After All We've Been Through

Chapter 2

Final Good-Byes

It took George a few minutes to process what Hermione had just told him. I can't believe it. I was right after all. I knew that it was too good to be true. This can't be happening. With that last thought, George turned around and fled the common room.

"George, wait!" Fred cried, but it was too late. He was already gone. Fred sighed, looked at the others and shrugged his shoulders. Jen looked up at Fred's words.

"Where did George go?" she asked in a small voice. He just shook his head at her.

"I have no idea. Hermione told him the bad news and he took off," he responded solemnly.

"I hope he's not mad at me for having to move," she said as fresh tears began to spill from her eyes. "I can't believe they are doing his to me. I don't want to leave Hogwarts and move to America. I love it here," she said as she buried her face in her hands and cried. Ginny and Hermione put their arms around their older friend and hugged her tightly. "This place is my home." Hermione looked up at Ron, who looked just as upset as she did. Then he looked at Fred, who was standing up.

"I'm going to look for him," Fred said to them all. Lee, Harry and Ron stood as well.

"We're coming with you," Ron said as lee and Harry nodded in agreement. Jen had started to cry again and Hermione and Ginny just gave the boys concerned looks. The four boys left the common room to begin their search.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~IN THE CORRIDOR~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"I think we'd do this faster if we split up and look for him," Fred told them once they had stepped out of the common room.

"I'll check the grounds and at Hagrid's," Ron told them as he pulled on his jumper.

"I'll check the first two floors," Harry said.

"I'll check the third and fourth floors," Lee told them.

"And I'll check the top floors. Then we'll meet back here and then we'll all check the towers," Fred said.

"And hurry. It's almost curfew and we don't Filch or Umbridge to catch us," Harry reminded them as they each went their separate ways.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~BACK IN THE COMMON ROOM~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Hermione and Ginny were trying to comfort Jen, but they weren't doing a very good job. Neither of them could believe that George had just left the common room without saying a word.

"I can't believe this. They knew that I didn't want to go. I've sent them countless letters begging them not to," she sobbed.

"It'll be okay. You'll see," Hermione told her as she stroked Jen's hair. She gave Ginny a worried look.

"And now George is mad at me. I don't need this right now. I don't need my best friend not talking to me before I go. That's not how I wanted to leave it with him."

"And exactly how did you want to leave it with him?" Ginny asked her crying friend with raised eyebrows. Jen looked up at the younger girl and wiped her tears.

"What are you talking about, Ginny?" The redhead smiled at her and shrugged her shoulders.

"You know what I mean. I know that you like my brother." Jen was clearly confused by what Ginny had said. She looked at Hermione, who quickly shook her head and put up her hands in defense.

"Don't look at me like that. I have no idea what she is talking about," Hermione told the older girl. Jen just looked at her and then back to Ginny.

"Relax Jen. She didn't tell me anything. I figured it out by myself. I could tell by the way you look at him. I won't tell, I swear. So now tell me, how did you want to leave it with him?"

Jen sighed and wiped away her tears. "Well, I had planned on telling him how I felt before graduation. No matter what would happen after we left here, I would have wanted him to know. But now... there's no point. I'm moving away and I couldn't bear to tell him and then leave him. It would break my heart even more than it already is and I don't want to go through that." She began crying again and Hermione and Ginny exchanged glances. They felt so sorry for their friend; especially since they knew how George felt about her.

"Why don't we talk about something else? All this crying is depressing me. I feel like reminiscing," Hermione told the girls. The other two agreed and they sat in front of the fire talking about all of the good times they have shared since they met.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~AROUND THE SCHOOL~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Fred had checked the top floors of the school, but there was no sign of his twin brother. He headed back to the entrance to Gryffindor Tower to wait for the others to return.

Lee had searched the third and fourth floors, but could not find George. He headed back to the portrait of the Fat Lady so that he could meet up with the others.

Harry had searched he bottom two floors of the castle. There was no sign of George anywhere. Feeling disappointed and angry, he went back towards the Gryffindor common room so that he could help the others search the towers.

