Sibling Serenity

Fred and George Weasley had always shared everything in their lives - work, play, teasing and tormenting, birthdays and Quidditch.

And now George was gone.

He'd died heroically, fighting the Death Eaters in the Last Battle in which Voldemort had been defeated and in which Harry had died.

Harry's death - that one death had been enough to tear the Weasley family apart - Ginny and Harry had been engaged and were due to be married before the end of the year. Since then, Ginny had been living in a black pit of despair, saying that there would never be another that she loved. Aged only twenty and refusing all help, Fred worried that she would be scarred for life.

Things did not improve as the wizarding world returned to normal.

Ron, distraught by Harry's death, committed suicide on a warm night in mid May only a few weeks after the funerals for those who had died in the Last Battle. It had been Hermione who found his body, and she had since gone into St. Mungo's with failing mental health.

Fred sat alone in his room, looking out over the fields behind the Burrow that he'd always known ever since he could remember. If George was still alive, thought Fred, he'd be here with me, watching the sunset. But it was not to be - George was gone, dead forever. Half of Fred had died out on that battle field, and he couldn't cope anymore - he needed either to die or to find someone to share his life with, which was the less likely possibility.

Fred's thoughts whirled him back to the battle field. He could see himself running frantically towards George, who was writhing on the ground in pain as Bellatrix laughed and flicked her wand again...

Fred heard himself yell as he leapt over a prone body. With a feeling of dread, he looked down and recognized the person - It was none other than Gabrielle, Fleur's sister. She was moaning in agony as she opened her eyes and saw Fred above her. "Please," she begged him, clutching feebly at his left leg, "kill me, this is too much..." Her eyes rolled back and she let go of his leg, shaking on the ground pitifully. Fred grasped his wand with tears in his eyes and almost whispered the killing curse - it was like a droplet of water falling on a still pond, but the green light still sped from the end of his wand, and Gabrielle Delacour died with a smile on her face, happy at her fate and pleased to die.

There was a new scream of pain from his half self - George was kneeling on the ground, Bellatrix above him, cackling evilly. She had a glint in her eye and didn't notice as Fred ran towards them, shouting, "Crucio! CRUCIO!" Bellatrix was lifted off her feet and twisted in pain as Fred bellowed, "Avada Kedavra!" Her body fell back to earth with a piercing shriek as Fred raced towards George, who was lying on the ground in a state of shock.

Suddenly, a shadow towered over the twins, and a slick voice shouted with triumph, "Sectumsempra!" Fred was showered in blood as he looked up and saw his former potions master - it was none other than Snape who had cast the curse. A green light hit Snape from behind, and Fred looked past Snape's body as he fell to see Harry, eyes aglow with hatred and pain, running past. He shot a fearless look at Fred and kept running down towards where Lord Voldemort was, sending out killing curses to all within a fifty metre radius of where he stood, apparently invincible.

Fred turned back to George, who was still bleeding profusely. His face was pale, and the dagger - like strokes across his chest spewed blood onto Fred's shirt as he picked him up and cradled his dying body. George tried to smile and speak but failed. He cried out suddenly and shuddered. Fred brushed away the tears on his twin's face as he closed his eyes and went limp.

With a sudden, horrific understanding, Fred screamed, lying beside his brother as they had done countless times. He heaved his weight atop of George and pushed his long hair back from his face before kissing him gently but full on the lips. The kiss was not returned, and Fred felt hot tears rising from his eyes and flowing down his cheeks. "No," he whispered "no, no, please, George, no, please..." His voice cracked and he slumped down, tears running down his face onto George's cold cheeks.

The memory ended, and Fred remembered other memories before then - their Quidditch days together and then to the days that they had been lovers - it had only seemed right to them, even though neither was gay, it was just something that had to be tried...

It had been a cold night when they were in their last year at Hogwarts... There was rain lashing at the windows as Fred clambered out of his bed and crossed the dormitory to George's curtained bed. He'd crawled beneath the sheets and hugged his twin tightly, feeling the ridges of muscle in his back. George awoke suddenly and realized who it was that had woken him - he rolled over so that they were facing each other and kissed Fred slowly, tentatively.

Their bodies fit together so perfectly, and it was not at all strange, the feelings that were coursing through their veins. The dormitory was empty, as it was near Christmas and all the other boys had gone home, but they still put a silencing charm around George's bed as they cried out together in ecstasy. It was to be the first of many times that they spent together.

There were fresh tears on Fred's cheeks as the shadows in the room lengthened and then overpowered the light. As the darkness fell, Fred got up and grasped his wand, pointing it towards his bare chest. He closed his eyes, and spoke the words in a strong, sure voice: "Avada Kedavra!". There was a flash of light, and Fred fell to the floor, dead before he hit the rough wooden boards.