ve been slapped. “You what?” you splutter, wondering if you heard him correctly. “You heard…..” George smiles disarmingly. “Just like you being here every day like some gorgeous guardian angel has nothing to do with you being in love with me……” he raises his eyebrow at you signalling that he knows full well it does. Embarrassed, you laugh nervously and look down at your hands. He’s in love with you! The thought echoes round your head triumphantly. “Yeah…… ok.” you say feigning reluctance. “Maybe I like you just a bit.” You hold your thumb and forefinger up a tiny fraction apart and squint at him. He laughs heartily at this and the noise is like music to your ears. “Come on.” He says suddenly, standing up and taking your hand. He pulls you gently to your feet and leads you out of Fred’s room, closing the door purposefully behind him. “That’s better.” he murmurs, drawing you close again. “Cos I want to kiss you and Fred’d do his nut if we started snogging in there!” Gathering you in his arms and lowering his head, he kisses you sweetly, lips gentle against yours as you melt against him. Your senses explode as all becomes George. His smell, his taste, the little whimper he makes as your hand slides inside his shirt. You love him so much. He is finally yours and you will never let anything hurt him again.