Ron had checked with Hagrid, but the friendly giant was unable to help him. He had checked he grounds near the school, not thinking that George would wander far beyond the castle walls, and found no sign of George. He wondered how the others were doing and began to walk towards the castle. Before doing so, he decided to check one last place. He knew it was a long shot, but he decided to do it anyway and set out for the Quidditch pitch. As he neared the stadium, he saw a figure sitting in the middle of the field. Once he was close enough, he noticed that it was George who was sitting there.

"George, what the bloody hell are you doing out here? Fred, Lee and Harry are roaming the castle right now trying to find you."

"I'm sorry, Ron. I'm sorry for running out of the common room before. I was just upset."

"Upset about what exactly?"

"Jen's leaving."

"I know that she is leaving, but what does that have to do with why you ran out of the common room and are now sitting in the middle of the pitch?"

"After the mail came this morning and Jen didn't receive a letter from her parents, I was so happy. That meant that she wasn't moving away and that she was going to be staying here with me. I could finally tell her how I feel."

"But you said not too long ago that you weren't going to tell her either way."

"I wasn't, but then, at breakfast, I figured that I would. I had decided that I would tell her after dinner. I spent the entire day replaying the words over and over in my head, trying to find the right words to say to her. After I finally figured out what I was going to say, I headed back to the common room once dinner was over. But when I got there..." he trailed off.

"You found out that she was leaving." Ron finished as he sat down next to his brother.

"Yeah, I was so blown by the news that I couldn't take being there. There were too many thoughts and emotions running through my mind that I needed to go somewhere to think. So I decided to come here; the only place where I have some clarity. I didn't mean to upset anyone or make people go out looking for me."

"It's okay, George. But you do know that Jen thinks that you are mad at her." George's eyes widened at what Ron had just told him.

"Does she really? I'm not mad at her; it just hurts too much to be around her right now. I love her so much... and she's leaving." A silent tear trickled down George's cheek. Ron couldn't think of anything to say to his older brother, so he didn't. The two of them sat there for a few minutes, until Ron realized what time it was and stood up.

"We better get back before Filch or Umbridge catch us out here after curfew. I don't want to think about what will happen to us and/or how many points we'd lose Gryffindor if that happens." George nodded his head in agreement and the two of them returned to their dormitory.

When they arrived at the entrance to their dormitory, Harry, Fred and Lee were not there. They must be in the common room, Ron thought to himself. George muttered the password and they walked in to find Fred and Harry playing wizard's chess with Lee watching them while Ginny and Hermione sat in front of the fire talking animatedly. They both noticed that Jen was not present.

"George Arthur Weasley, where have you been?" Ginny yelled when she saw her two brothers enter the common room. Hermione gave him a dirty look; Harry and Fred stopped their game and the three boys turned to look at Ron and George. George turned red and looked at Ron, who just shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled as he dropped himself into one of the armchairs near the fire and stared into it. Ron sat down in the chair across from his brother.

"Sorry? Is that all you can say? How could you do that? What were you thinking? You just ran out of here without a word. I can't believe you. I'm in my right mind to hex you! Why would you-" she never got to finish her sentence because George was now on his feet and yelling at her.

"Because I love her! Because I'm a selfish prat that doesn't want her to leave! Because I was going to tell her how much I love her when I came into the common room earlier! Because one of my best friends is moving away and I don't know if I'll ever see her again!" At this point, all of them were staring at George in shock. He rarely spoke out like that, and George was clearly not finished yet. He continued to yell at his sister as several tears escaped his eyes. "So tell me what I should do, dear sister? Should I confess my love to her and then watch her walk out of my life forever? Or should I just pretend like I feel nothing and watch her walk out of my life forever? Pick one! No matter which one it is, she's still going to be walking out of my life forever!" With those last few words, George fled the common room to find haven in his room.

