Always Will

The rain was pelting the side of Hogwarts castle like so many bullets bouncing off a bulletproof vest. You could hear it pelting the windows, and some even feared the hail pieces might break it.

On any other day, the sounds that filled the common room in Gryffindor tower would have made even this rain hard to hear. Yet, this was not a normal day. The only sounds in the entire tower were the sounds of whispers, the fire as it crackled and sent sparks into the air, or the occasional muffled sob or cough. Eyes were red and faces pale all around the room, and the normally bright red and gold tapestries were draped in black.

One face stood out alone in the overall dreary room, simply because it looked like a ghost that wasn't. Gray blue eyes looked strained, and were red rimmed from crying until they ran out of tears. His face was far to pale, contrasting starkly with his brilliantly red hair and making his freckles appear as if they were floating, and line of grief and care that had not been there until just a few hours ago created deepening shadows on his face.

The person in question was Fred Weasly, and he carried the look of someone who might have received a kiss from the dementors. Even though he was surrounded by his younger brother and sister, Ron and Ginny sat on either side of him, he appeared to be sitting alone.

'Why,' his mind screamed in agony, even if his face seemed void of emotion, 'why was it him? Why couldn't it have been someone else? Why couldn't it have been me?' This thought would have brought more tears to his eyes, if there had been any left there to cry. He looked down at his hands, half expecting to see dark blood against his white hands.

'I shouldn't have let him go alone!' he thought bitterly, and his eyes darkened. 'I knew the Death Eaters were out, and I knew that no one was supposed to go out. Just a minute, he said, I need to make sure Harry's not outside. You know him, always getting into trouble. I won't be half a minute, Fred, I promise I'll be right back.' Fred choked back a sob, and surprised himself, as well as the rest of the common room, when he screamed these words out loud.

"But you're not coming back George! You're never coming back! NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER!" His hands flew to his face, and his eyes seemed to find new reserves to leak. Tears squeezed through his fingers, and he began to sob, not caring that the entire common room was staring at him now. Ron put a tentative hand on his brother's shoulder, but Fred shrugged it off. When he next spoke, it was muffled, and only those close by could hear him.

"He promised me he'd be right back. He promised." Strong arms enveloped him as he collapsed off the window seat, and he looked up to find himself in the arms of his older brother Charlie (who had been called back to the school a few days before, in order to try and help keep Death Eaters off the grounds, and staying with the Gryffindors). Charlie held him close, cradling him in his lap, and rubbing his hair soothingly with one hand. Fred let out a choked sob.

"It's not fair!" he cried into his brother's cloak. "It's not fair! Not him! Anyone but him! He hadn't done anything! It wasn't his fault!" Charlie laid his head on top of his younger brother's, tears falling and catching on red hair.

"Sh, I know. I know it's not fair." Fred let out a trembling sob as Charlie started rubbing his back in small circle, just as he'd done in when Fred had been a small child and had nightmares, and come to his elder brother for comfort. He rubbed his face against his brother's robes, muffling his next words.

"Why couldn't it have been me? It should have been me." Charlie went ridged at these words, and grabbed Fred's shoulders, pulling him away and forcing him to look at him. To Fred's surprise, Charlie looked hurt and even almost angry.

"Never..." he said tersely, "say that again Fred Weasley. It isn't right, you know that!" Fred looked down, and refused to meet Charlie's eyes as he continued. "Would you it rather it been George who faced this pain?" Charlie cupped his hand under Fred's chin, forcing him to meet his eyes. "Would that it was George facing this pain alone."

"At least he'd be alive then!" Fred yelled, and then leaned his head against Charlie's shoulder. "Then he could have kept his promise..."

*~*Flashback*~*

The seven-year-old twins had been locked in their room without supper, as punishment for taking daddy's wand and trying to set Percy's hair on fire, and were now sitting side by side on Fred's bed. George was sporting a black eye from where his head had hit the table when Charlie had tackled him to save Percy, and Fred was sucking his fingers because the panicking Percy had stepped on them.

"Fred?" The red headed boy took his fingers out of his mouth to answer his brother.