No one spoke for a few minutes. They were all still in shock by what George had said. Ginny, Ron and especially Fred had never seen or heard their brother behave like that before. Harry and Lee sat there wearing identical looks of surprise; they could no believe that George had just blown up like that. Hermione, on the other hand, was looking at Ron. She was thankful that they were finally together. He looked up at her and smiled. She returned his smile and then moved to where he was sitting so that she could sit with him.

As Hermione and Ron got comfortable in the chair, Ginny sat on the couch and stared into the fire. She was still in shock by way George had just acted. "I can't believe he yelled like that," she said aloud.

Ron and Hermione looked over at her and Fred, Lee and Harry joined them by the fire; the chess game forgotten.

"I know what you mean, Gin. I don't think I've ever seen George that angry," Ron said to his sister.

"I've never heard him yell like that either," Lee added.

Fred chuckled. "I've never heard him yell period. He's always been the quiet one."

"That's true. I don't ever recall hearing George yell," Hermione said thoughtfully.

"This can only mean one thing then," Ginny said with a smile. Fred had gotten up from his seat next to his sister and went back over to where the unfinished game of chess was and began putting the pieces away.

"And what is that exactly," Harry asked her with raised eyebrows.

"That George is totally and completely head over heels in love with Jen," Fred said as he abandoned the chess set again and sat down in his previously vacated chair.

"I couldn't have said it better myself," Ginny replied.

"It's just a shame that she's leaving in just over a month. They would've made a really cute couple," Hermione said.

"I agree with you, Hermione. Then both of them could get what they want," Ginny said, adding that last sentence in a lower voice.

"What's that supposed to mean, Ginny?" Ron asked her; he apparently heard what she had said under breath. Hermione gave Ginny a stern look that told her not to tell them about Jen liking George, but Ginny only smiled sweetly at her.

"Nothing. I only meant that Jen would get to stay here with us and George would get to tell her how he feels," she answered.

Hermione stood up and stretched as she let out a sigh of relief. She was glad that Ginny didn't tell Jen's secret. She told everyone else that she was going to bed and Ron followed her.

Ginny smiled as she watched Hermione and Ron walk up the stairs. "I'm so glad those two finally got together. They really do make a cute couple," she said as she stood up.

"Yeah they do. I'm happy for them too. Maybe now they won't fight as much," Harry said hopefully.

"I doubt it," Fred muttered Lee, Harry and Ginny all laughed at Fred's comment.

"Goodnight guys," Ginny said as she headed for the stairs. They boys said goodnight and then Harry and Lee helped Fred finish putting away the chess set.

"So how do you think the next month and a half are going to be?" Harry asked them both.

"I don't know. But I hope that my brother comes around and gets over this. If he doesn't want to talk to her or be around her for the rest of the time that she is here, it's going to be a horrible time. She'll be moping and so will he. I don't even want to think about this right now. I'm gonna go to bed and I will see you two in the morning," Fred said to his friends. They both nodded and followed him up the staircase.

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The next morning, George was not at breakfast. They all figured that he didn't want to be around any of then because of what had happened the night before. Jen had no idea about what had transpired that night in the common room, and none of them were opting to tell her. She still thought that he was mad at her for having to leave.

Hermione, sensing that Jen was going to ask them about George, decided to head her off by talking about something else. "You're going to be going to the Salem School of Magic, right?" They all looked at Hermione when she asked Jen this question. "What? I've never heard about any of the other wizarding schools besides Durmstrang and Beauxbatons. I was curious," she told them with a defending tone.

Jen didn't really want to talk about her moving, but she decided that it would help take her mind off of George and the fact that he was mad her. "That's right. I got a bunch of stuff on the school while were there this summer, just in case we ended up moving there. They have all of the same classes as we do here, but the school itself is set up and run differently."

"How so?" Hermione asked as she leaned closer to her friend.

"Well, they don't have four houses like we do here; they call them covens, and there are only three of them. They compete for points like we do and they hold Quidditch the same we do here, except it is between three covens instead of four houses." Jen paused to take a bite of her toast and a sip of her pumpkin juice. "They also have a sorting like we do; only they don't have a hat. They use an enchanted broom that turns the color of the coven you will be in; all you have to do is hold it."