"Yes George?"

"You don't think mum'll kill us when she gets home, do you?" Bill had been babysitting during this little excursion. Fred looked at his twin curiously.

"I don't think so."

"Okay."

"But...if she does, do you promise not to die before me?" George looked at his twin solemnly through his dark circled eyes.

"Fred, if you live to be a hundred, I want to be a hundred minus a day so I never have to live without you." Fred grinned.

"But do you promise." George sighed.

"I promise."

*~*End Flashback*~*

Charlie continued to cuddle his little brother as long as he stayed awake. They remained in that position for several hours, Charlie's head on top of Fred's and his tear's catching on the long red strands. Fred had his head on top of Charlie's chest, and he was sobbing dryly, one fist clutching part of Charlie's robes like he was drowning and it was the rope that would pull him to safety. They sat like that until Charlie fell asleep, and Bill (who'd also come a few days earlier) took Fred out of his arms. Fred remained motionless as Bill carried him up to his dormitory, and Bill thought he was asleep.

He'd just laid him down on the bed, and turned to leave, when an icy hand grabbed his wrist.

"Don't go." Fred choked hoarsely, and Bill went ridged for few minutes, before sitting down heavily on the edge of Fred's bed, staring across the room at the bed that would be empty the rest of the school year. He turned to his younger brother, eyes shining abnormally, and ran a hand across his pale face. A single tear fell and caught on his goatee.

Why did they have to be identical twins? It made things so much more difficult! Fred would always be a haunting reminder of what had happened, a shadow of himself now, only half of what he had once been. He doubted if Weasly's Wizard Wheezes would ever get started now, not without George.

"I won't leave you," Bill whispered kindly, screwing up his face into what he hoped was a reassuring smile. Fred simply stared at him, eyes seemingly void of all emotion.

"He said he'd be right back." The toneless way Fred was talking now worried him more then watching him collapse into Charlie's arms had. Bill leaned down, and kissed his brother's forehead.

"He meant to."

"He didn't." Bill remained with his own forehead against Fred's, several of his own tears falling onto the too pale cheeks.

"I promise you, we'll find out who did this too him, and put them in Azkaban and then throw away the key." Fred nodded, but it appeared this statement had not comforted him. Bill kissed his forehead again and stood up.

"I'm going to go see if Mum and Dad have arrived yet." Bill left the room, and Fred rolled onto his side so that he was staring blankly at the empty bed next to his. All of George's stuff lay just as it had that morning. Books were piled haphazardly on the bedside table, and his trunk was still open from when he'd been digging for canary creams earlier that day. Someone suddenly opening the door snatched his attention, and he turned to look. Percy was standing in the doorway, his face pale and his hands trembling. He did the last thing in the world Fred would have expected, he ran over and clutched his little brother close. Fred went rigid, surprised by Percy's abnormal behavior. Percy began stoking Fred's soft hair.

"I'm sorry," he cried in a shaky voice, "I'm so sorry." Fred found himself leaning into his comforting embrace, even more than into Charlie's and it was some how more comforting than Bill's words. There was something sincere about Percy at that moment.

"He left me," Fred croaked hoarsely. Percy pulled back, and leaned his own smooth forehead against Fred's.

"Do you really believe that?" Fred looked at Percy in shock.

"Of course I do! He was attacked and he..." but Percy was shaking his head. Gently he took Fred's hand in his own and placed it on Fred's own forehead.

"He'll always be here," he whispered, and then moved Fred's hand down to his own chest, "and here." Tears welled up in Fred's eyes, and he collapsed into Percy, clinging to his chest.

"I don't want to be alone!" He sobbed. "Why did he have to go before me? He promised he wouldn't! He promised!" Percy sank to his knees, cradling Fred and rubbing his hair down.

"You're not listening," Percy whispered. "George would never, ever, leave you."

"But he did!"

"He didn't," Percy scolded softly. "George's spirit will always be with you, because he lives in you. You are part of each other, and always have been." He laid his head on Fred's shoulder, looking at the empty dorm room.

"Don't let go Fred, never let go. Because George didn't leave you and neither will I."