"That's really interesting," Ginny said; Hermione nodded in agreement.

"Yeah it is. I just wish I didn't have to go. I want to stay here with all of you." At that moment, George came strolling into the Great Hall. "Morning, George," Jen said in her cheeriest voice.

He grabbed a piece of toast and shoved it in his mouth as the chime sounded for the students to head toward their first classes. Without a word, he left the Great Hall for his first class of the day. Jen sat there for a minute with a puzzled expression on her face. It wasn't until Fred pulled her to her feet that she snapped out of her daze. Jen, Fred and Lee followed George to their Potions class.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Why is George ignoring me?" she asked Fred and Lee as they neared the dungeons.

Fred looked at her and sighed. He didn't want to tell her why he was really ignoring her. "I know that he is upset about you moving to America.

"I'm probably more upset than he is. But why does he have to ignore me?

"He's afraid that he'll never see you again. You are his best friend; he fears that the distance will kill your friendship," Fred said softly as they took their seats next to Lee, who was sitting next to George.

"Then how come he's the only one ignoring me? No one else is." Thankfully, Fred was saved from having to answer her question because Professor Snape had entered the classroom and began the daily lesson.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

For the next few weeks, each day was the same. George would show up to breakfast with just enough time to grab a piece of toast before heading to class. Then he would wolf down his lunch and dinner and quickly leave the great Hall for whatever reason he could muster.

Jen didn't know what to think about all of this, but she gave up asking. None of them ever gave her an answer besides that he is upset about her leaving. She knew that it was something else, but left it alone because she wouldn't get far with her questioning. She had eventually grown accustomed to George avoiding and ignoring her.

Soon, the Christmas holiday was upon them and so was Jen's scheduled departure. George's appearances grew less; spending an unusual amount of time either on the library or on the Quidditch pitch. The night before she was supposed to leave, all of Gryffindor house threw a party for her. Fred, Lee, Harry and Ron had snuck some butterbeer from Hogsmeade for the occasion. George would have normally gone with them, but he was too busy sulking to go.

As the night progressed, Jen began to get upset at the fact that George was not present. All though she had gotten used to him ignoring her, she thought that he would at least come and say good-bye to her. It had become noticeable to Ginny and Hermione that Jen was upset and they went over to try and cheer her up.

"Sorry for being so down at my party, but I can't stop thinking about George. He hasn't said one word to me since I got that stupid letter from my parents back in the beginning of November. I'm leaving in the morning and I would really like to at least say good-bye to my best friend," Jen told her friends. They both looked at each other and then at Jen.

Don't worry, Jen. He'll get over this," Hermione assured her. "I'll be right back." Hermione walked over to where Ron, Harry, Fred and Lee were standing. "Do any of you know where George is?"

"He's up in his room, love," Ron told her. She kissed him lightly on the lips and then headed for the boy's dormitory.

As she entered the seventh year boys' dormitory, Hermione found George sitting on his bed with an empty bottle of Firewhiskey and several empty bottle of butterbeer lying on the floor beside his bed. When he saw her, he gave her a goofy grin.

"George Weasley, what in the name of Merlin are you doing up here?"

"I'm celebrating *hic* just like everyone *hic* else." He was obviously drunk and Hermione was getting mad.

"Then why don't you come down and join the rest of us? I know Jen wants you to."

George shook his head furiously. "I can't go down there."

"Why not?"

"You wouldn't understand," he muttered.

"What wouldn't I understand?"

"You don't know what it's like, Hermione. You don't have to worry about Ron moving away and not knowing how you feel about him."

"You know what, you're right about that, George. I don't have to worry about Ron not knowing how I feel about him. I have you to thank for that part. And I don't have to worry about him moving away because if he was, I would tell him anyway, that way he wouldn't have to leave without knowing. Besides, if he were moving, you would be to and you would still be in the same boat that you are in now." He looked away from her. He knew that she was right but he didn't want to admit that to her. "Why won't you just go down there? I know you want to."

"No, Hermione, I don't. I have no desire to go down to the common room and celebrate the fact that my best friend and the woman I love is waling out of my life tomorrow. Thanks, but no thanks. Now if you'll excuse me, I was in the middle of something," he told to her coldly as he lifted a newly opened bottle of butterbeer to his lips. She flashed him an angry look and got up from where she was sitting and walked over to the door. She was about to leave the room, but she had one more thing to say to him.

She turned around with anger clearly in her face and voice and said, "You know what, George? You're nothing but a selfish prat. For the last month and a half, you have done nothing but avoid and ignore Jen, making the both of you completely miserable. You claim to love her so much, yet you don't even show it. I know that you are upset about her leaving, we all are. But that's no reason to treat her the way you have been. I really hope that you will at least say good-bye to her. I think it's the least you can do. But first, you really need to suck it up and GET OVER IT!" with those last few words, Hermione stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her. George was left sitting on his bed, thinking about what she had just said to him.

Hermione headed back down to the party, but found that Jen was nowhere to be seen. When she asked where she was, Ginny had told her that Jen had gone to bed. Hermione knew that her friend was upset for various reasons and decided not to follow. The party died down soon after and they all went to bed.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The next day was a sad day for all of them. They all had walked down to the great oak doors to say good-bye to their friend. The only one who didn't show up was George.

Lee walked up to her first and gave her a hug. "I'm really gonna miss you. Now there will be no one to keep the twins in line." She laughed at what he had said and wiped away a couple of tears that had escaped her eyes.

Ginny was next; she pulled Jen into a big hug and began to cry. "You were the big sister that I never had and always wanted. I'm really going to miss you." Jen wasn't bothering to wipe away her tears anymore; she just let them flow freely. Harry walked up to her next and hugged her.

"I've always thought of you as a sister. I'll never forget you and I hope that I will see you again soon," he whispered in her ear. Ron hugged her next, telling her that he would miss playing her in chess. She told him that he would never beat her; he frowned at her comment.

Hermione, who was heavily crying, gave Jen a huge hug. "I wish that you didn't have to go. You have been there for me through everything and it hurts to know that you are no longer a floor away. I'm really going to miss you."

Last, but not least, was Fred, who scooped her up into a bear hug. "You have always been my conscience and kept me and George out of severe trouble. I don't know what I am going to do without you." She laughed at his words, but her laughter died when she noticed that George was not there to say good-bye to her. Seeing her face, Fred leaned closer to her ear and whispered, "he hasn't been taking this well since he found out. He'll come around, don't worry. He just needs some time. He really will miss you. A lot more than you could imagine." She nodded her head as fresh tears spilled from her already puffy eyes.

She picked up her trunk and put it in the carriage. Before boarding the carriage, she turned to look at the people who have been her family and friends for the last six and a half years. "I am going to miss you all so much. I will miss the laughs, the tears and hearing about the adventures. You have all been the brothers and sisters that I never had and I will never forget any of you. If you guys ever need me, I'm only an owl away." She turned to get on the coach, but stopped when she heard a familiar voice.

"Miss Henley, before you go, I have something to give you." She turned around to see the headmaster walking up to her, holding a rolled up piece of parchment. "Please do not open this until you are safely at the Salem School. Do not let anyone else read this," he whispered in her ear. She nodded and got into the carriage. She gave a final wave and the carriage pulled away from the school.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

As the carriage made its way to Hogsmeade Station, she took one last look at the castle that had been her home for the last six and a half years. She looked up to where Gryffindor Tower was. "Good bye, George. I'll miss you," she said as a single tear rolled down her cheek.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

As he sat by the window of her room, he watched the carriage that Jen was in take her to Hogsmeade Station. "Good bye, Jen. "I'll miss you," he said softly as a single tear rolled down his cheek.

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I hope the wait was worth it. I know that this story is depressing right now, but it will pick up. I promise.

Please read and review. I respond to all of my reviews and the feedback helps me a lot. Thanks for reading!

I haven't even started the next chapter yet, but I will post it as soon as I possibly can.

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